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DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
25 cents
Junior scientists present work at fair How Pepco
decides to trim or remove trees
Students share interests, new knowledge with community n
BY
PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER
Oh, the things you can learn. Put together the inquiring minds of grade-school students and the scientific process and you end up with a science fair filled with answers to many of life’s little questions. More than 50 Poolesville Elementary School students worked on 43 experiments for the school’s second annual science fair on March 18. “[The students] are excited,” Poolesville principal Douglas Robbins said. “Its something they can do at home with their mothers and fathers then bring in here and show it off.” The school’s all-purpose room was filled with display boards listing hypotheses, procedures, data and conclusions. Visitors could learn how to pick the best pet, the best ways to grow mold, which road surfaces were fastest or what causes clouds or super storms. There were also props accompanying many of the displays, including stuffed animals, bottles and jars filled with colored water, Lego bricks and bags of pop corn. Third graders Rebecca Kasuske and Bridget Oberman worked together on the pop corn experiment. Their goal was to determine which of four popping corns worked best. Their results: Pop Secret came in number one.
New state regulations require more aggressive management
n
BY
STAFF WRITER
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Poolesville Elementary School first-grader Charlie Gleason, 7, tells principal Douglas Robbins about his project, “Understanding Soil Types and Their Relationship to Water Quality,” at the school science fair on March 18. “It pops fastest,” Rebecca said. “And the biggest,” Bridget added. Kindergartner Logan Lamb, in his first ever science fair, studied the science of super hero suits. He said he learned that they were made out of many different materials such as metal, cotton and polymers. The science may have been difficult to explain, but Logan was definite about his favorite super hero. “Its Green Lantern,” he said. Sady Svedberg, who has sons in first and third grades at
the school, said she started the science fair last year when her sons started at Poolesville. She said she did it because of the enriching and rewarding experience it is for the kids. “It’s to let the children enjoy exploring a topic and gain [presentation] skills,” she said. Maya Rai, a second-grader, stood before a display showing a large and fancy cupcake in the center. She wanted to answer the question: “What makes cupcakes rise.” She had two cupcakes to show, one tall and fluffy, the other heavy and flat. The difference, she said, was leaven-
ing, showing the dense looking cupcake. “I didn’t even know they had leavening agents,” she said. “For the [fluffy one] I added baking soda and vinegar.” What the students learned is what made the science fair fun, most said. “I think its great,” said third-grader Katilyn Rickert, who studied red pandas for her presentation. “You get to learn about other things and tell about them so you aren’t the only one that knows them.” Fifth-grade twins Sophia
See FAIR, Page A-9
Clarksburg collision victim identified Woman lived near Clarksburg High School n
BY
VIRGINIA TERHUNE STAFF WRITER
County police have identified the woman struck by a car in a fatal collision in Clarksburg on March 18 as Betty Lou Vest, 67, of the 22700 block of Fred-
KATE S. ALEXANDER
erick Road (Md. 355) in Clarksburg. Vest was struck by a car about 7:40 p.m. while trying to cross Frederick Road between Shawnee Lane and Foreman Boulevard in an area that did not have a marked crosswalk, according to a Montgomery County Police Department news release. Emergency responders took
her to a local hospital where she died, according to the release. A 2002 Volkswagen Golf TDI, driven by Carl Martin of Ruby Drive in Boyds, was traveling northbound on Frederick Road when his vehicle struck Vest, according to the release. Martin remained at the scene, according to the release. No further information was available as of Thursday
afternoon. Detectives from the Montgomery County PoliceCollision Reconstruction Unit continue to investigate the accident. Anyone with information regarding the collision is asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773-6620. Callers may remain anonymous vterhune@gazette.net
On a cold, clear February morning, arborist Emily Fricke wore a hard hat and walked down Charles Road in Silver Spring, looking up at the trees. A geographic information system-enabled tablet was strapped to her hand. On her back was a pack with utility handouts, a can of blue spray paint for marking trees for removal and a GPS antenna. At each tree, Fricke stopped, put a marker on her tablet and considered the tree’s age, species, condition and how close its branches are to Pepco’s power lines. Fricke is one of 17 utility arborists paid to walk Pepco’s lines, plotting the location of trees and determining which should be trimmed, removed or left alone. Maryland cracked down on electric utilities about four years ago, imposing stricter rules for reliability, including for pruning
and removing trees. “Trees and power lines don’t mix,” Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner (DDist. 1) of Bethesda, a vocal Pepco critic, has said repeatedly. For years, Pepco was one of the nation’s least-reliable power companies. Residents experienced frequent and long power outages, often on days when the sky was blue. Pepco has improved, but remains in the bottom half of utilities for how long and how frequently its Maryland customers lose power, according to the utility. To ensure more reliable power, the General Assembly in 2011 passed the Electricity Service Quality and Reliability Act, which required state regulators to impose stricter standards on utilities. That same year, Maryland regulators found Pepco wasn’t doing enough to keep trees and limbs from falling on power lines during storms. It fined the utility $1 million. In 2012, the Public Service Commission implemented the new regulations, which required
See PEPCO, Page A-10
Spring break is coming Seasonal activities abound in Germantown, Boyds and beyond n
BY
PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER
Not everyone or even the majority of people spend Spring Break on a warm beach somewhere exotic. Most stay home and fill the time off from school or work taking part in local activities. With Montgomery County Public Schools and Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Washington on vacation the week of April 6-10, it’s not too
early to make plans for active days of learning and play. Here is a list of some of the many things for children and families to do during the time off from school. Upper county children can sign up for a week or just a day of camp at BlackRock Center for the Arts Spring Break Camp. Designed for children in kindergarten to fifth grade, the camp offers art, music, dance and theater. Camp runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with an extended day option from 3:306:30 p.m. Cost is $300 for the week, $65 per day and $100 per
See BREAK, Page A-9
Minority students want change under next Montgomery superintendent n
Forum expresses need for different attitude, more staff support
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
For some minority students, Montgomery County Public Schools’ next superintendent
faces a long list of ways the district can better serve blacks and Latinos. The seven students spoke at a community forum Thursday in Silver Spring that focused on what the district’s next leader needs to accomplish, particularly for supporting black and Latino students. The forum also included the voices of parent, school
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and organization leaders. The Montgomery County Education Forum sponsored the event. A variety of community groups were co-sponsors. Rhasaan Bovell, a senior at Northwood High School in Silver Spring, said minority students are sometimes perceived as “academically inferior,” an attitude he experienced when he was accepted into Princeton
University. “Within not even 24 hours after I got my acceptance, I was told by students, and even some staff members, ‘You got in because you’re black,’” he said. He said he has seen school staff encourage black and Latino students to go to two-year colleges and the workforce. They are not as “heavily” encouraged to pursue four-year colleges as
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non-minority students are, he said. At Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, senior Aidan Keys said, it’s been “really fulfilling” to be in an English class with students of different races and cultural backgrounds — a stark contrast to her experience in one of Blair’s magnet programs. She would like to see more black students in her mag-
net program. “If we’re going to have all these kids at Blair who are so diverse and have so many different experiences, what good is [the magnet program] making the school better if we don’t have those kids’ voices in our classrooms?” she said. Jason Salgero said he is
See SUPERINTENDENT, Page A-9