January 15, 2016

Transcription

January 15, 2016

Gaithersburg’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Kentlands, Lakelands, Quince Orchard Park and More
The
TOWN
Vol. 14, No. 2
Courier
www.towncourier.com
January 15, 2016
The Road to Recovery Brings
Ty Williams Back Home
By Syl Sobel
T
PRSRT-STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Gaithersburg MD
Permit #1722
he holiday season is typically
a time for families to come
home, to reunite in joy and
gratitude, to give thanks for time
with loved ones. But for one former
Quince Orchard High School football standout and his family, the joy
of coming home for the holidays
and the thrill of reuniting were just
a little more meaningful than most.
Tyrell Williams, the former Cougar star who suffered a serious neck
injury in September during the
season opener for his Georgetown
University football team, came
home to Gaithersburg a few days
before Christmas. After nine hours
of neck and spinal surgery, a week
at UPMC Altoona (Pa.) Hospital,
and three months of intensive rehabilitation in Atlanta, being back
in Gaithersburg “feels great,” Williams said. “I’ve never been away
from home for so long—ever.”
Williams had been undergoing
daily occupational and physical
therapy at the Shepherd Center in
Atlanta, one of the nation’s top rehabilitation hospitals for spinal cord
and brain injuries, since mid-September. His mother, Melissa Rand,
Photo | Alan Kresse
The beauty of Kentlands, captured here on Jan. 10 beneath a double rainbow, is now in the hands of Community Landscape Services, a
landscape contractor that will manage organic and conventional protocol public spaces.
Photo | Mac Kennedy
Terrence Williams is glad to have son, Ty,
back home.
stayed in Atlanta during that time,
while his father, Terrance Williams, remained in Gaithersburg
working and taking care of the
family’s younger son.
“The time at Shepherd was amazing,” said Rand, giving thanks to
the caring and dedicated staff, but
“we’re happy to be home” where
life can be a little more normal. For
dad Williams, the time away from
his son brought “anxiety—I wantn ty williams Continued on page 22
New Landscape Contractor
for a New Year
By Sharon Allen Gilder
T
he year 2016 rings in Community Landscape Services (Community) as the new
landscape contractor for Kentlands, replacing contracts with Advantage Lawn Care and
A.I.R. Lawn Care in an effort to bring the traditional and organic vendors “under one umbrella.”
Community was chosen after a lengthy planning
and vetting process that began early in the summer of 2015.
Nalley Fresh Comes
to Kentlands
Q
The Town Courier
309 Main Street
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
B
n
turf contractor Continued on page 8
Cougar Team Heads to
‘It’s Academic’ Playoffs
By Pam Schipper
By Pam Schipper
altimore superior fastcasual dining phenomenon Nalley Fresh plans to
open the last week of January
at 261 Kentlands Blvd. in the
1800-square-foot space nextdoor
to The Hair Cuttery. Founded
in 2011 by Greg Nalley, who had
more than 20 years’ of culinary
experience at the time, the Nalley
Fresh concept grew quickly from
three daytime eateries located in
office buildings to more community-oriented gathering places
with a contemporary natural and
culinary industrial décor. The
Kentlands location is the seventh
Nalley Fresh, and the first outside
of the Baltimore metro area.
Reed Krakowitz, general manager, said that Nalley Fresh was
drawn to Kentlands because “the
For several months, members of the Kentlands
Environmental Management Committee and the
Turf Working Group met and assembled detailed
specifications that comprised the bid package.
Denyse Baker, chair of the Turf Working Group,
said, “The package that went out for bid was very
detailed in terms of the protocols we expected
people to use and the attention to detail we wanted to see in all of our landscaping and turf areas.”
uestion: Participation in
what high school team will
offer you regular TV appearances, travel three to four times per
year, and a probable boost in grades
and college assessment scores?
If you buzzed in early with an
answer, you must be an Academic
Team insider.
If you waited for the telling completion of the question, you may
be a bit surprised to learn that this
Quince Orchard High School club
with the well-deserved brainy reputation is also glamorous and fun.
No strangers to appearing on
n academic team Continued on page 6
Photo | Submitted
The new Nalley Fresh at 261 Kentlands Boulevard lets you personalize bowl, wrap or salad
with choices that reflect 15 different cuisines.
area is so community-oriented,
and that’s what we love.”
Nalley Fresh has already partnered with Kentlands Square
n nalley fresh Continued on page 8
Photo | NBC4 Studios
QOHS Academic Team members Logan Feingold, Natalie Rubin and Tanay Wakhare won against
Bishop Ireton and McLean high schools on NBC4’s “It’s Academic.” The episode will air Saturday,
Jan. 30, 10:30 a.m. Spencer Tabit was the team alternate for this competition.
Page 2
The Town Courier
January 15, 2016
January 15, 2016 The Town Courier
Page 3
Lakelands’ William D. Albright
Pens Biography
By Sharon Allen Gilder
M
attie Pearl Albright paved the
way to have a road named after her in the East Texas City
of Berryville through resilience, tenacious action, leadership, and a commitment to community. Born in 1917,
she grew up in an age replete with the
racial inequities of the Jim Crow era
in Shreveport, Louisiana, and attended a segregated high school. After she
moved to California in the 1940s she
founded and managed one of the few
credit unions established for blacks in
Los Angeles, and in the 1970s, after
moving to Frankston, Texas, she served
on the city council and founded two
chambers of commerce in the area.
These are a few of her many achievements. Thanks to her son, Lakelands
resident William D. Albright, we can
learn more in his recently published biography about his mother, “The Pearl
of East Texas.”
Albright traveled many avenues during his fact-finding journey, gathering
newspaper articles, photos, awards and
genealogical reports to capture the story of his mother’s successes as a wife,
mother and community leader.
At a book signing on Dec. 21 at The
Wine Harvest, Albright explained his
inspiration. “I woke up one morning
and she crossed my mind. I asked, so
how did this woman get a road named
after her in East Texas? Somebody
needs to tell that story, so I decided
to research and see what I could find
out.” On May 6, 2003, the Berryville
City Council and mayor officially announced that County Road 4117 would
become “Mattie Albright Road.” Albright added, “This road that people
travel down day in and day out and
they don’t know how that happened. I
think there are a lot of stories of unsung
heroes that never get told.” His mother
retired from the Berryville City Council in June 2003 at the age of 85.
Through anecdotes, personal reminisces, ancestral knowledge, and photographs, Albright chronicled the richness of his mother’s life from her early
years to her passing in 2006 at the age
of 88. He said, “I wanted to know her
history, her values, the things that kind
of made her tick that she passed down
along with my father … and the things
passed to her by her mother.” Albright’s
research included hiring a genealogist,
searches on ancestry.com, and interviewing family members and his mother’s co-workers.
He said she was a “standout” in every
community where she lived. In the
early 1940s she resided in wartime Los
Angeles, California, with her first husband whom she divorced in early 1943.
Albright wrote, “They became part of
the second large migration of blacks
from southern states like Louisiana and
Texas to escape racial violence and seek
better employment and other opportunities in cities like Los Angeles.”
In September 1943 his parents mar-
C
ircumstances beyond Uriel
Casas’ control—regardless of
how persistent he and others
have been in their efforts to challenge
them—limited his choice of livelihood. Instead of giving up or surrendering to depression or anger at the
injustice, the 36-year-old, who has a
master’s degree from the University of
Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School
of Business, has made the best of an
untenable situation. He has pursued a
career in fitness while fighting for undocumented immigrants like himself.
Casas came to Montgomery County from Mexico at age 8 on a limited
tourist visa. After learning English
quickly and excelling at Watkins Mill
Elementary, Ridgeview Middle and
Quince Orchard High schools, he
was admitted to four-year colleges
he couldn’t afford; his immigrant status made him ineligible for financial
aid. Instead, he took classes at Montgomery College while working as a
personal trainer to finance his higher
education.
What has eluded Casas’ grasp is
Photo | Submitted
Local trainer and business owner Uriel Casas fights
for undocumented immigrants like himself.
what means the most to him: U.S.
citizenship. And until Nov. 20, Casas kept his illegal status a secret from
almost everyone he knew because he
feared their reactions. On the oneyear anniversary of President Barack
Obama’s executive action to widen
the eligibility of the Deferred Action
for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Casas revealed the truth, first
Compiled by Pam Schipper
Photo | Pam Schipper
Lucinda Marshall and Peggy Ruppel lead a group discussion during an
August 2015 Maryland Writer’s Association/Gaithersburg Library Teen
Writing Club meeting.
Calling All Teen Writers
Photo | Sharon Allen Gilder
Author William D. Albright signs a copy of his
recently published biography about his mother,
“The Pearl of East Texas,” for Kentlands resident
Simon Tulloch.
ried. In 1950 the Albright family
moved to the Los Angeles south central
community of Watts. Albright wrote,
“The neighborhood was a great ‘village
to raise a child’ long before this phrase
became popular in the United States in
the 1980s and ‘90s.” The family joined
the Beulah Baptist Church where his
mother sang in the choir, led programs
to raise money for the church, served
as church secretary, and was a member
of the Missionary Society. They lived
in the Watts area for two-and-a-half
decades. In 1974 the family relocated to
Frankston, Texas, where his father had
been born and raised.
n
BIOGRAPHY Continued on page 15
Shape Shifter: Casas Helps Contour
Bodies and Opinions About Immigrants
By Ellyn Wexler
AROUNDTOWN
to some 400 friends and supporters,
and then in a blog published on The
Huffington Post website. Support has
been the overwhelming response, although he admitted to getting some
hate mail. “Mostly everyone has been
awesome,” Casas said. “The positive
reactions I have received from my clients and friends have literally saved
my life.”
Casas’ story of what he calls “immigration purgatory” is almost unbelievable. His nuclear family members have become citizens through
marriage or a job. Unfortunately for
Casas, numerous times paths to legal
status opened a matter of months too
late to help him. In March 2002, his
mother’s petition to get him a visa
was approved, and his name was added to a wait list that was expected to
take a decade. “Thirteen years later,
my name has only slightly moved up
the list. I’m now projected to be eight
years away from receiving a visa,” Casas wrote. “I am on a waiting list that
never moves.”
Other opportunities did not pan out
n
casas Continued on page 10
Quince Orchard Park resident Lucinda Marshall
invites teens, ages 13 to 18, who love to write to the
Maryland Writer’s Association/Gaithersburg Library
Teen Writing Club. The group meets on the first and
third Wednesday of every month, 7 to 8:30 p.m. in
the Gaithersburg Library teen lounge. The group,
which formed last year, contributed to the Maryland
Writer’s Association Teen Anthology, put on a reading, introduced writers at the Gaithersburg Book Festival and chalk published fairy tales. Led by writers
Lucinda Marshall and Peggy Ruppel, the group includes several Quince Orchard Park teens.
MLK Day of Service Planned
Honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
by joining thousands of volunteers across America in
a Day of Service. On Monday, Jan. 18, Gaithersburg
joins with Montgomery Serves and Seneca Creek
Community Church to host a morning of service
projects to benefit people in our community. Please
register in advance for the 9 to 11 a.m. event as space
at the church is limited. Montgomery Serves has additional service projects planned at the Bethesda North
Marriott Conference Center, 1 to 3 p.m., and the Silver Spring Civic Building, 10 a.m. to noon.
Montgomery Serves has extended this national,
one-day event to an entire weekend of volunteer
opportunities presented at www.montgomeryserves.
org/mlk-day-service-2016. You can volunteer
with the 2016 Maryland Science Bowl, weed with
Montgomery Parks, usher for Rockville Little Theatre
and more. Please consider donating to or volunteering
to assist with the Manna Food Drive, which will be
held at Giant food stores Saturday and Sunday, Jan.
16 and 17.
The weekend of service culminates with Montgomery County’s MLK Day Musical Tribute and Celebration, Monday, Jan. 18, 3:30 p.m. at the Strathmore.
Tickets are free, but you must register in advance at
www.strathmore.org.
Styrofoam Food Service Products Banned
On Jan. 1, Montgomery County Bill 41-14, passed
last year this time, went into effect, banning use of
Styrofoam food service products—cups, plates, bowls
and take-out containers—within the county. County
facilities, agencies, departments and contractors are
required to use compostable or recyclable food service ware by March 31, 2016, and private food service
establishments are expected to follow by Jan. 1, 2017.
Corrections
The Jan. 1 article on the Quince Orchard retaining wall stated that 112 Ridgepoint Place was a last-minute addition to the
site plan. Wes Burnette, the city’s Permits & Inspections Division
chief, said that the final site plan for the development showed the
number of units that were constructed. Plan number K-979 was
approved by the Planning Commission on June 17, 1992.
The Jan. 1 article on “A Change Gon’ Come,” which opened at
the Arts Barn Jan. 8, featured a photo of past production leads
Syri Parker and Moyston Henry. Current production leads are Linae Bullock as Harriet Tubman and Tyrelle Martin as John Silas
Tubman.
Page 4
The Town Courier
309 Main Street
For Advertising: 301.279.2304
Also on the Web at www.towncourier.com.
Diane Dorney
Publisher
news@towncourier.com
Matt Danielson
President
matt@eink.net
Pam Schipper
Managing Editor
pam@towncourier.com
Debi Rosen
Advertising Manager
301.455.5721
ads@towncourier.com
Leslie Kennedy
Advertising Sales
301-330-0132
leslie@towncourier.com
Staff Photographers
Arthur Cadeaux
Christine DartonHenrichsen
Phil Fabrizio
Staff Writers
Jennifer Beekman
Nora Caplan
Mike Cuthbert
Gina Gallucci-White
Sharon Allen Gilder
Betty Hafner
Scott Harris
Sheilah Kaufman
Donna Marks
Syl Sobel
Maureen Stiles
Ellyn Wexler
Social Media
Consultant
Mac Kennedy
©2016 Courier Communications
The Town Courier is an independent newspaper published twice a month that provides news
and information for the communities of Kentlands,
Lakelands and Quince Orchard Park in Gaithersburg,
Md. The paper is published by Courier Communications, which is responsible for the form, content and
policies of the newspaper. The Town Courier does not
espouse any political belief or endorse any product
or service in its news coverage. Articles and letters
submitted for publication must be signed and may be
edited for length or content. The Town Courier is not
responsible for any claims made by advertisers Letters
to the Editor and Commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, management or advertisers
of The Town Courier.
January 15, 2016
Kentlands Retirees Find Their Places
in the Blogosphere
By Ellyn Wexler
B
logging has gone from fringe to mainstream in the 21st century, and two
Kentlands retirees have embraced it.
At one end of the spectrum, Roy Kelley has
been writing since 2007, and at the other,
Mike Janus has only just begun.
Kelley, who ended his 20-year career as a
RE/MAX realtor two years ago, writes on
the ActiveRain network, which hosts blogs
for “a couple of hundred thousand members
of the real estate industry,” he said. “It’s the
most effective networking site for the industry.” He knows that industry well; the University of Virginia School of Law graduate
and member of the Virginia Bar never practiced law. Instead, the summer after school
ended, Kelley opened a real estate and insurance office in his hometown, Portsmouth,
Virginia. For many years, his Tidewater
area business included real estate, insurance,
building, development and financial services.
Although Kelley has been blogging for
about eight years, experience and lifestyle
changes have contributed to changing his
subject matter. “You start out simply, then
develop themes and content,” he said. Guidance from ActiveRain blogger and ambassador, realtor Debbie Reynolds of Clarksville,
Tennessee, who “provides assistance to new
bloggers and gives good advice,” was invaluable.
Kelley started out focusing on real estate,
and then added in his hobby: flower pho-
Photo | Mac Kennedy
Local bloggers Mike Janus and Roy Kelley check out the Monday night happy hour at Boulevard Tavern.
tography. “My flower photo signature is sort
of unique,” he said. He takes pictures on
“photowalks” through the Kentlands, where
he has lived since 1994, as well as gardens like
Brookside in Wheaton, Longwood in Pennsylvania and Hillwood in the District.
While he still occasionally writes about
real estate-related topics, like local market
reports, he is more likely to feature events he
and his wife Delores attend—a beer tasting in
Frederick, a wine tasting at Pinky & Pepe’s
or a trip to Colonial Williamsburg. He also
has included book recommendations, recipes, and items of interest from the City of
Gaithersburg.
While entries about local matters may not
interest everyone, Kelley said, the flower
photos have widespread appeal. He also posts
the photos to about 40 different Facebook
groups, “one a day when I have time,” he
said. The blog and Facebook are “two different worlds,” but many of his ActiveRain
followers follow him on Facebook, too. On
ActiveRain’s point system, he noted, his blog
is ranked number two in the network nationally. He attributes his broader network to
having been in the business and at blogging
longer than most.
Janus, who has lived in the Kentlands
since 1995, and downsized to a Colonnade
condominium three years ago, initiated his
Happy Hour blog in December. It’s one more
n
local BLOGGERS Continued on page 15
Shopping Center Annexation Discussion Postponed
By Gina Gallucci-White
winter SavingS!
color
T
he policy discussion on a request to
annex the 8.28-acre property of the
Potomac Valley Shopping Center into
the city was postponed hours before the
start of the Jan. 4 Mayor and City Council
meeting.
Mayor Jud Ashman informed the audience at the start of the meeting that the
annexation discussion was being postponed
due to a technical issue.
In an email to The Town Courier the next
day, John Schlichting, director of Planning
and Code Administration, said the discussion was “deferred last night because we are
still awaiting final consent from all of the
property owners concerning the proposed
sketch plan for the property.”
Property owners Darnestown Valley WHM LLC and Darnestown Valley Petroleum WHM LLC have asked the land
be rezoned from the county into the city’s
mixed use development. Located at Md.
124 and Md. 28, the property is within the
city’s maximum expansion limits as adopted
by the city in 2013. If annexed, the only
city resource that would be extended to the
property is police services.
There are no current plans by the owners
for residential use of the property.
Schlichting added, “The applicant is
hopeful that it will be rescheduled for
the Jan. 19 meeting but we won’t be placing it on the agenda until we receive said
consent.”
POLICEBeat Page 5
MCP, Montgomery College to
Launch Cadet Academy, Program
A
new cadet academy and program is
coming to the area thanks to a partnership between the Montgomery
County Police Department (MCP) and
Montgomery College.
“We are very excited to offer this
and partner with the county,” said Karen Ambrose, program manager for
Montgomery College Workforce Development & Continuing Education. “This is a
wonderful opportunity for anybody who
is looking to get into the law enforcement
area.”
The department had a cadet program in
the late 1960s into the mid-1970s but it was
ended after college credits were added to the
requirements for becoming a police officer.
About two years ago, the department decided to explore reviving the program.
This year, the department is relaunching
cityscene
City Awarded Grant Money Through
State Program
The City of Gaithersburg has been
awarded a $100,000 grant to go toward
construction for the new Olde Towne Park
Plaza at the intersection of Summit and
Diamond avenues.
The money comes through the state’s
Department of Housing and Community
Development’s Community Legacy Program that aims to support projects that encourage business retention and attraction,
home ownership and commercial revitalization.
Gaithersburg’s award was one of 55 projects in 19 counties and Baltimore City to
receive about $6 million in funding for fiscal year 2016.
Public Hearing Held for
Amendments to Dog Exercise Area
The Mayor and City Council held a
public hearing in early January to discuss
amending an ordinance to allow non-residents use of the city’s dog exercise area.
The amendment will also include adding that all dogs must be licensed and detail
how non-residents may acquire a membership or be a guest of a resident to use the
area.
“Hopefully (these changes are) a winwin for everybody,” said Councilmember
Michael A. Sesma.
The record will remain open until Jan.
14 with policy discussion for the Mayor
and City Council set for Feb. 1. If the
amendment passes, the changes will take
effect in about three weeks.
Registration Open for
La Milla de Mayo
Want to run in the inaugural La Milla
de Mayo? Registration is now open for
the May 7 event.
Featuring a one-mile road race and two
Kids Fun Runs of half- and quarter-mile
the cadet program and adding on an introductory six-week academy from May 23
to July 1 held at the Montgomery County
Public Safety Academy in Gaithersburg.
The class runs five days a week, eight hours
a day. Those interested must be at least 18
years old, have a high school diploma or a
General Education Development equivalent, a valid driver’s license and be able to
pass a background check.
MCP Officer Demond Johnson said 20
candidates will be chosen for the academy,
which will feature driving, criminal law,
report writing, physical fitness and team
building exercises. “They will receive the
same training that we receive as police officers,” he said. “The only thing is it will be
abbreviated. ... We are the only agency in
the Maryland, D.C. and Virginia area that
has put together a cadet program with a six-
lengths, La Milla de Mayo will take place
in Olde Towne with a post-race expo held
in the plaza in front of the Gaithersburg
Community Museum. Hosted by the city
and Montgomery County Road Runners Club, the event should draw around
a thousand runners. A portion of the event
proceeds will go toward the Dolores Swoyer Scholarship Fund.
For those ages 12 and older, the fee is
$19. Runners between the ages of 5 and
11 pay a $10 fee. Registering for the Kids
Fun Runs is free. To register, go to www.
mcrrc.org.
Businesses and organizations may also
participate through customizable sponsorship packages ranging from $100 to $2,000.
The deadline to apply is Feb. 29 through
the city’s website at www.gaithersburgmd.
gov in the related documents section.
MEETING CALENDAR
1/15
Economic and Business Development
Committee Annual Breakfast, Kentlands
Mansion, 7:30 a.m.
1/19
Mayor and City Council Meeting, City Hall
Council Chambers, 7:30 p.m.
1/20
Planning Commission Meeting, City Hall
1/27
Cultural Arts Advisory Committee Meeting,
Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 7:30 p.m.
Griffith Park Playground Replacement
Community Meeting, City Hall Gallery,
7:30 p.m.
2/1
Mayor and City Council Meeting, City Hall
2/3
Planning Commission Meeting, City Hall
For the latest information on city meetings, visit the City of Gaithersburg website
at www.gaithersburgmd.gov.
week academy prior to that (program) to
actually give these candidates these opportunities to see exactly what it would be like
to be in a police academy.”
Those interested may apply online until Jan. 20. “The minimum we would like
to get is at least 100 applicants or 150 applicants,” Johnson said.
For those who are selected, they will enroll in the non-credit class through the college’s Workforce Development & Continuing Education, which serves about 30,000
students or more a year.
Those who complete the cadet academy
may apply to be accepted into the cadet program where they will receive a stipend or
salary of $12,000, pending budget approval.
Cadets will be assigned to different sections
throughout the department.
Once cadets are 21 years old and have the
required college credits, they may apply to
become a police officer. “We are actually
building an applicant,” Johnson said. “We
are building a police officer before they even
get (to the officer academy).”
To
apply,
go
to www.
montgomerycountymd.gov/POL/career/
cadet.html. For more information, contact
Johnson at 240.773.5313 or demond.
johnson@montgomerycountymd.gov.
policeblotter
Vandalism
Between 12/27/15, 10 p.m. and
12/28/15, 6 a.m. property was vandalized near the Kentlands Clubhouse. Two
dog stations were bent with metal support poles ruined, an outdoor electrical
outlet was damaged, Christmas decorations were damaged, a sign near the bike
racks was damaged, the top of a bollard
light between tennis courts #1 and #2
was taken off and the light bulb was broken.
—from “Kentlands Express”
Burglary
12/28/2015, 8:23 p.m. A residential
burglary was reported in the 300 block of
Market Street West. Sometime between
October 2015 and December 2015, an
unknown suspect(s) entered the residence and removed property.
—from Gaithersburg Police Department reports
Aggravated Assault
12/30/2015, 9 p.m. An aggravated assault was reported at the Lowe’s located at
40 Market Street. The victim and known
suspect were involved in a verbal discussion that escalated into a physical altercation. The suspect was located, placed
under arrest and charged accordingly.
—from Gaithersburg Police Department reports
n
police blotter Continued on page 18
Page 6
The Town Courier
January 15, 2016
shoptalk
Point Way, but the iconic Star Diner neon sign
and Wurlitzer jukebox are not gone—or even
very far away. Walk across Market Street West
and you’ll find these and other diner memorabilia like light fixtures and framed photographs happily ensconced at My Big Finds.
Owner Jodi Rapaport said she is thrilled to
display these items from a place that meant so
much to the community.
Photo | Pam Schipper
No longer hanging at 705 Center Point Way, the Star Diner
neon sign is now for sale nearby at My Big Finds, 215
Market St. West.
Gone But Not Forgotten
Do you have fond memories of the Star
Diner? Renovations to the former Star Diner
space are well underway now at 705 Center
Sweet News
Nothing Bundt Cakes is opening its first
Maryland location the week of Jan. 18 at The
Shops at Potomac Valley, 12133 Darnestown
Road. Ashley Jones Hatcher, franchise operator and director of marketing and operations
for the bakery, said, “Everyone in the franchise
Photo | Submitted
Everything Bundt Cakes is known for its thick petals of
cream cheese frosting.
is very excited.” With 160 locations across
the United States, Nothing Bundt Cakes has
only two other locations on the East Coast in
Shrewsbury, New Jersey, and Virginia Beach.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for
Friday, Jan. 29, 8:30 a.m., and 20 percent of
sales on this day will be donated to HIPPY
USA, a parent-involvement school readiness
program. Sweet activities follow on Saturday,
Jan. 30, as the bakery continues to celebrate
its grand opening. From 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.,
the first 50 customers to make a purchase will
receive one free bundtlet, or personal-sized
bundt cake, per month for a year, and from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m., customers are invited to sample
Nothing Bundt Cakes’ most popular flavors.
Nothing Bundt Cakes was founded in 1997.
Known for their signature cream cheese frosting, Nothing Bundt Cakes come in 10 flavors
and four sizes. For gluten-free customers, the
bakery offers the gluten-free chocolate chip
cookie dough bundtlet. Visit www.nothingbundtcakes.com for more information or
contact the Potomac Valley store at (240) 2247440 or gaithersburg@nothingbundtcakes.
com.
assignmenteducation RCES PTA President Testifies at
BOE Hearing
At the first of two public hearings on Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers’ FY 2017
Recommended Operating Budget on Jan. 7
at the Carver Educational Services Center in
Rockville, Rachel Carson Elementary School
(RCES) PTA President Paula Ross was
among concerned parents, MCPS staff and
others who addressed the Board of Education.
She asked that the Board allocate funds now
to better support RCES, which is the most
overcrowded elementary school in the county
at 150 percent capacity. “Given our current
number of students, and expected increases
in enrollment, our parents and administration continue to worry about the resources
available to support our students’ education
and educational experience between now and
2021, when some of our population is scheduled to move to Dufief,” she said.
Pointing out that RCES is larger than 80
percent of middle schools in the county, Ross
asked that the Board allocate resources that
are commonly extended to middle schools.
She asked that the Board consider adding .5
counselor to give RCES two fulltime counselors; adding .5 media specialist to bring the
total to 1.5 media specialists; adding a health
room technician to bring the total to two
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technicians; adding an assistant principal instead of the current assistant school administrator and creating a leadership team of one
principal, two assistant principals, and no
assistant school administrators; and adding a
second copier in the work room.
Moving Up
Area schools are beginning to plan for
next year. Over the next few months, Rachel
Carson Elementary will hold monthly Kindergarten Open Houses for parents of children entering kindergarten for the 2016-2017
school year. Principal Lawrence Chep will
discuss RCES programs and answer questions,
■ academic team
from page 1
TV—the QOHS Academic Team has
reached “It’s Academic” finals twice since
history teacher Josh Schuman took over as
coach—this year’s team competed against
Bishop Ireton and McLean high schools
at the NBC4 Studios in D.C. on Nov. 21.
Their win will be televised Saturday, Jan.
30, 10:30 a.m. This win sends them to the
playoffs with a March 12 scheduled competition against Walter Johnson and Thomas
Jefferson (Va.).
“We beat both of those teams, Walter
Johnson and Thomas Jefferson, every time
we played them this year,” Schuman said,
“but television is a bit of a different game
than our non-televised tournaments.”
So how does the team train for a TV competition? The answer to this question might
also surprise you. They need to switch gears
and almost dumb it down.
You see, questions given in televised
competitions like “It’s Academic” and
“QuizMaster Challenge” (now on a temporary hiatus with MCPS TV), as well as the
Montgomery County after-school Beltway
League, are shorter and easier than the long,
pyramid-style questions that the team focuses on for national competitions.
Team captain and QOHS senior Natalie
Rubin, who began competing as a freshman, said that team members have different
areas of expertise—science, history, literature, music—but that there is also some
overlap. This way, members can help each
other out on tough questions.
The team spends the majority of its time
running pyramid-style questions and com-
and parents will be able to visit a kindergarten class. This month’s open house is Friday,
Jan. 15, 9:15 a.m. Additional open houses are
scheduled for Feb. 19 and March 11.
Lakelands Park Middle School will hold an
informational meeting for parents of students
entering sixth grade next year. The meeting
is scheduled for Jan. 26, 7 p.m. in the LPMS
cafeteria.
Science and Invention Night Returns
This annual event at Rachel Carson Elementary School enjoys stellar participation
year after year. The 11th annual Science and
Invention Night will be held on Jan. 27, 7 p.m.
peting in Quiz Bowl Saturday competitions
with teams from all across the country.
QOHS team members prefer this style of
question, Schuman said, because it requires
more mastery of pure knowledge. The earlier you can answer a pyramid-style question that begins with the most erudite clues
before finally tapering to the obvious, the
more likely you are to win.
“We’ll play Roanoke in February,” Schuman said. “It’s nice to sometimes get outside
of the area. We play Richard Montgomery
and Thomas Jefferson every week, so this
gives us an opportunity to play some other teams—new teams that we don’t know,
that we don’t know exactly what the result
is going to be.”
Saturday competitions qualify the team
for Quiz Bowl Nationals, organized by two
governing bodies. The National Academic
Quiz Tournaments’ High School National
Championship Tournament will be held in
Dallas this May, and the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence’s 2016 National Scholastic Championship is scheduled
for June in Chicago.
Nationals are big trips involving air flight
and three- or four-day stays. Rubin said
the team has been to Chicago the past two
years, and she is looking forward to seeing
Dallas for the first time this year.
“We always have a great time when we
travel,” said Schuman. “We have a great
time finding great food wherever we go. …
We try to make the trips fun experiences.”
And the studying? Well, that’s also fun.
“When I started (as a freshman), I studied
three or four hours a week,” Rubin said.
“It’s great to learn things outside of the classroom that you’re legitimately interested in.”
The Town Courier
January 15, 2016 Page 7
WWW.
Photos | Submitted
Kentlands residents Emily McFadden, Reese, Claire and Cadyn O’Halloran, and Lucy Garretson are part of the Celtic Dance cast performing at the Arts Barn on Jan. 30, 3 p.m.
Irish Dancers to Kick Up Heels at the Arts Barn
By Ellyn Wexler
W
hen some 40 students present their
debut performance at the Arts Barn
on Saturday, Jan. 30, the Duffy
School of Irish Dance will have come full circle. Director Erin Duffy Martorano started
teaching five preschoolers in the small basement dance studio of the O’Hallorans’ Kentlands home in 2007. For Emily O’Halloran,
who was pregnant and mother of a toddler,
having her oldest daughter’s class in her house
“was a great arrangement for all of us.” After a
year, the school relocated; now its studios are
in Gaithersburg Square and New Market, and
enrollment has grown to about 100.
The Arts Barn program, Martorano said,
“will consist of various types of Irish dance,
from traditional pieces that have been passed
down from teacher to student since the 1800s,
to modern solo dances, to competition-style
team dancing as well as some more performance-based pieces.” The show will feature
the school’s three world- and seven national-qualifying competitors as well as its regional medal winners.
Kentlands residents in the cast are Emily McFadden, Lucy Garretson and Claire
O’Halloran, all 13-year-old eighth-graders,
as well as Claire’s sisters, fourth-grader Cadyn, 10, and second-grader Reese, 8. Lucy
attends Lakelands Park Middle School, and
the others are homeschooled. The five have
been Duffy School students for between four
and eight years; the teens attend three to five
classes a week, and the younger ones, two to
four. In the months preceding a competition,
Lucy noted, “class frequency, length, and intensity increase.”
“Irish dancing is very fast-paced, and requires a lot of stamina and cross-training,”
Emily O’Halloran observed. Claire takes ballet, Cadyn takes street dance, and all three of
her daughters enjoy swimming, basketball,
soccer, tennis, and gymnastics.
Emily McFadden’s activities include ballet
and Tae Kwon Do lessons, morning runs “to
build up endurance,” summer swimming and
“jump-roping and stretching while watching
TV.”
Lucy considers herself athletic because her
sole physical activity, Irish dancing, requires
intense training and conditioning.
Beyond the hard work involved in lessons,
the students perform regularly. “We try to
share our passion for dance with our community as much as possible,” Martorano said.
They dance as part of Walter Reed National
Military Medical Center’s Stages of Healing
program, the Gaithersburg and Washington,
D.C., St. Patrick’s Day parades, as well as at
local school events and assisted living communities.
They also compete, and in December, won
the first-place championship for under-15 figure choreography at the Regional Championships in Dallas. Emily and Claire will go to
Glasgow, Scotland, to compete in the World
arts& entertainment
‘A Change Gon’ Come’
Through Jan. 24, Fridays & Saturdays at
8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m., Arts Barn
The Arts Barn welcomes back ANKH
Repertory Theatre and The Finest—the
innovative companies that collaborated
on last summer’s hit production of “The
Wiz.” This time, they present a new and
riveting drama about the life and times of
Harriet Tubman. Drums, singing, dance
and film projections are some of the media
that transport audiences to the front line of
the Underground Railroad to witness the
dire circumstances and choices that Harriet Tubman and every other slave had to
confront in order to escape to freedom.
Recommended for ages 12 & up. Tickets
are $20 (general); $12 (14 & under). www.
gaithersburgmd.gov
‘Seeking the Soul: The Artist’s View
of the World and Its Inhabitants’
Throughout January, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday
through Friday, 1:30-5:30 p.m. Saturday,
Arts Barn
This exhibit features Alessandra Chiotn
Arts & entertainment Continued on page 19
Irish Dancing Championships at the end of
March. “This is practically the Olympics of
Irish dance,” Emily said. Each competitor
dances two rounds, one in soft shoe and one
in heavy shoe. The contestants within the top
50 dancers are “recalled” to perform a final
round so the judges can determine their final
placements.
Their mothers recognize the multiple benefits derived from their daughters’ devotion
to taking classes, performing and competing.
n
Ann Scafide
Chris Handy
irish dancing Continued on page 16
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Page 8
The Town Courier
■ turf contractor
from page 1
Bid packages were distributed in October. According to Baker, five companies
submitted bids for consideration. These
were reviewed in November and narrowed
to three companies that the committees
interviewed in early December. On Dec.
9, the committees made their recommendation to the Kentlands Citizens Assembly
(KCA) Board, which agreed with their
recommendation.
Baker said, “The Environmental Management Committee has been responsible
for the overall landscaping contract and
with the advent of the organic testing plan,
the Turf Working Group was formed to
learn, investigate, and gather information
to develop a proposal as to how Kentlands
could try out the organic approach. The
Turf Working Group was initiated almost four years ago and we’ve been working very closely with the Environmental
Management Committee to get us back to
having a single contract to manage all the
landscaping for the neighborhood. Members from both groups as well as Beth Brittingham were part of our committee and a
representative from the board as well, Glen
Palman (KCA secretary).”
Barney Gorin, KCA president, gave his
vote of confidence to the committees that
performed the due diligence needed to
make a selection. “Both our Environmental Management Committee and the Turf
Management Working Group did an extremely thorough and even-handed evaluation of all the proposals. They discussed
the pros and cons of each, winnowed the
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competitors down based on solid logic, and
reached their recommendations with a solid rationale.”
Baker noted, “The factors that were
very important to both the Turf Working
Group and the Environmental Management Committee as well as the members
of the board that were on our selection
group were the fact that the new landscaper would have to manage both the
organic portion and the conventional portion of the contract.” She added that it was
very important to have a contractor who
demonstrated knowledge in both methods
of landscape maintenance and also had experience in managing a large community.
Community Landscape Services offered
such knowledge and more. The company
owns The Farm at Broad Run, an organic
farm in Virginia where, Baker said, “They
grow not only produce but they also have
a nursery. So, as part of the contract, we
would have access to sourcing our plantings, the flowers and shrubs, and things
around the neighborhood from their farm.”
Beth Brittingham, Kentlands general
manager, noted that in addition to Community’s experience with both organic and
traditional approaches, their staff would be
on the property five days per week. Baker added, “The company provides what
they call a concierge-level service so they
will have someone on our property every
January 15, 2016
day of the week, Monday through Friday,
blowing, trimming, weeding … so if there
is ever something that needs special attention, Beth will always have someone she
can call and they’ll be right there.”
Brittingham said she sees Community’s
size as a plus for Kentlands. “I’m used to
having a landscape vendor on a property
this large five days a week. I didn’t have
any experience with the model that somebody’s only here two days a week. I’ll be
honest and say in all fairness to Advantage,
they did make an effort if something major happened to have somebody swing by
or come back through the property. Community is large enough that they have an
arborist on staff, they have a horticulturist
on staff, and they have landscape designers
on staff. They’re not subbing anything out.
Did we get some of those services from Advantage over the years? Yes, we did. This is
just a bigger company, and they bring more
tools and expertise we felt to the table.”
Baker added, “Community also demonstrated to us a great deal of attention to detail in terms of the appearance of the whole
property … so not just the turf areas but the
plantings, the walls, the brick sidewalks. …
They made a lot of observations about areas they felt they could help us improve the
appearance of in the neighborhood and we
appreciated that as well.”
Refer a Friend and get one visit FREE!
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Photo | Submitted
Nalley Fresh, 261 Kentlands Boulevard, opens the last week in January.
■ nalley fresh
from page 1
neighbor Fleet Feet Sports, providing
food for the store’s Merry Mix & Mingle
Dec. 4 benefit event. Maggie McDermott,
spokesperson for Nalley Fresh, said that
the restaurant plans to work with Fleet
Feet again during this winter’s Ton of Fun
Weight Loss Challenge by offering food
and nutritional guidance. “We have a nutritionist on staff,” she explained, “and a
nutrition calculator on our website.”
Powered by Nutritionix, Nalley Fresh’s
calculator lets you assess your meal in two
ways—through an interactive nutrition
menu or by building your meal, selecting
salad, wrap or bowl, and then greens, protein, cheese, toppings and dressing. Made
with fresh ingredients—Krakowitz shared
that all 25 dressings are house-made and
protein choices change daily—each meal
can be customized per your nutritional
needs through the calculator.
This sounds really healthy, but McDermott said Nalley Fresh is not just after a
scientifically rigorous approach to eating.
“The beauty of Nalley Fresh is that people have the latitude to create according to
their own definition of healthy,” she said.
“We are delicious, fun, fresh and healthy.”
And what isn’t fun about choosing from
among 15 different cuisines? “Here we
have Southwest to Mediterranean to Indian to Korean to completely vegan to all the
way out California spa,” said McDermott.
Ingredients are fresh and all natural.
“When possible, we do work with local
partners. We get farm to table, local and
organic when we can,” said McDermott,
adding that sometimes this increases the
price exponentially.
Nalley Fresh is determined to be a viable
option for everyone, she emphasized.
Base price is $8.50 per meal, and there
is no limit to the toppings you can add to
salad, bowl or wrap. Meals are not weighed
after you make your selections. Occasionally there is an extra charge for a special
protein like fish.
Founder Greg Nalley, who partnered
with Phil and Brad Hoag in 2012 before
opening locations in Timonium, Canton
and Baltimore’s Pratt Street, is also executive chef. The leadership team plans to
open another Nalley Fresh location in Columbia next month, as well as three more
in Owings Mill, White Marsh and Bel Air
by the end of 2016, shared McDermott.
For more information, visit www.nalleyfresh.com and check www.facebook.
com/NalleyFresh for a definite Kentlands
location opening date.
The Town Courier
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The Town Courier
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from page 3
either, including the age cutoff for DACA
that would have allowed him a work permit.
“I am a prime candidate for the expansion
of the law. If DACA’s expansion passes, my
purgatory ends,” he said. “My attorney tells
me that I am the unluckiest case he has ever
seen.” Like the samurai he has revered since
childhood, Casas remains steadfast in his integrity; he refuses measures like a fraudulent
marriage for the sake of citizenship.
Fortunately, Casas has been able to parlay his experiences in fitness into a career.
In high school, he played football and lifted weights, later earning certification from
well-known football coach-trainer Joe Philbin. His pre-med studies and bachelor’s degree in kinesiology as well as internships in
physical therapy practices “helped me understand how the body functions, and served me
well.” He honed his skills with jobs at Fitness
First’s Flower Hill and Bethesda clubs, and in
his own personal training businesses.
Since July 2013, Casas has been teaching his Fitsu company classes out of the
American Tae Kwon Do Academy (American TKD) on Kentlands’ Market Street.
Among his 10 weekly, one-hour classes, are
MMA Fitness, which incorporates Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai kickboxing, wrestling,
and boxing drills and techniques; HIIT, a
functional training class that uses tools like
battling ropes, TRX and kettlebells; and
Prehab, which consists of small muscle exercises, foam rolling, and stretching. In the
temperate weather, there is also Speed and
Conditioning, an outdoors class that uses
January 15, 2016
sport-specific athletic training drills to improve cardio and conditioning. Despite the
high intensity, he said, the focus is on functional movement and proper technique rather than power. Casas also trains about 20 private clients in the Chevy Chase and Potomac
areas, including some high-profile ones like
sportswriter, columnist and talk show host
Tony Kornheiser and T.W. Perry chairman
Ed Quinn Jr. Both men, he said, support him
in his citizenship efforts.
In addition to his paid work, Casas gives
back to the community. He offers a free
self-defense seminar about once a month;
the next one is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5 at American TKD. He also holds
the seminars at his high school alma mater,
Fleet Feet, MedImmune and the University of Maryland; helps the Quince Orchard
football team receivers during the summer;
and works with youth at Fairhaven United Methodist Church and underprivileged
Latino children at Casa Chirilagua in Alexandria, Virginia.
By divulging his secret online in November, Casas has become a public figure who,
despite endless roadblocks, is committed to
continuing to fight for a solution for himself
and others in his situation. He is proud of
being “a debt-free, well-educated, intelligent immigrant—the reverse of what some
politicians and people perceive as reality,” he
wrote. “You never hear our stories because
we live in fear of getting thrown out of our
homes. We are not numbers or aliens. We
are your friends and your neighbors. We also
help drive the economy, enrich the American culture, and build foundations in our
nation’s youth.”
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The Town Courier
s
p
m
a
s
C
l
o
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o
e
h
m
c
S
m
Su
and
The Art of Summer
By Pam Schipper
S
ummer equals freedom for schoolage kids, and what better way to celebrate the broad expanse of potential-filled days than enroll in a camp that
nurtures self-expression? Fortunately, the
Gaithersburg area has a variety of camps
that run the gamut from the visual to performing arts.
Photo | Submitted
Fashion Camp, that debuted at the Arts Barn last summer,
returns with more style and flair.
Art Palooza at the Barn
This summer at the Arts Barn offers new
camps in addition to many tried-and-true
favorites like Go Green and Broadway
Boot Camp. “We’re keeping it consistent
and also blossoming into new stuff,” said
Ian Brown-Gorrell, class and camp coordinator at the Arts Barn.
It’s an explosion of creativity, and there’s
something for every sort of artist.
Exciting is the On Your Toes Improv
Camp for kids ages 10 to 14 led by local
comedian Mason Trappio. “Campers will
learn how to take a word and turn it into a
hilarious skit,” Brown-Gorrell said.
Also new is the Cartooning Craze camp
for kids ages 8 to 14 led by Brian Mason.
“Kids will create their own comic books
and then paint the comics with watercolors,” Brown-Gorrell explained. Campers will have a comic book to take home.
Bridging art mediums is the new Paint
and Print Fairytales Camp for kids ages 7
to 11. Led by Sue Kay and Megan Ellis,
this camp will explore a fairytale through
print-making projects and painting.
The Fashion Camp that was new last
year is getting a makeover. Kids ages 8 to
Photo | Submitted
Fun and creativity go hand in hand at P.E.A.S. summer camp on Little Quarry Road.
12 will enjoy this summer’s more theatrical flair, said Brown-Gorrell. They’ll work
with specialty and recycled materials to
create hats, jewelry and clothing. It all culminates in a fashion show on the Arts Barn
lobby runway.
summer camps
FREE ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP OR
50% OFF LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP
with class registration by January 31, 2016. New members only.
Another big change will delight young
thespians. The musical theater camp now
runs for two weeks. “This is a more intense summer experience for kids,” said
n
ARTS CAMPS Continued on page 13
Page 12
The Town Courier
January 15, 2016
Summer Camps and Schools
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The Town Courier
■ ARTS CAMPS
from page 11
Brown-Gorrell. This summer’s production
will be “Annie The Musical,” open to kids
ages 9 to 14.
Arts Barn summer camps begin June
22 with two mini-camps, Exploring the
World of Art and Artsy Vacation camps,
and continue through Aug. 19. All 27
camps will be taught by professional artists, and they will be supported in the classroom by high school student volunteers.
Dance MBT
From ballet to rhythm and groove, the
Metropolitan Ballet Theatre and Academy
(MBT) at 220 Perry Parkway has summer
programs to suit a wide variety of ages and
dancers. “The summer is an opportunity
for students to explore something that they
don’t have time to do during the school
year,” said Paula Ross, MBT executive director.
Little ones are welcomed with Intro to
Dance Camp, a 1.5-hour drop-off session
of dance, crafts and games for three- and
four-year-olds, the half-day Once Upon a
Time ballet camp for four-, five- and sixyear-olds, and the half-day Rhythm and
Groove camp, presenting a variety of music and dance styles for boys and girls ages
three to seven.
For older dancers ages seven to 11, there’s
the Junior Ballet Intensive that also explores
a variety of dance styles including jazz,
modern and hip hop, and Week of Ballets
that introduces a different ballet each day.
“Students study one ballet a day and learn
dance variations,” Ross explained of Week
of Ballets. At the end of the camp session,
students put on a show for friends and family. This is the first year that Week of Ballets will be offered to younger students ages
seven to 11, in addition to the older 11- to
18-year-old group.
“I am most excited about the Junior
Dance Adventure,” said Ross. This full-day
camp for students ages seven to 11 “covers
a variety of dance disciplines and music.
… It’s great for students interested in exploring dance, and we have added an extra
week (to the camp) this year.”
Serious ballet students will enjoy PrePointe Workshop, Ballet Bootcamp - Tone
& Stretch, and Summer Ballet Intensive that
brings in guest instructors. These teachers
“come from all over the country,” Ross
said. “They’re here for a week and teach
one or more disciplines. Students get the
opportunity to have different instructors
and experience different teaching styles.”
Last summer, MBT enrolled 267 campers and 131 students in evening classes.
“We have a great summer program that’s
fun and robust and caters to every level of
experience—from beginners and those interested in trying something new to the serious student,” Ross said.
Come see all that MBT has to offer at a
studio open house on June 5. You can take
free sample classes in many dance styles and
explore what you might like to take for
the summer. Look for a schedule of sample
classes to be posted on the MBT website,
mbtdance.org, in late spring.
The Power of P.E.A.S.
Tucked behind 144 Little Quarry Road
is a two-story studio that year-round and
especially in the summer is home to inspired and kid-driven art. “It’s all about
process,” said Nannette Horan, founder
and director of P.E.A.S. or Positive Energy
Art Studio. “What differentiates us (from
other studios) is that kids get to be part of
the idea-making time. They come up with
the projects.”
n
ARTS CAMPS Continued on page 14
Photo | Submitted
Come see all that Metropolitan Ballet Theatre has to offer this summer at a studio open house on June 5.
Page 14
The Town Courier
January 15, 2016
■ ARTS CAMPS
Photo | Submitted
Visit www.positiveenergyartstudio.com for information on this summer’s camp sessions.
from page 13
Horan, who is an art teacher at Rachel
Carson Elementary, brings in other professional art teachers to enrich her camps
and keeps camp groups small at 10 students.
“Summer is pretty intense,” she explained.
“Kids can learn in one week during the summer what takes several months at school. …
Ideas carry over day to day, and that really
helps. It’s kind of magical in the summer.”
Campers have time before or after lunch
to play games and run around. “I really believe in kids’ playtime,” Horan said. “They
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need a safe place to explore, get out there
and have fun.”
Last year, P.E.A.S. explored Big Questions
in art. Camp sessions run weekly Monday
through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more
information on this year’s summer camps,
visit www.positiveenergyartstudio.com.
Stafford Summer Stock
Steeped in mystique, the words “summer
stock” conjure up images of classic plays performed outdoors in the New England countryside. You might be pleased to learn that
local thespians can have this same great summer stock experience close to home at 216
Main Street in Stafford Studio.
The Stafford Studio Summer Stock Theater Institute offers a four-week program of
monologue, scene study, character development and costume design, culminating
in the final production of a play. Stafford
Studio founder and director Cheryl Stafford
said that the play will be determined after
the group assembles, but it may be one by
Shakespeare, adapted for modern audiences.
The institute, which runs July 5 through
31, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through
Friday, is open to those age 7 through adult.
For more information, visit www.staffordstudiomusic.com.
Two Left Feet Combo
Camps at the 217 Market St. West dance
studio combine a variety of dance styles, music and art, all with any eye toward encouraging creativity and development. Founded
in 2003, Two Left Feet has been offering
summer camp for 13 years.
Magical Summer Camp for children ages
3 to 6 features dance, music, singing and
arts and crafts. Executive Dance Director
Christina Vidovich said that little ones learn
a variety of dance styles from ballet, tap and
jazz to pop and enjoy music popular with
their age group. Arts and crafts are built
around daily themes like Princess Dress-Up
Day and Tutu Tuesday. In the past, campers
have made tiaras and wands, and every year
they make a special camp t-shirt and a picture frame to hold their camp photo. Camps
conclude Friday with a show for parents.
Magical Summer Camp runs June 20-July
1, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.
Camps can accommodate up to 20 children,
and the teacher-student ratio is 1:6.
Broadway Summer Camp for ages 7 to 14
combines dance, drama, arts and crafts. “The
kids create the script,” explained Vidovich.
“On the first day of camp, we discuss what
kind of story do we want to tell?” Teachers guide students in the creative process
and music selection. Campers have a variety
of dance styles at their disposal, everything
from poms and hip hop to lyrical ballet.
Older campers create props for the show that
is performed for parents on the final day of
camp.
Another exciting feature of this camp
is its daily lunch at a Kentlands restaurant.
“We include lunch in the cost of camp,” said
Vidovich. “We go to different restaurants in
Kentlands and kids get exposure to different
types of cuisines. We encourage them to try
new things.”
Broadway Summer Camp runs Aug. 1
through 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on Two Left Feet summer camps,
visit www.twoleftfeetdance.com.
January 15, 2016 ■ BIOGRAPHY
from page 3
Albright said his father would tell him and
his brother Gerald, “’You can’t do nothing,
you have to do something.’ Mom was a big
believer in this doctrine.” Everywhere she
lived she initiated programs, was an avid
volunteer, a mentor, and civic-minded citizen. Albright said, “She achieved all of this
while raising and nurturing a family.” In
1994, at age 77, she became the first president of the Berryville Chamber of Commerce.
In the biography, Albright quotes Joe
■ local BLOGGERS
from page 4
component of the satisfying life he has cobbled together since retiring from his career
as a federal prison administrator in 2010. He
continues to do some part-time consulting,
and has added delivering The Town Courier,
driving for Uber, teaching at UMUC, working out at LA Fitness and travel to the mix.
He chose happy hours as his subject for
several reasons. First, he said, “I love happy
hours. Not just for the cheap food and drink,
although that is the main attraction, but for
me, it’s the other factors. It’s the right time
of day, a transition from work to home. For
some, a winding down. For others, a starting up. No pressure. Just folks stopping in
for some libations before carrying on in their
busy lives.”
Secondly, after looking for information on
the Internet, Janus said, “I realized there was
The Town Courier
Page 15
Tindel, former owner of the Frankston Citizen newspaper who first met his mother
in the mid-1970s. “Mattie was very forthright in everything she pursued. She never
equivocated and was very resolute. … She
was always forward-looking and constantly
wanting to improve the conditions of people and the community at-large.”
In an excerpt from a review about Albright’s biography, Freeman Hrabowski,
president of the University of Maryland,
Baltimore County wrote, “With a confident, compassionate, collaborative, and
community-minded spirit, she (Mattie)
demonstrated how a smart, assertive, and
professional African-American woman
could provide leadership in her community, whether in largely black post-war Watts
or largely white late 20th century East Texas. The book is especially timely in the light
of increasingly complex racial challenges.”
Continuing his mother’s convictions
to lead and make a difference, Albright,
a retired human resources executive who
earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry
and a master’s degree in business administration, has received numerous leadership
awards including the Black Engineer of the
Year for Diversity Leadership Award and
the HR Leadership Award of the Greater
Washington, D.C. area.
His commitment to sharing the layers of
his mother’s life was a three-year process
from the initial spark of the idea to publishing. “When I finally got the physical book
in my hands, I can’t describe the feeling, I
just couldn’t believe it,” he recalled.
His wife, Lydia Thomas, added, “He was
really dedicated to getting it done. … I actually enjoyed the process myself. She was a
phenomenal person and deserved this, and
he was finding out things he didn’t know.
I’m really proud of him.”
For more information, visit Amazon.com,
BarnesandNoble.com, or outskirtspress.
com/bookstore/details/9781478749363.
a dearth of consolidated information on the
subject,” no one place to find details about
times and offerings—not on Google or Yelp
(which only indicates that a happy hour exists)
or even the restaurants’ own websites—“kind
of counter-productive to getting people to
take advantage of them.” People he has talked
to in the community, he said, “seem pre-disposed to attend happy hours, (but) they seem
to know little about what’s available around
our friendly New Urbanist, walkable neighborhood.” Janus and his wife Cathy and their
friends frequently take advantage of happy
hours; it was the friends outside that “in-theknow” circle that encouraged him to blog.
“It’s a great idea,” he agreed. “And no one
else has done it.”
Janus found information on the Internet
on how to establish a blog or website, which
was well within his grasp. “I’ve always been
a tinkerer with computer stuff, not IT-related … familiar though not a profession-
al,” he said. As head of the committee that
is working with neighborhood professional
Rob Garretson on developing the Colonnade
community’s website software, Janus had a
source for advice.
The site now includes the details of five
Kentlands restaurant happy hours; once this
community is completed, he will move on to
Downtown Crown. “I’m really happy with it
so far, and people seem to like it,” Janus said,
although the project is only in its “semi-beta testing stage … a commonly used term for
data-driven testing.” As such, he uses Google
analytics to find out the number, frequency
and length of time people visit the blog, and
thus strategizes on how to get people to return; he also plans to learn to use links to and
from Google+ and Facebook.
Based on a blog by a chef-and-publicist
couple from Italy (La Tavola Marche) that he
reads faithfully, Janus is certain he will add
more photographs to his blog. “It’s easy to do,
and a definite plus,” he said. Also, “at some
point in the future,” he may want to get advertisers on the site, “make this Web thing
into a business.” He has considered another
exciting possibility: “As a frequent business
and personal traveler, I realize this model can
be used everywhere.” But, he said, “One step
at a time.”
Both Kelley and Janus have found a new
area of engagement for their talents and interests. “Blogging can be discovered by anyone,”
Kelley said. “You can convey personal opinions or professional information, and develop
a following. I encourage people to get into
the world of blogging for your own pleasure
and/or your business.” While Janus can enjoy
his happy hours year-round, Kelley looks forward to spring when he can resume his relaxing photowalks, and get some exercise, too.
Kelley’s blog is at activerain.com/
blogsview/4734985/kentlands-photowalk;
Janus’ blog is at www.thejanusgroup.website.
Page 16
The Town Courier
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January 15, 2016
■ irish dancing
from page 7
Sooky McFadden watched Emily struggle
“to become more intentional about how to
achieve her goals in dance” and witnessed her
successes when “she refused to give up.”
Emily O’Halloran appreciates “how much
it has taught my girls about hard work and
persistence, for all of the memories that my
girls and I make when we travel together, and
for all of the friendships and camaraderie.”
Cara Garretson noted that beyond the fitness advantages, Lucy is “learning the importance of hard work, commitment, working as
a team, supporting her friends, and perseverance.”
The students see the value of their hard
work, too. Claire has found satisfaction in the
challenges “of getting better and better and …
learning new things.” Seeing other dancers at
the competitions, she said, “inspires me to try
new jumps or steps and to come up with my
own new ideas. As a musician, I always have
rhythms stuck in my head, and dancing helps
me use them.”
For Emily, it is all about the life lessons.
She understands there will “be days when I
lose, when nothing goes my way, and when
I feel like the world is against me. But, I remember that for as many bad days, there are
will be 100 more good days. One bad dance
or competition is not the end of the world
and does not define who I am,” she said. “I
have also learned that if I want something, in
dance or in life, I have to discipline myself
and work for it. Nothing worth having comes
easy.” When she succeeds, she added, “there
is no better feeling than realizing that all my
hard work, all my struggles and all my sweat
in dance have paid off.”
Irish dance is on the girls’ future agendas as
well. Emily, who attended Riverdance summer camp, hopes to tour with Riverdance. “It
has always been my dream to be a part of a
professional dance show,” she said.
Content with Irish dance as a hobby now,
Lucy wants “to pursue it professionally as a
performer or teacher—or both.”
Claire wishes “to be in a show and/or be
a teacher. Touring with other dancers would
allow me to travel around the country and
world.”
Although Cadyn aspires to be a scientist,
she loves performing, reaching her goals—
when the hard work becomes “totally worth
it”—and thinking of new designs for dance
dresses. She also can see herself “working
with my sisters teaching other people how to
Irish dance.”
Reese, who enjoys the workout and the
friendships, wants to be like the teachers who
inspire her. “They make us work hard so we
can do well,” she said
Lucy best summed up the sentiments of her
fellow students and their moms. “The entire
Irish dance community itself is so welcoming
and supportive. All the friends I’ve made and
the skills I’ve learned are things to be cherished forever.”
The Duffy School of Irish Dance performance,
Celtic Dance, will begin at 3 p.m. Jan. 30 in the
Arts Barn, followed by a World Traveler Tea at 4
p.m. in the Kentlands Mansion. Kristy King, the
mansion’s community facility manager, said the tea
will feature finger sandwiches, fruits, desserts, assorted teas and lemonade amid travel-inspired décor.
Tickets—$8 for the show, $20 for both show and
tea—are available online.
Greenpasture Church invites you
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The Town Courier
MIKEAT THE MOVIES
The Revenant (R) *****
Between them, the two
movies opening in the past
two weeks set a collective
record for blood-shedding.
Both are quality films, just
not for everybody. The plot
of “The Revenant” was borrowed from a novel by the
By Mike
same name, and the novel
Cuthbert
was based on a true story of
the pursuit of revenge during the 19th century.
Briefly, Hugh Glass, a scout, is abandoned
by his men, some of whom are military, and
partially buried in the woods after being
mauled by a female grizzly bear. In the film,
villain John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) leads the
survivors of a blizzard away from Glass, telling them he’s done for anyway. The captain
of the military, Andrew Hardy (Domhnall
Gleeson), orders a proper burial in a military
fashion. Hardy barely throws dirt over Glass’
body, kills his son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck),
and convinces a hapless non-com, Bridger
(Will Poulter), to leave with him. Bridger is
unconvinced that he’s doing the right thing
but follows orders.
The chase is over 156 minutes later, and
Glass has somehow survived the bear attack,
being shot at by Indians, blizzards, a cascading
ride while seriously wounded down a raging
river and over at least two waterfalls, a dive
with his ill-fated horse off a cliff into a pine
tree and injuries so serious that an Indian who
saves him tells him, “Your body is rotten. You
need to heal.” Throughout the ordeal, Glass
is kept alive by images of his wife, an Indian killed in a raid on her village by French
troops.
Sounds horribly bloody, right? Well, it is—
except that it is also surpassingly beautiful as
Glass makes his way through various depths
of Canadian snow, ice, rivers, trees and all the
various forms of winter, protected from the
worst of the elements by a huge bearskin coat.
You will also note a canteen with a unique
design on it that proves to be important in the
sorting out of the story at the end.
In a film so grim and relentless it might be
surmised that there is no humor. There was a
very funny, though ironic moment near the
end when one of Glass’ rescuers, holding on
to this wreck of a person, asks Glass what happened. Glass can’t tell him yet but assures him,
“I ain’t afraid to die any more. I done it already.”
A moody score accompanies the action and
the settings, and DiCaprio racks up enough
scenes for a sure Oscar nomination. Audiences
may be exhausted by the relentless action and
the very real concern that Glass et al might not
make it to the final reel. The story is probably
already a classic of survival films and will give
your mind plenty to chew on after it’s over.
The Hateful Eight (R) ****
There are many problems with Quentin
Tarantino films, of which this is the eighth.
The primary reason for them is the fact that,
going in, Tarantino has taught audiences to
look for wonderfully creative camera angles and plots, but also usually intense vio-
lence and blood-drenching. The violence and
blood attract audiences but may repel potential filmgoers, and so it is with this film.
Tarantino sets up the violence with such
care that when the violence emerges, as it
does, it almost comes as a relief—we know it
is a Tarantino film and we either walk out or
give him lots of room in which to create his
magic. This film is beautifully filmed: Set in a
violent Wyoming, most of the film takes place
in a blizzard. That makes just getting around
to the barn and the outhouse—anyplace—
difficult and blurs some of the action so we’re
not sure who is doing what with whom. It
also allows chilling indoor scenes in which
the cast has to act in robes and winter coats
because the snow is coming through chinks in
the logs. It also makes a constant pot of coffee
necessary, a vital plot point later in the film.
Briefly, Kirk Russell is John Ruth, bounty
hunter, nicknamed “The Hangman” because
he takes all his prisoners alive. His prisoner in
this case is Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason
Leigh), a murderess. Ruth brings this foulmouthed, violent, sarcastic felon into the cabin of an alleged friend of his only to find a
sorry group of hard cases: Sheriff Chris Mannix (Walter Goggins), Bob (Demian Bichir),
hangman Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth),
writer Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and aging
Confederate General Sandy Smithers (Bruce
Dern). Any of them can be dangerous and
they all are, in one way or another. Samuel
L. Jackson as Major Marquis Warren rounds
out the gang and really heads the cast. But
which one is a gang member looking to free
Daisy and kill the rest, and which are actual
characters willing to help Ruth? Finding that
out takes up most of the film until, with the
deaths of a couple of suspects (from “holes” as
they describe it in Texas) and a couple from
poisoned coffee, the script devolves into a
pure mystery.
Samuel Jackson, with the premature exit
of Kirk Russell, becomes the ostensible detective and begins to unravel who is who.
Gunplay ensues and the blood starts to spatter
in big globs. All this while we are treated to
breathtaking scenes of a mountain winter in a
blizzard as Tarantino, old-fashioned in many
ways, fixes his camera in place and lets characters enter and leave the scene rather than
have hand-held, wobbly images of the action.
The effect heightens the suspense because
something can always be happening out of
camera range and usually does.
The film, after unwrapping most of the
plot, pursues a different tack at the end, taking us back four hours and introducing new
characters and more blood. I think Tarantino is some kind of genius, but I also think
he is often a sick puppy. His films certainly
grab audiences and the pictures are gorgeous.
All the acting is top-drawer—they all can die
well—and the action superbly choreographed.
This film is certainly not for the squeamish.
If you have heard of the legends concerning
Tarantino’s violence and bloodshed, this may
not be for you. If you do go, don’t be surprised if you come out with grudging admiration for Tarantino’s skills and those of his big
cast. The “R” rating should protect your kids.
Let them grow into some emotional distance
before seeing it.
Page 18
The Town Courier
January 15, 2016
nora’scorner
Travel Talk
W
hen I was a
child, my mother’s strictest rule
for me was “Never talk
to strangers.” Many years
later, I not only unconsciously ignored that rule,
but talking to strangers
became an essential part
By Nora
of my travel experiences.
Caplan
I found that memories of
all the literary and historic sites in England
that I’d looked forward to seeing had faded, but I had retained almost total recall
of the conversation I’d carried on with a
policeblotter
from page 5
Sentencing
Former National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) police officer Christopher Bartley was sentenced
in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt Jan.
7. The former federal officer and U.S.
Army veteran will serve three-and-ahalf years in prison for attempting to
manufacture methamphetamine at NIST
beginning March 1.
—from news reports
daughter of the Empire (“Daddy was an
officer in India”) and an elderly fellow passenger on a London-bound train.
When the three of us had originally
boarded, the rather stout lady had struggled
to stow her luggage in the overhead compartment. The older man jumped up from
the seat opposite mine. “May I help you,
Madame,” he announced without waiting
for her answer and took the suitcase from
her. Even for him the weight of the case
made it difficult to lift it high enough to
reach the shelf.
“Oh, thank you so much,” she said, a
little out of breath. She removed a handkerchief from her purse, wiped her forehead, and seeing that the seat beside me
was empty and I was smiling at her, she
sat down.
We began talking in awkward formalities. After we had run out of things to say
about the weather, we cautiously proceeded to a more personal level. I found out
that during World War II the man was in
the Royal Air Force and was in the ground
crews that maintained Spitfires, the legendary fighter planes whose heroic pilots
had won the Battle of Britain. .I was filled
with admiration for him and told him so.
He reminded me that he hadn’t flown Spitfires—just worked on them. I assured him
that his job was critical, too. He looked
pleased and seemed to relax.
Eventually, the matron beside me
brought up a detail about her life in India. I
told her I’d love to hear more because about
all I knew about that country was what I’d
learned from Rumer Godden’s novels. The
former Air Force mechanic and I became
absorbed in her conversation as the train
sped past small villages and fields divided
by low stone walls. Occasionally we caught
a flash of shining water—a stream or even a
bit of the English Channel.
Somehow I found out that I could buy
tea for us several cars ahead of ours. When
I returned with a tray of teacups, a teapot, and all the fixings, including biscuits
(cookies to us Yanks), the elderly pair were
simply delighted. “Good show!” Suddenly, we became a cozy, comfy group of
friends having afternoon tea in a parlor,
At the end of our journey, as we prepared
to leave each other, the man stood up,
leaned over and kissed me on my cheek.
The daughter of the Empire invited me to
stay with her in London. I’m told that this
was a rare treat for an American stranger.
Another time, in another place thousands
of miles west of England, I was sitting with
a friend on an adobe wall in the Millicent
Rogers Museum just outside Taos, New
Mexico. We were listening to a famous
Native American flute player. Outside, the
sky was a velvety navy blue with stars that
looked close enough to pluck for a bou-
quet. The air was clear, cool and scented
with chamisa.
I became aware of a Pueblo Indian elder seated on a bench opposite us. She had
a light blue rebozo (scarf ) wound around
her head. Her hands were quietly resting
on her lap, and she was unabashedly studying me.
I asked her, “Wouldn’t you like to join us
over here? We came to hear the flute player
and we can see him from here …”
She answered quietly, “I’m fine, thanks.
I like to look at you when we’re talking.”
My friend said she had to leave. I joined
the woman on the bench. I learned that the
flutist was her foster grandson … that he’d
invited her to come to his performance at
the museum. There was also an exhibit
of Pueblo artists’ work that she wanted to
see. I sat with her for the rest of the program. Occasionally she told me about her
grandson and her connection with him. I
was afraid to break the spell of this magical evening if I talked too much. I just
listened. After an hour or so, I began to
feel that there was a tenuous, precious bond
developing between us.
Nettie and I became friends. We only
saw each other when I visited Taos each
summer for a number of years. I cherished all that she shared with me about her
world. I might never have known her if I
hadn’t first spoken to her.
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The Town Courier
firstperson
I’ve Got You Under My Skin(s)
M
y dad was the
best
armchair
quarterback who
ever lived. As a kid, I
was sure they could hear
him on the sidelines as he
barked orders at the television, bellowing keen
analysis at the top of his By Maureen
lungs from the Lazy Boy.
Stiles
Sonny Jurgensen and
George Allen took the brunt of the verbal
lashing but there was love behind every
word.
You see, the Redskins have been vexing
from Day 1.
We fans are a weary tribe indeed. We’ve
praised the Hogs. We’ve made Snyder
voodoo dolls. We’ve purchased the RGIII
jersey and bought into the hype. We’ve
reminisced about our Super Bowl win
back in the day. We’ve seen the revolving
door of coaches spit out the well-intended
like a watery wad of chew. We’ve memorialized the lumbering frame of Riggins
on our basement walls, in the hopes of resurgence. We’ve prayed. We’ve pounded
our fists. We’ve vowed to quit to no avail.
Because this franchise stole our hearts
decades ago and we never quite got them
back again.
Over the years we stood by—desolate—
as they broke those hearts into Humpty
Dumpty-sized pieces that a king’s ransom
arts& entertainment
from page 7
tia (mixed media), Dareya Cohen ( jewelry), Sue Kay (watercolor), Yolanda
Prinsloo (oil), and Edward Solow (photography). All are invited to a free Artist Reception on Jan. 12, 7-8:30 p.m.
www.gaithersburgmd.gov
Third Annual Art League of
Germantown (ALOG) Exhibit
Through March 20, call 301.258.6425 for
viewing hours, Kentlands Mansion
This exhibit features art in many media by members of ALOG. All are welcome at a free Artist Reception on Jan. 12,
7-8:30 p.m. www.gaithersburgmd.gov
Winter Waltz Ball
Jan. 15, 7-10 p.m., Kentlands Mansion &
Two Left Feet Dance Studio
The weather outside may be frightful,
but the party will be delightful! Following the enthusiastic response to last spring’s
Tango Party, dancers of all levels—novice
to master—can again kick up their heels at
an elegant evening of ballroom and Latin
dance fun at Kentlands Mansion. They
will learn the waltz, a smooth, graceful dance characterized by long, flowing
movements, turns, rises and falls. Instructors from Two Left Feet will teach, demonstrate other dances and answer questions
on proper technique. Dancers can enjoy
free non-alcoholic refreshments or indulge
at the cash bar. Tickets are $30 per person.
Babysitting is available, too! Drop your
children, ages four and up, at the nearby
Two Left Feet Dance Studio for a “Kids
Night Out” party while you waltz at the
mansion. Call 240.632.2345 for kids party
details and pricing. www.gaithersburgmd.
gov
Main Street Farmers Market
Jan. 16, 23 & 30, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Main Street
Pavilion
Products available for purchase include
a vast assortment of fruits and vegetables,
jams and jellies, various herbs, cut
flowers, and potted plants, baked goods,
dog treats, meat, eggs, and honey. www.
gaithersburgmd.gov
‘Undertow’
Jan. 17, 7 p.m., Arts Barn
Kentlands Film Society screens the film
“Undertow.” This Spanish film with English subtitles is set in a small town on the
coast of Peru. Miguel, a happily married
fisherman, falls in love with a male artist.
Tickets are $9, available starting at 6:15
p.m. Jan. 17 or in advance by contacting
kentlandsfilmsociety@gmail.com.
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin
Jazz Octet
Jan. 22, 8 p.m., BlackRock Center for the
Arts
Son of big-band leader and Afro Cuban jazz musician Chico O’Farrill, Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer
Arturo O’Farrill was born in Mexico and
raised in New York City. Growing up,
Arturo was inspired by his father’s music but cast a wider net when finding his
niche—Afro Latin Jazz, a genre to which
he’s made extraordinary contributions. He
is the winner of the 2003 Latin Jazz USA
Outstanding Achievement Award and is
a Steinway Artist. Tickets are $30-$44.
www.blackrockcenter.org
Kentlands Acoustic Jam
Jan. 26 & Feb. 2, 6 p.m., Kentlands
Clubhouse
Bring your acoustic instrument and
voice to join in the jam session, or just listen. Free. www.reverbnation.com/kentlandsacousticjam
Celtic Dance & World Traveler Tea
Jan. 30, 3-5 p.m., Kentlands Mansion
Experience the excitement and pageantry of Celtic dancing with a performance
by Duffy School of Irish Dance at the Arts
Barn. Afterward, indulge in a delicious
tea at Kentlands Mansion, featuring small
sandwiches, baked sweets, fruit, lemonade
and tea. Tickets for just the Celtic Dance
are $8 per person; a combined Celtic Dance
and Family Tea ticket is $20 per person.
in free agency couldn’t put back together
again.
Football love is tough love, people.
Back before concussion protocol or
throwing flags for play review, this team
was good. Gritty and good. We weren’t
flashy like Namath or a well-oiled machine like Montana and Rice but we got
the job done. Dallas always had our number, but each time we took the field there
was hope.
Recently, though, we had gone from
hopeful to hopeless one agonizing loss at
a time. Tickets hit bargain basement prices. RGIII jerseys hit the clearance racks. I
heard my despair echoed in Jurgensen’s beleaguered voice on the radio play-by-play
each week. We were suddenly the Chicago Cubs of the NFL, forever cursed and
chasing that elusive trophy.
The Burgundy and Gold army was
shrouded in black to match the dark cloud
that had descended over our team. But a
funny thing happened on the way down—
Kirk Cousins showed up. This was a new
team that looked a lot like the teams of
yesteryear. With no superstar, franchise
player in sight we went back to the basics
of teamwork and tenacity. Behind Cousins, we strung together a series of ugly
wins to land atop the division.
Throwing caution to the wind, we life-
long devotees fell in love all over again.
We swooned as Cousins executed the biggest comeback in franchise history over
the Buccaneers. We blushed with pride
when we knocked out Philly at home to
end their season.
Reunited, and it feels so good.
Our hero even had a catch phrase and
was the darling of Sports Center. The analysts all agreed, Washington could beat
Green Bay in the first round of the playoffs. As a result, ticket prices soared as
those Redskins became an expensive date
but so, so worth it.
Or not.
The bloom officially came off the rose
during the second half. Green Bay stepped
up their defense as ours virtually disappeared. Our short, second honeymoon
crashed and burned before our very eyes,
complete with the horror of instant replay
to add insult to injury.
Like all jilted lovers, I sat in disbelief
when I realized it was over. Had the last
two months of pure devotion meant nothing to these Skins?
I will make promises to myself over
the next seven months, vowing to keep a
healthy distance. But, who am I kidding?
The Redskins will always be my first love.
How can you not like that?
Advertise your business
in the NEXT ISSUE and
Get RESULTS!
Meet Debi Rosen,
The Gaithersburg Town Courier’s
Advertising Manager.
With 25+ years in the advertising
business, Debi knows the local business
beat better than anyone in town. It
doesn’t matter if your company is small
or large, results matter in this tough
economic climate. With a keen eye for
detail and personal attention, Debi is
your source for making your business
known to our loyal readers.
About The Town Courier:
• Direct mail delivery to 7,500 homes plus
rack distribution in high traffic locations
throughout Gaithersburg.
• Dedicated and loyal readers, giving each
edition long shelf life.
• Unmatched local coverage of news that
matters to Gaithersburg families.
• The Gaithersburg Town Courier is
delivered to homes and businesses in
Kentlands, Lakelands, Quince Orchard
Park, The Orchards, Orchard Hills and
Washingtonian Woods
Debi Rosen
301.455.5721
ads@towncourier.com
Page 20
The Town Courier
January 15, 2016
Sports
QO Basketball: Still Winning While Fighting Injuries
and Tough Opponents
By Syl Sobel
T
he young, undersized, and injury-depleted Quince Orchard boys’ basketball team continues to find ways to win
and, at 9-1, has emerged as one of the top
teams in the county. Meanwhile, the even
younger girls’ basketball players, fighting
injuries of their own and battling a tough
schedule, have established themselves at 6-4
as a team to watch.
The boys opened 2016 with a gritty 51-48
victory over always tough Gaithersburg last
Friday night. The Cougars took a 12-point
halftime lead, but Gaithersburg turned up
the defensive pressure in the final quarter,
went on 12-2 run, and came within a point
with 1:22 left. But two Matthew Kelly free
throws and a Daniel Dorsey putback gave
QO its winning margin.
“Really gutsy win,” said coach Paul
Foringer. He said the team was tired in the
final quarter because that was its first game
in 10 days.
Yielding to defensive pressure and physical
play, however, was responsible for QO’s only
loss this season to another top team, Bethesda-Chevy Chase (B-CC).
“We’re letting defensive pressure speed us
up,” Foringer said. “We need to relax and
play at our speed.”
QO is also missing two of its best frontcourt players in Rayshawn Murrel and Doc
Bonner, both injured. “We’re missing some
toughness,” Foringer said.
That’s left the inside load on sophomore
Dorsey, who at 6-2, is fighting taller opponents each night. He responded against
Gaithersburg with 11 points and “played well
on defense,” said Foringer.
QO needs inside scoring to complement
its guard-centric attack led by juniors Johnny Fierstein (15 points) and Kelly, and senior point guard Damon Daniel. The Cougars have also gotten good performances
from their bench with Mitch Czworka, Jack
Faraone, Tre Sewell, Colin Crews, and Ulric
Ayivi-Fandalor all making contributions in
various games this season.
“Some of our guys on the bench are starting to get better and that’s helping,” Foringer
said. “Everybody seems to be just improving as each day goes by, and I’m starting to
feel more comfortable playing more bench
guys.”
The girls topped Gaithersburg 41-36 on
Friday night, hitting seven three-pointers
to nail down the win. Giulia Sanmartin
hit three (9 points), and sophomores Jordan Odom (9 points) and Maggie Regan (8
points) each had two.
“They did a good job limiting Jordan,”
said coach Chris Campbell, referring to
Gaithersburg’s defense on Odom, the team’s
leading scorer at 15 points per game, but
Regan, the team’s top three-point shooter,
and Sanmartin picked up the slack.
Photo | Mauricio Sanmartin
(L to R) Jordan Odom and Alexa Sanmartin play defense against Rockville on Dec. 18.
QO has struggled with injuries, as freshman Teresa Shelton just returned for her
third game after a concussion, junior Sarah
Gleason just played her fourth game, and
junior Angel Murphy has been out with a
foot injury.
Good inside play from senior Emily
Baumgartner and junior Danni Lehner have
helped the team weather the injuries. Lehner, averaging 9.5 rebounds per game, has
had several double-doubles.
“We are slowly getting there,” said Campbell, pointing out that three of the team’s
four losses have been to very good teams in
B-CC, Paint Branch, and Tuscarora from
Virginia during a holiday tournament.
Northwest Girls Look to Compete for State Title
By Jennifer Beekman
J
ust 10 years ago, Montgomery County’s top swimming and diving programs
were almost exclusively concentrated in
the Bethesda/Potomac/Rockville areas. But
depth across the region has grown to the point
that there are three legitimate state title contenders within the county’s “second tier” of
teams. And none of them reside in that original core area.
The Northwest High School girls are on
the list. From ninth place at the season-ending
state championship meet in 2012 and 2013,
the Jaguars finished fourth last year—sixth at
the prestigious Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships—and have their sights set on the Top
3 or better this winter.
Similar to the county trend, it is increased
depth surrounding the core group of juniors
that has helped take Northwest to new heights
in recent years, and could elevate the Jaguars
even more this season. And while the Northwest boys and Quince Orchard’s boys’ and
girls’ teams might not be in championship
contention as overall teams, there’s no shortage of individual talent among those groups as
well. As has been the case with the Northwest
girls, those championship-caliber athletes
could become the driving force behind these
teams’ evolution, not just this year but in the
future.
Here is a look at what 2016 might have in
store for the Northwest and Quince Orchard
swimming and diving programs.
Northwest girls: Last winter, current junior Jaycee Yegher won Northwest’s first-ever
Metros title, setting a Montgomery County
Public Schools record in the 100-yard breaststroke (1 minute, 4.02 seconds) along the way.
And she was only one of three then-sophomores who placed in the top 20 of individual
scoring at the meet that, per times recorded,
perennially ranks as one of the country’s fastest high school competitions. Yegher, who
coach Amy Mason said is close to becoming the first-ever Jaguar to qualify for U.S.
Olympic Trials (she is close to the 100-meter breaststroke mark) and Dylan Gribble and
Sydney Knapp, who each picked up two Top
3 individual finishes at last year’s state meet,
provide a versatile center for Mason to build
her lineups around. Their strength, she added, has pushed teammates, such as senior Samantha Bischoff (13th in 500-yard freestyle at
states), to put in the work during the offseason
in order to become more impactful. The addition of two talented freshmen, Regan Tait
and Katelyn Tat, should add valuable points as
well, not to mention bolster relays.
“I think that core group of juniors made
everyone step up their game,” Mason said. “It
helps because they’re all diversified, too. Dylan can swim just about any stroke you ask her
to swim. Jaycee, the same thing. She’ll fill in,
in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle, which is
out of her comfort zone, but she’s more than
willing to do it. And Sydney can swim any
distance in the freestyle. They’re good but
they’re also well-rounded team players, which
makes everyone understand the importance of
swimming events that aren’t their best.”
Northwest boys: The Jaguar boys should
move up from their 14th-place finish at states
a year ago, Mason said. Returning top scorers, sophomore Noah Garvey and junior
Nick Fitzwilliam who finished in the Top 15
of two individual events apiece at last year’s
state meet, will continue to lead Northwest’s
charge. But the addition of freshman Colby
Chung, a talented butterfly swimmer, and the
improvement of some returning athletes will
help fill some lineup holes that cost the Jaguars
a year ago.
Quince Orchard girls: Two years ago as
a freshman, current junior Maddy Zarchin
broke one of Quince Orchard’s longest-standing all-time records—26 years—in the 100yard butterfly. Her reliability, coach Todd
Garner said, is invaluable. Last year she finished
fourth in the 100-yard butterfly and eighth in
the 500-yard freestyle at Metros and second in
the butterfly and fourth in the 200 freestyle at
states. Freshmen Emily Mann, who has been
around the Cougars program for years watching her older siblings, and Hannah Harnois, as
well as improved sophomore Lindsey Heath,
will provide Zarchin with some needed support and help fill out relays.
Quince Orchard boys: A year ago, current
sophomore Eli Fouts was the only freshman
in the top 30 of individual scoring at Metros.
His 37 points—second in the 100 breaststroke,
ninth in 200 individual medley—were good
for 12th and just 11 points off the leader. But
while he established himself as one of the
Washington, D.C., area’s top talents, one person alone cannot win a swim meet. Although,
if permitted, Fouts probably could race and
contend in every event, coach Todd Garner
said. Diego Morales, a talented butterfly and
freestyle swimmer, and Jacob Lindner, a sprint
freestyler and individual medley swimmer,
should help Quince Orchard be more competitive across the board. Junior diver Joseph
Canova, who finished second at Metros a year
ago, also provides the Cougars with valuable
points not every team is privy to.
“It helps to have really strong kids, but
it’s also really exciting to see those second-,
third-, fourth- and fifth-place kids,” Garner
said.
The Town Courier
Bocce, Corollary Sports a Learning Experience for Everyone
By Jennifer Beekman
I
n 2010, Montgomery County Public
Schools announced its Corollary Sports
Program in an effort to present students,
both with and without disabilities, more opportunities to pursue competitive athletics.
And while many might assume it’s the former who benefit most from these full-fledged
varsity teams, which are subject to the same
treatment as sports like football and basketball, Quince Orchard High School senior
bocce co-captain Alexander Cohn said participating in corollary sports provides unique
learning experiences for everyone involved.
“I definitely think (students without disabilities) are learning as much, if not more
(than students with disabilities),” said Cohn,
a second-year bocce player who has also participated in team handball and allied softball.
“You learn teamwork and accountability.
And it helps you to understand people a lot
more. I’m a much more open person now. I
don’t assume as much about people; I wait
to hear their story. I think it just opens up
everyone’s eyes and gives everyone a different perspective. Even people around me saw
I was a better person after one season of (corollary sports).”
MCPS offers one corollary sport per season: team handball in the fall, unified bocce
in the winter and allied softball in the spring.
An important goal of the program, according to the MCPS website, is for the corollary
teams to be comprised of approximately 50
percent students with disabilities and 50 percent without.
This, junior co-captain Turner Thackston
Photo | Submitted
Turner Thackston is junior co-captain of the varsity bocce
team, a corollary sports program at Quince Orchard
High School.
said, helps student-athletes cultivate what
might otherwise be unlikely friendships. Social media has made it easier for teammates to
continue to communicate outside of school
and once they’ve graduated, Thackston added.
“I think perspective is one way to put it
but another way to put it is (students without disabilities) become more empathetic and
understanding and realize that you can have
great relationships with kids who are not like
you,” coach Gregory Benas said. “I see it at
practice every day and at games and in school.
And these friendships keeping growing.”
In bocce’s inaugural season six years ago,
there were just seven teams.
These days that number is up to 25. And,
while Cohn and Benas agreed the team’s suc-
cess is not measured in wins and trophies,
Quince Orchard, the 2013 state tournament
champion, has established itself as one of the
county’s and state’s best teams.
Special Olympics Maryland sponsors a
state championship at the end of the season,
for which only the top teams from each district tournament qualify. As of a year ago,
the participating public school systems were
Montgomery, Allegany, Baltimore City,
Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Prince George’s
and Washington counties.
After an undefeated 2014-15 regular season, the Cougars fell in the county final a
year ago and failed to medal in the state tournament. The previous winter, they followed
up their 2013 state title with a third-place
showing at the 2014 season-ending championship.
Quince Orchard is currently 1-2 but as
the Cougars learned last winter, Cohn and
Thackston said, regular season records don’t
necessarily translate into postseason success.
And all teams qualify for the county tournament.
“We found that since we were undefeated,
it doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going
to win the county championships,” Benas
said. “So, we’re just going to play every game
and then when, hopefully, it comes down to
playoff time, the ball is rolling straight and
true.”
Because, Benas added, bocce, a rather strategic sport, can also be quite unpredictable.
It’s a game of inches. And, sometimes, the
ball seems to have a mind of its own.
“Bocce is the grand equalizer,” Benas said.
“It’s a sport that no matter how good you are,
the other team can beat you. We were undefeated in the regular season (last year) but the
ball didn’t roll for us in playoffs. And that’s
bocce.”
The object of the game is, essentially, for
teams to roll their bocce balls closer to what’s
referred to as the pallino ball—a smaller ball
that is thrown first—than their opponent.
The Cougars spend practices setting up a
variety of scenarios, Benas said, in order to
best prepare themselves for whatever situation may arise come game day.
“It’s a very strategy-based game,” Cohn
said. “You have to get a big ball closest to a
small little ball that could be anywhere from
10 to 30 feet away from you. It’s, do you
want to knock the person’s ball out? Do you
want to try and secure one point? Or go for
two more if you have the chance? It’s taught
everyone on this team how to strategize and
how to problem solve.”
And, Cohn and Thackston agreed, skills
learned through bocce and corollary sports
are transferrable to everyday life.
“I’ve learned to make more friendships and
to be a leader,” Thackston said. “It’s taught
me good sportsmanship and to be a good
learner and to not get in trouble. … You need
to focus and not be distracted. You have to
pay attention and not goof off and try to participate and practice. This helps me in class.”
Though he’s the teacher, Benas said there
are times he feels like his student-athletes are
the ones giving him the lessons because “it’s
so uplifting to see how they work together
and appreciate the other teams.”
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Page 22
■ ty williams
from page 1
ed to be there.” Now that Ty is home, “it’s
good to see him every day.”
The family shared their recollections of the
injury that still has Williams unable to walk.
“I remember everything actually,” Ty said.
“I didn’t lose consciousness or anything. It
wasn’t that big of a hit. It just was like, I guess
you could call it the perfect storm. I had hit
him, and it felt like it took me forever to fall.
… I fell face down. I couldn’t push myself
over. I couldn’t roll over. They finally rolled
me over on my back and I got movement
back into my arms, but everywhere neck and
below was just like intense tingling, and I
couldn’t even figure out the position of my
legs.”
The Town Courier
Williams said he wasn’t as scared as he
might have been, because he had taken anatomy in high school and knew what was happening to him.
His father, however, was fearing the worst.
While Rand rode in the ambulance to the
hospital with her son, Williams followed in
another car with Ty’s grandfather “not knowing what was going on. … It was terrifying.”
Williams has made great progress in his
recovery so far, with his ultimate goal being to walk again. Indeed, the message that
comes through in talking with Williams and
his family is not whether he will walk again,
but when.
“I’m way ahead,” Ty said. “When I left
(Shepherd), they said for my level injury I
was way farther ahead than a lot of people
who had the same level injury. … It’s still
fresh. It takes two years to fully heal. … I was
pretty paralyzed from the neck down and I’ve
gotten a lot of that back. Just a matter of time
honestly.”
In the meantime, Williams will prepare for
another homecoming. He returns to Georgetown this week to continue his junior year.
Williams will live in accessible housing in
a centrally located dorm on campus. Williams, a government major, will take three
classes—“just taking it easy” he said, in his
typically modest way. In addition, he will
continue his strength training at Georgetown
University Hospital and at National Rehabilitation Hospital and continue stretching on
his own.
“It will heal when it heals,” he said. “Can’t
rush that.” In the meantime, “I take control
of what I can. I can work on my arms and
January 15, 2016
stuff like that and the legs will be when they
come back, too.”
And at least for a while, Ty will continue
to have his steady companion for the past
four months—his mom. Georgetown has arranged for Rand to stay in an adjacent room
near her son. She will help arrange his living and rehab situation and train a caregiver
who will work with Ty for two hours every
morning.
“It’s still the two of us,” Rand said. “We
were there for each other. We said that from
the very beginning.” She said she plans
to stay for a week, noting that Ty is pretty
self-sufficient, but admitted that she may be
tempted to stay longer.
For Williams, an elite athlete who starred
as a running back and linebacker at QO,
competed in two state championship games,
played varsity basketball, and ran track, one
of his hardest adjustments is not being able
to play competitive sports. He understands
that he can’t play collegiate sports again,
but would like some day to play in informal
games, “just doing anything upright honestly.” He also plans to help the Georgetown
football coaches next fall.
But with the single-mindedness that characterized his play on the gridiron, Williams
again focused on his goal. “Immediately my
deal is I just want to be as independent as possible and get to the walking when they decide
I can get to the walking.”
William and his family have been overwhelmed by the support they’ve received
since his injury, starting with the care and
treatment at UPMC Altoona (Pa.) Hospital, the St. Francis University football team
and community (some of whom still check
in regularly with Williams and his family),
the rehabilitation team at Shepherd, and the
entire Georgia football community. He has
also received autographed merchandise and
visits from numerous professional and college
athletic teams, as well as a visit from Georgetown alum and former Atlanta Hawk basketball player Dikembe Mutombo.
They are especially thankful for the support from the Georgetown University and
Quince Orchard communities. “They’ve
been great,” Williams said of his Hoya football coaches and teammates, especially in
helping to arrange Williams’ schedule, housing accommodations, and medical needs.
And of the Quince Orchard community,
Terrance said, “I want to thank them for their
support.” He said seeing the name “Ty” and
his number “2” painted on the Cougardome
field was especially moving for him, and the
community’s support throughout a fundraising campaign “was amazing.”
“It wasn’t just a one-time thing,” Ty added.
“People didn’t just check in the first week and
drop me off. It was constant. Week to week,
day to day. It helps.”
And that’s what Ty Williams wants people
to know—that their support has helped his
recovery. “It all really helps. That’s the main
message. It helps you get through it. especially when you’re so far away for the first time,
and obviously not by choice.”
Ty Williams has more homecomings
ahead. He plans to return to the Georgetown
field. Some day, he will also return to the
Cougardome. And notwithstanding all of the
memorable runs of his Cougar career and all
of the yardage he’s traversed over that turf,
that first trip on his own power to midfield to
turn to the crowd and say thanks will be the
one that means the most.
Page 23
Page 24
The Town Courier
January 15, 2016
New Year
New Website
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elainekoch.com
Coming January 2016
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January 15, 2016

Transcription

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