WARWICK VILLAGE EARTH DAY SPRING CLEAN-UP

SATURDAY, 23 APRIL 2011, 10:00 AM

followed by

volunteer social & egg hunt

1pm at the poolhouse

Calling all willing and able Warwick Village Residents!  We need your help!  Spread the word! Clean up your median and our Parks!

If you’ve been walking around the neighborhood lately you’ve seen lots of litter on the streets and medians, and maybe even in our parks.  If we all pitch in, we can clean up the bits of broken glass, plastic, paper, metal and wood on our streets, and maybe even scoop out the leaves and sticks from the drains.

What do you have to do? Start spreading the word to other Warwick Village residents. Then, on Saturday, 23 April around 10am, meet up with your neighbors, don some gloves (if you want), grab a trash bag (paper or plastic, your preference) and work together to clean up your street for an hour or two.  What you pick up will need to be put into your personal trash bins or just put out with your trash the following Wednesday.

Our Warwick Village parks will need some attention, too!  If you are interested in parks clean up on 23 April, please email Shanie at shanie_bartlett@hotmail.com and let her know your Village park preference.

What’s in it for you? A litter-free street, exercise, and socializing with neighbors all followed by a social hour with an egg hunt at the Warwick Village poolhouse!  This will be a great way to educate them on Earth Day [http://www.earthday.org/].

If you have questions, ideas or comments, please contact Shanie at shanie_bartlett@hotmail.com.

WARWICK VILLAGE POOL HOUSE UPDATES & EVENTS

- NEWS -

Why Funding for Warwick Pool is not in the City Budget – and Why We’re Hopeful We Can Get it Back
Funding was removed because Alexandria had no strategy for its aquatics.  The city has hired a team of independent consultants to conduct an Aquatics Assessment and develop a “Master Plan”.  We have been invited to offer feedback and we will ask that Warwick pool improvements be part of the Plan.  Link to Details.

Warwick Pool is Getting a Makeover!
Several key improvements, including new fences, toilets, and lounge chairs, are complete or underway thanks to the city!  Link to details.

Swimming Lessons and Memberships To Be Offered at Warwick Pool
That’s right – classes for children, and both individual and family memberships, are available!  Link to Details.

- ACTION ALERT -

Email the Mayor and City Council by May 2 to express your support of Warwick Pool
Now through May 2nd, citizens are invited to submit comments on the FY12 budget.  Commenting on the budget is a great way to show the mayor and city council how important Warwick pool is to each of us, and how committed we are to maintaining it as a vibrant community resource.  Link to details.

Get Involved
Strong participation in volunteer projects shows the city we care and improves the pool – a win-win!  Each of the opportunities listed takes from a few minutes to a few hours at most.  Check them out and reply to this email or comment on the site if you can contribute.  Link to details.

Opportunities:

• Email the City Council (deadline Mon May 2)
• City Aquatics Assessment (Wed May 4, 7PM)
• Information table at First Thursday (Thurs May 5, 6-9PM)
• Work Parties (Sat May 7 and Sat May 21, 1-3PM)
• Information table at Del Ray Farmer’s Market (Sat May 21, 8AM-12PM)
• Community survey (dates flexible)
• Flyers to advertise the pool (dates flexible)
• Pool Party! (Mon July 4): Help organize/host a community BBQ at the pool.  More information to come.

ALEXANDRIA NEWS REPORT

75 Drownings and Near-Drownings in 15 Weeks; Pool Safely PSAs Urge Parents to Watch Children At All Times Around Pools and Spas This Summer

With the summer swimming season just around the corner, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Pool Safely: Simple Steps Save Lives campaign is releasing its 2011 television and radio public service announcements (PSAs) highlighting various water safety steps that can be taken to save a life. In the first few months of 2011, there have been 37 drownings and 38 near-drowning incidents reported by the media across America. Developed with the campaign’s national partners the American Red Cross and the Y, the PSAs are being released nationally today urging parents and children to adopt as many safety steps as possible in and around pools and spas. The Pool Safely campaign is the federal government’s first-of-its-kind national public education effort to reduce child drownings and near-drownings in swimming pools and spas.

SIMPSON DOG PARK TO RECEIVE TURF RENOVATION

Potomac Yard Development contractors will perform work at the Simpson Dog Park, located at 426 E. Monroe Avenue, during the weeks of April 18 and April 25 to improve the turf on the top slope and perform other minor improvements. Weather permitting; work could begin as early as April 20. Residents will see equipment in use and crews at work during the daytime.

The upper slope of Simpson Dog Park will be closed until mid-June to allow the grass to establish. The lower portion of the dog park will remain open for use. Please be reminded that in order for the turf to establish, dogs must remain outside the fenced portion on the upper slope.

For a complete listing of the City Dog Parks and Exercise Areas, visit www.alexandriava.gov/Dogs.

For additional information or questions about the work, call Bethany Carton, Park Planning Division, at 703.746.5492.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO PARTICIPATE IN “SPRING FOR ALEXANDRIA 2011”

Good ideas grow stronger with time and the fourth annual Spring for Alexandria celebration of giving and service is in full bloom.  On Friday, May 6, volunteers are needed to help in community service projects throughout Alexandria from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dress comfortably and prepare to spend part of your day on service—whether it is planting trees in a park, painting a school, or stocking a pantry for a local shelter.  There is something for every person, every schedule… every skill set! Help this City where you work, play, and live…now give your way!

There are three ways you can sign up: (http://springforalexandria2011.kintera.org)

1. Start a Team – If you want to coordinate a team or if you want to invite friends and family to participate with you, sign up as a Team Leader.  Keep in mind; Team Leaders also have additional responsibilities on the day of the event.
2. Join a Team – If you want to participate with a team that has already been created, select that team when you sign up.
3. Join as an Individual – If you want to be placed on a team assigned directly by Volunteer Alexandria, do not choose a team when you sign up.

Register today!  For assistance in creating your team, please contact Volunteer Alexandria at 703.836.2176.

In addition, Spring for Alexandria is Volunteer Alexandria’s major fundraiser for the year. Volunteers are encouraged to raise pledges for their time of service.  It is not necessary to raise money to be part of the Spring for Alexandria Service Day event, but great prizes are available for teams that do. The funds through pledges are 100% used to help volunteers connect to nonprofits and Alexandria needs.

All volunteers receive a t-shirt.  Following your day of service, you are invited to come to Market Square for refreshments and a community celebration honoring all that has been accomplished by volunteers who rolled up their sleeves, got dirty and made Alexandria a better place to work and live.

Spring for Alexandria is a three-day celebration of giving and service in Alexandria, VA.  Entering its fourth year, Spring for Alexandria is jointly hosted by ACT for Alexandria, the City of Alexandria, Volunteer Alexandria and the Alexandria Jaycees. During the celebration, Alexandrians are encouraged to give back to their community by donating their time, money or support to some or all of six different events: the Generations of Giving Gala on May 5; the Business Philanthropy Summit; Community Service Day and Celebration on Market Square on May 6; and Alexandria Gives: A Community Contributions Day; and Kids Helping Kids’ Lemonaide Day on May 7. Spring for Alexandria has brought together more than 3,000 community members, businesses, nonprofit organizations, Alexandria City Schools and government. Starting this year, ACT for Alexandria will include Spring2ACTion — an innovative on-line community-wide fundraising event designed to inspire unprecedented levels of charitable giving in Alexandria. For more information on Spring2Action, visit www.actionalexandria.org.

For more information on Spring for Alexandria, please visit www.springforalexandria.org.

WORKSHOP #3 – GREEN LANDSCAPING FOR YOU AND THE CHESAPEAKE BAY

The City of Alexandria invites members of the public to attend the third Eco-City Alexandria Green Building Workshop on May 7, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. located at Cora Kelly Elementary School, 25 West Reed Avenue. The workshop will provide eco-friendly landscaping options to help you beautify your home’s landscape while reducing water consumption and protecting the watershed. Participants are encouraged to RSVP by e-mail to Erica.Bannerman@alexandriava.gov. Door prizes awarded at the event.

For more information on the workshop series visit the Green Building Resource Center at http://www.alexandriava.gov/gbrc/ or call the Office of Environmental Quality at 703.746.4065.

Next Workshop, Save the Date NOW!

Green Upgrades in Historic Properties: Saturday, June 4, 2011 at the Lyceum, 201 South Washington Street Alexandria, VA Alexandria.

ALL NIGHT DRUG AND ALCOHOL FREE GRADUATION CELEBRATION

FOR T. C. WILLIAMS HIGH SCHOOL

The 22nd annual All Night Drug and Alcohol Free Graduation Celebration for T.C. Williams High School seniors will take place on Saturday, June 18th at the Chinquapin Recreation Center in Alexandria, Virginia.  We are asking for modest donations from local businesses and community organizations to help support this special event in the lives of Alexandria’s young people.  Your contribution will help make the evening a special memory for the more than 500 graduates who attend the only public high school in Alexandria.

Since T.C. began this tradition in 1989, there have been no drug- or alcohol-related graduation night fatalities. This special party sends the clear message that our community values the academic achievement of graduation and cares deeply about the safety and well-being of our students.  Last year, the majority of the senior class attended this party, sponsored by the T.C. Williams PTSA and made possible by the generous support of local businesses, citizens and community organizations.

This graduation celebration is open to all graduating seniors.  Complimentary admission is available for those students who are unable to purchase tickets.  In order that we cover our expenses, we are soliciting donations from within the Alexandria community.  Please use the below form for your contribution.  Your gift is tax-deductible and will be publicized in the event program.

On behalf of the students of the Class of 2011, thank you for making graduation a celebration of a lifetime.

Donor Response Form

Please print or type:

Name:

Organization 

Address:

City: State: Zip Code:

Telephone: Fax:

Email:______________________________________________________

Contact Person/Title:

Amount of Donation:

$___________

Please make your check payable to:

T.C. Williams All-Night Graduation Party

and send to:

TC Williams High School

All Night Drug and Alcohol Free Graduation Celebration

3330 King Street Alexandria, Virginia 22302

Attn: Patty Moran

The Class of 2011 thanks you!

If you have any questions, please call Janet Lewis at 703-587-4332 or jlewis@usatoday.com

T.C. Williams High School PTSA Tax Exemption # 54-1303279

DEL RAY ARTISANS’ SUMMER ART CAMP 2011

When: July 25-29, 2011; 9 am – 4 pm

Where: Del Ray Artisans 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301-1124

Ages: 8 – 14 (there is some flexibility)

Cost: $250 before 6/1/11 —- $275 after 6/1/11

Join the Del Ray Artisans as we travel around the world in five days.  From July 25-29, students ages 8-14 will experience an international expedition through the arts.  Each day from 9 am – 4 pm will feature projects and activities related to cultural traditions and artistic movements found throughout the world.  Classes will be taught by professional artists and educators and draw from the dramatic, visual, and musical arts.  The culmination of the week will be a gallery showing of the weeks’ projects at the Del Ray Artisans gallery space in Alexandria, VA.

Space is limited, register online at http://www.thedelrayartisans.org/.  Scholarship support may be available.  Please contact Lisa McKee, Art Camp Director at DRA.ArtCamp@gmail.com for a scholarship application.

Art Camp will be held at the Del Ray Artisans gallery at the Nicholas A. Colasanto Center, 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia 22301.

14^TH ANNUAL T.C. WILLIAMS STUDENT ART SHOW

ART CAMP 2011:  CALL FOR INSTRUCTORS/ARTISTS

Del Ray Artisans is accepting project proposals for our upcoming summer art camp.  Art Camp 2011 will take place from 9 am – 4 pm; July 25-29, 2011 at the Del Ray Artisans gallery space in Alexandria, VA and serve approximately 25 students aged 8-14.

With a theme meant to take students “around the world in 5 days,” the ideal project will be both fun and instructional and be tailored to age groups 8-10 and/or 11-14.  Projects should combine educational elements with hands-on and engaging opportunities for creativity and relate to a current or historic craft founded in cultural tradition.  Proposals should include the following:

•                    Brief description of proposed activity

•                    Objectives (relation to theme)

•                    Age appropriateness

•                    Materials and estimated cost (itemized cost list)

•                    Room set up and any advance preparation requirements

•                    Summary/Script

•                    Terminology

A modest honorarium will be provided for instructors and the cost of approved materials will be covered.  Questions and proposals can be sent to DRA.ArtCamp@gmail.com with a subject line of DRA Camp Proposal.  Proposals will be accepted through May 1, 2011.

ALEXANDRIA ART MARKET

Market Dates: 5/7/11, 6/4/11, 7/2/11, 8/6/11, 9/3/11, 11/5/11

Del Ray Artisans (DRA) is pleased to announce its 2^nd season of The Alexandria Art Market.  The market will be held in the Nicholas A. Colasanto Park, adjoining the Del Ray Artisans gallery at 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA (corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue). This is a rain or shine event and is free and open to the public.

A variety of original artwork from over 25 artists will be displayed for sale including, but not limited to, painting, photography, pottery, jewelry, and glasswork.

The grand opening festivities for the 2^nd season will be on May 7, 2011 will include music by The Kate Moran Band and yummy food from local food purveyors.

Market Creator and Coordinator Kimberley Bush is so pleased that last year’s art market was so successful that she was able to add an additional month which is May and increased the number of artists.  She continues to believe that the DRA artists and artisans would benefit from consistent exposure to the art world.  This event will be another opportunity and a perfect venue to connect with the community.

The market will be held on the 1^st Saturdays of May, June, July, August, September and November, 2011 in the Nicholas A. Colasanto Park on the corner of Commonwealth and Mount Vernon Avenues from 10-4 pm rain or shine.

For more information about the Alexandria Art Market, how to apply for an artspace at the market, about being a food purveyor or musical act, please contact Kimberley Bush at 703-627-7656 or email DRA.AlexandriaArtMarket@gmail.com.

14^TH ANNUAL T.C. WILLIAMS STUDENT ART SHOW

Opening Reception: Friday, May 6, 2011, 7 pm – 10 pm

Show Dates: Friday, May 6^th through Sunday, May 15^th 2011

Del Ray Artisans and the T.C. Williams High School Art Department jointly present the 14^th Annual Student Art Show at the Del Ray Artisans gallery, from Friday, May 6^th through Sunday, May 15^th.  The exhibit will feature the work of members of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS).

Students are inducted into the NAHS upon recommendation by their art teachers.  T.C. Williams students must have completed a minimum of two years of high school art study during which they have demonstrated exemplary achievement.  Fifteen juniors and seniors comprise this year’s selection.  Many of these students will continue to study art at the college level, and much of the work on exhibit was featured in their winning college admission portfolios.  Alfred University, The Chicago Art Institute, Maryland Institute College of Art, Penn State, Temple University, and VCU Arts are among the schools eager to welcome T.C. artists this fall.

T.C. Williams offers a vibrant art program that attracts hundreds of 9^th-12^th graders each year.  Former students can be counted among today’s working fine artists and art teachers, graphic artists and web designers, fashion and fabric designers, and animators and special effects artists.

Come celebrate these newest additions to those proud ranks!  The opening reception will be held Friday, May 6^th, 7 pm to 10 pm.

The show will be at the Del Ray Artisans gallery at the Nicholas A. Colasanto Center, 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia 22301.  Gallery hours are: Thursdays, 12 noon to 6 pm (First Thursdays, 12 noon to 9 pm, May – September); Fridays, 12 noon to 9 pm; Saturdays, 10 am to 9 pm; and Sundays, 12 noon to 6 pm.  The gallery is free, open to the public and handicap accessible.

For more information, please visit www.TheDelRayArtisans.org or contact Leslie Rousseau at 703-824-6800 or lroussea@acps.k12.va.us.

HAPPENINGS IN DEL RAY

DEL RAY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH – Join us for Maundy Thursday  on April 21 at 7:30 PM, we will relive the last supper with a special service and communion  in our sanctuary.  There may even be a surprise or two.    For more info: www.delrayumc.org or 703-549-2088   Location: 100 E. Windsor Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301

DEL RAY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH – Join us for Easter Services on April 24th  ~ We will celebrate with two identical services at 9 AM and 10:30 AM. Child Care is available for both services.     For more info: www.delrayumc.org or 703-549-2088   Location: 100 E. Windsor Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301

ST. STEPHEN’S & ST. AGNES SCHOOL – Join us for the Upper School One-Act Play Festival taking place at 7:00 p.m. on April 28, 29, and 30 in the Upper School Black Box Theater. Students direct and perform in these short plays. Admission is free. 1000 St. Stephen’s Road, Alexandria, Virginia. www.sssas.org

ECLECTIC NATURE, EGG HUNT – Bring the children for an egg hunt at Eclectic Nature Saturday, April 23, 11 a.m. 1503 MOUNT VERNON AVENUE,  ALEXANDRIA, VA  22301 703-837-0500  www.engiftandgarden.com.