May 2011 - The Town Courier

Urbana’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Urbana, Villages of Urbana, Ijamsville and More
The
TOWN
Hats off to the Hawks
See page 35
Urbana
Recycling
Drop-Off
Site to Close
Vol. 7, No. 5
Courier
40 pages
May 2011
Urbana Senior Fights for Equality
Petition Could Force Special
Election
By Krista Brick
S
tarting July 1, Urbana residents will no longer have
access to a recycling dropoff center located near the Urbana
Fire Station.
The center is one of 11 recycling drop-off centers closing in
Frederick County. Only the recycling drop-off center located at the
Reichs Ford landfill will remain
active.
By closing the 11 drop-off sites,
Frederick County will save an estimated $413,000, according to
Annmarie Creamer, recycling
outreach program coordinator for
Frederick County.
The Urbana drop-off center was
emptied an average of two times
per week for mixed recyclables and
three times per week for the cardboard-only dumpster.
Creamer said the shutdown
should not affect any single-family or townhome homeowners in
Urbana because most have curbside recycling services through
Frederick County’s Office of
n
recycling
Group Looks
to Replace
Charter
Writing Board
By Krista Brick
Photo | Submitted
Danya Murali, far right in front row, received a Frederick County Human Relations Commission Award for her work to end discrimination and
bullying in the county’s schools.
By Krista Brick
W
hile most teens are concerned with final exams, weekend plans and
fitting in, Danya Murali spends
much of her time lobbying to
stop discrimination.
This 18-year-old senior at
Urbana High School is credited with helping to change the
Frederick County School antibullying policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity. For her devotion to civil
rights she was recognized April 4
with a $100 scholarship and from
the Frederick County Human
Relations Commission.
“Danya is incredibly impressive, and it was an honor to give
her this award,” said Hayden
Duke, chairman of the Human
Relations Commission. “A lot of
people talk about what is wrong.
She saw a problem and went to
solve it.”
The award went out to 11 students, one from each high school
in Frederick County, who accelerated in the area of civil and human rights.
Murali said she first became interested in protecting civil rights
her freshman year when her best
friend told her he was gay.
“I was iffy at first. I didn’t understand this. But just by him do-
ing it reset my ideas of the issue.
He is the same person, the same
friend and it is no big deal,” she
said.
Watching those who are
gay, lesbian or transgender be
ridiculed, ignored and often
teased prompted Murali to do
something.
This summer she lobbied
the Frederick County Board of
Education to change the antibullying policy to include sexual
orientation and gender identity
in its definition. The process included her meeting with individn
discrimination
Continued on page 8
Continued on page 8
The Town Courier
309 Main Street
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Alban to Lead Frederick County
Schools as Superintendent
By Krista Brick
F
PRSRT-STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
DULLES, VA
Permit #163
rederick County Public
Schools’ has named Dr.
Theresa R. Alban as its
new superintendent, a job that
comes with a $205,000 salary.
Alban starts her new job
at the helm of the county’s
school system on July 1. She
takes the place of Dr. Linda
Burgee, who announced she
was retiring from her post in
September after serving seven
years as superintendent.
“As a long-time educator in
many nearby districts, I am
thrilled to have the opportu-
Photo | FCPS
Dr. Theresa Alban starts her job as new
superintendent July 1.
nity to lead Frederick County
Public Schools (FCPS),” Alban
said. “My commitment to parents, staff and all residents is to
continue to foster educational
excellence while realizing that
these are challenging times.”
According to Alban’s contract, her salary is subject to an
annual cost of living (COLA)
increase if such an increase is
paid to other school system
employees. Alban also gets a
$750 per month car allowance.
The county is also paying
her moving expenses to relocate from her home in Ellicott
n
alban Continued on page 10
Even before debate has begun
on whether Frederick County
should change its form of government, controversy has already entered the process.
A group of residents is working
to gain enough signatures on a
petition by May 9 that would require a special election to put the
seats up for grab on the charter
writing board. If they are successful, an election would take place
30 to 90 days later.
The nine sitting members of
the board, including Urbana resident Joan Aquilino, were appointed by the Frederick County
Board of County Commissioners.
A group called the “citizen nominees” is campaigning to get 2,000
signatures on its petition calling
for a special election to fill those
seats with elected representatives.
The cost of that election: an
estimated $250,000, according
to the Maryland State Board of
Elections. That includes the cost
of the voting machines, election
judges and technical support.
“This petition is to unseat us,”
Aquilino said. “But I can’t get
anyone to say why they are unhappy with us.”
The county commissioners
may have had an inkling a petition against an appointed board
was in the works early in the process because Aquilino said she was
asked by members of the board if
she would agree to run for a seat
if it came to that.
“I guess I kind of take this personally. I have thick skin so I
won’t weep in my coffee about
it,” she said.
The county commissioners had
hoped to give the charter board
18 months to draft a charter that
would be put out for a vote in the
2012 general election. An undoing of the charter board could
n charter petition Continued on page 11
Page 2
The Town Courier
May 2011
is moving to
the villages of urbana shopping center
(301) 874-0124
www.urbanadentalspa.com
The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 3
City Considers Players for Harry Grove Stadium
By Krista Brick
B
aseball in Frederick is in the
gloves of city officials.
Both the Frederick Atlantic
League and the Frederick Keys organizations have submitted proposals to
play baseball at Harry Grove Stadium
in Frederick, Md., and city officials
are now poised to weigh the two bids
to determine which is the best fit.
Although the Frederick Keys have
called the stadium home since 1989,
a lack of a long-term lease has been
a sticking point. While in lease negotiations with the city, a new player
came onto the field asking to be the
home team. That led to Frederick
City initiating a request for proposals
for Harry Grove Stadium.
The Frederick Atlantic, a proposed
team to play within the Atlantic
League baseball system, submitted a
bid to play ball here starting in 2012.
“We want nothing more than a
long-term lease and a commitment
to Frederick. That is what we always
wanted,” said Dave Ziedelis, Keys
general manager.
Frederick City Mayor Randy
McClement said the city wants a baseball user for the stadium but would
like to find other uses for the space
such as concerts during off-season and
away games.
Details of the bids were sealed.
Jack Lavoie, majority member of
the Frederick Atlantic, LLC, said
the bid included an “upbeat financial
proposal.”
“In general terms we put our best
foot forward,” he said.
Lavoie said he has been marketing
his prospective team to community members and launched a website;
www.frederickatlantic.com.
“We are not interested in a shortterm situation. We want to be part of
a partnership that is a long-term lease
so the parties are aware of a stable situation, which also allows you to make
long-term changes to the park and
improvements,” he said.
Ziedelis also said he feels positive
about the bid the Keys submitted.
“We have every intention of staying here for generations to come,” he
said.
The Frederick Keys, an affiliate
of the Baltimore Orioles, have been
playing the game in Frederick since
1989. The Frederick Keys are a Class
A advanced affiliate. The most experienced affiliate team is a Triple A,
followed by a Double-A, Class A advanced, Class A, Class A short season
and then Rookie teams.
The Atlantic League of Professional
Baseball is an independent baseball
league made up of eight teams, including the Southern Maryland Blue
Crabs in Waldorf. It launched in 1998.
Unlike the Frederick Keys, who are
funded in part by the Orioles, the
Frederick Atlantic would not be supported by Major League Baseball
teams.
Frederick Classical Charter School
Wins BOE Approval
By Krista Brick
T
he Frederick Classical Charter
School recently gained approval from the county’s
Board of Education and now is eyeing a location to put the new school.
The Frederick County Board of
Education gave the classical charter
school a second look on April 6, this
time voting in favor of the plan to
launch the school by a vote of 4-3.
Members Angie Fish, Kathryn B.
Groth and Jean Smith opposed the
decision.
The previous board of education voted down the proposal in
November, but the new board
agreed to reconsider it.
Board of Education President Brad
Young said the new board wanted to
give the charter school the “opportunity to succeed.”
“I voted in favor of the Classical
Charter School because I believe
that they have a great curriculum
and that having this school as an alternative will be good for the county,” Young said.
The Frederick Classical Charter
School is proposed as public school
offering kindergarten through
eighth grade instruction. A charter
school is a public school that is given the freedom to implement a different approach to education than
the regular public schools. Charter
schools are not religious and do not
screen applicants in any way. There
is no tuition; however, the school
gets funding from the county and
the county’s share of state education
dollars.
The approval included two conditions: one being the procurement of
an acceptable building and location
and the other $550,000 in funding.
Sue Middletown, a member of the
Frederick Classical Charter School
board of directors, said the group is
meeting with realtors actively looking at a “couple sites” in the county. She declined to identify those
sites. The charter school plans to
lease a property and needs a building totaling at least 20,000 square
feet. Middleton said a playground
n BOE Approval Continued on page 11
UHS Students Learn the Art of Debate
By Madelyne Xiao
W
hat’s your standing on a
Chipotle in Urbana? How
about your opinions on cyber bullying, hate crimes and college tuition?
Students are getting to state their
positions, flesh out their arguments and battle the opposition as
members of the new Urbana High
School Debate Club.
Having a debate club at Urbana
High School gives its members a
chance to learn the craft of arguing
their point.
“I was surprised we didn’t have
one,” said Urbana High School junior Chuck Strand, founder and
leader of the new debate club. “So
I thought I’d start one.”
Urbana High School teacher Deborah Winkles is the club’s
sponsor.
The club meets every Tuesday
after school for two hours. It’s going to be a while until the club
becomes a team, though. Urbana
is looking for inclusion into the
BCFL (Baltimore Catholic Forensic
League), the largest member league
of the National Catholic Forensic
League. Debate topics, presented on
the BCFL website, tackle timely issues like: should cyber bullying be
considered a criminal offense? Does
plea-bargaining undermine the US
justice system?
Urbana’s Debate Club digs deep
into these issues. Students have 10
minutes before each debate to gather data. All club members are encouraged to speak for their side
during the course of the argument.
Debate sessions begin with a brief
opening statement from each side,
then progress into rebuttals. Here,
individual students stand and deliver statements in their position’s defense while offering up new points
for their opponents to parry. In this
way, the debate expands and avoids
“dead-spots,” the dreaded backand-forth that results in a stalemate.
Only the call for closing argun debate Continued on page 10
Photo | Patsy Beckman
Atlantic Grille owners Natalie and George Klisas (standing) feel right at
home with residents and patrons at their new restaurant in VOU.
Atlantic Grille
Owners Making
Food, Fast Friends
in Urbana
Restaurant Now Serving Breakfast
By Patsy Beckman
A
tlantic Grille owners bill their restaurant as,
“Fresh. Casual. American.”
However, siblings George and Natalie Klisas,
owners of the new steak and seafood restaurant, might
want to slip the word “Urbana” into their logo.
“We are definitely getting overwhelming support
from the community for both lunch and dinner,” said
George. “Even when we first opened, everyone was
understanding, and they have come back in after we
ironed out the kinks. We now have regulars at the
bar, and I now know customers in the dining room
on a one-on-one basis.”
Atlantic Grille opened just 90 days ago in Villages
of Urbana’s (VOU) Market District.
The Klisas siblings are also the general managers of
Callahan’s Restaurant & Lounge in Frederick, an establishment known for its crab cakes.
Near April’s end, the pair decided to open its
Urbana restaurant’s doors to customers at 7:30 a.m.
on Saturdays and Sundays to feature a full-service
breakfast with pancakes, waffles, an assortment of
eggs, fresh fruit and juices.
Many more changes are soon to come. George is
currently obtaining permitting for outdoor seating;
he and Natalie are in the process of hiring artists to
provide music on weekends; and the brother and sister team is contemplating opening Atlantic Grille for
business on Mondays.
George said adjoining business owners in the
Market District have described to him more robust
business traffic as a result of the steak and seafood restaurant being launched in January.
“Everything has been good. It’s a great neighborhood, and we are getting good feedback,” said
George.
Certified chef Mike Queen, formerly of Lakewood
Country Club, mans the kitchen.
Natalie said the most popular entrée items among
patrons are the restaurant’s ribs, scallops, and steaks.
As for appetizers, the crab stuffed jumbo pretzel, oysters imperial, and cream of crab soup highlight the
menu.
“It is fabulous. I had the best cream of crab soup
that I ever tasted,” said Urbana Civic Association
President Linda Ropelewski after frequenting the restaurant. “Business seems great, and everyone who I
n atlantic grille Continued on page 11
Page 4
The Town Courier
May 2011
The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 5
Girl Scouts Use Wetlands to Raise
Environmental Awareness
By Nancy Gibson
T
wo local Girl Scouts are concerned
about the environment, and they are
using wetlands in Urbana to educate others about ways they can keep the
Chesapeake Bay clean from their own
backyards.
Grace Gnatowski, 12, and Natasha
Lipetzky, 14, students at Windsor Knolls
Middle School, didn’t have to look far to
find a project that would help them earn
their Silver Award, a building block to the
Gold Award, the highest award given by the
Girl Scouts. Since both girls were concerned
about the environment, the Great Heron
Wetlands in nearby Urbana fit the bill.
Tucked behind Urbana Elementary
School, this small tract of land is an oasis of
native Maryland trees, flowering vegetation
and animals.
According to Jeff Esko, fifth grade teacher
and chair of the Great Heron Wetlands, wetlands are like biological supermarkets and
the Great Heron Wetlands is no exception.
It includes two large ponds, a 468-foot-long
by 10-foot-wide riparian buffer that contains plants and animals native to Maryland
and a wildflower meadow. The ponds are
home to native fish, turtles, several species
of frogs, insects and birds, and the occasional
Great Blue Heron.
“Wetlands support an abundance of life as
they are a bridge between aquatic and terrestrial lifestyles,” he says.
Esko describes how the Great Heron
Wetlands, part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, acts as a sponge and cleans the water
from the Urbana Branch Creek. Eventually
this water makes its way into the Monocacy
and Potomac rivers and ultimately the
Chesapeake Bay.
The girls thought this would be the perfect spot to teach others how important this
watershed is to the environment and ways
to protect it. Both scouts have been working since September 2010 on their own project to educate other scouts about the importance of the Great Heron Wetlands to the
watershed. They even created their own
Girl Scout patch to award those who complete their program.
“The girls created an environmental kit
that other scouts can use to earn a patch that
they designed called the Water Everywhere
Try It patch,” said Gnatowski’s mother.
After visiting the wetlands several times
and researching characteristics of wetlands
in general, they selected images for the
patch that represent plants and animals native to Maryland including the: Great Blue
Heron, Monarch caterpillar, the Maryland
Black-Eyed Susan, Red Honeysuckle, natural grasses and the lunar moth.
As Lipetzky describes it, “We will set
up four stations in the wetlands. Each one
will teach a different aspect of the wetlands.
Grace and I hope people will always remember how fragile the environment is and that
they can see evidence of that right in their
own backyard.”
As chair of the wetlands, Esko appreciates
all the hard work the scouts have put into
the project.
“The Great Heron Wetlands needs people
like Grace and Natasha who volunteer their
time, energy and talent to our project. These
two scouts have shown dedication not only
to the environment but also by reaching out
to younger scouts and educating them about
caring for our environment. We love seeing the Great Heron Wetlands being used
for such a creative out reach program,” Esko
said.
Lipetzky became aware of the impact of
poor environmental habits on the community when she saw widespread pollution at a
local park.
“I saw a small heron in a polluted pond
and experienced empathy for the bird. I
thought to myself, ‘Who would want to live
in an area with all this pollution?’ From then
on I was determined to do something,” she
said.
Gnatowski, too, became interested in the
environment at an early age.
“I was surprised to see signs announcing the beginning of the Chesapeake Bay
Watershed as far west as the Pittsburgh suburbs. It made me want to know more about
the watershed and that led to my learning
how our actions affect the plants and animals in the Bay, even if we live far away,”
she said.
The Scouts will hold their debut program
at the Great Heron Wetlands on May 21. For
more information on the program contact
the local girl scout council for more information at [email protected]. For information on the Great Heron Wetlands visit http://ues.sites.fcps.org/wetlands.
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Photo | Nancy Gibson
Jenny Lipetzky, Kyra Lipetzky, Natasha Lipetzky, Catherine Gnatowski, Grace Gnatowski and Jeff Esko examine the Great
Heron Wetlands.
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Serving Frederick County for 31 years.
Page 6
The Town Courier
May 2011
LOCALVOICES
Digging a Deeper Hole?
O
ne of the more complex
problems facing local government is that matching
infrastructure needs to growth.
Nowhere is that challenge more
stark than in creating adequate
school capacity to meet the requirements of residential development.
There are a number of tools that
are supposed to help accomplish
By Fred Ugast
this goal.
Builders of new homes pay an
impact fee for each dwelling unit
that is designed to cover the county’s expected cost of
the additional school capacity that the development will
require.
Those fees are currently set at $14,426 per single-family
home, $12,380 per townhouse and $2,368 per condominium or other residential structure.
Our county’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance
(APFO) was designed to prevent residential development
from occurring if schools in the area were projected to be
overcapacity. A proposed development would fail the test
unless sufficient school capacity was built by the county,
paid for by the developer or created through redistricting.
Elements of the APFO have been changed over the
years, and some of the restrictions have been tightened.
Regardless of how we got here, it’s time to face up to the
fact that we don’t have a workable plan to resolve our
school capacity issues.
Urbana area schools are among those exceeding the state
standards for adequate capacity:
• Centerville Elementary School (CES) has 956 students
enrolled in a school designed for 675 students.
• Urbana Elementary School (UES) has 676 students in a
facility designed for 663.
• Urbana Middle School (UMS) enrolls 633 students in a
school designed for 600.
• Urbana High School’s (UHS) 1655 students is slightly
above its design of 1636.
UHS should see reduced enrollments over the next two
years as the phased redistricting resulting from the opening of the new Linganore High School transfers students
who previously would have been in the UHS attendance
area to Oakdale Elementary School (OES).
CES should also see some improvement beginning in
2013 when some students who would previously have
gone there are assigned to OES, assuming a planned 240seat addition is completed on the current schedule.
Nevertheless, current projections indicate that in 2015
CES will enroll 783 students, UES will have 892, UMS
will be at 826, and UHS will be at 1625. Compared to
the state-rated capacity standards those schools will be
at 116 percent, 135 percent, 138 percent and 99 percent
respectively.
Those projections assume that the remainder of the
build-out for the Urbana Planned Unit Development will
generate students consistent with the yield determined by
a study conducted in 2007 that may or may not reflect current demographic trends.
In theory, the Board of Education plans on building a
new elementary school and adding 300 seats to UMS to
alleviate the Urbana-area capacity issues.
Those projects are currently hoped to be completed in
2016. The county’s staff-recommended budget only includes the new elementary school, so don’t hold your
breath — and that is subject to change.
In addition to building new seats, many schools desperately need renovation, including Frederick High School
and UES, neither of which will have received significant
renovation in more than 50 years.
The problem is that the Board of Education calculates it
needs over $300 million over the next six years to meet its
capital project requirements while the county projects it
can afford to spend only $182 million over the same period
(including $60 million in state funding).
There is a disconnect between our school construction
needs and our ability to fund them.
Although the state contributes to the construction of
new seats, Frederick County can expect to receive a far
smaller share than others.
The Board of Education projects the state share of the
six year Capital Improvement Projects budget to be $137
million.
Given the fiscal realities facing the state, we will probably be lucky to receive an average of $10 million per year
— leaving a big hole that we will either have to fill ourselves or continue to fall further behind.
Clearly, we can’t get there from here. It’s a complex subject that often engenders more heat than light.
Related issues that need to be considered are redistricting options, additional fees on development, higher taxes,
and less expensive construction standards, among others.
I will address some of those in a future column.
Editor’s Note: Fred Ugast lives in Urbana and has been active
in the community since 2001. Ugast can be reached for comment
at [email protected].
Some of our office listings:
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Myersville
$399,900
Braddock HeigHts
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Frederick city
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edgewood
$149,900
Fredericktowne village
$239,999
gerMantown
$84,900
Ballenger crossing
$219,900
villages oF urBana
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gaMBrill Park
$424,900
Frederick
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coluMBia
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overlook
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UNDER CONTRACT
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wildwood Park Mt airy
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randallstown
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Frederick
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The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 7
LOCALVOICES
Upcoming Meetings/Events
5/3
BOCC Meeting and Public Hearing, 7 p.m.,
Winchester Hall
A Parent’s Perspective
These Dogs May Be On to Something …
I
f you have ever owned a dog,
you know two things. First,
dogs are messy, and second,
their love is unconditional.
I have dogs, and I have children.
I hate to compare the two, because
on any given day, the dogs may
win.
Dogs do not talk back.
They do not forget to take out
the trash or roll their eyes when
By Julie Virnelson
asked to do something.
My bullmastiff, Rosie, all 130
pounds of her, is sweet as pie.
Sure, she may have a bit of a drooling problem and puddles of slobber that follow her wherever she goes. And,
yes, she may have a habit of eating things like couches or
flooring, but she is always happy to see me when I walk
in the door.
She does not ask me to drop whatever I am doing and
drive her to the mall. She waits patiently for me to feed
her, and it makes her day when I throw her a new bone.
And so it was that I was happy to take my girl to the vet
recently to get her leg checked out. She had been limping
recently and did not seem to be improving.
During our visit to the vet, Rosie was very friendly with
the other animals (a goat included!) in the waiting room,
did her best to sit still while the technicians took some
blood from her, and obediently took the pain pills that
were administered.
We left the vet’s office and during the short drive home,
Rosie happily held her head out the window, taking in
the sights and smells, slobber spraying all over the side of
the car.
We walked in the door at home, and one of the kids
noticed the bandage on Rosie’s leg where they had taken
the blood sample. A wash of genuine concern swept over
all of the kids’ faces when they realized Rosie had been to
the vet.
They all wanted to know what had happened and if
Rosie would be okay.
I thought how sweet they were, all full of concern and
sympathy.
Where was the sympathy for dear old mom when she
was home sick for a week with a winning combination of
strep throat and the flu?
Oh, there was some worry … who was going to wash
their uniforms? Why wasn’t dinner ready? And, my personal favorite, who was going to drive them to the mall?
These were all major concerns to my kids as I was burning
up with fever.
And then I had an “A-ha” moment.
The kids love the dogs for the same reason I love the
dogs ... their unconditional love.
Rosie and Riley do not nag about messy rooms. They
do not berate for homework not done and trash not taken
out. They do not lecture or preach.
They simply love.
It dawned on me that I could take some lessons from
my dogs:
Always greet your family at the door with kisses and
hugs.
Do not nag.
Live in the moment.
Listen and give your full attention to the son/daughter/
husband talking to you.
Play a lot.
And when all else fails, a good scratch (or hug) will usually make things better.
Editor’s Note: Julie Virnelson is a VOU resident and the
mother of five children and two dogs.
Diane Dorney
Publisher
301.330.0132
[email protected]
309 Main Street
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
For advertising: 301.606.8833
Also on the Web at www.towncourier.com.
Matt Danielson
President
301.330.0132
[email protected]
Patsy Beckman
Managing Editor
Advertising Manager
301.606.8833
[email protected]
Krista Brick
News Editor
301.947.9378
krista@
towncourier.com
Claire Fleischer
Copy Editor
Staff Photographers
S. Nicole Davis
Tracey McCabe
Cyndy Hammett
Staff Writers
Nora Caplan
Betty Hafner
Sheilah Kaufman
Karen O’Keefe
5/5
BOCC Meeting and Work Session, 10 a.m.,
Winchester Hall
5/11
BOCC/BOE Meeting, 6 p.m., FCPS Administrative
Building
5/12
BOCC Meeting, 10 a.m., Winchester Hall
5/17
BOCC/BOE Meeting, 1:30 p.m., FCPS Administrative
Building
BOCC Meeting and Public Hearing, 7 p.m.,
Winchester Hall
5/19
BOCC Meeting and Work Session, 10 a.m.,
Winchester Hall
5/26
BOCC Meeting, 10 a.m., Winchester Hall
5/30
Frederick County Government Offices Closed,
Memorial Day Observance
Correction
An article submitted to the April Town Courier
contained an error. “Amber Hill Physical Therapy
Expands to Urbana” should have stated that Allison
Cooley, OTR/L, head of the Amber Hill Practice’s
pediatric occupational therapy program, will also supervise the pediatric occupational/speech therapy
programs in the new Urbana office.
©2011 Courier Communications
The Town Courier is an independent monthly newspaper providing news
and information for the communities of Kentlands, Lakelands and Quince
Orchard Park in Gaithersburg, Md. The paper is published by Courier
Communications, which is responsible for the form, content and policies
of the newspaper. The Town Courier does not espouse any political belief or
endorse any product or service in its news coverage. Articles and letters submitted for publication must be signed and may be edited for length or content. The Town Courier is not responsible for any claims made by advertisers
Letters to the Editor and Commentary do not necessarily ref lect the views
of the staff, management or advertisers of The Town Courier.
Page 8
The Town Courier
■ discrimination
from page 1
ual board members, rallying the support of
the school and the community and speaking
publicly at board hearings. Now those who
are found guilty of this type of bullying are
punished.
“I brought the issue to light,” Murali said.
“It is like I don’t think anyone should be discriminated against or feel left out for who
they are. It is a civil rights issue.”
Urbana High School Principal Kathy
Campagnoli nominated Murali for the
award.
“She has been a consistent voice for
change while still respecting the processes that go into changing policy and actively listening to the advice of peers, national
organizations, and her school’s administration,” Campagnoli said. “It is Danya’s effective leadership skills that lead me to believe
that she will continue to be an active and
engaged champion of human rights as she
moved to the university level and beyond as
a concerned citizen.”
Murali is president of the Urbana High
School Gay Straight Alliance and student
■ recycling
from page 1
Recycling. The drop-off centers were created in the 1990s to provide services to singlefamily homes that did not have curbside recycling, but curbside recycling for single-family and townhome residences has been offered
since 2009.
“This was a duplication of service,”
Creamer said.
The savings comes from the elimination of
the cost to empty the sites and also the expiration of the leases where the sites are located.
Creamer said the drop-off sites were often contaminated by non-recyclables such as
bulk trash items and other waste because the
sites were unmanned. The drop-off center at
the landfill is staffed by the recycling office
personnel.
“We got sofas and TVs and random
things,” she said.
Condominium and apartment complexes
are considered businesses by the county and
do not get recycling services like single-family homes, Creamer said.
“Multi-family housing complexes can con-
May 2011
leader of the Frederick chapter of PFLAG
(Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians
and Gays). She also worked with Equality
Maryland last summer on the effort to make
gay marriage legal in Maryland.
Although not a member of the gay community, Murali said she fights for those who
are.
“They are not making a choice. They are
being who they are, and it is important that
society accepts that,” she said. “My goal is
to look at a person and, no matter if they
are gay, transgendered, male, female, black
or white, they are to be treated the same.”
She said she watched how hard it is for
her friend to live a transgendered life. She
describes her friend as living his life within
a female body.
“People think you are weird and you are
treated as an outcast, and that really got to
me. These people are made fun of, so they
are not able to be themselves,” she said.
Murali hopes to attend the University of
Maryland, Baltimore County next year and
study to be an applied mathematician.
You can bet she’ll continue her quest for
equality.
“Whatever I can do to make a difference I
will do,” she said.
tract to have recyclables hauled, just like they
do for their regular trash. Several have already done this, and their residents are recycling such as Buckingham’s Choice, Camden
Clearbrook, The Reserve at Ballenger
Creek,” Creamer said.
Those living in a multi-family complex can request a recycling service through
their property manager. Any business or
housing complex looking to initiate recycling program can contact David Helmecki,
Frederick County’s Commercial Recycling
Program
Coordinator
(dhelmecki@
FrederickCountyMD.gov).
There are almost 10,000 townhomes across
the county that do not have recycling carts,
although some of those townhomes may still
be using the 18-gallon blue bins. Recycling
carts were automatically distributed to single-family homes countywide. The same was
not done for townhomes because some communities do not have the space to accommodate the larger carts. Townhome owners who
want the larger recycling cart can request one
through the county office of recycling.
The Reichs Ford Road recycling center
is open from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday
through Saturday.
Photo | Patsy Beckman
The Urbana drop-off recycling center is one of 11 centers closing on July 1 in an attempt to save the county nearly half a
million dollars.
The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 9
SHOPTALK
Rotary Club Schedules Speakers
Compiled by Krista Brick
New Coin Shop Opens
John Rusinko won’t give you a penny
for your thoughts.
He collects them.
In fact, just recently, this owner of the
Senior Coins & Currency sold a half-cent
coin to a customer for $4,000.
Rusinko opened his full-service coin
shop, which is also licensed to buy gold
and silver scrap and jewelry, a few months
ago at 3362-C on Urbana Pike.
He said he has a love for history, especially early American history. A welder by trade, Rusinko gave up that career
when he started work for a coin dealer in
Augusta, Ga., and learned the business.
When his wife’s work transferred her to
Urbana, he decided to open a shop here.
He brings 25 years of experience in the
coin business.
A certified rare coin dealer and appraiser, Rusinko said business is starting to
pick up. He said he has bought coins from
customers for as little as a few cents to as
much as six figures. In fact, Rusinko said
he just bought at 1798 dime from a fellow
collector at a coin show in Baltimore for
$10,000.
Senior Coins & Currency, is open 11
a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday
and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Special
appointments are available. For special
needs, Rusinko said he will travel for
appointments.
Black Hog Now Set for Late
Summer Opening
Black Hog BBQ, with a location in
downtown Frederick had planned on a
May opening but now expects to open its
doors in Urbana late this summer, according to Mike Matusek, marketing director.
The restaurant is moving into a location in the Urbana Village Center next to
Buffalo Wild Wings.
The Southern Frederick County Rotary
Club scheduled the following speakers:
May 5: Barbara Justice — Battle of
Monocacy May 12: Charles D. Stimson — The
Heritage
All meetings are held from 7:30 to
8:30 a.m. at the Turning Point Real Estate
Office in Urbana, 8923 Fingerboard
Road.
A Pole New You Adds New Owner
Donna Scott is now co-owner of A Pole
New You, joining owner Tammy Frazier.
Scott brings with her a background in nutrition, fitness and massage.
The fitness center now offers Swedish,
seated and hot stone massages in a separate
room within the center.
“We are planning on offering a fullrounded facility to include a nutrition
and weight loss exercise program. Now is
more fitness and dance based. We want to
bring the whole package together,” Scott
said.
A Pole New You is located at 3518
Worthington Boulevard, Suite 101.
New Urbana Delivery Option for
Residents
Dominic’s Bar and Grille located in the
Green Valley Plaza on Fingerboard Road
now offers home delivery in Urbana.
The 2,900-square-foot restaurant that
offers pizza, subs and pasta has been open
since October and has now added delivery
services in the area.
“We make our dough fresh every day,”
said owner Betsy Mantua, who operates
the family business with husband Larry.
The Urbana location is the second restaurant for Dominic’s. The family has
owned Dominic’s restaurant in Silver
Spring for 30 years.
For a menu log on to www.dominicsgreenvalley.com or call 301.865.7503.
Get involved.
towncourier.com/urbana
My Pet Has
People!
• Pet Sitting
• Pet Taxi
• Dog Walking
Call us now for a free consultation.
Urbana Pet Assistance
www.urbanapetassist.com • 301-693-9099
URBANA LIBRARY FARMERS’ MARKET
Back by Popular Demand in 2011.
Opening: Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8.
Every Sunday through October at Urbana Library from 12 until 3 p.m.
Celebrate Mother’s Day with Specials from Select Vendors!
Live plants and cut flowers, BBQ, Live Acoustic Music,
Conventional and Organic Produce, Eggs, Cheese, Meat,
Baked Goods, and Gluten/Dairy-Free Baked Goods
all in a Fun, Family Environment.
For More Information or to become a Vendor:
Contact: Beth Johnson,
Market Master, 301.712.4137.
Page 10
The Town Courier
Final Public-Private Partnerships
Report Due Out In June
By Patsy Beckman
O
liver Porter of PPP Associates,
LLC, an expert in reforming
his hometown of Sandy Springs,
Ga., addressed the Frederick Board
of County Commissioners (BOCC)
on identifying cost savings available
through the creation of public-private
partnerships in the delivery of county
services.
County Manager Barry Stanton said
a final report is due from Porter in June,
followed by a work session with the
BOCC, which will review it. “This is a
methodical approach. We will take our
time and do it in a methodical fashion,”
Stanton said.
Porter spoke of meetings he held with
county officials to discuss firsthand the
benefits public-private partnerships in
local government can bring.
“The people of Sandy Springs pay
less taxes then if they remained in the
county,” Porter said. “Employees come
to work in cities and are extremely
happy.”
When asked about the downside of
public-private partnerships, Porter,
who is also working with municipalities in Japan, was unable to offer any
complaints.
“I am amazed at how well Sandy
Springs turned out. The roads are so
much better. The politicians that have
been elected are good. I’m going to
have to tell you, there are no major
problems I can speak to,” Porter said.
Frederick County would be the first
major government to consider changing from a traditional service model.
Several commissioners and county officials visited Sandy Springs in
February to meet with city officials to
personally learn more about the largest
public-private partnership for the provision of local government services in
the country.
Since their trip to Sandy Springs, the
county commissioners have said they
are committed to exploring methods
to reduce costs while still maintaining essential programs and services for
Frederick County citizens.
A public-private partnership would
shift government employees to the private sector, but the basic responsibility
for providing services and approving
the scope of the services would remain
with the commissioners.
In March, the BOCC approved payment of $25,000 to Porter to conduct
a study of current services in Frederick
County government, including data
collection, interviews with county officials, and an analysis of findings. ■ alban
from page 1
City. The contract runs through June
30, 2015.
The Frederick County Board of
Education chose Alban from a f ield of
27 who applied for the position. The
board hired a national search f irm,
Hazard, Young Attea & Associates to
conduct the search.
“I am very excited to have Dr. Alban
as our new superintendent. Her experiences in budget, operations and special education, as well as her vast educational experience, are a perfect f it for
[FCPS] at this point in its history,” said
Brad Young, president of the board of
education.
Urbana High School Principal Kathy
Campagnoli is anxious to meet the
new superintendent.
“Although I am not acquainted with
■ debate
from page 3
ment — that bold, attention-grabbing
last-jab-of-the-day — slows down the
rapidly branching debate.
The club gives students more than just
a chance to sound off. They learn the
technique needed to make their point.
“Vocabulary.
Critical
think-
May 2011
Dr. Alban, our newly named superintendent of FCPS, she has a very impressive resume and I look forward to
meeting her,” she said. Alban graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in elementary education and
special education from the College of
Notre Dame in Baltimore. She has a
master’s degree in administration and
supervision from Loyola College in
Baltimore and a doctorate in measurement, statistics and evaluation from the
University of Maryland, College Park.
Alban currently works as chief operating off icer for the Howard County
Public Schools System. She began
her career as an elementary and special education teacher in the Baltimore
County Public Schools. From 2001
to 2005 she worked in Montgomery
County Public School as coordinator
of student assessment, coordinator of
program evaluation and director of the
shared accountability program.
ing. Learning how to research,” said
Strand of skills learned during debate.
“Remembering to not get too personal
during argument.”
Strand warns students of the dangers
of an impassioned debater.
“The person who gets passionate almost never wins his argument,” he said.
Madelyne Xiao is a freshman at Urbana
High School.
The Town Courier
May 2011 ■ charter
from page 1
petition
move that time frame and may force the
county to hold a special referendum election in addition to the special election for
the charter writing board seats, according
to County Legislative Coordinator Ragan
Cherney.
“If the clock starts again and goes beyond the next year’s general election in
2012, then we would have to have a referendum election with one question,” he
said. The cost would be another estimated
$250,000, he said.
Aquilino said she was confused why a
special election was necessary when the
charter board’s meetings are open to the
public.
“Our purpose is to draft a document that
is then voted on by the public. We have offered to bring meetings to other organizations and for people to come and take part
in drafting this,” she said.
The board held its first meeting March
30, but Aquilino said the group has just
started gathering research documents and
lining up speakers.
“We have not even done any work yet.
I asked petitioners specifically what [they]
do not like about my appointment, and no
one answers me,” Aquilino said.
Farrell Keough, founder of the Rotary
Club of Southern Frederick County, called
the petition “sour grapes.”
“What some folks don’t get is, this char-
■ atlantic
from page 3
grille
know that has tried it thinks it’s a ‘perfect
fit for Urbana.’”
Atlantic Grille also serves a variety of
sandwiches and pastas.
“We have a different recipe here for our
crab cakes than we do at Callahan’s,” said
George. “They are a little different, but
equally as good.”
The dessert menu showcases items such
as cheesecake, peanut butter pie, chocolate
cake, and a lemon tort. A full menu can be
found at atlanticgrilleurbana.com.
Staff members currently aren’t taking
reservations but eventually might change
this policy.
In the bar area, patrons can be found
playing Keno, the lottery, and many other
touch screen games.
The restaurant employs several Urbana
residents and students from Urbana High
School (UHS).
“We are very pleased,” said Natalie.
“Everyone is doing an excellent job.”
■ BOE
Approval
from page 3
would also be preferable but is not required
on-site.
“We are looking ideally for an existing
building with the hope that there is less
of a cost in doing that than starting from
scratch,” she said.
Middleton said the organization is writ-
Page 11
ter writing committee is not writing a
charter that Frederick County must accept
— we all get to vote on it,” Keough said.
The petition’s candidates are Ellis C.
Burruss, Rolan O. Clark, Paul Gilligan,
Donna S. Kuzemchek, Daniel P. Laxton,
John B. McClurkin, Aaron A. Valentino
and Russell N. Winch. If the special election is held, the nine current sitting charter
writing board members’ names would also
be on the ballot.
In addition to Aquilino, the charter writing board includes Fred Anderson, Debra
Borden, Dr. Tom Browning, Ken Coffey,
Jeff Holtzinger, Emmitsburg Mayor
James Hoover, Bob Kresslein, Rocky
Mackintosh. The three alternate members
are: Doug Browning, Dana French and
Earl Robbins.
Frederick County currently operates
under commissioner form of government. While a board of county commissioners exercises both executive and legislative functions defined by state law, and
may enact ordinances, its legislative power is limited to those areas authorized by
the General Assembly, enabling legislation,
or public local laws. Eight counties have a
county commissioner form of government:
Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Garrett, St. Mary’s,
Somerset, Washington and Frederick.
Under charter government rule, the executive and legislative branches are separate. Usually the governing form includes
a county executive and a county council.
Nine counties in Maryland operate under
a charter.
The owners are supporting the local school by offering gifts cards for
fundraisers.
“We are feeling very confident in the
restaurant,” said George, who frequently
greets return guests from Germantown,
Gaithersburg and Annapolis. “We like the
neighborhood and the reception that we’ve
gotten. We hope the community is happy
to have us.”
Atlantic Grille will offer its full menu
on Mother’s Day, which is May 8, including appetizers and entrée specials. The restaurant will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Call 301.810.5220 for additional
information.
Hours:
Closed on Mondays
Tuesdays – Thursdays: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Fridays: 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Saturdays: 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sundays: 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Tuesdays – Fridays: 3 to 7 p.m. Happy
Hour, Discounted Drink Specials, and
Appetizers.
Carry-out is available.
ing up a grant application for $500,000
in funding from the Maryland State
Department of Education.
“We need $500,000 to start the school.
There are many other grants also available
through private companies and the federal
government. We have a budget that will
work if we have $500,000,” she said.
The Frederick Classical Charter School
has a targeted opening date of August 2012.
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Page 12
The Town Courier
School NEWS
May 2011
Compiled by Krista Brick
Students Gear up for Prom and
Graduation
Urbana High School (UHS) prom will
be held on May 14 starting at 7 p.m. at
FSK Holiday Inn. The dance concludes at
11 p.m.
UHS graduation is set for June 3 at
10 a.m. at Mount St. Mary’s University
Knott Arena.
Mathematics the Theme at
Alice in Numberland
Students and their parents got a chance
to meet Alice in Numberland and the
Math Hatter during a fun night with math
at Urbana Elementary School.
The event called Alice in Numberland
was held April 14 and children and their
parents participated in math activities
from five Frederick County math curriculum indicators; including algebra, geometry, measurement, statistics, number relationships and computation.
A math un-birthday table provided
math games and fun.
Urbana Students Win French Award
Urbana High School French class students Brannon McGraw and Olivia Haas
received $150 and $100 respectively during a special ceremony at Hood College
April 6 in recognition of their outstanding work in the National French Contest
“Concours National de Francais 2011.”
Photo | Submitted
Zach Sherwood, a kindergartener at Urbana Elementary School, participates in Math Night.
Urbana Students Win Awards
The following Urbana High School
students were award-winners at the
March 26 Frederick County Public
Schools Science and Engineering Fair:
• Laura Rosenwald, First Runner-Up,
Delivery available in Monrovia and surrounding areas
including the Villages of Urbana and Urbana Highlands.
Dominic’s Restaraunt Bar & Grille
•
•
•
•
•
Opendaily11a.m.
Familyownedandoperated
FreeWi-FiandDine-inorCarry-out
MothersDay,May8,allMomsgetaFREEDessert!
BigscreenTV’stowatchallsportingevents
intheBar&Diningareas
Dough made
• Keno,RacetrackandScratchticketsavailable
fresh daily
Weekly Specials
Monday - Friday ...Happy hour 3 til 7 p.m., $2.75 domestic beer &
...............................$3.00 rail drinks, 20% off all appetizers
Sundays ................$1.00 off all Pasta Entrees, .50 cent Wings
...............................$7.50 Domestic Pitchers of Beer
Mondays ...............$5.99 large cheese pizza (toppings additional)
Thursdays .............Ladies Night and Karaoke Connection with JR
...............................8:30 p.m.-midnight, $1.00 off ladies drinks
Groups welcome for luncheons, parties and meetings
Green Valley Plaza
11791 Fingerboard Rd (Rt. 80)
Monrovia, MD 21770
301-865-7503
www.dominicsgreenvalley.com for menu and pricing
High School Winner: Animal Science
— Color & Shape Learning by Way of
Behavioral Contexts in Danaus plexippus (Monarch Butterflies), plus the
U.S. Public First Place Award
• Christine Fossaceca, MedImmune
High School Award, U.S. Public
Health Service First Place Award,
and the Yale Science & Engineering
Association Award
• Theresa Park, Society for InVitro
Biology Award, Stockholm Junior
Water Prize, and the U.S. Public
Health
Service
Meritorious
Achievement Award
• Archit Gupta, U.S. Army Award,
and U.S. Public Health Second Place
Award
Rosenwald will represent Frederick
County at the 2011 Intel International
Science and Engineering Fair in Los
Angeles, Calif., this month.
Urbana Middle School student winners were:
• Anmol Srivastava, first place in energy and transportation
• Jonathan Mathis, first place in mathematical sciences
• Shreye
Inala,
first
place
in
biochemistry
• Olivia Nartker, second place in animal sciences
• Mackenzie Dixon, second place in
biochemistry
• Tamer Dixon, second place in
chemistry
• Madison Hively, second place in
engineering
• Jhanavi Sivakumar, second place in
microbiology
• Rishub Nahar, third place in energy
and transportation
• Krystal Nguyen, third place in mathematical sciences
The following career and technology
students won first place in the Maryland
Skills U.S.A. competition in March and
will compete on the national level in
Kansas City, June 20 to 24:
• Alexander Erdman, Prepared Speech
Marketing 1
• John Hanrahan, Broadcast News
Prod. TV Prod/Multi 2
• Patrick McNair, Technical CAD
Engineering
• James Poe, TV Video Prod. TV Prod/
Multi 2
Hundreds to Attend Future
Link IV
Future Link IV is coming this spring,
with more than 350 local high school
students expected to attend the May
24 science, technology, engineering
and math (STEM) event at Frederick
Community College.
Maryland’s Teacher of the Year and
National Teacher of the Year finalist
Michelle Shearer will deliver the keynote, after which students will choose
from more than 30 career-development
workshops that local professionals will
present in the following fields: arts, media and communication; business; construction and development; consumer
services; engineering; environment and
agriculture, health and biosciences; and
human resources.
The Frederick County Business
Roundtable for Education, Frederick
Community College, Frederick County
Public Schools, Fort Detrick, Frederick
County Economic Development, and
the Frederick County Chamber of
Commerce coordinate Future Link. This is the conference’s fourth
year. Each student will be able to attend
three 30-minute focus sessions in addition to the keynote.
Registration is April 1 through May 6
in local high schools. The Town Courier
May 2011 POLICE BLOTTER
Two Arrested For Stealing from
Cars
Two people were arrested and charged
with stealing items from parked cars
in the Riverview Shopping Plaza on
Urbana Pike April 10.
Frederick County Sheriff Officer
Dfc. Stephanie Kelley arrested Brian
A. Dasilva, 33, and Rebecca D. Pacich,
41. Both were charged with theft under
$1,000. Dasilva was also charged with
driving on a suspended license. Deputies began canvassing the
Riverview Shopping Plaza on Urbana
Pike after Emergency Communications
broadcast a lookout for a man and woman who were driving a white van around
the parking lot. Police said the couple
was stealing items from parked cars.
Deputies located and stopped the vehicle in the parking lot near Michael’s
Craft Store. Police said they searched
the car and found a number of alleged
stolen items. Many of the items were
returned to their owners, according to
police.
Sheriff Chuck Jenkins Makes
Radio Show
Frederick County Sheriff Chuck
Jenkins participated with other leaders in the Federation for American
Immigration Reform’s annual immigration Radio Row policy gather-
ing, April 6 and 7 on Capitol Hill in
Washington, D.C. More than 50 radio hosts from across
the country broadcast live from early
morning to late evening both days at
the Phoenix Park Hotel.
Virginia Woman Arrested for
Heroin Possession
Meghan E. Green, 22, of Hamilton,
Va., tossed a cigarette out her car window while driving on I-70 and got
tossed in jail when police said they
found heroin in her car.
According to police, Green was driving her car on I-70 near Route 75 when
she threw a cigarette from her car window. Dfc. Jeffrey Null initiated a traffic stop, and a Sheriff ’s Office K-9 unit
responded to assist.
The K-9 conducted a scan of the car
and alerted to the odor of a narcotic,
police said. During a search of the car,
police said they found a kit containing
drug paraphernalia including needles,
syringes, a metal spoon, tourniquet and
two bags of suspected heroin.
Police also said Green was driving on
a suspended license.
When Green was arrested police
said they found additional individually wrapped baggies of suspected heroin. Green was charged with possession of heroin and possession of drug
paraphernalia.
Page 13
Compiled by Krista Brick
Police Increase Presence at
Tuscarora High School
Police have stepped up their presence at Tuscarora High School after a
15-year-old was found bringing a gun
to school and another was arrested for
disorderly conduct a day later.
A 15-year-old student was arrested on
March 29 after police got a tip that the
student brought a gun to school.
The school resource deputy, Dfc. Jay
Godlove, worked with school administrators to locate the student who was
immediately taken out of class. Police
said the teen was in possession of a loaded handgun.
The teen was referred to the
Department of Juvenile Justice on four
charges; possession of a regulated firearm under the age of 21, possession of
ammunition for a regulated firearm,
wear and carry a firearm on person,
and wear and carry a firearm on school
property.
One day later, another teen was
charged with disrupting school.
Police said a Frederick teen failed to
follow directions given by a school administrator in the cafeteria at about 7:30
a.m. on March 30. According to police,
the teen became increasingly loud and
began swinging his arms. The school
resource officer detained the student
and removed him from the building.
Police referred the student to the
Department of Juvenile Justice on a
charge of disorderly conduct and disrupting school activities. He was released to the custody of a parent.
School Resource Officer Arrested
on Child Sex Abuse Charge
Frederick County Sheriff ’s Office
Deputy Sam A. Bowman, 46, of New
Market was arrested for child sex abuse
on March 23 after an FBI investigation.
Bowman was a school resource officer
at Walkersville High School. He has
been suspended without pay.
On March 22, the FBI launched an
investigation after Child Protective
Services contacted the Sheriff ’s Office
with information about child sex abuse.
Police said the information came from a
third party alleging the officer was having sex with a 14-year-old Thurmont
girl.
Police said Bowman drove the girl to
her home on March 9 and while there
he had sexual contact with her while her
parents were not at home. According
to police the incident occurred immediately after the school day ended and
Bowman completed his work shift.
Police are investigating if other similar
incidences occurred.
Page 14
The Town Courier
May 2011
AROUND TOWN
Compiled By Patsy Beckman
Photo | Patsy Beckman
Sixth grade Windsor Knolls Middle School (WKMS) student Jakob Connelly reads “Officer Buckle and Gloria” to Dixie, an
American cocker spaniel and a part of the Wags for Hope reading program, as the canine sits on the lap of owner Bonnie
Johnson, a WKMS science teacher.
Windsor Knolls Middle School
Hosts Read-a-thon
Windsor Knolls Middle School
(WKMS) held its read-a-thon, dubbed
Read Around the Clock this spring, with
a goal in mind, according to media specialist Mary Clardy: to have students and
staff reading during each block of time
throughout the course of one full school
day.
Providing a greater incentive for
students to read was science teacher
Bonnie Johnson, who brought her female American cocker spaniel, Dixie,
to WKMS so children could read to the
canine.
Six-year-old Dixie is a member of the
Wags for Home program, a nonprofit organization that provides volunteers with
their pets to bring joy to the lives of others in such places as schools, libraries and
nursing homes.
“A pet can really lighten things up and
help a child relax. Dogs are particularly
non-judgmental,” said Johnson. “Dixie
is just thrilled to be here.”
Johnson spoke of studies showing
students who brought up their reading
grade levels by one-half to three years
with reading assistance.
Sixth-grader Jakob Connelly said it
was his first time ever reading to a dog.
“She didn’t even interrupt me. I would
love to do it again,” he said after he finished reading the book entitled “Officer
Buckle and Gloria” to an interested
Dixie.
All students participating in the Reada-thon were able to enter their names in
a contest to win a gift certificate to a local bookstore.
Ijamsville Teens Make the
Outdoors Safer for UMS Students
Brothers Bryce and Ryan Griebenow
want to become Eagle Scouts one day
soon. They are on the right path after participating in numerous environ-
ment projects at Urbana Middle School
(UMS) this spring to help the ecology
club there and make the outdoors a safer and more attractive place for teachers
and students.
The campus includes a watershed, forest and large tree area.
The Griebenow brothers of Boy Scout
Troop 628 spent a morning assisting students from UMS’
Ecology and Outdoor Clubs with
building a grow-out station, improving
the nature path with terraced steps, installing a footbridge over a creek, and
constructing birdhouses. Beforehand, the
boys worked for days at their Ijamsville
home to assemble the projects.
Bryce is currently a freshman at
Oakdale High School. Ryan is a junior at
Thomas Johnson.
To become Eagle Scouts, the brothers
need to coordinate and complete community service projects and obtain merit
badges before meeting with their Scout
leaders to assure entrance into the highest
rank attainable by a Scout.
Bryce worked on two different projects
at UMS — beautifying the nature trail
and installing a new bridge. He used cut
railroad ties for the steps on his standard
flat bridge. The ties placed on the banks
of the water will help prevent the foundation from eroding.
“It is much safer for students to go down
the nature trail now, and they will get to
see more things,” said Bryce. “Teachers
can bring the students out more, and they
won’t slip through into the mud.”
Ryan worked on the grow-out station
and constructed birdhouses.
The grow-out station is where students
keep their seedlings and plants until they
are mature and hearty enough to plant on
the school grounds.
The ecology club had been in touch
with the Environmental Protection
Agency, which encouraged members to
n
around town Continued on page 15
The Town Courier
May 2011 around TOWN
from page 14
Page 15
Join the Courier staff
writing neighborhood news stories happening in
Urbana, Ijamsville, Kemptown and Green Valley.
Please send resume to [email protected]
or call 301.606.8833 with your interest and for
more information.
Patsy Beckman
301.606.8833
[email protected]
Photo | Submitted
The Griebenow brothers of Ijamsville spent their spring beautifying the outdoors at Urbana Middle School in hopes of
becoming Eagle Scouts one day soon.
place pairs of blue birdhouses along the
edge of the school grounds and barn
owl houses along the edge of the forest.
The barn owls, in particular, are losing
many of their nesting areas as the city of
Urbana continues to grow.
The good works all fall under the
category for Eagle Leadership Service
Projects.
The boys’ mom, Trudy, is the media
specialist and webmaster at UMS. She
knew of the need for the upgrades at the
grow-out station, nature trail, and with
the birdhouses and told her sons that they
just might be able to step in to help.
“My brother and I went in to tour the
school and decided on the separate Eagle
Scout projects, and we chose what we
wanted to do based on what we saw,” said
Bryce about the decision to help out the
UMS Ecology Club.
UHS Orchestra Boosters’ Book
Sale
On May 7, Urbana High School’s
Orchestra Boosters will hold its annual
used book sale from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. in
the school’s auditorium lobby with new
book selections in this year’s inventory.
Attendees should also look for the special “Fill a Bag for $5” table.
Zion Cemetery Receives Spring
Cleaning
Terry Grimes, the co-founder and cochairperson of the Zion Preservation
Committee (ZPC), a local nonprofit group renovating the historical Zion
Church and Cemetery in Urbana, will
join co-chairperson Knight Kiplinger in
hosting a spring cleaning day at the Zion
Cemetery on May 7 from 11 a.m. until
2 p.m.
The public is invited, and the event is
free to attend.
Grimes and Kiplinger will demonstrate
basic gravestone cleaning techniques before asking all attendees to roll up their
sleeves and join in.
Memorial Day Walk in VOU
Villages of Urbana will be the site of a
5K/2K Fitness Run/Walk held on May
30 in honor of servicemen and women.
This Memorial Day race, sponsored by
the pool and recreation committee, begins at the VOU clubhouse.
The 5K starts at 8:15 a.m., and the 2K
follows at 9 a.m.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., and
the course will not be closed to traffic.
It is $5 for each participant to enter and
$10 maximum per family. Past and present servicemen and women run for free.
Adult escorts aiding children walkers
and runners are not required to pay a fee.
Cash donations will be accepted for
The Wounded Warrior Project.
VOU Yard Sale
Villages of Urbana residents will be
able to participate in a community yard
sale on May 21 from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Residents can set up items in front of
their homes or at the community center parking lot. (This is on a first-come,
first-serve basis.)
The rain date is May 22.
Got news?
Send your news and tips to
[email protected]
Page 16
The Town Courier
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May 2011
VIEWPOINT
Presidential Point of View
By Blaine Young
I
want to talk
about an issue
that is near and
dear to many folks
in the Urbana region, Centerville
Elementar y
School, and two issues of concern related to the school
— overcrowding By Blaine Young
and the students
who must walk to school.
Let’s first talk about the issues with the
students/children who walk to school.
This has been a problem I have heard
about since I became a county commissioner. This school and those around it,
within the Urbana community, were designed to be accessible by those who were
within walking distance. Unfortunately,
sometimes the way we hoped or think
things would work just don’t turn out
that way. Well, that is what has happened
here.
It is sad, but the days of expecting students/children, especially on the elementary level, to walk more than a couple blocks are over. In my opinion, the
world is just a different place and we have
different expectations; plus there are
some valid and serious traffic and safety
concerns.
With the Board of Education (BOE)
and Sheriff Chuck Jenkins working together, and with my support as the
BOCC liaison to the BOE, I am sure you
are aware that bus service is going to be
provided. A big thank you should be given to the sheriff for supporting this action, and the credit should be given to
the elected BOE for making the decision.
Now, to the overcrowding issue.
Everyone is aware that Centerville
Elementary is seriously overcrowded to
the tune of 140 plus percent. The redistricting plan, combined with the addition at Oakdale Elementary School being
built, will help with the overcrowding
issue.
As you may or may not know, the
Oakdale Elementary School addition has
been pushed back in the past. The design is complete, and the delay is due to
a funding issue. The proposed CIP (FY
2012 – FY 2017) has the construction of
Lincoln Elementary in FY 2012 and an
addition to Oakdale Elementary in FY
2013
I sharpened my pencil and, with the
support of my fellow commissioners,
took into account the additional state
reimbursement of school construction
money that was previously forward funded by the county, and added the recently
identified (by the BOE) surpluses from
seven different completed school project accounts. By making some additional minor funding adjustments, with
the support of my fellow commissioners, I have proposed to the elected BOE
that it is possible to move the Oakdale
Elementary addition up in the CIP to FY
2012.
I am pleased to report that the elected BOE, at its April 6 meeting, accepted and agreed with my recommendation. The Oakdale Elementary School
addition will add 240 new seats and will
reduce enrollment at Centerville by approximately 105 students.
As you can see, the new Board of
County Commissioners and the newly elected BOE have developed a good
working relationship while working
through the operational and CIP budgets
together.
Editor’s Note: Blaine R. Young, is president of the Frederick County Board of
Commissioners. He can be reached at byoung@
frederickcountymd.gov or 301.748.3218.
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The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 17
Photo | Cyndy Hammett
VOU hosted spring break tennis camps in April, offering a variety of drills and games for players from the ages of 4 through 12 to improve upon their technique. In June, summer tennis camps are set to begin.
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Page 18
The Town Courier
May 2011
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The Town Courier
May 2011 High Heels for Prom?
By Donald J. Novak, P.T., D.P.T
Y
oung women who plan to wear
high-heeled shoes to prom should
take some precautions to avoid future foot, knee and back trouble.
A study conducted by researchers at
Harvard University showed that both heel
width and height contribute to torque and
stress placed on the knees and back. A lower, wider heel puts less stress on the body
than a higher, thinner heel such as a stiletto.
A similar study at Iowa State University
found that the time spent in high-heeled
shoes as well as step size also contribute
to the stress placed on the feet, knees and
back. Prolonged wear of high-heeled shoes
can cause problems for several days.
Years of high-heel wear increase the likelihood of osteoarthritis in the knees as well
as joint degeneration, the study concluded.
Young high school women who are
sports-minded should also beware of the
short-term stress that wearing high-heels
could put on their muscles and joints,
which puts them at risk for injury on the
sports field.
Here are some tips for young women and
parents for wearing high heels to prom:
Shopping
Look for shoes with straps; they increase
the body’s stability.
Wear insoles, not only for cushioning,
but to spread out the pressure on the foot.
Make sure the shoes have leather lin-
ing to prevent the foot from slipping in the
shoe.
Stay away from pointed toes if you
choose high heels. As a rule, the higher the
heels should have a more squared toe.
Avoid a heel height of more than 2 inches.
Shop for a second pair of flat shoes for
dancing and walking distances.
Pre-Prom
Before donning that lovely outfit, do
some calf stretches and lower back stretches
During Prom
Take along your flats. Reserve the high
heels for “picture” time and entry into the
grand event.
Take smaller steps to avoid injury when
wearing heels.
Post-Prom
Repeat the pre-prom stretches.
Ice the sore area twice a day for 10 minutes and refrain from joint stressing activities for a few days.
If the pain continues for more than a day
or two, visit a physical therapist. They can
provide you with special exercises to stabilize your legs and back. Don’t “tough
it out,” because you may injure yourself
further.
Donald J. Novak, P.T., D.P.T., is the owner of Amber Hill Physical Therapy, with clinics
in Urbana, Frederick, Jefferson, Damascus and
Thurmont.
Page 19
Page 20
The Town Courier
VILL AG ES
www.villagesofurbana.net
OF
May 2011
U R B A N A
Reporter
May 2011
May Meeting Dates
Tues., May 3
Wed., May 4
Mon., May 9
Wed., May 11
Thurs., May 12
Sat., May 14
Tues., May 17
Sat., May 21
Mon., May 23
Tues., May 24
Mon., May 30
Design Review Committee Meeting, 7 p.m.
Pool & Recreation Committee Meeting, 7 p.m.
Grounds Committee Meeting, 6:45 p.m.
Covenants Committee Meeting, 7 p.m.
Physical Asset Committee Meeting, 7 p.m.
Spring Fling, 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Design Review Committee Meeting, 7 p.m.
Community Yard Sale, 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Finance Committee Meeting, 7 p.m.
Board of Directors Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
On-Site Management Office Closed in
Observation of Memorial Day
Please note — The Design Review Committee has resumed
meeting twice monthly on the first and third Tuesday. They
will continue to meet twice monthly through October 2011.
Meeting Policy – All meetings are open for attendance by homeowners. Meetings are held at the clubhouse unless otherwise noted.
Cancellations will be posted on the community website homepage at
www.villagesofurbana.net.
Mark Your Calendar for These
Upcoming VOU Social Events
Southern Frederick Rotary Club
May 19
7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Anthony Natelli Community Center
All residents are welcome to hear a presentation by a former US Deputy Secretary of Defense
Diving into the 2011 Pool Season
T
he VOU pool will begin its ninth operating season with the opening of the Harris Street pool on
Saturday, May 28, 2011! Five weeks later, VOU residents will celebrate the opening of the Shafers Mill Drive
pool on July 1, 2011. More information on the grand opening and schedule will be published in the June edition.
In early May, all residents will receive a letter in the mail
with the schedule of recreational activities and pool hours.
As you prepare to enjoy the summer, please note the following reminders:
• To enter the pool you must have a valid Photo ID
Pool Pass. Children under 1 year of age are not required to have a photo taken, but must have a valid
pool pass obtained at the HOA office.
• If you do not already have a pool pass from earlier years, please complete a Swimming Pool Pass
Application and stop by the on-site management office located on the second floor of the Community
Center during one of the Photo ID sessions. Adults
must show proof of residency such as a driver’s license, utility bill or settlement papers. There is a
one-time fee of $5 per person to cover the cost of
producing the pool passes. Please make checks payable to Villages of Urbana C.A. Cash will not be
•
•
•
•
•
accepted.
The Photo ID Pool Pass is valid for as long as you
are a VOU resident in good standing.
There is a $10 replacement fee for lost pool passes
for adults.
Because children’s appearances change as they mature, they may have their photo retaken and receive
an updated pass free of charge. When a child turns
17, he/she should get a front view photo pass if he/
she does not already have one.
Parents may authorize children ages 10 – 16 to attend the pool unaccompanied by indicating it on
the Pool Pass Application and obtaining a front
view photo. Children ages 10 – 13 must also pass a
swimming proficiency test administered by a lifeguard before they will be permitted to attend the
pool alone.
If any household information has changed
since 2010, please submit an updated Pool Pass
Application. This refers to any new address within VOU, new emergency contact information, or
changes to your family.
n
Yard Sale
May 21 (Rain date May 22)
8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Set up in front of your own home or at the Community
Center parking lot. Spaces are limited and on a first-come,
first-served basis. Please note: the Goodwill truck will not
be coming this year. Residents who set up in the lot must
take all their items with them – nothing may be left in the
lot after the event.
Memorial Day Honor Our Heroes 5K/2K
May 30
Have some fitness fun! A donation jar for the Wounded
Warrior Project, an organization that provides support to servicemen and women injured in combat, will be available.
Urbana Music Festival & Crafts Show
June 25
Noon to 6 p.m.
Urbana Library
This event is free and open to the public. Featured performances include Rhodes Tavern Troubadours (kid-friendly,
pop/rock, swing, country), Tommy Lepson Band (funk, blues
& rock), Freddie Long Band (pop/rock/soul, with full horn
section).
Sugarloaf Vineyards will be holding a wine tasting. We appreciate our sponsors, including Natelli Communities, Main
Street Homes, NV Homes, Parkwood Homes, Ryan Homes,
Sugarloaf Vineyards, The Urbana Town-Courier, and Franklin
Liquors.
pool season Continued on page 21
On-site office: 9023 Harris Street • Phone: 301.831.4810 or 301.874.0487 • Office hours: Mon. – Fri., 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Town Courier
May 2011 VOU
R E P ORT E R
New General Manager For The Villages
■ pool season
Page 21
from page 20
Pool Pass Photo Schedule
Pool passes will be created throughout the pool
season. Special pass hours include:
• All Tuesday and Thursday evenings in May
from 7 to 9 p.m..
• All Saturdays in May, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Pool Operating Hours
Weekends and Holidays
FCPS in Session
Main Season
10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Weekdays
FCPS in Session
Main Season
3 to 9 p.m.
10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Mailbox Post Straightening and Reconditioning
Instructions
T
here is a new face in town.
Aimee Winegar recently began her position as General
Manager of the Villages of Urbana
community, joining the current
site management team including Site Manager Laura Etchison,
Covenants
Administrator
Mozelle Campos Bondoc and
Administrative Assistant Krista
Knill. Winegar brings many years
of property management experience to her new position, including oversight of approximately 4000 homes in Montgomery
County’s Montgomery Village
community since 2002. In addition to her community management skills, she has worked as a technical writer, writing often complex instructional manuals.
Winegar has successfully completed extensive
Community Association Institute (CAI) course work
and has earned the designations of CMCA and PCAM.
With good weather coming, it’s time to take a look at
your mailbox post and box. If your box is leaning or in
need of maintenance, please check the “Resources” and
“Documents” section of the VOU website (www.villagesofurbana.net) for instructions on straightening and reconditioning posts and repairing boxes.
Summer Camps Begin June 20
Pool Management Company
We are pleased to announce that High Sierra Pools will
be returning to manage our Harris Street pool facility as
well as our new swimming pool facility located on Shafer
Mill Drive. Please help us in giving them a warm welcome
back!
Pilot Maintenance Inspection Program
Over the past nine years the VOU management team and
members of the Covenants Committee have conduced routine inspections of residences in the community to identify maintenance issues. While this practice will continue,
the board of directors recognizes that our community has
grown to the point where additional help may be required.
With the above in mind, the board of directors has elected to run a test program where an outside inspection company will inspect approximately 200 homes for maintenance issues. The results of the Pilot Inspection Program
will be turned over to the Associations management team
and the Covenants Committee for normal processing and,
also, for evaluation of the effectiveness of the program.
The pilot program is expected to begin sometime during the month of June. If you see several persons inspecting your property please do not be alarmed. The inspection process will be the same as the process used by
the Association’s management team or the Covenants
Committee. Additionally, the inspection team will not
enter private property for any reason. All inspections will
be done from the Association’s common property or from
county property within our community.
Finally, there is no need for the inspecting team to speak
with homeowners and, likewise, there is no need for you
to speak with them. The inspection team will not come to
your door. Should there be a need to communicate with
you regarding the results of the inspection then a member
of the Association’s management team will contact you in
writing.
She is also a regular contributor to the national CAI publication Quorum as well as serving as
the chair of the Quorum Editorial
Committee, contributing editor
to the national CAI publication
Common Ground and currently
serves on CAI’s task force for social media.
As the community has grown
over the years, the demands on the
site staff have increased and there is
now a need for additional staffing
on site not only to handle the daily routine work but to lay out and
oversee the long range fiscal and
physical plans for the Association’s
operation.
Winegar is replacing Susan Szajna who, as president
of Community Association Services, Inc., will continue to provide oversight of the overall operations of the
community. Please join us in welcoming Aimee to our
community.
It’s Springtime! Come Out & Play Tennis in
the VOU
Everyone is welcome to register for our tennis
program.
• Summer High-Performance Camp (10 a.m. 2 p.m.) is for players 9 and older. Players are
grouped by age and ability. See details above.
• Summer Juniors Activities Camp (9 a.m. –
3 p.m.) runs June 20 - Aug. 12 and is for children
ages 4 - 12.
Our summer camp is designed for fun. Daily activities
include indoor/outdoor games, indoor arts and crafts,
outdoor tennis and swimming. Camp awards, Friday
Pizza Party and t-shirt included. When the weather is
hot, campers have ample opportunity to cool down inside and at the pool.
For more information visit www.tennis-in-urbana.
com or call 240.389.4910. Courts are located at 9023
Harris Street in the Villages of Urbana.
Photo | Cyndy Hammett
VOU residents participate in this spring’s fitness run/walk.
On-site office: 9023 Harris Street • Phone: 301.831.4810 or 301.874.0487 • Office hours: Mon. – Fri., 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Page 22
The Town Courier
Horseback Riding, Swimming, Ziplines, Challenge Course,
Archery, Pony Games, Climbing Wall,
Giant Slip and Slide, Street/Field Sports, Crafts
Bussing from Urbana, Germantown and Gaithersburg
Year-Round Riding Lessons and Birthday Parties
(301) 874-2000 www.UrbanaRidingClub.com
2 miles from Rts. 270 and 80 interchange
May 2011
April 27 through May 15, 2011* and
June 18 through July 10, 2011*
*(Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and the Fourth of July, 2011)
10102 Fingerboard Rd. (Rt. 80)
Ijamsville, MD 21754
$12.00 Admission
301-865-9203
May 2011 The Town Courier
Page 23
Photo | Tracey McCabe
A soggy April afternoon moved Centerville Recreational Center’s annual egg hunt indoors; however, that didn’t deter Cianna Heckler from finding the hidden treats inside the colorful eggs hidden throughout the Center.
PB Dye Golf Club
The Grille@PB Dye
Mother’s Day Brunch
Sunday May 8th, 2011, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Join us on Sunday May 8th to celebrate
all MOMS with a fantastic brunch buffet
$29.00 plus tax and gratuity. Children 10 and Under only $12.
See website for details at www.pbdyegolf.com
Click on Mother’s Day Brunch for details
For reservations, please call 301-798-0073.
Also Happy Hour every Wed, Thurs and Fri.
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Drink and food specials with spectacular course view and complimentary sunsets
Page 24
The Town Courier
May 2011
Photo | Southern Frederick County Rotary
Voted Washingtonian Magazine March
2011 Best Floor Company in Area
For the second year in a row, the Southern Frederick County Rotary has provided dictionaries to all third grade students
at Centerville Elementary School. Bottom from left to right: Centerville Principal Stephen Raff and Centerville students
Nick Van, Justin Castro and Grace Sheirey. Standing in the back: John Pelicano, dictionary project chair, Southern Frederick County Rotary, and Centerville Vice-Principal Gina Keefer.
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lessons for adults and children
Summer Camps with early
registration discount
For more information, please call: 301.502.3569
www.paradisestables.com • [email protected]
The Town Courier
May 2011 Korean
Style
Training
Page 25
TAEKWONDO
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SUMMER CAMP
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Patsy Beckman
301.606.8833
[email protected]
301.252.3917
Page 26
The Town Courier
May 2011
Senior MOMENTS
County’s Resources Help Seniors
By Susan Hofstra
S
eniors
in
Frederick
County may
be a growing percentage of the
population
here,
but so are the services that help this
group of citizens
remain healthy, active and indepen- By Susan Hofstra
dent members of
the community.
The mission of the Frederick County
Department of Aging is to develop and administer programs that support Frederick
County older adults and provide, coordinate and advocate for services that promote
the dignity and enrichment of life for all
older adults, their families, and caregivers.
To help accomplish that effort, the department also publishes the following
guides: “Caregiver,” “Diabetes” and the
“Blue Book,” which is a community resource guide for older adults, their families,
and caregivers.
Information and Assistance (I&A)
To find out all that is available for seniors,
turn to the Information and Assistance, the
gateway for information about services and
benefits available to seniors, their families,
caregivers and professionals. In addition to
information, assistance and referrals, I&A
can help with applications for homeowner’s/renter’s tax credits, public benefits, and
energy assistance. Also offered to seniors
is Volunteers in Tax Assistance (VITA),
which assists eligible seniors in preparing
their tax returns.
Senior Health Insurance Program
(SHIP)
The Frederick County Senior Health
Insurance Program (SHIP) offers confidential, face-to-face counseling assistance
for those on Medicare. Trained staff members are available to help Medicare beneficiaries, family members and caregivers understand and apply for Medicare
benefits, assistance in filing Medicare appeals, and help with billing problems. The
Department also assists seniors during
the yearly Medicare D open enrollment
period.
Caregiver Support Program
The Caregiver Support Program provides support to caregivers who are caring
for someone older than age 60. This program is also for caregivers of a person with
Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder.
In addition, the program provides support
to grandparents and other relative caregiv-
ers over the age of 55 who are caring for a
child age 18 or under, and grandparents or
relative caregivers providing care for adult
children with a disability who are between
19 and 59 years of age.
Senior Centers and Nutrition Sites
The five senior centers, including the one
in Urbana, are community focal points offering educational programs, health and fitness activities, recreational and socialization
opportunities. The programs and activities
help individuals maintain wellness and independence. Frederick County offers lunch
at the Urbana senior centers on a daily basis. Meals are planned and prepared to meet
at least one third of the Recommended
Dietary Allowance for older adults and follows the dietary guidelines for Americans.
Guardianship Program
In lieu of a suitable familial guardian, the director of the Frederick County
Department of Aging, or her designee, may
be appointed as a public guardian for persons ages 65 and older who have been declared by the Circuit Court to be incapable
of making their own decisions. Guardians
may be required to determine appropriate
living arrangements, oversee the provision
of services or consent to medical treatment
for persons under their care.
Aging in Place Programs
The Senior Care Program provides inhome aide services to eligible individuals
65 years and older who require assistance
with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing and meal preparation. Inhome aides may also provide chore or
homemaker services, as well.
Meals on Wheels provides two meals
a day to eligible participants throughout
Frederick County. Participants must be
homebound due to illness or physical limitations; not able to prepare meals and have
no caregiver to assist with food shopping
and preparation; or cannot safely prepare
food due to physical, mental or emotional impairment. Home delivered meals are
available for homebound seniors, 60 years
or older who live within the service areas
of the senior centers. Seniors who are unable to attend senior center programs due
to health problems can benefit from home-
delivered meals as a way to remain in their
homes and communities and maintain their
nutritional health.
The goal of the Medicaid Waiver is to
enable adults to remain in a community setting even though their advanced age
or disability would warrant placement in
a long-term care facility. The waiver allows services that are typically covered by
Medicaid in a long-term care facility to be
provided to eligible persons in their own
homes or in assisted living facilities. For
eligible clients, the state will pay for covered services to enable them to stay in the
community.
Legal Services
The Department contracts with a local legal service provider to offer eligible
Frederick County citizens age 60 and older
with legal advice and representation when
necessary on matters such as housing and
landlord/tenant disputes, denials and termination of public benefits, consumer protection and family law. The legal services
provider can offer community education as
well as outreach to homebound individuals and to those in long-term care facilities.
The legal services provider can also make
referrals for power of attorney requests, advanced directives, wills and deed changes
Ombudsman/Resident Advocacy
The ombudsman is an advocate whose
goal is to promote the highest possible
quality of life and care for residents living
in long-term care facilities. The ombudsman ensures the understanding and implementation of residents’ rights through staff
and resident training; receives and attempts
to resolve complaints made by or on behalf of long-term residents; protects the
privacy and confidentiality of residents and
families; educates the community about
long-term care facilities; and advocates for
improvements in relevant legislation and
policy.
Contact Information
www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/DOA
301.600.1605
[email protected]
Editor’s Note: Susan Hofstra is coordinator
of the Urbana Senior Center, Frederick County
Department of Aging.
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The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 27
O’KEEFE’SJOURNAL
Media-Generated Erroneous Psychiatric Diagnoses Are Hurtful
By Karen O’Keefe
T
here are an estimated 6 million
Americans with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and
probably many more
who are undiagnosed
— and who today are
less likely than ever to
seek help for this very
treatable illness because of the stigma of
mental illness exacerbated by careless disBy Karen
O’Keefe
cussion and portrayal
in the media.
Recently, actor Charlie Sheen was interviewed about the status of his life today to
ABC’s TV show “20/20.”
While they were mostly scrambled and
meaningless, I will sum up Sheen’s remarks with one that seemed typical of all I
heard: “I am a high priest Vatican assassin
warlock.”
After hearing this remark and many
others on the same level, the interviewer
wanted to know whether Sheen thought
he might be “bipolar.” After all, she pointed out, it’s being said in the media.
I think that Sheen’s televised conversation had no news value, that it merely
fanned the flame of an out-of-control ego
(excuse me, an out-of-control high priest
Vatican assassin warlock) and — most importantly — that it served to reinforce the
entrenched stigma on mental illness and,
in this instance, especially the mood disorder called bipolar disorder, which can take
several forms and reach different levels of
severity.
I know because I have a bipolar disorder.
Since it takes an exhaustive psychiatric
assessment to diagnose, there is no evidence to say Sheen has the illness — but
the ratings-hungry ABC interviewer chose
to ask about it anyway.
Thank heavens for CNN’s Sanjay Gupta
who made a public statement soon after
saying, “Over the last couple of days, I have
found it interesting how many people have
watched the antics and interviews with
Charlie Sheen and immediately diagnosed
him either as being on drugs or in the middle of a manic episode. Could be — but
who knows, maybe it is all a big ruse?
“His erratic behavior is not in question,
but arriving at a diagnosis based on a TV
interview is impossible. In fact, my colleagues in the psychiatric community say
[a diagnosis] can be challenging even after
completing a full assessment.”
A long time ago, when one of my kids
was a very young teenager, he/she would
become angry with me for some parent-
ing decision and often give me a look that
made me fear my hair would fall out and
my eyebrows and lashes would burn off on
the spot. A lot of parents of teenagers can
relate to the look — but maybe not to the
next bit.
Sometimes this person would then say
in a contemptuous voice, “You are sooo
bipolar.”
It was devastating — not the child’s
anger — but the fact that my child had
latched onto some erroneous understanding of bipolar disorder that meant calling
me “bipolar” would hurt me.
And it did.
I try to live by the philosophy that “what
other people think of me is none of my
business,” but I am human. I think of my
bipolar disorder as a chemical imbalance,
being treated successfully, but still a vital
part of who I am.
I am nothing like Charlie Sheen.
The nonprofit Depression and Bipolar
Support Alliance describes bipolar disorder thus:
“Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) is a treatable illness marked by extreme
changes in mood, thought, energy and behavior. It is called bipolar disorder because a person’s mood can alternate between the “poles” of
mania (high, elevated mood) and depression
(low, depressed mood). These changes in mood
(“mood swings”) can last for hours, days, weeks
or even months. These highs and lows are frequently seasonal. Many people with bipolar disorder report feeling symptoms of depression more
often in the winter and symptoms of mania more
often in the spring.
Bipolar disorder affects nearly 6 million adult
Americans and an equal number of men and
women. It tends to run in families and is found
among all races, ethnic groups and social classes.
Like depression and other serious illnesses, bipolar disorder can also adversely affect spouses,
significant others, family members, friends and
coworkers. It usually begins in late adolescence
(often appearing as depression during the teen
years), although it can start in early childhood or
as late as the 40s and 50s.”
I know today that my mood disorder
started in my teens. I was finally diagnosed
in my middle 30s, not long after I began
the two-decade (to date) odyssey of my recovery from alcoholism.
Today I have a wonderful life, wonderful career, wonderful husband, wonderful family and the greatest rescued dog in
Montgomery County, Md. All my teenagers are grown up.
I encourage anyone who wonders
whether they might be suffering from a
mood disorder or any other mental, physical or spiritual malady to reach out.
Life can be so beautiful.
Serving the Urbana Area since 2005.
Page 28
The Town Courier
May 2011
Kaufman’sKITCHEN
By Sheilah Kaufman
Time to fire up the grill and start eating out.
Sage and Roquefort Pesto
This
pesto
is
great with grilled
pork chops or roasted pork, stirred in
black bean soup, polenta, white beans
or pasta, or added to
stuffing. It is superb
on burgers.
Taken
from
Cooking From the
Garden Best Recipes
from Kitchen Gardener,
Edited by Ruth Lively (Taunton Press).
1/3 cup fresh sage leaves
3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3/4 cup spinach
2 tablespoons toasted walnuts or
pecans
2 large cloves garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 2 ounces Roquefort or other
strong blue cheese
Blend the sage, parsley, spinach, nuts
and garlic in a food processor or blender until finely minced. Add the oil and
cheese and process until blended. It
makes about 2/3 cup.
Korean Fire Meat
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for rent
This popular dish has a marvelous
marinade that can also be used for beef
short ribs and is great with rice, noodles, coleslaw or kimchi. From Kansas
City Barbeque Society Cookbook (Andrews
McMeel Universal) by Ardie Davis,
Chef Paul Kirk and Carolyn Wells. This
tome was written to celebrate the 25th
anniversary of the world’s largest barbeque organization and shares its secrets
for good food, good company and good
times. It is full of more than 200 new
recipes that reflect gender, ethnic, and
geographic diversity.
2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup soy sauce, or to taste
1/2 cup cola or any carbonated soda
1 or 2 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, thinly sliced or
minced
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds,
optional
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 pounds thinly sliced sirloin steak (ask
your butcher to slice, or go to a Korean
market where it is already sliced.)
In a nonreactive pan, combine sugar,
soy, cola, scallions, onion, sesame oil,
sesame seeds, pepper and garlic. Simmer
gently over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add more sugar or soy
sauce to taste. Set aside to cool to room
temperature.
Separate the sirloin slices and place
them in a flat glass or plastic container;
cover the meat with marinade. Cover
and marinate overnight in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Since the meat is
thin, 2 hours is sufficient.
Prepare the grill for medium-hot
cooking. Grill the meat strips for about
5 minutes total, turning once. On rare
occasions when you don’t have access to
a grill, or you don’t feel like grilling, the
meat can be sautéed in a cast-iron skillet
or wok. It serves 4.
Lemon Basil Ice Cream
This velvet-textured ice cream leaves
a delightful perfume on the palate. The
method uses the traditional one of cooking the custard. By Susan Belsinger from
Cooking From the Garden Best Recipes
from Kitchen Gardener, edited by Ruth
Lively (Taunton Press).
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
12 (3- to 4-inch sprigs fresh lemon
basil)
3 egg yolks
Combine the whipping cream, milk,
sugar and basil in a heavy-bottomed,
nonreactive saucepan.
Bring the contents of the pan to a simmer and then remove from the heat.
Let the herbs steep in the liquid for 30
minutes.
Reheat the mixture over low heat.
Lightly whisk the eggs in a small bowl
and add about 1/4 cup of the warm
cream to the eggs and whisk; add another 1/4 cup and whisk again. Pour the
egg and cream mixture into the pan and
cook, stirring constantly until the custard lightly coats a metal spoon, about 5
minutes.
Strain the cream mixture into a bowl,
pressing on the leaves to release their flavor, and chill.
Discard the leaves. Freeze the custard
in an ice cream maker according to the
manufacturer’s directions.
It will make about 1 quart.
For more recipes, visit www.cookingwithsheilah.com.
Got news?
Send your news and tips to [email protected].
The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 29
OFF THE SHELF
The ABC’s of Reading
L
ibraries are “a very valuable
part of the early education
system of Frederick County,”
Commissioner David Gray asserted
in a recent public meeting. This is
no surprise to parents already familiar with the library’s materials
and programs for babies and young
children. Their kids are already
learning the six early literacy skills
By Erin Dingle
necessary for kindergarten readiness and beyond. But if you haven’t
discovered what the library has to
offer to your youngsters, let me give you a peek!
Looking for suggestions of books that will capture your
child’s attention? The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
is invaluable for parents and teachers of children from birth
through the teenage years. Trelease explains how reading aloud awakens children’s imaginations and improves
their language skills. He also gives tips about how to begin reading aloud and includes a treasury of booklists to
choose from.
Though nothing can replace hearing Mom’s voice or
cuddling with Dad while he reads, audiobooks are another
way to help children connect the words on the page with
the story. The library has easy books bagged with CDs
with page turn signals, so independent tykes can listen or
read along on their own.
FCPL.org also has an “iLibrary” with animated easy
books. Tumblebook Library is an online collection of talking picture books children can read or have read to them.
Created by adding animation, sound, music, and narration
to existing picture books, Tumblebooks are electronic picture books that teach kids the joy of reading in a format
they’ll love.
BookFLIX is another of FCPL.org’s online literacy programs for children. It pairs classic video storybooks with
nonfiction e-books. Some of the topics include “Earth
and Sky,” “People and Places” and “Music and Rhyme.”
BookFLIX builds a love of reading while reinforcing early
reading skills.
Hooked on Phonics kits, which can be requested at the
children’s reference desk, are another multi-faceted way
for kids to learn to read. These kits contain a workbook
and audio CDs to help teach letter sounds, plus a small
library of beginning reader books and a CD-Rom with
phonics games. Kits are leveled for kindergarten, first and
second grade readers.
The library also has high-quality videos once children
are old enough for TV time. For example, the award-winning children’s program “Reading Rainbow” recently
went off the air after running for over 25 years, but you
can find it on DVD at the library. Each episode centers on
a theme from a book that is explored through a number
of segments or stories. The show also provides book recommendations for kids to look for when they go to the
library.
And don’t forget that your best literacy resource is librarians themselves! Urbana Regional Library offers
50 literacy-based story time programs this month — all
are free. Some require registration so that sessions aren’t
overwhelmingly large for the children, but all are a great
chance to learn how to become a literacy coach for your
own child and a great way to meet other parents in our
community.
We hope to see you and your little one at the library
soon!
Editor’s Note: Erin Dingle is acting administrator at the
Urbana Regional Library. She can be reached at [email protected] or 301.600.7004.
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Page 30
The Town Courier
May 2011
MIKE AT THE MOVIES
“Rio” (PG) ****
What a breath
of fresh air! Anne
Hathaway
and
Jesse
Eisenberg
lead a talented
cast of voices in
a Brazilian romp
that, though an
animated feature,
makes you want to
go down there for
some samba. The
By Mike
animation cleans
Cuthbert
up the infamous
favelas of the city
and leaves the rest sparkling.
As effective as Hathaway and
Eisenberg are as the two blue Macaws
that have to be matched to save the species, Leslie Mann as Linda, the bookstore owner who saves Blu and raises
him to adulthood, walks off with the
picture. She is utterly bewitching as
the voice of a wonderful character.
Other notable work is done by Tracy
Morgan as a drooling bulldog whose
slobber provides a crucial plot point,
and Jemaine Clement of The Flight of
the Conchords that ran on cable a couple of year ago. He plays the part of
the villain, a sulphur-crested cockatoo
named Nigel who wants to capture Blu
and Jewel for Marcel, the smuggler.
The kids in the theater screamed
with laughter in all the right places and
their mothers were right with them —
a good test for any family f ilm.
And the music!! Sergio Mendes was
the supervisor and placed both classic
Brazilian tunes as well as new ones in
wonderful recordings that perfectly f it
the atmosphere.
The 3-D is never cheaply used and
thus never intrudes on a good story,
well told.
“Arthur” (PG-13) ***
This is a diff icult movie to review
because so much of how one feels about
it is determined by one’s feelings toward Russell Brand. He is the focus for
the entire movie, of course, and plays
a character similar to one he’s played
in almost all his movies: the substanceinf luenced playboy. It’s easy to dismiss that kind of character, but here,
as in other vehicles such as “Get Him
to the Greek” and “Forgetting Sarah
Marshall,” he is dissolute but still funny and charming.
In a surprising comparison with
the recent “Limitless,” the question is
how much do drugs and alcohol inf luence characteristic behavior? Is Arthur
charming and juvenile because he
drinks, or is that his essential nature?
The answer here is a bit confused.
Arthur is def initely not as much fun
sober but his life gets a lot better.
Helen Mirren, as the indomitable
and eternally loyal but irascible nanny, Hobson, is perfectly winning with
Brand. The two of them walk off with
the movie. The person who should
walk off with it is Greta Gerwig. That
she does not is caused by Brand and
Mirren’s chemistry and Gerwig’s peculiar lack of energy. She is cute, as she
has to be, in a blue-collar sort of way.
But she never makes us laugh on her
own. Her pairing with Arthur is something the script and situation calls for,
but we don’t see her want it to happen.
Nick Nolte, as the father of the
forced bride and perfect villainess,
Jennifer Garner (Susan) is revolting.
He seems to be attempting to channel
Mickey Rourke, and he is merely disgusting and wasted.
It is Brand’s and Mirren’s movie and
they make it worth watching. No,
Brand is not Dudley Moore and this is
not the ‘80s. It’s perhaps too bad that
the scriptwriters didn’t remember that
as there is a certain caution in the script
that it could do without. The times allow more risks now and more humor.
The wedding scene is very funny, as
is a bedroom chase where Susan’s metal
bustier does her no favors, and Brand
does a wonderful job of throwing away
very funny lines. But he needs more
energy from his true love to make this
fall-down funny. Chuckles will have
to suff ice.
“Soul Surfer” (PG) **
I am not sure why this movie went to
theaters rather than Lifetime or some
similar channel since it seems like a
TV production rather than a feature
f ilm. Maybe it’s the presence of a very
haggard and gaunt Helen Hunt and a
rapidly aging Dennis Quaid. The rest
plays pretty much as a very wet religious melodrama.
Carrie Underwood adds her name
but negative luster to her role as a religious adviser. She is not a natural actress, and her scenes are painful.
The rest of the movie can best be
qualif ied as a Rip Curl advertisement
and surfer movie with a twist: The
heroine loses her left arm to a shark
just as she’s headed toward professional level surf ing. The story, thus, is her
recovery and resumption of her surfing career. The problem with this as a
feature f ilm is that we have seen all the
parts before: surf ing, Hawaii, competition, inspiration, recovery, “courage”
(overused word here), momentary setbacks and “doing it for the kids.”
I suspect there are other parts of the
true story of Bethany Hamilton that
might have been developed to make
a richer f ilm, but that would have demanded some imagination and creativity. Both of those lose with the tearjerking simplicity of the f ilm we’re
given. That is not to say that there is
not courage here, or inspiration, or
some nice scenes: Bethany enticing a
little Thai boy to re-enter the sea to
play after the trauma of losing his family in the tsunami is well done, and
AnnaSophia Robb is more than adequate to play Hamilton.
A few more spikes of occasional anger
and frustration might have helped the
f ilm, but parents looking for a better
role model for young girls than Miley
Cyrus or Vanessa Hudgens or Selena
Gomez may f ind this a rewarding f ilm
at times. To see the actual Bethany,
hang in there for the f inal credits.
“Scream 4” (R) *
Fans of the series will enjoy this,
probably, because it speaks directly to
them throughout. Wes Craven wants
folks to remember the previous entries
in the series, so much of the dialogue is
about those movies and horror in general. Its self-reference gets both tedious
and more and more hypocritical with
each utterance.
The movie is confused, if not confusing: It pretends to be a satire for a
while, then lapses into straight horror, then back to satirizing with a bit
of preaching on the side. Do we really need an extended monologue about
today’s wastrel youth who see their
validity only in getting on YouTube
or embarrassing themselves and their
families in other ways?
The movie has all the logic of the
previous entries: Cops disappear so
that murders can be committed under
their noses; a PR agent doesn’t read her
client’s book; a woman being attacked
in an underground garage gets out of
her locked car so she can be skewered,
etc.
Courtney Cox may be high on her
husband’s (David Arquette) acting
performances of late, but surely she
couldn’t be thinking of his wooden,
dumb performance here.
Since this is a sequel on a series of sequels, we are supposed to give the script
leeway when it telegraphs its murders
by reference to what happened in other
entries in the series. Sorry. After the
second reminder, the joke falls f lat.
The language is unnecessarily rough,
the cleavages necessarily low, the blood
spurts and f lows and everybody is fair
game. Therefore, everybody in the cast
is a foil for the hypocrisy of a movie
that exploits violence and bloodshed
while pretending that it’s all just good
fun and that anybody who remembers
the old f ilms is a geek.
The ultimate hypocrisy is a
“Stabathon party,” based on all the other movies in the series where more people can get stabbed while high school
kids — the audience for the movies
— drink themselves silly and the cops
can’t even f ind the party. There will be
an audience for this, as for the previous entries and the arguments will go
on about how it compares with its predecessors. Comparisons aside, this f ilm
reeks on it’s own.
For more of Mike’s movie reviews, visit
www.towncourier.com.
May 2011 The Town Courier
Page 31
Frederick county
3409 A Urbana Pike
Frederick, MD 21704
MontgoMery county
451 Hungerford Drive, Suite 750
Rockville, MD 20850
www.campenlaw.com
Page 32
The Town Courier
May 2011
NORA’S CORNER
Family Album — My Mother
M
y first memory
of
Mother was
her singing “All the
Pretty Little Horses”
to me at bedtime.
We were upstairs
in our living quarters above HalfA-Hill T House,
By Nora H.
my parents’ restauCaplan
rant/nightclub near
Springfield, Mo. I
can remember a tune
like “Honeysuckle Rose” drifting up to us
from Mickey Marcel’s band down below.
The fact that I was born in a car because
my mother didn’t have enough time to get
to the hospital was characteristic of her.
I still can hear the sound of her car keys
jingling as she was either on her way to the
Sorosis Club
(My husband said the name sounded
like a disease.), of which she was a member, or just returning from a meeting of the
Business and Professional Women’s Club.
Her purse always smelled like peppermints inside because it usually contained a
party napkin I unwrapped that contained
samples of the refreshments that were
served at her meetings.
Mother was always a busy woman.
Even when she was resting, she was ei-
ther crocheting a pair of booties for a
church sale or piecing quilt blocks or darning our socks. I was convinced that she
could make anything.
If I needed a costume or a new formal
gown by the next day, she would create
it. She could cook anything except lamb
(which our family detested). Her fried
chicken and homemade biscuits were well
known throughout southwestern Missouri.
Tom Mix, the then-famous movie cowboy, was once driven in a RollsRoyce limousine from Tulsa, Okla., to
get one of Mother’s fried chicken dinners.
Unfortunately, she had gone to town with
the cook. But my father knew the recipe
and carried on in true Half-A-Hill style.
Mother was ready to go on an adventure
or to see a movie or to visit a relative at a
moment’s notice.
My father and she had very different
temperaments. He was cautious, wary of
the new and different. She was quick-tempered; he appeared calm, but he was anxious inside. Mother was impulsive and courageous; he was fearful of taking a chance.
My mother was a stout, usually whalebone-corseted little woman, about 1 foot
shorter than my father, who called her either Mother or Maudie when she was angry with him.
She had eyes as blue as bluebells. Her fingers were short and stubby — her palms,
Worship
Directory
calloused.
For Mother’s Day one year, my brother
gave her a copy of a Longfellow poem he
had written in calligraphy.
Mother framed it, and hung it on her
bedroom wall. I remember memorizing
it as I snuggled in my parents’ handmade
walnut four poster bed on cold winter
mornings:
Beautiful hands are those that do work that is
earnest, brave, and true, moment by moment the
long day through.
Those were my mother’s hands. They
represented the hard work she had done all
her life and the good work she had done
for others.
But she was dissatisfied all her life, I
think, because of the yearning she had to
be better educated and to be around others
from whom she could learn.
Therefore, she wanted the best for me,
the child of her middle age. I had piano and
cello lessons, recitation and dance classes,
both ballet and tap.
When I was just a baby, she entered me
on the waiting list for Greenwood, the
lab school of what became Missouri State
University.
She took me to any cultural event that
came to Springfield — the San Carlo
Opera Company, the Ballet Russe de
Monte Carlo, famous musicians’ concerts,
and movies of the classics — like “Romeo
and Juliet” and “David Copperfield.”
Mother had only completed sixth grade
because she was needed at home, as were
so many farm or small town, low-income
families in her era (the late 1880s). But she
came from fine old Quaker stock. Her ancestors had emigrated from England in
the early 1600s and one, John Bowne, had
even hosted George Fox when he visited
America.
I was rarely punished. But one day to escape a spanking, I ran into the dance hall
with Mother chasing after me.
Finally when she was out of breath, she
began laughing. I assumed that all was
well, but she caught up to me and gave me
n
nora’s corner Continued on page 33
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The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 33
REader’sCHOICE
“The Paris Wife”
Written by Paula McLain
I
’m
downright
dizzy from the
hours I’ve just
spent with young
Ernest Hemingway
and his appealing
wife, Hadley, in the
apartments and cafés of the Left Bank
of Paris in the 1920s.
It’s
exhilarating!
By Betty
One day we’re lisHafner
tening to Gertrude
Stein tell Ernest to
stick to strong, declarative sentences
and another day we’re watching Ernest
and Ezra Pound sharing barbs over
glasses of absinthe.
Of course, that’s exactly why I picked
up Paula McLain’s novel “The Paris
Wife” (2011) — to transport myself to
the City of Light during the Jazz Age
when the most creative young minds
were drawn into that melting pot of
ideas and innovations. McLain says,
“Interesting people were everywhere
just then. The cafes of Montparnasse
breathed them in and out, French painters and Russian dancers and American
writers.”
Hadley Richardson was the first of
Hemingway’s four wives and perhaps
his least known since she was with him
from 1921 to 1926, before his fame.
McLain chose to use Hadley’s voice for
her novel after reading “A Moveable
Feast,” Hemingway’s account of those
years where he admitted, “I wished I
had died before I ever loved anyone but
her.” Through Hemingway’s works and
the volume of correspondence between
the young couple, McLain discovered a
young man quite unlike the outspoken,
cocky man that most of us are familiar
with.
Ernest was just 21 when he met the
unmarried 28-year-old St. Louis native
in Chicago. At that point he was not
a published author but was a strikingly handsome young man with ideas and
talent that were being noticed. The two
had a brief, long-distance courtship and
married in 1921. Hadley was eager to
experience a bigger life and enthusiastically sailed to Paris with him that
December to start their life together.
In McLain’s capable hands, we see the
struggling young writer as a kind, even
tender husband who values the warm,
playful Hadley. They have little money
but an exciting life surrounded by people who take them under their wings.
Hadley is aware that she is less stylish,
less accomplished than other women in
their group, but she understands that
he needs someone like her with strong
values to anchor his energy, drive and
talent.
Although Ernest is angry when
Hadley becomes pregnant, the birth
of their son, Bumby, seems to cement
their relationship, and the threesome alternate time in Paris and Austria. Yet
as Ernest’s work gets attention, the accompanying whirlwind of parties and
Cote d’Azur vacations with the likes of
Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, eventually
unravel the marriage.
The seductive setting of “The Paris
Wife” is only a part of its appeal. The
writing of Paula McLain is so beautiful
and smart that she will have you eagerly follow this couple through the good
times and bad.
■ nora’s
few moments. “Well, we’ll get Uncle Jim
(our hired man) to look for it.”
Uncle Jim never found the jewelry, even
after draining the pond. By then my mother had either forgotten about it, or she was
resigned to the loss.
I think she never punished me because
she was pleased with my imagination and
besides, who could reject Robert Louis
Stevenson?
My mother was the epitome of pioneer
women who crossed the Great Plains,
tended the sick and wounded, birthed babies, cooked beans over an iron kettle, and
helped push the wagons up steep slopes on
the way to California.
She even helped build Half-A-Hill.
Her generation lived through enormous
changes — two world wars and a Great
Depression, from a horse and buggy era to
the space age.
Mother flourished throughout these
times because of her zest for life and her
adventurous spirit.
Our family will never forget her.
from page 32
corner
a spanking, anyway.
I felt deceived and betrayed, but I
couldn’t stay angry with her for more than
a few hours. I loved her so much.
Another time when Mother had gone
to one of her meetings in town, I was left
alone to amuse myself. I decided to reenact “Treasure Island.” I sneaked into my
parents’ bedroom, grabbed a handful of
Mother’s costume jewelry, ran into my
room and took down my toy sailboat.
In preparation for the voyage, I crossed
the highway in front of our restaurant.
Then I climbed up the hill to our goldfish
pond and set sail the Jolly Roger with the
loot on its deck. Inevitably, a little breeze
made it capsize. All the jewelry slid off and
sank to the bottom of the pond.
I dreaded having to tell what had happened when Mother came home. “You
took my pearl lavalier?” she said in tones
that were ominous. There was silence for a
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Page 34
The Town Courier
May 2011
OUT & ABOUT
G
o Out and About this busy month of May
as we celebrate our mothers and flowers in bloom, while supporting Urbana
High School’s Safe and Sane Graduation Party.
Urbana Library Farmers’ Market
This popular market opens this year on
May 8, just in time for Mother’s Day, and runs
every Sunday of the month through October at
Urbana Regional Library from 12 until 3 p.m.
For more information or to become a vendor, contact Beth Johnson, market master, at
301.712.4137.
Casino Night at Whiskey Creek
Urbana High School’s Safe and Sane
Committee has planned a Casino Night at
Whiskey Creek Golf Club on May 6 from 7
until 11 p.m., benefitting this year’s Safe and
Sane Graduation Party.
Entertainment will be provided by Always
Fun Casinos.
The cost is $75 per person. To purchase tickets, visit: www.urbanasafeandsane.com.
Bark in the Park
Enjoy an afternoon with your furry, fourlegged friend as your pouch runs free in one of
the off-leash areas at Bark in the Park on May 7.
The event allows dogs to test and sharpen
skills on an agility course. Contests will be held,
and exhibit booths will be on hand.
Dog owners must bring a collar, leash and
proof of rabies vaccination upon entry.
All the fun begins at 10 a.m. at Utica District
Park in Frederick.
Compiled by Patsy Beckman
Caribbean Wine Festival
Artisans and two live bands will play steel
and calypso music while guided winery tours
are taking place at Berrywine PlantationsLinganore Wine Cellars in Mount Airy on
May 28 and 29.
For more information and start times,
visit: www.linganorewines.com or call:
301.831.5889.
Annual Greek Festival
Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox
Church in Frederick will hosts its annual Greek
Festival May 12 – 15.
There will be live music, a kids’ corner and
various Greek vendors. The festivities begin
each day at 11 a.m. and end at 8 p.m.
Mount Airy Mayfest
An old fashioned street fair on Mount Airy’s
historic Main Street takes place on May 14 from
9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and May 15 from 10 a.m.
until 5 p.m.
There will be arts and crafts, entertainment
and many more activities.
Spring Fling
Villages of Urbana will hold its Spring Fling
on May 14 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Reptiles Alive will be on hand to present
a live animal show for the entire family. Live
music will be provided by the band Whatever.
There will be plenty of games and food vendors.
Admission is free.
For more information, e-mail: vousocial@
villagesofurbana.net.
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The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 35
UrbanaSports
Opening Day Tradition Continues at Urbana Park
By Patsy Beckman
W
ith a crowd nearing 1,000 comprised of baseball enthusiasts,
proud parents, and community
supporters, the Urbana Jr. Hawks’ Baseball
and Softball league opened its 2011 season
at Urbana Park.
Urbana resident Cole Kuhar is playing in
his first year as a member of the Jr. Hawks’
U-6 division. He plays in the outfield for
the Muckdogs and is coached by his dad,
assistant Jon Kuhar. “I’m really excited to
play,” Kuhar said.
This year’s Barb and Roy Taylor
Community Service Award, given annually to a community member making a positive impact on area youth, was presented
to Jr. Hawks’ treasurer and Coach Michael
Hayden of Urbana Highlands.
“This is what the league is all about,”
said Hayden as he looked out at the charged
up parents and players on opening day. “It’s
getting the community together. It is a celebration for the kids.”
Hayden said the award was totally unexpected. He had tried to get the name of
the winner from other Hawks’ coaches in
prior weeks; however, his efforts proved
unsuccessful.
The Taylors have been a part of the
Urbana community for more than four
decades.
Roy Taylor was pleased to see so many
community members turn out for the
mornings’ kick-off festivities. “I’m glad
people came out, because there was a lot
of effort put forth by coaches to maintain
these fields and get everything together.
We have a lot of people doing actual things
that matter.”
He recalled opening day in 1956 at
Araby Field. Although Urbana Park is now
the latest site of the event, the two fields at
Araby are really the cornerstones for league
play.
Also on Taylor’s mind is the lack of fields
in the Urbana community. He is hoping,
Photo | Patsy Beckman
Urbana residents and Muckdogs’ players Cole Kuhar (standing, front) and Carter Mason respectfully take off their caps as
the National Anthem is sung on opening day of Urbana Jr. Hawks’ Baseball and Softball.
with a new Frederick County superintendent and school board, that overcrowding
can be remedied.
“There are so many more families
moving here, and we just keep build-
Photo | Patsy Beckman
Christian Downey of Urbana donated a used bat to the Urbana Jr. Hawks’ Baseball and Softball league’s fundraiser benefiting “Haiti Street” — a private foundation that provides sports equipment to Haitian children.
ing portables. Our schools are not able to
keep up,” Taylor said, while applauding
Ijamsville resident Tim Mellott for his role
in the Southern Frederick County Youth
Athletic Facilities (SFCYAF) organization
to ensure adequate sports facilities for area
youth.
Taylor’s daughter Jennifer East brought
her son, Taylor’s grandson, to opening
day; Taylor has two other grandchildren
playing in the league. “I remember coming out when I was little, and, yes, we are
very pleased with everything. Excited,
but tired,” she commented about the early
8 a.m. start.
NaVorro Bowman, a former standout player at Suitland High School in
Forestville, Md., and current linebacker
for the San Francisco 49ers, was this year’s
celebrity guest.
The festivities brought out Urbana
High School athletes and coaches Frank
Husson of the girls’ softball team and Mike
Frownfelter of the boys’ baseball team.
“This really gets the community together,” Taylor said.
The league held a used equipment drive
to benefit Haiti Street, a private foundation that enriches Haitian children’s lives
by providing community recreational centers there with sports equipment and many
other services. All donations collected
are on their way to Haiti on behalf of the
Urbana Jr. Hawks.
Early on in the celebration, a truck with
its bed already filled to the brim with
used equipment donated by Hawks’ players and their families sat across from donation bins. Fundraiser organizer Jen Albers
praised those who gave such generous
contributions.
“It’s been a huge success. We’ve gotten
cleats, gloves and bats,” Albers said.
A collection box for functioning sports
equipment will also be located at Araby
Field inside the concession stand throughout the season for further donations.
“It is really amazing what Jen Albers has
done,” said Hayden. “She put it all together
today.
To learn more about Haiti Street visit
www.haitistreet.org, e-mail jenalbers@
comcast.net, or call 301.704.3781.
Photo | Patsy Beckman
The Barb and Roy Taylor Community Service Award went to Urbana Jr. Hawks’ Treasurer and Coach Michael Hayden of
Urbana Highlands. Taylor (right) was on hand at opening day ceremonies to present the award to Hayden.
Page 36
The Town Courier
May 2011
UHS Reflects on Championship Year
Academics, Athletics Go
Hand-in-Hand
By Patsy Beckman
U
rbana High School (UHS) has
gotten the reputation as a school
of champions after a 2010-2011
athletic season that has resulted in state
football, swim team and golf titles.
Even the hockey team, which struggled for years, came within one win of
capturing the school’s fourth state title of the year with its Capital Cup appearance and narrow loss to Churchill.
It doesn’t matter if fall, winter or
spring sports are in session, Urbana’s
name is sure to be seen at the top of
newspaper standings and engraved into
trophies and plaques displayed at banquets and in school athletic cases.
UHS purposely schedules very diff icult private and public school competition from all over Maryland and surrounding states.
“We believe this is only going to
make us stronger come playoff time,”
said Athletic Director Kevin Kendro.
The tactic seems to be working —
especially in the past eight months.
At press time, the girls’ softball team
is undefeated. The girls’ and boys’ lacrosse teams are undefeated in league
play.
This has everybody wondering
which spring sport will bring home an-
Photo | Patsy Beckman
Senior right fielder Emily Downs plays on the undefeated girls’ softball team where players and coaches are eyeing
another UHS state championship title.
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other state title.
Each UHS athlete is asked to set attainable goals.
Going into each and every start of
a sports season, athletes are told that
a state championship is always a possibility and the goals of being the top
academic, hardest working, most disciplined and prepared teams in the state
are always set and counted on to be
achieved.
Senior Emily Downs is a right f ielder on the school’s undefeated softball
team. Downs’ team sets goals for each
step or match of the season. Then players are asked to set their own individual goal, whether it is to throw a no-hitter or make a nice catch in the outf ield.
Despite starting out in athletics at a
young age, Downs doesn’t feel her fellow classmates suffer from any athletic
burnout.
“We start young here in Urbana,”
Downs said. “We do a lot of practicing and play in travel programs. There
is a lot of community support for
athletics.”
Jon Walton is the UHS guidance
counselor department chairperson and
also the school’s tennis coach. Walton
is enjoying watching the success of
UHS sports teams this year.
“Success breeds success, and our athletes know that they have a tradition
to uphold and spend signif icant time
in the offseason honing their craft,”
Walton said.
n
championship Continued on page 38
The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 37
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Page 38
The Town Courier
■ championship
Photo | Cyndy Hammett
The VOU 8K, 5K, 3K Fitness Run/Walk commences in the community. Ten-year-old Nathan Davis (bib No. 333) won the 8K
race in 34:24.
VOU Holds ‘Spring into
Spring’ Fitness Run/Walk
Compiled by Nicole Davis
Results:
8K 1st Male Overall
8K 1st Female Overall
5K 1st Male Overall
5K 1st Female Overall
5K 1st Youth Male
5K 1st Junior Male
5K 1st Junior Female
5K 1st Junior Under 8 Male
5K 1st Junior Under 8 Female
3K 1st Youth Female
3K 1st Junior Male
3K 1st Junior Female
3K 1st Junior Under 8 Female
Nathan Davis
Kristen Hostler
Alec Coleman
Ashlin Davis
Ian Davis
Joel Monsale
Alyssa Monsale
Patrick Becker
Lucy Horn
Anna Stamato
Ethan Masterman
Faith Elliot
Gracie Hostler
34:24
42:08
23:00
27:31
27:31
44:04
45:40
44:23
44:21
18:07
18:29
23:17
18:10
from page 36
UHS off icials cite ample access to
public playing f ields and workout
equipment and disciplined
UHS students and parents who
scout out teams to play with during
the off-season outside of the building
for students’ athletic superiority.
A year ago, Downs and her teammates won their second straight 4A
regional title but were unable to capture a state title.
“Yes, I do feel added pressure to
succeed because I go to Urbana,” she
said of UHS’ stellar sports reputation
and the ferocity that opponents exude when they face the Hawks.
Walton’s studies also show that
there is a direct correlation between
academic and athletic success.
According to Kendo, student athletes are taught three very important priorities when embarking on
their years as a Hawk. Family always
comes f irst; academics will help you
get further in life than all else; and
you will excel at athletics if you put
your family, both personal and team,
above all.
The size of the school affords it the
opportunity to recruit athletes with
much promise for the coaches who
do a good job of identifying talent
early and then developing it at the
junior varsity level.
May 2011
These coaches are encouraged to
teach the fundamentals of the sport
along with motivating techniques so
athletes succeed to their fullest potentials in their sports and in their
classrooms.
“I would give some of the credit to the truly outstanding coaches that we’ve recruited both inside
and outside the building,” Walton
said. “There is a very clear message
delivered regarding personal conduct, academic achievement, and
how you should represent UHS as a
student athlete. The message is uniformly enforced by our coaches and
backed up by our administrative and
teaching staffs.”
Walton also credits area parents for
reinforcing the Hawks’ athletic philosophy in their own homes and providing positive praise and needed redirection when warranted.
“The athlete’s motivation is the
single greatest determinant of success,” said Walton. “We are lucky to
have a lot of very driven young men
and women who apply that determination to their athletic and academic
endeavors.”
Athletes are continually reminded
to make sure they are putting their
best foot forward in the classroom.
“Your attitude in the classroom is
usually a ref lection of your attitude
on the f ield, court, track or pool,”
Kendro said.
The Town Courier
May 2011 Page 39
Photo | Submitted
Members of the UMS boys’ varsity basketball team celebrate their season’s Mid-Maryland League championship title.
UMS Wins Championship Title
By Patsy Beckman
W
ho says the high school Hawks are
the only athletes in town bringing home championship titles?
In a thrilling matchup, the Urbana
Middle School (UMS) boys’ varsity basketball team defeated the Monocacy
Middle School Mustangs 45-42 to capture
the Mid-Maryland League’s championship
basketball title.
“It was a very rewarding season and thoroughly enjoyable,” said Head Coach Mike
Kiefer. “The kids really did a lot of maturing as young men and as athletes during
the course of the season. They have known
each other and played with or against each
other for years, so it feels right that they get
to leave middle school and move onto high
school as champions.”
Jonathan Woodard led Urbana with a
gutsy season-high 24-point effort, and his
success in defending Monocacy’s talented
Travis Barbe was key in the Hawks’ win.
UMS had to get past Crestwood and
Middletown middle schools in the playoffs
before facing Monocacy for a third time.
The team ultimately finished the regular
season at 7-3.
Kiefer said team members weren’t always
perfect on the court; however, they never
quit working to get better.
Early on in the season, UMS suffered
a big loss to the Mustangs. Players regrouped, accepting their roles within the
framework of the team. They went on to
to knock Monocacy out of the undefeated
ranks when they faced the team a second
time in the regular season.
Kiefer praised Assistant Coach Joe Parisi
for all of his years working with members
of this basketball group.
“Coach Parisi and I really enjoyed coaching such a great group of kids. He has been
working with them through youth basketball since they were young, so to have
him coaching alongside of me made it even
more enjoyable,” said Kiefer.
Team members include: Christian
Dimarzio, Sam Giuliani, Connor and
Logan Haggerty, Chris Panichas, Garrett
McDaniel, Greg Gardner, Jared Weiss,
Cody Wilcox, Connor Wills, Jonathan
Woodard, Jo Jo Parisi and Tony Dumas.
UHS Announces 2011
Football Schedule
The 4A State Champion Urbana Hawks will try to defend their 2010 crown once
the season kicks off this fall.
The school’s athletic department has announced the team’s 2011 opponents:
Friday, Sept. 2: I-95 Classic vs. Westlake at Towson University, 4:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 9: Westminster High School, Home, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 16: Century High School, Home, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 23: Walkersville High School, Away, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 30: Governor Thomas Johnson High School, Away, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 6: Middletown High School, Home, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 14: Oakdale High School, Away, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 20: Frederick High School, Home, 7 p.m. (Homecoming)
Friday, Oct. 28: Tuscarora High School, Away, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 5: Linganore High School, Away, 2 p.m.
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Page 40
The Town Courier
May 2011