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Kronos Quartet and Trio Da Kali set to collaborate at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. B-1
Gazette-Star SERVING SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COMMUNITIES
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Thursday, February 20, 2014
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‘You are tearing apart our family’ Parents share objections to school boundary changes in Hyattsville, Upper Marlboro n
BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Parents of students attending Cesar Chavez and Perrywood elementary schools spoke out against proposed boundary changes Tuesday night, asking officials not to break apart the school communities they have built. “I don’t believe that this change is necessary,” said Elisa Aragon of Hyattsville, parent of a first-grader at Chavez Elementary in Hyattsville. Aragon spoke out against the proposed conversion of Chavez from a neighborhood school to a specialty dual-language Spanish immersion school, with a lottery held for seats. “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. And Cesar Chavez’s Spanish im-
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Kristina Busch (center), 7, rides her imaginary horse through the mountains, formed by Lela-LaVonne F. Grant, 7; Amanda Maguffin; Jocelyn Gross, 7; and Justyn Hughes at the Bowie Community Theatre’s production camp Saturday for 6- to 10-year-old Bowie-area children.
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A new class at the Bowie Community Theatre is not only inspiring youth to take interest in the performing arts, it’s inspiring their creativity, as well. “My character is named Ginny, and she likes to snowboard and read, sometimes at the same time,” Bowie resident Joan Reimer, 8, said of the character she created during the organization’s new children’s theater class. “And she can turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts.” The class started Feb. 1 to generate interest in theatrical arts and potentially lay the groundwork for a children’s theater that would put on family-friendly plays, said class teacher Amanda Magoffin, community theater member and actor. The class, a weekend course that runs about two hours, introduces students to the theater, to include acting, using makeup and costumes, and learning about behind-the-scenes
Production class at Bowie theater aims to spark youths’ interest, offer family shows n
work, Magoffin said. “It is not just about acting. A lot of things go into making a show,” Magoffin said. “You’d be surprised how many kids want to be in theater.” Most of the theater’s shows tend to be for mature audiences, so Magoffin said she hopes the classes will transition into a children’s theater that could provide shows that families could enjoy, because it is something she thinks the community needs. Magoffin is teaching two classes, one for children ages 6 to 10 and another for ages 10 to 14, where she teaches them about acting, stage design, makeup and costumes. There are 16 students, the max allowed in the younger group classes while 12 are enrolled in the older class.
See PARENTS, Page A-5
Viral campaign spotlights beauty of Branch Avenue
on growing
BY CHASE COOK STAFF WRITER
mersion program isn’t broken; it’s just gone unnoticed,” Aragon said. Under the proposed conversion, students currently attending the school will continue to do so, said Johndel Jones-Brown, director of pupil accounting and boundaries, but future kindergarten seats will be available only through a countywide lottery. Incoming students who would have attended Chavez as their neighborhood school will instead be zoned for Rosa Parks or Chillum elementary schools. Aragon said parents are very active in the school community and proud of its existing SpanishEnglish immersion program. “With the possible phasing out process that you are considering, you are tearing apart our family,” Aragon said. Liliana Cruz, president of the school’s Parent Teacher Or-
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Magoffin said her students have really embraced the program. The theater received a $1,500 grant from Bowie’s Arts Committee to launch the class. The course costs $75, which Magoffin said goes toward renting theater space and paying for things that the grant didn’t cover. Joan’s mother, Patricia Reimer of Bowie, said her daughter enjoys acting and singing, so she decided to sign her up for the program. “She and her brother are always putting on little shows. And it teaches her new things about the stage,” Reimer said. Bowie resident Jason Craig, whose daughters Emma, 7, and Cara, 9, are in the program, said the classes have been a great opportunity to expose his children to the arts. “If your kid plays sports, there are plenty of chances to play as they
Business members tell the tales of their community BY
GREGORY DALE STAFF WRITER
In lieu of a runway, Temple Hills community members are showcasing the beauty of a longer stretch of property — the business corridor near the south end of Metro’s Green Line. “The Beauty of Branch Avenue” viral campaign is spotlighting residents and local businesses near the Branch Avenue and St. Barnabas corridors and allowing them to share their unique stories and photos on its Facebook page. The month-long campaign, which was launched at the beginning of February, is the latest project from Branch Avenue in Bloom, a program launched in 2010 by the Maryland Small Business Development Center. Daniel Ramirez, who works at
See SPOTLIGHT, Page A-6
the information desk at the Hillcrest Heights Library, shared his fondest “Branch Avenue” memory was when he helped a library visitor apply for a job. A few hours later, the visitor got called in for an interview that same day. “I think it’s good to get positive information about the community,” he said. “It focuses on the good things and [my feature] spotlighted the library as a community resource for information.” Danielle Nelson, retention manager at Carriage Hill Apartments, shared that she enjoys participating in her job’s annual senior pampering event where Carriage Hill seniors are given a spa and pedicures. “Branch Avenue has a lot to offer,” she said. “I think it’s important to promote local businesses to keep income and revenue growing in the community.” Jennifer Funn, program coor-
See CAMPAIGN, Page A-7
Snow day school closings in county begin to chip into summer break Academic calendar included four inclement weather days, but five have been used, so far n
BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Prince George’s County students may have enjoyed an extra long weekend thanks to the snow storm Feb. 13, but the school closing that day may
have to be made up in June. With Feb. 14 being reserved for parent-teacher conferences and Monday being the Presidents’ Day holiday, county public schools students were able to enjoy a five-day weekend. The school system had four inclement weather days built into its academic calendar, but Feb. 13 marked the fifth time school had to be canceled due to inclement weather this school year. School had also been canceled Dec. 10,
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Former NFL player plans to take his new fitness center franchise to the top.
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Jan. 3, Jan. 21 and Jan. 22. Under Maryland law, school is mandated to be in session for at least 180 days, but the state can grant waivers for school systems that have experienced significant weather-related cancellations during the school year. “The superintendent, or CEO in our case, would have to request a waiver from the state,” school system spokesman Max Pugh said. “We’re going to wait and see how the weather turns out
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YOUNG ADULT SWIM Many of Prince George’s County’s top high school swimmers are underclassmen.
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before we decide whether or not to seek a waiver.” The four built-in inclement weather makeup days run Monday through Thursday, June 9 through June 12. A fifth makeup weather day would likely make June 13 the last day of school. “If we start to get into six or seven days, it does begin to create issues for parents,” said Earnest Moore, Prince George’s County PTA Council president, mentioning the impact on sum-
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mer plans. “A lot of camps have to be paid for before the school year ends,” Moore said. “Some parents may have to decide whether or not to take their kids out of school early.” Moore said it can also pose problems for student employment. Employers who rely on large numbers of student workers in the summer,
See SNOW, Page A-7
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