Fourth- and fifth-graders in the quilt club at Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary School in Germantown donated 28 quilts to be used to bring comfort to those in need.
The club, in its second year, donated the colorful quilts to the Montgomery County Police Department, The Tree House, which provides and coordinates medical, mental health and victim advocacy services for children and families, and the Longview School, which serves students with disabilities.
The club is sponsored by teachers Sarah Webb and Jennifer Fair. To learn more or donate, e-mail Sarah_E_Webb@mcpsmd.org.
Ladies and elephants, ready your stomachs
Germantown's Juliet Lee has been competing in eating contests since 2006, surprising some that the petite mom of two can chow as much or more than her male competitors.
On Friday, the competition rises to new heights and species. She will compete against two men and three elephants.
The six-minute, hot dog bun-eating contest between Major League Eating and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Three Asian elephants will face off against three Major League Eaters, who will also participate in the traditional Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest on Saturday.
Elephants Bunny, 42, Susie, 46, and Minnie, 48, will chow-off against Juliet Lee, 43, Gravy Brown, 30, and Patrick Bertoletti, 24. Collectively, the elephants weigh approximately 9 tons while the humans weigh just shy of 500 pounds. Lee weighs in at 105 pounds.
According to a statement from Lee, elephants can typically eat a foot long loaf of bread in 1.6 seconds.
"An elephant can eat 200 pounds of food, but that is only three percent of its body weight," Lee said in a statement. "I can eat 12.6 percent of my body weight in eight minutes and I do not anticipate any difficulty eating more food than the elephants will in a head-to-head match."
Campus Congratulations
The following students were named to the dean's list at Bucknell University: Rebecca J. Becker, daughter of Kellie Becker of Germantown; Andrea A. Massa, daughter of Jorge and Anne Massa of Germantown; Patrick G. Selwood, son of James and Julia Selwood of Darnestown; and Jennifer M. Welch daughter of John and Shirley Welch of Gaithersburg.
Chris Carpenter, son of Roy Carpenter of Germantown and Mary Colfer of Florida, recently became a member of Phi Sigma Theta at the University of South Florida.
The following students at Virginia Tech were named to the spring dean's list:
Emily M. Ricigliano of Poolesville, a sophomore majoring in accounting and information systems.
Kathleen M. Thompson of Poolesville, a junior majoring in human nutrition, foods and exercise. Jonathan D. Doyle of Boyds, a junior majoring in computer science. Eric A. Duvall of Boyds, a senior majoring in civil engineering. Brian C. Karn of Boyds, a freshman majoring in university studies. Brian D. Clay of Darnestown, a senior majoring in landscape architecture. And Germantown residents Scott B. Forsythe, a sophomore majoring in political science, Jacqueline M. Mlynarczyk, a senior majoring in biology, Crosby M. Reinders, a sophomore majoring in industrial design, Caitlin A. Baker, a senior majoring in human development, Diana K. Lloyd, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, and Griffin W. McDonald, a junior majoring in biology.
Stephanie Mathies of Germantown graduated from Berea College with a degree in business. She was also named to the spring dean's list.
Haris H. Khan of Germantown received a Juris Doctor in Law from Boston University.
Kids: Read off your library fines this summer
Montgomery County Public Libraries are hoping to encourage kids to read in the library this summer. Young county residents who take part in the Summer Reading Program can win prizes, and now they will be able to earn "library bucks" to go towards fines racked up from overdue books.
The Great Fines Read Off program, first introduced by MCPL in 2007, is being offered again this summer in connection with the Summer Reading Program through Aug. 31. The program is geared toward children and teens age 17 and under. For every half hour spent reading in the library, kids can earn a "Library Buck" to be subtracted from overdue fines on their account. Reading materials include books, magazines or Web sites in any language. Older children may also choose to spend time reading to a younger child, and both will receive library bucks for the time. During last year's Great Fines Read Off, 2,644 children read a total of 3,120 hours in their local libraries. For more information about the Great Fines Read Off, log on to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library. To find out how much is owed on a library account, visit the same Web site and click on "Your Account."
Byrd scholars honored
Twenty-one Montgomery County residents were honored by the Maryland State Department of Education as Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholars.
Each honoree receives a four-year scholarship worth up to $1,500 per year.
They are: Kara Karpman, Richard Montgomery High School; Serena Bochereau, French International School; Jacob Levitt, Walt Whitman High School; Karen Qi, Northwest High School; Eric Moy, Winston Churchill High School; Natalee Black, Takoma Academy; David Peter, Walter Johnson High School; Richard Steinwand, Springbrook High School; Stephanie Huang, Clarksburg High School; Jeremy Blair, Richard Montgomery High School; LeRoy Culley, home school; Matthew Stevens, James Hubert Blake High School; Alexa Greenberg, Poolesville High School; Kathleen Hallock, Gaithersburg High School; Victoria Ward, Seneca Valley High School; David Gaynor, Watkins Mill High School; Gretta Digbeu, Watkins Mill High School; Anna Domini Roma, Wheaton High School; Tzippora Lasdun, Yeshiva Greater Washington; Vivek Patel, Gaithersburg High School; Jared Griffin, John F. Kennedy High School; and Sahar Shahamatdar, Montgomery Blair High School.
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS
nFederal, state and county offices are closed Friday, July 3, for Independence Day.
nBanks, libraries and courts are closed July 3 and July 4.
nMCPS administrative offices are closed.
nRecycling and trash pickup - regular collection. County's waste transfer station open July 3, closed July 4.
nRide On and Metrobus will operate on Saturday schedule.
nMetrorail will operate on Saturday schedule July 3, supplemental service July 4.
nMARC trains will not run.
nCounty liquor stores are open July 3. July 4, all stores open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
nParking is free at county lots, meters and garages.
Share your good news! Send submissions to Melissa A. Chadwick via e-mail at mchadwick@gazette.net, fax at 301-670-7183 or mail to The Germantown-Boyds-Poolesville Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Photos will be considered.
