Run, walk for charity at James Hubert Blake

Proceeds benefit the Alicia Betancourt Prize for Excellence in the Arts, a $4,000 scholarship named after a Blake student who died in a car accident in September 2004, and the Blake After Prom party. For more information or to download a registration form, visit www.mcps.k12.md.us⁄schools⁄blakehs⁄Race⁄IndexR.htm.

Springbrook studentsperform well at event

Springbrook students performed well at a Java Programming Contest April 13 at Montgomery College’s Rockville campus, according to a news release from Springbrook.

Students from Montgomery Blair, Northwest, Sherwood, and Springbrook high schools faced challenging programming problems in groups of two or three at either the beginner⁄intermediate or intermediate⁄advanced level. Students were tasked with writing programs to encrypt 4-digit passwords, convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, check if words are palindromes, and what a contestant should wager in the final round of ‘‘Final Jeopardy” on the television show.

In the Intermediate⁄Advanced competition, the Springbrook team of Peter Myers, David Sweigart and Wesley Ripley defeated two teams from Sherwood.

In the Beginner⁄Intermediate competition, a team from Northwest took first place. The Springbrook teams of Landry Horimbere, Joel Wang, and Peter Liu; Nilesh Mistry, Eric Schweiger, and Kyle Lewis; and Branford Hubbard, Nima Farschi and John Yoon took the next spots. The Blair team of Benjamin Kennet and Eli Barnett finished next.

Special education awards

The Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations is hosting its 19th annual Special Recognition Ceremony on Monday in Rockville.

The event will pay tribute to parents, students, educators and programs that have contributed to the success of special needs students in the Montgomery County Public School system.

Students who are being honored from eastern Montgomery County are Alison Rutsch, Albert Einstein High School; Buki Olefutobi and Emi Vo, Dr. Charles Drew Elementary; and Evgeni Ralev, White Oak Middle School.

Parents who are being honored from eastern Montgomery County are Jeanne Taylor, Galway and Cloverly elementary schools.

Educators honored from eastern Montgomery County are Mark Divita and Israelle Resti, White Oak Middle School; Helen Weisel and Patricia Sigley-Shaleh, Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School; Somers Knight, Galway Elementary.

Kay Romero earned a special recognition award for advocacy for special education.

Blake to holdMedia Showcase

The annual Media Showcase will be held 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at James Hubert Blake High School, 300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring. The showcase will feature Eubie TV’s video productions from the 2006-2007 school years. Call 301-879-1300.

Students offer year’s last auto, computer bargains

The final sale of the year is coming Saturday for low-cost cars and computers refurbished by high school students in the nonprofit programs Montgomery County Automotive Trades Foundation and Montgomery County Students Information Technologies Foundation.

The event is 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at Thomas Edison High School, 12501 Dalewood Drive in Silver Spring.

Up for grabs are Maryland-inspected used vehicles, some less than $2,000, refurbished Dell GX 150, Pentium 3 desktop computers with Windows XP.

The programs offer students technical training and hands-on experience in preparation for college.

For more information, call Greta Menard at 202-465-5777.

Blake entrepreneur students earn awards at competition

James Hubert Blake High School business students placed in all three categories at the MCPS-Montgomery College 4th annual Entrepreneurship Competition April 21. Student teams researched and created new start-up business plans and executive summaries and presented their proposals to a panel of Montgomery County business leaders serving as judges, according to a news release from Blake.

Blake Entrepreneurial students Jordi Kaufman, Mark Dudley, Jonathan League and Graham Berger placed first in the Operations category of the competition for their ‘‘Genius 4.0 – an Internet Café” targeted toward teenagers and college students.

The team of Keturah Gouldbourne, Diamond Locklear and Elena McEachern placed third in the Marketing category for ‘‘Project Zyhaire – a Beauty Salon with Differentiation of Marketing.”

Placing third in the Finance category, students Anjalee Martin and Jeff Wellman developed a business plan for ‘‘Quick Connect Sports” – a partnership with the Washington Mystics that creates a Web portal targeting young women who have an interest in women’s basketball. The students have been invited by Mystics Chief Operating Officer Curtis Symonds to present their plan to his staff.

Fred Katz is the entrepreneurship teacher at Blake High School.

Blake receives $10,000 grant for chess club

Blake’s chess club, which will begin in September 2007, received a $10,000 grant from the Maryland State Department of Education, Chess in Maryland Schools program. Teacher Omari Daniel, who will be the club’s sponsor, wrote the proposal to the state, according to a news release from Blake.

The after-school club’s goal is to provide high-risk students a way to reconnect with school, improve their academic performance and increase their knowledge of chess.

Students will play chess with other students, administrators, security guards, police officers, staff and parents.

Community dayin the ‘Triangle’

The Tamarack Triangle⁄William Tyler Page Elementary School Community Day will be held 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 12 at the school, 13400 Tamarack Road in Silver Spring. The day starts with a children’s parade at Tamarack Road and Morningside Drive, followed by remarks 11:30 a.m. from local officials including Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D). Activities will start noon and include carnival games, face painting, a moon bounce, local crafts and information and health screenings from the People’s Community Wellness Center. The event is free, open to the public and sponsored by the Tamarack Triangle Civic Association and the William Tyler Page Elementary School PTA in celebration of the association’s 40th anniversary. Call 301-641-7888.

Northwood students take home media awards

Northwood High School’s television station crew, WNHS, won three awards at the Montgomery County Public Schools’ media festival recently held at the American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in downtown Silver Spring.

WNHS won first place in the festival’s live action information category for a film called ‘‘Tardy,” a type of public service announcement about being late to class starring Northwood senior Bari Turpie, said WNHS General Manager Aaron LaMere. The school took second place in the live action persuasive category for ‘‘Vending Machine,” also starring Turpie, and third place in news shows, LaMere said.

The festival showcased submissions in sequential stills, animation, live action, news programs, photography, and digital art and design.

This was the first year Northwood entered the festival, LaMere said. Videos can be viewed at www.wnhs.us.

Edison hosts eventfor Labor Department

Thomas Edison High School of Technology hosted a national kickoff event for the United States Department of Labor April 17, in which Edison students demonstrated safe work practices for the Occupational Safety and Health Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign.

The students showed the proper use of hearing protection and other personal protective equipment, safe use of hand tools and tips to avoid falls, according to news releases. Speakers included Ronald DeJuliis, the state commissioner of labor and industry and Tim Lawrence, executive director of SkillsUSA. To view the demonstrations, go to http:⁄⁄osha.gov⁄briefing.html#video.

Saturday School honored by education department

The George B. Thomas Sr. Learning Academy, known locally as the ‘‘Saturday School,” was honored April 20 by the State Department of Education with the 2007 Community Excellence for Minority Achievement Award for Montgomery County. The award was created to recognize outstanding contributions to advance achievement among minority, economically disadvantaged and disabled students.

During the Saturday School, certified teachers and volunteer tutors work with Montgomery County students on core academic subjects and teach successful learning skills, according to a news release from the academy.

More than 3,000 Montgomery County students are enrolled in the program, which is in its 21st year

Send school news to The Gazette, 13501 Virginia Manor Road, Laurel, MD 20707. They may be sent by fax to 240-473-7501 or by e-mail to jbrocker@gazette.net.

Elementary Schoolsto hold spring fairs

The annual Woodlin Spring Fair will be held 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at Woodlin Elementary School, 2102 Luzerne Ave., Silver Spring. The school will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with games, a moon bounce, dunk tank, food, bake sale, live music, plant sales, flea market, crafts, and face painting⁄tattoos.

Another fair, ‘‘May Fair: Cinco de Mayo” will be held 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Pine Crest Elementary School, 201 Woodmoor Drive, Silver Spring. The fair will feature a moon bounce, games, silent auction and a used book, plant and media sale. Call 301-754-1933.

B-CC IB studentsto show final projects

Tenth-graders in Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School’s International Baccalaureate Middle Years program will show their final projects May 11.

About 350 students will show work at the exhibition, which marks their completion in the program.

Projects will include live music and dance performances, student videos, gourmet cooking and presentations on community service ventures.

It will take place 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 11 at the school, 4301 East West Highway, Bethesda.

Send school news to The Gazette, 13501 Virginia Manor Road, Laurel, MD 20707. They may be sent by fax to 240-473-7501 or by e-mail to jbrocker@gazette.net.

Downcounty Consortium to hold meetings for choice options

Montgomery County Grade 7 students and their parents⁄guardians who reside in the Downcounty Consortium area may attend information meetings to learn about the high school options. The five high schools in the consortium are Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Northwood and Wheaton.

The information meetings at three middle schools will provide parents and students with overviews of the consortium model and the academy programs at each of the high schools, an overview of the choice process, and information about transportation, according to a news release from Montgomery County Public Schools.

The same information will be presented at each meeting. Meetings will be held:

7 p.m. Thursday, Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School, 11800 Monticello Ave., Silver Spring

7 p.m. May 9, Takoma Park Middle School, 7611 Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring

7 p.m. May 16, A. Mario Loiederman Middle School, 12701 Goodhill Road, Silver Spring

Wheaton High to hold concert

A spring concert and art show will be held 6 p.m. today at Wheaton High School, 12601 Dalewood Drive, sponsored by the school’s fine arts department. The art show will be held in the media center and the concert will follow 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Donations will be accepted at the door. Call 301-929-2071 for information.

Silver Spring International MS to hold arts festival

Silver Spring International Middle School will hold a Festival of the Arts and Academic Showcase 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday to celebrate the school’s recent entrance into the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, issued by the IB program in Geneva, Switzerland. There will be an academic open house with student-led tours, art displays and music performances, food and drink for sale, a silent auction fund-raiser and other entertainment. The school is located at 313 Wayne Ave. Call 301-650-6544.

Eighth-grade Passion Projects will also be on display. The Passion Projects are year-long projects that students work on independently throughout the year as part of the Middle Years Programme. Examples of Passion Projects include fund-raisers for community service, art showcases, and historical research.

Silver Spring International raises funds to fight juvenile diabetes

Staff, students, and parents at Silver Spring International Middle School have organized a fundraising program to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Silver Spring International Middle School will raise money for research and students will participate in the Walk to Cure Diabetes May 6 on the National Mall. Many educational activities are scheduled over the next two months, including raising $1,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, according to a news release from the school.

To meet the fundraising goal, students are purchasing paper sneakers in the health room. Each sneaker costs $1. Their purchase will be recorded on the sneaker and the sneaker posted in the main hallway to promote awareness of the issue and events. Students are also training for the Walk to Cure Diabetes by walking around the school track after school.

For questions or to support the cause, call Christine Cheson or Pam Dorsey at 301-650-6544.

Workshops open to county parents

A series of workshops for middle school parents will be held in April and May at Newport Mill Middle School, 11311 Newport Mill Road in Kensington. The workshops are open to parents countywide.

The workshops are being hosted by the school and the Montgomery County Public Schools Division of Family & Community Partnerships. A question-and-answer session will follow each meeting. All will be offered in English and in Spanish.

The workshops, which will begin at 7 p.m., are:

Tuesday – ‘‘Boyfriends! Girlfriends! What Should Parents Do?”

This workshop will feature speakers from the Parent Encouragement Program (PEP), a non-profit organization that builds and strengthens healthy, harmonious relationships in the home.

May 14 – ‘‘Parental Responsibility: You Are in Charge”

There will be a video presentation and discussion on the role of parents in helping their children achieve success in school.

May 21 – ‘‘High School Assessments (HSA) – What Parents Need to Know”

This presentation will acquaint parents with the four HSA exams and why, beginning with the Class of 2009, students must pass them in order to graduate.

To reserve a space, call Margaret Flagg at 301-962-3818.

Service academy forum open to high school students

A forum for high school students interested in applying to a service academy will be held 7:30 p.m. Monday in the second-floor meeting room at the Rockville Public Library, 21 Maryland Avenue, Rockville.

The event, held by U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington, will host representatives from the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy.

It is open to all prospective applicants and their parents who are interested in learning about the academies and their admission requirements.

For more information, call 301-424-3501.

Paint Branch offers summer classes

Paint Branch High School is now registering students for its Summer Institute, which offers enrichment and accelerated credit classes.

For enrichment classes, students in grades 8-10 who will be attending Paint Branch High School in fall 2007, as well as any seventh-grade student in the Northeast Consortium are eligible. Registration deadline is May 4.

Enrichment classes run 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. June 18 through June 29. Cost is $100 for two weeks.

Accelerated credit classes for current Paint Branch and Northeast Consortium students in grades 9-12 will be held 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. June 18 through July 6. Registration deadline is May 4. Cost is $290 to $300 for three weeks.

For course descriptions and application forms, visit www.mcps.k12.md.us⁄schools⁄paintbranchhs⁄ or call Brian Eichenlaub at 301-989-5680.

Spring performances at area high schools

James Hubert Blake High School will perform ‘‘Macbeth” Thursday through Saturday. Call 301-879-1300 for cost and times.

Middle schools

Benjamin Banneker: ‘‘Rock ‘n Soul Revue 6,” May 11, 12, 18 and 19 at the school, 14800 Perrywood Drive, Burtonsville. Call 301-989-5747 for cost and times.

Francis Scott Key: Talent show June 1 at the school, 910 Schindler Drive, Silver Spring. Call 301-431-7630 for cost and times.

Mario Loiederman: ‘‘Annie Jr.” May 18 through 20 at the school, 12701 Goodhill Road, Silver Spring. Call 301-929-2282 for cost and times.

Sligo: ‘‘Don’t Drink the Water” May 18 and 19 at the school, 1401 Dennis Ave., Silver Spring. Call 301-649-6181 for cost and times.

County seeks volunteers for ethics group

The Montgomery County Board of Education is seeking to fill one vacancy on its five-member Ethics Panel for a three-year term beginning July 1. Applicants must be Montgomery County residents. Members serve without compensation.

Among the panel’s responsibilities are: interpreting the Board of Education’s ethics policy and issuing advisory opinions concerning its application; conducting hearings on any complaint filed regarding an alleged violation; approving financial disclosure forms; and directing the implementation of an educational program to inform school system employees and the public about the policy.

Panel members may not be incumbent members of the Board of Education, school officials, employees, or persons employed by a business entity subject to the authority of the Board of Education, or spouses of such persons.

Applicants must submit a letter of interest along with a résumé or other documentation to support the application by close of business May 7.

Send a letter of interest and résumé to Roland Ikheloa, chief of staff, Montgomery County Board of Education, 850 Hungerford Drive, Room 123, Rockville, MD 20850, or e-mail Roland_Ikheloa@mcpsmd.org. For more information, call 301-279-3301.

Arts organization honors area youth

YoungARTS, a program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, has chosen 141 high school seniors as this year’s national finalists for the prestigious arts awards initiative, which gives out more than $500,000 annually for emerging talent. The students were evaluated in a dramatic series of final auditions and showcase performances during youngARTS Week in Miami, Jan. 8 through 14.

Students not named finalists were recognized with either a $250 Honorable Mention Award, given to those in the top 5 percent of the youngARTS registrant pool, or with a $100 Merit Award, given to those in the top 10 percent of the registrant pool.

Area finalists and merit winners include Lillian DiPiazza of Silver Spring, finalist in dance, ballet, Washington Christian Academy; Ka Lai Lou of Silver Spring, merit winner in visual arts, Albert Einstein High School; Tony Martinez of Silver Spring, merit winner in visual arts, Albert Einstein High School.