The 2026 Falls Church Women’s History Walk Adds Four Honorees to the List of Leaders and Activists

By Terry Myers Zawacki on behalf of the Falls Church Women’s History Group

The 2026 honorees

If there is a theme in the selection of this year’s honorees, it is that all have been actively engaged in educational initiatives, whether in the schools or the wider community.

Sharon Schoeller: Special Education Advisory Committee, Falls Church Education Foundation

Honoree Sharon Schoeller is well known for her many years of educational activism, notably as a member, co-chair, and chair of the School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee, which advocated successfully for the inclusion of differently abled children in the City’s public school system.

Turning her attention to teachers and staff, in her 15-plus years as an officer and board member of the Falls Church Education Foundation, Sharon helped to develop two major grant programs: Super Grants, which fund learning-enhancement projects at all five schools, and Advanced Training Grants, which provide professional development for teachers and staff, both initiated in 2015 and continuing to the present.

Remarkably, Sharon was actively involved with yet another educational constituency, having served as president of Falls Church Elementary PTA, the Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School PTA, and the Meridian High School PTSA, for which she co-chaired the All-Night Graduation Celebration Committee.

Sharon’s achievements have been recognized with three education-related awards: the Virginia Education Association “It Takes a Village to Educate a Child” award (2003), the AAUW Falls Church Branch “Education Advocate of the Year” award (2003-2004), and the Falls Church Education Association “Friend of Education” award (2005.)

In addition to her educational leadership roles, Sharon has also been politically active as a longtime member of Citizens for a Better City and is a founding member of the Falls Church Women’s History Group. She well deserved being named, along with her husband, Edward Saltzberg, in the 2019 Falls Church Chamber of Commerce “Pillars of the Community.”  

Marty Behr: International Baccalaureate Program, Falls Church Arts

In her more than half-century of service to the City, Marty Behr has also been active in promoting educational initiatives that strengthen our schools and support our students. As chair of the parent-school committee, she led the effort to bring the International Baccalaureate Program to the City’s school system, the first municipality in Virginia to offer the program. Its defining feature is that it extends from preschool through 12^th grade, allowing students to engage at their own levels and goals.

In another move that recognized students’ different needs and goals, Marty chaired the Small Schools Task Force, which recommended the policy that led to a partnership with the Arlington Career Center, giving students the opportunity to couple their academic program with professional training in career skills while also providing a pathway to higher education.

Along with her contributions to education in the City, Marty has also been a tireless advocate of the arts and is one of the founders and a continuing board member of Falls Church Arts. Perhaps the most visible of her Arts efforts is the Halloween Window Painting Festival, launched in 2008, which involves children and teens working in supervised teams to paint merchants’ windows with ghosts, goblins, and pumpkins.

In 2007 in recognition of her membership and various leadership roles in the Falls Church Area Branch of American Association of University Women and Citizens for a Better City, Marty was the recipient of the Falls Church League of Women Voter’s Leadership Award. Her record of activism continues to inspire women leaders today.

Melissa Teates: Operation Earthwatch, Planning Commission

Melissa Teates served for eight years as a member of the Falls Church Environmental Education Task Force that, in 1993 in collaboration with the schools and other City groups, launched Operation Earthwatch for elementary school students to encourage them to participate in environmental activities.

Expanding beyond the schools, Melissa volunteered for 18 years with the Falls Church Habitat Restoration Task Force, serving as the Communication Coordinator organizing volunteer events and recruiting community groups for conservation projects, such as the removal of invasive species from public land, an activity that continues to this day. Also, as a volunteer, she worked with Plant NOVA Natives, promoting native plants at local nurseries and events.

These activities sit side by side with Melissa’s work for 17 years as a member of the Falls Church City Planning Commission from 2007 to 2023 for which she served as both chair and vice chair as well as sitting on the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. At the same time, she also held leadership roles in the Village Preservation and Improvement Society, a group integral to preserving the material and cultural history of Falls Church.

In addition to this City-focused activism, Melissa followed another passion—serving as both a Girl Scout and a Boy Scout leader with the Nation’s Capital troops for both.

Since her move in 2025 to Norfolk, Virginia, Melissa continues to be engaged in community and environmental affairs, serving on the Norfolk Tree Commission, working with the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, and volunteering at a local food bank.    

Sandy Tarpinian: Falls Church Wildlife Conservation Efforts, Master Gardener

Environmental educator and master gardener, Sandy Tarpinian has spent more than 25 years helping to restore wildlife habitats in the City and educating the community on composting, native plant varieties, storm water mitigation, and wildlife gardening. In her educator role, she diligently collected data on the City’s environmental efforts by the schools, nonprofit groups, and the government, which she reported to both the City Council and the National Wildlife Federation.

In all of her environmental work, Sandy made it a priority to connect local efforts with those at the national level, both to inform and to sustain important City environmental initiatives. She served on the Habitat Restoration Task Force Group that was awarded City certification in 2015 as a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, only the fourth Virginia community to receive this distinction. To maintain this annual certification, Sandy spent years documenting the local habitat, environmental practices, and educational outreach efforts. For more than 10 years, Sandy served as the Community Habitat’s liaison with the National Wildlife Federation and represented Falls Church at Wildlife Federation events.

In addition to her environmental work, Sandy served in leadership positions with Falls Church League of Women Voters and, somehow, still found time to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at a local church.

For in-depth stories about some of these women, readers may also want to view the video “Women in Preservation: Reflections at 250,” produced by the City of Falls Church government, and read Falls Church Women’s History Group Marks America’s 250th by Honoring Local Women Who Turned Ideals into Action, which appeared in March 2026 in the Falls Church Pulse.