News of the achievements of local students and members of the Armed Forces.
** Katherine Hikin of Vienna has been inducted into the Emerson College chapter of the Gold Key Honor Society.
** Tristen Laney of McLean and Caleb Suh of Vienna have been inducted in the United States Military Academy chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society.
** Piper Phillips of McLean and Emily Kilbourne of Vienna recently participated in Emerson College’s production of “Into the Woods,” which ran at the college April 14-16.
**More than 100 Eagle Scouts have emanated from Troop 128, sponsored by St. John’s Episcopal Church in McLean, since the troop was founded nearly a century ago.
Until April 11, all have been male.
But that changed in a Court-of-Honor ceremony in which Rishika Singh, a member of Girls Troop 128, became the first in that troop to achieve Eagle Scout status.
The 15-year-old has been a member of the girls troop for three years, ever since the girls’ component was founded. Her mother, Seema Singh, serves as Scoutmaster.
Singh is a freshman at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology. Her Eagle Scout project involved creation of pads that are used to assist children undergoing cancer treatment who are not able to walk on their own. The effort was coordinated with Inova Schar Cancer Institute.
Her long-term goal is to become a cardiologist or oncologist.
Singh’s involvement in Scouting began when she would accompany her brother, Amrit Raj Singh, to his Cub Scout activities. As soon as girls were allowed to join Boy Scouts of America, she signed up.
** Nationally-recognized health care leader and George Mason University School of Nursing alumna Karen Dale, RN, MSN, will be the keynote speaker at the Mason College of Health and Human Services’ 2022 Degree Celebration, to be held on May 22 at Eagle Bank Arena.
Dale, who received a bachelor of science in nursing from Mason, will address the next generation of leaders based on her two decades in the health-care industry.
Dale initially was scheduled to address graduates at the May 2020 degree celebration, which was canceled due to COVID-19.
Dale is the market president and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for AmeriHealth Caritas’ Medicaid managed-care organization in Washington, D.C.
** The George C. Marshall High School Statesman Theatre will present the Tony-nominated musical “A Year with Frog and Toad” over two weekends beginning April 28.
The family-friendly play follows two best friends – the cheerful, patient frog and the bumbling, persnickety toad – through four seasons of vignettes as they are joined by other woodland creatures.
“I have always wanted to do a straight-up children’s musical, but felt determined in the wake of COVID to present a play the entire family can enjoy together,” said director Bernie DeLeo.
“I read these stories to my own children, who are now grown, and it’s been a joy to rediscover these simple yet funny stories and these hilarious characters – this amphibious Abbott & Costello,” De Leo said.
The show runs 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and high-schoolers, $5 for younger children.
Performances are April 28 and May 6 at 7:30 p.m. and April 29 and May 7 at 4 and 7:30 p.m., with the box office opening 90 minutes prior to showtime. The theater is accessed via Door 13 at the high school.
For information and tickets, see the Website at www.statesmentheatre.org.
** The Langley High School theater department’s Saxon Stage will present “Freaky Friday,” a musical adaptation of the Mary Rodgers novel and hit Disney films, with performances April 27 to May 7 at the high school.
“This adventurous story shares the themes of family, friends, love and laughter,” producers note. “When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again. By spending a day in each other’s shoes, Katherine and Ellie come to appreciate one another’s struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love and mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter.”
Performances are April 27, 28, 29 and 30 and May 6 at 7 p.m., May 1 and 7 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets $15 for adults, $10 for students.
For information, see the Website at www.saxonstage.com.