Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) of Alexandria Va. welcomes eight new faculty members to its tap, jazz, hip hop and ballet departments, from various parts of the United States and beyond, including Roger C. Jeffrey, a NYC native and The Juilliard School graduate, specializing in ballet, Quynn Johnson, a Howard University graduate and student of tap and West African dance, and Guiliano Antonio, a Brazilian tap artist, who has taught at several tap festivals in Argentina, Brazil and the United States. Go to www.metropolitanarts.org for more information on their staff.

Those looking to get and stay fit may need look no further than their smartphone, desktop computer, or wrist. The many apps, wearables, and online fitness programs that are available today are helping to motivate people to get off the couch and start getting physical. In the January 2017 issue of the journal Frontiers in Public Health, researchers report that fitness technology, which includes apps and trackers, has become increasingly popular and that it has the potential to significantly impact public health, research, and policies. However, most people don’t know much about them. The more they know about the fitness technology tools, the better they will be able to choose one that will fit their lifestyle and goals.

The Nutrition Journal reports that Americans have shifted toward eating out more and cooking at home less. With busy work and back-to-school schedules, many parents find it difficult to find the time to make home-cooked meals. Yet the American Journal of Preventative Medicine reports that the amount of time spent on food preparation and cooking may have implications for ones overall diet quality and health, and that a greater amount of time spent on home food preparation is associated with a higher diet quality. The good news is that parents who are juggling back-to-school hours and work can fit in healthy home-cooked meals that are quick to prepare, nutritious, and delicious.