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Ritchie Park Elementary School in Rockville held a "Walk for Heroes" parade in honor of Veterans Day last week.

More than 500 students waved American flags as patriotic music played inside the school's gymnasium. A Rockville realtor, Eric Stewart, donated 600 flags so that every student and many faculty and family members would have one for the event.

Four active members of the military and four veterans attended the parade, which had to be rescheduled to Nov. 12 and moved inside because of rain, said Cheryl Moss Herman, a Ritchie Park PTA member. Many students dressed in military fatigues or uniforms of their Cubs Scouts and Brownies troops to honor the guests.

Students also made cards for Operation Welcome Home Maryland, a volunteer group that welcomes troops as they return home, and collected supplies for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They were able to fill more than 15 large storage boxes with energy bars, juice boxes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, magazines, books, DVDs and more, Herman said.

She added the school plans to hold the parade again next year.

Fundraiser, food collection underway at Fallsmead

Fifth-grade students at Fallsmead Elementary School in Rockville will hold a fundraising dance from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday.

The fifth-grade class is trying to raise money for its community service project for Glories Happy Hats, a nonprofit organization that supports children suffering from serious illness and their families, while bringing the fundamentals of service learning to community youth.

Students will put the money towards two February workshops where they will make hats for children with cancer who are in local hospitals.

Dance tickets are now being sold to students during lunch time.

The school is also holding a food drive through Monday to benefit the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, a nonprofit organization that seeks to eliminate hunger in the county. Students and their families are encouraged to bring in canned goods and other food items, including peanut butter, tuna fish, canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, rice, pasta, beans, tomato sauce, macaroni and cheese, soup, baby food and other canned meat and fish.

Sandy Spring Friends to hold open house, winter carnival

Sandy Spring Friends School will hold an open house and annual Winterfest Dec. 5.

Winterfest will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the open house will be held from 10 a.m. to noon.

For the open house, the school requests families to arrive no later than 11 a.m. in order to have sufficient time to tour the campus. No reservations are necessary.

Those unable to attend but still interested in visiting are asked to call the admissions office at 301-774-7455, ext. 115.

Winterfest, which is free and open to the public, will feature food, music, breakfast with Frosty the Snowman, art and jewelry for sale and more.

For more information, visit www.ssfs.org.

Loiederman to present

‘Singing Cinderella'

A. Mario Loiederman Middle School for the Creative and Performing Arts will present "Singing Cinderella," a musical about a poor girl with a beautiful voice, at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday.

The play was adapted by Constance Y. Lee, the show's director and a teacher at the school, from the children's book, "The Gospel Cinderella" by Joyce Carol Thomas. Original music for the production was composed by Nicholas A. Lee with lyrics by Constance Y. Lee.

Tickets are $5 and will be available 30 minutes before each show. Students can buy tickets during lunch.

For more information, call 301-929-2282. Loiederman is located at 12701 Goodhill Road in Wheaton.

‘The Crucible' continues

at Richard Montgomery

Richard Montgomery High School's Black Maskers Drama Club will present Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," a dramatization of the Salem, Mass., witch trials of 1692, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Seating is limited to 200 people each performance and seats can be reserved by e-mailing richard

montgomerydrama@gmail.com. Include in the e-mail how many tickets should be reserved and specify how many adult and student tickets are needed.

Tickets will be available for pick up right before the performance and can be paid for with cash or check. Any unreserved tickets will be sold at the door.

Richard Montgomery is located at 250 Richard Montgomery Drive in Rockville.

Magruder spins ‘Charlotte's Web' for another weekend

Col. Zadok Magruder High School's Drama Department will present "Charlotte's Web," a play based on E.B. White's award-winning children's novel of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a spider named Charlotte, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Seats can be reserved by e-mailing magruderbusiness@yahoo.com. Tickets will also be available at the door.

For more information, call 301-840-4600. Magruder is located at 5939 Muncaster Mill Road in Derwood.

Reading volunteers needed

The Ruth Rales Comcast Kids Reading Network is seeking volunteers to tutor second-grade students in reading at public elementary schools throughout Montgomery County.

Volunteers will work with the same student for one hour each week. Training and all materials are provided.

For more information or to sign up to volunteer, call 301-279-3890 or visit www.montgomeryschools

md.org/readingnetwork.

Education Notebook is compiled by Staff Writer Melissa J. Brachfeld. Items appropriate for this column should be sent to mbrachfeld@gazette.net, by fax to 301-670-7183, or by mail to Education Notebook, The Rockville/Aspen Hill Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday for consideration for the following week's paper. Items are used on a space-available basis.