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Laurel Mayor Craig A. Moe has invited residents to show their civic pride as the City of Laurel celebrates "Municipal Government Works" Month in November. The annual statewide program seeks to educate Maryland residents about the role of their local governments, said Kimberly Rau, clerk to the Laurel City Council. Laurel has participated every year since the program's inception in 1993, Rau said.
"Each year we put together a committee and the committee plans a couple of different activities," she said.
New this year is a self-guided walking tour called "Discover Laurel's Treasures." To participate, visit the Laurel Municipal Center at 8103 Sandy Spring Road or the Laurel Museum at 817 Main St. to pick up a historic Laurel map with 10 questions about sites that are included on the tour.
City officials will randomly select a completed form at the end of the month and the winner will receive a $100 gift card, Rau said.
Laurel High School and St. Vincent Pallotti High School will also face off for the third time the City Trivia Game Show at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Council Chambers at the Laurel Municipal Center. All Laurel residents are welcome to attend. For more information on any of the Municipal Government Works events, call 301-725-5300, Ext. 120.
Student earns scholarship from Laurel Cable TV
Laurel resident Mark Murnane, 15, earned a $1,500 scholarship from Laurel Cable Network Foundation, Inc. at its annual membership meeting in October.
Mark, who attends De Matha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, was among a small group of interns who worked at the Laurel Cable TV station this summer.
Paul Kirkpatrick, president of the Laurel Cable Network Foundation, said Mark and fellow scholarship recipient Sean Bagnall, 17, of Silver Spring stood out in the group because of their expertise.
"They were excellent," Kirkpatrick said. "Both young men have very good electronic knowledge, and it was second nature to them."
Mark and Sean played a large role in transferring the station's archives from tape to DVD, Kirkpatrick said, and also learned camera operation, lighting and directing.
Laurel Cable TV will offer the unpaid internships again next summer. Interested students should contact Oliver Wilford Jr. at 301-725-5300, Ext. 316.
Elementary students engage in fire safety poster contest
More than 300 students from Bond Mill Elementary, Faith Baptist, Laurel Elementary, Scotchtown Hills Elementary and St. Mary of the Mills schools participated in the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary 2009 poster contest. The winners were presented with gold, silver and bronze medallions at an Oct. 25 ceremony at the Phelps Center.
They included Bond Mill students Andre Brown, MyKenna Manice, Audrey Collins, Bryanna Rivera, Kayla Savoy, Haley Lally, Kaitlyn Harmon, Joaquin Eligio, Melissa Casas Vega, Nicholas Horsman, Morgan Tweedy, Racquel Clarke, Ofan Phillips and Salma Tayel; Faith Baptist students Ange-Paris Kkyeampong, Gina Berry and Madison Brown; Laurel Elementary students Shrutina Shrestha and Shaelyn Yermal; Scotchtown Hills students Seven Watking, Jason Abbey, Udodi Onyeanusi, Brandon Jennings, Nayelli Ivett Reyes, Samira White, Briana Francis, Amy Manful and Kevin Daniel; and St. Mary of the Mills students Danielle Dedeaux and Christina Dario.
Rotary honors resident for work in mental health
The Rotary Club of Laurel presented resident Jeanne Scammon with the 4-Way Test plaque at its Wednesday meeting. Joy Kline, rotary president, said the group chose Scammon because of her service on a number of local organizations.
"She has dedicated her life to medical service," Kline said.
The club selects recipients based on how well they embody the rotary organization's 4-Way Test: Is it the truth? Is it fair? Will it build good will? Will it be beneficial to all?
Scammon was nominated by rotary member Philip Nichols Jr., who serves as a judge on the Prince George's County Circuit Court.
Five Laurel residents inducted into music honor society
This fall, five Laurel students and 27 others were inducted into the Eleanor Roosevelt High School chapter of the Modern Music Masters, also known as Tri-M, Music Honor Society.
Founded in 1936, Tri-M is an international music honor society for secondary school students. The members of Tri-M are Rhiannon Aguilar, Jeanette Brown, Jean Heneks, Sam Reynnells and Natalie Steenrod of Laurel; Kanwulia Guam, Nirvan Sengupta and Ursula Tooley of Greenbelt; Jie Guo of Hyattsville; Abigail Reichard of Beltsville; Feven Fisseha, Ijeoma Madubata and Rochelle Samuel from Riverdale; Louise Ahmann of University Park; Kelsey Corbitt, Rodney Davis and Violet McKain of Lanham; Abigail Miller, Alena Moran, Marika Nell and Mayowa Omokanwaye of Cheverly; Jasmine Cool and Gladys Ruiz-Malca of New Carrollton; Nicole Anderson, Alice Chang, Gary Clark, Bryan David, John Ficklin, Rick Graver, Cazembe Kennedy, Jessica Kerns, Gabriella Laxamana, Philip Laxamana, Beth Leidich, Varun Murthy, Nick Ober, Gabriela Principe, Luke Seppi, Anuraag Sharma, Megan Weeks and Sam York of Bowie.
Local chiropractor recognized at state convention
Dr. Donald Hirsh of Hirsh Chiropractic Center in Laurel was presented with the Maryland Chiropractic Association's 2009 Frank Roberts Memorial Award during the organization's convention Oct. 2 to 4 in Ocean City.
Hirsh was recognized for his years of dedication to the association, including serving several years on the MCA's Board of Directors, both as president and in various committee chair positions. The MCA is a non-profit professional association dedicated to the advancement of chiropractic health care.
Capitol College hosts renowned comet discoverer
David Levy, an astronomer from the Jarnac Observatory in Vail, Ariz., will speak at the Capitol College campus in Laurel at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 19. His lecture will address how to use astronomy and space science to enhance workforce development in the science, engineering and technological fields.
Over the course of his career, Levy has detected 22 comets in total, nine using his own telescopes. He has also authored or edited 35 books and other publications and is a monthly column contributor for Astronomy Magazine.
Space is limited at the presentation, and members of the public must RSVP by Wednesday. Contact Sharon Ortiz at sortiz@capitol-college.edu or 301-369-2800, Ext. 3074 to register.