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On Friday, a handful of Stone Ridge students headed to Bella Bethesda salon and got their hair cut. And another 35 girls showed up to cheer them on. While trims and cuts aren't usually the stuff of accolades, on Friday they were.

The students took part in the salon's Cut for a Cause, a week-long campaign to collect hair for the Locks of Love organization. The nonprofit takes the donated hair and transforms it into wigs for sick children.

"I think it's just important to give back to the community, especially to children," said Stacy Dabney Ramirez, owner of Bella Bethesda. "And it's good to see other kids come in to help."

The salon collected more than 850 inches of hair from 61 haircuts, Dabney Ramirez said. Last year, during the first Cut for a Cause, the salon collected 600 inches of hair.

In order to donate, the hair has to be at least 10 inches long, according to the Locks of Love Web site. Participants at the Bella Bethesda event received a free haircut if they donated at least 10 inches.

"For any of our clients who weren't able to donate, I think it's nice for them to know that they go to a salon that cares," Dabney Ramirez said.

And while this year's event is over, Dabney Ramirez said eight students have already pledged their hair for next year.

Bethesda and Potomac schools compete in Brain Bee

Students from three area schools will compete today in the Washington, D.C.-region Brain Bee, a competition that tests students' knowledge of neuroscience.

Participants will vie for cash prizes and the opportunity to represent the Washington, D.C.-area at the National Brain Bee in Baltimore March 20 and 21. The winner of the tournament will represent the United States at the International Brain Bee in Toronto, Aug. 7-9.

Students from St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac and Walter Johnson and Walt Whitman high schools in Bethesda will compete today.

Other Montgomery County schools participating include Clarksburg, Montgomery Blair, Paint Branch, Richard Montgomery, Rockville and Thomas Edison high schools.

In 2008, Richard Montgomery student Elena Perry won the regional, national and international competitions. She spent her summer working at the National Institutes of Health.

For more information about the Brain Bee, visit www.sfn.org/baw.

Walter Johnson hosts

Italian dinner

The Walter Johnson High School Booster Club, Italian Honor Society and senior class are joining forces for the school's annual delicious fundraiser: an Italian dinner.

At 5:30 p.m., March 20, pasta, salad, drinks and dessert will be provided at the school. The food will be served family style and families are encouraged to attend.

For individuals and families who register for the event by March 6, the cost is $10 per adult, and $8 per student, or school staff member. At the door, the price rises to $12 per adult and $9 per student or staff member. Kids 5 years old and under eat for free, and families of four or more can get in for $35.

For more information or to register, e-mail Marta Moersen at martamoersen@yahoo.com, or Melitta Carter at melittacarter@hotmail.com.

Following the meal, stick around for the school's annual student-faculty basketball game. Tickets for the game will be sold at the door.

Walter Johnson HS is located at 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda.

JCC hosts college fair

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington will host its 13th annual CollegeQuest College Fair from 1:30-6 p.m., March 15, and the center's Rockville location, 6125 Montrose Road.

Representatives from more than 50 colleges will be on hand, in addition to college admissions process experts. Counselors will conduct workshops on topics including financial aid, the admissions process, and Jewish life on campus.

The cost for a family of four is $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

For more information, contact Tracy Schneidkraut at 301-348-3889 or tschneidkraut@jccgw.org.

Ssh…silent auction

comes to WJ

The Walter Johnson High School crew team is hosting a silent auction to raise money for the team, at 7 p.m., Feb. 26, at the school, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda.

The event is one of the team's most important fundraisers of the year and all proceeds go directly to the team for new boats, equipment, and maintenance.

Items include gift baskets, art work, sports and theater tickets, vacations, gift certificates and more.

For more information, contact Cathy Rosen at cathylrosen@aol.com, or Marianne Van der Tak at mariannevdt@gmail.com

International flair takes

over Cold Spring

The International Fair at Cold Spring Elementary School will kick off at 2 p.m., March 1, at the school, 9201 Falls Chapel Way, Potomac.

The program is geared toward exposing children to different cultures, and will include food, dancing and hands-on activities.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Linda Baldwin at 301-424-9249.

‘Beauty and The Beast'

roars into Wootton

Tickets for Thomas S. Wootton High School's production of ‘Beauty and The Beast' are now on sale.

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. for the March 20, 21, 27, and 28 shows, and 2 p.m. for the March 22 and 29 shows.

Tickets are $10 for general admission, and $15 for reserved seating.

For more information and order forms, visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/SCHOOLS/WOOTTONHS, or call 301-279-8581.

Tickets are also available two hours before each show.

Darnestown Elementary gears up to go Colonial

Darnestown Elementary School's fifth grade class will present its 11th annual Colonial Day on Friday, when students will spend the day living in a colonial village settlement and exploring colonial life in a traditional New England setting.

The public is invited to the school, 15030 Turkey Foot Road, from 6:30–8 p.m. when the students will perform vignettes about how children lived in colonial times.

The gym will be transformed into a colonial village with building structures, props, period costumes and decorations that depict life in an 18th century village, according to a statement. Parents and staff will demonstrate village life by creating centers for a wigmaker/dentist, apothecary, quilting, storytelling, spinning, a blacksmith, a school house and shipyard. A colonial musician will perform.

Fifth-graders, wearing traditional colonial clothing, will spend the day in the colonial village and will rotate to several activity stations. Other grades will visit the colonial village to see first-hand how children lived in those times.

School Notes is a weekly column during the school year. Send story ideas by 10 a.m. Thursdays to Bradford Pearson via e-mail at bpearson@gazette.net, by fax to 301-670-7183 or by mail to 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Photos will also be considered.