News and Information
May 8, 2025
Front row: NCS Division Director Chris Scales, Jaiden Saran, Jasmine Ma, Sophie Zhang, Eesha Viswanathan, Varsha Ayala, Amanda Smedley, INTEGRITYOne's Pete Lamont. Back row: NCS' Robert O’Quinn, Ramin Ghodoumipour, Rolando Muradez, NCS' Karmentrina Kearse, Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter L. Alcorn, Franconia Supervisor Rodney L. Lusk, Dranesville Supervisor James N. Bierman, Alan Wang. Click photo on page for high-resolution version.
Finalists in the 2025 Fairfax Area High School Shark Tank Technology Challenge were honored at a breakfast ceremony at the Fairfax County Government Center on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
The Shark Tank Challenge is an annual competition for Fairfax County, Fairfax City and Falls Church City students. The participants are challenged to create an innovative device or app that will have a positive impact on the lives of older adults or adults with disabilities.
The place winners and finalists were recognized at the reception by Karmentrina Kearse, Shark Tank Challenge Coordinator; Walter Alcorn, Hunter Mill Supervisor; Lloyd Tucker, Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services Director; Cathy Cole, Fairfax County Committee on Aging Chair; and Pete Lamont, INTEGRITYOne Partners CEO (event sponsor).
The first-place innovators were Varsha Ayala and Eesha Viswanathan (The Madeira School) for innovating RapidX, a wearable device that allow paramedics to retrieve patient data instantly, cutting down retrieval time from eight minutes to eight seconds, reducing human error and language barriers.
Other place winners:
Second Place
Artisin - Alan Wang (McLean High School)
Third Place
Gaitway - Jasmine Ma (Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology), Jaiden Saran and Sophie Zhang (McLean High School)
Honorable Mentions
First
BlindSight - Kriesh Tivare (Langley High School)
Second
Branch Out - Chethna Ganesh, Kamya Raman, Sreeya Sangaraju (Centreville High School)
Third
CHAT - Aryan Rathour (McLean High School), Chenxi Xu (Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology), Sean Miles (Herndon High School)
Partners for the challenge include NCS, The Fairfax County Department of Family Services Fairfax Area Agency on Aging, the Commission on Aging, George Mason’s Kellar Institute and INTEGRITYOne Partners.
Judges were Pete Lamont (INTEGRITYOne Partners), Tiffany O’Neal (AIM-VA), NCS Tech Educators Ronaldo Muradez and Ramin Ghodoumipour; and Amanda Smedley (ServiceSource).
To learn more, visit the Fairfax Area High school Student Shark Tank Technology Challenge website.
To see a complete photo album of the ceremony, visit NCS' Flickr page.
May 7, 2025
NCS has teamed with The Mather, a new residential building for older adults in Tysons, to open Arbor Row Center for ages 50 and older.
NCS leaders participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, May 5, 2025, at Arbor Row, 7927B Westpark Dr. Arbor Row is available to residents of the The Mather, as well as community members. NCS is pleased to offer its instructors and programming for this space.
Programming suggestions came from community meetings held earlier this year. Among this month's free offerings: exercise (mat Pilates, chair yoga, dance workshop, Chi Kung), tech workshops (learn about wearables, learn what your iPhone can do), wellness (sound bath meditation, aromatherapy) and more (creative aging, bridge, mah jongg).
"We are proud to collaborate with The Mather to bring our exciting programming and expert instructors," NCS Director Lloyd Tucker said. "This is a win-win for all. We hope the Arbor Row Center is a place where participants find value in creating social connections and keeping an active mind and body."
Providence Supervisor Dalia A. Palchik said Arbor Row is an example of what the community can do together, and she is looking forward to additional opportunities for older adults.
Arbor Row is open 9 a.m. - noon, Monday to Friday. See the May programming schedule and register for programs via Eventbrite. For more information, call 571-617-0311, TTY 711.
May 5, 2025
Fairfax County's Department of Neighborhood and Community Services is holding Open Hire events in Fairfax, Annandale, Alexandria and Reston - as well as virtually – in May. Interested job applicants can interview on the spot at locations around Fairfax County or virtually.
NCS is hiring for year-round, part-time jobs in child care and recreation, as well as summer camp counselor positions. All summer positions are eligible for up to $1,000 in hiring and retention bonuses.
Open Hire Events:
School Age Child Care (Year-Round) and Summer Camp (Summer Counselors)
Saturday, May 10, 10 am.-noon
Gerry Hyland Government Center - Room 505, 8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA 22309
Wednesdays, May 14 & 28, 2025, 5-7 p.m.
Pennino Building - Room 206, 12011 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035
Lake Anne - Suite 100, 11484 Washington Plaza West, Reston, VA 20190
Heritage Center - Room 348E, 7611 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003
For more information and detailed job descriptions, please visit NCS’ Jobs page or our new Summer Jobs page.
VIRTUAL Open Hire Events:
Therapeutic Recreation Camp (Year-round and summer positions)
There will be a series of virtual, interactive open hire & information sessions on Zoom. Session participants will be able to get more information. participate in a question-and-answer period, and interview for a position with a staff member. Therapeutic Recreation provides services for individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities.
Zoom sessions:
Wednesday, May 7, 3 p.m.
Friday, May 9, noon
Please visit the Therapeutic Recreation webpage for more information and Zoom session registration.