Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page. 

Teachers from across the area got the celebrity treatment Friday night at the NEA Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education Gala. A red carpet welcomed guests to the Building Museum while “paparazzi”—local high-school students armed with cameras and above-average lung capacities—lined the entrance.

“We want them to feel special tonight,” said NEA president Reg Weaver. “They work hard, and this is their night.”

The night took on a n Oscars vibe as more than 50 awards were given to the nation’s best educators. The top prize? The $25,000 NEA Member Benefits Award for Teaching Excellence, given to one of five finalists—all public-school teachers.

Minnesota first-grade teacher Lynette Wayne was awarded the coveted prize, and the remaining finalists, including Herndon High School political-science teacher Doug Graney, beamed as they were individually announced, congratulated, and awarded $10,000 checks courtesy of the Horace Mann Companies. (Wayne also received a separate $10,000 check.)

The Washington Post announced to managing editors this morning that Katharine Weymouth, 41, will become publisher of the newspaper.

She moves into the job held by Donald Graham’s longtime friend Boisfeuillet (Bo) Jones Jr. Jones, who has held the title of copublisher with Graham, will move up to vice president of the Washington Post Company.

The Post also announced that it was consolidating printing operations by closing its plant in College Park, Maryland, an implicit acknowledgment of declining circulation.

Sources at the Post also said a round of buyouts is imminent. The paper is expected to offer buyouts to staff members over the age of 50. It is looking to reduce its staff by 60 employees.

Weymouth’s rise signifies a shift in leadership to a new generation in the Graham family. She is the daughter of Don Graham’s sister, Lally. An attorney who is well liked in the newsroom, Weymouth has held a number of positions at the newspaper, most recently head of advertising sales.

The succession to Weymouth keeps the newspaper in the family but leaves open the future leadership of the Washington Post Company, which now derives more than half of its revenues from its educational arm, Kaplan Inc.

Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page. 

The expectations were high when the House of Sweden opened its doors for the swanky Friday Night After Dark soiree. More than 2,000 guests RSVP’d on Facebook, and hundreds of well-dressed visitors were lined up along the elegantly lighted façade.

What: The premiere of a series of cultural events called the House of Sweden After Dark, held in conjunction with the opening of the Swedish Embassy’s new Innovation and Technology exhibition. The embassy expects to schedule these events every two to three months to accompany art events. The Innovation and Technology program is part of the House of Sweden’s winter theme, called Sweden on the Potomac. The purpose of the exhibitions is to portray Sweden as a country where technology, research, and education have shaped a resourceful and inventive society.

Where: The Swedish Embassy, House of Sweden, 2900 K St., NW.

When: Friday, February 1, at 8 PM.

How much: A donation of $10 was recommended and seemed to be obligatory. The rest, including an open bar, was free.

Who: The swank and hip young social set—as determined by Washington Life, ranging from journalists to lawyers to social fixtures Phillippe Cousteau and Carlos Gutierrez Jr.—and busloads (literally) of socialites.

Where: Multiple secret, undisclosed locations.

When: Thursday, January 31, 8 PM.

Scene: Guests met first at the St. Regis, where there was a perfectly nice party for 90 minutes before everyone was forced to reclaim their coats, board buses, and depart for secret location No. 1: Halycon House, in Georgetown, where a carnival theme put together by event planner André Wells (one of Washingtonian’s best dressed men!) awaited them. The after-party involved reboarding the buses for Josephine’s downtown. The only drawback of the otherwise wonderful evening was the repeated checking and claiming of coats.

The Washington Post’s woes over finding and keeping a political feature writer for its Style section continue.

Mark Leibovich, the best of the breed, was snatched away by the New York Times in March 2006. He had become a star at Style, putting readers inside the lives and heads of politicians and their spouses. The Post attempted to install veteran David VonDrehle, but he left for Time Magazine before he could write one word for Style. Likewise, the Style section recruited Michael Powell from the national desk, where he had been running the New York bureau, but the New York Times hired him away first.