Dec. 1, 2008

An early Thanksgiving at Georgian Forest. Georgian Forest Elementary School staff prepare for the dinner they served the evening of Nov. 20 to the Georgian Forest community. Staff served as waiters at the sit-down dinner, provided by the school with the assistance of local area businesses. About 62 percent of the students at the school participate in the Free and Reduced-price Meals Program. From left are building service manager JR Smith, media assistant June Burch, art teacher Sue Heiserman, registrar and event co-chair Pat Brashers, and counselor and co-chair Kendra Jeffers.

One MCPS student has been named a regional finalist in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, and eight others (out of a total of 11 in Maryland) were named semifinalists. Tai Zheng of Montgomery Blair High School was one of 96 students throughout the nation honored as a regional winner. Richard Montgomery High School student Sarah Paleg and Blair High School’s Jean Fan, Sneha Kannan, Alisa Lu, Xin Shan, Srinivas Vasudevan, Yichen Wang and Richard Zhao were semifinalists.
Siemens Foundation 

National Chess Day at Broad Acres. Students ponder a chess move against principal Michael Bayewitz (foreground) while counselor Fernando Moreno offers advice. It was part of the school’s celebration of National Chess Day. Each teacher conducted chess warm-up lessons to reinforce academic and social skills. Activities included an art and poetry contest, an exhibition match against State Senator Jamie Raskin and chess on the playground using a large outdoor chess set.

Eighteen MCPS high school students attended the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literacy Conference at Montgomery College in late October as guests. Eight of them received Fitzgerald Scholars Awards, established to recognize the outstanding work done by high students involved in their school’s literary magazines and writing classes. The winners, chosen by their teachers for their love of language and commitment to writing, are Ty Diringer, Walt Whitman; Kristina Lykke, Gaithersburg; Carly Oeller, Clarksburg; Rachel Ostchega, Northwood; Katie Reding, Poolesville; Caroline Symons, Bethesda-Chevy Chase; Zoe Polach, Walter Johnson; and Silvia Weko, Richard Montgomery.

Rock Terrace School was awarded a $1,000 grant by the National Environmental Education Foundation and HSBC Bank USA National Association. The grant will be used to engage students in greening projects that reduce the school’s carbon footprint and involve them in hands-on education. Rock Terrace plans to make several additions to their schoolyard habitat efforts, such as building more raised garden beds for organic produce, establishing a weather station to enhance math and science, and buying energy-saving bulbs to use in school offices.

Creating a publication together. Julius West Middle School sixth grader Allison Nadler gets help from Richard Montgomery High School students Daniel Raeder and Megan Callanan in working with photos for Julius West’s literary magazine. Raeder, an editor for Richard Montgomery’s literacy magazine, forged a partnership with feeder middle school Julius West to help the students there develop their own literary and arts magazine.

For the ninth consecutive year, Neelsville Middle School administration and staff held Neelsville Day in late October. More than 300 community members and their families attended activities available for every age range. The event included a book fair, silent auction, concessions and the ever-favorite annual pie throwing booth featuring Principal Dollye McClain. Support from corporate sponsors in the community helped make the event a success.

At Arcola Elementary School in Silver Spring, piles of donated clothes, taller than each of the 15 Brownies in Troop 2672 (from Greenwood Elementary School), were sorted by troop members on their day off from school Nov. 3. After a quick lesson in the art of folding, clothes were then organized and placed on labeled shelves for easy access by those in need.

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Last Updated: 12/1/2008