Thursday, February 28
Classified Advertising Feb. 27, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Wednesday, February 27
WES To Present ‘Little Mermaid Jr.’
Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. will be performed by the sixth-grade class of Washington Episcopal School, on Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 15 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, March 16 at 12:30 p.m.
Potomac School Notes Feb. 27
School notes for Potomac natives.
Student Wins DAR Essay Contests
Anna Gray writes of forgotten Revolutionary hero.
Thirteen-year-old Anna Gray discovered the story of unsung hero Sybil Ludington when she googled “Revolutionary War women” — and as Anna explains her choice, “She was the most interesting of the women I had not heard of.”
This Land Is Our Land
Next steps not certain in ongoing Brickyard controversy, but Board of Education makes clear the land belongs to the school system.
With a resolution Monday night, Feb. 25, the Montgomery County Board of Education made clear what it already thought it had made clear.
Art Gallery Hosts ‘Yolanda Prinsloo and Friends’
This month The Art Gallery of Potomac presents “Yolanda Prinsloo and Friends.”
Field Notes: The Nose Rules
The other day I watched my canine companion, Zina, put her nose to the breeze and then bury it deep in the grass near the pasture fence. Her excitement reminded me of the days when my German Shepherds were able to roam freely in the fields before the housing development set in. Their nose-down, tail up odyssey fulfilled every scent-driven need in their bodies.
Pipe Break Floods River Road
An eight-inch “relatively small” water main break caused spouts of bubbling water on River Road Saturday morning, Feb. 23.
Club Friday To Host Open House
Elementary and middle school students are invited to Club Friday’s Open House on Friday, March 1, from 7-10 p.m.
Potomac Calendar Feb. 27
Entertainment calendar for the Potomac area.
Saturday, February 23
Classified Advertising Feb. 20, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Friday, February 22
Column: Definition of “Slippery Slope”
Figuratively speaking, of course. That definition being: a late stage cancer patient/survivor previously characterized as “terminal” awaiting the results of their most recent diagnostic scan. A scan that will indicate whether the tumors have grown, moved or God forbid, appeared somewhere new. If your life hung in the balance before the scan, waiting for results of this however-many-months-interval-scan will most assuredly loosen your figurative grip on your equilibrium and your most literal grip on your sanity. This is a domain, unlike the one referred to in one of the more infamous Seinfeld episodes, that one cannot master. To invoke and slightly rework Dan Patrick’s “catch” phrase: You can’t stop it, you can only hope to contain it.
Choosing a Summer Camp
Region offers programs to tempt children with interests ranging from sports to drama to science.
While most of Washington is braving the winter weather, April Toman has been planning for summer. At the top of her list: choosing a camp for her two children, Claire, who is in fifth grade, and Will, who is a second grader. “I start thinking about it in January,” said Toman, who lives in Alexandria. “I talk to my kids about what they are interested in taking. There are so many options and the popular camps fill up quickly.”
Learning From the Past
What some area schools are doing to celebrate Black History Month.
The sound of steel drums vibrates through the air of a crowded auditorium in Potomac, Md. In McLean, elementary school girls share their understanding of the struggles of Rosa Parks. A group of second graders from Alexandria treks to downtown Washington to see the massive memorial statue of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Thursday, February 21
Potomac Home Sales: January, 2013
In January 2013, 23 Potomac homes sold between $4,700,000-$435,000.
Potomac Home Sales: January, 2013
Wednesday, February 20
School Notes Wednesday, Feb. 20
School notes for Potomac natives.
New Manager at Potomac Library
Nancy Savas has librarian roots reaching to her childhood.
Nancy Savas, the new Potomac Library manager comes to her new position with a wealth of experience, enthusiasm and knowledge.
Council Takes Steps To Protect Trees
New rules would protect individual trees and trees on small lots during redevelopment.
Next Monday, Feb. 25, the County Council’s subcommittee on Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment is scheduled to address two bills that focus on the protection of trees.
Board of Education Locks Out Organic Farmer
Board of Education tells organic farmer to leave Brickyard site before court ruling, without notice.
While coffee brewed in the Maravell’s kitchen, school board security officers prepared to lock the gates to Nick Maravell’s Organic Farm and his daughter’s Brickyard Education Farm on Brickyard Road.
Potomac Bulletin Board Wednesday, Feb. 20
Potomac bulletin board for February-June.
County Urges Congress to Avoid Sequester
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett urged Congress to avoid the sequester, deep automatic budget cuts, that could be implemented March 1 if Congress fails to act.
Club Friday Open House
Elementary and middle school students are invited to Club Friday’s Open House on Friday, March 1, from 7-10 p.m.
Potomac Entertainment Calendar Wednesday, Feb. 20
Entertainment calendar for Potomac
Thursday, February 14
Classified Advertising Feb. 13, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Wednesday, February 13
A Positive Reflection
Joan Brady gives foster children needed exposure.
On Monday, Sept. 10, 2001, Joan Brady of Great Falls had just started a three-month sabbatical from her job with an Internet company. Newly-married, Brady, who was 36 years old at the time, was exhausted from 80-hour work weeks in a rigid corporate environment. She wanted time that fall to contemplate what to do next with her life. The next day provided answers and a sense of urgency. It was Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. The terrorist attacks, and the moving stories of heroism and tragedy on 9/11, indelibly left their mark. Brady, like many Americans, was inspired to do something new, to take more chances, to change direction.
Editorial: On Transportation
Compromise, in the works, should include indexing the gas tax to inflation.
Virginia needs more options, not fewer, in developing revenue to pay for roads and transportation. Compromise on a plan to increase transportation revenue should not include making Virginia the only state in the nation without a gas tax. The current, ridiculously low gas tax should be indexed to inflation. The last thing the commonwealth needs is to do away with an existing, major source of money for roads.
Addressing ‘Learning Differences: What Works?’
McLean Schools hosts “Cecily’s Advocacy Workshop.”
More than 200 parents, family members, and educators flocked to Potomac’s McLean School on Saturday, Feb. 9 to take advantage of the 4th annual “Cecily’s Advocacy Workshop” — a seminar which disseminates information and the latest research on strategies for coping with children with ADD, ADHD and other learning differences.
Local Art Exhibit Offers Valentine’s Day Theme
This month the Art Gallery of Potomac presents "Be My Valentine" featuring painting and jewelry for Valentine's Day through Feb. 24.
Police Boundary Change Impacts Potomac
The Montgomery County Police Department began operations under new district boundaries on Monday, Feb. 4, which continue to divide Potomac between the first and second police districts.
All Tied Up
New clinic teaches children how to tie their shoes.
Like many parents of young children, Mary Hanlon decided it was time for her five-year-old son, Hank to reach another milestone: learning to tie his shoes.
Environmental Concerns Prompt Dissenting Vote
County Council approves spending for artificial turf at Wootton.
Councilmember Marc Elrich took an authentic stand against artificial turf. “I continue to be concerned with the health and environmental impacts,” he said. “I’ve talked with toxicologists and in the space of five minutes I get information that is reassuring and then I get information that is disconcerting. It’s hard to know where to come out.”
Fate of Brickyard Road Nears Conclusion?
Circuit Court judge’s decision on fate of organic farm on Brickyard expected by next week.
The fate of a 20-acre farm on Brickyard Road and its 30 years of organic soil are now in the hands of Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Robert A. Greenberg. Judge Greenberg is expected to make a ruling by next week on the legality of the Board of Education’s lease of the land to the county for use as soccer fields.
Call for Photos for Pet Almanac
The Pet Almanac, a twice-yearly special edition, will publish at the end of February, and photos and stories of your pets with you and your family should be submitted by Feb. 21.
Potomac Bulletin Board February-March
Bulletin Board for February through March.
Take ‘Virtual Tour’ of County
It may be cold and blustery outside — so fire up those computers and enjoy a little trip around the county at www.HeritageMontgomery.org.
Time To Register for Summer Camps
The county’s new 2013 Summer Camp Guide is available online at www.MontgomeryParks.org/guide, and www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec.
Smoking Ban on County Property
The County Council on Tuesday, Feb. 12 unanimously approved Bill 33-12 that will establish a ban on smoking on most county owned or leased property.
Arrests in North Potomac Burglaries
Detectives from the 1st District Investigative Section have been investigating a series of residential burglaries that have occurred since May of 2012, with most of the incidents occurring since August of 2012. Residents in neighborhoods on either side of Travilah Road, south of Darnestown Road in North Potomac, reported daytime and evening burglaries.
Design Solution for Busy Family
A small kitchen is transformed into a spacious, light-filled room.
When a busy Potomac family decided that it was time to turn their tiny, dark kitchen into free-flowing, light-filled gathering space, they decided to expand their home. Their decision is part of national trend.
Friday, February 8
Classified Advertising Feb. 6, 2013
Read the latest ad here!
Wednesday, February 6
February Is Heart Month
Diet and fitness experts offer suggestions for maintaining a healthy heart.
When Mary Elizabeth O’Conner enters a supermarket, she is careful stay within the outer perimeters of the store. “Most grocery stores are designed so that the healthiest and non-processed food, like fresh vegetables and meat are kept on the outer edges,” she said. She looks for heart-healthy foods like whole grains and fresh fruit.
Column: A Complicated Answer
And a further explanation and corollary to last week’s column: “A Simple Question,” which attempted to sort through my reactions to being asked an extremely innocent, appropriate, well-intended and always appreciated courtesy: “How are you?” and the problem that it sometimes causes me. That problem being: a question which had it not been asked would then not require an answer. An answer that I’ll always give, but not before I’ve given it some thought, which if I hadn’t thought about, wouldn’t have bothered me in the least
Making the Difference Between Struggle and Success
Carmen Jordan of Reston has been a mentor for Fairfax Families4 Kids for six years. She is considered one of the most experienced mentors in the program. In addition to working full-time as a marquee account manager at Deltek in Herndon, Jordan makes herself available to “trouble-shoot” for the children and families she mentors. In the following column, she details her experiences with the program, and at-risk foster youth.
Holy Child Offers ‘Minimester, Volume II’
Fourteen topics fill innovative program.
Tea was served and whist was played as if Jane Austen herself were in the room. Links between Harry Potter, World War II and Christianity were explored. Students delved into personal finance, creative writing, performing arts audition techniques — and even visited the “Little Butterfly of the Caribbean” — the island of Guadeloupe.
Bullis’ Lower School To Launch Combined Class
Combined second and third grade class to start in fall.
The Bullis School is announcing a change to their long-standing tradition of teaching children in grades 3 through 12. In the fall of 2013, a combined 2nd grade/3rd grade class will begin with a small group of eager 7-year-olds.
Celebrating De Lazzari’s 103rd Birthday
Long-Time participant at Clara Barton Center.
Montgomery County Recreation helped Rita De Lazzari, a long-time participant in the Clara Barton Community Center’s Senior Neighborhood Program, celebrate her 103rd birthday on Jan. 23.
It’s All About the News
Potomac’s Monika Samtani is reporter/anchor for WUSA9.
Two forty-five a.m. finds most people asleep, but for Potomac’s Monika Samtani the day is just beginning. That’s the time her alarm clock rings, launching her out of bed and out the door, all in time to arrive at the WUSA9 newsroom by an invigorating 3:30 a.m.
Column: West Montgomery County Citizens Association
The West Montgomery County Citizens Association will meet at the Potomac Community Center on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 7:15 p.m. If schools are closed because of inclement weather, the meeting will be cancelled.
Entertainment Calendar
Entertainment Calendar for Feb.-June
Library To Host Local Author
Vaddey Ratner writes about escape from Khmer Rouge.
The Potomac Library will be hosting a discussion by Cambodian born and Potomac resident Vaddey Ratner about her debut novel “In the Shadow of the Banyan” on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. “In the Shadow of the Banyon” details how Ratner and her mother escaped four years of “… forced labor, starvation, and near execution” during the Khmer Rouge revolution in mid-1970’s Cambodia.
Molly Reiner Wins Two Trips to China
“Learn Chinese, Double Your World.”
Potomac’s Molly Reiner has been fascinated with the Chinese language and culture since she was first exposed to Chinese in 4th grade at Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C. Her diligent study of the language since 7th grade paid off last April when she competed in the Chinese Bridge Competition sponsored by the Hanban Confucius Institute at the University of Maryland.
Artificial Trend Offers Benefits
Council action paves way for artificial turf field to be installed at Wootton by August.
Montgomery County Council approved a $1.1 million appropriation to the Capital Improvements Program Tuesday, Feb. 5, for the building of an artificial turf field at Wootton High School.
Tuesday, February 5
Whitman Girls’ Basketball Secures Division Title
Vikings winning with teamwork, despite injuries.
The Whitman girls' basketball team defeated B-CC on Monday.