A Party with a Purpose

Nostradamus did not predict the occurrence of World War II to the date and Picasso did not paint the beheading of John the Baptist, contrary to what some parents in the Falls Church City public schools system thought.

The parents engaged in a battle of wits with the George Mason Scholastic Bowl team, which won 6-3 during the tournament section of a fundraising gala event by Falls Church City's Education Foundation held at a hotel in Arlington on Friday.

David Chavern, the foundation president said money raised by the foundation pays for items not funded by the school budget allocations like teacher cultural immersion trips and advanced classroom technology like the explosive-proof freezer for a George Mason science lab.

"(The foundation) was an idea of a couple of stalwart supporters of the school district," he said, "who thought there were people who cared about the schools and who have resources they would like to contribute that would ultimately serve the needs of students and teachers."

A new program this year, Pathways to Baccalaureate Fund seeks to help juniors and seniors in their transition to college through Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) to a college of their choice. The seed program tagged at $5,000 targets first time college attendees and other at risk students in the city school system.

Outgoing superintendent of the city public schools Dr. Lois Berlin said contrary to outward appearances there are students in the city school system in need of extra help with nutrition and the college transition process.

"When we look at out statistics each year about 84 percent to 85 percent of our students go on to higher education or training or some other secondary experience but still 15 percent don't," she said. "We would like that to be 100 percent."

Edwin B. Henderson II, a gala attendee, is the grandson of Ellen B. Henderson, the grand matriarch of African-American schooling in the area. Reflecting on scholastic fundraising since his grandmother's days where they had bake sales and took book donations from the better funded white schools in the county, he said schools have come a long way.

"We are lucky that the city of Falls Church City has a history of fully funding schools."

On April 25 the council adopted the 2012 fiscal year city budget, which included a flat budget allocation for city schools. Pat Riccards, vice chairman of the school board, acknowledges there will have to be changes in the monetary allocations because of increased retirement spending and healthcare costs. Political wrangling aside, Riccards said the Friday gala was about the importance different people place in education in the city.

"This is not partisan," he said. "We don't pick sides tonight."