NRA Calls for 'Armed Security' Around Schools

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," the NRA's Wayne LaPierre said.

The Fairfax-based National Rifle Association on Friday broke its week-long silence following the horrific shooting of 26 people at a school in Newtown, Conn., and called for a surge of gun-carrying "good guys" around American schools. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called for a new kind of American domestic security revolving around armed civilians, arguing that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." "We care about our president, so we protect him with armed Secret Service agents," LaPierre said. "Members of Congress work in offices surrounded by Capitol Police officers. Yet, when it comes to our most beloved, innocent, and vulnerable members of the American family, our children, we as a …

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Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Set for August

Most school supplies and some clothing items and footwear will be exempt from Virginia's sales tax during the event.

Virginia is hosting its annual back-to-school sales tax holiday in August. During the event, which begins Aug. 3 and runs through Aug. 5, most school supplies with a pricetag of $20 or less and clothing items and footwear priced at $100 or less will be exempt from Virginia’s 5 percent state and local sales tax. An all-inclusive list of school supplies, a list of exempt clothing and footwear items, holiday guidelines for shoppers and retailers, and answers to frequently asked questions are available on the department’s Sales Tax Holiday Information Center. As long as each item purchased qualifies for the exemption, there is no limit on the number of items one can buy. During this sales tax holiday, retailers may also choose to save …

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Robinson Trombone Choir Attends Prestigious Workshop

Nine Robinson musicians were invited to participate in the prestigious Eastern Trombone Workshop.

The Robinson High School Trombone Choir recently received a special invitation to participate in the Eastern Trombone Workshop, which was presented at Fort Myer by The United States Army Band "Pershing's Own". This annual event began in 1978 and has been under command of The United States Army Band since 1993. During those years, it has become one of the largest trombone workshops in the world. Directed by Gregory Freeman, the trombone choir is made up of nine young musicians, who live in Fairfax Station, Clifton, Burke and Fairfax. They include Jordan Feltcorn, T.J. Horan, Jun Huh, Allison Hunter, Natasha Penfield, Josh Schwark, Nate Smith, Nick Warmuth and Zane Xu. The Robinson Trombone Choir was one of only two high school groups in the…

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This Teen's Life

Disciplinary Changes A Step in the Right Direction

Though activists may be left unsatisfied on certain areas of reform, the changes reflect a good effort on behalf of the school board

The school board’s decision to change the formerly black-and-white discipline policy was a step in the right direction. The board voted to get rid of involuntary school transfer as administrators go to means of punishment as well as voting to increase alternative means of punishment. However, one part of reform activists were adamant about was notifying parents when a child is called in for questioning. This was not part of the amendment to the SR&R. While I agree that parents should be notified, I fully understand the reasoning behind the school board’s decision. In an affluent county, parents are no strangers to legal proceedings and will go to great lengths to protect their child. Undoubtedly, disciplinary procedures will be halted as …

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