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A&E: Comedy troupe UprightCitizens Brigade comes toBlackRock. B-4
SPRINGFORWARDDaylight SavingTime begins at2a.m. Sunday.Don’t forget toturn your clocksahead one hour.
SCREEN GEMNew app takes on cyberbullying, sexting. A-4
SILVER SPRING | TAKOMA PARK | WHEATON | BURTONSVILLESPORTS: Successful swimmerputs Springbrook on themap. B-1
TheGazetteWednesday, March 4, 2015 25 centsDA ILY UPDATES AT GAZETTE .NET
SEE HOME IMPROVEMENT SERVICES INSIDEADVERTISING INSIDE A SECTION
WINTERIZE YOURWINTERIZE YOURHOMEHOME
n About 95 residentsnotified they have to move
BY KEVIN JAMES SHAY
STAFFWRITER
Two Montgomery Countyassisted and independent livingfacilities are closing by June 1.Residents and family memberswere told in letters that theyhave to find new homes.
Springhouse of Silver Springand Springhouse of Bethesdaare being marketed for sale bythe centers’ property owner,HCP Inc., a health care real es-tate investment trust, accordingto the letters.
“Unfortunately, it is pos-sible that the potential buyersof Springhouse of Silver Springmay not continue to operate theproperty as a senior living facil-ity,” Allison Morrow, regionaldirector of operations for HCRManorCare, wrote in a Feb. 25letter to residents and familymembers of the Silver Springcenter. HCR manages and op-erates the Silver Spring and
Bethesda facilities, among oth-ers. “Therefore, we will be clos-ing Springhouse of Silver Springby June 1, 2015.”
Residents and family mem-bers of the Bethesda facility re-ceived a similar letter.
The June 1 date is “meant tobe a target date to give residentsand their families an idea ontiming,” Rick Rump, a spokes-man for HCRManorCare, wrotein an e-mail. “It is not final andmay need to be adjusted as weget closer. Our residents andtheir families can be assuredthat we will work closely withthem and that we are confidentthey will receive the assistancethey need to find a new home.”
The letter shocked MichaelGreenberg. He had just helpedhis 80-year-old mother, EdithGreenberg, move into Spring-house, not far from his SilverSpring home, last October. Thefacility’s rates were more rea-sonable than most other cen-ters he had reviewed, and hehad been satisfied with Spring-
Assisted livingcenters to close
n Silver Spring gatheringdraws supporters, foesof light-rail project
BY RYAN MARSHALL
STAFFWRITER
It’s the best of projects, it’sthe worst of projects.
To paraphrase Dickens, thatwas the picture painted by asupporter and an opponent ofthe Purple Line at a forumMon-day night in Silver Spring on theproposed $2.45 billion, 16-milelight-rail project that would linkBethesda andNewCarrollton.
On theonehand, theproject
would be a partial solution tothe Washington, D.C., region’stransit problems and a busi-ness generator. But on the otherhand, detractors say, it’s too ex-pensive andwon’t deliver on thecost to build it.
The Purple Line is currentlyunder review by the state De-partment of Transportation.
Gov. LarryHogan (R) said hehopes tomake a decision on theproject — expected to cost $55million a year to operate andmaintain — by May, accordingto TheWashington Post.
While the pros and conswere later heard inside the AFI
Purple Line forumplumbs pros, cons
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Rich Parsons, vice chairman of the Suburban Maryland TransportationAlliance, argues for the Purple Line at a forum Monday night in Silver Springsponsored by the nonprofit institute.
n Colesville Presbyterian helping fundwork by Engineers Without Borders
BY KEVIN JAMES SHAYSTAFFWRITER
With a growing number of members ofColesville Presbyterian Church from Camer-oon, Becky Clapp searched the Internet for adevelopmentproject in thatAfricannation thatthe northern Silver Spring church could sup-port.
One of the first sites she found was Engi-neersWithout Borders, a 15-year-old humani-tarian organization that has developed almost700 projects in 45 countries. The church part-nered with the group’s Washington, D.C., re-gional chapter in 2013 and has donated about$15,000 so far, along with other means of sup-port.
“I’ve been inspired by the work this orga-nization has done,” said Clapp, who heads the
church’sWater of Life Committee, which over-sees the partnership. “It’s a very talented anddedicated group.”
About one-fourth of the people in Camer-oon do not have access to clean drinking waterand less than half use improved sanitation fa-cilities, said JonathanMead, an environmentalgeologist andpresident of EngineersWithout toprovidetheremoteMbokopsettlementofMangiwithaspringboxandgravity-feddistributionsys-
Silver Spring churchbacks clean water project
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
(From left) Ashley Reives of Washington, D.C., Jonathan Mead of Hyattsville, Rahul Mitra of Washington, D.C.,and Rachel Rath of Washington, D.C., members of Engineers Without Borders’ D.C. chapter, came to ColesvillePresbyterian Church in Silver Spring to thank church members for their support in a project to bring cleanwater to the people of Mbokop, a rural village in Cameroon.
n Work on Carroll Avenue bridgein Takoma Park expected
to begin in August
BY KEVIN JAMES SHAY
STAFFWRITER
Takoma Park residents on Mondayasked for more stop signs and other mea-sures to address detoured traffic in theirneighborhoods due to a major reconstruc-tion of the bridge along Carroll Avenue.
Preliminary constructionon theCarrollAvenue project is planned to begin in Au-gust, but the actual bridge closure will notoccur until six to nine months after that,Takoma Park Public Works Director DarylBraithwaite told council members. Then,
the bridge is slated to close for a year, shesaid.
Some said they doubted the bridgewould be closed for just a year with theusual delays in such projects. “We shouldthink of it as a two-year closure rather thanone,” Councilman Fred Schultz said.
The State Highway Administration hasincentives in place for the contractor tomeet the schedule, Braithwaite said. Thestate has communicated more with Ta-komaPark in the Carroll project so far thanit did during the work on the New Hamp-shire Avenue bridge, she said.
“It’s been a different relationship,”Braithwaite said.
Residents living along streets such asMaple and Flower avenues asked for speedbumps, stop signs, temporary traffic lights,
turn restrictions andmaking certain streetsoneway.Councilmembersworkedona listof itemsbased on residents’ requests to askthe state to either provide or help the citydo so.
“There are low-cost safety measuresthat we can advance,” such as four-waystop signs and advanced message signs,said Troy Jacobs, who lives on Flower Av-enue.
Others requested speed bumps alongMaple andMaplewoodand clearer signagetomark the detours.
Officials plan two detours for trafficthat normally goes along the Carroll Av-enue bridge over Sligo Creek Parkway. Onewill be for trucks using University Boule-
Residents seek answers to project traffic
n Competitors fromWheaton, elsewhere incounty aim for Olympics
BY KEVIN JAMES SHAY
STAFFWRITER
Fresh off finishing first andsecond in junior ice dancing atthe U.S. Figure Skating Cham-pionships, four MontgomeryCounty athletes are represent-ing the United States this weekin the 2015 World Junior FigureSkating Championships in Esto-nia.
Quinn Carpenter of Whea-ton and Lorraine McNamara ofGermantownwon the junior icedancing gold medal in Januaryat the national championshipsin Greensboro, N.C. MichaelParsons and sister Rachel Par-sons, both from Rockville, wonthe silver medal in that compe-tition.
The skaters often train at theWheaton Ice Arena and werethere Feb. 24 to perform in a cel-ebratory event.
Three speed skaters whorepresented the U.S. at the2015 World Junior Short TrackSpeed Skating Championshipsin Japan last weekend also werethere: Richard MontgomeryHigh School junior April Shin,Churchill High School graduateShaner LeBauer and ThomasHong of Laurel. Shin finishedseventh in the 1500 meters,while Hong placed 12th andLeBauer 27th in the1000meters.
Carpenter, 19, learned toskate at the Wheaton arenawhen he was young and joinedthe Wheaton Ice Skating Acad-
Localathletestake toskates
CAMEROON CLEAN WATERPROJECT RESOURCESn Engineers Without Borders project website:
http://www.ewb-dc.org/projects/cameroon
n Project blog: https://ewbdccameroon.wordpress.com
See CENTERS, Page A-11
See FORUM, Page A-11
See TRAFFIC, Page A-11
See PROJECT, Page A-11See SKATES, Page A-11
Invite your local community intoworship with you.
Reserve your space today!301-670-7100
Extend your hand in hope andassistance. Share your Easter Servicesand special programs.
MONTGOMERYCOUNTYCirculation145,451
PRINCE GEORGE’SCOUNTYCirculation95,322EEaster Servicesaster Services
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4Orientation to Small Business Re-
sources, 5-6 p.m.,MarylandWomen’sBusiness Center, 51Monroe St., PlazaEast-20, Rockville. Learn about the centerand other community resources to helpstart and grow a business. Free. [email protected].
Mystery Book Discussion, 7 p.m.,Marilyn J. Praisner Library, 14910 Old Co-lumbia Pike, Burtonsville. Call the libraryfor information about thismonth’s book.Copies are available at the informationdesk. [email protected].
The Future of Food Recovery in Mont-gomery County, 7-9 p.m., Silver SpringUnitedMethodist Church, 8900 GeorgiaAve., Silver Spring. Hosted byMontgom-ery County Food Council’s Food RecoveryWorking Group. Themeeting will includeguest speakers, an informational presen-tation and samples of recovered food.Free. www.mocofoodcouncil.org.
Business Oriented Toastmasters,8-9:30 p.m., Potomac Valley NursingHome, 1235 Potomac Valley Road, Rock-ville. Members can present preparedspeeches, give impromptu speeches, of-fer constructive evaluations and practiceconductingmeetings. Free for first-timeguests. 202-957-9988.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5Public Meeting for Solar Farms in
Parks, 9 a.m.,Montgomery RegionalOf-fice Auditorium, 8787Georgia Ave., SilverSpring.Montgomery Parks is proposing toconstruct two solar farms onpark propertyby the end of 2015 in SouthGermantownRecreational Park andRockCreek RegionalPark. Free. www.ParkPlanning.org.
Smart Start: Entrepreneur 101, 1-4:30p.m.,Wheaton Business InnovationCenter, 11002 VeirsMill Road, Suite 700,Wheaton. For new startup businessesand aspiring entrepreneurs. Learn how tolegally define a business, register a busi-ness name, keep proper financial records,report taxes and assess insurance require-ments to safeguard business and personalassets. $55. 301-403-8300, ext. 22.
International Night, 5-9 p.m.,Whea-tonHigh School, 12601DalewoodDrive,Silver Spring. Rescheduled from Feb. 27.There will be various foods, vendors andart demonstrations from 5 to 7 p.m. andcultural performances at 7:30 p.m. Pro-ceeds will go to student scholarships. $6per person; children 5 and under are free.301-929-2050.
MCAEL Second Annual Grown Up
Spelling Bee for Adult Literacy, 6:30 p.m.,Montgomery College Cultural Arts Cen-ter, 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. JoinMCAEL staff, board, providers, instruc-tors, community leaders and some ofthe coalition’s 15,000-plus adult learnersto raisemoney for and awareness aboutliteracy inMontgomery County. [email protected].
Teen Writers’ Club, 6:30 p.m.,MarilynJ. Praisner Library, 14910 Old ColumbiaPike, Burtonsville. Meet other teens whoshare an interest in writing. Learn to im-prove writing and try new approaches.Ages 12 and up. Free. [email protected].
The Grapevine Storytelling Series,7:30 p.m., Takoma Park Community Cen-ter, 7500Maple Ave., Takoma Park. TimLivengood andNoa Baumhost this newseries of old-fashioned storytelling. Cel-ebrate the timeless art of the bards withstories of all kinds. $10 suggested dona-tion. [email protected].
FRIDAY, MARCH 6English Conversation Club, 1 p.m.,
Marilyn J. Praisner Library, 14910 Old Co-lumbia Pike, Burtonsville. Practice Englishskills with a retired schoolteacher. All lev-els are welcome; no registration needed.240-773-9455.
“Fed Up” Film Screening, 7-10 p.m.,Discovery Communications Building,1Discovery Place, Silver Spring. Thisdocumentary about the food industrywasproduced byKatie Couric and LaurieDavidanddirected by Stephanie Soechtig. AQ&Adiscussion and awine andhors d’oeuvresreception follow the screening. $30; pur-chase tickets in advance. 301-202-4812.
SATURDAY, MARCH 7Lion Dance, 1:30-2:20 p.m., Aspen
Hill Library, 4407 AspenHill Road, AspenHill. Members of the Chinese Youth ClubofWashington, D.C., will present a liondance. Free. 301-871-1113.
Irish Dancing, 3 p.m.,Marilyn J. Prais-ner Library, 14910 Old Columbia Pike,Burtonsville. The Culkin School dancersperform to lively Irish tunes. Free. 240-773-9455.
Ave., Silver Spring. Hors d’oeuvres anddesserts will be served. $25. 240-478-7952.
SUNDAY, MARCH 8Widowed Persons Service of Mont-
gomery County Meeting, 2-4 p.m.,Wheaton Library,Meeting Room 2, 11701Georgia Ave., Wheaton. Featuring guestspeaker Kathleen Stobie on themanyareas in which peoplemay volunteer. $4suggested contribution. 301-949-7398.
Blues Night at the Tree of Life Cafe,7-9:30 p.m., UnitarianUniversalist Con-gregation of Rockville, 100Welsh ParkDrive, Rockville. Blues singer and guitaristEleanor Ellis will perform,with Pearl Bailesonharmonica. Also featured is TheAlphaDogAcoustic Blues Bandwith RogerHart.Singer-songwriter Anthony Sepulvedawillmake a cameo appearance. $15 suggesteddonation.www.uucr.org/tree-life-cafe.
Fine Arts String Quartet, 7:30 p.m.,Jewish Community Center of GreaterWashington, 6125Montrose Road, Rock-ville. $30-$40. 301-348-3779.
MONDAY, MARCH 9Pain Connection DMV Chronic Pain
Support Group, 1-2:30 p.m., 12320ParklawnDrive, Rockville. For anyonewith chronic pain, their family andfriends. Participants can bring pillows,mats, ice or hot packs to be comfortable.301-231-0008.
American Red Cross Blood Drive, 3-8p.m., Hughes UnitedMethodist Church,10700 Georgia Ave., Wheaton. Double red-cell donations accepted. Bring a photo ID,eat iron-rich foods and drink extra waterbeforehand. Appointments requested;walk-ins accepted. 800-733-2767.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia SupportGroup, 6-7 p.m., Brightview FallsgroveAssisted Living, 9200Darnestown Road,Rockville. Discuss problems and solutionsandmeet others walking a similar path.Information, fellowship and support;refreshments provided. Free, RSVP re-quested. 240-314-7194.
THE GAZETTEPage A-2 Wednesday, March 4, 2015 s
BestBet
Maryland WritersAssociation Montgom-ery County ChapterMeeting, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,Mid-County Community
Center, 2004 Queensguard Road,Silver Spring. Author and publisherCraig Schenning, owner of Old LinePublishing andMaple CreekMedia,presents a seminar on publishing.Free formembers and first-timeguests; $5 for others. [email protected].
SAT
7
EVENTSSend items at least two weeks in advance of the paper in which you would like them toappear. Go to calendar.gazette.net and click on the submit button.Questions? Call 301-670-2070.
PHOTO GALLERYWalt Whitman’s Mitch Fenton won the 145-pound
3A/4A West regional wrestling tournamentat Sherwood on Saturday. Go to clicked.Gazette.net
SPORTS The region basketball tournaments are underway.Check online daily for coverage of top games.
A story and a correction in the Feb. 25 Gazette incorrectly reported how longMontgomeryVillageFoundationBoardcandidateNeville Levi hadownedpropertyinMontgomery Village, based on information Levi provided. He has owned prop-erty since the summer of 2014.
Andy Schotz,managing editor, Silver Spring : [email protected], 240-864-1531Kevin James Shay, staff writer: [email protected], 301-670-2033
Get complete, currentweather information
at NBCWashington.com
The Gazette (ISSN 1077-5641) is publishedweekly for $29.99 a year byThe Gazette, 9030Comprint Court, Gaithersburg,MD 20877. Periodicals postage paid at Gaithersburg,Md.Postmaster: Send address changes. VOL. 28, NO. 7 • 2 SECTIONS, 28 PAGES
T H E G A Z E T T EWednesday, March 4, 2015 s Page A-3
Silver Spring library branchwill close March 15
As a $69.5 million libraryopens this year in downtown Sil-ver Spring, the old one on Coles-ville Road will close March 15.
A date has not been an-nounced for the opening of thenew branch.
The Colesville Road branchclosing will be marked with aceremony from 3:30 to 5 p.m.March 15.
A press release from Mont-gomery County says the libraryis winding down its time at itsthird site.
The first site, starting in1931, was in the East SilverSpring Elementary School.
The library moved in 1934to the Jesup Blair CommunityHouse.
The current site is the thirdlocation, and the new site will bethe fourth.
Patrons who used the libraryin its early years are encouragedto contact Fran Ware, the librarymanager, to talk about comingto the closing ceremony.
Current patrons are encour-aged to talk to a staff memberto manage accounts while thelibrary is closed.
They also can call Ask A Li-brarian at 240-777-0001 or go tothe Montgomery County PublicLibraries blog at http://silver-springlibrarymcpl.blogspot.com.
Patrons may use other li-brary branches — such as LongBranch, White Oak or Wheaton— while the Silver Spring branchis closed.
Teams will compete ingrown-up spelling beeThe Montgomery Coalition
for Adult English Literacy hasannounced the teams for its up-coming grown-up spelling bee.
The defending champion,Holy Cross Health, will competeagainst Adventist HealthCare,Burness Communications,Montgomery College, Pepco,and Social & Scientific SystemsInc.
The spelling bee is a fund-raiser for the coalition.
It will be held 6:30 to 8:30p.m. Thursday at the Montgom-ery College Cultural Arts Center,7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring.
Tickets are $50 apiece forgeneral admission, $25 for pro-vider organizations and theiremployees. They are available athttp://tinyurl.com/nq7fl4m.
A cocktail reception and au-dience spelling competition arepart of the evening.
Middle schoolers will bein Science Bowl Saturday
Teams from six Montgom-ery County middle schools willcompete Saturday to representMaryland in the middle schoolnational finals of the U.S. De-partment of Energy Office of Sci-ence’s National Science Bowl.
The local teams that willcompete at Prince George’sCommunity College in Largoare from the Landon School ofBethesda; Clemente of German-town; Cabin John and Hoover,both of Potomac; Frost of Rock-ville; and Takoma Park.
The finals will be in April inWashington, D.C.
Blake High student wasin C-SPAN video contest
A short documentary cre-ated by Olney teens MatthewPost, John Caporaletti and KezaLevine has been named one ofthe top five entries in C-SPAN’sStudent Cam contest.
Fans of the video can vote asoften as they like for it throughFriday. With enough votes, thetrio could win a secondary cashprize.
Fans can vote at tinyurl.com/VoteForSherwood, underthe video titled “School Lunches:Healthier Hunger-Free Kids.”
Last year, while at Farqu-har Middle School, the teenswon honorable mention in theC-SPAN contest. Matthew andJohn now attend SherwoodHigh School in Sandy Spring,and Keza attends Blake HighSchool in Silver Spring. Thevideo was not a school project,but something they produced intheir spare time.
History studentshonored at State House
Three students from Mont-gomery County school wereamong 15 middle and highschoolers honored Feb. 23 at theMaryland State House by theMaryland Humanities Councilfor theirsuccess intheannualNa-tional History Day competition.
Each student won awards atthe Maryland Humanities Coun-cil’s 2014 Maryland History Daycompetition, plus honors at theNational History Day contest.
More than 22,000 middleand high school students from
19 counties and Baltimore cityparticipated in the History Dayprogram, which is open to allMaryland students in grades 6through 12.
The following MontgomeryCounty students were finalistsand among the top 14 projects atNational History Day, with theirrespective category and topic:
• Nick Lowenthal and HenryKnopes, both of the BullisSchool in Potomac; senior groupwebsite; “The Indian RemovalAct: The Forced Relocation of aNation.”
• Emma Markus of EasternMiddle School in Silver Spring;junior individual documentary;“The Soweto Youth Uprising: AGeneration Mobilized.”
Fourth-graders invitedto enter essay contest
Fourth-graders around thestate can enter the MarylandMunicipal League’s annual “If IWere Mayor” essay contest.
Essays of 275 words, in whichstudents discuss how they wouldwork with citizens to improvetheir municipality if they weremayor, are due March 31.
Each essay must begin, “IfI Were Mayor, I Would ...,” andanswer three questions thataddress this year’s theme, “Re-spect.” Entries must be submit-ted by the student’s teacher.
Eleven regional winnerswill receive $100 in a ceremonyin May at the Maryland StateHouse, according to a news re-lease.
Sponsors are the MarylandMunicipal League, the MarylandMayors Association and Chesa-peake Employers Insurance Co.
Application information is atmdmunicipal.org/essay.
March Book Battleis underway
Bibliophiles are invited tojoin the fray during the Mont-gomery County Public Librar-ies’ second annual March BookBattle.
This month, local booklovers can vote at montgom-erycountymd.gov/library fortheir favorite children’s, teenand adult books. The battle willopen with eight pairs from eachcategory.
Each week, new book pair-ings will be posted for voting.Displays of the titles and au-thors will be featured at librarybranches. The champions willbe announced March 30.
PEOPLEMore online at www.gazette.net
n Students driven bygoals, see multiple
reasons for struggle
BY LINDSAY A. POWERS
STAFF WRITER
Three out of every fourblack male students in Mont-gomery County Public Schools’class of 2012 earned a highschool diploma — the best rateof the country’s large urbandistricts.
The Schott Foundation forPublic Education released a re-port in February that showedthe county school system —with a graduation rate of 74percent — atop a pack of dis-tricts with at least 10,000 blackmale students enrolled. Cum-berland County in North Caro-lina was in second place at 68percent and Baltimore Countyin third at 67 percent.
“Montgomery County hasbeen a leader in this area fora while,” said John Jackson,the foundation’s presidentand CEO, but “a lot of work”remains to be done across thecountry.
The foundation calculatedthe rate, which differs slightlyfrom what the Maryland StateDepartment of Education re-ports online for Montgomeryfor 2012 — 76.9 percent.
In 2014, the graduation ratefor black boys was 81.9 percent,according to the online statedata.
Montgomery’s black stu-dents — both girls and boys— had a graduation rate of 86.4percent in 2014, according tostate education departmentdata.
Pointing to the 2014 sta-tistic for boys and girls, Chris-topher Garran, the district’sassociate superintendent forhigh schools, said “you can’t behappy” with that number.
“It reinforces the work thatwe still have to do,” he said.
Garran said high schoolswork to help struggling stu-dents, including black males.Schools try to make instruc-tion more engaging, intervenewhen students aren’t doingwell academically, and reducesuspensions, he said.
The system tries to con-quer the obstacle of “beliefsand expectations” — an issueof “whether we hold similarlyhigh expectations for all kids,”
Garran said.Byron Johns — educa-
tion chair of the MontgomeryCounty branch of the NationalAssociation for the Advance-ment of Colored People — saidthe organization is glad thecounty is “making strides” toimprove graduation rates forblack males, but the remaininggap is “still extraordinary.”
The report shows a 17 per-cent gap between black males’graduation rate and whitemales’ graduation rate of 91percent in 2012.
Johns said the 74 percentrate is “absolutely disturbing.”Failing to graduate high schoolaffects a person’s economic fu-ture, opportunities, family, andcommunity, he said.
However, he sees ways thedistrict is helping students atrisk of not graduating, such asearly intervention and efforts toreduce suspensions.
Three students at PaintBranch High School in Bur-tonsville, drawing on their ex-periences and observations,shared why they think someblack males might struggle inschool.
Semaje Wicker, a 17-year-old junior, said some studentsmight lack motivation. Othersdon’t respect teachers, he said,or don’t want to be told what todo. A personal relationship isimportant to help a student un-derstand that a teacher is tryingto help, he said.
Jordan Hill, 16, also a junior,said students might face respon-sibilities that affect academicsor don’t get support at home. Aparent might be absent or thestudent needs to look after ayounger sibling, he said.
Junior Donovan Parris said
the 74 percent rate shows that— compared to students out-side the system — more blackmales in Montgomery pursuea vision. He’s driven to do wellin school by a goal to work inbusiness and finance.
“I’m going to hang out withpeople that have the same pas-sions as me and I know thatthere’s no quick and easy wayto get that, you know, I’m justgoing to have to put in mywork,” said Donovan, 17.
Semaje said he’s seen “alot of people mess up,” but hefinds motivation in his goal tobe a lawyer. He works hard tomaintain his focus.
All three students said theyfind support at Paint Branchfrom teachers and PrincipalMyriam Rogers.
Rogers said a variety ofthings at her school — wherethe enrollment last year was 53percent black — provide socialemotional and academic sup-port.
Students can take advan-tage of peer tutoring, she said,or the Advancement Via Indi-vidual Determination program,in which students enroll inhonors classes and learn skillssuch organization and goal set-ting. Another program hostsbasketball games for studentswho do well in class or takesteps to improve.
Rogers said some studentsdon’t see the value of graduat-ing that school staff describe.
“Sometimes, it’s a big leapof faith when you see you’rethe first one that’s trying to at-tempt that route [and] you’velived different experiences,”she said.
County leads larger districtsin black male graduation rate
LINDSAY A. POWERS/THE GAZETTE
(From left) Semaje Wicker, 17, Jordan Hill, 16, and Donovan Parris, 17,walk to class at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville.
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THE GAZETTEPage A-4 Wednesday, March 4, 2015 s
n Dads from Colesville,Randallstown develop
PocketGuardian
BY LINDSAY A. POWERS
STAFF WRITER
Afterhearingnews reports ofcyberbullying and sexting inci-dents that led to suicide, friendsand dads James Ryan and JasonFrance wanted to address theseissues using technology.
Ryan and France, who eachown a defense contracting com-pany, developed an app theyhope will make parents andguardians more aware of what’sgoing on in their children’s livesand even help prevent suicides.
Their creation, Pocket-Guardian, can track what textmessages are sent with phones.
Ryan, of Randallstown, saidbullying used to happen in per-son, face to face. Now, it oftenhappens electronically, over so-cial media.
“But these days the kids arein their rooms, you’re unawareof what’s happening on theircellphones or on their comput-ers,” he said. “There needed tobe a way that parents could bealerted to bullying, the type ofbullying that’s happening inmodern-day times.”
Two versions of the iOS andAndroid app are slated to comeout this year andaremeant tobedownloaded on a child’s phone.One version, costing 99 cents,will send a text message alert toa parent when the child receivesor sends a message with lan-guage or a photo that likely in-dicates cyberbullying or sexting.
Demonstrating a beta ver-sion, France showed an alert onhis phone: “An inappropriatemessage may have been sent orreceived by your child.”
The app purposely doesn’ttell the parent the content of amessage or who the other per-son is to protect the child’s pri-vacy, said France, of Colesville.
This feature separates Pock-etGuardian from similar apps,Ryan said, such as those thatsend every text message a childreceives to a parent.
For $1.99, a second versionof the app will send the alert andblock the message from beingsent or received by the child.
A child can’t uninstall Pock-
etGuardian from a phone with-out knowing a password. Theapp notifies a parent when achild tries to uninstall it.
France and Ryan collectedtens of thousands of sampletext messages, with and withoutcontent that could be cyberbul-lying and sexting.
Based on this collection,they said, the app doesn’t justanalyze text, but determinesthe probability that a word orphrase is related to cyberbully-ing or sexting. The app will im-prove as it goes through moreexamples, France said.
The app also can breakdown images to determine ifthey contain nudity or are oth-erwise inappropriate, Ryan said.That analysis happens on thechild’s phone and the companydoes not gain access to any im-ages.
Susan Burkinshaw, a parentin Montgomery County PublicSchools, said the app sounds
like a good way for parents tomonitor behavior andchildren’schoices.
Burkinshaw, who is Healthand Safety Committee co-chairwoman of the Mont-gomery County Council ofParent-Teacher Associations,said she could see it used asyounger children get smart-phones. It could help parentswho aren’t well acquainted withsocial media, she said.
She said, however, that kidswill find a way around barriers.
SameerHinduja, co-directorof the Cyberbullying ResearchCenter, said the creators havegood intentions, but an appisn’t the best way to address theissue.
He said he didn’t think theapp would accurately flag texts.Kids joke and talk to each otherin “matureways,” using sarcasmand double entendres, thatmake it difficult to determine ifa message is truly cyberbully-ing, said Hinduja, a criminologyand criminal justice professor atFlorida Atlantic University.
Kids are innovative, he said,and can use other means ofcommunication if apps screentheir texts.
It’s more helpful, he said,to work with kids on skills suchas empathy, conflict resolutionand handling stress.
Hinduja saidhe’s concernedthat parents might think an appsolves theproblem.Talkingwithkids and being involved in theirlives are important, he said.
“I don’t want them to wipetheir hands of the problem be-cause they’ve installed a pieceof software,” he said.
New app will screen texts for cyberbullying and sexting
PHOTOS BY LINDSAY A. POWERS/THE GAZETTE
Above, James Ryan (left) of Randallstown and Jason France of Colesville are co-founders of PocketGuardian, an appthat alerts parents to possible cyberbullying and sexting. Above right, France shows a text message alert from abeta version of the app.
n Suspect, victim livedin same community
BY VIRGINIA TERHUNE
STAFF WRITER
Police have charged a Sil-ver Spring man who lived in asenior apartment communitywith the stabbing death of a95-year-old fellow resident.
Eric S. Dyson, 60, of the500 block of Randolph Roadin Silver Spring, was chargedwith first-degree murder, po-lice said.
The victim, who lived in thesame community, was retiredNavy officer Dan Belvin, Mont-gomery County police said in anews release.
The release says Belvin ap-peared to have suffered mul-tiple sharp force injuries.
Dyson also was chargedwith credit card theft, fraudand auto theft in RockvilleDistrict Court. Online courtrecords show he will be repre-sented by a public defender.
Dyson was held withoutbail on Thursday, Ramón Ko-rionoff, public affairs directorfor the Montgomery CountyState’s Attorney’s Office, wrotein an email.
Belvin was last seen aliveon Feb. 19, police said.
At about 9 p.m. that day,Belvin’s credit card was usedat a nearby convenience store.One of his credit cards also wasused at various locations be-tween Feb. 20 and Feb. 23.
According to police, Dysonwas captured on store videosurveillance using a credit cardbelonging to the victim.
On Feb. 24, a staff memberat the senior apartment com-munity saw Dyson driving Bel-vin’s vehicle in the parking lot.
According to police, Dy-son had been using the vehicleprior to Belvin’s death, andBelvin had asked Dyson to re-turn the keys.
The following is a summary of inci-dents in the Silver Spring area towhich Montgomery County policeresponded recently. The words “ar-rested” and “charged” do not implyguilt. This information was providedby the county.
Armed robbery• 9100 block of Piney Branch
Road, Silver Spring, at 5 p.m. Feb.10. The subject threatened thevictimwith a weapon and tookproperty.
• Sunoco, 12040 Cherry HillRoad, Silver Spring, at 3:26 a.m. Feb.13. The subject threatened the vic-timwith a weapon and unsuccess-fully attempted to take property.
• 3800 block of Bel Pre Road,Silver Spring, between 1:45 and 2a.m. Feb. 14. The subjects threat-ened the victimwith a weapon andtook property.
• Bus stop at NewHampshireAvenue andOakviewDrive, SilverSpring, at 10:45 p.m. Feb. 14. Thesubjects threatened the victimwitha weapon and took property.
• 7-Eleven, 9254NewHamp-shire Ave., Silver Spring, at 1:42 a.m.Feb. 17. The subjects threatenedthe victimwith a weapon and tookproperty.
• 11900 block of DalewoodDrive, Silver Spring, between 7 and10 p.m. Feb. 16. No forced entry,took property.
• Unit block ofManchesterPlace, Silver Spring, at 8:10 p.m.Feb. 16.
• 10400 block of EdgewoodAvenue, Silver Spring, between 5:30a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Feb. 18. Forcedentry, took property.
• 800 block of University Bou-levard East, Silver Spring, between7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Feb. 18. No forcedentry, took property.
• 400 block ofWillingtonDrive,Silver Spring, between 1 and 3 p.m.Feb. 18. Forced entry, took property.
Vehicle larceny• Four incidents in Silver Spring
between Feb. 9 and 17. Took giftcards, sunglasses, change and otherloose items.
• 3400 block of CastleWay, Sil-ver Spring, at 11 p.m. Feb. 16. Tooka diaper bag.
BY VIRGINIA TERHUNESTAFFWRITER
A Silver Spring man wascharged with involuntary man-slaughter after his car struck apedestrian inWashington, D.C.,on Feb. 23.
James Brooks Chandler, 33,of Cannon Road, was charged,according to a news releasefrom the District’s MetropolitanPolice Department.
Philip Snodgrass, 27, ofBaldwin in Baltimore County,was killed.
Snodgrass, an assistantgeneral counsel at the NationalFederation of Federal Employ-ees, was earning a doctorate atGeorgetown Law Center, ac-cording to a Feb. 25 AssociatedPress report.
Chandler was speedingwest on H Street NW in a black2013 Nissan Xterra about 5 p.m.on Feb. 23 when the car side-swiped several vehicles, hit awall, flipped over and struckSnodgrass who was standingon a sidewalk, according to therelease.
A second pedestrian injuredby debris from the crash wastreated and released.
TheMetropolitanPoliceDe-partment is asking anyone withinformation to call 202-727-9099or use the anonymous Text TipLine by textmessaging 50411.
Drawings, paintings, pho-tography and dolls will be ondisplay at the Galleries at theTakoma Park Community Cen-ter starting Thursday throughMay 3.
The items are the workof Jarrett and Jaylene Arnold,Danny Caroll, Alyscia Cunning-ham and Clay Harris.
There will be an openingreception, with hors d’oeuvres,from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at thecenter onMaple Avenue.
Cunningham, of SilverSpring, is a photographer whohas contributed to NationalGeographic and DiscoveryChannel, amongothers. Shewillexhibit a series of portraits fromherbook “FeminineTransitions:A Photographic Celebration ofNatural Beauty.”
She likes to tackle social-change issues, saying this bookpresents a “different definitionof beauty” than the one oftenportrayed by models in the na-tional media. “It’s somethingfor people to think about,” Cun-ningham said.
TheArnolds,who also live inSilver Spring, produce work un-der “Cutie and the Creep.” Theycreate stop-motion films, origi-nal dolls and sculptures.
The Galleries present thework of local and regional artistsin rotating exhibits every twomonths or so.
Another event at the com-
munity center is “The Grape-vine,” an old-fashionedstorytelling series, at 7:30 p.m.Thursday. There is a $10 sug-gested donation.
At 7 p.m. Friday, Real Food
for Kids — Montgomery willhost a screening of the docu-mentary “Fed Up” at DiscoveryCommunications in downtownSilver Spring.
Real Food for Kids —Mont-gomery is a grass-roots parentand student advocacy groupthat promotes healthier foodin Montgomery County publicschools.
The movie screening will befollowed by a discussion anda reception. Tickets are $30,which includes wine and horsd’oeuvres at the reception.
Takoma Park center hostsa reception for art exhibit
2014 FILE PHOTO
Jarrett and Jaylene Arnold will be among the artists exhibiting their work inTakoma Park.
PORTRAITS EXHIBITOPENING RECEPTIONn When: 7 to 9 p.m. March 5
n Where: Takoma ParkCommunity Center, 7500Maple Ave.
n More information: www.takomaparkmd.gov/arts
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THE GAZETTEPage A-6 Wednesday, March 4, 2015 s
n Drivers say fees limitincome; cab companiessay ride-booking to blame
BY KATE S. ALEXANDER
STAFFWRITER
Driving a cab in Montgom-ery County’s heavily regulatedtaxi industrymeanspaying to goto work each day. The county isconsidering capping those costs.
Passengers pay drivers, whopay a cab company its share.
Taxi companies in Mont-gomery County consider driv-ers “independent contractors”and charge drivers to lease cabs,as well as fees for credit-cardprocessing and other services,such as paying tolls on the Inter-county Connector.
With ride-booking compa-niesUber and Lyft in themarketfor rides, the county is consider-ing changing taxi regulations,including fees that drivers pay.
On Friday, the council’sTransportation InfrastructureEnergy and Environment com-mittee voted to cap two fees: the
lease of the vehicles and creditcard processing.
Thecommittee isconsideringthree bills for greater balance infor-hire transportation services.
One would create regula-tions for ride-booking compa-nies entering the market, likeUber and Lyft, to allow fair com-petition with cab companies.Another would create a centraldispatch system for cab rides. Athird would reform the county’sregulations on taxis, includingwhat companies charge drivers.
Councilman Roger Berliner,the committee chairman, saidthe conditions of cabbies needto improve.
“I do feel that our drivershave gotten a raw deal and it’stime to comprehensively ad-dress them,” Berliner (D-Dist. 1)of Bethesda said.
Cabdrivers claim the systemis broken and high fees leavethem little income.
By the time cab companiestake their cut,many drivers earnless than minimum wage, de-spite driving the maximum 12hours a day, said Barwood TaxiService driver Peter Ibik, presi-
dent of theMontgomeryCountyProfessional Drivers Union,which formed in 2013.
Taxi companyowners coun-ter that unregulated ride-book-ing services such as Uber andLyft, not fees, are to blame.
“That is what is killing driv-ers’ income,” Dwight Kines,owner of Sun Cab, said.
Lee Barnes, president andCEOofBarwood, saiddrivers canearn $30,000 to $100,000 a year.
Barwood driver Nelson Bi-ama, a union member, said hemakes $30,000 to $36,000 a yeardriving full-time.
Uber and Lyft have arguedthat they arenot taxi services, butcompaniesusingnewtechnology
to connect riders anddrivers.County regulations limit how
muchcabdrivers charge for ridesandlimitdriversto12hoursaday.Ride-booking companies aren’tsubject to that law and often usesurgepricing, raisingratesatpeakor highdemand times.
Cab drivers’ income also islimited bywhat they pay the cabcompanies, Ibik said.
Biama said he pays $112 aday to rent a cab from Barwood.Ingas,hepaysabout$55perday.With other fees, he estimates hepays Barwood $800 aweek.
A chart from the union es-timates that some drivers pay$950 to $1,148 a week, depend-ing on the cab company.
Barnes said the lease coverseverything from the cost to buyand maintain vehicles to insur-ance and depreciation. He saidhe offers various discounts onthe lease of up to $20 per day.
Sun Cab charges driversabout $550 per week to lease acab, which includes all relatedcosts, Kines said.
Ibik said drivers pay otherfees to the companies.One is forcredit-card transactions.
MontgomeryCounty law re-quires cab drivers to accept pay-ment by credit card.
Kines said he doesn’t chargedrivers to process credit cards.
Barwood charges drivers a7.5 percent “technology, mar-keting, sales and service” feethat includes processing creditcard payments, Barnes said.
Barnes said drivers earn, onaverage, 9 percent higher in tipson credit-card payments.
But if drivers could providemachines to take payments, in-stead of using cab companies’machines, Ibik said, the drivers’cost would be about 3 percent.
The committee voted Fri-day to amend the bill to cap feeson credit-card transactions at 5percent and to let drivers pro-vide credit-card machines, aslong as they meet legal require-ments.
The committee also voted tocap how much companies cancharge for leases, but without anumber. Thecommittee told theDepartment of Transportationto establish a cap for the councilto approve.
Cab drivers were in the audience for a Montgomery County Council meetingabout regulating rental rates and other fees for cabs. The meeting had to bemoved to a larger room to accommodate the crowd.
n Silver Spring man waskilled in his bed in 2012
BY VIRGINIA TERHUNESTAFFWRITER
A Mississippi woman wassentenced to life in prisonwithout parole plus 20 yearson Thursday for fatally shoot-ing Silver Spring resident EricSomuah in his bed in 2012.
The sentence was imposedon Katrina Ben, 38, of SilverCreek, Miss., by MontgomeryCounty Circuit Court JudgeDavid Boynton, who also pre-sided over Ben’s trial, accord-ing to a release from the officeof the State’s Attorney in Rock-ville.
A nurse, Ben was foundguilty in October 2014 of first-degree murder and using afirearm in a crime of violence
in the death of Somuah, a carsalesman.
Ben was a neighbor of So-muah, who lived in the 1000block of East West Highwayin Silver Spring, according tocharging documents. She toldpolice she was involved in aromantic relationship with So-muah.
On June 7, 2012, the dayafter Somuah was found shotin the head in his apartment, acitizen spotted a handgun lyingon the shoulder of Interstate495 near the Colesville Roadexit and turned it into police.
The bullet recovered fromSomuah’s body showed a ri-fling pattern that was consis-tent with the gun found onthe interstate, which Ben hadbought in Mississippi in 2004,according to police.
Woman receives lifesentence for shootingn New law doesn’t apply
to Rockville shop
BY KATE S. ALEXANDER
STAFFWRITER
Sales of puppies and kittenswon’tbeallowedatMontgomeryCounty pet stores, under a newlawpassedTuesday.
The Montgomery CountyCouncil unanimously votedto prohibit the sale of puppiesand kittens in retail pet stores tocounteract the sale of animalsbred in commercial operations— known as puppy mills or kit-tenmills.
Under the new law, onlydogs and cats up for adoptionthrough shelters and rescuegroups can be available at petstores.
The ban would take effect91 days after the bill becomeslaw. The bill becomes law eitherwhen it’s signed by the county
executiveor returnedunsigned.The new law will not af-
fect any stores operating in thecounty.
Only one pet store now sellspuppies—JustPuppies inRock-ville. The city has its own animalcontrol ordinance, so the storeisn’t subject to the countyban.
Councilman Marc B. Elrich,chairman of the Public SafetyCommittee, said the county islucky to not have other retailstores sellingpuppiesor kittens.
Theban,he said, “seems likea goodpreventativemeasure” to
keep it thatway.Elrich (D-At Large) of
Takoma Park said the over-whelming message from thecommunity was to pass the billand his committee agreed thatthe ban was “the right thing todo.”
Council President George L.Leventhal, the bill’s chief spon-sor, said it was themost popularlegislationhe’s ever introduced.
“... Even if some of thesebreeding facilities are well regu-lated and clean and safe, it juststands to reason that mass pro-
duction of animals will generatemistreatment,” said Leventhal(D-At Large) of TakomaPark.
The bill’s passage earnedaccolades from Wayne Pacelle,president and CEO of The Hu-mane Society of the UnitedStates inGaithersburg.
“Montgomery County hastakenthestandthat itwillnolon-ger allow the continued sale ofpuppymill dogswhocome froma life of misery, while their taxdollars are spent sheltering andeuthanizing homeless dogs,”Pacelle said in a written state-ment. “We applaud the councilfor this unanimous vote in favorof animalprotection.”
According to The HumaneSociety of the United States,Montgomery County joins 70other localities across the coun-try that have restricted the saleof commercially bredpuppies inretail stores.
More Information:Upcoming Events atwww.ewomenNetwork.com/chapter/montgomery 1932005
THE GAZETTEWednesday, March 4, 2015 s Page A-7
n Officials, principalssay schools, studentsready for full rollout
BY LINDSAY A. POWERS
STAFFWRITER
Montgomery County PublicSchools students were scheduled tostart taking new state tests early Mon-day morning, but icy winter weatherupset that plan.
Instead, the Partnership for As-sessment of Readiness of College andCareers tests — which will be fully im-plemented for the first time this spring—had to wait for Tuesday.
Suzanne Woertz, supervisor of theschool system’s testing unit, said Mon-day that the lost day isn’t expected toderail schedules. Someschoolswill shiftback aday; otherswill take advantageofbuilt-inmakeup days, she said.
“If we just miss this one day, thenwe don’t anticipate any problems
with having enough days for all of ourschools to finish testing,”Woertz said.
The school system must follow astate-dictated window from March 2through March 26. The district doesn’tneed to ask to extend that time frameyet,Woertz said, but school officialswillre-evaluate if schools close again on atesting day.
Schools can choose when to givethe tests, as long as students take themwithin the 20-day window. That flex-ibility marks a significant change fromthe stricter schedule for the MarylandSchool Assessment tests, Woertz said.
The PARCC tests, which the districtpiloted last year, are aligned with theCommon Core State Standards and re-place theMarylandSchoolAssessmentsin reading andmath.
This month, students will take thefirst of two PARCC testing rounds. Thefirst group of tests are “performance-based assessment” that are longer andmore complicated than the “end-of-year assessment” students will takelater this spring.
Students in third through eighthgrades will take math and English lan-guage arts tests. High school studentsstudying Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Eng-lish 10 will take corresponding tests.
The district and individual schoolshave been preparing for the new tests,both directly and indirectly, school of-ficials and principals said.
Most students will take tests oncomputers, a task made easier by theschool system’s technology plan put inplace the last few years, said Kara Tren-kamp, director of the district’s Depart-ment of Instructional Technology. Theplan has added Chromebook laptopsandother devices in certain classroomsand expanded wireless networks inschools, among othermeasures.
Trenkamp said the district addedmore technology for everyday teachingand learning, but it has helped prepareschools and students for PARCC tests.
District officials have consideredwhat assignments students should seein the classroom that would be similarto tasks they will face in the PARCC as-
sessments, such as writing an essayfrommultiple sources, she said.
The district gleaned lessons fromlast year’s pilot tests. Schools testedwhat activity their WiFi could handleand found that the Internet browserversion usedwas important, Trenkampsaid. Some students didn’t realize howlong it would take to complete whatseemed like a small number of ques-tions, including an essay,Woertz said.
The districtwill help schools duringtesting, including through an online re-source library, technology specialists,and a help desk to field calls.
Kyle Heatwole, principal at SingerElementary School in Silver Spring, saidFriday that the 200 to 250 students whowill take the tests are already comfort-able with the technology they will use.
Theschool’s third-andfifth-gradershave had Chromebooks in their class-rooms since January, he said, and theschool has had laptops since the build-ing opened two years ago. Students aregenerally “very technologically saavy,”he said.
About two weeks ago, Singer stu-dents tried a short practice round,which helped calm the nerves of someyounger students, Heatwole said.
Heatwole welcomes the new tests.“I’m really happy that now we’re
going to have a test that does align tothe curriculum we’ve been using,” hesaid.
Principal Sean McGee also saidon Friday that his students at WimsElementary in Clarksburg were famil-iar with Chromebooks they’ll use forPARCC tests, havingused them in class.
He said the school also held prac-tice sessions to help students get a feelfor how the tests look on the Chrome-books and “the rhythm of it.” Studentshad some small questions during thesessions, but nothing “major,” he said.
The school didn’t prepare studentsspecifically for test content,McGeesaid.
“We’re not really in the business ofteaching to the test,” he said. “We be-lieve the curriculum really prepares thestudents for it.”
PARCC tests face slight delay in county after snow day
n County Councilconsidering terms forselling current site
BY LINDSAY A. POWERSSTAFFWRITER
A school bus depot’s futurehome remains uncertain as thecounty considers how to sell thesiteof the currentdepot andfinda spot for a new one.
AMontgomery County Pub-lic Schools bus depot now onCrabbs BranchWay in Rockvillehas about 410 buses. It needs tomove to make way for develop-ment around the Shady GroveMetro station.
The depot is one part of thecounty’s Crabbs Branch ServicePark, which once held a varietyof county functions.
Facing a proposed dead-line of January 2017, school andcounty staff are still scramblingto clinch short-term and long-term solutions. In an ongoing,years-long search, they are look-ingat oneormore sites for anewdepot.
In its capital budget request,the school board asked thecounty for $100,000 to study thecurrent site of the district’s BlairG. Ewing Center as a relocationoption. The idea has stirred op-position from Aspen Hill andother county residents.
During a Feb. 10 meeting,County Council staff describedother possibilities for a perma-nent location and a short-termsolution that places the depot’sbuses atmultiple sites.
Under the short-term solu-tion, the school system wouldpark about 82 buses in 10 highschool lots, 100 buses at the dis-trict’s Carver Educational Ser-vices Center in Rockville, and100 buses at the county’s Equip-ment Maintenance and TransitOperations Center.
Piecing these sites togetherleaves about 130 buses withouta home.
Besides the Ewing centersite, the list of potential long-term relocation spots includesa Montgomery Village-area siteon Woodfield Road that theMaryland-National Capital ParkandPlanningCommissionownsand the county-owned OaksLandfill in Laytonsville.
Council staff said those siteshaven’t been studied, althoughsome limitations are alreadyknown.
Some council members saidFeb. 10 that they didn’t want theschool district to use a site thatcurrently holds a school, refer-ring to theEwing center locationthat holds alternative educationprograms.
James Song, director of theschool system’s Departmentof Facilities Management, saidin an interview that the schoolboard hasn’t responded to thetwopossible long-termsolutionsmentioned alongside the Ewingcenter in the Feb. 10 meeting.The district would study othersites, but needs money to do so,he said.
If the depot would move tothe Ewing site, Song said, thedistrict figures it could fit 370 ofthe 410 buses that need to be re-located. The district hasn’t stud-ied the property.
For the possible short-termsolution, Song said, the districtcould lease private commercialproperty for theoutstanding 130
buses in the plan.As officials consider reloca-
tion options, the council is con-sidering how land on the eastside of the service park—wherethe depot now sits — will passfrom the county to developersLCOR andNVR.
The council will hold a pub-lic hearing March 17 on the dis-positionof the servicepark land.
OnMarch 30, the council’s Gov-ernment Operations and FiscalPolicy Committee and Educa-tion Committee will discuss thedisposition.
Down the road, the councilwill vote on a declaration of nofurther need for the property,which, if approved, would au-thorize the county executive todispose of the land.
In a Feb. 23 letter to Leggett,Council President George Lev-enthal outlined council ques-tions and comments related tothe disposition.
Some council memberswere concerned about the pro-posed January 2017 sale date,“given that neither a short-termnor long-term relocation planfor the bus depot has been fullydeveloped,” the letter says.
The letter asks about poten-tial depot sites that developersoffered when responding to acounty request for developmentproposals for the service park’seastern side, now called Jer-emiah Park.
Greg Ossont, deputy direc-tor of the county’s Departmentof General Services, said de-velopers pitched ideas in theirproposals, but “none of themoffered us a panacea.” Develop-ers under consideration couldincrease their bid in lieu of of-
fering both money and land forthe depot, he said.
Elrich, however, said it’s“absolutely clear” that thedevel-opment proposal request had arequirement that a developerfind a solution for moving thedepot.
“I guess I’m curious as towhy we didn’t hold them to theterms of the deal,” he said.
The request said the busdepot now fills 35 acres, but“developers may not need toidentify the same total num-ber of acres and the county willconsider multiple sites of feweracres.”
A developer wouldn’t be ex-pected to design or construct fa-cilities on a new site, the requestsays.
Ossont said the languagewas meant to help developersoffer more viable proposals forrelocating the bus depot, but itwasn’t an obligation.
Elrichsaid thecounty shouldadjust the sale date, so develop-ers don’t get the land until theyfind a depot solution.
Song said the school boardremains concerned that the dis-trict hasn’t confirmed a place topark buses.
“We’re asking [the] CountyCouncil and [the]CountyExecu-tive to strongly consider findingout solutions before the land isdisposed but we certainly un-derstand the county’s contrac-tual obligations as well,” Songsaid.
Council Vice PresidentNancy Floreen said the schoolsystem is responsible for findinga new site and has been “avoid-ing” the relocation issue.
“They just haven’t faced upto their needs,” she said. “Thishas been a long time brewingfor them anyways.”
Plan for school district bus depot’s next home remains hazy
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
The Shady Grove Bus Depot on Crabbs Branch Way in Rockville.
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THE GAZETTEPage A-10 Wednesday, March 4, 2015 s
BUSINESS
Bioscience companieswin state grants
Two Montgomery Countylife science companies areamong the six recipientsof a to-tal $865,000 in grants from theBioMaryland Center’s Biotech-nology Development Awardsprogram.
Each company will receiveup to $200,000, according to anews release.
•BrainBiosciencesofRock-ville is developing a compactportable positron emissiontomography scanner to evalu-ate patients with suspectedAlzheimer’s disease or otherneurodegenerative disorders.
• Mindoula Health of Sil-ver Spring is developing a tele-healthplatformenablingvirtualand in-person 24/7 behavioralhealth case management ser-vices and collaborative care.
develops and sells treatmentsfor pulmonary arterial hyper-tension, reported that its profitlast year almost doubled to$340.1million from $174.6mil-lion in 2013. Revenues rose to$1.29 billion from$1.12billion.
The Silver Spring com-pany reported a fourth-quarterprofit of $115.9 million, versusa net loss of $30.3 million inthe fourth quarter of 2013, and
revenues rose to $346.4 millionfrom$289.0million.
Colombo Bank namessocial media coordinator
Colombo Bank of Rockvillenamed Brendan Edward Ken-nedy of Silver Spring a socialmedia coordinator.
The bank also establishedits focus lending team in theShaw community of Washing-ton, D.C., led by Larry Johnson,vice president and loan creditrisk officer, andMichael Keber,vice president and real estaterelationshipmanager.
Intrexon paying $41Mfor fruit companyIntrexon, a synthetic biol-
ogy company in Germantown,is branching out into fruit.
The company agreed toacquire Okanagan SpecialtyFruits of Summerland, Brit-ish Columbia, the developer ofthe Arctic apple, the first non-browning apple, for $31millionin Intrexon stock, plus $10 mil-lion cash, according to a newsrelease.
Intrexon said it is expand-ing its foodprograms to includetrees yielding fruit that is moreappetizing and convenient forconsumers while providingeconomic benefit throughoutthe tree fruit supply chain.
Thedeal isexpectedtocloseby July.
n Gaithersburg-basedcompany promises cage-free
eggs, no veal crates
BY SAMANTHA SCHMIEDERSTAFFWRITER
Sodexo, the internationalfood and facilities managementcompany based inGaithersburg,has unveiled its newest animalwelfare guidelines, committingto sourcing its liquid eggs fromcage-freehensby2020andelimi-nating veal crates by 2017.
Three years ago, Sodexocommitted tosourcing its shelledeggs fromonly cage-free hens by2014,agoal itmet, andalsosaid itwould completely eliminate ges-tation crates from its pork supplychain by 2022.
The Humane Society of theUnited States’ director of foodpolicy, JoshBalk, said that hehasbeen working with Sodexo formany years and they’ve “alwaysbeen a wonderful group to workwith.”Balk applauded theirnew-est commitment.
“The typeofworkwedowithSodexo is amodel for anonprofitand a for-profit company work-ing together to create a betterworld,” Balk said.
Balk explained that he firststarted working with Sodexo ona campus level to improve itssustainability, and then movedto companywide policies beforethe latest version, which is “anupdated animal welfare com-mitment that builds off of theirprevious commitments.”
“What I think is important
also is Sodexo is a company thatis globally known and growingand it sees animal welfare issuesas a core component of theirbusinessmodel,” Balk said.
Deborah Hecker, vice presi-dent of corporate social respon-sibilityatSodexo, explained inanemail that “responsible sourcingof food products that have beengrown and raised is somethingthat has always been a core fo-cus of our supply chain.” Sheexplained that the focus on theissue was formalized in 2009 aspart of the company’s “BetterTomorrowPlan.”
The changes that Sodexo ismaking will all be implementedwithin the next few years. Re-cently, Sodexo made a promiseto phase out eggs from cagedhens and, in February, expandedthat to include liquid eggs,whicharealreadycrackedandprepared
in a container for scrambling.Hecker made sure to em-
phasize in the email that Sodexodoes not “manufacture, growor raise animals or products,”rather they purchase their sup-plies from vendors for their cli-ents. Sodexo’s clients includeschools, college and universities,health care centers, government,corporate offices and remotesites.
“Here’swhat’sbeenhappen-ing over the past several years:The largest restaurant chains,food service companies, grocerychains and distribution compa-nies have come together to im-prove the lives of animals withintheir supply chains,” Balk said.
Heexplained thatmost com-panies are focusing on three keyelements, including the additionof more plant-based foods ontheir menus, discontinuing use
of cages for chickens and stop-ping the use of gestation cagesfor mother pigs. Balk said thisis being done because of thepublic’s interest in “animal wel-fare, sustainability and humanhealth.”
“Consumersknownowmorethan ever before, likely becauseof the age of the Internet,” Balksaid.
Hecker explained inanemailthat while it “certainly is an is-sue that is front and center withconsumers,” themost recent an-nouncement was not promptedby its recent popularity. She ex-plained that Sodexo has beenworking on using more hu-manely sourcedanimalproductsfor many years and have “madegreat strides.” Sodexo has hada working relationship with theHumane Society of the UnitedStates formore thanfive years.
“These policies are onlygood if it causes change on theground,” Balk said.
Balk said if food buyers re-fuse to buy caged eggs or vealfrom crates, then producers willbegin to change their ways to re-flect what their customers want.Heexplainedthat someeggcom-panies who never before offeredacage-freeoptionhavestarted todo so, and pork producer Smith-field Foods is one of the lead-ers in stopping use of gestationcrates.
“Sodexo has created themodel policy for all of the topfoodcorporations in theworld tofollow,” Balk said.
PHOTO FROM THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES
Gaithersburg-based food services company Sodexo has made a move awayfrom the use of eggs from hens in cages, as pictured above. By 2020, thecompany will source all of its eggs, both in-shell and liquid, from cage-freehens.
BizBriefsHave a new business in Montgomery County?
Let us know about it at www.gazette.net/newbusinessform
1931341
NOTICENotice is hereby given that applicationhas been made by:
Baden Esmeralda Ayala
on behalf of Lily’s Place, Inc., for thereclassification of a Beer & Light WineLicense, Class H, H/R, On Sale Only, toa Beer, Wine & Liquor License, ClassB, H/R, On Sale Only, for the premisesknown as Lily’s Place, which premisesare located at:
11305 Elkin StreetWheaton, Maryland 20902
A hearing on the application will be heldin the Montgomery County GovernmentRockville Library, First Floor MeetingRoom 21 Maryland Avenue, Rockville,Maryland 20850, on:
Thursday: March 19, 2015At: 11:30 a.m.
Any person desiring to be heard on saidapplication should appear at the timeand place fixed for said hearing.
BY: Kathie DurbinDivision ChiefBoard of License Commissionersfor Montgomery County, Maryland
1931342
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that applicationhas been made by:
Bandele R. Azeez
License, Class B, H/R, On Sale Only,for the premises known asSuyamaster, which premises arelocated at:
2302-2304 Price AvenueWheaton, Maryland 20902
A hearing on the application will be heldin the Montgomery County GovernmentRockville Library, First Floor MeetingRoom 21 Maryland Avenue, Rockville,Maryland 20850, on:
Thursday: March 19, 2015At: 1:00 p.m.
Any person desiring to be heard on saidapplication should appear at the timeand place fixed for said hearing.
BY: Kathie DurbinDivision ChiefBoard of License Commissionersfor Montgomery County, Maryland
1931339
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that applicationhas been made by:
James Richards
for a Beer & Light Wine License, ClassD, On/Off Sale, for the premises knownas Urban Winery II, which premisesare located at:
A hearing on the application will be heldin the Montgomery County GovernmentRockville Library, First Floor MeetingRoom 21 Maryland Avenue, Rockville,Maryland 20850, on:
Thursday: March 19, 2015At: 10:30 a.m.
Any person desiring to be heard on saidapplication should appear at the timeand place fixed for said hearing.
BY: Kathie DurbinDivision ChiefBoard of License Commissionersfor Montgomery County, Maryland
emy program when he was 7.Skaters in that program alsotrain under top-level coachesat the Cabin John Ice Rink andRockville Ice Arena.
Carpenter andMcNamara,16, who joined the academywhen she was almost 5, pairedup and began competing al-most a decade ago. They fin-ished fourth in the 2008 U.S.Junior National Champion-ships and third at thenationalsin 2012 and 2013.
Last year, they won a silvermedal at the nationals, thenfinished fourthat theWorld Ju-nior Championships. In 2013,they placed ninth in the worldchampionships and third innationals. Along the way, theywon numerous competitions,such as at the Lake Placid IceDance Championships.
“We try not to focus somuch on winning a compe-tition,” said Carpenter, whograduated high school whilebeing homeschooled and at-tends Montgomery College.He plans to major in mechani-cal engineering. “We just wantto improve and do the verybest we can every time wecompete.”
McNamara, a sophomoreat Connelly School of the HolyChild in Potomac, said sheparticularly enjoys the perfor-mance aspect. “I love being onthe icewith themusic andput-ting on a show for the crowd,”she said.
The Parsonses, who alsotrain through the Wheaton IceSkating Academy program,competed with other partnersbefore pairing up several yearsago. Theywon thenovice-levelice dancing competition at the2011U.S.NationalChampion-ships during their first year ofskating together.
Then in the first WinterYouth Olympic Games in Aus-tria in 2012, the Parsonses fin-ished fourth in the 12-team icedancingfield, behind twoduosfrom Russia and one from theUkraine. Last year, they placedeighth at the World JuniorChampionships after winningthe bronze medal at nationals.
There can be pressure insuch competitions, but the
skaters try to keep relaxed andfocused.
“We talk to each other,”said Michael, 19, a MagruderHigh graduate who attendsMontgomery College. “Some-times I do visualization exer-cises to stay focused on ourroutine before we compete.”
Listening tomusic also canhelp relieve pressure, said Ra-chel, 17, a junior at Magruder.Carpenter said he also doesvisualization exercises beforecompetitions.
Beyond the pressure of thecompetition, they try to realizehow far they have come andenjoybeing innewplaces. “Weget to travel all over theworld,”Rachel said.
Other skaters who trainwith the Wheaton academywon medals in different levelsat the national championshipsinGreensboro.Those includedCaroline Green, 11, and Gor-don Green, 13, first place innovice dance; Emma Gunter,13, and Caleb Wein, 13, thirdplace in novice dance; andElizabeth Tkachenko, 9, andAlexei Kiliakov, 9, first place injuvenile dance.
Last year, the duo of LucaBecker, 14, andGigiBecker, 13,won the gold medal in novicedance at the nationals. ElianaGropman, 14, and Ian Somer-ville, 14, won the silver medalin novice dance at that samecompetition.
The ice dancing competi-tion in Estonia is run by theInternational Skating Union,one of the oldest internationalsports federations that governscompetitive ice skating events.The field is a little different thisyear, with some skaters fromlast year moving to the higherlevel, Carpenter said.
The skaters have aspira-tions to get to the Olympics,perhaps in 2018, but have tojump from the junior to seniorcircuit at some point.
“Making the Olympics hasalways been a dream of mine,”Carpenter said. “It’s importantto make your move to the se-nior-level competitions at theright time.”
vard, Piney Branch Road andPhiladelphia Avenue to try tokeep them out of residentialneighborhoods.
The other, for cars andlight trucks,will useOldCarrollAvenue, Sligo Creek Parkway,Maple Avenue, MaplewoodAvenue and Flower Avenue.
Work on the Carroll Ave-nuebridge,which ismore than80 years old, will include re-placing thebridgedeck, beamsandcolumnsabove thearches,railings and ornamental lights.
There also will be a new side-walk along the east side ofCarroll Avenue between OldCarroll Avenue and the bridge,as well as upgrades to existingsidewalks and ramps to meetAmericans with DisabilitiesAct standards.
The state plans to adver-tise for bids on the project inApril and have preparationwork, including installing atemporary pedestrian bridge,moving utility poles and put-ting up temporary signals,start in August.
Silver Theatre and Cultural Cen-ter, demonstrators gathered out-side before the forum, holdingsigns and shouting their supportfor theproject.
The project will bring eco-nomic stimulus and environ-mental benefits, said Nick Brandof Chevy Chase Section 3, whowore a purple scarf around hisneck to fend off the March windas he waved a sign along Coles-villeRoad.
Brand said he believes that ifthe state takes a fair and honestlook at the project, it will decidethat it’s crucial to MontgomeryCounty’s future.
The forum featured a debatebetweenRichParsons, vice chair-man of the Suburban MarylandTransportationAlliance,andRan-dal O’Toole, a visiting fellow withthe Maryland Public Policy Insti-tute and a senior fellow with theCato Institute. Parsons favors the
project,whileO’Tooleopposes it.About 75people attended the
forum, said Christopher Sum-mers, president of the nonprofitMaryland Public Policy Institute,which sponsored the event andcost $45 to attend. Most of thequestionsfromtheaudienceweredirected at Parsons, challenginghis assertions.
The Purple Line will be goodfor transportation and the envi-ronment, plus bring economicbenefits, and any could damagethe viability of the project, saidParsons, a former CEO of theMontgomeryCountyChamberofCommerce.
“We literally areon the1-yardline and ready to score here,” hesaid.
The line will lead to moretransit riders and faster trips, andtake nearly 16,800 vehicle tripsper day off the region’s crowdedroads, he said.
The line also will connectMontgomery, Maryland’s mostpopulous county, with the state’sflagshipuniversity inCollegePark
and let businesspeople travelfromSilverSpringtoNewYorkviathe Acela train in New Carrolltonwithout having to drive their cars,he said.
Parsons argued that the pub-lic-private partnership also willlead to redevelopment aroundits 21 stations, with 31 projectssomehow tied to the Purple Linealreadyunderway.
If the state doesn’t move for-ward with the project now, it willbe missing out on $1.8 billion ininvestments, and every year it’sdelayed will add significantly tothe cost, Parsons said.
O’Toole argued that light-railprojects virtually never achievewhat they’re projected to and of-ten cost significantly more thanexpected.
Buses can move more peoplethan trains because they can runmore frequently than trains, hesaid.
The Washington region hassome of the least-used buses inthe country, averaging just morethan 10 passengers apiece, he
said.“If you can’t fill your buses,
whydoyouneed trains?”he said.Parsons argued that the
Washington region is differentfrom other regions that mighthave capacity on their roads torun more buses, while this re-gion’s roads are already crowded.
He cited maintenance issueson the Metrorail system, includ-ing ones that led to an incident inJanuaryinwhichapassengerdiedfromsmokeinhalationinatunneland a 2009 crash on the Red Linethat killedninepeople.
Aregionshouldn’tbuildmorerailwhen it can’tmaintainwhat ithas,O’Toole said.
He also argued that light raildoesn’t stimulate economic de-velopment, pointing to the strug-gles of Portland, Ore., to attractdevelopment around its system.
Investments in develop-ment around Metro stations hasworked out well for the Washing-tonarea, Parsons countered.
house’s care since his mother,who uses a wheelchair, movedthere.
“No one ever said anythingverbally to us that there was apossibility theywouldclosewhenwe moved my mom there,” saidGreenberg, a copywriter in thecreative services department ofTheWashingtonPost.
The move to Springhousefrom Edith Greenberg’s previousresidence in an independent liv-ing senior building in Rockvillecost about $3,500, he said. “Andnow we are being forced to payto move again just a few monthslater,”Greenberg said.
The Silver Spring facilityhas 42 residents and the one inBethesda has 53, said Eileen Ben-nett, a long-term care ombuds-man for Montgomery County.That program advocates for therights of residents in such facili-
ties.For a closure last year involv-
ing about 30 residents of Spring-house of Westwood — anotherBethesda assisted living center— residents were offered mov-ing expenses if they transferred toanother HCR ManorCare facility,Bennett said. She did not knowwhatHCRwouldoffer this time.
Irvine, Calif.-based HCP andToledo, Ohio-based HCR Manor-Care “jointly agreed to market forsale certain non-strategic assets,”HCP officials said in the com-pany’s recently released 2014 an-nual report.
The list of locations was notmade public, Rump said. “It isveryearly inthisprocess,”hesaid.
HCP owns numerous otherproperties in MontgomeryCounty, including Arden Courtsof Silver Spring and Arden Courts
ofKensington.State regulations require as-
sisted living centers and similarfacilities to give residents and
family members at least 45 days’noticewhenclosing a facility.
ToGreenberg, 90days’noticewas not sufficient, he said, sinceit takes time to research and visitpotentialnewcenters inpersontoreviewwhat theyprovide.
“Idon’tknowifwewillbeableto find a similar facility for aboutthe same rate that is as close towhere we live,” Greenberg said.He wondered about residentswho may not have family mem-bers tohelp them.
Bennett said part of her pro-gram’s duties was to help resi-dents in such cases, includingthose without family membersnearby. Such closures involvinglarge assisted living or nursingcenters of at least 30 residentswere unusual in the county, shesaid. The last closure of a similar-sized facility before Springhouseof Westwood was in 2005, Ben-nett said.
The county office didn’t getany additional notice of the clo-sures, she said. “This was unex-
pected tous, too,”Bennett said.A forum hosted by HCR
ManorCare for residents, familymembers, independent and as-sisted living providers and geriat-ric care managers is scheduled at5 p.m. March 10 at Springhouseof Bethesda, 4925 Battery Lane.Another is slated at 5 p.m. March12atSpringhouseofSilverSpring,2201ColstonDrive.
Bennett said she thoughtthere were enough vacancies incounty assisted and independentliving facilities toabsorbresidentsnow looking for new homes. Butthe problem would be findinga similar center at comparablerates, she said.
Some Westwood residentslast year moved to facilities thatare tobe closed, she said.
“So they will have to movetwice in about a year,” Bennettsaid. “That is abigdeal.”
tem to improve itswater quality.Just getting to Mangi can
be challenging, with a 24-hourplane ride from the D.C. areaand a two-day vehicle ride overbumpy roads. The EWB D.C.chapter started planning theproject in 2012, and membersmade several trips to assessconditions, test systems andperform other functions in 2013and 2014. They started imple-menting the water system inJanuary.
EWB members generallyvisit for two weeks at a time,with most using vacation daysfrom work.
A big challenge is to developprojects that last a long time,Mead said. The group teacheslocal people how to use andmaintain the system, and uses
local materials so they can beeasily replaced by residents, hesaid.
“We put a lot of thoughtinto these projects,” said Mead,a Hyattsville resident.
Ashley Reives, a systems en-gineer who lives in Washington,D.C., returned in late Januaryfrom an implementation trip toCameroon.
“There was a great responsefrom the community,” Reivessaid. “People were carryingequipment, digging ditches,cooking for us. They reallywanted to learn about the sys-tem.”
Besides implementing thesystem, there is an educationalcomponent, said Rahul Mitra,a seasoned international de-velopment program managerand D.C. resident. For instance,cows and other animals wereusing and contaminating thevillage’s human drinking water.
EWB members recommendedthey keep animals away fromwater meant for people, he said.
TheMangiclean-waterproj-ect’s budget is about $64,000,said Rachel Rath, a program as-sociate with Patient-CenteredOutcomes Research Institute inWashington, D.C. EWB, whosemembers are from a wide rangeof fields, not just engineering,will do other projects in Camer-oon, she said.
“We are looking at beingthere for a decade or so,” saidRath, who has a master’s degreein public health.
Colesville Presbyterianhas agoal of raising $50,000 for EWBby the end of the year, withsome funds going to the nextphase after the Mangi project,Clapp said.
“We are looking at this asa long-term partnership,” shesaid. “We are disbursing fundsto them as they need them, and
as we see them successfully im-plementing their solutions.”
Church members also arecontacting corporate sponsorsandothers toobtainmore fund-ing. They have helped draft theengineering design and a safetymanual for the Mangi projectand provide a pipeline con-struction trainer.
On Sunday, EWB memberspraised members of the SilverSpring church for their wide-spread support. Cameroonmembers sung songs of praisefor them.
The project “creates a pow-erful experience for everyoneinvolved,” said Mead, who isleaving Saturday on a systemimplementation trip to Camer-oon.
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ForumForumThe GazetteWednesday, March 4, 2015 | Page A-12
OUROPINIONS
LET TERS TOTHEEDITOR
Chemical debate
As president ofMontgomery County FarmBu-reau, Iwould like to respondtoMichaelTabor’s let-ter (“FarmBureau should sit out pesticide debate,”Feb. 4).Just who is Mr. Tabor? He prides himself as an
organic farmer, using sustainable farming prac-tices.Heclaims toproduce foodona farminPenn-sylvaniawithout using chemicals.Really. Suchclaimsmaysoundprogressive,but
are simply untrue. Without chemicals, there is nolife.Water and soil are comprised of chemicals.Mr. Tabor is quick to advance his values, while
denouncing the values of others. It takes a lot ofnerve to suggest that MCFB, whose membershiprepresents more than 3,500 families, should be si-lent. Mr. Tabor, I remind you that every Americanhas the constitutional right to freedomof speech.Let me be firm:MCFB will not sit this one out.
WebelieveBill 52-14 is abigmistakeand shouldbewithdrawn by its sponsor, Mr. Leventhal. We viewthis bill as unenforceable, and if adopted, in viola-tion of state lawand federal law.Farmers, lawn-care providers and consum-
ers who use pesticides do exercise caution andcommon sense. They don’t need to be denied theright to use a certain product, nor do they need toconsult with someone in Rockville about a permit,special exception or a determination of essential-ity. The EPA-approved product labels advise usersof necessary directions for use andprecautions.
There are dozens of reasons why MCFB op-posesBill52-14.Oneof themainreasonswasstatedbyMr. Tabor: “It is true that the potential harms ofmany pesticides used today cannot be definitivelysubstantiated.” The absence of harm is reasonenough forMCFB to join others in the very seriouseffort tostopMr.Leventhal’sgoal tocreatewhatwe
believe is anunnecessary layer of regulation.We should not create expensive regulations
based on philosophies of a small minority of citi-zens. When councilmen and councilwomen ad-vance the interests of the minority and refuse tolisten to thewill of themajority, confidence in gov-ernment is lost.MCFB believes Bill 52-14 throws our lawn ap-
plicators under the bus without good cause. Theseexperts are knowledgeable about the productsavailable to them to achieve the intended resultsthat homeowners request. Farmers feel a kinshipto thosewho tend to the land, lawns andplants.MCFB seeks to represent all aspects of agricul-
tural practices.We support each farmer’s choice tomanage their business in a manner that fits theirobjectives.Montgomery County farmers fear this bill will
provide the framework for future council actionsthat would interfere with farm business plans,and potentially result in the demise of their familyfarms.Our farmers have huge investments in land,buildings, machinery and human capital. Theywant their children and grandchildren to have op-portunities toassumeownershipof the familybusi-ness.Mr. Tabor should pursue his dreams, but he
shouldnot dream for the rest of us.
Lonnie Luther, Damascus
Council shouldn’t infringe on farmers’ investments
2011 FILE PHOTO
A Chevy Chase resident opposed to pesticide sprayingin her neighborhood put up this sign.
CountyCouncilmanGeorge Leventhal’s pro-posedbanonpesticideuse for public andprivateproperty takes away products rigorously testedand approved by the Environmental ProtectionAgency from professionals and homeowners.Theban is basedon fear, not science, and ignoresthe benefit of reliable weed, insect and diseasecontrols for our community.As former sportsfieldmanager forMontgom-
eryCounty’s acclaimedMarylandSoccerPlex anda current worldwide educator on turfgrass man-agement, my work is focused on creating betterturfgrass at all levels. Progress is made daily to-ward creating solutions to improve local fields.This proposed ban ignores this progress. It
ignores innovation of product technology. Andit removes many tools used to make fields andlawns better while reducing environmental im-pact — tools that removeweeds, reducemowingand reduce irrigation; tools that keep turfgrassstrong and healthy; tools tested and approved bythe EPA.This ban also fails to consider integrated pest
management already practiced by licensed, pro-fessional lawn-care operators and turfgrassman-agers. It uses pesticideminimally to treat specificthreats to healthy outdoor spaces.Let’s not ignore the benefits of EPA-tested
and approved pesticides because ofmisinforma-tion. Ask your council representative to vote noon Bill 52-14.
Jerad Minnick, RockvilleThewriter is the president and founder of
Growing Innovations in Rockville.
Pesticide banignores progressand innovation
The recent letters to the editorfrom the two Girl Scouts promot-ing pesticide-free lawns (“Garden-ers don’t have to use chemicalpesticides,” “The queen’s garden canbeamodel fornaturalpractices,”Feb.4)were truly inspiring.We teach our young people to
take care of their health and the envi-ronment,yetasadultswefail to followthrough and provide even safe lawnsand playing fields for them. Council-man George Leventhal’s proposedBill52-14wouldcorrect thisoversight.The Montgomery County Coun-
cil has passed other acts to protecthuman and environmental health—the most recent polystyrene ban, forexample.The Centers for Disease Control
andPrevention just reported the suc-cess of smoking bans in significantlyreducingourexposuretosecondhandsmoke—another issue onwhich ourCountyCouncil showed leadership.We are all exposed to lawn pesti-
cides,whetherwechoose touse themornot. Theydrift, are tracked intoourhomes on our shoes and pets’ paws(2,4-D can stay in carpets for up to ayear), and runoff into ourwaterways.Bill 52-14wouldrestrict the“non-
essential” (or cosmetic) use of lawnpesticides because the risks of a “per-fect” lawn are not worth the benefits.The pesticide and turfgrass lobby-ists are deliberately exaggerating thescope and intent of the bill: agricul-ture, golf courses and invasiveweeds,for example, are all exempt (and this
lawhas absolutely nothing to dowithindoor pest control).There are safer alternatives, and
grub infestations have not taken overOntario, Canada, which passed a farmore sweeping ban almost a decadeago.Our State House grounds in An-
napolis have been pesticide-free fortwo years.Our kids should be able to prac-
tice and play sports on safe lawns —without pesticides or artificial turf— just simple grass on which manyof us adults used to play. The opposi-tion’s argument that kids will trip onweeds and get concussions is simplynonsense.What isn’t nonsense are the
peer-reviewed studies that suggest
a link between commonly usedlawn pesticides like 2,4-D, dicamba,and glyphosate to cancers (humanand animal), Parkinson’s, autism,endocrine disruption, etc. I chooseto believe the American Academyof Pediatrics that warns us to keepchildren from contact with cosmeticlawn pesticides, not the lobbyinggroups and industries that profitfrom their sale.I urge the council, as stewards of
public health, to support a strong Bill52-14.
Julie Taddeo, Takoma ParkThewriter is amember of Safe
GrowMontgomery, a coalition thatfavors limiting exposure to lawnpes-ticides.
Trust pediatric group, not lobbyists, on pesticide dangers
Pesticides are harmful to people. I am gladsome of our lawmakers are starting to thinkabout people’s health with Healthy Lawns Bill52-14.My little sister and I have asthma. My sister
has been admitted to the hospital a couple oftimes for this. We try very hard to avoid things,like pesticides, that can cause us to have asthmaattacks.Our doctor filled out a sheet to include us on
Maryland’s pesticide sensitivity list. Lawn com-panies are supposed to call my parents beforethey spray pesticides on my neighbors’ yards.On those days, we have to stay inside the wholeday, and maybe longer, if we can still smell thepesticide vapors.Butbeingon the list doesn’t really protectme
ormy family. Inmy community, lawn pesticidesare used a lot. FromMarch to November, when-ever we step outside, we worry about breathingin pesticide vapors that drift around in the air,or playing at places that have pesticides put onthem.When I used to go to elementary school,
many times the nearby neighborhood wouldspray lots of pesticides near our school. Wecould smell the vapors when we were on schoolgrounds. Last fall, when it happened, my sisterand I got asthma for over a week.Kids like me would like to go out to play, ex-
ercise and go to school, without having to worryabout getting sick from breathing pesticides. Ihope more people will ask lawmakers to pass astrong Bill 52-14. A strong bill would finally pro-tect what’s important— our health.
Kate Tan, 12, Germantown
Pesticide vapors affectpeople with asthma
As parents, we fear for our chil-dren’s safety in many ways, whetherit’s walking to school, letting ourteenagers drive for the first time, orexposure to violent content on theInternet.Another concern for parents is
keeping our children safe from dis-ease and illness. A countywide con-versationhasstarted thatcouldmeanahealthier future forourchildren. It’sabout restricting the use of cosmetic,or “non-essential,” lawn pesticidesthat are extremely toxic to humans.What is particularly disturbing
is that we know children are highlysusceptible to pesticide toxicity.Evidence shows clear links betweenearly-life exposure to pesticidesand pediatric cancers, decreasedcognitive function and behavioralproblems. A meta-analysis of recentepidemiological studies indicates
a 50 percent increase in childhoodleukemia risk following routine ma-ternal pesticide use in the home orgarden.Children are also especially vul-
nerable because their daily activitiesincrease their exposure. They spendmore time playing outside on freshlysprayed lawns,playgroundsor sportsfields. Children also breathe morerapidly than adults and are morelikely to put contaminated hands intheirmouths.Furthermore, children’s brains,
nervous systems and organs, includ-ing the liver and kidneys, are stilldeveloping after birth. Exposure tolawn pesticides during this sensitiveperiod of development can lead toirreversible damage.Women’s expo-sure to lawn pesticides during preg-nancy can cause harm to the fetusand can be spread to infants during
breastfeeding. It’s no surprise thatthe American Academy of Pediatricsargues against such practices.The good news is that the detri-
mentalhealtheffectsdue topesticideexposure are completely prevent-able. The simple solution: Eliminatethe exposure via regulation. In fact,pesticide regulation in other U.S.states and municipalities, includingtheprovincesofQuebecandOntario,Canada, has successfully reducedex-posures among these populationswithout negatively affecting the lawncare industry.Unanimous support in the
CountyCouncil for thisbill shouldbea no-brainer, to use an unscientificterm. Since the1950s,wehave seenadramatic increase in the use of toxicpesticides on our lawns.Despite the overwhelming sci-
entific evidence about the dangers
of these pesticides, we have a fighton our hands. The chemical compa-nies are powerful and strongly resistefforts to restrict the use of its prod-ucts. So as we approach the spring,theCountyCouncil will face a choice— should it side with the chemicalcompanies or should it side with thehealthandwell-beingof our childreninMontgomeryCounty?This common sense bill would
targetonly themostdangerouspesti-cides and leaveMontgomeryCountyresidentswithmanysafealternatives.
Stephanie L. Fowler,Washington, D.C.
Thewriter is amember ofChesapeake Physicians for Social Re-sponsibility, a partner in Safe GrowMontgomery, which is a coalitionthat favors limiting exposure to lawnpesticides.
Exposure to lawn pesticides carries dangers
“MontgomeryCounty is a lib-eral and forward-thinking county,”Odessa Shannon, a longtime countyresident, told theCountyCouncil lastweek.Shannonwas oneof a handful of
older black residentswho spokeoftheir experiences growingupand liv-ing throughnot-so-long-agodecadesof segregation andovert discrimi-nation. Itwas part of the council’s90-minute sessionmarkingBlackHistoryMonth in February.However, addedShannon, a
member of the county school boardin the early ’80s: “Wehave a longwayto go.”That observationwas echoed
recently by a six-minute videopro-ducedby a groupofminority teens atBethesda-ChevyChaseHigh School,
which isinwhatmanyof itsresidentsconsiderthemostliberal,forward-thinking
part ofMontgomeryCounty.In the video, called “I, Too, Am
B-CC,” students eloquently tell ofhurtful comments directed theirwaybypeers, includingwell-meaningfriends:
“You’re very smart for a blackkid.”“You’re very pretty for a black
girl.”“You’re thewhitest blackperson
I know.”The studentswere inspiredby
a video called “I, Too, AmHarvard”that challenged stereotypes ofmi-nority students at the Ivy Leagueuniversity.“Most students at B-CCdon’t
necessarily see this problem, are notdirectly affectedby it,” seniorMakdesHailu,who is black andproduced thevideo, toldTheGazette.In recentmonths, race rela-
tions have erupted again into the
nation’s consciousness. Events inFerguson,Mo.; Staten Island,N.Y.;and elsewherehavebeen aharshreminder thatwhile somemay thinktheUnited States becameapost-racial society after President BarackObama’s election in 2008, the sting ofbigotry is still felt regularly bymanyAmericans. That includes black,biracial andHispanic students atBethesda-ChevyChaseHigh School.It’s no coincidence that such a
poignant videowasmadebyMont-gomeryCounty high schoolers.As Shannon told the council, shedecideddecades ago tomovewithher children fromWashington,D.C.,to the county for its high-quality
schools.“Educationwas themost im-
portant thing in our lives,” saidShannon,whoadded that shewasthe only blackmember of her classat SmithCollege inNorthampton,Mass. “Itwas the onlywayout.”Hailu andother studentswho
workedon the video created apow-erful piece—available at tinyurl.com/npg23uj— that drives hometheir painful points. Anyone con-cerned about race relations in our so-ciety and community—orwho canjust appreciatewhat a small groupofinsightful students can createwitha simple camera—should check itout.
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CA HCA HFOR CAR !FOR CAR !
THE GAZETTEWednesday, March 4, 2015 s Page A-13
The letters and opinions inTheGazettediscussingDr.Starr’sdeparture all shared a commontheme: bewilderment.Mr. Faris’s blistering attack
on the school system(“Time forahousecleaningatMCPS,”Feb.11)didn’t relatetomyexperienceasaparent of elementary andmiddleschool students. I’ve heard aboutterrible management issues at acoupleofnearby schools, but ourchildren’s teachers have rangedfromquite proficient to amazing,with only a few rough patches inmiddle school.Everything I’ve seen sug-
gests that badly administeredschools are the exception, al-though surely some struggle toadequately respond to the chal-lenges of a student population
with diverse circumstances andneeds. I do know that my chil-dren’s education is smarter andmore challenging thanmy “elite”private school experience severaldecades ago, and also superior tothe other two very good schoolsystems we experienced else-where.But one thing is definitely
missing: openness and honestyabout policy and leadership dif-ficulties. Perhaps not everythingneeds to be shared, but when itcomes to the top job. I expect theboard to explainwhy it ismakinga change. If not, I hope there willbe highly qualified candidateswho will challenge what I be-lieved to be a pretty good boardin thenext election.
John D. Wilson, Silver Spring
Education is quite good,but openness is missing
As someone who taught inMontgomery County PublicSchools for 34 years, under fivesuperintendents, I have to won-der what on earth this board isthinking.Joshua Starr is a man of vi-
sion, integrity andcourage.He is
a brilliant leader, whom I expectto see on the forefront of educa-tion on a national level.Montgomery County threw
away thebest educational leaderI have yet to see, and it is a sig-nificant loss to our children.
Judy Di Salvo Stenger, Rockville
Loss of Starr was significant
I recently attended a meetinghosted by Equity One detailingtheir plans for theWestbard site inBethesda. Being a resident of theneighboring Springfield neighbor-hood, I am very interested in thefuture of this site.While I realize reality may ul-
timately differ from the drawingsand models, I was impressed withwhat they presented. The planaddresses traffic, increases green
space, includes space for commu-nity events and acknowledges ex-isting retailers.Further, they addressed key
concernsrelatedtobuildingheight,residential expansion and transit.I urge those who are open to
the much needed change at thissite to take a good look at theirplans.
Kim Bishop, Bethesda
Westbard developmentplan shows promise
Wearecominguponthe100thanniversary of the national parksin 2016. Funding is critical to ourparks’upkeep,well-beingandcon-tinuance.I read The Gazette’s editorial
about paying for the C&O Canal(“AC&OCanalboost,” Jan.28)withmuch interest. Since the editorialwas published, it sounds like partof the problemhas been solved.However, I would like to dis-
cuss one additional area of con-cern regarding the C&OCanal andthenearby PotomacRiver.Unfortunately when, I am on
the Potomac River, on its islandsand among the rocks alongsidethe canal, I see scads of trash andI pick it up. However, I should nothave to be doing this. Everyone issupposedtobeconcernedwith theenvironment and aware of issuesrelated to it, including pollution.We discuss global warming/
climate change. We have had tochange to CFC light bulbs. We userecyclable bags instead of plastic.
Yet, people leave fishing tackle,cans, bottles, dog poop and otherjunk along our waterways witha total disregard to the conse-quences of their actions. This is adisgrace.This is not done in ignorance,
but in hubris. People do not care.They just leave it on the ground—it is not their problem.Maybe, since others are paid
to pick up their trash, people donot feel they need to haul awaywhat they brought in. They arenot taking personal responsibilityfor cleaning up their own messes.This attitude andbehavior just hasto change.The C&O Canal and the other
national parks belong to me andtherestof thecitizensof theUnitedStates and we are not taking careof them the way we should. If wepersonally took better care of ourparks, maybe charging user feeswouldnotbebeingdiscussedatall.
Mark Gochnour, Germantown
Treasure national parks;don’t trash them
When it is all said and done, Montgomery CountyPublic Schools has a budget revenue loss of between $15million and$25million, as supportedby the state.In a normal world, you would reduce costs by that
much and that would be the end of it. But this is Mary-land and the maintenance of effort law is so strict, thatnowbecomes a local issue.To be clear, themaintenance of effort law is a finan-
cially irresponsible piece of legislation that discouragesuseof technologyandanyothercost reductions thata re-sponsible institutionwouldperform.If thispoorlywrittenlawwasnot in existence,we couldhave closed the gap inournet revenue andnet expenseswith someeasyfixes.Take the two-plus million dollars in surplus created
by lower fuel costs to reducefiscal year 2016 expenses.Unless fuel costs drastically increase over thenext 60
days, at least $3million could be saved by simply adjust-ing the FY 2016budget for this line item.Choose how to close the last $20million: defer cost-
of-living adjustments, defer step increases, or simplymatchMCPShealthbenefitswithother countyagencies.Butweareunder theridiculousmaintenanceofeffort
law that discourages efficiency indelivering services. It istime for all counties that spend above the average to beexempt frommaintenanceof effort laws.Will our Montgomery County team in Annapolis
do something for the citizens of Montgomery County?Never.
Robert Monsheimer, Silver Spring
Maintenance of effortlaw thwarts efficiency
The Gazette’s Jan. 7 editorial (“Saveamphipods — at what cost?”) argues thatwhile some endangered animal speciesmaypossibly be lost due to the Purple Linelight-rail system, there will be large net en-vironmental benefits due to a reduction ingreenhousegasemissions fromlowerauto-mobile use. You calculate that “9,800 tonsof carbon dioxide that otherwise wouldenter the atmosphere and contribute toglobal climate changewill be eliminated.”But this calculation left out one side ef-
fect of the impact.While theremaywell befewer car trips (the figure you cite is 17,000fewer trips per day), the Purple Line itselfwill use a good deal of energy to operate.The rail vehicleswill run on electric power,and greenhouse gases are emitted to gen-erate such power.While the documents posted on the
official Purple Line state web site do notprovide a figure for how much power willbe used, they do recognize it will be sub-
stantial.One can arrive at a rough estimate of
how much by comparing the Purple Lineto existing light-rail systems in the U.S.wherepowerusefiguresareavailable. Spe-cifically, the light-rail line system operatedas part of the DART system in Dallas uses114 million kilowatt-hours per year, for asystem of 163 light-rail vehicles. The 114million kw-hrs corresponds to 86,700 tonsof CO2 emissions a year.The Purple Line will have 58 vehicles.
Assuming power use will be in proportion,the electric power to operate the PurpleLine will lead to 30,800 tons of CO2 emis-sions per year. This is more than threetimes the tons of CO2 “saved” by fewer cartrips.Operations alone of the Purple Line
would therefore lead to a net increase ofgreenhouse gas emissions of over 20,000tons of CO2 a year.But the overall impact will in fact be
worse. Therewill bemajor greenhouse gasemissions (as well as other adverse envi-ronmental impacts) frombuilding the $2.5billion system. Any such project needs agooddeal of steel, concrete and other suchmaterials, and there are high greenhousegas emissions frommaking each. Runningheavy construction equipment, gettingworkers to their job sites and all the otheractivities required to build a $2.5 billionsystem all lead to significant greenhousegas emissions.We need good public transit systems.
But the low to medium density of mostof the Purple Line corridor means thatenhanced bus service can provide betterservice at far lower cost than constructionof a rail line. The 20,000-ton-per-year netincrease in CO2 emissions is a direct con-sequence of building a rail system in a cor-ridor where therewill be almost no impacton car use.
Frank J. Lysy, Washington, D.C.
Purple Line reasoning ignores important factorsLET TERS TOTHEEDITOR
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THE GAZETTEPage A-14 Wednesday, March 4, 2015 s
1931323
n Blue Devils junior hastop 10 finishes in five of sixMetros races since 2013
BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN
STAFF WRITER
If one swimmer or diver could pro-duce a championship-caliber program,SpringbrookHighSchoolwouldbe in theupper echelon of Montgomery Countyswimming and diving — the Blue Dev-ils have produced several top swimmersand divers in the past. Though it doesn’tand the Blue Devils aren’t, junior Cath-erine Johnson has been about as impact-ful as one individual could be.
To put things in perspective, in thefive years prior to her arrival, Spring-brook’s girls didn’t score a single pointat the Washington Metropolitan Inter-scholastic Swimming and Diving Cham-pionships. In 2013 she finished eighthand 11th in the competition’s 50-yardfreestyle and 100 backstroke events, re-spectively, to account for all 26 Blue Dev-ils points. Springbrook finished 24th outof 33 teams that winter.
Last winter Johnson scored 37 pointsand, with her strength and the im-provement of a couple upperclassmen— coach Matt Page commended John-son’s patience and willingness to spendtime working with her teammates on
technique and race strategy — the BlueDevils qualified two relay squads for thenational-caliber competition.
This winter, though Johnson stillmanaged two top 10 finishes at Metros,she has been hindered by injury — sheoverextended her elbow — and illness.But freshman Cassandra Sanidad, whoposted a top 20 result in the 100 breast-stroke, helped limit the dropoff —Springbrook still scored 31 points.
Results such as Johnson’s as well asseniors Mica Ho — top 3 diver through-out championship season — and James
Hisnanick (9th in 200 freestyle, 11th in500 freestyle at Metros) on the boys side,arenot lost onprospective students, Pagesaid. Though a very young Blue Devilboys squad took a step back from lastyear’s 114-point Metros performance,several underclassmen have producedpositive results and the Springbrook pro-gram as a whole is on the rise, Page said.Johnson said everyone can feel it.
“Having top results at Metros andstates helps draw interest in the swim-
A stroke above
SILVER SPRING | TAKOMA PARK | WHEATON | BURTONSVILLE
www.gazette.net | Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | Page B-1
SPORTSSPORTSGAMES GAZETTE.NET IS STAFFINGPosted online by 8 a.m. the following day.
Clarksburg girl, Northwest boy earn top honors on All-Gazette track team. B-3
WRESTLING: Northwest High School’s Dell Ngonga andthe other Montgomery County champions compete onSaturday for state championships at Cole Field House.
BASKETBALL: 4A West Region championship gamesare scheduled for this weekend:Girls: 7 p.m. Friday at Paint BranchBoys: 1 p.m. Saturday at Blair
I usedto love thesnow.
Itmeant daysoff fromschool,sledding,snowballfights, hotchocolate,grilledcheesesandwiches and tomato soup.
Now, I just count the days untildaylight savings time resumes.Winter is just a nuisance and in-convenience — dealing with schoolcancellations and staffing resched-uled games can be a major head-ache — and each successive year itseems to get more annoying. I longfor the hot, humid and mosquito-filled days of July and August (Iwill probably complain about theweather then, too).
But with snow, ice and tem-peratures in the 20s on Saturday,thousands of student-athletesthroughout Maryland began try-ing out for spring sports. A quickglance through Twitter revealedthat the majority of teams held in-door practices or delayed tryouts.
Lacrosse, baseball, softball,tennis, golf and track don’t lendthemselves traditionally as indoorsports. They, for the most part, aredesigned to be played on grass un-der the blue skies and the goldensun.
“It’s a huge hindrance and putsus at a disadvantage,” Damascusgirls lacrosse coach Marcus Juradosaid. “It is tough to get anythingaccomplished other than condi-tioning.
“I’m not sure when we will beable to get outside even when weget the snow off the field. Maybenext week?”
Teams may not even be able tohave — or delay — accurate cuts.
“We have several kids on thebubble and you can’t find out any-thing in the gym,” Jurado said. “It’sgoing to be a lot of blind guessesuntil we get outside and into game-like conditions.”
While most teams are in thesame position and will likely lagbehind their expected routine dueto muddy fields, a few schools —mainly those with artificial turf— may enjoy the luxury of gettingoutside sooner (there’s no guaran-tee it will happen). In Montgomeryand Prince George’s countiesWalter Johnson, Gaithersburg,Paint Branch, Wootton, RichardMontgomery and Oxon Hill are thepublic high schools with turf.
When the D.C. Sniper terror-ized the region in the fall of 2002, Iremember having to practice foot-ball inside the gym — sometimesin full pads — for several weeks. Itflat out stunk and was hard to fo-cus. I imagine it is no different nowfor athletes used to playing outside.
But the weather, as it alwaysdoes, will eventually improve. Inthe coming weeks, The Gazette isscheduled to begin profiling stu-dent-athletes and teams with ourspring previews. Jennifer Beekmanis covering softball and gymnastics,Eric Goldwein is handling lacrosseand tennis, Prince J. Grimes willcover baseball and volleyball andAdam Gutekunst will be our go-toguy for track and field and golf.
If you have any story sugges-tions please send them to [email protected].
Two years ago, SherwoodHigh School wrestler AndrewFrumkin placed fourth at the4A/3A West Region tourna-ment to garner a spot at statesthe following week. But in do-ing so, he injured his hand andwas unable to participate in thebig event. Last year, he missedthe cut by one match with afifth-place finish.
On Saturday, in his homegym in Sandy Spring, the106-pounder didn’t cut it closeat all, winning the region cham-pionship to clinch a No. 1 seedin the state tournament, sched-uled to start Friday at Cole FieldHouse in College Park. The top4 wrestlers from each weightclass advance to states.
“It feels absolutely amaz-ing,” Frumkin said. “I finallyget a solid, significant thingthat shows how much effort Iput into the offseason all theseyears. I finally have somethingto show for it.”
Frumkin was one of 11wrestlers to win a region cham-pionship on Friday after win-ning a county title on Tuesday.Northwest’s Dell Ngonga (113)and TJ Patterson (220), WalterJohnson’s Logan Wilson (126),Churchill’s Giulian Groce(182), and Damascus’ ScottObendorfer (120), MichaelWilkerson (132), Cory Oben-dorfer (138), Colin McLaugh-lin (152), Johnny Fischer (160),and Owen Brook (170) also wonconsecutive titles.
The region championshipwas basically a clone of thecounty championship — withfewer participants, and without
Sherwoodwrestler’swait ends
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Sherwood High School’s AndrewFrumkin (top) won his 100th matchby beating Damascus’s TJ Macklin inSaturday’s 106-pound match.
See SHERWOOD, Page B-2
FILE PHOTO
Springbrook High school junior Catherine Johnson has developed into one of the area’s better swimmers.
FILE PHOTO
Springbrook High School junior Catherine Johnson has become one of the area’s top swimmers.
n Blazers unable to keep up withAnnapolis/Old Mill forward
BY PRINCE J. GRIMES
STAFF WRITER
It was a bittersweet end to a four-year ride for the seniors on the BlairHigh School co-op ice hockey team onFriday night.
An up and down season, with morehighs than lows, came to a screechinghalt in Laurel as the Blazers fell 3-1 to
Annapolis/Old Mill in the MarylandStudent Hockey League’s 1A statechampionship game.
Blair didn’t have an answer for thespeed of Annapolis/Old Mill forwardWilliam Jenkins, who scored two break-away goals in the second period andadded an empty-netter late in the thirdto seal the victory.
“That’s how this game bouncessometimes,” Blair coach Kevin Mc-Cabe said. “They got a couple fortunatebounces in the neutral zone. ... The kidwho scored their two goals, very gifted
scorer. You give a player like that a lotof opportunity, he’s going to beat a lotof goaltenders.”
The first period of Friday’s gamehad the feel of what it was — two unfa-miliar teams fromdifferent conferencestrying to find a groove. By the secondperiod, each team looked a lot morecomfortable — especially Blair.
The Blazers began attacking thenet early in the period, but whether itwas passes not connecting or saves be-ing made by Annapolis/Old Mill goalieAdam Childs, Blair couldn’t score.
Jenkins turned a mid-ice turnoverinto a one-one chance with Blair goalieAlexander Zastrow. Jenkins beat himwith a glove-side backhand to put histeam ahead 1-0 just over five minutesinto the period. A little over three min-utes later, he collected the puck off ofa missed shot by Blair and turned theburners on to go coast-to-coast for hissecond goal.
“I think we definitely missed a fewchances,”Blair senior captainSebastian
Blair ice hockey loses in the state championship game
See STROKE, Page B-2
See HOCKEY, Page B-2
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T H E G A Z E T T EPage B-2 Wednesday, March 4, 2015 s
2A
school Poolesville — and as itdid at the county championship,Damascus won in record-settingfashion.
OnTuesday,Damascus set thecounty’s individual championsmark with seven wrestlers fromone school winning. On Saturday,the Hornets set the region markwith six individual champions.
“It’s just something you workfor at the beginning of the year,”McLauglin said of winning theregion tournament. “It’s alwaysin the back of your mind, but youdon’t really see it until you get tothe tournament.”
Cory Obendorfer, who won byforfeit, said getting the first seed isnice, but the best wrestler will finda way to win at states either way.“No. 1 seed, it’s nice to have butit’s not always necessary becauseto win it you got to be the bestanyways. ... It definitely makes thepath a little easier.”
Damascus’ new record mighthave been set at seven, but in the113 match, Mikey Maklin was pe-nalized a point for what the ref-eree determined was stalling, justbefore the final period ended. Thematch went into overtime, andNgonga scored a takedown for thewin as time expired.
“I don’t think you make thatcall, one second left and he’sdefending himself,” Damascuscoach John Ferguson said. TheHornets will have 11 wrestlerscompete for state championships.“We got one more fish to fry, and
these guys are setting themselvesup in good position. So, hopefullywecancomeout strongagainnextweekend, let the chips fall wherethey may on that one.”
Walter Johnson, Northwest,B-CC, and Wootton rounded outthe top5. Sherwoodwas sixth, andFrumkin wasn’t the only hometeam wrestler to win first place. At285, Charlie Siarkas earned a 1-0decision over Blair’s Marcus For-rester.
“I felt like I had a little disad-vantage [at the county tourna-ment] because not everybodyfrom my team was here to sup-
port, but since we got the home-town, everyone’s here to supportand they’re with you,” said Siar-kas, who placed second at thecounty championship to Pooles-ville’s Kyle Wilkins.
The other region championswho didn’t win the county titlewere B-CC’s Robert Bridenhagenat 195, who avenged his lost in thecounty finals to Churchill’s JamesKalavritinos, and Whitman’sMitch Fenton, who wrestled forthe first time in two months.
Fenton defeated Kyle Bol-linger of Quince Orchard, whoknocked off county champion
Brendan Parent of Damascus.“It’s unbelievable,” Fenton
said of being able to come backand compete at a high level soquickly. Suffering from illness,Fenton was unable to practiceuntil the day before counties, butwith enough points to qualify forthe region tournament and stillfeeling less than 100 percent, hechose not to participate in thecounty tournament. “It’s one ofthe best feeling’s in the world. Ilove it.”
Whitman High School’s Mitch Fenton won the 145-pound 4A/3A West Region tournament’s weight class Saturday at Sher-wood in Sandy Spring.
tianRubinstein said. “That kidhas a lot of speed, so once hegot going, he had those twochances and he didn’t wastethem.”
With 68 seconds remain-ing in the game, Blair seniorJavier Lopez was able to givethe Blazers hope with a lategoal to cut the lead in half.Having an extra attacker onthe ice left the net empty andJenkins scored his third goalseconds later to seal the game.
“I thought we could tie itup. I really did,” McCabe said.“Words cannot express howdisappointed I am formykids.Especially the seniors. The se-niors wanted it so bad. And it
breaks my heart to see themhurt so bad.”
“I think it’s a disappoint-ment not to take the statechampionship,” said Lopez,who delayed his stay in thelocker room following thegame along with Rubinstein,leading scorer Max Kronstadt,and some of the team’s otherseniors. “Obviously at thebeginning of the season, wedidn’t even know if we weregoing to be here, so it’s a lotof mixed emotions. We’rehappy that we were even ableto make it here, but we’re re-ally also disappointed that wecouldn’t take it home.”
The loss is justBlair’s thirdof the season versus 12 wins,and reaching the state cham-pionship game is a feat in itsown right. Despite holding
the second best 1A record,it was unclear whether theBlazers would be allowed toparticipate in the playoffs dueto allegedly breaking MSHLrules regarding co-op teamparticipation. On a final ap-peal, it was determined Blairdid nothing wrong.
The Blazers ripped off twoimpressive postseason victo-ries to reach Friday’s game,but the emotional ride cameto an end in defeat.
“It’s been a great fouryears,” Rubinstein said. “Ob-viously, you would like to goout a little different way butthis is a great season and Iwouldn’t have traded any ofthis for anything.”
mingprogram,”Page said. “We’re talking about recordsbeing broken and we have people standing their at theeighth grade night, all the potential freshmen comeover to learn about the program. ...One of our biggestattributes at Springbrook is that we will take anyone onthe team. Several kids this year didn’t evenknowhow toswim when we started the season and they all made itinto at least one meet. People see that and it brings outpeople that are really going to surprise you.”
While Springbrook might not yet have opponents’full respect, Johnson admitted, it might be the BlueDevils with the last laugh in the next few years. Therecent trend of top performers may already be im-pacting the younger generation, Page said, as severaltalented swimmers have already committed to attendSpringbrook next year — the school, along with Blair,Einstein, Kennedy, Northwood and Wheaton comprisethe Downcounty Consortium and students can choosetheir high school. And current teammates are driven towork harder for the Blue Devils’ top performers, Pagesaid — some have even expressed interest in joiningyear-round programs.
Springbrook was scheduled to compete in the Class4A/3A state meet Tuesday at the Prince George’s Sportsand Learning Complex but results were unavailablefor this edition of The Gazette. Johnson, who alreadyholds Springbrook all-time records in the 50 freestyle,100 backstroke and 500 freestyle, entered the meet offrunner-up to Sherwood junior Morgan Hill in the 50and 100 freestyle events at the Class 4A/3A North Re-gion championship. Hill set meet records in both wins.
Hisnanick finished second to Blair’s Brian Tsau inthe 200 and 500 freestyle at regionals. The defendingstate champion in the latter set a region meet record inthe former.
“I think that we’re definitely on the rise,” Pagesaid. “[Athletes like Johnson, Hisnanick and Ho] helpsbring attention to a program that’s often overlooked.And it helps our relays. We’ve got two boys relays go-ing to states and a girls relay. Without those people, wewouldn’t have been able to do that.”
Blair High School’s Javier Lopez reacts to losing to Annapolis/Old Mill in the 1A state title game in Laurel Friday night.
THE GAZETTEWednesday, March 4, 2015 s Page B-3
n Rockville surprises atthe small schools
state meet
BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN
STAFFWRITER
The Rockville High Schoolswim team is not known for be-ing one of Montgomery Coun-ty’s strongest. But at Friday’sClass 3A/2A/1A state meet,which was swept by Poolesvillefor the second time in threeyears, the Rams accounted fortwo of the six total multiple in-dividual event winners.
Junior Griffin Alaniz’s winsin the 200-yard individual med-ley and 100-yard backstrokeand sophomore Alexa Stewart’svictories in the 100-yard but-terfly and 500-yard freestylebrought attention to a programthat often gets lost in the shuffleof bigger and more competi-tive programs. With their singlewins a year ago, both of Rock-ville’s stars have now won threeof their last four individual racesin state competition.
That’s what makes theClass 3A/2A/1A championshipmeet special, Poolesville coachJonny Leong and Rockvillecoach James Castonguay said.While top swimmers from everyschool do relish the opportunityto compete against the Wash-ington, D.C. area’s best atmeetslike the Washington Metropoli-tan Interscholastic Swimmingand Diving Championships,held earlier this month, Alanizand Stewart said, Friday was arareopportunity for thecounty’ssmaller programs to compete asoverall teams on a more levelplaying field.
“Rockville is a small school,we’re in themiddleof thecountybut we don’t have many kids,”Castonguay said. “When we goto Metros there are the privateschools and the big 4A schools,[the smaller schools] pull from asmaller pool of kids. It’s nice tosee what [the kids] can do whenwe’re against equivalent pro-grams.”
Poolesville, which techni-cally has the county’s second-lowest enrollment but is in aunique position since its mag-
net program can draw studentsfrom all over, dominated Fri-day’s competition. The Falconboys clinched their fourth con-secutive state title with a 317.5-181 advantage over Damascus,the county’s smallest school perenrollment numbers. HarfordCounty’s C. Milton Wright fin-ished third with 164 points andSeneca Valley (138 points) andRockville (129) claimed fourthand fifth. Poolesville remainsundefeated in county compe-tition — Montgomery Countyschools onlybeganparticipatingin the statemeet in 2012.
Poolesville’s girls, who se-nior Lindsay Knapp, a winner inthe 50-yard freestyle Friday, saidhad been eyeing Friday’s cham-pionship since coming up justshort a year ago, won 386-181over Talbot County’s Easton. Itwas the Falcons’ second title inthree years and therefore alsothe program’s second sweep inthat time. Frederick County’sUrbanafinished third in thegirlscompetitionwith163points andC. Milton Wright and Worces-ter County’s Stephen Decaturrounded out the top 5.
Other Montgomery Countyteams to finish in the top 10were the Damascus girls (sev-enth) and Seneca Valley girls(10th).
“The great thing with thisboys team is we just have a re-ally great, talented and deepteam and we’re able to use theirstrengths and we’ve just kindof been on a roll,” Leong said.“With the girls, we talked aboutwhat eventshurt us last year andwehad a couple freshmen comein and help us in those events.”
The Falcon boys and girlstook two completely differentpaths to Friday’s titles. Whilethe girls won eight of 11 races,including all three relays, whichare worth more points, Pooles-ville’s boysonlywon two—bothrelays. Many of the Falcon girls,Leong said, finished above theirprojected seedings.
Senior Dorit Song and (100freestyle, 200 freestyle) andfreshmanKatarina Lechner (200individual medley, 100 back-stroke) won two events apiecefor the Falcons. Friday markedSong’s fourth consecutive 100freestyle state title.
Damascus junior RyanO’LearywasMontgomery’s onlyother individual winner Friday,successfully defending his 2014title in the 100 breaststroke.
“The cool thing about hav-ing all the small schools to-gether is youdon’t have to goupagainst [theprograms] that havea lotmore students thanwedo,”
Leong said. “After last year’smeet when [the girls] had it wellwithin their grasp and let it slipaway, I know the group of se-
niors it’s been their resolve fromday one the focus on having afantastic season to get everyonefired up [to go for the title].”
This is a rare versatility. Pyles was county championin the high jump, hurdles and triple jump, postingstate-bestmarks in the first two and second-best inthe third. The hurdles state championwas runner-up in high jump at season-endingmeet.
Diego ZarateNorthwest
Senior, 1600
Pardon the cliché but this Virginia Tech recruit’sheart is unrivaled. The state’s second-fastest in thisevent (4:20.09), he swept championship season inboth the 1,600 and 800 in leading the Jaguars totheir Class 4A state title defense.
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Poolsville High School’s Julia Wang took second in the 200-yard freestyle atFriday’s state meet in Landover.
n Traditional bocksgive way to family ofspecialized beers
Just asmusic has its famousBach family spanningmany gen-erations, the beerworld has itsown illustrious family of bocks.
The grandfather of the fam-ily, traditional bock, gavebirth tomai (May) bock, doppel (double)bock, and eis (ice) bock.Otheroffspring includeweizenbock,winterbock anddunkle (dark)bock. Traditional bockbeersusually first appear inMarcheach year.Doublebocks arereleased aroundEasterwhilemaibocks followonMay1, oftenwith festive celebrations.
First produced in the late14th century in the townof Ein-beck, these strongbeerswerecopiedby thebreweries inMu-nich in the early 17th century,modifying thebarley/wheatgrainbill to an all barley beer.TheBavariandialect name fortheEinbeckbeer evolved intothewordbeck and then tobock.
Bockbeer doesnot comefrom thebottomof the ferment-ing vessel as the old tale is told,but is a separate, full bodied,type of lager beer. Sincebockalsomeans goat in bothGermanandDutch, the goat is oftendis-playedonbock labels. It is saidthat a goodbockhas the kick ofa goat.
Traditional bocks are light
copper to brown in colorwitha complexmaltiness, andoftensome toasty or caramel flavors.Theymayhave slight hopbitter-ness, butmalt is the dominantflavor.
Mediumto full-bodied, thesestrong, smooth,malty lagershave alcohol by volumes (ABV)of 6.3 to 7.2 percent. Somewin-ter bocks have added spicinessor alcohol.Most bocks are bot-tom fermented lagers but some,most prominentlyweizenbocks,are top fermented ales.
Maibocks, also calledhelles(bright) bock todistinguish themfrom thedarkerwinter bocks, areclear anddeep gold to subduedamber inhue.Maibocks have acrispmalty flavor, possibly a lowspicy or peppery quality, amod-erate hop (more apparent thanthe other bocks) anddryfinish.Maibocks have 6.3 to 7.4 percentABVs.
All doublebocks stem fromtheoriginal of the style calledSalvator and knownas “liquidbread.” Itwas developedbymonks for consumptionduringtheir 40 day Lenten fast preced-ingEaster and the fourweekAdvent fast prior toChristmas.Doublebocks are dark gold to
Arts & Entertainmentwww.gazette.net | Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | Page B-4
BREWS BROTHERSS T E V E N F R A N K A N DA R N O L D M E L T Z E R
n Touring companywill also conduct workshop
BY KIRSTY GROFF
STAFFWRITER
Communitymembersplanningoncom-ing to theUprightCitizensBrigade’s comedyshows at BlackRock Center for the Arts thisweekendshouldhaveno ideawhat toexpectduring the night — because the performersdon’t, either.
UCB focuses on improvisational com-edy, showcased in the touring company’stwo performances along with an improvworkshop.
Unlike scripted comedy, improv is ac-tionsmadeupon the spot, typically througha prompt of some kind. The UCB TouringCompany uses an interview with an audi-ence member at the beginning of the showto create ideas fromwhich to start scenes.
Company member Mike Kelton, whohas officially been with the group for abouteightmonths,didn’toriginallyplanonfocus-ing on improv;much like the comedy genre,his involvement began on the fly based on asituationhe foundhimself in: losingaspot inanactingclasshisagentaskedhimtopartici-pate in.
“I wasn’t one of those improv-heads be-fore I started,” he said. “I had heard of UCBbefore and knew I always wanted to try, soI thought I would just quickly sign up for aclass there so he wouldn’t drop me as a cli-ent. I felt guilty for not being in the otherclass, and then literally fell in lovewith it.”
It was during his classes in 2011 that hegot the chance to see his first true improvshow—that experiencehookedhim, even ifit made it hard to go back to class and try toevenget througha simple sceneconfidently.
“I remember watching people on stagehaving the best time of their life,” he said,
“and Iwas like, Iwant in on *that*.Whatever*that* is, Iwant tomakemagic like that.”
Kelton’s been making that magic foralmost four years now, working his waythroughUCB’s class curriculum in twoyearsand participating in shows and workshops.He says he became obsessed with the com-edy form, working it into his schedule likesome fitness buffs make time for CrossFitand SoulCycle (“My body deteriorated, but
mymindandheartwere just flourishing”).Through it all, he has been constantly
both instructingand learning,asaremanyofhis companymembers.
“We’re all each other’s teacher,” he said.“While there are rules to comedy, you canlearn fromany comedian—youcanpickupatrick, someof their styleandembodythem.
Making it up as they go
COURTESY OF UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE
Some members of the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company will come to BlackRock Center forthe Performing Arts for improvisational comedy shows and a workshop for adults.
The perfect timeof year for bocks
See BEER, Page B-5See IMPROV, Page B-5
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Noone isnaturallyagreat impro-viser, it takesamillionscenesandshows to even feel comfortablemaking things up.”
There are some key elementsof successful improvisation thatare important for both newcom-ers and seasoned vets to keep inmind, such as never saying “no”to someone’s idea and activelylistening to others on stage in ascene. Kelton will help impartsome of these lessons on inter-ested attendees at the comedyworkshoponSaturday.
One of the more importantaspects to Kelton is to not entera scene with any expectations orconcrete ideas — looseness andflexibility is crucial.
“The best improvisers areusually kind of amess in real life,
because they’re oblivious andhavenomotives,”hesaid.“That’sthe best way to react naturally inthemoment.”
That element of surprise, theunexpected, is what levels theplayingfieldbetweenperformersrelatively new to improvisationand others who have been inter-ested their entire lives. No oneknowswhat toexpect,andKeltonsays members of the companyregularly laugh on-stage duringperformances because the hu-mor in the scenes is genuine and
unanticipated.Kelton does take on some
scripted gigs, such as pop culturecommentary on VH1; however,for him it doesn’t compare quiteto the feelingof gettingawaywithsomethingasagrownuponstageplayingpretend.
“My biggest thing is that I al-ways have fun,” he said. “You’reanadultmaking stuff upon stage— if you’re not having a blast,you’re an [idiot].”
For a free listing, please sub-mit complete information [email protected] at least10 days in advance of desiredpublication date. High-resolu-tion color images (500KB mini-mum) in jpg format should besubmitted when available.
Contra, March 6, JackMitchellcalls to Sugar Beat with Elke Bakeron fiddle,Marc Glickman on pianoand bodhran and Susan Brandt onflute, 7:30 p.m., $10, fridaynight-dance.org.
English Country, March 4, TomSpilsbury and Laura Schultz call-ers, 8 p.m., Glen Echo TownHall(upstairs), fsgw.org.
Swing and Lindy, March 14,Natty Beaux, $18, $12, 17 andyounger. Glen Echo Park SpanishBallroom, flyingfeet.org.
Waltz, March 15, Valse Impres-sions with Edith Coakley Stowe(fiddle), Carrie Rose (flute), LizDonaldson (piano), Ralph Gordon(bass); waltztimedances.org.
Ring of Kerry Irish Danceclass, groupmeets on Tuesday’suntil lateMay at RidgeviewMiddleSchool. Beginning class starts at 7p.m., followed by the experiencedclass at 8:05 p.m. The cost is $50.Ceili and set dances are per-formed, and no partner is requiredfor the lessons. For information,email Jean at [email protected] or visit ringofkerrydancers.org. Dancersmust be at least8 years old to senior. Anyoneyounger than 16must be accom-panied by an adult.
Highwood Theatre, “The Im-portance of Being Earnest,”March20-March 22; “August: OsageCounty,”March 27-March 29; 914Silver Spring Ave., thehighwood-theatre.org, 301-587-0697.
Olney Theatre Center,“Godspell,” throughMarch 15;“Grounded,” throughMarch 22,call for prices, times, 2001Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, 301-924-3400, olneytheatre.org.
The Puppet Co., “Aladdin andHisWonderful Lamp,” throughMarch 15; Tiny Tots@ 10, selectWednesdays, Saturdays andSundays, call for shows and show
Rockville Musical Theatre,“Next to Normal,” April 10 through26, Fitzgerald Theatre, 603 Ed-monstonDrive, Rockville, 240-314-8690, r-m-t.org.
Round House Theatre, “Chat-room,”March 13 throughMarch16, “Uncle Vanya,” April 8 throughMay 3, call for show times, 4545East-West Highway, Bethesda.Tickets range in price from$10 to$45 and seating is reserved. 240-644-1100, roundhousetheatre.org.
Silver Spring Stage, “33 Varia-tions,” throughMarch 21,Wood-moor Shopping Center, 10145Colesville Road, Silver Spring, seeWeb site for show times, ssstage.org.
VISUAL ARTAdah Rose Gallery, Randeall
Lear,March 12 through April 12,3766Howard Ave., Kensington,301-922-0162, adahrosegallery.com
Glenview Mansion, RockvilleCivic Center Park, 503 EdmonstonDrive, Rockville. rockvillemd.gov.
Marin-Price Galleries, EarthlyDelights: TheDeborah BriskerBurk Exhibit, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.Monday through Saturday, noonto 5 p.m. Sunday, 7022WisconsinAve., 301-718-0622,marin-price.com.
Montgomery Art Association,WestfieldWheatonMall, 11160ViersMill Road,Wheaton,mont-gomeryart.org.
VisArts, Nicole Lenzi: ShadowEchoes, throughMarch 22; JoelD’Orazio: 1992 Forward,March 11through April 12; ShannonCollis,March 11 through April 12; JefferyCooper,March 27 through April26; Gibbs Street Gallery, 155GibbsSt., Rockville, 301-315-8200, visart-satrockville.org.
Washington Printmakers Gal-lery, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center,second floor, 8230Georgia Ave.,Silver Spring, washingtonprint-makers.com.
Kentlands Mansion, Artworkof the Art League of Germantown,throughMarch 27, 320 KentSquare Road, Gaithersburg, 301-258-6425.
Arts Barn, Howard Cohen –Seventy Years an Artist, throughMarch 8, 311 Kent Square Road,Gaithersburg, 301-258-6394
Rough Around the Edges:Inspirations in Paper by RonniJolles, throughMarch 15; recep-tion 2 to 4 p.m.March 8; GoldmanArt Gallery, 6125Montrose Road,Rockville. 301-348-3770; jccgw.org.Openwhen JCCGW is open; freeadmission.
Gallery B, 7700Wisconsin Ave.,Suite E, Bethesda, bethesda.org.
ET CETERAThe Writer’s Center, 4508
Walsh Street, Bethesda, 301-654-8664, writer.org.
IN THE ARTS
UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE TOURING COMPANYn When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; workshop at 3 p.m. Saturday
n Where: BlackRock Center for the Performing Arts, 12901 TownCommons Drive, Germantown
n Tickets: $20 for show, $50 for workshop
n More information: BlackRockCenter.org; 301-528-2260
dark brown, full-bodiedwithcomplex, deepmalty sweet-ness and aroma, andoftenwithintricate chocolate anddarkfruit flavors. Little or nohopsare evident in these very strong,rich lagerwithABVsof 7 to 14percent.Doublebocks are agedformuch longer than regular la-gers to develop thepronouncedsmoothness,mellowness andhigher alcohol content.Manydoppelbocks havenames end-ing in “-ator,” as a tribute to theoriginal Salvator nowmadebythePaulaner brewery.
Tomake amore robust beer,Bavarianbrewers froze abock,removed the ice and createdamore concentrated versioncalled eisbock. Legendhas itthat thiswas an accident.Nowsimilar beers are breweddirectly.Eisbocks are deep copper to dark
brown in colorwith rich, sweetmalt and sometimes caramel orchocolate flavors, balancedwithsignificant alcohol and somedryness. Theremaybe somedark fruit tastes and the alcohol(9 to 14percent ABV) is smooth,not harsh, providing a clean la-ger taste.
Troegenator (8.2percentalcoholbyvolume,ABV) isbrewedby theTroegsBrewery inHershey, Pa. It has a very sweetnosewith ahint of caramel.Quite smooth, themoderatesweetmalt front continues intothemiddle. Thefinish adds lightfloral hopswhich slightly bal-ance themalt and segue in theaftertastewhere themalt fadesand thehops andmalt are inbalancewith an addedhint ofcherry. Thehigh alcohol levelis incrediblywell hidden in thisdangerous beer.Ratings: 8/8.
Germany. TheAventinushasan aromaof alcohol anddarkfruit tending toplum.The lightplumand sweetmalt front leadsto amiddlewhere the sweet-ness increases tomediumwitha touchof alcohol present. Thesweetness ebbs in thefinish asthemalt brings in a toffee char-acter. The alcohol reappears andcomes to the forefront in thequite dry aftertaste. The alcoholwill blend into thebeerwithsomeaging.Ratings: 8.5/8.
PikantusWeizen-Bock (7.3percentABV) is brewed inErd-ing,Germany, by theErdingerBrewery. Pikantus has abouquetof sweetmalt, cherry, chocolateand roast. Thequite light sweetfront from the large volumeofwheatmalt in thebrewpresagesa similarmiddle. Thefinish addsa slight roastwhich continuesin the aftertastewhichhas a lin-gering sweetmalt and ahint offloral hops.Ratings: 8/8.
BEERContinued from Page B-4
IMPROVContinued from Page B-4
T H E G A Z E T T EPage B-6 Wednesday, March 4, 2015 s
TheMarin-Price Galleries in ChevyChase is set to unveil its latest exhibit,“Earthly Delights,” by Potomac artistDeborah Brisker Burk.The exhibit will run from Saturday
through toMarch 27, with an openingreception set for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.Burk describes her first solo show as
her capturing of the colors of the Ameri-can landscape— themountains, valleysand beaches— in line and shape. At thecenterpiece of these works is her questtomix representationwith abstraction.Burk loves color, but also texture
and form. Eachwork is verymuch alive
and fresh.She has been painting since child-
hood and has worked in a range ofme-dia, including sculpture, printmaking,painting, and drawing.She’s has been featured in numer-
ous galleries, collections and exhibi-tions in theU.S., Israel, Canada, Russia,Egypt, and India.Burk earned her undergraduate and
graduate degrees in art fromGeorgeWashingtonUniversity.
Formany years, she taught art atSt.Andrew’s in Bethesda, and privatelyin her studio.
Picturesque view of the world“Firmscapes IV,City Illusion,” willbe on displaystarting Saturdayat the Marin-PriceGalleries as partof an exhibitfeaturing theworks of DeborahBrisker Burk.DEBORAH BRISKER BURK
OlneyTheatreCenter hasextended the runof “Godspell,”untilMarch 15.Steven Schwartz’smusical,
anupdated take on Jesus’ par-ableswith amessage almostanyone could get behind.Much like “Childrenof
Eden,” Schwartz’s other Bible-inspiredmusical, “Godspell”is less about religion andmoreabout the goodness of human-ity and the importance of tak-ing care of one another. Thismessage is conveyed throughsongs representing eachof Je-sus’ lessons in theBible.
The genders of the“Godspell” roles tradition-ally aren’t playedwithmuch,andSchwartz hasmentionedbefore that he feels theaterswouldhave tobe careful ifcasting awomanas Judas.However, the roles of John theBaptist/Judas inOTC’s versionof the showareplayedbyRa-chel Zampelli, whichprovidesa very interesting take on thetale.Tickets for the showare
$38-$75. Formore information,visit olneytheatre.org or call301-924-3400.
Continuing the love
Arts on the Green continuesits Singer Songwriter Series,pairing workshops with per-formances, as it welcomes JonLangford.On Saturday, Langford will
lead a workshop at 3 p.m., thenperform a concert at 7:30 p.m.,both at the Arts Barn at 311Kent Square Road in Gaithers-burg.Best known for his work in
the TheMekons and theWacoBrothers, Langford has been aleading pioneer in the assimila-tion of folk/countrymusic intopunk rock since the genre’s firstevolutionmore than 30 yearsago. Langford will perform asolo acoustic concert in the
more than straight up punkrock.The afternoonworkshop
attendees have the opportunityto get to know the artist andhisprocess aswell as theperformerandhis completedworks. Theworkshoppromises to be amemorable chance formusic
students to exercise creativemuscles andhear Langford’sprofessional perspective.A Renaissanceman, the
Welsh-born Langford is ac-claimed as both amusician anda visual artist and is presentlybased in Chicago. Recent ac-colades include having his song“What Did YouDo in theWar?”named one of SpinMagazine’stop-40 country songs for 2014.Tickets are $45, for the
workshop and concert and$25 for the concert only. Formore information, visit gaith-ersburgmd.gov or call 301-258-6394.
Just a bit of AmericanaGrammy Award-winning
flamenco guitarist HernanRomero is set to perform atthe Bethesda Blues and JazzSupper Club at 7 p.m.March11.Recognized as one of the
world’s foremost flamencoguitarists, Romero’s music isboth sophisticated and acces-sible, spiced with the exotictraditions that infuse fla-menco-gypsy, Middle EasternandMediterranean folk inter-woven with textures of classi-cal, jazz and Latin rhythms.Inspired by themusic of
his family, Romero becamepart of their performingensemble by the age of 4.
Romero’s mother, popularInternational singer EstelaRaval, contributed to this bysurrounding young Romerowith the best of musical en-vironments. Romero becamestrongly influenced by theflamenco style when his fam-ily moved to Cadiz in Andalu-sia, Spain; receiving classicalguitar training from RobertoLara, one of Andres Segovia’sdisciples.Tickets are $15 and can be
ordered online or purchasedat the door. Formore informa-tion, visit bethesdabluesjazz.com or call 240-330-4500.
The power of flamenco
G.G. PHOTOGRAPHY
Hernan Romero will be performingat the Bethesda Blues and JazzSupper Club March 11.
Langford
Gustofer YellowgoldSaturday, March 7th,11 a.m.He came from the sun and landedin the Minnesota Woods.
Part pop rock concert,part hand-drawn cartoon movie.
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THE GAZETTEWednesday, March 4, 2015 s Page B-11
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