East county high schools to hold spring performances

*John F. Kennedy: ‘‘Once on This Island” 7:30 p.m. April 18 and 19 and April 25, 26 and 27 at the school, 1901 Randolph Road, Silver Spring. Call 301-929-2100.

*Wheaton: ‘‘Wait Until Dark” 4:30 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the school, 12601 Dalewood Drive, Wheaton. Call 301-929-2050.

Festival celebratesBlake’s 10th anniversary

James Hubert Blake High School’s annual Festival of the Arts and Humanities will also commemorate the school’s 10th anniversary. Events will be held 7:30 p.m. Friday at the school, 300 Norwood Road, and will feature the PTSA’s Dinner and Silent Auction. Call the school at 301-879-1300.

Paint Branch student named player of the year

Paint Branch High School junior Tarik Hislop was given the 2007-2008 Gatorade Maryland State Player of the Year award April 3, according to a news release from Paint Branch.

The junior guard led the undefeated state-champion Panthers to a

25-0 record, averaging 21.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 4.8 steals a game.

Hislop works as an administrative assistant during the summer at Briggs Chaney Middle School in Silver Spring, volunteers as a coach and instructor at local basketball camps and clinics and is a peer mentor to area middle-school students.

Upcoming events at Paint Branch Montessori School

The Paint Branch Montessori School will host a home-cooked spaghetti dinner for students’ families Friday at the school, 3215 Powder Mill Road in Adelphi.

Students in kindergarten through 4th grade will present projects on health, earth sciences and physics at the Paint Branch Montessori School’s Science Fair, 9:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. April 25 at the school.

The Paint Branch Montessori School’s second annual flea market will take place 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 10 at the school. Call 301-937-2244 to reserve a space for $10 or a table in a space for $25.

St. John the Baptiststudents win writing awards

Several students from St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Silver Spring were among the winners and finalists in this year’s Letters about Literature contest, in which students in grades 4 through 12 read a book and write back to the author about how they have someone changed their worldview or themselves.

Holly Pifer and Zoe Hatzes were level one finalists for their letter to Lois Lowry, author of ‘‘Number the Stars.”

Madeline Pifer was a level two finalist for her letter to Cynthia Lord, author of ‘‘Rules.”

Allen Meringolo was a level two finalist for his letter to James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier, authors of ‘‘My Brother Sam Is Dead.”

Beth Kerley was a level two finalist for her letter to Shane DeRolf, author of ‘‘The Crayon Box That Talked.”

College fair to beheld at fairgrounds

The National Montgomery County College Fair will take place 10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. April 16 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg. Students who do not go during the day can attend in the evening.

‘Circus celebration’ to be held at Calvary Lutheran

A ‘‘Circus Celebration” with stories, puppets, music, and action will be held 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at Calvary Lutheran School at 9545 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. Children and parents are welcome.

Calvary Lutheran will also hold an open house 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 18.

Call 301-589-4001.

Consortia information meetings

Meetings have been scheduled to explain the high school consortium options to families with seventh-grade students who live or attend middle school in the Northeast Consortium or the Downcounty Consortium. Applications and choice process occur in the fall of a student’s eighth-grade year.

The schools in the Northeast Consortium are Paint Branch, Springbrook and James Hubert Blake. The meeting to learn more about high school options in the Northeast Consortium will be 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 24 at Benjamin Banneker Middle School, 14800 Perrywood Drive, Burtonsville.

The schools in the Downcounty Consortium are Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Northwood and Wheaton.

Two meetings are scheduled to learn more about high school options in the Downcounty Consortium: May 1 at Newport Mill Middle School, 11311 Newport Mill Road, Kensington, or May 15 at Parkland Middle School, 6300 Tilden Lane, Rockville. Both meetings are from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and the same information will be presented at each.

Information will be presented in English and Spanish. Call the Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services at 301-592-2040 for more information, or go to www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org⁄curriculum⁄specialprograms.

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