Bethesda-Chevy Chase wins state chess championship

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

A team of four Bethesda-Chevy Chase students, coached by B-CC math teacher Michael Costello, won the High School Division of the Maryland Scholastic Team Chess Championship Feb. 18 in Towson.

The team members, Peter Sebrechts (10th), Kevin Barr (11th), Nikolas Theiss (9th) and Nick Latourette (10th), defeated Northwest High School, last year’s champions, in the final round to claim the title for B-CC for the first time in several decades. More than 300 players participated.

Chess team co-captains Ben Regan-Sachs and Eric Swenson, along with the help of Costello, started the B-CC club two years ago.

Open house for Chinese immersion program

An open house for College Gardens Elementary School’s Chinese (Mandarin) Immersion program will be held 1 p.m. March 8 at 1700 Yale Place, Rockville. This open house is for parents of incoming first- and second-grade students, as well as parents who are interested in joining the program. Call 301-279-8470 or e-mail Chen Chiu at Chen_Chiu@fc.mcps.k12.md.us.

Open houseat Newport School

An open house at Newport School’s new building at 12101 Tech Road will be held 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. The school serves preschool through grade 12. Call 240-645-0145.

High school Democratsto hold convention

The Montgomery County High School Democrats Convention will be held 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 18 at the Montgomery County Education Association’s headquarters, 60 West Gude Drive, Rockville. Elected officials such as Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan and U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (Dist. 8) of Kensington are expected to attend, according to a news release from the organization.

Maryland Democratic Party Chairman Terry Lierman, Progressive Maryland Executive Director Thomas Hucker and Maryland Sen. Sharon M. Grosfeld (Dist. 18) of Kensington are slated to lead workshops on Maryland politics and volunteer training.

For more information, contact Lea Savard-McNicoll at 240-393-7601 or aubeaida@netscape.net or Adam Yalowitz at 301-938-7141 or ayalowitz@gmail.com.

Blake ‘It’s Academic’team advances

James Hubert Blake High School’s ‘‘It’s Academic” team represented by students Roz Wills, Casey Lyons, and Daniel Rager won its match against James Madison and Hayfield high schools with 655 points, beating Virginia schools Madison (310) and Hayfield (300). It was the fifth consecutive win, according to a news release from the school.

The ‘‘It’s Academic” show is a high school quiz program aired on WRC-TV4 and sponsored by Giant Food.

‘Mr. Blake’ namedin February pageant

Greg Parker, a senior, was selected as this year’s ‘‘Mr. Blake” at the Feb. 22 pageant. Thirteen students competed in the categories of swimwear, formal attire, talent and public speaking.

The first-runner up was junior Alex Wright; second-runner up was senior Cameron Buckingham and junior Alan Brylawski was Mr. Congeniality.

The event is coordinated and planned by the Class of 2006 officers with teachers Allison Finn and Sarah Mahoney serving as sponsors. The funds received from ticket sales from this event are used to supplement the senior banquet and graduation.

International Nightat Paint Branch

Paint Branch High School’s International Night will be held 7 p.m. Friday at the school, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville. The event will feature food, performances and fashion design from the school’s International Club.

Dinner-danceto benefit Springbrook

The annual Swing into Spring Dinner-Dance will be held 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at Springbrook High School, 201 Valley Brook Drive, Silver Spring.

Guests will enjoy dinner served by the staff of the Springbrook Instrumental Music Program while listening to the sounds of Springbrook’s string ensemble. After dinner, the jazz band will treat guests to the tunes of Ellington, Goodman, Basie and Miller. The event also features a silent auction and door prizes.

Reservations must be received by Monday. Tickets are $25 per person. Call the Springbrook High School Instrumental Music Department at 301-989-6062, Jeff Grunewald at 301-384-5675 or Gerri Wilson at 301-879-7689.

The event is sponsored by the SHS Instrumental Music Booster Club.

Items appropriate for School News may be mailed to The Gazette, 8650 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. They may be sent by fax to 301-562-3262 or by e-mail to jbrocker@gazette.net. Deadline is Wednesday for the following week’s paper.

Jazz night at Blake

Jazz Swing Night at James Hubert Blake will be held 7:30 p.m. Friday at the school, 300 Norwood Road. The Blake Big Band and the Eubie Blake Jazz Ensemble will perform. Jazz vocalist Debbie Kirkland, who combines Brazilian, pop and funk influences, will make a special appearance. Tickets are $25 and dress is semi-formal. Admission includes hors d’oeuvres, desserts and beverages. Proceeds benefit the Blake Instrumental Music Program. Call 301-879-1339.

‘The Wiz’ comes to Paint Branch

Paint Branch High School’s Perspectives Club will perform the musical ‘‘The Wiz” 7:30 p.m. March 17, 18, 24 and 25 at the school, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults. Call 301-989-5600.

Paint Branch to hold ‘Hoops for Hearts’

The Paint Branch High School Student Government Association will run a ‘‘Hoops For Hearts” campaign in conjunction with the American Heart Association during March. Hoops For Hearts raises awareness in the battle against heart disease. The event also raises money for the American Heart Association. The campaign will culminate with a basketball tournament at Paint Branch High School March 16, 17 and 20. The SGA is hoping to raise $10,000.

Blair to host ‘Crazy For You’

The musical ‘‘Crazy For You” will be performed 7:30 p.m. March 3, 4, 10 and 11 and 2 p.m. March 5 at Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd. E. Silver Spring. For ticket information, call 301-649-2800.

B-CC to hold Cabaret night

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School will celebrate its 10th Cabaret Night, an evening filled with music, food, friends and dancing 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. March 4 in the school cafeteria, 4301 East West Highway, Bethesda.

The Cabaret Night, which is the music department’s most important fund-raiser, includes a silent auction, dancing and a variety of music and food.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Victoria Aronoff at 301-320-4895 or e-mail montcono1@aol.com.

Paint Branch hosts special PTSA meetings

The Paint Branch PTSA meeting 7 p.m. March 21 will feature Kathleen Matthews of WJLA-TV as a discussion facilitator: ‘‘The Secret Life of Teens.”

All events take place at Paint Branch High School at 14121 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. Call Barbara Turner at 301-421-1740.

Blair to hold band concert

The spring instrumental music concert at Montgomery Blair High School will be held 7 p.m. March 14 at the school’s auditorium, 51 University Blvd. E., Silver Spring. Call 301-649-2800.

‘I Love to Read Week’ at Bel Pre ES

Bel Pre Elementary School will celebrate ‘‘I Love to Read Week” Monday through March 10.

During this annual celebration, many activities are planned including a birthday party for Dr. Seuss, ‘‘Drop Everything and Read Day,” ‘‘Read a Shirt Day,” ‘‘Character Night” and ‘‘Guest Reader Day.”

On ‘‘Character Night” March 9, students are invited to return to school with their families. They will see their teachers dressed as favorite book characters and hear them read from books featuring that character.

Sample a ‘Taste of Einstein’

Albert Einstein High School, 11135 Newport Mill Road in Kensington will host its ‘‘Taste of Einstein” 6:30 p.m. Friday in the school cafeteria. The event will be rescheduled March 10 if it is canceled due to inclement weather.

Kennedy to hold sports camps

The JFK Jr. Cavalier Sports Program will hold basketball, soccer and flag football camps for boys and girls ages 8-12 at John F. Kennedy High School, 1901 Randolph Road. Sessions run June 19-23 and June 26-30. Fees are $150 per session and after-camp care is $25 per session. Deadline to register is May 26. Call Ken Cudd at 301-962-5936.

Mulch sales

Several area high schools will be holding mulch sales in the coming weeks. Delivery is available in many cases to residents who live near the school or put in large orders.

A mulch sale to benefit the Albert Einstein High School will be held until Saturday. Pickup day is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 11 at the school parking lot, 11135 Newport Mill Road. Cost is $3.25 per 2-cubic-foot bag; $3.50 if delivered within five miles of the school.

Order forms are available at the school’s front office or can be downloaded from the school’s Web site. Checks made out to Albert Einstein Booster Club may be mailed to 1807 Sherwood Road, Silver Spring, MD 20902. Call Gayle Miller at 301-593-1899.

A mulch sale to benefit the James Hubert Blake High School Booster Club will be held 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 25 at the school, 300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring. Advance orders are $3.50 a bag for 3 cubic feet of shredded hardwood mulch. Orders are due by March 19. Contact Ken Salins at 301-384-7616 or kensalins@comcast.net.

A mulch sale to benefit the Springbrook High School Booster Club will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 1 at White Oak Middle School, 12201 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring. Advance orders are $3.75 per 40-pound bag. Orders are due by March 17. Call Ron Lane or Kitty Robbins at 301-989-6070.

Students invited to enter art contest

The annual youth Art Contest and Exhibition, sponsored by the Montgomery County Federation of Women’s Clubs, will be held 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 18 at Clubhouse I in Leisure World, 3701 Rossmoor Blvd. The exhibition is open to public and private school students in grades 9 through 12. Following judging for nine cash prizes in the morning, the exhibit will be open to the public in the afternoon. All entries must be original. E-mail robinsons1@starpower.net or call Dorothy Davis at 301-598-9657.

Essay contest considers life in 1985 and how it’s changed since then

To encourage students to think about their place in history, University of Cambridge International Examinations is working with schools to hold a 20th Birthday Essay Competition.

CIE wants students to reflect on a time before they were born: 1985. Although this may not seem so long ago to some, the world has developed tremendously since then. In 1985, the world’s population was only 4.8 billion people. That year, Microsoft launched the first version of Windows and Cambridge pioneered the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), the most popular international qualification for students between 14 and 16 years old in the world.

The essay competition is open to Cambridge IGCSE students worldwide. Students will choose one aspect of human life and society that reflects the speed of modern developments. The essays should explore what it was like 20 years ago, how it has changed and what it might be like in 2025.

Winners will be divided into first, second and third places. To learn more about the Cambridge IGCSE 20th Birthday Essay Competition, visit www.cie.org.uk⁄igcse.

Visual arts award offered for high school seniors

Applications are now available for the 2006 Ida F. Haimovicz Visual Arts Award through the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.

The $3,000 award was established by the family of late Ida F. Haimovicz to support a Montgomery County high school senior intent on pursuing a visual arts career.

High school art students who will graduate this spring and who reside in Montgomery County may apply.

Deadline to apply is March 25.

Selection of the winner is based on a juried review of the artwork submitted and an essay describing the applicant’s intentions regarding a career in visual arts.

For additional information and to register for the workshop, contact the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County at 301-565-3805 or grants@creatlvemoco.com.

Student transfer application season

Montgomery County parents who wish to request a change in school assignment for their children from their home school may begin the process during the upcoming transfer season, which began Feb. 1 and will continue through April 1.

Except for consortium areas, students in Montgomery County Public Schools are assigned to a school on the basis of their place of residence and are expected to attend their home school. Students can change assignments from one school to another if they have older siblings in the requested school, a documented hardship situation, or if they have a continuation in a feeder pattern from middle school to high school, except when affected by boundary changes.

Assignment change forms and the information booklets will be available in schools in February and on the school system Web site at www.montgomeryschoolmd.org.

For more information about the transfer process, parents should contact the principal of their home school. Non-English-speaking parents can receive information by calling the Spanish Hotline at 301-230-3037 or the ESOL parent Center at 301-230-0674. Language Lines also are available to leave a message. They are Spanish, 301-230-5403; Cambodian, 301-230-5427; Chinese, 301-230-5428; French, 301-230-5429; Korean, 301-230-5430, and Vietnamese, 301-230-5432.

For more information about assignments for students residing in consortium areas, call 301-649-8081.

‘Teacher of the Year’ award nominations

Nominations for the Maryland 2005-2006 ‘‘Teacher of the Year” award are being accepted through today. The award will include $1,000 to the winning teacher and a grant to that teacher’s school. The state winner also will be eligible for the national award that includes a special recognition and a $2,500 travel certificate.

Nomination forms are available at www.teachers.com⁄toty. To nominate an educator, explain in 250 words or fewer why this teacher should be the teacher of the year. Nominees will be judged on their ability to motivate students, their special talents, and their school, students or educational community. Winners will be announced at the end of the school year.

Anniversary of county’s immersion program

A celebration of the 30 years of Montgomery County Public School’s French Immersion Program will be held 2 p.m. March 25 at Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd. E., Silver Spring.

Current students and staff with their families, past students and staff with their families and friends of immersion are invited. The event will include presentations by current students, guest speakers, photo displays and refreshments.

Past students are encouraged to attend this reunion to share how immersion has affected their lives, and to catch up on former classmates and teachers.

For more information, contact Reine Levis at Sligo Creek Elementary School at 301-562-2722 or Reine_Levis@fc.mcps.k12.md.us.

County to hold school media showcase

The Montgomery County School Media Showcase will be held April 26 at the American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre in Silver Spring.

The Montgomery County School Media Showcase is a chance for students from Montgomery County public and nonpublic schools to showcase their talents in the fields of graphic design and photography, motion media and Web site design. In the last festival in March 2005, more than 900 participants submitted 228 entries from 64 public and nonpublic schools in Montgomery County.

The deadline for entries is March 24. For more information, visit www.mcsmf.org.

Volunteers needed to tutor elementary school students in after-school geography program

Interages Inc., a nonprofit organization, needs volunteers for its Global Wizards geography enrichment program 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through late March at Woodlin Elementary School in Silver Spring. Volunteers meet with two to four children weekly to learn about continents, solve word puzzles, and play geography games. Training, on-site supervision, materials, maps and activities will be prepared for each session. Contact Sara Cartmill at 301-949-3551 or Cartmill@interagesmd.org.

Bronfman Youth Fellowships accepting applications

The Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel is accepting applications for its 20th summer. The fellowships take a group of 26 high school students to Israel for five weeks of intensive study and travel.

The fellowships offer an opportunity for students entering 12th grade to participate in a program designed to develop future community leaders committed to Jewish unity.

The fellows participate in seminars and dialogues with diverse rabbinic faculty. They also spend a week with a group of Israeli peers who have been chosen through a parallel selection process as part of the Israeli Youth Fellowship, Amitei Bronfman.

Applications for the 2006 fellowship are available online at www.bronfman.org. High school students in the United States and Canada, who will be in 12th grade in the fall of 2006 may apply.

School entry dates shift

The Maryland State Board of Education has established entry dates that gradually raise the age for children entering pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade for all public schools.

By 2007, children entering pre-kindergarten must be 4 years old by Sept. 1; children entering kindergarten must be 5 years old by Sept. 1; and children entering first grade must be 6 years old by Sept. 1.

The gradual phase-in of the new entry dates began with the 2002-2003 school year for pre-kindergarten students. The kindergarten changes began last school year. The first grade changes begin this school year. Each year the new cut off will be moved up one month from the former Dec. 31 deadline, until it hits Sept. 1.

Help your community, earn service credit

The W⁄E Volunteer Program provides weekend and evening volunteer projects for area residents who would like to get involved in group community service activities. All W⁄E Volunteer projects are Student Service Learning approved by Montgomery County Public Schools and supervised by a W⁄E Volunteer team captain and a staff person from the nonprofit agency.

The Weekend⁄Evening Kids Action Network provides supervised projects for middle and high school students. This program is intended to promote a healthy attitude toward volunteering, to give youth a connection to their community, and to provide youth with a positive and rewarding pastime.

For information, contact Nadji T. Kirby, the W⁄E KAN volunteer program coordinator, at 240-777-2614. E-mail Nadji.kirby@montgomerycountymd. or visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov⁄volunteer.

Find the school that serves your neighborhood

A Web site offered by Montgomery County Public Schools is available to help people determine what schools serve a neighborhood or address.

The school system’s Web site www.mcps.k12.md.us features the school assignment locator. Once at the Web site, click on the school assignment locator, then type in the street address and ZIP code. A map will show the address, nearby schools and boundary lines.

Call 301-279-3331 weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for information.