Fairfax has scored a Top 5 spot on a ranking of the healthiest counties in the U.S.
The 2025 Niche rankings released last week found that Fairfax County is the fifth healthiest county in the country based on a review of 2,764 counties.
Fairfax has scored a Top 5 spot on a ranking of the healthiest counties in the U.S.
The 2025 Niche rankings released last week found that Fairfax County is the fifth healthiest county in the country based on a review of 2,764 counties.
Eighth-grader Nikita Ramakrishnan bested 86 spellers to win the Fairfax County Spelling Bee March 23.
Ramakrishnan, a student at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, claimed the title after spelling “xanthic,” an adjective of Greek origin meaning “colored with some tint of yellow – used of a flower.”
Fairfax families now have a vibrant new destination for creative exploration — a dedicated children’s art studio has officially opened its doors, bringing with it one of the largest selections of children’s art programs in the area.
A Vision Rooted in Community
The journey behind this new studio is a simple but meaningful one: a belief that every child in the Fairfax community deserves access to quality art education. That conviction became the driving force behind building a space where young people can discover, create, and grow — not just as artists, but as individuals.
“We wanted to provide the opportunity of art education to the Fairfax community,” the studio shared.
More Than 40 Art Forms Under One Roof
What makes this studio particularly remarkable is its breadth. Children have access to more than 40 varieties of art, offering a rare opportunity to explore disciplines far beyond the typical drawing and painting classes. Whether a child is drawn to sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, or illustration, there’s a path here waiting to be discovered.
The philosophy is intentional: instead of narrowing a child’s focus too soon, the programs are designed to let curiosity lead the way. Children are encouraged to try, experiment, and explore until something clicks — because finding a true passion is just as important as developing a skill.
Programs Built for Every Child and Every Schedule
The studio has been thoughtfully designed to meet families where they are, with age-appropriate programs that build skills progressively and purposefully. Here’s a closer look at what’s available:
Tiny Hands (Ages 3–4)
Art is a skill developed over time, and it all starts here. In Tiny Hands classes, children begin to express themselves through art in guided, small group activities that encourage community, collaboration, and relationships. This two-year program introduces young learners to drawing, painting, clay, printmaking, collage, design, and more — laying the foundation for a lifelong creative journey.
Intro to Art (Ages 5–6)
This two-year program introduces children to beginning art skills, tools, and basic vocabulary. Students are encouraged to explore different mediums and express their growing interests, working with clay, printmaking, charcoal drawing, painting, design, montage, watercolors, sculpture, stained glass, and more. Along the way, they’ll learn about color theory — including primary, secondary, cool, and warm colors — while gaining self-confidence and earning recognition for their creations.
Beginning Art (Ages 7–8)
Building on the foundation of Intro to Art, Beginning Art is designed for children ready to deepen their skills and grow more comfortable with art tools. Students expand their art vocabulary, apply their knowledge of color theory, and explore design principles through hands-on creating. This two-year program offers opportunities to work with charcoal, mono printing, clay, ink, color design, collage, self-portrait, watercolors, balsa wood carving, sculpture, and much more.
Art 1 (Ages 9+)
Art 1 is the foundation of the studio’s four-year curriculum — a class designed to maximize and maintain each child’s art interest as they develop a higher level of skills and knowledge. Students also begin building their personal portfolio. Projects include ebony pencil from photomontage, charcoal still life, India ink design, and scratchboard art, with a strong focus on line, value, and texture. Later in the program, students dive into an in-depth study of color theory and apply it to a series of color design projects. Art 1 also includes hand building with clay.

Cherry Blossoms Boost Metro Ridership — Metro says Friday, Saturday and Sunday (March 28-30) were its busiest days since 2020, with 28 stations setting post-2020 single-day ridership records. Demand was fueled by the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms hitting peak bloom, a busy day at the National Zoo and opening weekend games for the Washington Nationals. [WMATA/Bluesky]
Dulles Airport Highway Reduced to One Lane — “Starting [Monday, March 31], traffic will be restricted to one lane in both directions on the Dulles Airport Access Highway between Hunter Mill Road and Beulah Road around the clock for paving work. Allow additional time for merging.” [Dulles Airport/X]
Federal Layoffs Could Affect Child Care Centers — Despite mandating that federal employees return to the office, the Trump administration has eliminated an office that oversees dozens of child-care centers housed in federal buildings “leaving them vulnerable to a drop in quality, higher costs or outright closure, former employees said.” [Washington Post]
DCA Worker Charged With Assault — “A Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport employee was arrested for an air traffic control tower fight, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).” The air traffic controller was put on leave Saturday (March 29) following the incident on Thursday night (March 27), an FAA spokesperson said. [WJLA]
Va. Schools Under Scrutiny Based on ‘Parental Rights’ Laws — “The U.S. Department of Education is putting Virginia schools on notice, warning they could lose federal funding and face further investigation if they fail to comply with parental rights laws.” The move appears to stem from debates over whether schools should be required to disclose a student’s gender transition to parents. [Virginia Mercury]
Temporary Art Galleries to Pop Up Around Annandale — “‘Art in Daily Spaces,’ an exhibition of 21 local artists in a variety of media, opens to the public April 5 in six locations across Annandale. The exhibition, now in its second year, was organized by Community Art for Everyone (CAFE) and sponsored by ArtsFairfax.” [Annandale Today]
Meet Teacher Behind Reston Community Newsletter — Herndon High School English and journalism teacher Dawn Stuvland Crosson started the Reston Letter in early 2023 after seeing “a lapse in local reporting in her community … The free, local, monthly printed newspaper is mailed to more than 23,000 Reston residents.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Oakton Teen Advocates for Rare Disease Research — “Isolation was becoming a problem in 2020 when the world was beginning to learn about COVID-19. The feeling of being alone become much more severe when Khartik Uppalapati was diagnosed with two rare diseases.” The experience inspired the Oakton High School student to co-found the nonprofit advocacy group RareGen. [WTOP]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunshine and a high temperature near 59 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind ranging from 11 to 16 mph and gusts up to 25 mph. As the night progresses, there will be increasing clouds and the temperature will drop to around 43 degrees, with an east wind blowing at a speed of 3 to 7 mph. [NWS]
Bae Down the Line Sports Center Inc.
Trading as: DTL Sports Center
4317 Ravensworth Rd.
Annandale, VA 222003
The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Retail Annual Mixed Beverage Application – Sports Facility, Wine, Beer, Mixed Beverages, Consumed On and Off Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.
Jimmy Bae/Partner
NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or (800) 552-3200.
Event location
Fort Hunt Park
8999 Fort Hunt Rd
Alexandria, Virginia 22308
Join Breast Cancer Collective for the 2026 Walk to Bust Cancer on Sunday, October 18, at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria.
Walk alongside survivors, caregivers, friends, families, and neighbors for an uplifting community event supporting access to breast cancer screening and care across the DMV.
Walk to Bust Cancer brings our community together to turn hope into action and help expand access to timely breast health care. Register to walk, gather your team, and join us at Fort Hunt Park.
Northern Virginia’s lone nonprofit community center for LGBTQ+ individuals marked the opening on Saturday (March 29) of a new facility designed to expand opportunities serving the region.
“We have a lot of exciting things we want to do with this space,” said NoVA Prism Center board president Sydney Mastrangelo during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the expanded service center at 1340 Old Chain Bridge Road in McLean.
Competition for seats on the McLean Community Center’s Governing Board remains strong.
After fielding a dozen candidates for four adult seats and two youth seats last year, the MCC announced last Thursday (March 27) that 15 residents — six adults and nine teens — have qualified for the 2025 board elections.
While Fairfax County continues studying what to do with Lake Accotink, another local manmade body of water is gearing up for a dredging.
A contractor will begin operations in Reston next Monday (April 7) to dredge up and dispose of accumulated sediment from the canal at the northwest corner of Lake Anne, Reston Association announced in a newsletter on Friday (March 28).
Finding better ways for bus networks across Northern Virginia to better collaborate seems to be a priority for local representatives on the DMV Moves task force.
However, the possibility of consolidating the disparate systems into one appeared to be a non-starter, especially for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.
Fairfax Corner will kick off a long year of retail openings with three new arrivals this spring.
Both salad restaurant Sweetgreen and ear piercing studio Rowan expect to open their doors tomorrow (Tuesday), spearheading a list of half-a-dozen new storefronts scheduled to open in 2025.