Budget Cuts, Faculty Turnover Test Montgomery Blair's Math-Science Magnet - Washington Post

An Academic Dynamo Under Stress
Budget Cuts, Faculty Turnover Test Montgomery Blair's Math-Science Magnet

By Daniel de Vise
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 23, 2009; B01

The tangle of knobs and wires suggested trade school. But this was mathematical physics, taught to seniors at Montgomery Blair High School by invitation only. James Schafer's students were building resistor-capacitor circuits, a test of differential equations they had solved two days earlier.

It had gone better on paper. At one table, a capacitor blew with a loud pop. Smoke rose from another corner. This was, Schafer mused, "the smell of learning."

For 20 years, some of the top math and science minds in the country have passed through the Science, Mathematics and Computer Science Magnet at Blair High in Silver Spring. But there's one question even the sharpest students cannot yet answer: Will this overachieving program remain a powerhouse in a time of budget cuts, teacher turnover and emerging competition?

Founded in 1985 to invigorate an under-performing school, the Blair magnet has far surpassed the goals of its architects. With 400 students on a campus of more than 2,700, the program produces more winners of science and math prizes than any other in the Washington region, save the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County. The magnet has yielded a stream of Intel Science Talent Search finalists, presidential scholars and winners of national "olympiads" in biology, physics and math. All of this success has helped Blair become a destination school.

"I've never actually met this many people who want to get the highest grade in the class all the time," said Sneha Kannan, 16, a senior, who is researching a polymer that delivers drugs directly to cancer cells. "I like being with kids who like to learn as much as I do."

But budget cuts last year pared the faculty from 18 to 14. The remaining teachers were asked to take an extra class. Four veteran teachers left, some in protest. A fifth died. The magnet had never had such churn.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/22/AR2009032201834.html

Art that's good for the heart - Gazette

Rosemary Hills banners promote healthy lifestyles

by Jeremy Arias | Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A cheery smile played across the lips of 7-year-old Saba Solomon on Friday at Rosemary Hills Primary School as she added the finishing touches to her painting: a thin green curve for a smile and two sky-blue circles for eyes.

All around her, the lounge-turned-canvass teemed with second-graders rushing from one table to another clutching Dixie cups full of paint and thin brushes in the final artist in residence workshop, all under the watchful eyes of the artist, Caryl Henry-Alexander.

Thanks to the artist-in-residence program sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council, Henry-Alexander has spent the last few weeks meeting regularly with the 200 second-graders at the school to design and paint 16 banners, two for each class, which will soon adorn the school cafeteria.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/03252009/silvnew184240_32481.shtml

Subcommittee OKs redevelopment of part of Falkland Chase - Gazette

Two portions of complex could be designated as historic

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A Montgomery County Council subcommittee gave the owner of Falkland Chase apartments in Silver Spring the green light to redevelop part of the property Monday, the same week a historic preservation organization named Falkland Chase one of Maryland's most endangered historic sites.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/03252009/silvnew184238_32479.shtml

Report: Businesses should connect main shopping districts - Gazette

by Jeremy Arias | Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

While businesses in Takoma Park do an admirable job of cashing in on a unique specialty market, more can be done to connect the main shopping districts and increase the attractiveness of the city as a unit, according to a Washington, D.C.-based market specialist.

While the city has some anchor stores that help draw shoppers to surrounding establishments, they are too spread out and insufficiently advertised to have the desired effect, according to Randall Gross, an economic consultant hired by the Old Takoma Business Association to compile a retail market analysis of the city.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/03252009/silvnew184233_32472.shtml

Takoma Park and Friends of Sligo Creek pilot rainwater program - Gazette

If successful, effort could be replicated in other communities along tributary

by Jeremy Arias | Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Friends of Sligo Creek hope the success of an upcoming pilot program to plant stormwater-collecting rain gardens in Takoma Park will spark interest in a similar county-wide effort.

As part of a joint effort by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, the city of Takoma Park and Casa of Maryland, the FOSC hope to help plant roughly 10,000 of the water-conserving gardens in area homes along the creek from Wheaton down to Hyattsville, where the creek connects to the northwest branch of the Anacostia River, according to FOSC member Kit Gage.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/03252009/silvnew184244_32484.shtml

Revenue Authority could retain control of Sligo Creek Golf Course - Gazette

Department of Parks to determine facility's future

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The future of the Sligo Creek Golf Course will be in the hands of the Montgomery County Council Tuesday when it votes on an amendment to the county Revenue Authority's lease to operate the course, potentially shutting it down as of Oct. 1 and forcing the county Planning Board to determine a new use for the land.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/03252009/silvnew184232_32471.shtml

AFI film festival celebrates African culture - Gazette

by Suzanne Pollak | Special to The Gazette | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Opening night of the New African Films Festival brought more than 400 people to the lobby of the American Film Institute's Silver Theatre and Cultural Center March 19, but it wasn't a typical night at the movies.

While awaiting the first movie, "13 Months of Sunshine," attendees of the opening night cocktail hour could bypass the usual movie popcorn and candy, and opt for a buffet featuring ye'abesha gomen (collard greens) and tikil gomen (cabbage) as well as beets and Ethiopian bread, compliments of nearby Abol Ethiopian Restaurant.

The film festival, which celebrates African culture and aims to give a better feel for life in African countries, had seven successful days at AFI, its third year at the theater on Colesville Road in downtown Silver Spring. Now in its fifth season, this year's festival featured about 30 films.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/03252009/silvnew184231_32470.shtml

Nonprofit elects downtown property manager to board - Gazette

Talk of the Town | Jason Tomassini | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A nonprofit dedicated to providing programming for the upcoming civic building and Veteran's Plaza in Silver Spring elected the manager of Downtown Silver Spring and a local jazz star to its board of directors.

At its March 18 meeting, the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. elected Marcus Johnson of Silver Spring and Jennifer Nettles of Gaithersburg as members of the Board.

Nettles is the manager of Downtown Silver Spring for Ellsworth Drive property manager Peterson Cos. and serves as a board member of the Silver Spring Urban District Advisory Board and the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce. Johnson, a jazz pianist, is the founder, president and CEO of the Three Keys record label based in Silver Spring and has been involved in planning the annual Silver Spring Jazz Festival.

Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. was established in 2004 to provide community-based programming for the civic building site at the corner of Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street. The civic building is scheduled to be completed in March 2010 and the Veteran's Plaza is scheduled to open Nov. 11, which is Veteran's Day.

"It was thought that when the building design was completed there should be a community vehicle to enliven the new building," said Alan Bowser, president of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. "… We want this building to be the living room of the community."

Bowser said Nettles and Johnson will help the organization through their business connections in the community and experience with planning events downtown. Both are partners in the Silver Spring Blues Festival, which will be held May 9 on Ellsworth Drive.

The group has been meeting with the community to gauge the type of events residents would like to see at the site and given a recent focus on the presence of youth downtown, offering events to people of all ages and ethnicities is a priority, Bowser said.

"The civic building and Veterans Plaza are in the location where the turf was located," Bowser said. "We want young people to be involved in the maximum extent possible."

The 42,000 square-foot civic building will be complemented by Veterans Plaza, which is nearly an acre of public-use space for outdoor events. The estimated cost for the civic building is $19.7 million.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/03252009/silvnew184238_32478.shtml

Councilmember Ervin, County Executive Leggett to Announce Pedestrian Improvements in Silver Spring on March 26

Enhancements to 2nd Avenue Will Improve Access to Public Transportation and Safety for Seniors, People with Disabilities

SILVER SPRING, Md., March 23, 2009—Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin, the County Council’s representative to the Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee and an advocate for pedestrian safety, will join County Executive Isiah Leggett and Silver Spring residents to announce the completion of pedestrian improvements to 2nd Avenue in Silver Spring. The event will take place Thursday, March 26, at 10 a.m. outside Elizabeth House at 1400 Fenwick Lane (intersection of Fenwick Lane and 2nd Avenue). A small reception will follow at Holy Cross Hospital Senior Source at 8580 2nd Ave. in Silver Spring.

In December 2006, Councilmember Ervin and County Executive Leggett released the Pedestrian Safety Initiative. The Initiative seeks to decrease the number of pedestrian related accidents through a comprehensive approach that includes education, enforcement and engineering. Along 2nd Avenue, a significant number of engineering improvements were made, including the installation of ADA accessible ramps and bump-outs, upgraded crosswalks and pedestrian signals and the relocation of a bus shelter.

“Pedestrian safety is all about improving access and creating connectivity, so that our residents are comfortable and safe while walking,” said Councilmember Ervin, who represents Kensington, Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Wheaton. “The improvements made on 2nd Avenue are particularly important due to the high number of seniors living in adjacent buildings and for those who participate in Holy Cross Senior Source programs.”

Pedestrian safety has been a priority in the administration of County Executive Leggett.

“My recommended operating budget for Fiscal Year 2010 increases spending on pedestrian safety by more than $4 million to further the goals of the Pedestrian Safety Initiative,” said County Executive Leggett. “I am committed to keeping pedestrians safe, and our engineering, enforcement and education efforts are making a difference. With these additional funds, we’ll be able to do more in Silver Spring and throughout the County.”

Councilmember Ervin recognized the efforts of many in helping spur the program.

“I want to thank Silver Spring resident Sheila Cogan for her advocacy on this project, the Department of Transportation for completing the work in such a timely manner and Jennifer Nettles of Downtown Silver Spring for helping with the reception,” said Councilmember Ervin. “Each pedestrian improvement we make creates a safer environment for our residents and helps reduce the potential for pedestrian accidents.”

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Program Provides Direction To Preteens - Washington Post

By Julie Rasicot
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, March 19, 2009; GZ09

Fifth-grader Natalee Sosa remembers when she used to sit around a lot. She wouldn't even think about exercising.

But that was before she joined the Girls on the Run after-school program at Highland View Elementary School in Silver Spring. During semiweekly sessions last year, she gradually trained to run longer distances and surprised herself by completing a 5K run at the end of the nine-week program.

That's why Natalee said she did not hesitate to join about two dozen other girls on the field behind her school as the spring session of the running program met on a chilly afternoon last Thursday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/18/AR2009031801796_pf.html