Bethesdagaz 112713 by The Gazette

JINGLE BELL CLOCKED

Adventure Theatre-MTC recounts classic Christmas tune. A-11

The Gazette BETHESDA | CHEVY CHASE | KENSINGTON

DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

25 cents

Planning board recommends a tunnel for Capital Crescent Trail C O U N T Y

T R U A N C Y

COURT-STYLE PREVENTION PROGRAM LOOKS BEYOND ATTENDANCE n

BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER

DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

University of Baltimore School of Law student Andrea Bento (left) and assistant state’s attorney George Simms (right) listen to a student during Truancy Court at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School in Silver Spring.

students

seats

GETTING BACK IN

LINDSAY A. POWERS AND ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH

STAFF WRITERS

ontgomery County students who repeatedly miss class are getting guidance from unlikely allies: local prosecutors and judges. In a program that spread to the county from Baltimore in 2010, Montgomery County prosecutors and a local judge meet with students facing a range of attendance issues, from persistent lateness to chronic absence. According to a report by Montgomery County’s Ofﬁce of Legislative Oversight, “habitual truancy” is deﬁned as missing 18 days in a semester or 36 days of school in a school year. About 984 county public school students were habitually truant in 2009, including about 627 in high school, the report

HABITUAL TRUANCY

Montgomery County Public Schools’ habitual truancy rate has increased slightly in recent years as Maryland’s rate has decreased. “Habitual truancy” is deﬁned as missing 18 days in a semester or 36 days of school in a school year, according to a report by Montgomery County’s Ofﬁce of Legislative Oversight.

2.5 2.0

STATE

2.32%

1.93%

2.25%

1.89%

1.80%

1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0

2008-09

Constructing the underground section of the Capital Crescent Trail in downtown Bethesda in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act would cost the county about $40 million, county planners said at a Thursday planning board meeting. A less costly option would be to allow the tunnel to have a steeper grade than is permitted under the ADA, but install an elevator to meet requirements. That option would cost about $15 million, said David Anspacher, senior planner, at the Bethesda Purple Line Minor Master Plan Amendment session. The second option also would require closing a private parking lot on Elm Street, which would have to be done through negotiations between the county and the property owner. Anspacher said the trail is “intended to be one of the best trails in the country.” The planning staff recommended the Planning Board put the second, less expensive option into the Bethesda Purple Line Station Minor Master Plan amendment, but in the end the board decided to recommend that the plan include an option for the trail to go through the tunnel, beneath the Apex building at 7272 Wisconsin Ave., that is ADA compliant. Planners want to tear down the Apex building, which also houses the Bethesda Regal 10 movie theater, to build the “optimal” Bethesda station. Doing so would allow access to both the Purple Line and Metro’s Red Line, according to county documents. The Purple Line is a planned 16-mile $2.2 billion light rail that will link Bethesda and New Carrollton. Planning Board Member Norman Dreyfuss

See TRAIL, Page A-9

MONTGOMERY

0.72%

County must keep its promise on Purple Line, member says

0.63%

0.40% 2009-10

2010-11

1.13%

1.08%

2011-12

2012-13

Getting to give

SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

says. The same year, more than 8,600 students were chronically absent, missing 20 or more days of school.

Montgomery County ranks in the middle of the pack among Maryland counties’ habitual truancy rates.

The Truancy Court Program is in ﬁve Montgomery County

See TRUANCY, Page A-10

Group: Don’t build new White Flint school in park n

Plan would limit park to after-school hours BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER

The Garrett Park Estates/White Flint Park Citizens’ Association unanimously rejected the county school board’s proposal to build a school in their neighborhood park, which would render it unavailable to locals during

NEWS

ACCESS FOR ALL County program aims to drastically increase amount of public information available.

A-4

school hours. About 35 people showed up to express their distaste for the idea, which is called “colocating,” at a Nov. 20 meeting at Garrett Park Elementary School. There are 45 co-located schools and parks in the county. “You’re not looking to co-locate the park, you’re looking to take the park,” said Terry McCoy to Bruce Crispell, director of the school system’s Division of Long-range Planning, and Nkosi Yearwood of the planning department, echoing a frustration many in the audience ex-

pressed. The school had been slated to be built as part of the White Flint Mall redevelopment and is included in the White Flint Sector Plan. It was to be built on the south side of the White Flint Mall property, currently a parking lot. But last year, the developer of the mall, Lerner Enterprises, reduced the size of the school site to 3.6 acres. The site was shrunken to accommodate a

SPORTS

A PATH WITH MANY DETOURS

Magruder High School grad recovers from serious blood clot, pursues dream of playing professional soccer.

B-1

See PARK, Page A-9

Automotive Business Calendar Classiﬁed Entertainment Opinion School News Sports Please

RECYCLE

DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

From left, kindergartners Camryn Fiorentino, Piper Lyons and Henry Wheaton-Schopp at Bethesda Country Day School pick out food items to be donated to needy families for Thanksgiving. The food went to the Bethesda Chevy-Chase YMCA.

B-13 B-5 A-2 B-9 A-11 A-8 A-6 B-1

Check out our Services Directory ADVERTISING INSIDE B SECTION

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THE GAZETTE

Page A-2

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

PEOPLE& PLACES More online at www.gazette.net

AGNES BLUM

Cancer group honors Potomac woman Deanna Siegfried of Potomac was awarded the 2013 Spirit of Hope Award from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation during the opening ceremony of the nonproﬁt’s Race for Research: Washington, D.C. 5K Walk/Run on Nov. 16 at National Harbor in Oxon Hill. Siegfried was honored for her dedication to fundraising and her work to raise awareness of multiple myeloma. The foundation is a charity she embraced after her mother was diagnosed with the incurable blood cancer. “Nothing is harder than having someone you love diagnosed with a disease, especially one that is incurable,” she said in a statement. “There is a roller coaster of emotions, test results that give you hope and those that don’t when a treatment stops working or the disease becomes resilient. My family is all too familiar and this is a roller coaster that no one should have to ride.” Siegfried led a large walk team, the Myeloma Mashers, in the event. Nearly 1,400 people walked, raising almost $300,000 for multiple myeloma research. The foundation “is an organization that is unprecedented in its ability and proven success in bringing together a vast network of physicians, patients, and researchers to achieve some common goals — to pursue innovative means that accelerate the development of next-generation multiple myeloma treatments, to extend the lives of patients, and to ultimately ﬁnd a cure,” Dr. Dipti Patel-Donnelly of Virginia Cancer Specialists, honorary chairwoman of the event, said in a news release. “With the help of supporters and world class partners, the [foundation] has built one of the strongest and most impressive cancer communities in the country.” For more information, visit

GALLERY

Northwest’s E.J. Lee battles for tough yards against the Quince Orchard defense Friday in the 4A region final. For more, go to clicked.gazette.net. SPORTS Check online this weekend for coverage of the state semifinal football games. A&E Creation of Hanukkah Forever stamp explored.

For more on your community, visit www.gazette.net

KELVIN CHEN

www.themmrf.org.

Bethesda video producer wins award Sue Stolov of Washington Independent Productions in Bethesda took home a Peer award on behalf of the Army Warrior Transition Command on Nov. 16 at the National Press Club. Stolov was honored for the promotional video, “Hire a Veteran: Obstacles & Solutions.” Winning the award is like winning a local Oscar, said Stolov, a non-broadcast video producer. The 2013 awards ceremony, hosted by the Television, Internet & Video Association DC recognizes Washington-area non-broadcast video and ﬁlm production talent. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to send a video link to 500,000 small-business owners and employers nationwide. Stolov’s company was hired by the Warrior Transition Command to produce a video to ease some of the concerns that can stop em-

EVENTS Thanksgiving Eve Concert, 7:30-9 p.m., Faithful and True Christian Center, 4040 Blackburn Lane, Burtonsville. Free. www.fatcc.org.

FRIDAY, NOV. 29 Garden of Lights Winter Walkthrough Holiday Light Display and Railway Train Exhibit, 5:30-10 p.m.,

Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, lasts through Jan. 5. $25/car Friday-Sunday, $20/car Monday-Thursday. 301-962-1453.

SATURDAY, NOV. 30 Small Business Saturday, 10 a.m., Heyser Farms and Great Shoals Winery, 14526 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring. 301-384-7859 Outdoor Holiday Bazaar, 1-7 p.m., Kunzang Palyul Choling Buddhist Temple, 18400 River Road, Poolesville. Free admission. 301-710-6259. Future Fab Jr., 2-3:30 p.m., Rock-

ployers from hiring wounded veterans, particularly concerns about post-traumatic stress disorder and the cost of accommodations for wounded veterans. Nationally, unemployment is 6.8 percent, but for post-9/11 veterans it is much higher — about 10 percent.

Charity dog walk in Woodacres Dog lovers take note: The third annual Woodacres Jingle Bells Dog Walk is set for 4 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Ramsgate Road and Welborn Drive in the Woodacres neighborhood in Bethesda. The charity walk will be led by bagpiper Norm Weaver and three ﬁretrucks from the Glen Echo Volunteer Fire Department. Come cheer the 40 to 50 dogs that are expected to wend their way through the neighborhood, ending at Woodacres Park. There will be three refreshments stops along the way. Donations will be equally divided among three designated charities: the Glen Echo Volunteer

ville Maryland Library, 21 Maryland Ave., Rockville. Free. 240-777-0020. A Family Event Music Drama, 7-9 p.m., Epworth United Methodist Church, 9008 Rosemont Drive, Gaithersburg. A one-woman dramatic performance of “Little Stockey and the Miracle of Christmas.” Free. 301-9269722.

SUNDAY, DEC. 1 Germantown Comunity Flea Market, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., MARC Communter

Parking Lot, Germantown Road and Bowman Mill Drive, Germantown. Free admission. 301-972-2707 Holiday Gift Show, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Road, Sandy Spring. 301-774-0022.

Peerless Rockville’s Holiday Open House, 1-4 p.m., Red Brick Courthouse,

29 Courthouse Square, Rockville. Free. 301-762-0096.

MONDAY, DEC. 2 Scams and Computer Security

FRI

Fire Department; Best Buddies, a Walt Whitman High School club; and Hero Dogs of Brookeville, a nonproﬁt that trains service dogs for wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. A hero dog will be attending.

Volunteers needed for holiday gift wrapping Hospice Caring is looking for volunteers to provide free holiday gift-wrapping services for customers at select Barnes & Noble bookstores in the county. Gift-wrapping stations will be set up at three stores next month: • Sunday through Dec. 24: Washingtonian Center, Gaithersburg, 21 Grand Ave., Gaithersburg. • Dec. 9-24: 4801 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda. • Dec. 17, 18, 22: Rockville Shopping Center, 12089 Rockville Pike. The nonproﬁt receives support from the stores. For more information or to sign up for a shift, visit hospicecaring. org/giftwrapping.html. First, 6-8:30 p.m., Catholic Charities,

BestBet

Send items at least two weeks in advance of the paper in which you would like them to appear. Go to calendar.gazette.net and click on the submit button. Questions? Call 301-670-2070.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 27

ConsumerWatch

Deanna Siegfried of Potomac (back row, fourth from the right), here with the Myeloma Mashers, was honored by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation before the nonproﬁt’s fundraising race Nov. 16 in Oxon Hill.

Black Friday Dance Party, 8 p.m., Dance

Bethesda, 8227 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda. $10 for those wearing black, $18 otherwise. 301-951-3660.

MORE INTERACTIVE CALENDAR ITEMS AT WWW.GAZETTE.NET Tips, 1:15-2:30 p.m., Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Drive, Wheaton. www.holidaypark.us.

TUESDAY, DEC. 3 Dine and Discover Retirement Living, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Ingleside

at King Farm, 701 King Farm Blvd., Rockville. 240-499-9019. Annual Holiday Mix and Mingle, 5-8 p.m., Huckleberry Fine Art, 12051 Nebel St., Rockville. Hosted by the Rockville Chamber of Commerce and the Corporate Volunteer Council of Montgomery County. Bring a holiday gift for a child in the Community Ministries of Rockville Holiday Giving Program. 301-807-3766. Money Matters and Pay Yourself

1912564

12247 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. Presented in English and Spanish. info@ mdcash.org. Picky Eaters Workshop, 7:15-8:30 p.m., The Pediatric Development Center, 17620-A Redland Road, Derwood. Free. 301-869-7505.

When It Takes More Than a Village: Professional Care Management for Older Adults, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Chevy

Chase Village Hall, 5906 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase. Free. 301-6573115.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4 Montgomery Hospice Drop-in Discussion About Grief and Healing,

6:30-8 p.m., Montgomery Hospice, 1355 Piccard Drive, Rockville. Free. 301-921-4400.

World AIDS Day Symposium: Getting to Zero, 6:30-9 p.m., Silver Spring

Civic Building, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring. Free. www.mcacdst.org/ wad2013. Advent Jazz, 7 p.m., The Lutheran Church of St. Andrew, 15300 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring. Free music, $10 dinner. 301-384-4394. Festival of Light Ceremony, 7-8:30 p.m., 3 Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda. Free. 301-6524988.

LIZ CRENSHAW

Why is it that sometimes we have to sign credit card receipts after a purchase and sometimes we don’t? You can credit NBC 4 consumer reporter Liz Crenshaw with this answer.

WeekendWeather FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

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Mobile Download the Gazette.Net mobile app using the QR Code reader, or go to www.gazette.net/mobile for custom options.

GAZETTE CONTACTS The Gazette – 9030 Comprint Court Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Main phone: 301-948-3120 Circulation: 301-670-7350

DEATHS Elizabeth B. Argent Elizabeth B. Argent, 89, formerly of Bethesda, died Nov. 20, 2013. Interment will take place in the spring. Covenant Funeral Service in Fredericksburg, Va., handled the arrangements.

Richard Wayne Heaton Richard Wayne Heaton, 46, of Augusta, W.Va., formerly of Olney, died Nov. 17, 2013, at Winchester (Va.) Medical Center. Gifﬁn Funeral Home in Capon Bridge, W.Va., handled the arrangements.

Russell T. Kinsey Russell T. Kinsey, 66, of Silver Spring, died Nov. 15, 2013. A service took place Nov. 23 at Parklawn Memorial Park in Rockville.

THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

Page A-3

LOCAL

Candidates press the ﬂesh at Bethesda gathering District 16 delegate race already has eight candidates for three seats n

BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER

The incumbent, the retired school teacher and the lone Republican were just three of the eight candidates — and one spokeswoman — who campaigned for votes at the annual fall meeting of the Bradley Boulevard Citizens Association on Nov. 20. Before they spoke, the crowd heard from County Councilman Phil Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg, who is running for county executive against Isiah Leggett, the current county executive, and Douglas M. Duncan, who held the job before. Andrews spoke of his battles to keep the county from overspending, such as voting against a recent council pay raise of 28 percent, for the incoming council. His was the lone dissenting vote. A successful example of his saving taxpayer money was the 10 percent reduction of Leggett’s energy tax that Andrews helped pass. Max Zweig of the Bradley

Boulevard Citizens Association then introduced each of the District 16 candidates, all of whom are running for one of three delegate seats. District 16 encompasses Bethesda, Cabin John, Glen Echo and parts of Chevy Chase, Potomac and Rockville. Each had three minutes to introduce themselves and briefly describe why they deserved to win. Marc Korman, a Bethesda lawyer, emphasized his experience with the Bethesda Urban Partnership and the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board, for which he serves as chairman, and said that one of his top issues would be transportation. “Metro’s not working very well,” Korman said. “It’s getting a reputation as high cost and unreliable.” Rachel Gumpert, who represented Hrant Jamgochian of Bethesda, who was away on business, said her candidate was “very passionate about health care and early education for kids.” She also said Jamgochian, an attorney and health care advocate, was a strong supporter of bus rapid transit, a controversial proposal the county has examined that would dedicate

BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE

Democrat Karen Kuker-Kihl (left), who’s running for the House of Delegates in District 16, which includes much of Bethesda and Potomac, chats with Deborah Toll of Bethesda. certain lanes as bus only. Kevin Walling of Bethesda, who helped lobby in Annapolis to legalize gay marriage in

Maryland, said voters are “looking for the next generation of progressive leadership.” He said he would go to bat for students

and teachers if sent to Annapolis. Meyer Marks, the only Republican, had earlier flirted with running for governor. The Bethesda resident said he would help the state get its ﬁscal house in order. “Every year we’re running a budget deﬁcit,” said Marks, who is a health care policy consultant. “This tax and spending has to stop.” Gareth Murray, who served in the House of Delegates in 2002, told the audience that the schools needed more state funding. The Potomac resident went on to speak about a “shift in the paradigm that we use for education,” and advocated K-12, higher education and the business community working together. Karen Kuker-Kihl, a retired teacher, said children would always come first if she was elected. After years of being a civic activist, the Bethesda resident said, she knows a lot of the players and how to get things done. “I’m good at working behind the scenes,” she said. The only incumbent, Delegate Ariana Kelly, who serves on the House Health and Govern-

ment Operations Committee, spoke about a need for more resources to help the mentally ill. “We still have an inadequate mental health system,” said the Bethesda resident, who called herself a “good Democrat.” The last candidate of the night to speak was Jordan Cooper, who said his top priority would be to help drive down the cost of health care. “Every single month we have individuals facing rising health care costs,” said Cooper, who told the audience his father was a physician and mother a nurse. “The cost of health care in this country is unaffordable and unsustainable.” In addition to Kelly, District 16 is now represented by Dels. C. William Frick and Susan C. Lee, and Sen. Brian E. Frosh. All three are Democrats. With Frosh and Frick ﬁghting it out for attorney general, one delegate seat will open up. And because Lee is going for Frosh’s Senate seat, so will a second. All three seats are up for grabs. The primary will be June 24, 2014, and the general election Nov. 4, 2014. ablum@gazette.net

Council rules out housing atop new Bethesda police station Action points to difﬁculty of creating affordable homes n

BY SONNY GOLDREICH SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

The Montgomery County Council demonstrated the difﬁculty of developing affordable housing as it declared that it isn’t feasible to build units atop a new police station planned for downtown Bethesda. Nobody had any plans for such a mixed-use project, but the council on Nov. 19 went through the motions of examining the possibility for the ﬁrst time since a new law took effect in May requiring the county to explore adding affordable housing to any new capital building plan. Technically, the council voted unanimously that there is no further public need for the county-owned 2nd District Police Station at 7359 Wisconsin Ave. The property will be turned over to Bethesda-based StonebridgeCarras, which is exploring redeveloping the site for residential or commercial space. In

return, the developer will build a bigger police station at 4823 Rugby Ave. Although the station project was in the works before the affordable housing law passed, the council asked legislative and executive staff to explore the possibility of including residential space at Rugby Avenue as part of the new police station project. The property has some advantages to building affordable housing, including that it sits about half a mile away from the Bethesda Metro and many services and amenities surround it, senior legislative analyst Linda McMillan said. But space constraints make it a prohibitively expensive choice, she added. Greg Ossont, deputy director of the Department of General Services, agreed, noting that there is little room to accommodate both the police station and housing. He said 90-foot height limits would allow for expanding the police project from four stories to as many as eight but that the needs of the police station would not provide sufficient room for a first-floor entrance for housing. “Once you introduce the residential stairs, the residential mailbox room, the

residential elevators up to what would be the additional floors above the police station, it starts to eat up a lot of the first floor,” he said. The bottom line is that it would cost more than $1 million to add an incomplete floor and then even more to construct the residential units, Ossont said. That would put the added cost in excess of $170 per square foot. Councilman Roger Berliner (DDist. 1) of Bethesda, who introduced the affordable housing study bill last year, said the county must be willing to spend money to build units. “Our county is committed to providing more affordable housing, and we know it doesn’t come cheap,” he said. But Rick Nelson, director of the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, noted that the county’s Housing Initiative Fund doesn’t have enough money for a police station project. He noted that an eight-story building would be a semi-high-rise, which costs far more to build than the garden apartment projects that the county prefers. “In view of what it would cost to do maybe 10-15 units that money could be

better spent elsewhere to get affordable housing,” Nelson said. He added that the county will be making a recommendation to the council next month to proceed with plans to build personal living quarters, or PLQs, for the homeless as part of the redevelopment of Progress Place. That project will relocate to Silver Spring’s Ripley District Department of Health and Human Services’ services to low-income and homeless populations that include programs run by current contractors Shepherd’s Table and Interfaith Works. But even the modest Progress Place project — which would provide 21 200-square-foot units — set off debate about how best to spend county funds on affordable housing. “Good lord, there are condos you can buy in Montgomery County for less than the cost of the 200[-square]-foot PLQs that was proposed,” Councilman Marc Elrich (D-At Large) of Takoma Park said. The county estimates that the PLQs would cost about $3.4 million, or $161,300 per unit. County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) has pushed for including housing

units as part of the Progress Place project, but he has scaled back the plan. He originally floated building 42 PLQs at a cost of $3.7 million, which proved to be an unrealistically low-ball estimate. The county needs to take a broader look at cost-efficiency and start committing to larger projects that make maximum use of taxpayer money, Elrich said. Beyond how to spend county money, the council also needs to take a closer look at where it builds affordable housing and impact on school achievement and other social cost, said council President Nancy Navarro, (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring. “There are costs associated with concentration of low-income housing,” she said. From one perspective, housing costs more in Bethesda, but from another, the county can’t keep placing low-income housing in Silver Spring, she said. Ossont noted that the county is pursuing plans to build a mixed-use complex at White Flint that will include a new fire station and affordable housing for senior citizens.

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THE GAZETTE

Page A-4

AROUND THE COUNTY

County eyes more public access to data n

Program would drastically expand amount of information available BY

RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER

John Van Eck stood in the center of a circle of chairs, jotting down notes on a whiteboard from a revolving group of people who stopped by his station. The suggestions included trafﬁc ﬂow, parking, bus stops, real-time service alerts, updates on weather and information on usage for the Intercounty Connector. Van Eck works for the county’s Department of Transportation, but the notes he was taking came from a workshop Thursday night to generate ideas and feedback for

the evolution of dataMontgomery, the county’s data portal that seeks to provide county businesses and residents with raw data they can use to get information about various aspects of the county. People are always interested in transportation, Van Eck said. One suggestion was one the county already started to work on — real-time information on bus routes. The point of Thursday’s meeting was to get a feel for the type of data sets people want and what the county should be prioritizing, said Dan Hoffman, chief innovation ofﬁcer for the county. The website currently lists about 90 sets of data, from county employee salaries to information on food inspections and the types of requests most commonly made for the county’s MC311 information service, but Hoffman said the

county hopes to have about 400 sets of data up by next summer. Inthecomingweeks,they’resetto post data sets on such diverse issues as election results, fire and rescue incident calls, sewer overflows and alcoholic beverage license violations. Hoffman said employee salaries is one of the most popular searches. “It’s the curiosity data set,” he said. Having the information directly available online has saved the county’s Public Information Office time answering requests because they can just email a link, he said. But while they strive to provide all types of data, that’s not always possible. The county does not publish the names of police officers who work undercover, Hoffman said. Social services information can also be sensitive because of federal

regulations, leaving the county to ﬁgure out how to provide useful information without compromising people’s privacy, he said. Montgomery Village resident Carrie Smedira said she thought Thursday’s event was interesting because it gave her a say in what types of data she can access. While the amount of raw data on the site might make it difﬁcult for some people to sort through, Montgomery has a lot of very analytical people who will enjoy looking through it, she said. Pete Tan of Silver Spring said he found out about Thursday’s event on Twitter earlier that day, then went to the website to check it out. Tan said he sees the data as having equal value for businesses and residents. rmarshall@gazette.net

Out of Africa The African Youth Choir of Uganda performs Saturday night at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. The group performs around the world, raising awareness and funds to support education and youth development programs across Africa. RAPHAEL TALISMAN/ FOR THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

InBrief Civic group to hear report on night time economy Heather Dlhopolsky, chairwoman of the Montgomery County Night Time Economy Task Force, will discuss the group’s ﬁndings at the Montgomery County Civic Federation meeting from 7:45 to 10 p.m. Monday at the County Council Ofﬁce Building, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville. After her presentation, there will be a question-and-answer period and updates on other key local issues. All county residents and representatives of civic organizations are welcome. Free parking is available in the adjacent county garage. For more information, visit www.montgomerycivic.org.

Media center honors Chevy Chase man The Rev. Barry W. Lynn of Chevy Chase, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, has won the annual $100,000 Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship from the Nation Institute, a nonprofit media center, and the Puffin Foundation, which supports the arts. The award will be presented to Lynn on Dec. 9 at the institute’s annual dinner in New York City. Lynn, a lawyer and ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, is being honored for his “unwavering dedication to religious liberty,” leading Americans United to help uphold the constitutional principle of church-state separation, according to the institute. Under his leadership since 1992, Americans United has engaged in court challenges and public education on issues that range from reproductive rights and religion in schools to school vouchers and judicial nominations. The Puffin Foundation and Nation Institute co-sponsor the prize, which is given to an individual who has challenged the status quo through distinctive, courageous, imaginative and socially responsible work, according to a news release. Recipients are drawn from a range of occupations and pursuits, including academia, journalism, public health, literature, art, environmental sciences, labor and the humanities.

POLICE BLOTTER

Complete report at www.gazette.net The following is a summary of incidents in the Bethesda area to which Montgomery County police responded recently. The words “arrested” and “charged” do not imply guilt. This information was provided by the county.

Leggett: Pedestrians at more risk in parking lots n

Growing number of crashes spurs new saftey initiative BY

SYLVIA CARIGNAN STAFF WRITER

It may be the holiday season, but that also means it’s the shopping season when more cars and pedestrians share the county’s parking lots. On Thursday, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett launched a campaign to educate pedestrians and help curb the number of accidents between pedestrians and cars in shopping areas. At Dawson’s Market in Rockville, Leggett unveiled the educational campaign, including brochures, reusable grocery bags and pavement decals. The County

Council has dedicated $50,000 to a pedestrian parking lot safety program this year, which is paying for the educational materials. This year’s campaign is building on Leggett’s original pedestrian safety initiative, which started in December 2007. “The original initiative looked at roadway collisions, and has focused on that,” county spokeswoman Esther Bowring said. “We realized that the increase from 2011 to 2013 in pedestrian collisions was actually an increase in those that occurred in parking lots.” According to a county press release, 423 pedestrian collisions between people and vehicles were reported in Montgomery County in 2012. About 30 percent of those, or 125 incidents, were in parking

lots and garages. The county found that about 18 percent of parking lot crashes with pedestrians resulted in severe or incapacitating injuries. Bowring said the same percent of collisions on roadways, about 20 percent, resulted in severe or incapacitating injuries. “As we’re trying to ﬁgure out and get a handle on what is going on, and why these things are happening, we felt it was important — especially with the holiday season coming up — that people are educated,” she said. Bowring said a county task force is working to ﬁnd patterns in pedestrian crash data. A group with representatives from county departments and agencies are sharing information and considering ways to educate the public about the issue.

The county is forming partnerships with developers to reach retailers throughout the county. They have formed relationships with Foulger-Pratt, JBG Rosenfeld Retail, Lakeforest mall owner Urban Retail Properties, Peterson Cos. and others. Dawson’s Market, which is part of Rockville Town Square and has garage parking, has educational materials from the county on display inside the store. Bus shelters and Ride On buses also have county brochures about pedestrian safety, including materials in Spanish. The campaign’s outdoor elements, like pavement decals, will be installed in county garages over the next few months, Bowring said. scarignan@gazette.net

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND CLOSINGS Most Montgomery County and other government ofﬁces and programs will be closed Thursday in observance of Thanksgiving Day. Here’s a schedule: • County ofﬁces: Closed. • Libraries: Closed. • County liquor stores: Closed. • Recreation: All programs and facilities closed.

• County parks: Closed. Operating schedules for Friday, including for Brookside Gardens, ice rinks, tennis centers, trains and carousels, are at www.MontgomeryParks.org. • Ride On bus: Sunday schedule. • Metrobus: Sunday schedule. • Metrorail: Sunday schedule. •TRiPS commuter stores in Silver Spring and Friendship Heights: Closed

• Trash and recycling: Nocollection.Thursday pickup will be Friday; Friday pickup on Saturday. • Transfer station: Closed. • Parking at public garages, lots, curbside meters: Free. • Public schools and offices: Closed. • State offices and courts: Closed. • U.S. Postal Service: Post offices closed; no mail delivery.

Armed robbery • On Nov. 9 at 11:30 p.m. in the 5600 block of Luxemburg Street, North Bethesda. The subjects threatened the victim with a weapon and took property. Robbery • On Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. in the 4700 block of Bradley Boulevard, Bethesda. The subject assaulted the victim and took property. Weapons offense • On Nov. 6 at Georgetown Preparatory School, 10900 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Commercial burglary • On Nov. 6 at Knowles Apothecary, 10400 Connecticut Ave., Kensington. Attempted forced entry, took nothing. • On Nov. 9 at 6:30 a.m. at Kensington Pharmacy, 3737 University Blvd., Kensington. Forced entry, took nothing. • On Nov. 10 at 2:15 a.m. at Bradley Drugs, 6900 Arlington Road, Bethesda. Forced entry, unknown what was taken. • On Nov. 11 between midnight and 6:40 a.m. at River Rx, 5257 River Road, Bethesda. Forced entry, took property. • On Nov. 12 at 5 a.m. at Bethesda Beer and Wine, 8015 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. Forced entry, took property. Residential burglary • 9900 block of Thornwood Road, Kensington, on Nov. 4. Forced entry, took property. • 4100 block of Saul Road, Kensington, between 9:20 a.m. and 1 p.m. Nov. 4. Attempted forced entry, took nothing. • 9900 block of Thornwood Road, Kensington, between 10 and 11:45 a.m. Nov. 4. No forced entry, took property. • 10500 block of Weymouth Street, Bethesda, between 1:30 and 2 a.m. Nov. 6. Forced entry, unknown what was taken. • 5500 block of Devon Road, Bethesda, between 11:40 a.m. and 12:12 p.m. Nov. 8. Attempted forced entry, took nothing. • 7500 block of Nevis Road, Bethesda, between 12:30 and 3 p.m. Nov. 8. Forced entry, took property. • 7000 block of Broxburn Drive, Bethesda, between 2:30 and 7:45 p.m. Nov. 8. Forced entry, took property. • 5400 block of Alta Vista Road, Bethesda, between 5 and 11 p.m. Nov. 8. Forced entry, took property. • 7300 block of Heatherhill Court, Bethesda, between Nov. 8 and 10. No forced entry, took property.

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At the county executive’s ball

PHOTOS BY TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

Kensington residents (from left) Diana and Gary Ditto talk with Sam Statland during “Party Arty,” the 28th annual Montgomery County Executive’s Ball to beneﬁt the arts and humanities Sunday at the Montgomery County Conference Center in North Bethesda.

Yudee Chang of Potomac (left) takes Mimi Tse of Chevy Chase for a spin on the dance ﬂoor at Party Arty on Sunday.

Potomac native helps launch medical insurance website Site provides information on exchange plans BY

KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER

About a month ago, three 20-something entrepreneurs launched a website that some users say helps them learn information about health insurance plans more easily than the federal government’s healthcare. gov site that an army of workers has developed for years. Co-founders of the privately run site, TheHealthSherpa.com, include Potomac native Michael Wasser. The Seattle resident majored in computer science and economics at the University of Maryland, College Park. “We aren’t trying to compete with the federal government’s site,” said Wasser, 26. “We have different goals in that we are mainly providing information and don’t sign up people. You can’t really compare the two.” The site essentially takes government information on health plans and makes it easier for people to access, he said. The company doesn’t just rely on government sources but collects other information such as details on co-payments and deductibles, as well as provides information on insurers for users to contact directly. Since launching, the site has seen traffic rise dramatically, with about 2 million page views in the past three weeks, he said. Wasser and co-founders George Kalogeropoulos, 28, and Ning Liang, 27, have already been featured on CBS News, Fox Business News and other media outlets. Yale University graduates Kalogeropoulos and Liang live in the San Francisco area, where the ﬂedgling business is based. “I can work fine remotely from Seattle,” said Wasser, who met his partners through a friend about nine months ago. A New Hampshire woman, who praised the site as “much easier” to use than the government one, said on the CBS newscast that she “was not surprised” three guys in their 20s could devise an easier site to access than

the federal government. The trio recently met with Bryan Sivak, chief technology officer of the Department of Health and Human Services, to discuss their website and how they can help people learn more about the plans. This month, U.S. Sen. Angus King Jr., an independent from Maine, urged residents to use HealthSherpa as a temporary alternative for those experiencing difficulties with the federal site. More than 30 states do not have their own sites and exchange markets, and residents there must use the federal site. The rest, including Maryland, have their own sites. “HealthSherpa offers a userfriendly platform to quickly browse through available health insurance plan options, including monthly premium costs, coverage plans and possible premium subsidies,” King said in a statement. “I recommend that Mainers who are having trouble with Healthcare.gov use HealthSherpa as a temporary alternative until the federal website functions properly.” The Maryland site, MarylandHealthConnection.gov, also has had its share of technical difficulties. In its first month of operation in October, about 1,300 people signed up for private health plans, below the pace of some states with fewer residents such as Vermont and Connecticut. But the pace has picked up in November. Almost 1,000 people in Maryland enrolled for private plans from Nov. 3 through Nov. 16. Officials have a goal of signing up 150,000 by March 31.

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Montgomery looking at new funds for early childhood programs n

‘We really need to scale up’

LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER

Facing a growing number of young children, Montgomery County needs to look beyond government funding to expand high-quality early childhood care and education, according to a member of a county group studying the issue. Montgomery County Public Schools ofﬁcials have recently emphasized the system’s rapidly growing enrollment, especially in elementary schools — a large group of children who need services before they start kindergarten. Janine Bacquie — director of Montgomery County Public Schools’ Division of Early

Childhood Programs and Services and co-chairwoman of the Montgomery County Early Childhood Advisory Council — said the county needs additional, sustainable funds immediately to not only ensure there is enough space in public and private child care and education programs but that the programs are also high quality. “The numbers and the needs are signiﬁcantly increasing,” Bacquie said. “We need to scale up signiﬁcantly.” Superintendent Joshua P. Starr recently said that since 2007, the county school system has grown by 14,000 students; another 11,000 are expected over the next six years. The school system is “seeing enormous elementary enrollment growth across the district,” he said. Though the county’s popu-

lation has grown, state funding has remained stagnant, she said. The county budgeted about $3 million for its early childhood services program in ﬁscal 2014, said Mary Anderson, a spokeswoman for the county health and human services department. The advisory council is looking at how the county can continue developing its care and education services for children from the time they are born to the time they enter school. The council members include representatives from the county school system, the county health and human services department, the Maryland State Department of Education and area organizations related to child care, among others. The county’s early learning efforts haven’t had any “large funders” in the past aside from state and county government,

she said. Bacquie said the county needs to explore options such as businesses, philanthropic sources and social impact bonds. Bacquie said funding needs to increase in part to keep up with the county’s efforts to train providers and help them improve their quality and gain accreditation. Funds are also needed to fuel more direct services to children and families, including homevisiting services, increasing programs accessible to children with disabilities and expanding access to low-income families that don’t currently meet the guidelines necessary to enter public prekindergarten. It’s important that children have access to early childhood programs that can help prepare them socially, academically, physically and otherwise for school and beyond, she said. In the 2012-13 school year,

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about 80 percent of Montgomery County children entering kindergarten were “fully schoolready,” according to data from the Maryland Model for School Readiness assessment. While this marks a significant improvement from county data about a decade earlier, Bacquie said the remaining 20 percent “represents a lot of students.” Montgomery received about $145,000 from the state’s Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant program, the focus of a Nov. 7 meeting with members of the County Council and county school board and state education officials. Some county council members raised concerns that the county did not receive more grant money. The state education officials said, however, that the grant funds were designated to help counties develop their early learning infrastructure, much of

which Montgomery already has. Elizabeth Kelley — director of the ofﬁce of child care in the state education department’s division of early childhood development — said there are a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to future funding for the county’s early learning systems after the grant program ends. “That’s why it’s so critically important for the local councils to identify where funds can come from,” Kelley said. Government, she said, will not always be the answer for funding. Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring told the state education ofﬁcials that the fast-growing county needs state help. “We have issues facing this county that are extraordinary by anybody’s measurement so we’re just looking for a little bit of assistance where we can get it,” Ervin said.

THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

Council races are attracting new blood n

What goes up ...

Daly seeks at-large seat; Bolourian running in District 2 BY

RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER

Two candidates with experience on the fringes of presidential politics have joined the race for spots on the Montgomery County Council. Gaithersburg Democrat Neda Bolourian has filed to run for the District 2 seat currently held by Council Vice President Craig Rice, while Dickerson Democrat Beth Daly will run for one of the council’s four at-large seats. Democratic Central Committee member Vivian Malloy of Olney will run as an at-large candidate, while Silver Spring community activist Evan Glass recently announced that he’ll run as a Democrat for the District 5 seat currently held by Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D). While both Bolourian and Daly are relative novices to running for office, both have gathered experience working on major political campaigns. Daly, 51, directed a team in charge of buying advertising for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and also worked on Clinton’s 1996 re-election, and worked as a staffer for former Ohio Sen. Howard Metzenbaum (D). Bolourian, 31, worked for President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns. She ran for the House of Delegates from District 15 in 2006, but withdrew shortly after filing because of an illness in her family. Bolourian, an attorney who works in Bethesda, said she has always been interested in public policy. “I adore politics, but mostly I’ve always been interested in public service,” she said. She said she was partly motivated to run by the income disparity in Montgomery County. While she was in law school at the University of the District of Columbia, she worked with low-income people at a variety of clinics. She sees lots of her friends in the county working multiple jobs and still barely getting by, she said. Bolourian was also motivated by the council’s decision to approve a pay increase for the council seated in 2014, which she said was troubling given the current economic situation in the county. A native of Damascus who attended Damascus High School, Bolourian would also like to focus on addressing mental health and substance abuse issues, the possibility of lowering income and property taxes, finding more funding for no-kill animal shelters. Rice said having an opponent wouldn’t really change the way he campaigns for 2014, which he said he plans to make more active in January or February. Daly, the director of political sales in Telemundo’s Washington, D.C., offices, plans to focus her campaign on issues such as affordable housing, responsible growth and traffic and transportation. She lived in downtown Bethesda before she was married and now lives in Dickerson, and said she hopes to use that experience of having lived both upcounty and downcounty to bring a fresh perspective to the council. The current council hasn’t done a good enough job of balancing growth with the police, fire, education, roads and other public infrastructure necessary to support it, she said. Growth is an issue from Clarksburg to Chevy Chase, not an upcounty or downcounty issue, and the council would benefit from more perspective on upcounty issues, she said. The council’s at-large seats currently held by Democrats Marc Elrich, Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal and Hans Riemer. rmarshall@gazette.net

PHOTOS BY DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

Right: Alyssa Littlestone (left) of Naval Surface Warfare Carderock in Bethesda and Stacy Levy, a math teacher at Thomas W. Pyle Middle School in Bethesda, drop an egg with protection engineered by Pyle students from two stories high at the federal installation. This egg did not survive the drop in the third annual Egg Drop Competition, held Nov. 20. Above: Pyle students Bethesda wait for an egg to fall during the competition. The Carderock facility runs the competition to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in the schools.

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

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Joint discussions

Gubernatorial candidate Heather Mizeur earned some political buzz last week when she announced that if she becomes governor in next November’s elections, she’ll try to legalize marijuana in Maryland. She proposes that the state regulate it and tax it, much like the state regulates and taxes alcohol. She estimated a pot tax would boost state coffers by some $157.5 million, an oddly exact ﬁgure. Meanwhile, state Sen. Jamie Raskin said he’ll introduce legislation in the 2014 session — 11 months before the election — to do the same thing. Colorado and Washington state have done it. Maryland, which afﬁrmed same-sex marriage by referendum, would seem to be a good candidate to sign on. Neither Mizeur nor Raskin provide many details of what happens when someone performs an act legalized by the state, but still criminalized by the federal government. Though the Obama administration may have little appetite for a cannabis prosecution, who knows how long that will last. Even so, both Mizeur and Raskin deserve credit for bringing the issue forward and starting a dialogue of where the state should be heading. Even right-leaning, law-and-order Marylanders can question the value of keeping the status quo. Prohibition of alcohol didn’t work; there’s little evidence that pot prohibition is working either. By the same token, even right-leaning, libertarian-minded voters should ponder how legalization will affect vulnerable populations, particularly young people. Of the two proposals, one can safely expect Raskin’s legislation won’t go very far. As liberal as the state is, it’s made paltry advances on medical marijuana. To think the General Assembly and Gov. Martin O’Malley will overturn prohibition is a pipe dream. Mizeur at least has a gubernatorial campaign to present her proposal. She can bypass the General Assembly, where members will be worried about re-election, and directly address Democrats who will pick the party’s next nominee. With the economy and health care likely to be pressing issues, it’s unlikely that marijuana policy will take center stage, but the discussion gives the candidates and the public a chance to ponder and shape future policy.

One world, thankful

Jan. 1 is the traditional time when we declare how we can improve our ways. But Thanksgiving, as a feast of plenty, is a better time to take stock. On Twitter, some people jokingly tag their minor complaints with “#FirstWorldProblems” — Starbucks is a mile away, there’s no WiFi on a camping trip, the toilet seat is cold. “I now have 4 phones,” someone posted on Monday. For many people around the world, though, the bottom level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is frequently out of reach — clean water, sufficient food, reliable shelter. Water.org, a website devoted to information about water and its availability, says 780 million people lack access to clean water — more than 2½ times the population of the United States. “An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the average person in a developing country slum uses for an entire day,” the site says. And more people have a mobile phone than a toilet, the site tells us. First World Problems, indeed. In one of the wealthiest counties in Earth’s richest nation, we shouldn’t forget that our potholes on the road to daily happiness are relatively insignificant. The death toll from Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines had climbed past 5,200. People in the U.S. and abroad are struggling with natural and human-induced disasters and warfare. Thousands of American service members have died since this country went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in other operations around the globe. We summarize these grim and distressing figures only to remind ourselves to keep our collective perspective on what matters as we count our blessings this holiday season. For too many, Thanksgiving is a starting pistol for a season of determined power shopping. We saw this sentiment captured in an Associated Press photo of a man standing in line at an Illinois appliance store. The man was resting his head dreamily, eyes closed, on the prize in his embrace — a new video game system. It’s easy to get caught up in the shopping frenzy while looking for a blockbuster gift. But please keep the plight of all walks of humanity in mind as we approach this holiday season. We have it pretty good, and for that, each day, we should be grateful.

The Gazette Karen Acton, President/Publisher

LETTERS TOT HE EDITOR

There’s no place like home for health care Over the past few years, the United States health care system has gone through a groundbreaking shift to create a more efﬁcient, cost-effective and health-focused system of care for all Americans. Yet it’s failing to help an integral part of the system that can assist in reducing costs and provide vital care that our parents and grandparents will beneﬁt from as they age. While most people associate hospitals and physicians with health care, each year millions of Americans receive health services in their homes that can include skilled nursing, physical therapy, social work and nursing aide care to assist with their daily activities of living. Studies have shown that home care is the most cost-effective setting for patients in need of continued health care after their hospital discharge. Home care can dramatically reduce burdensome costs for patients suffering from illnesses such as heart failure, joint replacements and strokes as well as prevent hospital readmissions. Avalere Health, a Washington consulting group, reported that chronically ill patients who received home care services experienced fewer hospital readmissions than patients who received other post-acute services. Furthermore, these fewer readmissions resulted

in an estimated $670 million in Medicare cost savings over a three-year period. Despite the essential nature of home care in the changing world of health care, not-forprofit organizations, like Adventist Home Care Services, have borne the brunt of federal budget cuts for the past several years. Even though Medicare payments to home care are only a small portion of Medicare’s total expenditures, the home care industry has taken on a significant and disproportionate amount of the Medicare reductions over the past several years. These cuts put 3.5 million Medicare beneficiaries receiving home-care services at risk of losing their access to this care because there will be fewer providers who can afford to continue to care for these patients. Home care agencies like Adventist Home Care Services, which has provided services to the Washington Metropolitan region for more than 40 years, would still provide care to patients, but be paid less than the cost of care for most of them. Without home care, some of these patients may end up back in the hospital or in other health-care facilities such as nursing homes. Ultimately, any immediate savings may end up costing our health-care system more down

the road as home-care patients are forced to seek medical care elsewhere. Our parents and grandparents are the ones who will suffer from these decisions in Washington. According to the latest census, seniors make up the largest population in the United States. As the 77 million baby-boomers continue to age, our health care system must find efficient and cost-effective ways to meet their needs. While the Affordable Care Act will improve services for many Americans, home-care leaders expect our political leaders to find ways to better utilize home-care services and ensure their long-term viability. If we can accomplish this, I believe we can create a win-win situation for patients and our health care system. As health care shifts to a system that is designed to incentivize day-to-day wellness and reduce hospital readmissions, the home-care industry is primed to be the leader in caring for patients in the most cost-effective setting and comfortable setting: home.

Keith Ballenger The writer is vice president of Adventist Home Care Services in Silver Spring and a board member with the Maryland National Capital Homecare Association.

Pool’s rules defy logic

Over the past year, my young son has become an avid swimmer. In fact it has become his primary sporting pursuit. When our local pool closed for the winter, we began looking for a nearby facility where he could swim after school. We contacted Montgomery County’s Shriver Aquatic Center in Rockville where he had many lessons in the past. They informed us that children were not allowed to use the open lanes at the lap pool until after 7:30 p.m. on weekdays. After school, the lap pool is for the exclusive use of adults until 7:30 pm. This created an obvious dilemma for us because it made it impossible for our son to swim and get home at a reasonable hour to go to sleep on school days. Only after 7:30 would Shriver allow both children and adults to use the lap pool. This seemed counter to what I have encountered at various other facilities. Children are usually accommodated earlier, particularly on school nights. Calls to the manager at Shriver were not returned. A call to Robin Riley, Division Chief of Recreation, went unanswered for over a week. Her eventual response was a message saying they do not allow kids

during the week because there is no demand. She then went on to add that changing the rules to allow kids earlier at the pool might result in all the lanes being taken up by kids who want to swim. This response confuses the issue of whether there is too much demand or not enough. Two subsequent calls to Ms. Riley back in October were never returned. Messages sent to the Recreation Department through social media resulted in dismissive responses that I was wasting my time and there would never be a change in policy. We were told the Montgomery County programs and facilities were world class and that there was no room for improvement. I was also speciﬁcally warned not to go to the media with this issue. It became clear that the primary reason for not changing the policy was likely the (minimal) effort involved. Though this slight adjustment in policy would not cost Montgomery County any money, those in charge of the aquatic center have made it clear they are not interested in any modiﬁcations — no matter what the reason. We are simply asking that kids be allowed some access to

the open lanes during the week at a reasonable hour. The adults who wish to use the lanes would still be able to use them. Having an adult hour is ﬁne as well. It just doesn’t seem fair to ban kids who really want to swim from these public pools Monday through Friday. Finding no understanding or compassion at our county facility or with the county representatives, we were forced to seek out the Rockville City Pool. At the Rockville pool, the lap lanes are open to all irrespective of age. This raised the question of how the Rockville City Pool was able to work out their schedule to be so inclusive while the self-proclaimed world class Montgomery County facilities could only manage if they barred certain residents. Public policy should always lead and not follow. Rules that have been around “too long to change” are never fully addressing the needs of the community. When we tell kids they don’t matter, we need to be ready for them to say the same when we are older and no longer the decision makers.

So Gus Bauman, former head of Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission and land-use expert, has suddenly woken up to the fact that neither the commission nor the County Council have required the developers of downtown Silver Spring to set aside any green space for the thousands of new residents? Where were you, Gus, when this was going on? And does anyone think a dog park replacing one of the few facilities for the mentally ill (Adrienne House), as the current Commission is considering, is the “green space” Silver Spring needs? The planners and politicians who have let Silver Spring develop with no set-aside for parks or the schools that these new residents are going to need are many dollars short and many years late. Who is now going to ﬁx this disaster?

Jennifer Mitchell, Kensington

Edith Holleman, Silver Spring

9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 | Phone: 301-948-3120 | Fax: 301-670-7183 | Email: opinions@gazette.net More letters appear online at www.gazette.net/opinion

Douglas Tallman, Editor Krista Brick, Managing Editor/News Glen C. Cullen, Senior Editor Copy/Design Meredith Hooker, Managing Editor/Internet Robert Rand, Managing Editor/Presentation

Nathan Oravec, A&E Editor Ken Sain, Sports Editor Andrew Schotz, Assistant Managing Editor Dan Gross, Photo Editor Jessica Loder, Web Editor

Dennis Wilston, Corporate Advertising Director Doug Baum, Corporate Classiﬁeds Director Mona Bass, Inside Classiﬁeds Director

Years late and dollars short

Jean Casey, Director of Marketing and Circulation Anna Joyce, Creative Director, Special Pubs/Internet Ellen Pankake, Director of Creative Services

POST COMMUNITY MEDIA Karen Acton, Chief Executive Ofﬁcer Michael T. McIntyre, Controller Donna Johnson, Vice President of Human Resources Maxine Minar, President, Comprint Military Shane Butcher, Director of Technology/Internet

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Once in a lifetime holiday: Thanksgivukkah Convergence of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah hasn’t happened since 1888 n

BY TERRI HOGAN AND PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITERS

What do you get when you combine Thanksgiving and Hanukkah? Thanksgivukkah? Or maybe Thanks-a-latkes? This is the year to make the most of the convergence of the two holidays. It hasn’t happened since 1888 and it will not happen again “in our lifetime,” said Rabbi Bentzy Stolik, director of Chabad of Olney. “It’s impossible to determine if it will ever happen again,” Stolik said. “Hanukkah follows the Jewish calendar, which is based on a lunar system, but the number of months changes every two or three years to catch up with the Gregorian calendar.”

TRAIL

Continued from Page A-1 questioned whether an underground tunnel was a good idea at all, pointing out that a newly constructed tunnel would be much smaller than the existing one. “This is going to be a smaller, less light tunnel,” Dreyfuss said. “You’re not going to see the other end of it.”

PARK

Continued from Page A-1 new road alignment for an unnamed tenant, Yearwood said. In response, Montgomery County Public Schools and its board of education decided the White Flint Neighborhood Park would be a better site, with both the community and the school’s students using part of the park as playing ﬁelds, Crispell said. Not so easy to do, said Brooke Farquhar, supervisor of park and trail planning of the

With the annual changing of Thanksgiving Day, which is celebrated the fourth Thursday of November, it’s easy to see that the turkey might not catch up with the lighting of the menorah candles again for a long, long time. “I’ve heard it will next happen in about 7,000 years,” said Ruth Lamberty, director of jconnect, a service of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Hanukkah actually begins at sundown Wednesday, with the traditional celebration of the lighting of the ﬁrst candle of the eight-day festival, a traditional meal and, for many, sharing of gifts. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple, desecrated by occupying invaders more than 2,100 years ago. “Upon recapturing the temple from the Syrian Greeks, the Jewish people found only one jar of pure oil, enough to burn only one day, but it lasted miraculously for eight days until new, pure olive oil was produced,” according to a

press release from Chabad of Olney. “In commemoration of this event, the Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting an eight-branched candelabra known as a menorah. The menorah is placed in highly visible place to publicize the miracle, with its message of hope and religious freedom, to all.” Thanksgiving — which, according to tradition, was first celebrated in 1621 in Plymouth, Mass. — celebrates the providence of the previous year and the bounty of the harvest. It did not become an official holiday until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated each November. In 1941, Congress officially declared the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. Both holidays are about food, family and friends, Lamerty said, and many families will combine traditions on Thursday. “I am making sweet potato latkes and pumpkin doughnuts,” she said. “The tradition behind them [as Hanuk-

kah foods] is that they are both cooked in oil, something we use to commemorate the miracle of the oil in the temple.” She also plans to serve turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes, but will make a cranberry applesauce this year because applesauce is traditionally served with latkes, which are fried pancakes, usually made with white potatoes. “I’m trying to make it fun,” she said. So are many others. Online, celebrants can purchase Thanksgivukkah T-shirts and aprons picturing both a turkey and a menorah, notecards featuring a turkey behind a dreidel — the traditional Hanukkah spinning top — and one mimicking Grant Wood’s classic painting, “American Gothic,” showing the farmer holding a menorah. There is even a menurkey, a turkeyshaped menorah. As many around the county toast the day with one tradition or another or a combination of the two, there is only one thing to be said: Gobbletov!

PHOTO FROM CYNDI GLASS

Kyle Silberman (left), 5, and brother Michael, 7, of Silver Spring work on their “menurkey,” a turkey-shaped menorah they made out of clay and painted for a joint celebration of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. Their grandmother Cyndi Glass of Brookeville helped them with the project and will host the family’s Thanksgiving/Hanukkah celebration at her home.

He questioned how many people are going to feel comfortable walking through a narrow, darker 225-foot long tunnel. “I’m very uncomfortable recommending the county spend 20 million on a tunnel they could build on the street,” he said. But Casey Anderson, who also sits on the board, said the county had promised an underground tunnel and needed to

keep that promise. The credibility of the county is on the line, Anderson said, who used to serve on the Washington Area Bicyclist Association board. Since 1994, the plan has been to have the Capital Crescent Trail go through the existing tunnel, said Rose Krasnow, deputy director of the planning department. But that turned out to be

very difficult and costly, she said, running about $40 million. But the Maryland Transit Administration realized a trail could be underground if the Apex building was demolished. “There’s a huge contingency of people out there who would like to see an underground trail,” Krasnow said. Without tearing down the Apex building, the Purple Line’s station platform would have to

ﬁt into the existing tunnel, planners have said, and there would be no room for the Capital Crescent Trail. If the tunnel is rebuilt, it can be widened to make it safer and more accommodating for passengers and the trail. However, the owners of the building, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, have expressed grave doubts about relocating their business and razing the building.

The county has until the end of the year to persuade the owners to move and demolish the building, which is when the Maryland Transit Administration has said it wants an answer on the issue. On Dec. 5, the board will meet again to approve the amendment and then send it to the County Council.

Montgomery County Department of Parks. “None of the park is ﬂat,” Farquhar told the group. That makes construction tough and traditional playing ﬁelds nearly impossible. Much of the park is wooded and serves as a buffer between a residential neighborhood and the mall. Crispell said the school board was willing to compromise — that both sites were less than ideal, but at least building inside the park would mean future students would have some outdoor space, as opposed to the mall site, where

theywouldnot.Headmittedsome trees would have to be felled, but urged the audience to think of future students. The school would not be built for at least 10 years, he said. Crispell told the group that the school board was interested in acquiring as much land as possible and pocketing it for future use and future growth. With 9,800 new housing units being built in the White Flint area, it’s only a matter of time until a new school is needed, he said. Del. Al Carr, (D-Dist.18) who lives in Kensington, described

the school board as “desperate to grab a site.” He argued that the county should “put a school where its best suited and not just because someone happens to be developing there.” If the school board is successful, locals argued, the neighborhood would essentially lose one of the last green spaces in an ever-urbanizing environment. They did not buy the idea that the co-location or sharing would satisfy the neighborhood’s need for a park, since it would be offlimits during school hours.

“These students won’t have a park either,” said Mike Dundon. “They’ll have an after-dark piece of ground. We’ll all be out there with our ﬂashlights.” The fate of the park, and the future of the yet-to-be-built school, will depend largely on how the county planning board votes, Crispell said. “If the planning board does not support our request, we’ll go back to White Flint south,” he said. The planning board is expected to look at the issue early next year. The Garrett Park Estates/

White Flint Park Citizen’s Association unanimously agreed on their own position, which will be written in a letter to be sent to the planning board and consists of three parts: It opposes the school board’s suggestion of co-locating the new school at White Flint Neighborhood Park; it supports the original White Flint Sector plan, which calls for an expansion of the park; and it encourages the county to further investigate other sites for the new school.

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THE GAZETTE

Page A-10

TRUANCY

In extreme examples, parents could face prosecution

Continued from Page A-1 middle schools: Neelsville and Roberto Clemente in Germantown; and Francis Scott Key, A. Mario Loiederman and Argyle, all in Silver Spring. It is expected to start in a sixth next spring. Plans for a seventh school are also in the works. County prosecutors and a district court judge serve as program “judges” — adults talk with students about the root of their problem and how to fix it. Students meet weekly at their school with a group of adults that includes the program judge, as well as school staff and a mentor. Schools invite students; families decide whether a child participates. Students who show improvement in grades and attendance “graduate” from the program. Those who don’t graduate try again in the next 10-week session. After hearing about a program started by the University of Baltimore called Truancy Court, Montgomery State’s Attorney John McCarthy asked about implementing it in Montgomery County. “I thought if we could take a bite out of truancy, we would reduce youth-related crime,” he said. Authorities say they don’t have exact numbers on how the program has helped lower juvenile crime rates, but according to a 2009 report created for the U.S. Department of Justice, truants are as much as 12 times more likely to report having committed a serious assault, as much as 21 times more likely to report having committed a serious property crime, and as much as seven times more likely to report having been arrested. Unlike in Baltimore, where many truancy court judges are actual judges, in Montgomery County, prosecutors fill many “judge” roles. George Simms — the head of the Montgomery County state’s attorney’s office’s Juvenile Division — is the judge at Loiederman. “Traditionally, prosecutors only did one type of thing — waited for a crime to be committed, and then prosecuted the person accused of committing it,” Simms said. “Our job is really public safety. If we can do things to help protect the community, I think that is part of our job.” In each of the 10 weekly sessions, students meet with a mentor and in the “court,” where the judge and others provide encouragement and review progress. They go over attendance, grades, performance and behavior.

‘Outside people’ Steve Neff, director of pupil personnel services for the county school system, said the school system has seen in-

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

Review board hears cases that didn’t improve through intervention

ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER

When the system tries and still can’t get kids to stop missing school, their parents could face criminal charges. Prosecutors estimate that in the last year, they brought charges against 25 to 30 parents, including a recent case in which a mother was sentenced to a week in jail. Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said charges are only filed in the “most egregious cases” of parents repeatedly refusing to follow the law. Truancy Court — a voluntary program in which students discuss attendance problems with a panel of school creases in truancy. Circumstances outside school are a factor, Neff said. “I think part of it,” he said, “is having to do with some of the challenges that families are facing” — housing, transportation, food and finances. Habitual truancy rates have fluctuated over recent years, according to county school system data, but there has been a general increase. From 2008-09 to 2012-13, the school system’s habitual truancy rate rose from 0.72 percent to 1.08 percent. Habitual truants, however, are only a fraction of the students with absentee problems. For truants, Neff said, having someone outside of the school express an interest can make a huge difference. Sometimes, solving basic problems does the trick. A child can’t wake up on time: there’s an alarm clock for that. Other times, it’s trickier. Steve Chaikin, an assistant state’s attorney and the judge at Clemente Middle in Germantown, said he had a case in which a girl “knew this was her last chance” after getting into a fight. He talked to the child with her father, the school social worker and other members of the school’s truancy court. Seven weeks later, she has had nearly perfect attendance and is passing three classes, Chaikin said. “My favorite point is when we’re no longer talking about attendance issues, but talking about academic issues — that’s when we know it’s working,” he said.

Created in 2005 The Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts at the University of Baltimore School of Law created the Truancy Court Program in 2005, accord-

officials — is one resource county authorities use to encourage students to stay in school. Another is the Truancy Review Board, which asks parents to appear before representatives from the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, police department, the Housing Opportunities Commission, and other agencies. According to a report by Montgomery County’s Office of Legislative Oversight on truancy in Montgomery Public Schools, “habitual truancy” is defined as students missing 18 days in a semester or 36 days of school in a school year. The board makes the request after individual schools have contacted parents and made other efforts to get students in school, Montgomery County Assistant State’s Attorney Curt Zeager said. Steve Neff, the director of pupil personnel services for Montgomery

County Public Schools, decides who to call before the board. The board lets parents share their stories and receive help from local agencies, including medical services or transportation to making sure the students can go to school, Zeager said. The process usually takes a year or two. After that, in rare circumstances in which problems persist, county prosecutors might charge parents criminally. Aurea Cosme-Torres, whose current address is listed in Hyattsville, is the mother of a girl who attends school in Montgomery County. Cosme-Torres recently spent a week in jail and must serve a year of supervised probation, after her daughter missed 48 percent of the 2012-13 school year at Piney Branch Elementary in Silver Spring, Zeager said. In that case, court records show, the school contacted the mother at least 27 times to send her daughter to school and had her appear before a truancy

review board three times. Cosme-Torres is appealing her case in December. Bethan Haaga, who defended Cosme-Torres in District Court, declined to comment about the case, citing her client’s privacy. Phone calls to numbers listed to Cosme-Torres and her family members in court records were not answered. “It’s very rare someone goes to jail. That’s not our goal,” Zeager said. A parent can spend up to 30 days in jail for not sending a child to school. That was increased recently from 10 days, he said. Zeager said that might seem extreme, but that’s only when parents won’t take responsibility. “My point to defense attorneys who say this is outrageous is: We’ve been dealing with this for a year,” he said. “It’s repeated irresponsibility.” sjbsmith@gazette.net

she said. “It’s just that, I don’t feel like it.” The 13-year-old Argyle Middle eighth-grader is working on improving her attendance, along with 14 other seventh- and eighth-graders. Since October, Lizbeth has

DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

Evelyn Joray (left), Montgomery County Public Schools pupil personnel worker, and Nilda Colgrove, county schools parent community coordinator, discuss student issues after Truancy Court at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School in Silver Spring. ing to Barbara Babb, the center’s director. In Maryland, she said, parents can be prosecuted criminally if their children do not attend school. One Montgomery County mother recently spent a week in jail and must serve a year of supervised probation, after her daughter missed 48 percent of the 2012-13 school year at Piney Branch Elementary in Silver Spring, Assistant State’s Attorney Curt Zeager said. The program expanded to Anne Arundel County in 2009 and to Montgomery and Baltimore counties in 2010. Then, funding dried up. The program no longer exists in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties, according to Andrea Bento, a University of Baltimore School of Law student who helps administer Montgomery County’s program. The Montgomery County Council allocated $52,000 for the program in ﬁscal 2013 and $78,000 in ﬁscal 2014 to continue and expand the program.

Truancy Court administrators say they target students in middle school because truancy rates often jump in sixth and ninth grades. According to an Oct. 22 memorandum to the County Council’s education and public safety committees, data from Neelsville and Francis Scott Key showed an overall program graduation rate of 57 percent and a reduction in participants’ unexcused absences by about 60 percent in the fall of 2012. The same memorandum said that about 63 percent of participants graduated from the program and reduced their unexcused absences by about 69 percent in the spring of 2013 when Neelsville, Francis Scott Key and Loiederman participated.

‘Another layer of support’ When the bell rings, Lizbeth Molina-Urias’ first thought is not always getting to class on time. “I can get on time to class,”

gone to truancy program meetings each Friday. “It’s awkward, but I go with it,” she said. “They, like, tell me my grades, how I’ve been. They tell me about compliments that my teachers say.” Before the program, Lizbeth didn’t usually focus on her grades, but now she works to improve them. Lizbeth said she writes about missing classwork in a journal she received through the program — one of a variety of prizes the students can get. Students receive small incentives if they show improvement, according to program administrators. Argyle principal Robert Dodd said his school joined because he thought it would provide “another layer of support” for students and parents. The 15 students in the program had five or more unexcused absences or had “excessive tardiness” last year, he said. A recent report from the school shows that 10 of the 15 students have missed no more than two days of classes this year. A seventh-grader who was absent 23.5 days last year has only been absent twice and has a first marking period GPA of 3.12, nearly a full point higher than the student’s GPA for the fourth marking period last year. Tiffany Awkard, assistant principal at Clemente, said the seventh- and eighth-grade students in the school’s first-ever session this fall were absent about 15 to 25 times last school year. Awkard said that for many Clemente students in the program, truancy stems from aca-

demic issues. Some students don’t want to go to class because they’re not performing well. Awkard said the school already had seen an improvement in students’ attendance and attitude. At Neelsville, Principal Vicky Lake-Parcan said about a dozen out of 30 potential students from all three grades are participating. Some Neelsville students have said they don’t attend school because they don’t feel well. Others have anxiety issues or are responsible for getting themselves up and ready for school, she said. “If they’re not feeling successful or feeling like this isn’t where they want to be, it’s really easy for them to just stay in bed and not come to school,” she said. Lake-Parcan said the program addresses absenteeism and truancy before a student goes to the county Truancy Review Board, a multi-agency group that can refer parents of truant children to the state’s attorney’s ofﬁce.

‘Unlimited potential’ On Nov. 20, during the last day of their program session, Clemente students met with Chaikin and others for final thoughts on their progress. Most participating students graduated from Clemente’s program on Nov. 20. Two will continue in the next program session starting in January. The students who graduated reduced their number of unexcused absences by at least 65 percent. “You all now have the tools to be successful, to be on time, to do well,” Chaikin told them. “You all have one thing in common: unlimited potential.” sjbsmith@gazette.net lpowers@gazette.net

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The Gazette’s Guide to

Arts & Entertainment

LET THE ‘GAMES’ BEGIN

All “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” had to do was show up. Page A-16

www.gazette.net

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Page A-11

THEATER

And a partridge in a pear tree n

Award-winning playwright brings fresh take to holiday classic BY

CARA HEDGEPETH STAFF WRITER

In college, actor and director Michael Dove used to get nervous before going on stage. So nervous in fact, that he’d become physically ill. “I would get really sick before every show, particularly a show that I had the lead in,” Dove said. “I would throw up every single night before the show.”

Plenty of actors get nervous before going on stage to face an audience full of strangers, but Dove’s stage was the Children’s Playshop at James Madison University and his audience was a room full of children. So why the nerves? “When you do a show like, let’s say ‘Agnes Under the Big Top,’” a play Dove directed at Round House Theatre earlier this year, ”if someone doesn’t like the show, you’re never going to know that. They’re not going to get bored and start standing up and down in their chairs. I was always nervous about performing

See PARTRIDGE, Page A-15

PHOTO BY MIKE HORAN

Danny Pushkin and Diedra LaWan Starnes star in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” at Adventure Theatre-MTC.

Shall WE

STAFF WRITER

DANCE? Romantic tension at the heart of classic Broadway musical

Paolo Montalban as The King and Eileen Ward as Anna in Olney Theatre Center’s production of “The King and I.”

Bethesda Stamp Art Director Ethel Kessler and Alexandria photographer George Brown worked together with the U.S. Postal Service to release the Hanukkah stamp. 2013 U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

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Whirling around a dance ﬂoor in a skirt that weighs 40 pounds is only part of actress Eileen Ward’s job playing Anna in the Olney Theatre Center’s production of “The King and I.” “It has a hoop the size of a truck,” laughed Ward. “When I go backstage, people have to get out of the way, or I’ll be walking right over them.” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway musical, complete with elaborate costumes and beautiful music, runs to Dec. 29 at the theater. “They’re really pulling out all the stops — the show requires it!” said Mark Waldrop, who is directing “The King and I” for the ﬁrst time. A stage veteran, Waldrop has directed four other shows for Olney

See MUSICAL, Page A-15

THE KING AND I

Classic musical abounds with roles for children “The King and I,” running to Dec. 29 at the Olney Theatre Center, is a Broadway classic that uses a large cast of young children and teenagers. Henry Niepoetter, 12, of College Park, and Ian Berlin, 13, of Chevy Chase, share the role of Anna’s son, Louis.

VIRGINIA TERHUNE

n When: To Dec. 29 (see website for showtimes)

“It’s the biggest role I’ve had so far — it’s my ﬁrst big acting part,” said Niepoetter, who also has performed with the Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo. Niepoetter credits “an amazing father” who

n Where: Olney Theatre Center, 2001 OlneySandy Spring Road, Olney n Tickets: $32.50-$65 n For information: 301-924-3400, olneytheatre.org

See CHILDREN, Page A-15

PHOTOS BY STAN BAROUH

Paolo Montalban as The King in Olney Theatre Center’s production of “The King and I.”

HANUKKAH FOREVER

Wrought-iron menorah used for new USPS Hanukkah stamp BY

WILL C. FRANKLIN STAFF WRITER

Most people wouldn’t really stop to think about spending 46 cents. For that matter, most folks probably aren’t too concerned about something that costs 46 cents. Ethel Kessler, though, put a lot of time and effort into

something that only costs 46 cents, but will last forever. Bethesda resident Kessler, who is the stamp art director for the United States Postal Service, worked with Alexandria, Va., photographer George Brown to create the new Hanukkah stamp just in time for the holiday season. So far in her career, Kessler has designed more than 300 stamps for the USPS. This is her third Hanukkah stamp. With more than 25 years of experience designing for clients such as the Clinton/Gore White House, the Smithsonian and more, Kessler said she had no idea

See HANUKKAH, Page A-15

T H E G AZ ET T E

Page A-12

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

ERIN GIFFORD

Kurt Boehm as Lyle and David Landstrom as Joshua in the musical “Lyle the Crocodile” at Imagination Stage to Jan. 10.

Rockin’ reptile “Lyle the Crocodile” dances onto stage and into audiences’ imaginations to Jan. 10 at Imagination Stage in Bethesda. When the Primm family discovers a crocodile living in the bathtub of their New York City apartment, its an adjustment to say the least. But it’s nothing compared to their nasty neighbor, Mr. Grumps, who has it out for the reptile. Can Lyle save the day and earn his place as a beloved friend and neighbor? For tickets and show times, visit www.imaginationstage.org.

MARIAN MACKERER

“Bottle Tops,” oil on canvas by Marian MacKerer.

Pop ART

Contemporary still life painter Marian MacKerer will be the featured artist for December at the Montgomery Art Association Gallery at Westﬁeld Wheaton Mall. An opening reception is scheduled from 1-5 p.m. Dec. 8. MacKerer has been working in oil for six years. She strives for capturing three-dimensional qualities on a ﬂat canvas, emphasizing light and shadows to capture a realistic still life, and uses a bold palette, staging her compositions with everyday objects. Utilizing both large and small formats, MacKerer tells a story through her compositions to connect the viewer to familiar memories. For more information, visit www.montgomeryart.org.

The suite life

PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER PIPER

The Nutcracker defends Clara-Marie against the Mouse King and his minions in The Puppet Co.’s presentation of “The Nutcracker.”

“The Nutcracker” returns to the Puppet Co. Playhouse from Nov. 29 to Dec. 29 at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo. Show times vary. The company’s rendition of the classic tale was commissioned by the Arlington Symphony to perform with its live orchestra in 1988. The following year it opened at the Puppet Co. Playhouse in what turned out to be an annual tradition for 25 years. For more information, including tickets and show times, visit www.thepuppetco.org.

DANISHA CROSBY

Kimberly Gilbert as Lisa, Naomi Jacobson as Rita and John Lescault as Ben in the Round House Theatre production of “The Lyons.”

‘Lyons’ den Nicky Silver’s “The Lyons” continues to Dec. 22 at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda. Directed by John Vreeke,

the area premiere follows indomitable matriarch Rita Lyons as she faces a major crossroads. Her husband is dying, her son is in a dubious relationship and her daughter is barely holding it together. Tempers ﬂare, words are exchanged and secrets are revealed. Worst of all, Rita can’t ﬁgure out how to redesign her living room. For more information, including tickets and show times, visit www.roundhousetheatre.org.

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THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

Page A-13

Sultan surprise: String artists to rule Mansion at Strathmore stage Canadian quartet brings musical fusion to Montgomery County n

CARA HEDGEPETH STAFF WRITER

Depending on the gig, the Sultans of String can range from a duo to a 60-member ensemble. “A lot of times, Kevin [Laliberté] and I will jump in the Civic and do a duo tour,” said band leader and violinist Chris McKhool. “Sometimes we’ll be out as a trio and then, for really big shows, we go out as a quartet. Once in a while we’ll perform with a symphony orchestra and add 60 players to the mix.” When the Sultans of String perform at the Mansion at Strathmore on Dec. 5, they’ll be a quartet — McKhool on vocals and violin, Laliberté on guitar, Drew Briston on bass and Chendy Leon on percussion. The Strathmore show is the second stop on the ensemble’s mini-tour promoting their fourth album, “Symphony!”

KEVIN KELLY

The Sultans of String (from left): Kevin Laliberté, Eddie Paton (who plays Nylon guitar on “Symphony!”), Drew Briston, Chendy Leon and Chris McKhool. released in September. Other stops include New York City, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. This is only the second visit to the Washington, D.C., area for the Toronto-based Sultans. The band just started touring the U.S. a few years ago, and has recently gained recognition stateside after playing several Folk Alliance Conferences. The Sultans of String have already developed a following in their native Canada for their style of musical fusion featuring a blend of Spanish Flamenco, Arabic folk, Cuban rhythms, Celtic sounds and French Gypsy Jazz. The son of a pianist, McK-

hool grew up listening to classical music. His mother, who also taught piano out of the family’s home, wanted McKhool and his two older siblings to play a musical instrument. “My older brother and sister were already playing the piano so [my mom] thought it would be good for [me] to play the violin,” McKhool said. By high school, McKhool had started listening to Joni Mitchell and Neil Young and had even begun teaching himself folk songs on the guitar. When he moved to Toronto, McKhool said he started listening to violinists like Hugh Marsh

who were pushing the boundaries on the violin. “Hugh Marsh ... he was the first violinist I heard playing alternative violin styles,” McKhool said. “It almost sounded more like a horn player, or a sax player than a violinist.” The Sultans of String formed six years ago, though their unofficial introduction was practically a mistake. “I met Kevin and Drew about 10 years ago but in a different context,” McKhool said. “Kind of a jazz group context. I was leading a jazz quartet ... and I heard Kevin warming up on his guitar, playing Rumba and Flamenco.” McKhool was immediately intrigued. “The first time hearing it was pretty exciting,” he said. “It was my first time really hearing a Rumba rhythm kind of up close and personal. I had heard it on the radio.” Soon, McKhool, Laliberté and Briston were playing together at a small venue in Toronto. “Not that many people were listening to us, so we had a lot of freedom,” McKhool said. “We spent most of the time making

music up on the spot; spontaneous composition. And some of these songs that we made up on the spot have become some of our greatest songs.” The Sultans of String have recorded four albums, the latest a “roots classical crossover” featuring a hand-picked symphony orchestra. “[It’s] a 55-piece pick-up symphony orchestra,” McKhool said. “We cherry-picked our favorite players.” According to McKhool, the Sultans of String, who have been hailed “Canada’s ambassadors of musical diversity,” are always interested in trying new sounds. Living in Toronto it’s very easy tohearsomanydifferentstylesand influences from around the world, McKhool said. “We really like to tell stories through our music about the people we meet and the places we travel to ... [There’s] a lot of experimentation involved. We really enjoy doing a lot of listening.” In addition to a childhood

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ﬁlled with classical music, McKhool said he was also raised on “Canadian values” including tolerance and acceptance. The upbringing has helped shaped his approach to music. “I think it’s really about listening ... instead of trying to change a situation ...” he said. “The best thing we can do as musicians is give a voice to all kinds of music and musicians we think are underrepresented or under-recorded.” chedgepeth@gazette.net

THE GAZETTE

Page A-14

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

Fillmore gives thanks: Venue opens doors for holiday n

Seasonal treats, music and more in store BY

WILL C. FRANKLIN STAFF WRITER

It’s that time of year again. It’s getting a little colder outside and the holiday season is upon us. Many will be spending time with their families around a table ﬁlled with turkey and stuffing this Thanksgiving. Others, who are less fortunate, will be looking to stay warm and for a warm meal. In Silver Spring, the Fillmore looks to do its part to help those in need. The venue will open its doors at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving to provide seasonal treats, music and care packages for those in the community in need. General manager Stephanie Steele said this is the second year the venue has hosted this event. “This year, we’ve changed up the format of the event based

on feedback we received from our guests last year,” Steele said. “This year, we’re going to be featuring a live jazz band, we’re going to be having a dessert service and warm, seasonal drinks like apple cider and hot cocoa. We’re going to have several care package stations set up around the venue.” The stations, according to Steele, allow people to assemble their own care packages by choosing what products they need. “That’s really the ‘giving’ part of giving thanks,” Steele said. “We’re very thankful to be a part of the Silver Spring community and we’re excited to be able to open our doors and invite in an audience that doesn’t always have access to a place like ours and to send them away with things that will keep them warm and will satisfy some of their needs for the days following.” The Fillmore has enough volunteers to help during the day, and while the venue has received

a lot of support in the way of food and clothing donations from the community, Steele said they will continue to accept all donations. What isn’t used or given away will be donated to Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring. “The community response has been overwhelming both years,” Steele said. “… We’ve been receiving tons of donations from local businesses and residents over the last few weeks. Now that we’re getting closer and closer to the Thanksgiving holiday, we’re just receiving a wonderful response in donations every day leading up to it.” The Fillmore will accept donations from noon until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday leading up to Thanksgiving. Donations can also be dropped off while the venue is open for a show. Cash donations are also accepted, according to Steele. Steele said more than a 100 people came by the venue last year and more are expected this

GIVING THANKS n When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday n Where: Fillmore Silver Spring, 8565 Colesville Road, Silver Spring n Admission: Free n For information: 301-9609999; ﬁllmoresilverspring. com

year. “It would be great if we could double that number … this year,” Steele said. “… We’re going to have a big screen and our projector running and showing the holiday parade and any other good thing that’ll be on for folks to watch. It’s truly an opportunity for these guests to come in and sit down and relax in a really welcoming atmosphere and make it something special for them.” wfranklin@gazette.net

IN THE ARTS

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DANCES Hollywood Ballroom,Nov. 27, free International Waltz Routine lesson at 7:30 p.m., Social Ballroom at 8:15 p.m. ($16); Nov. 28, Tea Dance from 12:30–3:30 p.m. ($6); Nov. 29, drop-in lessons from 7:30-9 p.m., West Coast Swing Dancing with Dance Jam Productions at 9 p.m. ($15); Dec. 1, Fox Trot lesson at 7 p.m., Social Ballroom Dance at 8 p.m. ($16); Dec. 4, Social Ballroom Dance from 8–11 p.m. ($10); Dec. 5, Tea Dance from 12:30–3:30 p.m. ($6), 2126 Industrial Highway, Silver Spring, 301-326-1181, www.hollywoodballroomdc.com Glen Echo Park is at 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Blues, Capital Blues: Thurs-

days, 8:15 p.m. beginner lesson, 9-11:30 p.m. dancing to DJs, Glen Echo Park’s Spanish Ballroom Annex, $8, www.capitalblues.org. Contra, Nov. 29, Nils Fred-

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land calls to Elixir; Dec. 6, Adina Gordon calls to Maivish; Dec. 13, Warren Doyle with the fabulous Glen Echo Open Band; Dec. 20, Sargon de Jesus calls to Morrison Brothers; Dec. 27, Bob Isaacs with Perpetual e-Motion, 7:30 p.m. lesson, 8:30 p.m. dance, Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom, $10, www. fridaynightdance.org. Contra & Square, Dec. 1, Contra Elixir with Nils Fredland calling; Dec. 8, Adina Gordon calls with Maivish; Dec. 15, Susan Taylor with Sligo Creek Stompers; Dec. 22, Janine Smith calls with Morrison Brothers Band; Dec. 29, Anna Rain with Perpetual eMotion, 7:30 p.m., Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom, $12 for general, $9 for members, $5 for students, www.fsgw.org. English Country, Nov. 27, Caller: Bob Farrall; Dec. 4, Caller: Melissa Running; Dec. 11, Caller: Liz Donaldson; Dec. 18, Caller: Anna Rain, 8 p.m., Glen Echo Town Hall (upstairs), www.fsgw.

org.

Now and Then Dance Stu-

dio, Saturday ballroom dances,

second and fourth Saturdays, beginner group lesson at 8 p.m., open dancing at 9 p.m., $10 cash at door (all men admitted at half price throughout October), 10111 Darnestown Road, Rockville. 301424-0007, www.nowandthendancestudios.com. Scottish Country Dancing, 8-10 p.m. Mondays, steps and formations taught. No experience, partner necessary, T-39 Building on NIH campus, Wisconsin Avenue and South Drive, Bethesda, 240505-0339. Swing, Dec. 14, Daryl Davis, lesson at 8 p.m., dancing at 9 p.m., Glen Echo Park, $15, www.ﬂyingfeet.org. Waltz, Dec. 1, Elixir; Dec. 15, Sugar Beat; Dec. 29, Terpsichore, 2:45-3:30 p.m. lesson, 3:30-6 p.m., dance, $10, www.waltztimedances.org.

MUSIC & DANCE Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, I & I Riddim, 7:30 p.m. Nov.

27; King Soul, 8 p.m. Nov. 29; The Rat Pack: Together Again, 8 p.m. Nov. 30, call for prices, 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. 240-3304500, www.bethesdabluesjazz. com.

BlackRock Center for the Arts, Angelina Ballerina, 1 p.m.

and 3 p.m., Nov. 30; Metropolitan Klezmer, 5 p.m. Dec. 1; A Charlie Brown Christmas with The Eric Byrd Trio, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7; call for tickets, 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown. 301-528-2260, www.blackrockcenter.org. Fillmore Silver Spring, K. Michelle w/ Sevyn Streeter, 8 p.m. Nov. 27; Giving Thanks, 11 a.m. Nov. 28; The Smokers Club Tour Featuring Joey Bada$$, 8 p.m. Nov. 29; MiMOSA, 8 p.m. Nov. 30, 8656

See IN THE ARTS, Page A-16

THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

Page A-15

Mice follies

Angelina and friends put on a show to celebrate the season

THEATER

ANGELINA BALLERINA:

VIRGINIA TERHUNE

THE VERY MERRY HOLIDAY MUSICAL

STAFF WRITER

Young mouseling Angelina Ballerina and her friends want to do something nice for their community Mouseland over the holidays, and one of them comes up with an idea: “Let’s put on a show!” Each of them possessing unique talents, they start working on song and dance routines for everything from ballet and modern dance to tap, step and hip-hop. But then the costumes don’t arrive, and they have to also work together to overcome other obstacles in order to save the show. “It’s not about the gifts you receive but the gifts you give,” said Stephen Sunderlin about the show, “Angelina Ballerina: The Very Merry Holiday Musical.” Sunderlin is co-founder and artistic director of the Vital Theatre Company in New York City, which presents the show in its Manhattan theater and also produces touring versions. The BlackRock Center for the Arts in

n When: 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday n Where: BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown n Tickets: $14 n For information: 301-5282260, blackrockcenter.org, katharineholabird.com

Germantown will host two performances on Saturday. The holiday musical is based on the “Angelina Ballerina” book series by American writer Katharine Holabird and English illustrator Helen Craig, which debuted in 1983. It tells the story of Angelina, a determined little mouse who dreams of becoming a prima ballerina. “She lives to dance and perform,” said Sunderlin. “It’s based on [Holabird’s] daughter, who would come down to breakfast

SUN PRODUCTIONS INC.

Amanda Leigh Lupacchino as Alice, Nicholas Kuhn as Az, Maria Malanga as Polly, Hillary Ekwall as Angelina, Baba Tavares as Marco and Danelle Rivera as Gracie in a scene from “Angelina Ballerina: The Very Merry Holiday Musical.” with a tutu on,” said Sunderlin.“She loved dressing up.” Vital Theatre’s stage adaptation of the series “was such a big hit, we decided to create a holiday version of the story,” he said. Book and lyrics for the holiday show are by Susan DiLallo, and the music is by Ben Morss. Now in its second year, the nondenominational show features a tree,

MUSICAL

CHILDREN

Continued from Page A-11 helps him learn his lines. He also gets to sing “I Whistle a Happy Tune” with Eileen Ward, who portrays Anna. “Everybody loves Rodgers and Hammerstein,” he said. “[The King and I”] is a classic show. It’s timeless and entertaining.” Berlin, who performed in “James and the Giant Peach” at Imagination Stage last year, said Louis is “a little kid who wants to

animals on stage,” laughed Sunderlin. “They come to the shows and they know the characters. They have personal relationships with them.” But Sunderlin said the performances are also something that adults would enjoy. “It’s like a mini-musical that happens to appeal to children,” he said. vterhune@gazette.net

PARTRIDGE

Continued from Page A-11 — “Cinderella,” “Annie,” “The Sound of Music” and “Little Shop of Horrors.” When he heard the theater was going to do “The King and I,” he jumped at the chance to participate. “It’s been a real discovery,” said Waldrop, who skipped watching movie adaptations and dug right into the script. He said the story is rich with the romantic tension between Anna and the king and also with serious themes about the clash of cultures and slavery. And it has beautiful music, he said, with songs like “Shall We Dance?,” “Hello, Young Lovers” and “Getting to Know You.” The musical, which debuted on Broadway in 1951, is based on a 1944 book by Margaret Landon called “Anna and the King of Siam.” The book was a romanticized account of the life of Anna Harriet Leonowens Edwards, who grew up in an Army family in India. She married and had two children, and after her husband died, she needed to ﬁnd work to support them. In 1862, she journeyed to Siam, which today is Thailand, to teach English and Western culture to the wives and children of King Mongkut (Paolo Montalban), who was trying to modernize his country. “He has a very inquisitive mind, and he’s always trying to learn new things and move forward in his thinking,” Waldrop said. In the musical, Anna arrives with her son, Louis (Ian Berlin and Henry Niepoetter in a shared role). Nervous about what lies ahead, she and Louis sing, “I Whistle a Happy Tune.” Anna meets the king and is welcomed by the wives and the children, who include Crown Prince Chulalongkorn (played by Josiah Segui). A strong-minded modern woman, Anna soon squares off with the equally strong-minded king over a promise he made that she would have her own house.

a dreidel and cookies, but it does not revolve around any speciﬁc tradition. It also taps into the popularity of the book series, which goes back 30 years. “It’s such a well-loved brand — parents are bringing their kids,” said Sunderlin. There are, however, no parents or adult characters in the show, which is geared for children 4 and older. “Kids like to see themselves and

Continued from Page A-11

Eileen Ward as Anna and the cast of “The King and I.”

PHOTO STAN BAROUH

She continues to insist on the house, which annoys the king — but also intrigues him. “What is it exactly that happens between Anna and the king? We wanted to explore that relationship more [than it has been in some other productions],” said Ward. The king is puzzled by Anna’s customs and ways of thinking, but he is open to learning from her, as long as he can do so without losing face before his subjects. “It’s been delightful to see how funny both characters are,” said Waldrop about their developing relationship. But then events take over when the King of Burma presents the king with a slave girl named Tuptim (YoonJeong Seong), who is supposed to be the king’s next bride. But she is in love with Lun Tha (Eymard Cabling), the young scholar who brought her to the Bangkok court. Also soon to arrive at the court are English dignitaries whom the king thinks are planning to take control of his country. Believing they perceive him as a “barbarian,” he accepts Anna’s idea to entertain them with a Western style ball and a play written by Tuptim based on “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The evening is a resounding success, and the king and Anna decide to dance. “They discover that there’s a mutual attraction,” said Waldrop. “They’re very high, almost

euphoric.” But such moments can suddenly shift to moments of loss and sorrow. “Hammerstein seesaws between emotions without missing a beat,” said Waldrop. “He does it smoothly and logically, in a way that’s not confusing.” When faced with a challenge to his authority, the king believes it is his duty to punish Tuptim by whipping her and making an example of her disobedience to his subjects. “He’s pushed to a place where he feels he has to prove and fulﬁll his role as king,” Waldrop said. But Anna objects, causing a rupture in their relationship, which by now has evolved into one of mutual respect and unspoken love for each other. “It puts the relationship at a breaking point,” Waldrop said. “It’s an incredibly dramatic moment.” “There are a lot of laughs, but there is also conﬂict and heartbreak,” he said about the show. Waldrop said “The King and I” is “a great introduction to classic Broadway musical theater.” “I think it’s a great family show, and an old-school musical that really plays and really moves [people],” he said. “It really holds up. There are some deep themes, and it has a tremendous amount of heart.”

have fun.” “He wants to spend time with his mom, he likes to be with his friends and he goes to school,” he said. For Berlin, the best part of the musical is the Siamese dancing in the play about “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” “It’s spectacular, the masks, the whole ballet,” he said. “That is [for me] the ultimate scene in ‘The King and I.’” Josiah Segui, 15, who lives in Gaithersburg, plays the king’s son, Crown Prince Chulalongkorn.

A homeschooled student, Segui said he’s studied acting with Cathy Mays through the Montgomery Christian Institute, and that she has prepared him well for his ﬁrst professional acting job. He said he and the other actors worked with a dialogue coach to develop their Siamese accents. “I also get to do a lot of singing in the scenes with the kids,” said Segui. “They’re hilarious, they steal the show. The audience will deﬁnitely melt.” — VIRGINIA TERHUNE

HANUKKAH

Continued from Page A-11 stamps would be in her future when she ﬁrst started. “There’s no way anyone could have known that,” Kessler laughed. “It’s been a really exciting adventure, because you have to be cognizant of American history and have a passion for the creative side.” Brown is relatively new to the stamp-creating world. The Hanukkah stamp is his third overall, along with the Vintage Seed Packets and Global Forever: Evergreen Wreath stamps, which were all released this year. For his part, Brown said he’s completely blown away

vterhune@gazette.net

thinking that his work will be seen and used by millions. “I’ve never had anything where this many people will see anything that I’ve ever done,” Brown said. “… I was at the ﬁrst day of issue ceremony yesterday up in New York … and a guy comes up to me and says ‘You realize, of course, that now whenever you pass on from this world, this is going to be mentioned.’ No, I hadn’t thought about that. But yeah, it’s going to be out there and it’s going to be some notoriety to me in that it’s going to be there essentially forever.” The Hanukkah stamp features a photo of a wrought-iron, hand-forged menorah, created by Vermont blacksmith Steven Bronstein. By using an-

in front of children because you know immediately if it’s not working.” Hopefully Dove can avoid the nerves — or at least getting sick — this season when he directs “The Twelve Days of Christmas” at Adventure Theatre MTC. The show runs to Dec. 30. Based on the popular holiday tune, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was adapted and written by award-winning playwright Renee Calarco. After Adventure Theatre MTC producing artistic director Michael Bobbitt approached her with the idea, Calarco said she got to work on an outline about six months ago. This is not the ﬁrst time Bobbitt has tackled offbeat source material. The company commissioned playwright Kevin Ludwig in 2011 to adapt “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” and in the spring, Adventure Theatre MTC produced “Three Little Birds,” adapted from Bob Marley’s song book. “The interesting part of it was once you started looking to the lyrics of the song, there’s not a big story there,” Calarco said. “So the challenge for me was how do you take this song that doesn’t really have a story and make it into a story?” Despite a cast of colorful characters including ladies and lords and swans, Calarco said she knew she would have to focus on a central character who would “go on a journey.” “So I thought ... you know, the one constant character throughout the song is the partridge,” Calarco said. “You know, everybody keeps coming back to the partridge.” “Renee Calarco is a genius,” said Deidra LaWan Starnes, who plays Shirley, the last in a long line of partridges responsible for pulling together the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” “Just the fact that she was able to come up with a play with a plot line from a song was amazing to me.” “She’s following in the footsteps of her mother and her grandmother and her great-grandmother,” Calarco said of Shirley. “It’s kind of passing down this legacy from thousands of years to this one little partridge who’s turn it ﬁnally is to do it.” The only problem is, Shirley’s not thrilled about the

cient techniques, Bronstein used 20 feet of iron to create the menorah. “There’s a real process that goes on with all stamps and the stamp design,” Kessler said. “… The committee — when I say committee I mean the ﬁnished stamp advisory committee — has a procedure like, ‘OK, you’ve got the assignment, but bring us ideas about the direction you want to take. Let us approve that and then we’ll tell you to go ahead and with that direction.” Kessler said everything doesn’t always work perfectly when it comes to getting a stamp approved. Kessler and Brown photographed several menorahs for the stamp. Some designs featured the use of two and even three menorahs in one shot.

PHOTO BY MIKE HORAN

Diedra LaWan Starnes as Shirley in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” at Adventure Theatre-MTC. task. “She doesn’t like the song,” Starnes said. “She thinks it’s old and boring.” Like Dove, Calarco, who has written only one other play for children’s theater, an adaptation of “If You Give a Cat a Cupcake” for Adventure Theatre MTC in 2011, noted that creating a play for young children brings with it a dose of brutal honesty. “I ﬁnd it really lovely and it’s a great thing for writers to write for children and especially to see how the play plays in front of children because kids do not have ﬁlters,” Calarco said. “If they’re not engaged in the play, you know it. If they’re bored, you know it immediately.” Starnes said the cast has even taken turns yelling things out at each other during rehearsal to prepare them for what their young audience members might have to say in the midst of a performance. Though Dove admits “in some ways [he] feels more pressure on this project than anything [he’s] done before,” the director said he’s also excited by the prospect of directing something outside of his typical repertoire.

“I started looking for menorahs that I thought would be interesting and a little different than what we had done before,” Kessler said. “I sort of went shopping. … I ended up with three different menorahs that I thought we could either shoot them individually, or as pairs, one sort of in focus in the front, one out of focus in the back, or shoot all three together. … One of the menorahs I saw was this hand-forged menorah by the guy in Vermont, which I thought was great. First of all, it ties together the idea of American craft, as well as the menorah being black and forged. You always have to think about stamp size — what’s this going to look like stamp size? Here’s a case where the cropping of the black menorah kind of

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS n When: To Dec. 30 (see website for speciﬁc show times) n Where: Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo n Tickets: $19 n For information: 301-6342270, adventuretheatremtc.org

“Directors are always talking about how we get a little stuck sometimes. We get pigeonholed and people think we can only do one thing,” Dove said. “And since most of the work I’ve done in the area has been for Forum Theatre, I think people only think of me as a pretty serious, drama, political theatertype director. But when I was an actor, by far the place I was most comfortable was comedy. It’s always fun to try and get back to that as a director because it’s a place I’m very comfortable in but don’t get to work in.” chedgepeth@gazette.net

creates a great holder, if you will, for the lit candles.” According to Brown, the process is a collaborative one. He and Kessler worked hand-in-hand on the overall design of the stamp. When it came down to the right menorah, Brown really liked the wrought-iron look. “Because it was forged, you had all the markings and stuff, the tool-work that was on it,” Brown said. “So, photographically it was much more interesting to light that one and bring out some of the textures of the forged markings. It was nice and simple, straightforward with a bold design. That was the one everyone sort of liked.” wfranklin@gazette.net

T H E G AZ ET T E

Page A-16

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

AT THE MOVIES

Director gives ‘Hunger Games’ franchise and heroine a solid score BY

MICHAEL PHILLIPS CHICAGO TRIBUNE

“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is a lot like its own celebrity heroine, Katniss Everdeen, who begins this second “Hunger Games” movie fulfilling a public relations tour as penance for her killer — literally, killer — popularity. She is adored by millions; the books are too. The three Suzanne Collins novels, to be spread across four films, are being adapted with both eyes on fidelity to the source material. All “Catching Fire” had to do was to show up, look good and not screw up to succeed. Consider “Catching Fire” an example of successful franchise installment delivery, on time and in sturdy condition. Some interesting shifts in tone and texture this time out. The film looks nothing like the first, Gary Ross-directed “Hunger Games,” which I slightly prefer to the solid, well-paced No. 2. “Catching Fire” features director Francis Lawrence behind the camera, and already he has signed for the next two. Ross favored hand-held shakycam stylistics in his depiction of futuristic totalitarian America,

Liam Hemsworth stars as Gale Hawthorne in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” a police-state mess known as Panem. Lawrence, by contrast, shoots “Catching Fire” with a steadier gaze and a sleeker touch, offering a little bit of everything and not too much of any one thing. For newbies: The games of the title are battles to the death between cunning, resourcefully murderous representatives of Panem’s beaten-down districts. Through her wiles, her bow-and-arrow skills and her bangin’ fashion sense Katniss triumphed, mournfully, in the

ﬁrst movie, surviving to the end and cleverly engineering a lifesaving maneuver for her friend and fellow district competitor, the baker’s son, Peeta. “Catching Fire” opens in the script by Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn with Katniss and Peeta, pretending to be sweethearts for a rabid TV audience, embarking on their 12-day victory tour, culminating in a big show at the Capitol. President Snow connives to crush this fearsomely famous woman, whose ability to

PHOTO MURRAY CLOSE

foment revolution among the oppressed masses is nothing to dismiss. The movie is part treatise on the hardships of unwanted notoriety, part blood sport revisited, the games this time played by an all-star cadre of past winners. Ways to die? Oh so many. This time there’s creeping, human-made poisonous fog, which gives its victims a miserable case of acne, as if there weren’t already enough points of identiﬁcation for teens. There are electrocutions, stabbings

and other classics. Shooting in Hawaii, which gives this sequel a distinct “Lost” look, director Lawrence traffic-manages with considerable effectiveness. The simian attack, for example, which is plenty scary, recalls Lawrence’s work with the computer-generated beasties in his remake of “I Am Legend,” the one starring Will Smith. Like that picture, “Catching Fire” has the bonus of a genuinely charismatic performer at its center. Jennifer Lawrence, now an Oscar winner thanks to “Silver Linings Playbook,” emotes like crazy throughout “Catching Fire,” but you never catch her acting. It feels real, and Lawrence sees to it that we rarely experience the dramatic set-ups in terms of cheap revenge or conventional movie blood lust. Josh Hutcherson returns as Peeta; his romantic rival for Katniss’ preoccupied affections (she’s got a lot going on, after all) is once again played by Liam Hemsworth. Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and Lenny Kravitz buzz around engagingly as Katniss’ entourage. You keep waiting for better zingers, which never arrive, but “The Hunger Games” isn’t about wit; it’s about blunt lessons in hypocrisy

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE n 3 stars n PG-13; 146 minutes n Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth. Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci n Directed by Francis Lawrence

and class warfare, about to be waged but good. Newcomers to the franchise, all welcome, include Philip Seymour Hoffman, as the game designer with the ambiguous motives, and Jeffrey Wright and Amanda Plummer as a Muttand-Jeff pair of unlikely competitors, more about brains than brawn. The violence in “Catching Fire” can get pretty rough, but the reason these first two movies work relates to our ability to take the carnage seriously. Lawrence’s Katniss doesn’t Bruce-Willis her way through the events of the rather thinly spread story. Each time she witnesses a killing, state-sanctioned or otherwise, it hurts. It means something. We’re not talking about highly dimensional or evocative mythmaking here; the films are more about hitting the marks and setting up the next part. But they work. Postscript A: I find the rampant fashion merchandising tie-ins with “Catching Fire” pretty strange, given the outre, drag-queeny excess of costume designer Trish Summerville’s clothes. At times the results verge on “Priscilla: Queen of the Hunger Games.” But for many the costumes are part of the dystopian, blood-stained fun. Postscript B: Stanley Tucci reprises, drolly, his role of the oily reality-TV host from the first picture. If his teeth get any whiter we’re going to need special glasses to watch the third one.

IN THE ARTS

Continued from Page A-14 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, 301960-9999, FillmoreSilverSpring. com, www.livenation.com. Institute of Musical Traditions — Takoma Park, April Verch, 7:30

p.m. Dec. 4, Takoma Park Community Center, call for prices, times, Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, 301-960-3655, www.imtfolk. org.

Institute of Musical Traditions — Rockville, Robin Bullock, Ken

Kolodner & Elke Baker, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9, Saint Mark Presbyterian Church, 10701 Old Georgetown Road, Rockville, call for prices, www.imtfolk.org. Strathmore, Classic Albums Live: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 8 p.m. Nov. 29; Michael McDonald — This Christmas: An Evening of Holiday & Hits, 8 p.m. Nov. 30; Boston Brass and the Brass All-Stars Big Band with the Strathmore Children’s Chorus, 4 p.m. Dec. 1; Afternoon/Specialty Teas, 1 p.m. Dec. 2-4; AIR Mentor: Dr. James Ross with Piotr Pakhomkin, guitar & Nistha Raj, violin, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4; Teatro alla Scala Academy Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4; Sultans of String, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5; Crystal Gayle and Lee Greenwood, 8 p.m. Dec. 5; The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show, 8 p.m. Dec. 6, call for venue, Locations: Mansion, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda; Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, 301-5815100, www.strathmore.org.

ON STAGE

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Adventure Theatre, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” to Dec. 30, call for prices, times, Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, 301-634-2270, www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org. Do or Die Mysteries, TBA, 6:30 p.m. buffet, 7:30 p.m. show, $47.50 buffet and show, Flanagan’s Harp and Fiddle, 4844 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, 443-422-3810, www. doordiemystery.com Imagination Stage, “Lyle the Crocodile,” to Jan. 10, call for prices, times, Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda, www. imaginationstage.org Olney Theatre Center, “The King and I,” to Dec. 29, call for prices, times, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, 301-924-3400, www.olneytheatre.org.

HOLY CROSS SENIOR LEADS THE ALL-GAZETTE GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL TEAM, B-3

SPORTS BETHESDA | KENSINGTON

www.gazette.net | Wednesday, November 27, 2013 | Page B-1

BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE

Damascus High School, which is expected to be a state wrestling title favorite, is led by Mikey Macklin (top), one of the top returning wrestlers in the state this winter.

Back to the top: Damascus wrestling looks unbeatable, again Swarmin’ Hornets’ top core of juniors has team poised for high expectations

NICK CAMMAROTA STAFF WRITER

Damascus High School’s wrestling program had one of the more successful seasons in its proud history last year. The Swarmin’ Hornets won a Montgomery County title, a 4A/3A West Region title and also captured regional and state dual meet championships. The only trophy they didn’t take home was at the Maryland state tournament at Cole Field House. So what’s the ﬁrst thing coach John Furgeson did at his team’s opening practice of the 2013-14 campaign? He ripped all those records off the wall and threw them in the trash. “This is a whole new year and we told them you’ve got to go out and get it,” Furgeson said. “The kids are in a good state of mind right now and they’re letting things go, letting the chips fall where they may. But it’s obviously a goal of ours to get the ﬁve championships that we’re after.” Such has become the norm at Damascus, which speaks remarkable volumes to how Furgeson has continued the legacy left by former coach Dave Hopkins. From the youth program all the way through to the varsity team’s top competitors, wres

See WRESTLING, Page B-2

Paint Branch, Northwest meet again in football Jaguars won ﬁrst game in OT; this time it’s for berth in state title game

ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER

In October, a talented Northwest High School football team marched into Burtonsville on a rainy Friday evening and spoiled Paint Branch’s undefeated season with a 31-28 overtime victory. If the Panthers (11-1) play like that again — committing turnovers and missing assignments — when they host the much-improved Jaguars (10-2) 7 p.m. Friday in the Class 4A state semiﬁnals, they’ll be in for trouble, Paint Branch coach Michael Nesmith said. “They were too good at that time and they’re even better now,” Nesmith said. “... If you make the mistakes that we made that game, it’ll cost you.” While both teams come into the state semiﬁnals riding hot

1858030

Col. Zadok Magruder High School graduate Alex Lee is playing professional soccer after recovering from getting hit by a car.

OVERCOMING ROADBLOCKS

Magruder graduate’s path to professional soccer has included many detours

TRAVIS MEWHIRTER

STAFF WRITER

eaders had never really been a cause of concern for Alex Lee. He had played soccer forever; they were a common, everyday part of the game. Yet 20 minutes into a 2010 spring game against Akron his sophomore year, the University of Maryland, College

Park right back couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety. This would be the ﬁrst time Lee headed a ball after surgeons opened up his skull and drained a potentially life-threatening, 10-centimeter blood clot in his brain. Roughly six months earlier, on Oct. 10, 2009, he had been out in Washington, D.C. with some of his old teammates who were playing with the D.C. United at the time. He said his memory checks out around 9:28 p.m., but he was told that, around 9:30, he mindlessly crossed the street directly in front of a car, which hit him head on. Just a few blocks from George Washington University hospital, it took just 11 minutes for Lee to be carted through its

Northwest (10-2) at Paint Branch (11-1) n When: 7 p.m. Friday n Where: Paint Branch High School, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville

n Tickets: $5 n Stakes: The winner advances to the Class 4A state championship game to meet the winner of Saturday’s Meade (10-2) at Suitland (12-0) game.

See FOOTBALL, Page B-2

doors. When he awoke in the hospital bed, his thoughts went to soccer, ﬁrst wondering how his coach at Maryland, Sasho Cirovski, would react, and then to his legs. “I kept feeling my legs,” he said. They weren’t paralyzed or, somewhat miraculously, even damaged much at all. A little more than two years after the accident, those legs got him drafted in the ﬁrst round of the supplemental Major League Soccer draft by FC Dallas. He lasted just a year with Dallas after a hernia sidelined him, but he has since signed a two-year contract with the Richmond Kickers.

See SOCCER, Page B-2

County girls’ soccer players picked for All-American game

IF YOU GO

streaks, it’s the Jaguars (10-2) that are the talk of Montgomery County football. Led by sophomore quarterback Mark Pierce, Northwest has won four straight games against high-quality op

PHOTO FROM ALEX LEE

B-CC, Good Counsel stars among 44 named to an event in North Carolina BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER

GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE

Eliza Doll (left) of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School looks to shoot the ball near the goal against Walt Whitman.

The 2013 high school girls’ soccer season has come to a close, but four-year starting Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School midﬁelder/forward Eliza Doll and four-year Our Lady of Good Counsel goalkeeper Me-

gan “Stu” Hinz will get one more chance to represent their respective programs on the pitch, and on a national level. Colgate University recruit Doll and Hinz, a University of Michigan recruit, were among the top 44 players throughout the nation selected to compete in the First High School AllAmerican game scheduled for Dec. 7 in Cary, N.C. Good Counsel leading scorer, Imani Dorsey, who is committed to play soccer

See GIRLS, Page B-2

THE GAZETTE

Page B-2

FOOTBALL

Continued from Page B-1

BRIAN LEWIS/FOR THE GAZETTE

Northwest High School quarterback Mark Pierce drops back to pass against Quince Orchard on Friday.

GIRLS

Continued from Page B-1 on scholarship at Duke University in 2014-15, was also selected — Falcons coach Jim Bruno said she is the thirdranked high school player in the country — but is unable to attend. “It means a lot [to be selected],” Hinz said. “When I heard about it I was really happy, I put a lot of work in this year. To be recognized like this and partake in something like this means a lot. I’m really excited, this is deﬁnitely an experience I will be able to draw back on.” The All-American game coincides with the biggest weekend in NCAA women’s soccer as the College Cup is

SOCCER

Continued from Page B-1 Though they may not be MLS, Lee, a 2008 graduate from Col. Zadok Magruder High School, is still “living a dream.”

Championship pedigree As a senior at Magruder, Lee led the Colonels to a 19-0 record and a 4A state championship. He set the school record for goals in a season (21, in just 16 games), which subsequently resulted in his becoming the Colonels’ all-time leading scorer (52 goals) and an All-America nod. In less than a year, as a Terp,

WRESTLING

Continued from Page B-1 tling is a passion at Damascus that’s seemingly unmatched anywhere else in the county, possibly the state. “This is what you hope you would build up,” Furgeson said. “The feeder program keeps bringing in kids who are willing and able to put forth effort and put a great team together. They’ve been together for so many years, so they all know each other and like each other.”

1906003

ponents, including two victories over Quince Orchard (10-2). The Jaguars defeated the Cougars 2820 in the Class 4A West Region championship game on Friday to advance. “Our kids realize that Northwest is a much improved team,” Nesmith said. Pierce threw two touchdowns and two interceptions in the region final, completing 13-of-23 passes for 133 yards. He is averaging three touchdown passes during Northwest’s four-game winning streak. Northwest senior Joshua Gills and Pierce shared quarterbacking responsibilities when it played Paint Branch in the regular season, with Gills taking most of the snaps under center. “[Pierce’s] confidence seems to have gone up several notches,” Nesmith said. “He no longer looks like a sophomore quarterback when he’s back there.” Northwest receiver Matt Watson has developed into Pierce’s top target in the playoffs. The senior has five touchdowns in the postseason. “He came out of nowhere.

also being played Dec. 6 and 8 in Cary. The participants will attend the semiﬁnal games on Dec. 6, an opportunity both Doll and Hinz said they are looking forward to as well. Hinz might get the chance to watch her future teammates, Michigan played its secondround game on Friday but the game ended too late to be included in this edition of The Gazette. Doll and Hinz agreed playing against the nation’s top high school soccer players in an all-star format is sure to provide a high level of competition. Both have attended NCAA tournament games in the past, they said, but not in the past couple of years as they close in on their own freshman seasons of college ball, something that has only

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

FEARLESS FORECASTS The Gazette sports staff picks the winners. Here are this week’s selections:

Ken Sain

Nick Cammarota

Jennifer Beekman

Dan Feldman

Travis Mewhirter

Kent Zakour

Montgomery record All games

153-30 303-59

151-32 301-61

152-31 300-62

151-32 300-62

147-36 297-65

143-40 285-77

Northwest at P.Branch Meade at Suitland Surratts. at Fort Hill

Northwest Suitland Fort Hill

Paint Branch Suitland Surrattsville

Northwest Suitland Fort Hill

Nobody knew who he was,” Pierce said. “Everybody’s asking me, ‘Who’s Matt Watson, who’s Matt Watson?’ Just get the ball in his hands and he’ll make a play.” Paint Branch has won six straight games, most recently a 51-48 victory over Perry Hall (102) in the Class 4A North Region ﬁnals. The Panthers fell behind 26-6 before putting up 31 secondhalf points to escape with the win. Senior quarterback Gaston Cooper threw for more than 300 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead Paint Branch’s comeback. Nesmith said his team cannot afford another slow start against

recently become so tangible, Hinz said. Someday, both said they hope to play in the College Cup. “[A few years ago] I went to a Final Four game,” Doll said. “I still look at those girls and think, ‘Wow, they’re incredible.’ But I remember a few years ago I was like, ‘This is a dream.’ I was so excited that one day I would be playing college soccer and it’s crazy it’ll be next year.” The All-American participants were chosen by a selection committee that included high school coaches and National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America members and were selected based on high school achievements only, according to a news release. The players were divided into East and West

Northwest. “We have to play a great game in order to beat these guys,” Nesmith said. The Panthers are coming off a 3-7 season, one which Nesmith called an “aberration.” “We had a talented team last year a team that we felt could have been a playoff team had it not been for a lack of chemistry,” Nesmith said. This season there is more of a team effort, Cooper said. “We’re bonded together. Last year we didn’t really have too much of a team bond, but this year we’re even more close,” Cooper said.

coast teams. Hinz and Doll, who have known each other for years through club soccer and the Olympic Development Program, agreed the opportunity to represent the East Coast and Washington Metropolitan area in particular is an additional honor and adds fun twist on the all-star game. “I think [the All-American game] is a cool idea and I like the idea of playing against the West team because it’s totally different competition,” Doll said. “I’m excited, I think it’s going to be really competitive. You always hear about California girls being such incredible soccer players, I’m excited to represent the East Coast.” Players are scheduled to arrive Thursday and should have no more than

Lee played 13 games at forward in what eventually resulted in a national championship. NCAA title in hand, the entire back line turned pro, three going to the MLS, one to the United Soccer Leagues, and Cirovski needed some new defenders. “At our level, you have to have players in the back who have an understanding of a forward’s mentality,” he said. To his chagrin at the time, Lee was that archetypal, offensive-minded defender whom Cirovski sought. “At ﬁrst I was pretty disappointed,” he said. “But eventually, when I was playing back line, I was loving it.” In time, Lee established

himself as a starter. But then came the car accident just 11 games into his sophomore season, and so began the long road of recovery. “He was always a great healer with muscle injuries,” Cirovski said. “But you never know with the head. We all thought his career was over.” Lee was back to school in less than a month, jogging in two months, and running full speed in four. That fall he returned as Cirovski’s full-time starter at center back and led the Terps to a school-record 15 shutouts in his junior season. But at the end of his collegiate career it was back to rehab after a pulled quadriceps sidelined

him for the ﬁnal eight games of his senior season as well as any professional combines he had a chance to participate. Despite the missed time, Dallas drafted him with the 11th overall pick in the 2012 supplemental draft. Lee was going pro.

As crazy as it might sound, this year’s team could potentially be better than the group that won four out of ﬁve possible titles last season. And that’s a scary proposition for local coaches. “Damascus is clearly the cream of the crop,” said BethesdaChevy Chase coach Nick Arnone. “I’d be shocked if they don’t win the state title for the next few years. Just seeing the team that they have coming back and the youth they have coming in, it’s going to be tough for any team in the state to compete with them.” The Swarmin’ Hornets are

led by a juniors in Owen Brooks, Ari Capacardo, Johnny Fischer, Mikey Macklin, Cory Obendorfer and Michael Wilkerson. Macklin won a 4A/3A state title at 106 pounds last season, while Wilkerson took home a region title and Brooks lost in the region ﬁnal. They’ll also likely be able to absorb the blow of losing four key seniors from last year’s team (Caleb Baisden, Andrew Nickell, Michael Scafate and George Vinson) with relative ease, which says something about the talented underclassmen stepping in. “Those guys are setting the

The Northwest-Paint Branch winner will face either Suitland (12-0) or Meade (10-2) in the state championship game scheduled for Dec. 6 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Paint Branch has not won a state championship since 1975. Northwest, established in 1998, won its ﬁrst and only state title (3A) in 2004 when it defeated Lackey 14-9. “If we beat QO we can beat anybody,” Pierce said. “We’re hot right now. We need to keep going, we need to keep going.” Travis Mewhirter contributed. egoldwein@gazette.net

two days to practice with their teams, but Doll and Hinz agreed the magnitude of the event will still bring out the best in these highly competitive athletes. Doll also said she is familiar with many of the girls on the East team through club soccer. One of them, Carissima Cutrona (Williamsville, N.Y.), will be her teammate next year at Colgate. There are only so many ways high school girls’ soccer players can be recognized, Bruno said, and being one of 44 players selected from the entire country to play in an All-American game is quite remarkable. “It’s really a prestigious honor,” Bruno said. “It’s a great thing for them.” jbeekman@gazette.net

His quad recovered, Lee was back into what he says was close to the best shape of his life. Then, with the Dallas coaches telling him he was scheduled to make his ﬁrst start, Lee began to feel pain. In October, after two to three months of rehabbing the enigmatic injury, a doctor concluded Lee had a hernia. He

would need season-ending surgery. As Lee went through yet another rehab, management changed hands in Dallas, and his option wasn’t picked up. “I knew it was coming,” Lee said. “He hadn’t seen me play. He didn’t know anything about me.” But he was sure other pro clubs would come calling. Only one, Tampa, did, but the tryout was fruitless. “I was real close to retiring,” he said. His agent informed him of a last-ditch tryout for a USL club, the Richmond Kickers. It took just one weekend for coach Leigh Cowlishaw to extend Lee a

contract. “To be honest, right away we knew he was going to be the right fit for us,” he said. “The boy has an engine, always wanting to join the attack, which was exactly what we wanted.” Lee appeared in 20 games, was fifth on the team in minutes (1,664), and stood out enough that its big brother affiliate, the D.C. United, invited him and two others on a trip to Indonesia next week. “I think he has all the attributes to play in the MLS,” Cowlishaw said. “I think it’s just if someone is willing to take a chance on him.”

tone already in the room,” he said of his juniors. “No nonsense, no complaining. For the most part, these guys wrestle year round and are doing everything they can to be successful. With that in mind, they’re just kids and they just want to have fun. It’s really special and cool to see them do that.” Of course, perspectives can vary when it comes to the county’s opponents sizing up the Hornets. Everything from great respect to a deep desire to beat them. But Northwest coach Joe Vukovich, whose teams are tra-

ditionally very strong, said it’s important to have a squad like Damascus set the standard for excellence in the area. “We can really benefit by having a state championshipcaliber team like them in our region because everyone’s got to rise to that level,” he said. “It’s all about who’s going to step up to their level and challenge them.” Whether any team will be able to do so remains to be seen, but Furgeson did his grapplers no favors by setting an extremely difﬁcult schedule that includes a trip to Glenelg, a visit

from DeMatha Catholic and a tournaments that feature Oakdale and River Hill. He wants to make sure no venue, including the eight mats and bright lights of the state tournament, is too big for his group. “We’re not going to creep up on anybody,” Furgeson said. “We’re not one of the younger teams anymore. There’s pretty much a bull’s-eye on our chest. But the kids are going about it with a great energy and they’re having fun too.”

Another chance

tmewhirter@gazette.net

ncammarota@gazette.net

THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

Page B-3

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL

Player of the Year

Rhamat Alhassan Senior Holy Cross Middle

BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE

Winston Churchill High School’s Hunter Sutton (right) is one of the top returning wrestlers in the state.

Bound for Florida next year, the Player of the Year hit for 296 kills in leading the Tartans to a WCAC title

Wrestling preview: Should be a competitive season

BRIAN LEWIS/THE GAZETTE

Academy of the Holy Cross senior Rhamat Alhassan is The Gazette’s Player of the Year in girls’ volleyball for 2013 after leading the Tartans to their conference championship.

Good Counsel, Churchill, Sherwood should lead a wide-open ﬁeld in race for second place

First Team

NICK CAMMAROTA STAFF WRITER

Heading into Montgomery County’s 2013-14 wrestling season, there’s Damascus High School and then there’s everybody else. That’s becoming as much a fact of life as it is a testament to the program that Swarmin’ Hornets coach John Furgeson, entering his sixth season, and his staff have built. But, as always, anything can happen in a county where so many teams feature strong wrestling talent and — particularly in the race to see who might be able to top might Damascus — it’s anyone’s guess as to which squads will stand out by year’s end. “We’re looking forward to the challenges,” said Furgeson, who returns a crop of six talented juniors to a team that won four of ﬁve possible trophies last postseason. “The guys are working hard, having fun and trying to get back to where we ended last year.” A number of teams could have a shot at knocking off the Swarmin’ Hornets, with Winston Churchill, Sherwood and Walt Whitman near the top of that list. For the Bulldogs, the season is loaded with promise provided their wrestlers can stay healthy. Tim Lowe’s team is expected to return one of the better wrestlers in the state, let alone the county, in Hunter Sutton. Had Sutton not gotten hurt midway through last season, he might be in position to win a fourth state championship this year. As it is, he’ll have a great shot at winning three as he joins Adama Keita as two premiere middleweight returners. Sherwood also should be a team to look out for. Coach Pete Siarkas returns a senior-laden squad that’s very balanced in the lower and middle weights. Senior Chris Minor, who last year earned his 100th victory, joins Andrew Frumkin, Cal Wilson, Matt Roberts and senior transfer Robby Happy as the nucleus of a very strong team. “This is going to be one of

GEORGE P. SMITH/FOR THE GAZETTE

Sherwood High School’s Chris Minor (bottom) is one of the top returning wrestlers in the state. my better teams that I’ve had in the last four years,” Siarkas said. “I’m just anxious to get the season started and to see where we are.” For Whitman, the depth stretches beyond returning 4A/3A West Region champions in Mitch Fenton and Jack Calder. While those two undoubtedly are expected to turn in memorable campaigns, coach Derek Manon has plenty to be excited about. At Northwest and BethesdaChevy Chase, both teams lost a lot of talent to graduation but are likely to reload quickly. Nick Davis is the Jaguars’ only returning state tournament qualiﬁer while state champion Luis Beteta’s younger brother Mauro Beteta and Dell Ngonga are also expected to be leaders. “This year’s going to be interesting,” Northwest coach Joe Vukovich said. “In any given year you have some teams that surprise you, and some perennial powerhouses. This year, you’ll have a big group of teams that fall under Damascus and attempts to chase them.” For the Barons, the graduation of state champion Charlie Banaszak, as well as Sean Cohen and Jesse McNeill, hurts but Jack Banaszak, Brendan Cowie and Justin Elwell return to lead last year’s regional duals runner-up. “I think this might be one of the more athletic groups we’ve ever had to start with,” said B-CC coach Nick Arnone. Thomas S. Wootton, Col. Zadok Magruder, Paint Branch and Walter Johnson all could

factor into the mix as well depending on how things play out. Montgomery Blair (Steven Banvard), Springbrook (Rob Whittles) and Quince Orchard (Rob Wolf) all have new coaches this season but could still turn in strong performances. Especially the Cougars, who are led by Connor Tilton and Kyle Bollinger. In the private school ranks, even though the three-time AllGazette Player of the Year Kyle Snyder is no longer wrestling in the county, that doesn’t mean Our Lady of Good Counsel won’t be good again. Snyder left Good Counsel in the summer and moved to Colorado to pursue his dream of wrestling in the Olympics, but coach Skylar Saar returns six members of last year’s All-Gazette team to a group that won a state title. Jemal Averette, Kevin Budock, Paul Hutton, Matt Kelly, Nick Miller and Adam Whitesell all are back. Throw Donovan McAfee and Kyle’s younger brother, Kevin Snyder, into the mix and it’s easy to see why Saar is optimistic. “It’s going to be interesting to see how the kids respond [to winning a state title],” Saar said. “They’ve done great in practice so far. No problems there as far as their effort. But the schedule’s going to be very tough.” Meanwhile, Georgetown Prep should again be strong as the Hoyas return First-Team AllGazette wrestlers Colin Kowalski and Michael Sprague. ncammarota@gazette.net

Montgomery College reveals its Raptor School hopes new mascot will help promote its teams n

KENT ZAKOUR STAFF WRITER

Therewereneonpurplelights, smoke and loud music. And on Nov. 19, Montgomery College introduced its new mascot, the Raptor, in front of students, faculty, staff and community members inside the school’s main gymnasium in Rockville. “This was a long time coming for two years,” College-wide Director of Athletics Derek Carter said. “Everybody’s known — the teams were playing under the name — we were changing to a

DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

Montgomery College’s new mascot, the Raptor, was introduced Nov. 19.

Raptor, but the mascot was a mystery. It’s another chapter for us.” The revealing was just part of Montgomery College’s rebranding of its athletic department. In the spring of 2012, the Division III junior college combined all of its sports — from the Rockville (formally Knights), Germantown (Gryphons) and Takoma Park

(Falcons)campuses—intoa“One College, One Team” concept. This was in part of a larger mission by the college to become one institution rather than three distinct campuses. Additionally, the NationalJuniorCollegeAthleticAssociation made a rule change stating that a student-athlete attending a multi-campus school could play for another campus, with the condition that no other campuses had the same sport. A contest was held to determine the new colors (purple, black, silver and white) and the bird of prey mascot. “Like they said, a raptor is an aggressive thing and that’s what you want your teams to represent,” sophomore student and Gaithersburg resident Jeff Murray said.

Sarah Kenneweg

Carly Marella

Lizzi Walsh

Kaitlyn Hillard

Annika Schwartz

Megan Conger

Senior Poolesville Libero

Senior Damascus Setter

Senior Magruder Outside Hitter

Senior Churchill Outside Hitter

Senior Damascus Outside Hitter

Sophomore Good Counsel Outside Hitter

The backbone a Falcons team that reached the state title game; ﬁnished with 284 digs

Surrounded by hitters, the versatile setter ﬁnished with 554 of the team’s 620 assists

One of the most powerful hitters, the Lafayette recruit ﬁnished with 216 kills

The Bulldogs’ go-to hitter, Hillard led them to their ﬁrst top playoff seed in 27 years

The top hitter on a team full of them, Schwartz led Hornets to their ﬁrst ever state title

Established herself as the team’s best hitter, averages nearly 13 kills per match

Coach of the Year Becky Ronquillo Damascus Swept La Plata to win the 3A state title, the ﬁrst in Damascus’ history

Second Team

Honorable Mention

Carlise Cardoza, senior, H. Cross; Allyson Convers, junior, Pooles.; Sarah Chang, junior, Churchill; Brigid Morris, senior, W. Johnson; Madison Wyatt, senior, Damascus; Rosie Barry, senior, Poolesville; Makayla Roy, senior, Sherwood

Emily Agate, Pooles., middle; Jenna Brown, Northwest, libero; Alex Gerber, Clarksburg, libero; Ellie Goodwin, Holy Cross, outside hitter; Caroline Leng, Pooles., middle; Lauren Martin, Wootton, outside hitter; Megan McTigue, Holy Cross, middle; Emily Meyer, Wootton, libero; Alex Nelligan, Damascus, outside hitter; Ariella Rodriguez, Sherwood, setter; Elaina Schaefer, Whitman, setter; Kerra-Lei Tirado, Sherwood, middle; Kira Hahn-Ventrell, B-CC, outside hitter; Jessica Wang, Wootton, outside hitter

THE GAZETTE

Page B-4

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

Georgetown Prep swimmers primed for big season Little Hoyas have the talent to return to the top of Metros

n Montgomery Blair: Michael Thomas, Brian Tsau n Churchill: Harrison Gu, Kevin Gu

Two swimmers tied Conger for the most individual points scored at last year’s Metros and both of them are Prep juniors: Grant Goddard and Carsten Vissering. Classmates Brandon Goldstein and Adrian Lin weren’t too far down the list. The four knocked off Prep’s pool record in the 400-yard freestyle, formerly held by rival Loyola Blakeﬁeld, in the Little Hoyas season opener to set the tone for 2013. If four swimmers could alone win championships, though, Prep might never have fallen. It was the Hoyas’s lack of depth that has hurt it in recent years but that appears to be back, making this year’s squad quite a formidable opponent. “Last year we were close and we didn’t lose any points and we gained a few so we’ll see if that [makes the difference],” Prep coach Matt Mon-

n Clarksburg: Jacob Halem, Matthew Chuang n Albert Einstein: Rory Lewis, Jr., Duncan Johnson n Gaithersburg: Patrick Hedquist n Georgetown Prep: Carsten Vissering, Adrian Lin n Kennedy: Nick Wesley, Connor Ruppert n Magruder: Vedo Evantanto, Hunter Reed n Northwest: Robert Allsopp, Peter Bajorek n Poolesville: Xavier Laracuente, Alex Lin n Our Lady of Good Counsel: Brady Welch n Quince Orchard: Alvin Wang, Andrew Mann n Richard Montgomery: Gregory Song, Juan Barrera n Seneca Valley: Austin Von Heeringen, Reilly O’Connor n Walter Johnson: Jean-Marc Nugent, Jacob Zucker n Walt Whitman: John Janezich, Mike Sullivan n Wootton: Andrew Gibson, Emmanuel Katsigiannakis FILE PHOTO

Georgetown Prep’s Carsten Vissering is one of the top returning swimmers in the entire state. gelli said. “Last year I thought we’d be close but yes, this was the year I thought by the [Class of 2015’s] junior year we’d really be ready to take on anybody.” The Thomas S. Wootton girls completed their ascent to the top of area swimming last winter and though the Patriots did lose some scoring, they have plenty swimmers to ﬁll in those holes. It’s hard to see Wootton falling off the top so soon, but if anyone is going to knock the Patriots down, it will be rival Winston Churchill. The Bulldogs didn’t lose any scoring and boast the county’s strongest diving contingent — those points don’t count at the seasonending state championship, though. Richard Montgomery’s boys could surface as the best team out of the public ranks this winter. The Rockets and Montgomery Blair, which ﬁnished second at last year’s state championship but lost some top scoring, should vie for the top two spots.

Contenders Poolesville’s boys won their second straight 3A/2A/1A state title last winter and with the meet’s top two

Other teams to watch Independent School League foes Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart and Holton-Arms likely don’t have the numbers to truly compete for a Metros title but that doesn’t mean these two teams aren’t two of the most exciting to watch or capable of causing a stir at various championships. Propelled by current junior

Caroline McTaggart, Holton won its first-ever Washington Metropolitan Prep Schools Swimming and Diving Championship last winter. And it’s pretty hard to forget the national record-setting performances Stone Ridge junior, 2012 Olympic gold medalist and multiple world record holder Katie Ledecky put forth in leading the Gators to a fourth-place finish at Metros, its best in recent history. Sherwood’s girls’ lost some major scoring but sophomore Morgan Hill will help the Warriors stay afloat. It’s been a while since Albert Einstein drew much attention but the Titans now boast several race contenders. Good Counsel should not be discounted, but lost tremendous talent on both sides and with new coaches this winter, could be going through a bit of a transitional period. Not to take away from some returning stars who will certainly shine on the championship stage. “I’m really interested to see how it plays out in the county,” Walter Johnson coach Jamie Grimes said. “I think it’s going to be very interesting.”

n Montgomery Blair: Amy Zhou n Winston Churchill: Hannah Lindsey, Elaina Gu n Clarksburg: Carly Alvarado, Rachel Ziegler n Albert Einstein: Gail Anderson, Kate Fulton n Gaithersburg: Sophie Robinson, Jacqueline Landry n Holton-Arms: Caroline McTaggart, Isabelle Jubin n Kennedy: Emma Bearman n Col. Zadok Magruder: Katie Sweeney, Ellie Matusek n Northwest: Zoe Kaplan, Jaycee Yeagher n Our Lady of Good Counsel: Makenzie Miller n Poolesville: Dorit Song n Richard Montgomery: Sophie El-Masry, Audrey Richter n Seneca Valley: Birgitt O’Connor, Bryn Blanchard n Sherwood: Morgan Hill, Molly Anderson n Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart: Katie Ledecky, Laura Garcia n Walter Johnson: Natsumi Horikawa, Sophia Kuvan n Walt Whitman: Lisa Deng, Sarah Kannon n Thomas S. Wootton: Kristina Li, Jessica Chen

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scorers back — Xavier Laracuente and Alex Lin — along with a slew of other returning scorers, they are on pace to go for a third. Long overshadowed by the boys’ side, Walter Johnson’s girls are the strongest they’ve been in a while. They might be just short of Wootton and Churchill’s level but might be able to push both. Richard Montgomery’s girls are inching their way back to the top and with a solid group of younger swimmers, the Rockets should push for top ﬁve at Metros and perhaps higher at states. Wootton’s boys lost a big-time scorer with the graduation of breaststroker Austin Dickey but the Patriots should not be counted out, nor should Churchill’s boys.

Girls

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Favorites

Boys n Bethesda-Chevy Chase: Jack Crow

BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER

For the seven years during which the Georgetown Prep swimming and diving team reigned as Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming and Diving champions from 2004-10, it was hard to imagine a time when the Little Hoyas would be vulnerable. But even the best programs are not immune to the cyclical nature of high school sports, and in 2011, Washington Catholic Athletic Conference power Gonzaga began its three-year reign; Georgetown Prep hit a low of fourth place. This year, the Eagles will be feeling the brunt of harsh graduation losses and Prep, which ﬁnished second by just 20.5 points a year ago, has been gradually building itself back up around a core of extremely talented current juniors. With star power and more depth this winter, the Little Hoyas will look to regain the coveted spot atop the Metros rankings and for the ﬁrst time in several years, they have the means to be the favorite. That being said, the winter is shaping up to be perhaps the most unpredictable high school swim season recently, especially among Montgomery County Public Schools programs. A lot of teams lost depth from last year, and the graduation of Our Lady of Good Counsel’s Jack Conger, who seemed to break a record every time he entered the pool, has opened a lot of doors.

SWIMMERS/DIVERS TO WATCH

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

THE GAZETTE

BUSINESS

State recognizes Kentlands for its geothermal heating, cooling system New unit is estimated to reduce annual electric costs by 40 percent n

BY JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITER

The Kentlands Clubhouse in Gaithersburg received state recognition Thursday for its newly installed geothermal heating and cooling system. Doug Hinrichs, a solar energy planner at the Maryland Energy Administration, visited the community center Thursday to see the system and applaud the Kentlands Citizens Assembly and two local companies that specialize in geothermal systems on completion of the project. Construction of the system, which began this past summer and ended in September, cost about $250,000. However, the project won a $120,000 grant from the state energy administration’s Game Changer Program, which promotes innovative clean energy projects. A geothermal heat pump was put in, using two standing column wells that were drilled 900 feet into the ground, said Mike Heavener, president of GeoSolar Energy. Systems with standing column wells are most commonly used in areas that have near-surface bedrock, like the Kentlands. With this setup, water is drawn from the bottom of the deep rock well, passed through a heat pump, and returned to the top of the well. While the water is traveling downward it exchanges heat with the surrounding bedrock. “It’s the exact model system that we want in Maryland,” Hinrichs said, referring to the “standing column wells” design, which typically requires 30 percent less drilling and therefore delivers a more efﬁcient heat transfer. “We want to replicate the success of this project.” The grant program requires energy monitoring by the installing contractor and a ﬁnal report after one year of system operation.

Page B-5

TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

Neil Harris (left), chairman of the Kentlands Citizens Assembly, talks Thursday with Michael Heavener, president of GeoSolar Energy in Gaithersburg, about the geothermal system used to heat and cool the Kentlands Clubhouse. The pair are in a utility room on the lowest level where well water is piped in and out. In April, the Kentlands Citizen Assembly Board of Trustees voted to replace the clubhouse’s conventional heating and cooling system with a sustainable alternative after one of the old system’s three units died. “We wanted to take the lead on doing this from a green point of view,” said Tim Clarke, president of the Kentlands Citizen Assembly. “It is energy efﬁcient, and it is a more progressive way of doing this kind of heating and air conditioning.” Harvey W. Hottel, Inc., a Gaithersburgbased plumbing contractor, and GeoSolar Energy submitted the grant application and installed the new system. GeoSolar Energy also is rooted in Gaithersburg and is the distributor of Bosch, the equipment

used for the job. “These jobs are fun,” said Richard Hottel, chief executive ofﬁcer of Harvey W. Hottel, Inc. “It’s not something that some engineer drew up and we just estimated the cost and put it in. It’s something we’ve created for this site.” Clarke said it is estimated that the new unit will give the clubhouse about a 40 percent electric utility reduction annually. In the two months the system has been running, the clubhouse already has seen between a 20 and 25 percent decrease in its yearly electric bill, according to Clarke. “It’s already paying for itself,” he said. jedavis@gazette.net

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BizBriefs

Have a new business in Montgomery County? Let us know about it at www.gazette.net/newbusinessform

Activity Rocket enters second stage of business Bethesda’s Activity Rocket, an online search engine allowing parents to ﬁnd classes, sports and other activities for their children in a one-stop shopping approach, launched an upgraded platform in October. Its new website, designed by iStrategyLabs in Washington, D.C., enables parents to complete one application for each child and save it to use again. Parents can also place their selections in a shopping cart and, after making tentative selections, have Activity Rocket see if times and dates work together. They can then lock in their selections and pay for them, all at one place. Searches can be made by activity type, price, location or day. “For a parent of three children who all want to do different activities there is one registration form that lives on the website and they can book all their classes,” Linda Friedlander said. Friedlander and Ilene Miller started Activity Rocket in September 2011 with 80 Montgomery County businesses and about 300 parents, they said. Since then they have expanded to other communities in the D.C. region and now have almost 500 businesses listed on the site, over 3,000 members and 7,000 monthly visits, Miller said. The website is free for parents. Members pay the price of the class as if registering directly with the business. Businesses, which could list for no charge during the ﬁrst stage, are now asked to become subscribers with a number of information packages available. Activity Rocket is offering $20 gift cards to parents who sign up for activities for trying the new website and one-stop shopping cart. The website is www.activityrocket.com.

Rockville chamber elects new leaders The Rockville Chamber of Commerce recently elected ofﬁcers and board members for 2013-14. Larry Finkelberg of Amerihome Lending is chairman; John Britton of the Close Up Foundation is vice chairman; Doug White of Glass Jacobson is treasurer; Nancy Regelin of Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker is corporate secretary; and Michael Gottlieb of the Gottlieb Law Firm is immediate past president.

Building a new bear Build-A-Bear Workshop moved to a new location in Bethesda’s Montgomery mall last month with ways to make stuffed animals come alive. The store’s technology provides a more interactive experience for customers, according to a news release. Customers can personalize the bear-making process and have a different experience each time they visit. More information is at buildabear.com and a virtual tour of the store is at http://bit.ly/QAoJqJ.

THE GAZETTE

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013 b

SCHOOL LIFE After-school nature clubs introduce students to science and play Students learn to ‘Unplug and Play’ n

PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER

They ran around like a pack of hyenas, trying to steal prey from a lion, but their laughter gave them away every time. Finally the lion suggested they take a break and decide how to work together to fool him. Students at Glen Haven Elementary School in Silver Spring played Scavenger Scheme, Thursday, the last day of a six-week after-school program to encourage students to connect with their environment and learn to play together outdoors instead of inside in front of a computer screen. The program, “Unplug and Play,” funded by a grant from the Montgomery County Council, is for thirdthrough ﬁfth-grade students and run by the Audubon Naturalist Society at

four Title I elementary schools: Glen Haven in Silver Spring, Rolling Terrace in Takoma Park, Captain James E. Daly in Germantown, and Gaithersburg. Each group has 15 to 20 students. The goal of the program is to give students a combination of science education and outdoor physical activity, said Karen Vernon, director of youth eduction for the society. “We’re working to widen the community of people who treasure the natural world, especially young people who are our next generation of environmental stewards,” said James Robey, the Audubon Society’s environmental education program manager and the lion in Scavenger Scheme. “The students are helping the environment by learning about it and they are making healthy lifestyle choices by being physically active.” Students in the program meet for one hour each week and start with a healthy after-school snack provided by Montgomery County Public Schools.

Robey said he starts each class with a lesson about animals, trees, plants or birds before taking the students outside for a game to reinforce what they learned. Sometimes he brings in a live guest, such as Boris the Tortoise, a Russian tortoise, or Eddy Spaghetti, a corn snake. He puts out a display of animal pelts and skulls for the children to examine. “It’s nice for the kids to have this hands-on experience,” said Jessica Lynch, Glen Haven second-grade teacher and program coordinator. Fifth-grader Kimberly Garcia said she expected to be bored by the program when it first started. “By the second [week] I knew I was supposed to be here,” she said. “It’s hard for me to choose what’s my favorite [part], I think it’s when we went outside and started playing and meeting everyone.” Each of the schools’ programs is finishing the first six-week session, but will meet again for winter and spring programs.

PEGGY MCEWAN/THE GAZETTE

Third-grader Ezekiel Ruiz (left) and ﬁfth-grader Christian Ferrell examine Boris the Tortoise during the “Unplug and Play” program at Glen Haven Elementary School in Silver Spring.

EDUCATION NOTEBOOK Students connect with nature ‘Beyond the Walls’ It was like traveling over the river and through the woods as students from the Franklin Schools in Rockville on Thursday hiked outside their fenced play areas into the surrounding community for a nature lesson, dubbed “Beyond the Walls.” The children, 3 to 5 years old, each carried a small basket, following Amy Beam, the Montessori school’s outdoor education specialist, in search of nature’s treasures. “It’s like when you went trick-or-treating for Halloween,” Beam told the students. “If you find something special, put it in your basket and we will bring everything back and spread it on the picnic tables for the birds and squirrels, the daddy longlegs, any creature. It will be for their Thanksgiving.” Most of the students filled their baskets with brown pine needles at the first stop on the hourlong hike, which took them down a hill near a storm pond, along a woods path and into the open space behind neighboring townhouses. Suddenly Beam and her young followers stopped. Beam listened and pointed into the trees at a hawk, one the group had heard earlier. “Look at that,” she said. “It’s as big as a chicken.” The students go on these explorations two or three times a month, sometimes with Beam, who works with all the Franklin classes, and sometimes led by their classroom teachers. They knew, as they got to the open space, where to stop and wait. They also knew, on the teacher’s signal, to run as fast as they liked to the distant tree line. “Listen,” Beam said. “As soon as they start running, they start laughing.” She was right: The runners ran and laughed until they got

Kunkin, who was captain, Jake Gearon, Michael Josell and Sam Zabronsky; and sophomore Ravi Serota. They are coached by Eduardo Polon, a Spanish teacher

and global languages department head. The team provides camaraderie while celebrating academic achievement, Polon said in a statement. “Best of all, it’s fun,” he wrote.

Montgomery Blair teams to debate at competition PEGGY MCEWAN/THE GAZETTE

Students from the Franklin Schools in Rockville play on a pine needle-strewn hill during their nature walk Thursday. The Montessori school offers a “Beyond the Walls” program to encourage outdoor play. to their destination. “They are very comfortable in nature,” said Terri Shaffer, the group’s teacher. “It helps them concentrate and when they come in they are much more peaceful.” Beam said she started the program after growing alarmed that more and more children were not going outdoors. She attended programs at both the Vermont Wilderness School and the Wilderness Awareness School in Washington state. “I was searching for a program I could adapt here,” she said. “It’s about connecting with nature and the community and inside themselves.”

Gaithersburg High to host ﬁnancial aid seminar Gaithersburg High School

will present a seminar on college financial aid at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the school’s Performing Arts Center, 314 S. Frederick Ave. Guest speaker Chad Spencer, associate dean of admission and financial aid at Davidson College in North Carolina, will discuss financial

aid for students applying to colleges and vocational schools. Topics will include the following: What is ﬁnancial aid? What is ﬁnancial need and how is it determined? What are the categories, types and sources of aid? How does the application process work? Spencer also will discuss merit-based aid and loan options, and share tips for negotiating the process. All students and parents are welcome. For more information, contact Geri Sliffman at 301-284-4616 or Geri_L_Sliffman@mcpsmd.org.

Sandy Spring students dip into Quiz Bowl After two years of in-house practice, the Sandy Spring Friends School’s Quiz Bowl Travel Team competed in a championship tournament Oct. 27 hosted by James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, winning fourth place. The competition included 48 teams from public and private high schools. Team members included senior Ben Yumkas; juniors Emil

Two teams from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring are among the 64 teams in the Bickel & Brewer/New York University International Public Policy Forum. The international debate competition gives high school students the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on public policy issues and compete for a $10,000 grand prize and trip to New York City in April to participate in the competition finals. “All of the advancing schools are worthy of special recognition, because they have distinguished themselves in one of the most competitive debate competitions in the world,” William A. Brewer III, chairman of the Bickel & Brewer Foundation and a founder of the NYU forum, said in a news release. “As the elimination rounds get underway, these outstanding students will have the opportunity to put their research, writing and advocacy skills to the test against competitors around the globe.” This year, 266 teams, representing schools in 37 states and 28 countries, submitted qualifying round essays affirming or negating the topic: “Resolved: As a last resort, unilateral military force is justified to minimize nuclear weapons proliferation.” The essays were reviewed

by a committee, which determined the round of 64 based on the quality of each 2,800-word essay. The top 64 teams represent schools from 26 states and 14 countries. Advancing teams participate in a singleelimination, written debate tournament via email with judges reviewing the essays in the order they are presented until eight schools remain. The “Elite 8” will participate in a live debate during the ﬁnals. “Blair is only one of three high schools in the world to have two teams in the round of 64,” debate team coach Stefanie Weldon wrote in an email to The Gazette. “Blair A is a repeat team that also made the round of 64 last year.” Members of the Montgomery Blair A team are Aanchal Johri, Callie Deng and Alan

Du. Rishabh Mahajani, Kevin Zhang and Agam Mittal make up

Montgomery Blair B team.

Mayorga Coffee establishes scholarship Martin Mayorga, an alumnus of Montgomery College and co-founder of Mayorga Coffee in Rockville, has established the Mayorga Latino Leadership Scholarship at Montgomery College with a gift of $25,000 over five years to the Montgomery College Foundation. The donation will support need-based scholarships for Latino students who are business majors at Montgomery College. It will cover annual tuition for one student per year for at least five years. More than 3,400 Latino students attend Montgomery College. “Martin Mayorga’s generosity to the Montgomery College Foundation is inspiring,” college President DeRionne Pollard said in a statement. “I know first-hand the struggles associated with struggling to pay for a quality education,” Mayorga said in

the statement. “My wife and I started this company 16 years ago to support all members of our supply chain, and our community is a critical member of that supply chain. I’m very proud to be able to be a part of developing future business leaders in our local community.” Mayorga Coffee imports and roasts coffee, and has with retail locations at regional airports, plus National Harbor in Oxon Hill and the Westﬁeld Wheaton mall.

Scholarships available for study abroad Sixty-ﬁve full scholarships are available for U.S. students to study abroad for the 2014-15 academic year with the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad program. Sponsored by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the program brings almost 900 high school students from about 40 countries with signiﬁcant Muslim populations to the U.S. to study each year. As program scholars, U.S. American high schoolers serve as “youth ambassadors” in their overseas host countries. Students live with host families and study in countries that may include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Oman, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia and Turkey. The meritbased scholarship covers domestic and international travel; tuition and related academic preparation; accommodations with a host family; educational and cultural activities in the host country; orientations; applicable visa fees; three basic meals per day; and medical coverage. Eligibility criteria are detailed in the application available at www.yes-abroad.org. The application deadline is Jan. 9.

THE GAZETTE

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THE GAZETTE

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Classifieds

Page B-9

Call 301-670-7100 or email class@gazette.net

SILVER SPRING

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*Library *Resident Socials *Beautifully Landscaped Grounds

877.907.5577 (Office)

301.622.7006 (Fax) Email: randolph@hrehllc.com

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• Emergency Response System • 24 Hour Maintenance • Transportation Via Community Van • Pet Friendly • Full Size Washer & Dryer

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Visit us at www.homeproperties.com

• Minutes away from I-270, Metro, and MARC Train

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Office Hours: M-F 9:00am - 6:00pm, Saturday 11:00am - 3:00pm

STREAMSIDE S T R E A M S I D E APARTMENTS A PA R T M E N T S

of Churchill

18201 Lost Knife Circle Montgomery Village, MD 20886

14431 Traville Garden Circle Rockville, Maryland 20850

GAITHERSBURG

GERMANTOWN

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•New Appliances, Kitchens & Baths* •Large Kitchens & Walk-In Closets* •1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments •Free Free Electric Included •Pet Friendly •Short-Term Leases •Free Parking •Minutes to I-270 & Metro Bus & Rail •Housing Choice Vouchers Welcome •Se aceptan vales de eleccio'n de *Select Apartments vivienda

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SILVER SPRING

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It’s BRAND NEW at Amber Commons 7 McCausland Place, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 “If you are looking for the distinctive, the uncommon, the out of the ordinary then welcome home to Amber Commons where we have the perfect blend of tradition: brick, mature landscaping, and gracious space combined with the best of brand new: GE clean steel appliances, energy efficiency and more!”

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(301) 460-1647 3004 Bel Pre Rd., Apt. 204, Silver Spring, MD 20906

or pricing and ad deadlines.

www.ambercommons.com

kFamily Room kFull Size W/D in every unit kSwimming Pool G560388

DISCOVER DELAWARE’S RESORT LIVING WITHOUT RESORT PRICING!

GRAND OPENING LAND/CABIN LAND SALE! Beau- PACKAGE! 13+ tifully wooded lot near ACRES

golf course. Only $59,000. Adjacent lot Low Taxes! Gated sold for $339,900! Community,amazing Close to ski resort & amenities, equestrian spectacular mountain facility, Olympic Pool. lake. ALL NEW New Homes mid INVENTORY - Must $40’s. Brochures avail- see! Excellent financable 1-866-629-0770 ing. Call now 877or 888-7581x177 www.coolbranch.com

KENSINGTON: SFH

Homewood Pkwy $2475/mo 3br, 2ba Granite, SS, full basement, lg yard pets OK 912-655-0342 lv msg Available now

LEISURE WORLD:

1600+ sq foot patio home 2BR + Den with large 2 car garage and attic, New carpet/ paint, remodeled kitchen. Buyer brokers welcome. $365,000 Call: 301-977-0635

to advertise Realtors & Agents call 301.670.2641

to advertise Rentals & for sale by owner 301.670.7100 or email class@gazette.net

GE RMA NT OWN :

3BR, 1.5 TH. W/D, fenced yard, patio, fully carpeted. $1400. Melvin Tucker 240997-9836

$57,900. Breathtaking 50 mile rolling mountain views. Near river & town. Add cabin package for $40,000 & G E R M A N T O W N : place it on your parcel, TH, 3Br, 2.5Ba, h/w flrs, updated kit, Ba & your way! Perc ok, paint $1600 + util Pls ready to use or build. Call: 301-956-4775 Low down financing. Call now 800-888KENSINGTON: 1262 SFH 4 BR/3 BA Updated,Light-Filled, Quiet St. near Park. $2550 301-538 -4638

MONT

1 Bedrooms ALL Inclusive

ALL UTILITIES Incld. FREE Wifi/Cable/Fitness Ctr. Perfect for Relocation & Special Projects. Rates start at $1375/mo. Must see today. Call 240343-5150. BURTONSVILLE: 3

Lvl TH, 3Br, 2.5Ba, fin bsmt, $1775/mo + sec dep, HOC Ok. Cls to trans. 240-405-2334 or 301-668-9427

DAMASCUS: 3BR

$1500/ 2BR $1250 +util NS/NP, W/D New Carpet, Paint, Deck & Patio, 301-250-8385

GAITH/AMBERFLD

Lux 3lvl EU/TH, Gar 2MBR, 2.5BA, LR DR, FR, FP,EIK, Deck $1800. 301-792-9538

G A I T H : HOC

Ok Renov 4br+den 2fb 2hb, new paint & carpet, Nr PublicTransp $2150 240-535-2366

GAITHERSBURG:

VILLAGE:

3Br, 2.5Ba TH, fin bsmt, nr bus/shops, NP/NS $1750 HOC Call: 240-643-0932

MONT

VILLAGE:

3Br, 2.5Ba TH, fin bsmt, nr bus/shops, NP/NS $1800 HOC Call: 240-643-0932

POOLESVILLE: TH

3BR 1.5BA, W/D fncd bkyd, Pets Ok. $1450 + utils, avail immed Call: 301-407-0763

ROCKVILLE: SFH

remodeled 3/4 bed, 2 full bath, great location, available immediately 301-467-0586

ROCKVILLE:

3Br, 1Ba, new kitchen & bathroom, A/C $1690 Please call 301-335-2289

ROCKVILLE, SFH GAITHERSBURG: 5Br, 2Ba, walk/out TH for rent 3 beds, bsmt, nr Ride On #48 3.5 baths, hardwood & schools, $2500 + floors, full basement, wash and dryer in unit, util 240-472-0607 parking. Showing by SILVER SPRING: appt. 301.980.7105 2Br, 2Ba, English Tudor, rent through Sept 2014, near beltway & metro/bus, $2100/month Please Call: 301-493-5301

SILVER

TH 3BD PARKING 526-7385 354-4722

LAKESIDE APTS GAITHERSBURG

Half Month Free Large 1 or 2 BR Apts Short/long term leases SPRING: Utilities Included 2.5 BATH Great Prices CALL 301301-830-0046 OR 240-

End unit TH condo OLNEY/DERWD: 2BR, 2BA, open flr Landscaper/Mechanic’ plan, updated, con- s home w/ garage, rambler. venient location $1650 barn, & field storage SS: 3br/2ba cac/wd/dw,fin rec rm, + utils 301-908-0883 202-262-6652 hrwd flrs,, fncd yrd OLNEY: End unit. $2200 +utils, wlk to GAITH/MV: Freshly 3BD, 2.5BA. New car- Metro. Move now and painted EU TWH 3 pet, paint & fixtures. free November rent. bed, 2 1/2 bath , cen- FP. Gorgeous, must 202-210-5530 tral heat/AC , all appli- see! NS/NP. $1800. ances, wood floors asS S : 4 bed/ 2 full signed parking fenced 301-343-9711 patio call Nick 301bath, Hardwood floor, 412-4522 Fireplace, short term POTOMAC: lrg 3 br, lease $1950 call 2.5 ba, SFH, finished 3014425444 basement, living rm, GERMAN: HOC Welcome 3 lvl TH, 3br, dining rm, den w/fp, SS: 4BR,2.5BA,SFH 2.5ba nr 270/shops deck, carport, com- Fin Bsmnt, two car remodeled, garage, deck, hot tub, $1699/mo avail now pletely clse to 270, $2800/ FP $2500 near metro Call: 301-906-0870 mnth, One wk free. & shops 301-330-1177 240-372-8050

N.POTOMAC ROCKVILLE: 1 BR

Apt. $1250 incl util, CATV, Free Parking Avail now. NS/NP CALL: 301-424-9205

SANDY

SPRING:

Adjacent to Sandy Spring Museum, 2story house for lease. 3 BR, LR, DR, kitchen, 2.5 bath. Possible uses include residence, antique shop, landscape contracting, daycare or animal boarding. Call 301774-0022. Separate artist studio for rent at museum. 580 sf.

ADELPHI:

1 Br + den 14th floor . $1245 uti inc + SD & Move In Fees, Front Desk. Ref req. 240-418-5693

ASPEN HILL: Long

meade 2BR 2BA W/D, balc, pool, cath ceiling & sky light. Nr Metro NS/NP $1600/mo incl water. 301-938-5263

GAITH: 2bd,2ba

renovated,patio, near costco,bus,mall,I270 $1300/mo + utils CALL(301)678-9182

GAITHER: 3 BedSIL SPG/BEL PRE: room + den, 2 BathRemodled, new paint, room, renovated, Sec carpet, appls. Big 4br 8 welcome, Pls Call: 2fb wlkout garden apt. 410-800-5005 Pool, Tennis, Playground, parking & utils incl. HOC Ok, close to GERM :2Br/2FBa,Grt bus. Move in now. View,frnt Shoppers.Np $2300 or HOC Vouch- Balcony,Cathedral Ceil w/d, Pool/tennis $1445 er Amt. 240-793-7802 + utils. 240-350-8644

SS/GLENMONT :

GAITHERSBURG:

LRG 5 BD/2.5 BA EU TWH WLK TO SHOPS & METRO, W/D HOC OK 240-383-1000

TH Bsmt Apt pvt entr $750/mo util incl.Near Shops/Metro 240-3887552 or 240-370-0272

ASPEN HILL: 2br

GAITH:M BRs $435+ 440+475+555+ Maid Ns/Np, nr 270/370/Bus shops, quiet, conv.Sec Dep 301-983-3210

Apt w/LR, Kit & Ba. in pvt Home $1,100 incl utils & basic cable NS call 301-942-4345

DAMASCUS: Bsmt 2br, 1ba, pvt entr, cable, int, util inc. $700+ sec dep. Np/Ns 301-253-1370 GAITH: 1 RM w/priv

ba avail chic apt b/w Rio & Kentlands, close to 270 $875 all inclusive 2403881476

GAITH/MUDDY BRANCH: EU TH

M/F only updated Mbr w/ba $660 + util Avail 12/08 NS 3016747928

G E R M A N : 1 BR in

uppr lvl of Sfh $600 uti/Inet inc. ns/np nr Walmart 301-7062722 301-978-1542

GAITHERS: 1BR in

GAITHERSBURG:

MV: 1 room shared ba, $500 utils incl free int/cable, near Bus & Shops.NP/NS 301768-72 82

Lrg bsmt room w/priv BA & Entr. Close to shops, bus & metro. $700 incl utils & int. N/P, N/S. Se habla espanol. Email David davidvaliente01@ hotmail.com

GAITHERSBURG:

Lrg Rm in SFH, Pool, full privlgs, Vegetarian, NS. $600 + 1/4 elec Call: 301-482-1425

240-778-8389

SILVER

SPRING:

Rooms avail in SFH, nr Metro/Shops, rent incl utilties 202-7041768 or 301-942-2161

SS: NEW 1BR Apt 1st

floor private ENT, KIT, BA, PARKING. $1200 quiet and Sunny! call 301-879-2868

GERM:

lrg Br in bsmt, shrd Ba, nr bus, all util + TV/Cable inc, female, $630 NS/NP Call: 240-401-3522

SFH unfurn. $650 utils incl. Male NS/NP, 1 mile frm I-270. Avail Immed 240-372-1168

SEEKING ROOMMATE to share large 4 Br SFH in Silver Spring with senior citizen Please Call:

OLNEY: 1 Rm in bsmt in SFH share kitchen $500 utils included, NS/NP Avail Now. 301-257-5712

OLNEY:

GREAT DEAL!! 1 Br, shr Ba, beautiful EU TH, female only $675/per month w/util, int, cable TV, NP/NS Call 301-774-4654

DEEP CREEK LAKE water front, across frm WISP Resort,3br/3ba Th,deck,dock,fp,Jacz wd, cbl. 301-916-3077

to advertise Realtors & Agents call 301.670.2641

to advertise Rentals & for sale by owner 301.670.7100 or email class@gazette.net

Page B-10

***OLD ROLEX & PATEK PHILIPPE WATCHES WANTED!** Daytona, Sub Mariner, etc. TOP CASH PAID! 1800-401-0440

WANTED TO PURCHASE Antiques &

FIREWOOD FOR SALE

pre lit, 3 sections, realistic, very full, comes with storage bag $200 call 3017742639

$225/cord $150 per 1/2 cord µ Includes Delivery µ Stacking Extra Charge Ask for Jose 301-417-0753 301-370-7008

CARPET INSTALLATION TOOLS: Retired Installer selling Power Stretcher, Iron, Electric Tacker, Kicker, Roller & more 301236-5995

DIRECTV - Over 140

channels only $29.99 a month. Call Now! Triple savings! $636.00 in Savings, Free upgrade to Genie & 2013 NFL Sunday ticket free!! Start Saving today! 1-800-2793018

Friday 11/29. Beautiful Iranian pieces, furn, glass -wares, grand piano. 301-806-8016

$175 a Cord Split & Delivered 240-315-1871

WRAP UP YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING WITH 100% GUARANTEED, DELIVERED-TOTHE-DOOR OMAHA STEAKS! -

GP2375

LEISURE WORLD PRIVATE SALE:

MAKE UP TO

PREMIUM ALL SEASONED HARDWOODS Mostly Oak

Fine Art, 1 item Or Entire Estate Or Collection, Gold, Silver, Coins, Jewelry, Toys, Oriental Glass, China, REDUCE YOUR Lamps, Books, Tex- CABLE BILL! * Get tiles, Paintings, Prints a 4-Room All-Digital almost anything old Satellite system Evergreen Auctions installed for FREE and 973-818-1100. Email programming starting evergreenauction@hot at $19.99/mo. FREE HD/DVR upgrade mail.com for new callers, SO CALL NOW. 1-800699-7159

HAVANESE PUPPIES Home raised, AKC, best health guarantee noahslittleark.com Call: 262-993-0460

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM M M Basement Systems M M Inc. Call us for all of M your basement needs! M Art Classes to Zoo Trips, M Waterproofing? Finish- M ing? Structural ReEverything in between, M M pairs? Humidity and Mold Control FREE M M 1st Baby will be our ESTIMATES! Call 1M M Queen/King. 888-698-8150 M M M M Expenses Paid. ONE CALL, DOES M IT ALL! FAST AND M RELIABLE M M 1-800-966-3065 M M PLUMBING REM M PAIRS & INSTALMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM LATIONS. Call 1ALL THINGS BASEMENTY!

MADOPTION:M

$2,000.00+ Per Week! New Credit Card Ready Drink-Snack Vending Machines. Minimum $4K to $40K+ Investment Required. Locations 800-796-9218 Available. BBB Accredited Business. ONE CALL, DOES (800) 962-9189

NOW HIRING!!! $28/HOUR. Under-

cover Shoppers Needed \\ $300/DAY Typing Companies Advertising Online. We provide the training & the jobs to perform. Genuine Opportunity. PT/FT. Experience Unnecessary. www.HiringLocalHelp. com

to advertise call 301.670.7100 or email class@gazette.net

FALLSREACH HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. SECOND NOTICE OF 2013 ANNUAL MEETING

ping, Friendly Service, BEST prices and 24hr payment! Call today 877-588-8500 or visit www.TestStripSearch. com Espanol 888-4404001

It’s

FREE!

Buy It, Sell It, Find It

IT ALL! FAST AND RELIABLE ELECTRICAL REPAIRS AIRLINE CAREERS GET FREE OF & INSTALLAbegin here - Get FAA CREDIT CARD TIONS. Call 1-800approved Aviation DEBT NOW! Cut 908-8502

CASH FOR MEDICAL ALERT UNEXPIRED DIAFOR SENIORS 24/7 monitoring. BETIC TEST STRIPS! Free Ship- FREE Equipment.

GazetteBuyandSell.com

Maintenance training. payments by up to Housing and Financial half. Stop creditors Aid for qualified stufrom calling 877-858dents. Job placement 1386 assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Main- GUARANTEED INCOME FOR tenance 800-481YOUR RETIRE8974. MENT. Avoid market risk & get guaranteed AIRLINES ARE income in retirement! HIRING- Train for CALL for FREE copy hands on Aviation of our SAFE MONEY Maintenance Career. GUIDE. Plus Annuity. FAA approved proQuotes from A-Rated gram. Financial aid if compaines! 800-669qualified- Housing 5471 available. CALL Avia-

APPLIANCE REPAIR - We fix It no matter who you bought it from! 800934-5107

FIREWOOD FOR SALE 100% Oak $150 half cord $225 per cord Call Adrian 301-309-0062 240-506-4326

The business of the meeting will include the election of three directors to the Board of Directors of the Association, and such other business as the Board or Members may ask to bring before the membership of the Association.

reer Training & Job Placement Assistance at CTI! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. 1-877649-2671

G GP2335 P2335

more. Even if Late or in Default. Get Relief FAST. Much LOWER payments. CAll Student Hotline 877-2950517.

Holiday Bazaar! Rockville Senior Center Sat, Dec 7, 2013, 9am-2pm

Handmade Arts & Craft Sale

Raffle – Grand Prize $300

Gift Shop Bargains & Plant Sale X-Large Thrift Shop-Household items for sale Book Sale-Hard cover Paperbacks Food & Baked Goods Available All Proceeds Support Rockville Senior Ctr 1150 Carnation Dr, Rockville, MD Call 240-314-5019 for directions GP2358

ELISABETH’S HOUSE Assisted Living GRAND OPENING!! 301-432-6211 * 240-520-7162

Dec. 4th-11th, M-F, 9a-5p