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The Gazette OLNEY
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
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C-SPAN bus stops in Olney
Magruder High counselor seen as a lively spirit Olney mom who died ‘touched a ton of lives’
Four Farquhar Middle School students produce award-winning video documentary
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LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
Four William H. Farquhar Middle School eighth-graders were recently honored by the C-SPAN TV network for earning an honorable mention in its StudentCam contest. C-SPAN representatives pulled up to the school in their media bus on May 27. They came to attend an assembly honoring students John Caporaletti, Keza Levine, Matthew Post, and Matthew Morrison. The students are all Olney residents. Principal Diane Morris said the students created the video on their own time, not as an assignment. “It really is remarkable,” she said. “They found out about the contest and researched the topic. To see kids do something like that on their own is really great. As a parent, I hope my own children have that passion for learning, and as a principal, I couldn’t be more proud of these students.” The annual competition encourages students to think critically about issues that affect their communities and their nation. This year, students were asked to create a video documentary of 5 to 7 minutes answering the question, “What’s the most important issue the U.S. Congress should address in 2014?” Post said the and his friends have been interested in film since taking a television production class that Nicole Martin taught last year.
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From left, Matthew Post, Keza Levine, John Caporaletti and Matthew Morrison, C-SPAN StudentCam documentary winners from Farquhar Middle School, pose in front of the C-SPAN bus after a ceremony at the school to recognize their award. “We’ve entered other contests in the past, but nothing like this before,” he said. “We stumbled onto this and decided to step out of our comfort zone and maybe win something.” The group decided to focus on the federal No Child Left Behind Act, a system of educational performance standards put in place under President George W. Bush. “We all have our beliefs, especially about standardized tests, and what we are taught
As a mother, wife, school counselor, friend, coach and much more to those who knew her, Denise Schaefer was a kind, athletic and gregarious spirit who touched those around her. Schaefer, 38, passed away unexpectedly May 10 from a blood infection but left a strong impression with those she left behind, from her husband Geoff to her friends to her co-workers. Geoff Schaefer — an English teacher and swim and volleyball coach at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda — said he met Schaefer at a wedding and joked it was “infatuation at first sight” with the
gorgeous woman he considered out of his league. He and his wife were together for 11 years. “I don’t know why she stuck with me,” he said. “I’m so fortunate.” Gabe Ossi, a longtime family friend of the Schaefers, said that in her work as a teacher and school counselor, Schaefer “touched a ton of lives.” Ossi said that a group of students who graduated in 2002 from Magruder High School — where Denise Schaefer first taught math and then counseled — reached out after Schaefer’s death to ask what they could do to help. Being a counselor was Schaefer’s “true calling,” Geoff said. She thought that grades were an obstacle to connecting with students, he said, and she
See COUNSELOR, Page A-10
in the classroom,” Post said. “This shows that students do have a firm understanding of education, and that there should be more ways for us to have a say in what we are learning. We should be able to openly talk to school administrators and open up the dialogue.” The video contained footage of interviews with Farquhar staff members, as well
See C-SPAN, Page A-10
“We’ve entered other contests in the past, but nothing like this before. We stumbled onto this and decided to step out of our comfort zone and maybe win something.” Matthew Post, Farquhar Middle School student
Dear readers,
Note to readers
You may have noticed some changes in your newspaper lately. The Gazette built its loyal readership by providing news and information about neighborhoods, schools, businesses and communities, and as the media industry has evolved, we realized we must return to these roots in a meaningful way. Over the last several months, we’ve refocused on publishing extremely local community news. As part of the changes we’re implementing, beginning June 18, The Gazette will be consolidated from eight editions to five in Montgomery County. All five will feature much more content
specific to the communities we serve. As we increase the number of newsstand locations to make sure The Gazette is available in high-traffic public locations, we will discontinue home delivery in some areas of the county, including Damascus, Poolesville, and parts of Olney and Potomac. Other homes may begin receiving a different edition of The Gazette. Our five editions in Montgomery County will continue to be a mix of home delivery and newsstand delivery to meet the needs of our readers and advertisers. If you no longer find the newspaper at the end of your driveway, you may choose to have it delivered to your mail-
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Sincerely, Karen Acton CEO, The Gazette
NEWS
SPORTS
Fruit, crafts, games are the focus at popular annual event.
Colons helped lead their respective Gaithersburg High teams.
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STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL RETURNS
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FINDING SUCCESS ON TWIN PATHS
Denise Schaefer, with her husband, Geoff, and their daughters.
FAMILY PHOTO
Rockville extends discussion on lengthening council terms Students agitating for lower voting age
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RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Rockville residents will soon have another chance to weigh in on whether city officials should serve longer terms. And soon those officials might be elected by younger voters, as a group of students pushes the city to lower its voting age to 16. The mayor and four-member City Council voted unanimously Monday night to hold
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a public hearing on June 23 on extending officials’ terms from two to four. But they also rejected holding hearings on proposals to increase the size of the council and change the years when the city holds elections. In November, Rockville voters considered three nonbinding referendum questions regarding the city’s elections: whether to increase the council from four to six members; whether to increase council and mayoral terms from two to four years; and whether to move city elections to coincide with the presidential election
cycle. Voters supported longer terms, but opposed the other two questions. Councilman Tom Moore said he doesn’t support longer terms because he doesn’t think sitting members should extend their own terms, but thinks more discussion would be valuable. If the change is approved, the council and mayor elected in 2015 — rather than the current office holders — would have their terms extended. Moore said the power of in-
See TERMS, Page A-10
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