South county public schools wrapped up a very productive year on June 9.
At Central Elementary School, Principal Jan Haberlein said that highlights of the school year included the passage of Rosa's Law, named for first-grader Rosa Marcellino. The law changes the designation from "mentally retarded" to "intellectually disabled." Another highlight was U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski's visit in April for a roundtable discussion on special education.
In addition, fifth-grader Lauren Graupman was named a Dr. Ben Carson Scholar, and Riva Trace Baptist Church received a county award for their volunteer work to beautify the campus landscaping.
At Davidsonville Elementary, Principal Jean Marie Hofstetter said that she was honored by her school's community service.
"We were number one in the state for the amount of money and food donated to the Harvest for the Hungry," Hofstetter said, crediting the work of parent volunteer Kerry Monroe.
Hofstetter also lauded her students who won at the county science fair. Connor Monroe (son of Kerry), did a project based on fitness results using the Nintendo Wii Fit, while twins Jack and Lillian Stump completed a teeter-totter project.
Hofstetter also loved physical education teacher Lauren Poteet's idea for the school's annual Field Day - basing activities on the CBS reality show "The Amazing Race."
"That was a lot of work to coordinate for 620 students, and she did a beautiful job," Hofstetter said.
At Deale Elementary School, Principal John Noon reported that he was most proud of his faculty and staff for providing "a whole lot of opportunities for the kids outside the curriculum."
Vern Brumfield is Deale's physical education teacher. He not only teaches all of the school's nearly 300 students, he also coaches the dance troupe, runs the 24-game club, and supervises and participates in the school's sport stacking club. His sport stacking club holds state records, by not only students at the school, but also Brumfield himself.
The idea is to stack cups in a pre-determined order: there's the 3-3-3 stack, which is making three pyramids of three cups each, and the 3-6-3 stack. Players begin with their hands on a timer, which starts counting as soon as both hands are lifted off the sensor. The cups are stacked in the right order, then returned to a single stack. It ends when both hands return to the timer. The action is fast, and mesmerizing to watch.
Teachers Cindy Holzworth and Christy McCall started a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Club, after receiving teacher training at NASA. They enlisted nine second- and-third-grade students. The students were tasked with solving a problem by coming up with a robot design, first on paper. Then they had to build the robot, test and troubleshoot their design and modify or correct problems.
"It taught them that not everything works out right the first time," Holzworth said.
Alissa Ferranti was named the Safety Patrol of the year, and was recognized by AAA-Mid-Atlantic after Brumfield nominated her.
At Edgewater Elementary School, the Relay for Life team raised $555 when students paid to tape Principal Barry Fader to the gymnasium wall. The team sold strips of tape for $1 each, then gathered the students in the gymnasium for the "taping" during Field Day in early June.
Fader said that the staff decided to just fundraise for Relay for Life because students and faculty at the school in the past have been afflicted with cancer, and it gave them a singular fundraiser to focus on.
"We've raised over $100,000 in the past six years," Fader said. That is the most for south county schools, and allows Edgewater to hold on to the trophy each year.
But Fader's favorite activity for students was the fall word parade. Each student at the school had to learn a vocabulary word and be that word, in costume, for a parade near Halloween.
One student, Robert Gasterino, a second-grader, had the word, "protagonist." He dressed as Principal Fader in a suit and tie, and had a life-sized mask of Fader that his mom helped him to make.
At Shady Side Elementary School, students held several fundraisers over the course of the year for Alex's Lemonade Stand in honor of second-grader Erin Keenan, whose cancer is now in remission.
The students also got to participate in a weeklong residency program with the "Footworks" percussive dance troupe.
A highlight for many students might have been art teacher Sarah Sheckell's month-long "journey" to Mexico during multicultural month in May.
Each year, Sheckell, along with the school's PTO and the cultural arts teachers, puts together a month of activities centered around a foreign country or region. This year's theme was Mexico.
The teachers developed lessons, highlighted books and DVDs and created social studies projects around the county's heritage and culture. During teacher appreciation week, the PTO served up a Mexican feast to the faculty and staff.
Sheckell said that since two of Shady Side's students, Alfredo Garcia Bererra and Daniel Salomon, are first generation Mexican-Americans, she thought it would be good to have them read the morning announcements during the month.
At the end of Mexico multicultural month, the PTO brought in Maru Montero, a Mexican dance company that presented an assembly that had all of the children on their feet.
Community Day at at Ralph Bunche Community Center starts at 8 a.m. Saturday at the center, 374 Mill Swamp Road in Edgewater. Enjoy a parade, marching band, basketball tournament, vendor tables, clown, food, face painting and horseshoe tournament. For more information, call Glennie Salisbury at 410-279-6101.
The Rockin' for a Reason charity festival begins at 2 p.m. Saturday at Trent Hill Farm and Nursery, 24 Nutwell Road in Lothian. Entertainment includes Mama Jama, Talk is Cheap, Poruzakistin, Michael McHenry's Tribe and Dean Rosenthal and The 4 Piece Rackets. The cost is $30 and the proceeds benefit We Care and Friends. The rain date is June 27. For tickets and sponsorship information, call 410-956-1344 or visit www.exteriorimage.com.
A Summer Solstice Concert at London Town Gardens begins at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Bring a picnic and enjoy the music of Maggie Sansone and Friends. Beverages available for purchase. The cost is $15 per person; $10 for seniors and members. No charge for children under 12. For more information, call 410-222-1919.
Take a Summer Solstice Hike from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Jug Bay's Glendening Nature Preserve in Lothian. Adults are $5; children under 17 are $3. Children should be able to walk up to 3 miles at a moderate pace. Trails are not suited for strollers. For more information, call 410-741-9330.
Correction: Last week's south county column covered the winners from the Scholastic Art and Writing Program. Juliana Mazza, 12, a student at St. Andrew's School in Edgewater, won a regional Gold Key award for her self- portrait "You Rock."
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