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Most days at Walter Johnson High School, throwing a pumpkin off the roof of the school will land you in at least detention, if not suspension.

On Friday, though, no one was punished for the dropping gourds.

The school's annual "Bad Day to be a Pumpkin" festival took place Friday, with students launching pumpkins off the school's 35-foot roof as part of an engineering and problem-solving contest. Usually, students at the school build catapults to launch the pumpkins, and learn a little physics at the same time.

This year, though, due to school construction and no fields to launch the gourds, the students took to the roof.

The goal? Pad the pumpkin with garbage and recycled materials, drop it off the roof, and hope it doesn't break.

"Some students filled boxes with whatever they could find, like empty water bottles, and some created some pretty elaborate parachutes," said Stephanie Ellis, a teacher at the school. In the end, Ellis said, only a handful of the 70 pumpkins dropped from the roof made it safely to the ground.

In addition to the pumpkin splattering, the art club painted faces, a food class designed pumpkin cupcakes, and the school's Key Club sang some Halloween ditties.

"There was a huge crowd," Ellis said. "And certainly a lot of ‘ooohs and ahhhhs' whenever a pumpkin would get dropped."

Preschool opens its doors for open house

Prospective parents are invited to attend an open house at Chevy Chase United Methodist Church Preschool from 9:30-11 a.m., Nov. 12, at the school on Connecticut Avenue.

The nonprofit school enrolls children from age 2 to 4.

Reservations are not necessary, and for more information call 301-652-7660 or visit www.ccumcpreschool.org.

The school is located at 7001 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase.

‘Brighton Beach'

comes to Bethesda

Brighton Beach Memoirs, the comedic play written by Neil Simon, will be performed by the students of Walter Johnson High School at 8 p.m. Nov. 14, 15, 20 and 21.

Tickets are $10, and can be purchased online at www.wjstage.com/tickets.

Set in Brooklyn in 1937, Brighton Beach Memoirs is a comedy about growing up and self-discovery.

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

For more information, visit www.walterjohnson.com

Drug and alcohol awareness event comes to WJ

The Walter Johnson High School PTSA will present their annual Drug and Alcohol Education Event from 7-9 p.m., Monday, in the school's cafeteria.

All are invited to attend the free event, including parents and students in middle school or younger.

The event will examine the legal consequences of teen drug and alcohol use, what can happen at parties, and what a teen needs to know to protect themselves.

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

Garrett Park school

gets crafty

The 42nd annual Garrett Park Nursery School Craft Fair and Bake Sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 22 and 23, at the Garrett Park Town Hall.

The event serves as the primary fundraiser for the school, and admission to the fair is free. All proceeds go to support the nursery school.

Tables of goods from local artists and craftsmen, as well as homemade baked goods, will be on sale.

For more information, call Angelee Marques at 301-984-7514, or e-mail angeleemarques@yahoo.com.

Garrett Park Town Hall is located at 10814 Kenilworth Ave., Garrett Park.

Theater group presents Flowers for Algernon

The Albert Einstein High School theater department will present "Flowers for Algernon," at 7 p.m. Thursday, Saturday, and Nov. 14 and 15.

Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults, and can be purchased at the door.

Albert Einstein is located at 11135 Newport Mill Road, Kensington.

For more information, call (301) 929-2200, or e-mail algernon.einstein@comcast.net.

Lecture focuses on academic success

Teachers involved in a recent Schools Attuned Training Program will share what they learned with parents and students at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 12, at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac.

The night will focus on child development, and finding the best way for parents to help their students inside and outside the classroom.

The event is presented by Paul Yellin, who runs a student success center in New York City.

For more information, call Katherine Stevens at 301-983-5200, x264, or e-mail her at kstevens@saes.org.

St. Andrew's is located at 8804 Post Oak Road, Potomac.

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