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Thursday, May 31, 2007 • St. Mary’s County, Maryland

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Established 2006 • Volume 2 • Issue 22 • FREE

By Guy LeonardStaff Writer

Eight out of 11 high school students who signed up for an accelerated course in fire fighting and emergency medical training at the Dr. James A Forrest Career & Technical Center have completed the course and are ready to take their career paths to the next level.

The program was designed to give high school students a rapid start in one of the most demanding and in-demand career fields as well as to get them college credit for advanced fire science and medi-cal services degrees.

Students who graduated from the program already have strong resumes that could land them jobs with paid fire or EMS companies on Patuxent River Naval Air Station or neighboring jurisdic-tions with two-tiered systems of both volunteers and paid personnel.

Mathew Spalding, 18, of Hollywood, and a senior at Leonardtown High School, said he knew fire fighting was the career for him and he wanted

the best training he could get.He is already a member of the Hollywood Vol-

unteer Fire Department — applicants for the pro-gram must belong to a volunteer fire or rescue com-pany and be at least 16 years old — and he wanted to take his abilities as far as they could go.

“The guys at the fire station got me hooked on fire fighting,” Spalding said. “So I knew that’s what I wanted to do.

“I knew this would look great on an application.”

Spalding and his classmates went through hun-dreds of hours of training, according to one of their instructors, in just about every aspect of fire fight-ing and emergency medical procedures a firefight-er/EMT could expect to encounter.

“These programs are geared towards mak-ing them a well-rounded firefighter or EMT,” said Paul Wible, one of their instructors. “For someone taking this training in the evenings as a volunteer fire fighter [after a standard workday] it would take them five years to get this program.”

Next Wave of Firefighters Graduates Grueling ClassLocal High Schoolers Complete Tough Training Course for Future in Fire Fighting and Rescue Work

By Adam RossStaff Writer

St. Mary’s County may not be a hotbed of hur-ricane activity like Florida, but in light of storms like Ernesto, whose winds and rain beat down the county’s infrastructure and flooded its coastline last year, nobody is taking any chances.

With the arrival of the 2007 Hurricane sea-son tomorrow - and models from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) predicting 13 to 17 named storms in the Atlantic Ocean from June 1 to November 30 – county of-ficials are urging residents to plan accordingly.

“Although no one likes to think about the

County Urges Residents to be Prepared for Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

See Hurricane Season page A-7


The county’s first ever Sci-ence, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) academies are staffed and have filled most of their student slots as the dream becomes a reality, according to Linda Dud-derar, the school system’s chief aca-demic officer.

The STEM academies will be offered next year at Lexington Park Elementary School, Spring Ridge Middle School and Great Mills High School, in part because of the close proximity to the Patuxent River Na-val Air Station, where local leaders hope a strong partnership can grow for years to come.

Rear Adm. Steven Eastburg and Capt. Glen Ives have spoken in months past of the growing problem with hiring qualified staff to keep up with the barrage of new testing and technology at the Air Station, along with retention of those employees. While St. Mary’s County is home to some of the world’s most cutting edge military operations and equip-ment, retaining base employees has been a continual challenge.

The STEM academies are the county’s first crack at “home grow-ing” Pax River’s future.

“We want to provide a work-force that is locally grown because the number of dollars being spent on recruiting at the base is huge,” said Dudderar, “and they are not reaping the benefits the base would like.”

School Board Member Gary K. Kessler, who is also the senior ex-ecutive director of flight test engi-neering at Pax River said last month that those coming from other parts of the country to fill the base’s jobs often don’t like the area or become homesick and leave after a couple of years.

STEM Academies Ready to Set Sail Navy Now on Board With Program

See STEM page A-4

See Firefighter Grads. page A-7

Commissioners Approve Budget, Public Schools’ Receive Largest Increase Taxes remain the same; fee added

See Budget Aproval page A-4


After an arduous year battling increased expenditures and decreased revenues, the St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners balanced and approved its budget Tues-day in part by assessing county residences a yearly $60 trash fee.

However, the commissioners took other steps in the closing weeks to shore up their $185 million general fund, namely cutting an additional $200,000 from $2.5 million already cut to the board of education.

St. Mary’s County Public Schools Chief Financial Officer Daniel Carney said Tuesday that the school board would cut pay raises to paraeducators in half, and cut $20,000 for a speech therapist in order to meet the addi-

tional $200,000 cut from its funding. Further, Carney said the school board was planning to exempt finance some new initiatives that they had initially planned to pay up front – a move to meet the $2.7 million in cuts made from its requested budget.

Despite not receiving its full funding request, the board of education it did receive an $8.1 million in-crease over last year’s funding, 5.8 million more than the bridge to excellence funding agreement the two entities conjured up in years past.

The board of education was perhaps the biggest loser in Tuesday’s finale, but it also had the most to gain after making a substantial request of over $20 million more from what it received last year from the county and state. “They have enough money for the [science, technol-

ogy, engineering and math initiative], and the charter school,” said Commissioner Daniel H. Raley (D- Great Mills). “I think we can keep class size good and enough money for 65 to 70 new positions, but again that’s with less than 100 new students.”

“A lot of people aren’t happy, but we deal with very good people in St. Mary’s County,” said Commission President Francis Jack Russell (D- Point Lookout). “Now we’ll get our parameters set for the next one.”

Raley said he expected to meet with Superintendent Michael J. Martirano and the school board frequently over the coming years to avoid communication difficulties that he and other commissioners complained had negatively impacted this budget process.

“Starting next week, we should get to know the super-


Over the past three decades there have been many changes to Green-view Knolls Elementary School in Great Mills — such as improvements to the playground, additional build-ing space and the curriculum taught — but one thing has not changed: It’s principal.

After a 40-year career with the St. Mary’s County Public Schools and serving as the schools’ principal uninterrupted for 27 of those years John Hazuda, 61, is set to retire June 30.

Hazuda said he is the longest serving principal currently employed by the school system.

He’s seen a lot of changes in the way schools operate over his ten-ure, but he always enjoyed his job as an educator, first as a 5th grade teacher at Greenview Knolls in 1967, and then nine years as principal at

Elementary Principal Will Retire After 40-Year Career

See 40-Years page A-8

Photo by Guy Leonard

John Hazuda, principal at Greenview Knolls Elementary School in Great Mills, looks at the plaque his school earned for improving test scores enough to be removed from the state’s watch list for underachieving schools.Hazuda will retire at the end of June after 40 years of service to the school system.

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,May31,�007

ByGuyLeonardStaffWriter

Environmental advo-cates with the PotomacRiver Association (PRA)andcitizensofMyrtlePointwillhavetowaitabouttwomonths for aCircuitCourtjudge to determine if thecounty government ille-gally issued permits to adeveloper to build homesinviolationof its own soilerosioncontrolordinance.

ThePRAandtheirlaw-yer Douglas Hollman hadtheir day in court againstdeveloper P.F. Summers’lawyer Christopher Long-more and county attorneyChristy Holt Chesser May25topresentarguments.

ErikJansson,presidentof the PRA, said the out-comeofthecourtproceed-ings was uncertain, buthis group would continuetheir fight against harmfulsoil erosion theybelieve iscausedbyoverdevelopmentin environmentally sensi-tiveareas.

“We’ll ask them [theBoard ofCountyCommis-sioners] to tighten up thelawifwedon’twin,”Jans-son said. “Mill Creek isalready starting to fill up,and it’llendupasamarshandthenhardland.”

AtissuewasthecountyBoard of Appeals’ deci-siontoupholdanactionbythe Department of PublicWorks and Transportation

that allowed P.F. Summerstobegingradinga sight inwhich six of the plannedlots, had a slope gradegreaterthan15percent.

That decision tookplacemorethanayearago,butthePRA,spurredonbycurrent Myrtle Point resi-dents who say the addeddevelopment has causedmassive soil erosion thatdespoils local creeks andwaterways, immediatelyfiledappeals.

Thecountyhadallowedthe grading permits basedon its finding that enoughof the land on the entireparcelmetwiththerequire-mentsofthelawandonthewholewasnottoosteep.

Hollman argued thatthe county’s interpretationof the law was erroneousbecause it chose to ignoreakeyprovisionstatingthatthecountyhadtogivecon-siderationtodolingoutthepermits based on the lotupon which the primarystructurewastobebuilt.

“Basically it negatesthe steep slopes law,”Hol-lman said of the county’sdecision in favor of P.F.Summers.

Jansson has said if theP.F. Summers developmentand the county action gounchallenged, all land inthe county that is prone toerosion is in danger of in-appropriatedevelopment.

“This is to make thedepartments straighten up

theiractsandreadthelaw,”Janssonsaid.

Butthedevelopersfiredbacksayingthatthecountyordinance was a lengthyone and that the Depart-ment of Public Works andTransportation acted prop-erlyintheirdecisionbasedontheentirelaw.

“They’ve taken onesentenceinaratherlengthyordinance and ignoredthe rest the director [ofDPW&T] used to come tohis decision,” Longmoresaid.

Judge Charles Raley,who heard the arguments,said his staff would beginresearch on the case andthathewouldlikelyrenderadecisionsometimebeforeAugust.

Raley said there werenodisputesinthecasewithregardstothefactsbutthat“itdoesseem it’sallaboutthecorrectlegalanswer.”

However, since no in-junction was filed by thePRAagainstthedeveloper,workattheWoodsatMyrtlePointsitehascontinued.

MyrtlePointDevelopmentGoesForwardasCircuitCourtMullsCasePRA Awaits August Decision in Battle Over Erosion Ordinance

ByGuyLeonardStaffWriter

Thenewestpieceofequip-ment available to sheriff’sdeputiestokeepthestreetsofSt.Mary’sCountysafeisn’tanewserviceweapon,TASERorpepperspray.

It’saportablecomputer.For the past two weeks

sheriff’s deputies learned touseaPanasonicCF-30Tough-booklaptopcomputerthatal-lowstheminstantaccesstoin-formationonsuspects,stolenpropertyandpolicereportsatthetouchofthebutton.

The Toughbook lookslikeastandardcomputerlap-top that has been armoredagainst the toughest formsof abuse. Its oversized andstrengthened body protectsthe computer’s circuitry andhardware from the elementsandroughhandling.

“They’rebuilttomilitaryspecifications,” said Robert Johnston, a civilian systemsadministrator who worksfor the Sheriff’s department.“They’reruggedized.”

Lt. Edward Willenborg,commander of the SpecialOperations Division, saiddeputiescannowdowarrantchecksonsuspectsoraccessreports on stolen propertyinstantly, meaning whateversituation theyencounter theyhave the information neededtodealwithitappropriately.

WithouttheToughbooks,deputieshavetotalktoadis-patcher back at the Depart-ment of Public Safety to getinformationonanemergencycallorsuspect.

That system, Willenborgsaid,takesmoretimethantheToughbook method and alsotakes dispatchers away fromtheir task of routing emer-gencycallsandrespondingtodeputies’requests.

Deputies not only haveaccess to local criminal oremergency information onfile at headquarters, but also through the National CrimeInformation Center adminis-teredbytheU.S.DepartmentofJustice.

With this system, depu-ties can check for warrantselectronicallyfromtheirowncruisersonsuspectsthatmaynothaveacriminalrecordinthe county, but are wantedacrossthecountry.

“It makes it easier tocheckvehicletagsandpeopleinstead of using air time,”saidDeputyFirstClassJasonMaletto.

Thescreenson thecom-putercanpullupapictureofthe suspect, any informationontheircriminalbackgroundandaliasessothedeputycanseethroughanysubterfuge.

Currently, the sheriff’sdepartment has about 70Toughbooks assigned to pa-trol officers, Willenborg said, but the ultimate goal is tohave a Toughbook for everydeputy,especiallythoseintheBureauofCriminalInvestiga-tions looking to close casesquickly.

Armed with these com-puters, investigators havequickeraccesstoreportsthaninthepast.Inthepast,thepro-cedurehashadpatroldeputiestypeoutreportsthatarethen

reviewedbytheirunitsuperi-orsandcopiedbytherecordsdivision before investigatorscanutilizethem.

Right now it can takethree to five days for an in-vestigator to get informationheorsheneedsfromastreetpatrol report. With the newtechnology, the investigatorcanhavethereport thesamedayitwastaken.

“Field reporting is thekey, that’s the goal,” Willen-borgsaid.“Rightnowit’sstillapieceofpaperthathastogothroughreportingandthentorecords… with [the Tough-books]youcangetonthetrailbeforeitgoescold.”

Johnston said that depu-tieshavebeenlearningtousethe Toughbooks while infor-mation technology personnelhavebeenworkingoutremoteconnectionproblems.

“There are minor glitch-esbeingworkedoutand it’llprobably be that way for amonth,’ Johnston said. “Thisisareallynewsystemforus.”

Willenborg said sheriff’sdeputies in Charles CountywerealreadyusingtheTough-books and that St. Mary’sdeputiescouldhaveaccesstotheirrecordsaswellifthetwocounties come to agreementtouseconnectingsoftware.

Butforalltheperkstheyoffer,theToughbooksarenotcheap.

Each unit costs $3,800plusextraforsoftwareandin-stallation.Theunitscurrentlyin service were purchasedby a law enforcement grantobtained by U.S. Rep. StenyHoyer’s(D-MD5th) office.

LawEnforcementGoesHighSpeedSt. Mary’s Deputies Outfitted with Portable Computers to Assist in Crime Fighting

Deputy First Class Jason Maletto works from his squad car on one of the sheriff’s office’s new Panasonic CF-30 Toughbooks that allow deputies to access criminal records and other police reports remotely at the touch of a button.


ByAndrewKnowltonStaffWriter

McKay’s Food & Phar-macyhasalwaysbeenknownfor its enthusiasm in givingback to the community.Lastweek at the new locationin Leonardtown, the store’sCommunity Rewards Pro-gram wrapped up its ninthyearofgivingbackbywriting$60,000 worth of checks toorganizations throughout St.Mary’sCounty.

Intotal,14organizationswereawardedover$1,000andalmostallofthemwerepres-enttoreceivetheircheck.St.John’sChurch&Schoolwasawarded the first place prize, followed by Victory BaptistAcademy, was and Immacu-late Conception Church wasthird.Thetopthreerecipientswere also given a bonus. St.John’s received a bonus of

$2,500, Victory Baptist wasgiven a bonus of $1,500 andImmaculate Conception re-ceivedanextra$1,000.Since1999, St. John’s has receivednearly$60,000 inGoldCardrewards.

Victory Baptsist finished in first place the past two years.Theorganizations thatwere not present when thecheckswerehandedoutweremailedtheirchecksthesameday.

Approximately 110 non-profit organizations partici-patedintheprogramthisyear.“Memberssignupatthestoresand then theyareallgivenanumber,”saidMcKay’Chair-man of the Board James M.McKay.“Everypurchasethatan organization makes un-der thatnumbergoes towardearningrewards.”

When members of theorganization use their Gold

Card,theyarenotonlysavingmoneyontheirpurchases,butalso earningmoneyback fortheirgroup.

TheCommunityRewardsProgramwasstartedin1999,whentheMcKay’scelebratedits 50th Anniversary. Thatyear,theygaveaway$50,000,and each year since, the to-tal amount rewarded has in-creased.Since1999, thepro-gramhasgivenbackapproxi-matelyhalfamilliondollars,accordingtoMcKay.

“Wefeellikeoursuccessisbasedonourcommunitiespart in the business and weowe something back to thepeople,” said McKay. “Thisseems like one of the betterways to do it. The organiza-tionscanhavetheirpurchasesallocated to their benefits. It alldependontheorganizationandhowmuchefforttheyputintoit.”

McKay’sGivesOut$60,000inCommunityRewardsProgram

Though the program isin its eighth year, McKay’shas been giving from dayone.Everyyear,thestorehasdonatedat least300gift cer-tificates for particular school programsandtheiractivities.SincethestartoftheCommu-nity Rewards Program, thegift certificates have come in addition to the money givenback in the Community Re-wardsProgram.

Inthefall,theprogramwillstartitsninthyear,ac-cording toMcKay,and thestore will continue to givebacktothecommunitywithenthusiasm.

“We owe thatmuch tothe good people that havebeenourcustomersthrough-outtheyears,”McKaysaid.“WeoweittotheCounty.”

Photo by Andrew KnowltonPhoto by Andrew Knowlton

Photo by Andrew Knowlton

First Place: St. John’s Church and School

Second Place: Victory Baptist Academy

Third Place: Immaculate Conception Church

Thursday, May 31, 2007 The County Times Section A - 3

In Your Community

Route 245Hollywood, MD 20636

301-475-2531

Route 246 & Great Mills Rd.Lexington Park, MD 20653301-862-7702

Route 5 & Mohawk DriveCharlotte Hall, MD 20622301-884-5636

Wildewood Shopping CenterCalifornia, MD 20619

301-866-5702

The Shops at Breton BayLeonardtown, MD 20650301-997-1828

Graduation Cakes

8” Round $18.991/4 Sheet $20.991/2 Sheet $34.99Full Sheet $45.99

Golf Tournament The Bay District Vol-

unteer Fire Department is hosting its 11th annual golf tournament Monday July 9 at the Wicomico Shores Golf Course. Shotgun starts at 9 a.m., in scramble – captain’s choice format. Cost is $65.00 per player, which includes fees, cart, lunch, beverages and prizes. Open to the gen-eral public. For more infor-mation call Joe Cooper at 301-863-5362.

Art ReceptionThe Lexington Park Li-

brary Art Gallery will be holding an opening reception for the members of the Cal-vert Art Guild who have their artwork on display at library during the month of June. Re-ception is free, call 301-863-8188 for more information.

Yard SaleA community yard sale at

Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House Museum in Waldorf Mary-land is being held June 2nd, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The house is located at 3725 Dr. Samuel Mudd Road. He cost is $15 a space, and sellers must provide their own tables and chairs. Proceeds will benefit the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Soci-ety. For more information call 301-274-9358.

ParadeThe Hollywood Volun-

teer Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary is having its 50th Anniversary parade June 30 starting at 3:30 p.m. Music and fireworks will ac-company the parade. Music provide by the kings of clas-sic rock, Great Train Robbery. Fireworks at dusk on the fire department grounds, food and refreshments available throughout. Fire related ven-dor space contact John Gat-ton, Jr., at 301-373-3602.

Crab Cake DinnerSt George’s Episcopal

Church will hold their an-nual Crab Cake Dinner on June 2nd from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. The menu includes all you can eat Crab Cakes, Baked Ham, Chicken Salad, St. Georges Potatoes, Green Beans, Cole Slaw, Pickled Beets, Rolls, and Beverages. The cost is $18.00 for adults and carry outs, $7.50 for chil-dren 6-12 and free for children under 6. There will also be a dessert table, bazaar and plant table. St. George’s Episcopal Church is located on Route 244 in Valley Lee, half mile from the Valley Lee Post Of-fice. For additional informa-tion call 301-994-0585 or visit stgeorgesvallelee.org.

Craft Show On The Green

The Crafts Guild of St. Mary’s County is hosting ‘Craft Show on the Green’ on June 2, where talented ar-tisans from throughout the region will offer their unique handcrafted wares for sale in a festive open-air setting. Mark your calendar for this free event and join us 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Old Towne Craft-ers, Route 5, Leonardtown, adjacent to the Maryland Antiques Center. Rain date: June 3, 2007. For more detail and crafters information, call Bonnie Gallant at 301-997-1644 or 301-994-2621.

SMGLL Lax-A-Daisy Draw 2007 Lacrosse Tournament

Come join the St. Mary’s Girls’ Lacrosse League for a day of family fun at the 3rd annual LAX-A-DAISY DRAW Lacrosse Tourna-ment on June 2, at 8:00 a.m. at Chaptico Park. In addition to the elimination style game format, there will be a live DJ and music, raffle, food & drink vendors, lacrosse cloth-ing for sale, face painting, a

moon bounce, dunking ma-chine and a radar gun to clock just how fast those balls fly! So bring the family and watch girls’ lacrosse in action. Rain date: June 9, www.smgll.org.

ALL YOU CAN EAT BREAKFAST

8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., June 3 at Bay District Volun-teer Fire Department. Menu will include: Bacon, Sausage, Homefries, Scrambled eggs, Hot applesauce, Sausage gra-vy with Biscuits, Pancakes, Mixed fruit and French toast. Cost is $8 for adults, and $5.00 for children (ages 5-12), 4 and

under eat FREE.

Summer Volunteers Training

6:00 p.m., Charlotte Hall Library, students in the 6th grade or older who are inter-ested in helping with the sum-mer reading clubs are asked to attend this short training

session on June 4. If unable to attend, please obtain an appli-cation at the library. 301-884-2211 x1004.

Ask a Master Gardener: Plant Clinic

Drop in to the Lexing-ton Park Library and ask a St. Mary’s County Master Gardener from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 5 your garden-ing questions. Bring plant samples and/or photos. Free.

301-863-8188.

Book DiscussionCome to the Charlotte Hall

Library June 5 at 7 p.m. to dis-cuss Anita Shreve’s book “All He Ever Wanted.” The discus-sion is free and no registration is required. Call 301-884-2211 for more information.

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,May31,2007

Editorial&Opinion

LetterstotheEditorIf you wish to send a letter to the editor, please include your name, address and phone number for confirmation purposes. We will only publish your name and city of residence. We can withhold your name by request if circumstances merit it. We must receive all letters by Monday morning for publication in the next issue. Any letter received later than Monday will be held for the following issue.

P.O.Box250•Hollywood,Maryland20636

News, advertising, circulation, classifieds: 301-373-4125

JamesManningMcKay-Publisher

Tobie Pulliam - Office [email protected]

AdamRoss-GovernmentCorrespondent..............adamross@countytimes.net

AndrewKnowlton-SportsCorrespondent...... [email protected]

GuyLeonard-CommunityCorrespondent................guyleonard@countytimes.net

EileenMcDonald-AdvertisingRep...............eileenmcdonald@countytimes.net

ByAdamRossStaffWriter

St. Mary’s County school lunch prices are going up next year, but not as much as origi-nally anticipated, according to Bradley J. Clements, schools’ chief operating officer.

What Clements and Su-pervisor of Food and Nutri-tion Services Lisa Brubacher expected to be a 30 to 40 cent increase, which they charac-terized as “very alarming,” ended up being a 15 cent in-crease per meal.

Brubacher said the costincrease was unavoidable “due to the continuously in-creasing energy costs, food costsandsupplycostsofpa-per goods and everything else that goes into the program.”

At the elementary and

secondary levels lunch will increase to $1.90, while at the high school level, the cost of a single lunch is $2.05.

According to Brubacher, it costs the Department ofFood and Nutrition Services close to $2.70 per lunch, and in order to continue operat-ing with a loss, prices must be raised.

“We rely solely on in-come of paid meals to fund[school lunches],” Brubacher said,” along with federal and state reimbursement.”

St. Mary’s County Pub-lic Schools appear to be inthemiddleof thepackwhenit comes to thecostof lunchprices. Of the 13 counties that responded to a survey on school lunch prices, six were found to charge more than SMCPS.

The school board ap-proved the increase unani-mously, and commendedBrubacher for the program’s efficient staff and well-bal-anced meals.

“Kids are receiving nutri-tious meals everyday,” said Superintendent Michael J. Martirano. “And we are doing ourbest tokeepcostsdown,but other factors are driving this in our economy.”

Clements said the pro-gram would continue to serve whole meals while limiting a lacarteoptions inorder toensure the nutritional value of each meal.

Breakfastandmilkpriceswill hold at $1 and 30 cents respectively.

SchoolLunchPricesOntheRise The time and costs lost

in this process are significant, according to Kessler.

Superintendent Michael J. Martirano said he hopes to grow the $1.4 million pro-gram to about 50 students in each grade from four through 12 in years to come, but much of that will depend on thefunding commitment from the state.

“My vision is expansion of this program,” said school board member Bill Mattingly, “not just having three in the southernpartsof thecounty,but so we can go and touch everybody, and it is fair and equitable for everyone.”

Two million dollars isavailable at the state level for

the future growth of STEM, according to Martirano, who saidthecountyhasappliedforadditionalmoneyand shouldknow next year’s funding lev-el by the first of July.

Meanwhile, Pax River as-signed Kathryn Glockner to become the Naval Air War-fare Center Aircraft Division’s educationpartnershipcoordi-nator, meaning she will work directly with teachers in theSTEM academies in facilitat-ing events and internships.

“It is extremely signifi-cant that [Pax River] put a personforwardtocoordinatethis,” said Martirano. “For that to occur is incredible. It’s a historic occurrence.”

The academies will fea-ture extensive laboratory work, requiring students also to work in teams to answerdifficult questions that en-compass different academic

areas of discipline. At Spring Ridge Middle

School, 52 students have enrolled for the 2007-2008 schoolyear, andoneof theirfirst tests will be to act as tes-ters and designers of a rocket designed by NASA to go to the moon in 2020, according to Dudderar.

At Great Mills High School, 28 students enrolled, and will be looking at gas laws and analyzing atmospheric conditions on other planets,Dudderar said.

“This is oneof themostexciting things we have oc-curring right now,” Martirano said. “We are truly making a connection to our workforceand the needs of our com-munity. This is our time and we are going to make this happen.”

STEMContinued from page A-�

BudgetAprovalContinued from page A-�

intendentandboardofeduca-tion very well,” added Raley.

Commissioner Lawrence Jarboe (R- Golden Beach) called this budget the toughest he has dealt with in 13 years, asthecommissionerssetloftygoals despite an economic downturn.

In line with historicallyhigh gas prices, other post retirement benefits’ (OBEP) wasalsoamonstrouscostthecommissioners committedthemselves to funding with-out raising taxes. This year the commissioners set asideapproximately $10 million for retiree health benefits, a step that that Chief Financial Offi-cer Elaine Kramer has called a

responsible move while most county government’s have yet to even address the cost.

“It’s no glamorous,” said Raley of funding OPEB (D- Great Mills), “but it’s impor-tant and significant.”

Meanwhile, the Office of the Sheriff received nearly a 16 percent increase in funding from fiscal 2007, bringing the county’s total appropriation to over $27 million. The increase will allow Sheriff TimothyCameron to hire four deputies and part time Commission on Accreditation for Law En-forcemnt Agenies (CALEA) coordinator.

“What the commissioners have shows they support law

enforcement,” said Cameron Tuesday,“andhelpedustoes-tablish an aggressive founda-tion for the future.”

Cameron also said this wastheloweststressandleastimpact budget he or his staff have ever worked on.

“We’re putting more deputiesonthestreets,whichis what the people wanted,” said Raley. “Also, four more dispatchers over there at the emergency center so when our citizens call 911 they have experienced people over there to help them in need.”

Public Safety on the other hand, saw a reduction of over $1.2 million, including cuts of $70,000 for portable radios.

“That reduction was notdone by anybody but us,” said Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. (D- Leon-

ardtown) of the cuts for the radios. Mattingly blamed a negative balance in support services’ on the cuts.

On the non-profit private entity side of the budget, the board appropriated over $1.6 million to 37 organizations. The Boys and Girls Clubs’ of Southern Maryland was the big winner after the BOCC had originally appropriated no money towards its $180,000 request in the recommended budget, but changed its tune after dozens of support-ers showed up to the publichearing. The clubs received $125,000.

Walden Sierra, a non-profit organization special-izing in crisis services, coun-seling and substance abuse treatment was given $345,447, the same as its fiscal 2007

appropriation. Sotterley Foundation re-

ceived a $25,000 increase from the recommended bud-get amount of $50,000. In fact, the commissioners ap-propriated over $200,000 more to non-county agencies than it originally had set aside in its budget that went to pub-lic hearing.

The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) was also approved Tuesday with over $51 million planned for improvements and acquisitions of public facili-ties, highways, land conser-vation, recreations and parks’ services, public utilities and public schools.

Public schools’ alone cap-tured nearly $30 million of the fiscal 2008 CIP, with over $12 million going towards SMCPS 0606 Elementary School in

Wildewood, nearly $7 million to additions and renovations in Leonardtown Elementary School and $7 million for land acquisition.

“I believe this budget is sound,” said Raley. “I was hoping to cut the energy tax to extinction but we couldn’t doit,nobodyatthistablelikesthe solid waste fee, but yougot to act responsibly. It’s not a perfect budget, but its sound fiscally.”

Can government legis-latewhat isbest foryouandyour family? Are you better off when government decides how your money should bespent? Can government do a better job of raising children than parents can? How about thetypeofhouseyoushouldlive in, the cost of the home, the school your children arerequired to attend, the kind of car you must drive, even the kindsoffoodyoucanorcannoteat?

Over the past several years we have seen govern-mentatboththestateandlo-cal levels continuing to take away from us choices abouthow we should live our lives. Often we hardly pay attention untilwearetoldwecannotdothatanymore,orwesuddenly

have to pay an additional fee for something that use to be optional, now is required.

For instance, the State of Maryland now believes the decisions we have made about what cars we drive have not been in our best overall inter-est and are going to require in the future that you onlybe able to purchase certainautomobiles approved by the state. Thank goodness some-one is limiting our choices, of course you will pay a prettyhefty premium for this stateservice.

Just last year state gov-ernment passed a law thatforbids parents from allowing theirchildrentorideinanau-tomobile with a teenage driv-er. This puts to a stop parents deciding whether children

are responsible or not, gov-ernment has decided for us,all teenagers are apparently irresponsible.

What about Montgomery County recently banning the use of trans-fat in cooking oil,arewethatirresponsible?Does this mean if we eatfrench fries not cooked withtrans-fat can we enjoy moreHagen Daz ice cream? It only makes sense that government would follow through with legislation limiting our ice cream consumption to a fewscoops on Sunday’s.

It never seems to end, and the argument is not neces-sarily whether government is making good or bad decisions, it’s just that a free society must hold itself accountable, andpeoplemustbeempoweredto

make decisions that are bestfor themselves and their fami-lies. And almost always there is a financial component to these choices. And most of-ten when government makes thechoiceforyouitiscertainto cost you more.

Now the St. Mary’s Coun-ty Commissioners are consid-ering requiring fire protection sprinkler systems in all newhomes in St. Mary’s County. Most people in St. Mary’s can-notaffordthepriceofhomesnow, adding $5,000 here and $5,000 there only puts home ownership even further out of reach for most people. And don’t those who want home sprinkler systems have the choice to install them now?Why do we need big brother telling us if we must be rich

enough to afford the kind of home government wants us to have?

Why can’t government just provide incentives for peopletomakedecisionsthatgovernment believes would be in our best interest? For instance, instead of requiring residentialsprinklers,whynotoffer incentives for people to choose to have them installed themselves.

Thecommissionerscouldoffer to waive the fire tax for any residence that installedsprinklers. This would allow citizens to make their owndecisions yet make it moreaffordable and attractive for homeowners. Homeowners would still pay the emergency services tax, which also pro-vides a portion of the revenue

to local fire departments. Thiswould alsowork to

provide incentive for home-ownerstoinstallsprinklersinexisting homes. Why mandate newhomeswhenthemajorityof residents live in existing homeswithoutsprinklers?

While on the surface it may often seem as if onechoice is best for all and gov-ernment should make thatchoiceandforceusalltofol-low. But citizen choice and consumer choice are almostalways better than govern-mentchoice;ourfreesocietywill only survive when we ac-cept that fact.

Bigbrotherknowswhatisbestforyou?

Thursday, May 31, 2007 The County Times Section A - �

Terri Bartz Bowles

Southern Maryland has many musical and choral groups, ranging from barber-

shop to chamber music but one genre is noticeably absent. Currently, there is no commu-nity gospel choir but Trinity Lutheran Church is aiming

to change that soon. Under the direction of Robert L. Jef-ferson, Trinity will sponsor a Southern Maryland Com-munity Gospel Choir (SMC-

GC) that will meet regularly to “make a joyful noise and praise the Lord.” This will not be the first community gospel choir that Mr. Jefferson has

initiated and he is excited to get the music flowing. He is currently the Music Director at Trinity and has an impres-sive musical background. He has played for and directed both church and community choirs for children and adults as well as cross-cultural musi-cal groups. Mr. Jefferson has also had what he describes as “the great experience of directing the Billy Graham community choir” and cites one of his most memorable experiences as the training of an all-Japanese choir to sing Gospel Music. Japanese Gos-pel Choirs are now all over Japan. Mr. Jefferson holds a Master of Music degree and is currently a Doctoral student at the University of Maryland as well as a vocalist and pianist with the Soldier’s Chorus of the United States Army Field Band in Washington, DC.

The Reverend Stephen Updegrave, pastor of Trinity, was excited when Mr. Jeffer-son approached him with the idea. Both men agree that music is a universal language and Rev. Updegrave sees this as an outreach to the commu-nity. Mr. Jefferson’s vision is for the choir to primarily sing Gospel Music. However, he

also envisions it singing clas-sical, sacred, spirituals, and a vast selection of genres which will appeal to the community at large and most importantly, bring a community of people together to lift their voices and hearts in one accord. Gospel music is an American musi-cal art form and is a means of spreading the Gospel to oth-ers. The Gospel means “Good News” and Gospel music is proclaimed through a most powerful medium, by the joy-ful and heartfelt convictions of the soul which express in-ner thankfulness to our Great Creator.

There will be no formal auditions and practices will be held every Monday at 7:00 PM at Trinity Lutheran Church which is located at 46707 Shangri-La Drive in Lexing-ton Park, just down the street from the library. The choir is open to everyone in the com-munity who would love to sing and fellowship together. Those who are interested can call Trinity Lutheran Church at 301-863-9512 for more in-formation or can contact Mr. Jefferson at 202-297-8134

Photo by Adam Ross

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Last year Shelley Baldauff and her husband Robert start-ed a Christian-themed night-club for teens because they could not find activities for young people that they felt comfortable sending their own children to.

The night time spot, called The 7:30 Club, has drawn Chris-tian music bands from around the region and even those with a na-tional following.

And the young peo-ple who show up don’t have to pay a dime.

Baldauff and her husband have paid for everything, including the soundstage equip-ment, hall rental and free pizza available to the teens when they come every other Satur-day of the month.

“We’d like to offer something every Sat-urday,” Baldauff said. “We’ve had as many as 204 teens here on one night, but we average about 50 or so and we’d like to see that grow, too.”

The Baldauffs have incurred a considerable expense, about $20,000 in their first year of op-eration alone, and have taken a second mort-gage out on their home to finance it all.

“We’ve maxed out our home equity,” Shelley Baldauff said.

It’s a big risk and expense, especially when you’re trying to run a home with four chil-dren, but Baldauff said it is worth effort to provide a posi-tive place for teens where they can be free from the influenc-es of drugs, alcohol and risky sexual activity.

“We just thought God would provide, we felt like we were being led by God to do

this,” Baldauff said.The 7:30 club currently

uses a building owned by the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church on Old Vil-lage Road and has some sup-port from the church itself in the form of providing the free

pizza.“It’s a big blessing,”

Baldauff said. “But it’s not a Catholic program, it’s open to everyone.”

The club is non-denomi-national, she said, and even non-Christian teens aged 14 and older are welcome to at-tend the performances.

The bands Baldauff and her husband bring in, like na-tionally known Apologetix, and more locally known bands like Under Command, are all

Christ-centered and represent a broad cross section of mu-sical genres from hard rock, soft rock and rap to hip-hop Baldauff said.

Occasionally, parents stick around to see what their children are there to enjoy.

“Some of the parents jump right in with the kids and have fun, but others just enjoy hav-ing the evening off from their kids,” Baldauff said.

Parents who have had experience with the 7:30 club praise its mission of providing an alternative to nightlife for teens in the county.

“There are so few places parents feel comfortable al-lowing their kids to go, and they’re happy to have this al-ternative available,” said Rob-

ert Blizek, whose son attends concerts there. “You can’t say that about a nightclub.”

Blizek said the atmo-sphere appeals to teens of all kinds and not just to those with religious convictions.

“If you’re religious you’ll fit right in, and if not, you can still enjoy the music and a pos-itive message,” Blizek said.

For his son Ryan Blizek the 7:30 club was about the only place he could go for

positive entertainment in the northern end of the county.

“I enjoy the music and the fellowship and the fact that it’s close by,” Ryan Blizek, 16, said. “There’s a lot to do in this county, but it’s down in the southern area [Great Mills and Lexington Park] and this gives us variety here.

“And I enjoy the free pizza. Plus you’re not afraid anything [bad] is going to happen.”

Alcohol and drugs are strictly forbidden at the 7:30 club, as are tobacco products and foul language.

So far, Baldauff said, there have been no viola-tions of these rules and the

atmosphere at the club has re-mained positive.

“They’re such a good group of kids,” Baldauff said.

Right now Baldauff is still looking for support to keep the club open. So far she and her husband have been able to get grants from The United Way and the health care company Pfizer to keep things running, but it’s only a fraction of what they’ve already spent on their own. She has toyed with the idea of charging admission, but that probably is not going happen anytime soon.

“Parents told me we were crazy not to,” Baldauff said. “But I’m afraid we’ll exclude somebody if we do that.”

Mechanicsville Club Offers Drug and Alcohol Free Fun for Teens

Ramblings of a Country Girl

Community Gospel Choir


Photo Courtesy of The 7:30 Club

Shelley Baldauff stands under the sign for her Christian-themed teen nightclub The 7:30 Club. Baldauff and her husband support the club entirely out of their own funds and provide free musical performances for area teens from Christian bands.

Ashes Remain, a Christian rock band, performs for local teens at The 7:30 Club in Mechanicsville, located at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.


ObituariesJeanCeceliaMillsBush,

82

JeanCeceliaMillsBush,82, of Hurry, Md. died May21,2007inLeonardtown,Md.BornJan.20,1925inHurry,Md.,shewasthedaughterofthe lateWilliamH.andMil-dredE.YoungMills.

She was the loving wifeof Robert B. Bush, Sr. whoprecededherindeathonOct.4, 1985. She is survived byherchildren:CharlesL.BushandAliceK.Briscoe,bothofClements, Md., Thomas D.Bush of Leonardtown, Md.andBrendaM.BarnesofHol-lywood, Md.; siblings, MarySettlersofWashington,D.C.,GenevieveCarterofMechan-icsville,Md.,LillianFenwickof Chaptico, Md., Kather-ine Kerrick of Clinton, Md.,Helen Shade of Mechanics-ville, Md., Ann Bowman ofClements, Md. and JuanitaChase of Hollywood, Md..Shewasprecededindeathbyher children; Robert “Bob-by” B. Bush, Jr., Bedelia A.Bush- Goldring, Michael W.Bush and Anthony S. Bush,siblings; Arthur Mills, Wil-liamMills,Jr.,AloysiusMills,Gantt Mills, Leonard Mills,Victor Mills and BerniceBaker.JeanwasalifelongSt.Mary’sCountyresidentwhereshegraduatedfromBannekerHighSchool.

The family receivedfriends onSaturday,May26from8:30 – 9:30 a.m. in theMattingley-Gardiner FuneralHome, Leonardtown, Md.A Mass of Christian Burialwill be celebrated on Satur-day,May26at10a.m.inOurLadyoftheWaysideChurch,Chaptico,Md.withFr.Timo-thy Baer officiating. Interment followedinSacredHeartCem-etery, Bushwood, Md.. Pall-bearerswere:KevinJameson,Terry Bowman, TimothyPrice,ThomasShade,FrancisMillsandDarrylClark.Hon-oraryPallbearerswereRobertL.Bush,BrianD.Bush,Rod-neyX.Thompson,Jr.,MarcusM. Bush, Wesley D. Bushand Alexis R. Bowman. Ar-rangements provided by theMattingley-Gardiner FuneralHome,P.A.

BerniceLaneBarrar,78

BerniceLaneBarrar,78,of Willow Grove, Pa. diedMay 22, 2007 at her daugh-ter’sresidenceinGreatMills,Md.

BornDecember31,1928inPennsylvania, shewas thedaughter of the late SamuelLaneandBeatriceStartLane.Mrs. Barrar had worked asa secretary for an electricalcontractor.

She is survived by herdaughter, Julie Switzer ofGreatMills,MDandasister,Beatrice Curtin of Fairfield, Ca.

Allservicesareprivate.

BrendaJoyceGarber,�0

BrendaJoyceGarber,60,of Great Mills, Md. died onMay7,2007inGeorgeWash-ington University Hospital,Washington,D.C.

Born April 25, 1947 inReading, Pa., she was thedaughter of the late WilliamDundore and Helen HarterDundore.

She is survived by herhusband,DavidLeroyGarber,her daughter, Janet Cooper,bothofGreatMills,Md.,sis-ters,AnitaMehleofFlorida,DarleneEdwardsandMelissaHeffleberger, both of Read-ing, Pa., brother, Douglas

Dundore of Vienna, Austriaandtwograndchildren.

AMemorialServicewasconducted on Tuesday, May15at6p.m. inLeonardtownBaptistChurch,Leonardtown,Md. Interment was private.

Memorial contributionsmay be made to AmericanCancer Society, St. Mary’sCounty, Unit 350, P.O. Box1032, Lexington Park, Md.20653.

Arrangements by theBrinsfield Funeral Home, P.A.,22955HollywoodRoad,Leonardtown,Md.20650.

RichardGrauHorne,II,41

Richard Grau Horne, II, 41 of Clements, Md., diedMay11,2007intheWashing-tonHospitalCenter,Washing-ton,D.C.

Born April 30, 1966 inCamp Springs, Md., he wasthesonofCol.RichardGrauHorne (Ret.USAF)ofReno,NV and Ida Rosemary Horne ofChaptico,Md.

HewasalifelongHVACmechanic.He loved theDal-las Cowboys, the BaltimoreRavensandhisvegetablegar-den.Hewasextremelyproudofhissonwhorecentlyjoinedthe U.S. Army and his twodaughters.

In addition to his parents, heissurvivedbyason,Rich-ard Grau Horne, III, of Clem-ents,Md.,twodaughters,Jes-sicaDawnHorneofClements,Md.andAbigailMaryHorneofDundalk,Md.,twosisters,Kristen Rosemary Kulp andherhusband,JohnofFt.Wash-ington,Md.andHollyHillaryKulp and her husband, Mat-thewofChaptico,Md.,uncle,JamesHorne,onegrandchild,ConnerHorneandfourniecesandnephews.

Hewasprecededindeathby a brother, William Emer-son Horne, maternal grand-mother,ElsieL.Hugheyandhis paternal grandparents,Ivan and Christine Horne.

A Memorial Mass wascelebratedonThursday,May24 at 10 a.m. in St. Joseph’sCatholic Church, Morganza,Md. Reverend Keith Woodswill be the celebrant. Inter-mentwillbeprivate.

Serving as pallbearerswere Richard Grau Horne III, Matthew J. Kulp, Sr., Mat-thew J. Kulp II, John W. Kulp, HarryWhite, andAlexanderZion.

Memorial contributionsmay be made to AmericanSepsis Alliance, 1865 SalemCourt, Dunedin, Fla. 34698ortheSurvivingSepsisCam-paign,attn:LoriA.Harmon,RRT,MBA,SocietyofCriti-cal Care Medicine, ProgramManager Paragon CriticalCare,StaffPartnerSurvivingSepsis Campaign, 701 LeeStreet,Suite200,DesPlaines,Ill. 60016.

Arrangements by theBrinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. inLeonardtown,Md.

MaryAnnLyon,7�

Mary Ann Lyon, 76, ofClements,Md.diedMay22,2007 at Georgetown Univer-sityHospital.BornApril 30,1931 in Dentsville, Md., shewas the daughter of the lateJames Carroll and DorseyBelle Ward Rollins. For ar-rangementdetailspleasevisitourwebsiteatwww.matting-leygardiner.com.Afullobitu-arywillappearatalaterdate.

JohnAlfordMaddox,Sr.,82

JohnAlfordMaddox,Sr.,

82,ofLaPlata,Md.diedMay19,2007inSt.Mary’sHospi-tal,Leonardtown,Md..

Born Oct. 30, 1924 inLaPlata,Md.,hewasthesonof the late Thomas WrightMaddox and Hagar R. (Ad-ams)Maddox.

Heissurvivedbyhistwochildren, John Alford Mad-dox, Jr. of Berlin, Md., andSherynE.HughesofGrape-vine,Tex.

AGravesideservicewillbe conducted on Tuesday,

June5at2p.m.inMarylandVeterans Cemetery, Chelten-ham,Md.

Memorial contributionsmay be made to AmericanLegion Post #82, P.O. Box441,LaPlata,Md.20646.


HenryF.“Whitey”Mo-drzakowski,�4

Henry F. “Whitey” Mo-drzakowski, 64, of Avenue,Md.,diedMay22,2007athisresidence.

Born Oct. 14, 1942 inNanticoke, Pa., he was thesonofthelateHenryAnthonyModrzakowskiandStephanieV. Standora Modrzakowski.Whiteyservedhiscountryinthe U.S. Navy from 1961 to1965.HeworkedasalinemanforSMECOfor39years.Hishobbies were fishing, swim-ming, flying, boxing, mu-sic (musician), pigeons andteaching.

He is survived by twodaughters,HeidiM.Matting-ly of Leonardtown, MD andHeather L. Norris of UpperMarlboro,Md.

The family receivedfriends onSaturday,May26from10a.m.until11a.m.inthe Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. inLeonardtown,Md.AMemorial Service was con-ductedat11a.m.inthefuner-al home chapel. Father JohnMattingly will conduct theservice.

Interment was private.Memorial contributions

may be made to HOSPICE of St. Mary’s, Inc., P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, Md. 20650 orthe American Cancer Soci-ety,P.O.Box1032,LexingtonPark,Md.20653.

MaryElizabethRustin,93

Mary Elizabeth Rustin,93, of Mechanicsville, Md.died May 17, 2007 at herresidence. Born Sep. 5, 1913inOraville,Md. shewas thedaughterofthelateTheodoreTobias and Hattie LaVonaThomas.Forarrangementde-tails please visit our websiteat www.mattingleygardiner.com.Afullobituarywillap-pearatalaterdate.

JuanitaV.Sherman

BorninDallas,Tex.,Jan.27, 1922, Juanita V. “Nita”ShermandiedMay17,2007atherhomeinHollywood,Md.

Nitamoved toMarylandin2002fromherhomeof52years in Van Nuys, Ca. Herdevoted and loving husbandof 53 years, Robert C. Sher-man,andson-in-law,ReubenC.Mack, Jr. precededher indeath.NitaissurvivedbyherdaughterDarleneY.Mack,ofHollywood, Md. and singer/actorson,RobertC.“Bobby”Sherman, Jr., of Encino, Ca.(In the late 60s and early 70s, Bobby starred in the televi-sion series, “Here Come theBrides.”)

She also leaves behind

brothers-in-law, Herb andBillShermanofOroville,Ca.,andaverydevoted“adopted”daughter,MaryEllenShunk,as well as her faithful felinecompanion, “Pixie.” Nita isalso survived by six grand-children; Debra Mack Huff-man of Leonardtown, Md.,Michael W. Mack of Lusby,Md., Mary-Ann Bruton andherhusband,David,ofGreatMills, Md., Robert C. MackofLeonardtown,Md.,Chris-topher N. Sherman of LosAngeles, Ca. and Tyler C.Sherman and his wife Amyof Post Falls, ID as well as 10 great-grandchildren andthree great-great grandchil-dren. A Memorial Servicecelebrating her life will beheldSunday,June3at2p.m.inSt.John’sCatholicChurch,Hollywood, Md. officiated by Rev. Raymond F. Schmidt.The family will be greetingfriends at a reception imme-diately following the serviceat Monsignor Harris Hall.Contributions may be madeto Make-A-Wish FoundationofAmerica,3550NorthCen-tralAvenue,Ste.300,Phoenix,Ariz. 85012-2127 and/or St.John’sCatholicChurch,43927St. John’s Road, P.O. Box69, Hollywood, Md. 20636.Arrangements provided byMattingley-Gardiner FuneralHome,P.A.

ShirleyAnnStamnos,81

ShirleyAnnStamnos,81,ofLexingtonPark,Md. diedMay16,2007inWashingtonHospitalCenter,Washington,D.C.

BornOct.25,1925inAris-pie, Ill, she was the daughter ofthelateLesterMacDonaldandMildredMargaretSmith.Sheworkedasasupplytechni-cianfortheU.S.Government.

She is survived by herhusband, Paul C. Stamnos,four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. In ad-dition to her parents, she isprecededindeathbyherson,EugeneCharlesStamnos.

The family receivedfriends on Monday, May 21from 5-8 p.m. in the Brinsfield FuneralHomeChapel,Leon-ardtown, Md. Prayers wererecited at 7 p.m. A FuneralServicewasconductedTues-day,May22at10a.m.inSt.George’s Episcopal Church,Valley Lee, Md. ReverendPaulaRobinsonconductedtheservice. Interment followed in thechurchcemetery.

Memorial contributionsmay be made to LexingtonParkVolunteerRescueSquad,P.O.Box339,LexingtonPark,Md.20653-0339.


GeraldineElizabethStokel“NeeLong”,54

Geraldine ElizabethStokel “Nee Long”, 54, for-merly of Leonardtown, Md.diedMay18,2007inBaysideCareCenter,LexingtonPark,Md.

Born May 28, 1952 inWashington,D.C.,shewasthedaughter of the late Thomas“Lester”Long,Sr.andMary“Joan”Long.

Gerri graduated fromChopticon High School inthe class of 1970. She wasthe resident manager of theGreenwell apartments inLeonardtown, Md. for manyyears. Gerriwasveryactivein the abled/disabled club inLeonardtown, Md. and theDisability Awareness Week,wheresheandotherdisabledpeople educated middle andhigh school students aboutdifferenttypesofdisabilities,through theBoardofEduca-tion. She also attended theRippleCenter inHollywood,Md.

She is survived by hersiblings, Ellen M. Long ofMechanicsville,Md.,ThomasL.Longandhiswife,RubyofChesterfield, Va., Sandra A. Eversberg and her husband,Michael of Hollywood, Md.,Patricia Lewis and her hus-band, Richard of Richmond,Va., nieces, Joan West, Jen-niferLong,bothofVirginia,and Jessica Eversberg ofHollywood, Md., nephews,Thomas L. Long III of Ches-terfield, Va., Michael F. Evers-

berg II. William C. Eversberg, and Joseph “Marty” Evers-berg, all ofHollywood,Md.,great-nieces, Rachel West,Zoe Long, and Sophia LongallofVirginia,great-nephew,JamesLongofVirginia.

In addition to her parents, Gerriisprecededindeathbyherbrother,MichaelJ.Long.

Thefamilywishestogivea special thank you to EssieMason who was Gerri’s inhomehealthcareproviderforherdevotedloveandcareforoursister.

A Memorial Mass wascelebrated on Tuesday, May22at10a.m.inSt.JohnFran-cis Regis Catholic Church,Hollywood,Md.FatherRay-mond Schmidt was the cel-ebrant. Inurnment will follow inCharlesMemorialGardens,Leonardtown,Md.

Memorial contributionsmay be made to HollywoodVolunteer Rescue Squad,P.O.Box79,Hollywood,Md.20636 or HOSPICE of St. Mary’s, Inc., P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown,Md.,20650.

Arrangements by theBrinsfield Funeral Home, P.A.,22955HollywoodRoad,Leonardtown,Md.20650.

BettyJuneThomas,78

Betty June Thomas, 78,of Leonardtown, Md. diedMarch 21, 2007 in BaysideCare Center. Born Nov. 4,1928inWashington,D.C.shewas the daughter of the lateJohnEdwardandEdnaHattieTalbertThomas.Forarrange-ment details please visit ourwebsite at www.mattingley-gardiner.com.Afullobituarywillappearatalaterdate.

WilliamBruceWright,�9

WilliamBruceWright,69,ofGreatMills,Md.diedMay23,2007athisresidence.

Born Aug. 22, 1937 inDuQuion, Ill., he was the son ofthelateWilliamWrightandLucille(Coffel)Wright.

He is survived by hiswife, Helen Elaine (Short)Wright,fourdaughters,Cyn-thiaWright,DeborahWelsh,RebeccaWarren,allofGreatMills,Md.,andSharonMor-ris of California, Md., sister,Wilma Troutman of DuQui-on, Ill., nine grandchildren, andonegreat-granddaughter.

The family will receivefriendsonThursday,May31from5- 8 p.m. in theBrins-field Funeral Home Chapel, Leonardtown,Md.AFuneralService will be conductedon Friday, June 1 at 12 p.m.in Lexington Park BaptistChurch,LexingtonPark,Md.PastorGarrettwillconducttheservice. Interment will follow at3:00p.m.inMarylandVet-eransCemetery,Cheltenham,Md.

Serving as pallbearerswillbehisgrandsons,EdwardCurly,JarredWelsh,WilliamWarren, Jordan Welsh, Wes-leyMorris,andKyleMorris.

Memorial contributionsmay be made to HOSPICE House c/o HOSPICE of St. Mary’s, Inc., P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown,Md.20650.

Condolences to the fam-ilymaybeleftatwww.brins-fieldfuneral.com.

JamesEdwardYoung,�7

James Edward Young,67, of Lexington Park, Md.diedMay16,2007athisresi-dence.BornAug.27,1939inLeonardtown, Md., he wasson of Joseph Oscar Holleyof Lexington Park, Md., andthe lateMaryElizabethCur-tisYoung.Hewasthelovinghusband of the late BlancheAdamsYoungwhomhemar-

riedinLeonardtown,Md.onApril15,1971.

Heissurvivedbyhischil-dren;JamesD.Butler,JamesJ. Young, Mary E. Young,Michael J. Young, Annie D.Young, Jermaine Young andAgnesM.Young,allofLex-ington Park, Md., siblings;MaryFluellenandCatherineFenwick, both of LexingtonPark, Md., Margie Buie ofSanford, NC, Agnes BrooksandAnnMoore,bothofSanDiego,Ca.,GeorgeCurtis,Jr.and Linda Green, both of ofPhoenix, Ariz., Joseph Cur-tis of Forestville, Md. andThomasCurtisofLusby,Md.and11grandchildren.Hewasprecededindeathbyhisstep-fatherGeorgeCurtis,Sr.

A lifelong residentofSt.Mary’sCounty, Jameswasagraduate of Banneker HighSchool and was employedwith St. Mary’s County as alaborer. He enjoyed singingandplayingtheguitar.

The family receivedfriendsonWednesday,May23from9-10a.m.intheMatting-ley-Gardiner Funeral Home,Leonardtown, Md., where afuneralservicewasheldwithRev. Rudy Brooks officiating. Interment followed in Charles MemorialGardens,Leonard-town,Md.PallbearerswillbeJohnMaddox,GeorgeBiscoe,Ben Hebb, Danny Young,James Evans and JamesBarry. Honorary pallbearerswill be Javonte Bonds, Da-vid Bonds and Bunny Bean.Arrangements provided byMattingley-Gardiner FuneralHome,P.A.

Thursday, May 31, 2007 The County Times Section A - 7

Mr. & Mrs. Delbert Ebeling celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on April 11, 2007. They currently reside in Sandgates, MD formerly of Carroll County MD. Mr. & Mrs. Ebeling have 4 children; JoAnne, Joyce, Jean and James: 13 grandchildren Steve, Dennis, Jim, Toni, Raymond, Dusty, Jim, Kelly, Kim, Andrew, Danny, Barry and Jim; 16 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild. The Ebeling’s celebrated their anniversary with family and friends on April 14th at the residence of Mr. & Mrs. Vargo.

Ebeling Celebrate 65th Wedding Anniversary

Photo Courtesy of Rob and Toni Vargo

Celebrations

possibility of a hurricane af-fecting St. Mary’s County, preparing in advance for the unexpected is a smart move which can make a big differ-ence in your ability to respond and recover,” Director of Pub-lic Safety David Zylak said.

While hurricanes in Maryland are unusual, accord-ing to the Maryland Emer-gency Management Agencies preparedness website, the state in the past has sustained extensive damage and fatali-ties from the less destructive tropical storms that follow in the hurricane’s wake.

Zylak urges residents to develop a family disaster plan, stay aware and updated and have money, gasoline, food and water stocked and easily assessable.

As for the county, it too, according to Zylak, is learn-ing all it can to properly warn and update residents of devel-oping weather systems.

“The biggest lesson we’ve learned is that we need to better communicate, and use other avenues to get mes-sages out to the public,” Zylak said. “I think we are heading

in that direction with the code red system, emergency notifi-cation sign up system through the county website and the memorandum of understand-ing with the radio station 98 Star.”

Ninety-Eight Star, an FM radio station, is working dili-gently with county govern-ment to purchase and imple-ment emergency generators so it can broadcast through an electrical power outage.

“The owner of the sta-tion assured us that they are working towards getting [generators] in place,” added Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. “I talked to him directly some time ago and he assured some relief for us there.”

The Board of County Commissioners sought other forms of emergency broad-casting in previous months, including the testing of AM transmitters that would broadcast tourism updates and emergency messages in time of need. However, dur-ing tests, the transmitters did not adequately cover some parts of the county, specifi-

cally the coastlines, which are the hardest hit during storms.

Still, Mattingly and Zylak said they are comfortable with the resources and procedures currently in place.

“A lot of systems are set in place to provide notifica-tion,” said Mattingly. “I think we can achieve what we need to achieve.”

Of those systems, in-cludes reverse 911 dialing sys-tem, a code red system, which is also telephone reliant and can target specific areas or the whole county depending on the breadth of the situation.

On April 26, public safety hosted a hurricane drill work-shop with representatives from multiple agencies across the county. A practice scenar-io was played out and discus-sion followed.

When evacuating, resi-dents were urged to evacuate to the home of either friends or family in a safe area within the county. If that is not an option, then a motel or an area shelter is recommended.

Agnes in 1972, Floyd in 1999 and Isabel in 2003 are some of the hurricanes-turned-tropical-storms that have caused extensive damage in Maryland’s recent history.

Hurricane SeasonContinued from page A-�

Students went through courses not only in fire fight-ing and emergency medical techniques, but in managing fire grounds, operating fire and rescue apparatus prop-erly, extracting victims form vehicles, how fire behaves in certain structures and re-sponding to terrorism.

In all they had 476 hours of training crammed into one school year, and this took three hours every morning starting at 7:15.

And following their train-ing, they went on to have nor-mal school days.

“That’s dedication,’ Wible said of his students.

Wible was impressed with the class and how well they mastered the skills for their chosen craft.

“It was a good class,” Wible said. “I really enjoyed the students this year.”

As a trainer and member of the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department for the past 43 years, Wible has also come to know the parents of his most recent batch of trainees when they wanted to volun-teer to fight fires.

“I know most of their par-ents… it’s a wonderful feeling

it really is,” Wible said.The fire/EMS technical

academy system has been used for the past two years in Calvert County and for 11 years in Charles County, Wible said, and the program’s inception in St. Mary’s will help to spark interest in vol-unteer fire fighting among the next generation.

“This is a recruitment tool also,” Wible said. “We are hurting in the daytime for both rescue squad and volun-teer fire personnel; it’s tough to get your training when you have to work eight hours a day as an adult.”

David Facini, another vol-unteer at the Hollywood fire station and graduate of the course, said he will remember training with his classmates with fondness, through the tough times and good times.

“It was a blast,” Facini said of the training. “The EMT part was pretty tough because there was a lot of test taking and book work.” But Facini said the advanced fire fighting training was the most fun, mainly because he and his classmates had to act as a team on a real burning training building on training

grounds in La Plata.“It was us doing what

we had to do rather than the instructors telling us what to do,’ Facini said. “We had a couple of people get burned but nothing major.”

Spalding said he and his classmates developed a strong camaraderie from their time together.

“It was like a family; we joked and carried on but then you were serious when you needed to be,” Spalding said. “You always had someone to help you if you were strug-gling with a tough subject.”

Their second instruc-tor, Charlie Wills of Potomac Heights in Charles County, said teaching the class was an uplifting experience.

“To be honest I had mini-mal expectations,” Wills said of the young men and women he taught. “But those eight young people renewed my faith in the next generation.”

Wills, who has been a Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute instructor since 1968 said the students earned their place as fire fighters and res-cue personnel.

“I’ve got the greatest of respect for them,” Wills said. “They’re part of the future hope of St. Mary’s County volunteer fire and EMS.”

Firefighter Grads.Continued from page A-�

Did you know that cats are the most popular pet in America? It’s true! And if you’re thinking of adding a feline to your family, join the Tri-County Animal Shelter as we celebrate June as na-tional Adopt-a-Cat Month. In celebration of this event, our adoption fee for cats and kit-tens adopted in June has been reduced to $45.00. While the fee is reduced, the services included with that fee stay the same. Your new cat or kitten will receive a physical exam, a microchip, age-appropriate tests and shots, and will be spayed or neutered. Kittens are wormed for round worms. As an added bonus, anyone adopting a cat from the Tri-

County Animal Shelter dur-ing the month of June is eligi-ble to enter our drawing for a free basket of cat supplies and gifts. Just our way of saying thanks!

Late spring and early summer are some of the busi-est times for animal shelters, as it’s puppy and kitten sea-son, and we are no exception. We have many wonderful cats and kittens looking for homes. Adopting a cat saves a life and provides the affection of a lov-ing companion. Despite pop-ular belief, cats are incredibly loving companions, and enjoy interacting with their owners in many of the same ways as a dog. Many cats even love a game of fetch with their fa-

vorite toy!Cats are easy to please:

simply provide them with a litter box that is cleaned daily, plenty of toys, a scratching post, healthy food and clean water, and daily attention and love from you. What more could a kitty ask for? (Well, maybe another kitty playmate if they’re left alone during the day!)

If you’d like to open your home and your heart to a kitty companion, come visit the Tri-County Animal Shelter. Our knowledgeable and dedi-cated staff will help you find your perfect pet. We may just have your next best friend!

JUNE IS ADOPT-A-CAT MONTH

Animal Relief Fund301-866-0305

www.animalrelieffund.org

Summer Adoption Special!!! All cats and kit-tens, two for one. Each and every cat/kitten has been tested negative for Felv-Fiv, neutered and vaccinated. Come and pick a pair today!

Adoption Hours:Every Saturday 11:00 - 3:00 at the Well Pet Clinic in Lexington Park, MD

It s Cat-A-Strophic’


OakvilleElementarySchool.In 1980 he returned to

Greenview Knolls Elemen-taryasprincipal,thistimetostay.

“It’s been a long time, itreallyhas,”Hazudasaidofhiscareer.“Butitwasapleasur-ableexperience;beingaprin-cipal there’s something neweveryday.

“Whenyouwalkthroughthatdooryoudon’tknowwhattoexpect.”

Perhaps the biggestchange Hazuda said he hasseen is the way teachers in-struct children; when he be-ganhisjourney,teachershadmore of a free hand in theclassroom, while now theirdaysaremoreregimented.

Theteachersalsohavetomeetthedemandsofanever-changing world and teachmoreadvancedtechnologyto

youngerstudents.“Teachershadmoreabil-

itytochooseonhowtodoandwhat to teach,” Hazuda saidof education in yesteryear.“Right now it’s more abouttechnology and the teachingisdatadriven.”

Childreninpublicschoolmust now take standardizedknowledge assessments andhavetopassabatteryoftheminhighschooltoearnastatediploma.Thesetypesoftests,inpart,weremandatedbytheNoChildLeftBehindActof2001 that mandated all chil-dren nationwide reach 100percent proficiency in math andreadingby2014.

Hazuda said a signifi-cantportionofhis timegoestomaintainingpacewith thestate’s voluntary curriculumthat standardizes classroomlearning in the grade levelsandthroughoutallschoolsap-propriatetothatgradelevel.

Hisbiggestchallenge,hesaid, was ensuring that in-structionwentalongsmoothly

andonschedule.“The biggest challenge

is keeping up with the cur-riculumandstayingontopofthings that teachers need tobe successful,” Hazuda said.“Teachers have to know thecurriculum, know the chil-dren’s needs and be able tocaptureallofthat.”

Inthe2002to2003schoolyear Greenview Knolls El-ementary School was placedonthestate’sneedsimprove-ment listbecause students inthe free-and-reduced-mealsubgroup did not make ad-equateyearlyprogressgoals.

The teachers and staffunderHazuda’sleadershipsetabout to improve test scoresandinthenexttwoyearsmettheir performance goals andweretakenoffthelist.

Itwasoneof thestudentbody’sproudestachievementswhilehe’sbeenthere,Hazudaremembered.

The children havechangedinseveralwaysfromwhen he first started as well,

hesaid.“Kids are kids,” Hazuda

said. “But they have moreknowledge at a younger agenow when they come to usandweexpectmoreofthem.Some of them know moreaboutcomputersthanIdo.”

Karol Wolgemuth, ateacher who has worked atGreenview Knolls with Ha-zuda for 27 years said thathewasastrong instructionalleaderandnotjustabuildingmanager.

“Heknowshowtoteach,”Wolgemuth said. “Under-neaththeprincipalhe’sstillateacher.

“He knows the curricu-lum inside andout…andhecanoffersuggestionstoteach-ersonhowtomakeitbetter.”

Wolgemuth also creditedHazuda’s subdued manage-mentstyleandtightfocusondetails that made workingtheresoattractive.

“He knows the children,the parents and the grand-parents; he’s so connected to

thiscommunity,”Wolgemuthsaid. “Hehires teacherswhofit in and he’s phenomenal at managing money— if it’ssomething we need we’ll find awaytogetit.”

His replacement, As-sistant Principal ElizabethServello, who has only beenat the school for five years, was a little conflicted about Hazuda’sretirement.

“It’s bittersweet, he’sbeen a great mentor andfriend,”Servellosaid,addingthat Hazuda’s leadership hadhelpedmaintainapositiveat-mosphereattheschool.“It’sawonderfulplacetobe.Every-oneistotallycommittedtothestudents.”

DeboraMacConnell,PTApresident, said the parentswouldlikewisemissHazuda’ssupportandcaringattitude.

“He’s very supportive,very open and very easy toworkwith,”MacConnellsaid.“He’s open to suggestions,he’snotstuckinamode.We’llfeelhisabsenceforsure.”

Hazuda,whosewifeSal-ly and daughter Stacey areboth educators in the schoolsystem,islookingforwardtospendingtimewithhisfamilyafterretirementandtravelingwithhiswife.

He said he would alsoworkasabusdriverforchil-drengettingintensivemedicalcareatShriner’sHospitals inPhiladelphia,Penn.

Hazuda isa32nddegreeMason.

Looking back on his ca-reer Hazuda remembers allof theconnectionshe’smadewithpeople as a teacher andprincipalandhas the fondestmemoriesfromworkingwithstaff,studentsandparents.

“Whenever I goout to arestaurantorsomeotherplace,someonewillstepmeandaskme if I’m Mr. Hazuda theprincipal…andthey’lltellmewhat they’re doing and howsuccessfulthey’vebeen,”Ha-zudasaid.“I’llalwayscherishandvaluethat.”

Route 5St. Mary’s City, MD

301-863-7700Monday-Saturday 9-5

Sunday 10-4

Mervell Dean RoadHollywood, MD

301-373-2573Monday-Friday 8-7 • Saturday 8-5

Sunday 10-4

Healthy Lawn-Tips from our experts

Want to keep your lawn healthy all summer long? Proper watering is the Key. Not only will proper watering keep

your lawn green, it will help reduce the number of broad-leaf weeds. A healthy lawn doesn’t allow room for weeds to grow. Infrequent and deep watering is preferred over

frequent and shallow watering because the roots will only grow as deeply as their available water supply. The “rule

of thumb” is one inch of water per week. Inspect the lawn frequently to detect water requirements and avoid over and under watering. Use a timer or a rain gauge to pro-vide consistency and prevent water waste. Water as early as possible in the morning to take advantage of reduced evaporation and the start of the grass’s normal growing

cycle.Bill Gough

-Landscape Designer and Certified Horticulturist

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ByAdamRossStaffWriter

High School Studentshopingtotakeupextracurric-ular activities next year willhave to work a littler harderin school to meet the newacademic standards set forthbySt.Mary’sCountyPublicSchools.

Toremaineligibleforin-terscholastic athletics, clubsor student government, stu-dentsingrades9-12willhavetomaintainaminimumgradepointaverageof2.0attheendof each nine-week markingperiod, according toDr.An-drewC.Roper,supervisorofinstruction for Physical Edu-cation,Health,andAthletics.

S t u d e n t switha1.7 to1.99GPA in previoussemesters wereeligible to attendweeklystudyhallsessions in orderto maintain theirextracur r icular

eligibility.“Emphasis being on try-

ing to keep those gradesup with a study hall everyweek,”Roperadded.Itisnotclearwhether studyhall ses-sionswillstillbeprovidedforstruggling athletes and clubmembers.

Roper said the change

AcademicRequirementsBeefedUpforAfterSchoolActivities

40-YearsContinued from page A-�

wasnotbecauseofagrowingstudent population with aca-demicproblems,andcharac-terizedthenumberofstudentsstrugglingacademicallywhileparticipating in after schoolactivities as “single digits ateachschool.”

Superintendent MichaelJ. Martirano made the final decision,withnoactiontakenby the school board, accord-ingtoRoper.

“Thechangeistothereg-ulation,theboardhaspoliciesand regulations,”Roper said.“TheBoardofEducationdoesnot officially approve changes totheregulations,thatisdonebystaff.”

Semester GPA will not

beadeterminantintheappli-cationof theeligibilitycode,nor will summer school, ac-cordingtotheneweligibilityrequirements.Thenewruleswill become effective in theFall of 2007, and accordingto Roper have been properlyimplemented, explained andcommunicated to county’shighschoolstudents.

“The change was madeatleast12monthsago,anditwascommunicatedinthestu-dents’ handbooks that wentout for the current schoolyear,” said Roper. “Exist-ing requirementswere statedwithanotesayingitwouldbechanging.”

The eligibility of incom-

ingninthgradeswillbebasedonthefourthmarkingperiodineighthgrade.

Activities affected in-clude, but are not limitedto, interscholastic athletics,drama/theater clubs, worldlanguage clubs, sports clubs,performance groups, chessclubs, film clubs, student gov-ernmentandartclubs.

Anyexceptionsorappealstothestudenteligibilitycodemustbesubmittedinwritingto the high school principalwithinoneweekofthedistri-butionofreportcards,exceptforthefourthmarkingperiodwhen appeals must be filed by July15.

Iso.T-Storms87°LocalWeatherThursday,May31,2007•St.Mary’sCounty,MarylandByGuyLeonardStaffWriterB

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