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Local Entrepreneur Creates Job Board for Students

By Jenny Chen

O ver the last 10 years, Andrew Ross has hired over a thou-sand high school students

for his business, “Andy’s Parties.” Ross’ company provides inflatables and themed parties to large public events and private birthday parties. Many of the people who bring en-ergy to his parties are high school students. Since the bulk of his hires are high school students, Ross said he had lots of inquiries from other business owners about how he finds good employees.

“People used to ask me, ‘How do you find such good kids?’” Ross said. “But on the other hand, I would have kids telling me, ‘My sister needs a job. Do you know where she could find one?’ That’s when I realized there was a broken marketplace.”

So last year, Ross decided to try and fix the problem by creating FORCE to help students and em-ployers find each other. FORCE is an online platform for students to post resumes and search for jobs and for employers to post jobs and search for interested students. FORCE itself stands for the dif-ferent categories of jobs users can

search for or post: food, office, re-tail, care and education.

“It benefits the employer and the employee,” said Justin Brooks, vice president and marketing director of SPAGnVOLA Chocolatier. Brooks said that in the past, most of their employees came from referrals, which limited their choices. With FORCE, Brooks looks forward to being able to screen out applicants well ahead of the interviews, using predetermined criteria that will allow him to select from a much larger pool of applicants.

Plus, said John Bucy, presi-dent at Avail Business Ventures, LLC, many small businesses like the ones in Kentlands don’t have the resources to dedicate to hu-man resources and recruiting that larger companies have. “Through FORCE, employers can fill their needs in an affordable and timely manner,” Bucy said.

The service will be free for stu-dents searching for a job, and it will cost employers $25 to $35 per list-ing, said Ross. Student profiles will list a username, city and tagline, much like the freelancing web-site elance.com where Ross drew much of his inspiration. Employers

After Mac: Well-Wishes and a Look to the Future

By Syl Sobel

A t some high schools, the sudden departure of a successful coach sets off waves of shock, anger, soul-searching and intrigue. At Quince

Orchard, Coach Dave Mencarini’s blockbuster de-parture last week to become head football coach at Urbana so he can work closer to home and spend more time with his family released an outpouring of support, appreciation, well-wishes and confidence in the future. And that, perhaps, says everything about “Coach Mac’s” most important legacy at QO—what he accomplished is about much more than wins and losses.

“We’re gonna miss him,” said QO Athletic Director George Awkard, emphasizing Mencarini’s achievements on and off the field. “He created a tradition here of winning and producing good young men.”

“Coach Mac has impacted so many lives, and our entire community loved who he was and what he did for Quince Orchard,” said former player Alex Twine, now a linebacker for the University of Maryland football team. “Coach Mac is more than a coach to me. … He is a guy that’s changed my life, and I could never repay him.”

“He has been very successful, not only on the field but helping to promote academic achievement, helping players realize that they are college mate-rial, surrounding himself with a great group of as-sistant coaches and parents to share the vision, and sharing his passions for great causes like diabetes

and cancer,” said Cindy Matter, a former Booster Club leader and mother of a former player.

Bradley Walker, whose career with Mencarini began as a 10-year-old ball boy in 2006 and contin-ued through this season as a Cougar captain, said,

Two Is the CharmBy Maureen Stiles

T hey say that you can’t get by on good looks and charm alone. CharmedBar owners Debbi Ascher and Jen Burnstein took that

adage to heart. They knew that their new special-ty snack bars had to have a catchy name and great packaging, but they also knew that they had to back up those aesthetics with great taste.

“We created a bar that was about pleasure, not the pain of dietary restrictions or healthy eating,” said Ascher. “So, we made something pretty. And by the way, it tastes amazing as well.”

Dietary restrictions have been a part of both women’s lives for years, so creating something to ease the lives of others like themselves was a natural fit.

The Washingtonian Woods residents “be-came instant friends 10 or 11 years ago,” said Burnstein. “And we always wanted to start a business together. So when Debbi was hav-ing difficulty finding a product on the market that she could have as an on-the-go snack and something that tasted delicious, we had to cre-ate something. We both knew that if Debbi was having difficulty finding something, then oth-

ers out there were, too.”That revelation oc-

curred in February 2013, and the ensuing 12 months have been a whirlwind of activity.

“We sat around the kitchen table for about three weeks, drank wine and came up with the rec-ipes,” explained Ascher. “The name CharmedBar came from the fact that we both felt we were living pretty charmed lives.”

Former kindergarten teacher Burnstein add-ed, “We wanted to bring positivity and good karma to others. We are so for-tunate to be living such charming lives, and we wanted to bring that to the rest of the world.”

However, the reality of bringing CharmedBars to the masses required a tremen-dous amount of patience and work.

“We had family and friends do taste tests to nar-

row down our five recipes to the two that would actually make it into production,” said Burnstein, who enlisted her high school son’s help as well. “We then wrote a business plan and hired a de-sign team to create a logo and branding.”

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Gaithersburg’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Kentlands, Lakelands, Quince Orchard Park and More

Vol. 12, No. 4

CourierTheToWN

February 21, 2014www.towncourier.com

n student jobs Continued on page 8n farewell Continued on page 19

n Charmedbar Continued on page 8

Photo | Submitted

at the natural Products expo east in baltimore at the end of september, Charmedbar own-ers and washingtonian woods residents jen burnstein and debbi ascher earned exposure and praise from many retail notables.

Photo | Phil Fabrizio

Coach dave mencarini and his team celebrate after winning the maryland 4a state football Championship in 2007.

The Town Courier February 21, 2014

Charlie Holbrook, RealtorTheresa Holbrook, Licensed AssistantRE/MAX Metropolitan Realty345 Main Street KentlandsDirect: 240-447-6610 Offi ce: 301-947-6500 x 222Email: [email protected]

305 Beckwith Street Kentlands$975,000

201 Hart Rd Kentllands$860,000

175 Painted Post Quince Orchard Park $525,000

344 Tschiffely Sq Rd Kentlands $690,000

3 Arch Place #328 Kentlands$255,000

726 Turtle Pond Ln. Lakelands$900,000

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James BeattyBranch Manager

301-728-3286 [email protected]

February 21, 2014 The Town Courier

Compiled by Pam Schipper

Trumpeter Michael Baniak RecognizedLakelands resident and trumpeter Michael Baniak

won honorable mention in the 11th Annual Young Artist Award Competition sponsored by the city of Gaithersburg and the Kentlands Community Foundation in partnership with Asbury Methodist Village. This is the first year that the Young Artist Award has included a separate brass category, said Suzanne Takahashi, music program coordinator at the Arts Barn, and 10 brass musicians competed. This was Baniak’s first time auditioning for the juried mu-sic award.

Baniak, who began playing the trumpet in fourth grade and is currently a sophomore at Quince Orchard High School, prepared two musical pieces for his au-dition. He chose the first piece, the second movement (Andante) of Joseph Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E flat major, because it was one of the first pieces he had worked hard to master. His main audition piece was Arutunian Trumpet Concerto.

“It is a great performance situation,” he said of the audition at the Arts Barn. Musicians perform with an accompanist on stage before three or four judg-es. After 10 minutes of performing, each musician is given feedback and also receives comments later in the mail.

Baniak attributes his successful audition to his train-ing at the Pritchard Music Academy, where he began study with Becky Pritchard and currently works with David Baxter. He is especially thankful for all of the performance experience he has gotten through his work with the Pritchards. He is a member of their Honors Brass Quintet, which has played around the region everywhere from the Gaithersburg City Hall to the Governor’s Mansion in Annapolis.

Baniak, who became interested in the trumpet be-cause it is his father’s instrument, also plays in the Quince Orchard High School Band. He said he has benefited greatly from Director of Bands Phillip Procter’s teaching and leadership.

Jonathan Baniak, Michael’s father, said that his son’s participation in the marching band has been great. Thanks to summer band camp before his freshman

ArouND ToWN

n around town Continued on page 9

thehot spot With Maureen Stiles & Phil Fabrizio

“Yes! I spent all day Sunday on the sofa watching, although that is mostly because I ran 10 miles the day before and was exhausted! But I watch as much as I can.”

Terri BodnarDarnestown

“I am sort of watching it. I am just really busy, so a little less than I nor-mally would.”

Mark HaasGaithersburg

“I watch occasionally—maybe a little less than I usually do. I love the figure skating, but the snow-boarding has been fantastic.”

Shelly FeuersteinKentlands

“Absolutely! I watch as much as I can. It is great that they have it on as long as they do, practically all day and all night.

Chris ScheidtGaithersburg

Are you tuning in to the Winter Olympics coverage? Here’s what the rush of pre-snowstorm shoppers had to say at Kentlands Whole Foods on Feb. 12.

CorrectionsThe Feb. 7 issue incorrectly identified the Quince

Orchard High School diver on the front page. The div-er is Evan Finkelstein, not Nathan Kessler. Finkelstein placed first in the Jan. 18 diving event. Also, the KamKam fundraiser was erroneously listed as March 5. The brunch at Pasha Land Restaurant to benefit Haitian children will be held March 2, 1 to 4 p.m.

Kentlands Acoustic Jam: Fun, Fellowship – and Music

By Karen O’Keefe

I t is the 28th and the fourth Tuesday in January. At nearly 6 p.m., it is already dark and bitterly cold. However, as I

trudge, collar up, chin tucked, through the parking lot, warm light beckons from the great room of the Kentlands Clubhouse.

Inside the spacious room, an assort-ment of chairs is drawn into a wide cir-cle. A lone man bends down, opening cases and bags. He looks up, smiles and begins to unload their contents.

I hear footsteps in the hall. Someone else walks in. He is carrying two bulky black cases. One is clearly a guitar case. He settles them on the floor with a sigh and begins to shrug out of his jacket.

More footsteps, and more people. One by one, they enter, carrying guitar cases and other more mysterious bag-gage—mostly cumbersome, all music related. The sound of case locks snap-ping open fills the room. This is a gath-ering of the Kentlands Acoustic Jam.

Sponsored by the non-profit Kentlands Community Foundation, the Kentlands Acoustic Jam is a group of musicians who meet at 6 p.m. at the Kentlands Clubhouse on the first and fourth Tuesday of every month. Their first session was a year ago, in January 2013.

“Everyone in the group is a part-time musician,” said the Jam’s unoffi-cial director, Markham Luke.

The group is open to anyone, of any musical experience. “Some have more experience than others. One goal is to give everyone some experience in play-ing together,” said Luke. “Some of the folks are novices and are learning to read music, etc. The more experienced folks help those folks along.”

Many Jam band members are from Kentlands and Lakelands, and some members come from places farther

afield. People from Silver Spring, Germantown and Northern Virginia have played in the Jam.

They come together for the fun of it, and they come together to be together.

“I go for the enjoyment of playing the music, and the sociability of the group,” said Frank Foge, a Lakelands resident and fiddler, who also plays the mandolin. Foge has been part of the group since its beginning.

Like many of the musicians involved, Foge has played—and plays—in a vari-ety of different groups. He has played in genres that include traditional Old Time and traditional Irish. He also plays traditional Swedish music with The Washington Spelmanslag.

Experience levels vary. “I played when I was very young,” said guitarist Joe Dito who also sings. “I let it go for a number of years, and picked it up again. When we moved to the Kentlands-Lakelands area, I was interested in get-ting together with people and playing.”

The group plays a wide variety of music, added Dito, “from recent stuff to oldies, country and bluegrass.”

At the session on Jan. 28, 10 musi-cians are now standing or sitting in the circle. They need a little more elbow

room and tug the chairs out a bit to en-large the circle.

The air fills with musical noise as the noodling—playing informally, with-out playing a particular piece—begins. They are warming up.

A guitar player, fingering strings, nods to the fellow sitting next to him. “Got an ‘A’?” he asks. He is answered with an ‘A,’ listens and begins adjust-ing the tuning pegs on his instrument. He raises the neck of his guitar to his shoulder, getting it as close to his ear as possible and picking softly.

Around him, others are doing the same thing. Tonight, there’s a fiddler, a bass player, a flautist, a mandolin, a banjo, a tambourine and other guitars. Someone in the group is whistling. The instruments are strictly acoustic, but a couple of mikes have been set up to be shared by vocalists.

Easy camaraderie fills the room as much as the musical noise, but finally the group is ready to begin.

“How about ‘Take It Easy?’” sug-gests guitarist (and later, accordionist) Markham Luke.

They begin. The atmosphere is so

n musiC Continued on page 12

Photo | Karen O’Keefe

markham luke, frank foge, name not available, david Pier and diane Gerber played at the jan. 28 session of the Kentlands acoustic jam.

Photo | Submitted

trumpeter michael baniak won honorable mention in the 11th annual Young artist award Competition. he performs march 22 at rosborough Cultural arts Center, asbury methodist Village.


By Jenny Chen

Fitsu Offers Unique Approach to Conditioning

Quince Orchard High School grad-uate Uriel Casas has always had a pas-sion for fitness. A football player in high school, then a personal trainer, then a martial artist, Casas started Fitsu two months ago after finishing his MBA at the University of Maryland. Casas put himself through his undergraduate years by earning money through train-ing. Today he is continuing to harness that entrepreneurial spirit by training others.

Fitsu, which subleases space from the American Tae Kwon Do Academy, is a martial arts-based training program filled with drills that martial artists use to condition. These classes include spar-ring, speed and conditioning training,

309 Main StreetGaithersburg, MD 20878

For Advertising: 301.279.2304Also on the Web at www.towncourier.com.

©2014 Courier CommunicationsThe Town Courier is an independent monthly newspaper providing news and information for the communities of Kentlands, Lakelands and Quince Orchard Park in Gaithersburg, Md. The paper is published by Courier Communications, which is responsible for the form, content and policies of the newspaper. The Town Courier does not espouse any political belief or endorse any product or service in its news coverage. Articles and letters submitted for publication must be signed and may be edited for length or content. The Town Courier is not responsible for any claims made by advertisers Letters to the Editor and Commentary do not necessarily ref lect the views of the staff, management or advertisers of The Town Courier.

Pam Schipper Managing Editor

[email protected]

Debi Rosen Advertising Manager

301.279.2304 [email protected]

Sandra ChristianAdvertising Sales240.401.1020

[email protected]

Staff Photographer Phil Fabrizio

Staff Writers Nora CaplanJenny Chen

Mike Cuthbert Nora Fitzpatrick

Maureen FriedmanGina Gallucci-White

Sean GossardBetty Hafner

Sheilah Kaufman

Karen O’KeefeVanessa Mallory Kotz

Donna MarksSyl Sobel

Maureen Stiles

Student WriterChristina Xu

Diane Dorney Publisher

[email protected]

Matt Danielson President

[email protected]

Family Fare Is On the Menu at VasilisBy Maureen Stiles

A peek at the reviews for Vasilis Mediter-ranean Grill in Kentlands reveals super-latives galore, but the word “family” is

the unexpected addition to many of the nar-ratives. This is apropos because family is at the root of Vasilis and likely the lynchpin for its continued success during a time when some local restaurants have shuttered their doors.

“My wife and I are here six days a week,” said owner Bill Hristopoulos of the fami-ly-owned business. “Sometimes we are here up to 14 hours a day, but we do it because we love it.”

Bill and his wife Julie also love their Kentlands location and were intrigued by the live-work concept that the neighborhood offered.

“We were involved in a restaurant in Bethesda, Nick’s Place,” said Bill. “When we closed that location, I had the opportunity to buy this building and have the restaurant on the bottom with us living above it. I took a chance on it and have been here ever since.”

As a result, the Hristopoulos family is in-vested in the neighborhood. “We came here

in 2002 and really grew with the Kentlands,” said Bill. “It is a great area, and we have found good friends here.”

The lines between customer, friend and family get blurred at Vasilis, and that is by design.

“We have a steady following of custom-ers, and they are like family to us,” explained Julie. “We love relating to people when they come in and making them feel at home.”

That welcoming atmosphere and loyal customer base has allowed Vasilis to grow largely due to word-of-mouth advertising. The restaurant also fully supports the net-work of businesses in the surrounding area as part of the “Shop Kentlands” initiative.

“We have to support each other,” said Bill. “When people come to the Kentlands to shop or dine, they may see us and be inspired to try it. I believe business drives business.”

Bill is no stranger to this business and finds that the experience has served him well. “I have done every job you can possibly do in a restaurant. I am very hands-on here because I know what it takes. It is 10 percent inspira-tion and 90 percent perspiration.”

The commitment shown by the owners has led to very little turnover in staff as well.

“We have one cook who has been with us for almost 26 years, moving with us from other restaurants,” said Bill. “We have others that have been with us since we opened this location.”

Yet, growth is a priority as well. Both Hristopoulos sons work at the restaurant in some capacity, and Bill is obviously proud to see the next generation involved.

“Theo (26) manages the restaurant and loves the business,” said Bill. “He is tak-


father and son bill and theo hristopoulos love being a part of the community through their family-owned restaurant, Vasilis.

Ton of Fun Fitness TipsBy Pam Schipper

T he past two weeks have challenged us all with frigid and wintry weath-er. How have Fleet Feet Sports Ton

of Fun Challenge participants fared? Karen Craney, director of training programs, re-ported that participants lost a total of 683 pounds as of press time.

Mayor Sidney Katz of GaithersburgAt a Kentlands 25 party at the newly

opened Largent’s Restaurant and Bar on Feb. 16, Mayor Sidney Katz was pleasant-ly surprised. “Several people told me that I looked like I was losing weight,” he said. “That’s always good to hear.”

This Birth of a Community event was hosted by John Schlichting, director of Gaithersburg’s planning and code admin-

istration and a Kentlands resident. Mayor Katz said that the evening was “like old times” and that he enjoyed the food at Largent’s—just not too much. He had the chicken wings, but only a few.

He said that he is “still progressing” in his weight loss, but perhaps at a slower pace. In the past couple of weeks, he has lost 1.2 pounds according to the scale at Fleet Feet Sports. This week, according to his home scale, he has already lost perhaps a pound more.

He has added to his daily exercise reg-imen, increasing treadmill workouts from 20 minutes to 30 or 35 minutes, jumping rope and adding weights. He has not at-tended any of the exercise classes offered through the Challenge, but his wife, Sally, who is also participating in the Challenge

n fitness tiPs Continued on page 8

n shoP talK Continued on page 12

shoptalk

n Vasilis Continued on page 12


St. Patrick’s Day Parade Seeks Participants

Community groups and other organi-zations are invited to march in the parade, planned for March 15, 10 a.m. to noon at the Washingtonian Center. The grand marshals and emcees for this year’s parade are Tommy McFly, Kelly Collis and Jen Richer of 94.7 Fresh FM’s “The Tommy Show.”

A participant application form is available at www.gaithersburgmd.gov/stpatricksparade. For more information, contact the city of Gaithersburg at 301.258.6350 or The Harp and Shamrock Society at 240.447.9744, www.hssg.org.

Dental Services Available to Qualifying Adults

The State of Maryland awarded Montgomery County Health and Human Services a $15,000 grant for the delivery of dental services to low-income adults ages 55 and older. The Gaithersburg Senior Center will arrange appointments and host a mo-bile dentist to provide services one day each

week, beginning on March 1.

Pepco Rate Case Public Hearings Scheduled

The Public Service Commission has sched-uled two public hearings in the most recent Pepco rate case to give residents the opportu-nity to provide input to the Commission. The hearing scheduled for Montgomery County will be held Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. in the Lobby Auditorium of the Montgomery County Executive Office Building. A sec-ond hearing will be held in College Park on Wednesday, May 14.

$14 Million Surplus for FY2013The city of Gaithersburg ends Fiscal Year

2013 with a $14 million surplus, the result of conscientious spending and an increase in revenue. The city was $5.8 million un-der budget for expenses, and it collected $7.7 million more in revenue than anticipat-ed. A good portion of the extra revenue can be attributed to accelerated development at Crown, the mixed-use residential and com-mercial property on Sam Eig Highway.

cityscene Compiled by Pam Schipper

2/24Mayor and Council Annual Planning Retreat, 6:30 p.m., Gaithersburg Upcounty Senior Center2/25Art in Public Places Subcommittee Meeting, 4:30 p.m., Arts Barn2/26

Historic District Commission Meeting, 7:30 p.m., City Hall3/3Mayor and City Council Meeting, 7:30 p.m., City Hall3/5Planning Commission Meeting, 7:30 p.m., City Hall

MEETING CALENDAR

County Council Supports Public Campaign Financing Measure

By Karen O’Keefe

T he Montgomery County Council is united in support of a proposal, spon-sored by Council member Phil An-

drews (District 3) and cosponsored by every one of his eight Council colleagues, to provide candidates for County Executive and County Council seats with a public financing option. The proposed legislation, Bill 16-14 (Elec-tions-Public Campaign Financing), would leverage contributions of $150 or less with a sliding scale of public funds.

At a Feb. 3 news conference, Andrews was flanked by Council members Craig Rice, Hans Riemer, George Leventhal and Marc Elrich who made comments support-ing the bill. Also on hand to voice support were representatives of the Sierra Club of Montgomery County, Common Cause of Maryland, the ACLU of Maryland and the Montgomery County Civic Federation.

Andrews said he has wanted to introduce the measure for several years, but was forced to wait for the state’s General Assembly to pass legislation giving counties the authori-ty to put a public financing system in place. Passed in the final moments of the 2013 General Assembly session, the Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2013 allows a coun-ty’s governing body to set up a public cam-paign finance system for the election of County Executive and County Council members. The bill would establish a Public Election Fund with general revenue appro-priated by the County Council.

Candidates would have to meet a dollar threshold of contributions (of $150 or less) totaling $40,000 for County Executive, $20,000 for at-large County Council seats and $10,000 for District Council seats to qualify for public funds.

A minimum number of contributors would be required to qualify for public funding—500 for County Executive, 250 for at-large County Council seats and 125 for District Council seats. Candidates would be barred from accepting contributions from PACs and corporations.

If passed, the law would be effective be-ginning in the 2015 to 2018 election cycle.

Council member George Leventhal (at-large) was one of the four Council members on hand Feb. 3 to speak in support of Bill 16-14. “I’m here to tell you that every min-ute I spend on the phone asking for mon-ey from donors or fundraising is a minute I can’t spend doing what I want to do, which is studying the issues, responding to constitu-ents, meeting with communities and under-standing better the complex issues we face.

“I’m very confident that I and others could compete very well under the voluntary sys-tem proposed by Phil Andrews. (Once) I raised $80,000 from a range of contribu-tors in amounts of $150 or less, I’d be done. Public financing would make up the rest … get me to the quarter million mark (which is what) it costs to be elected in this county.

“It is very expensive to reintroduce your-self to voters (each election cycle). … Right

now, I’ve got to raise all that money on the phone and doing fundraising events.

“I could spend the campaign shaking hands with voters, studying the issues.

“This bill would create a framework in which the power of small checks is substan-tially magnified. ... I believe the proposal would revitalize grassroots democracy in this county. It’s a really good idea,” Leventhal concluded.

Carole Ann Barth, president of the 150,000-member Montgomery County Civic Federation, was one of four represen-tatives of organizations sharing the podium with Andrews and his colleagues at the news conference.

“We often feel the citizen’s voice is drowned out by big money,” she said. “I can also tell you that I work every day with well-informed people … who care about de-mocracy, community and county—people who work tirelessly for a better Montgomery County. Yet not one of them would ever consider running (for office) because none of them have friends with ‘deep pockets.’ The proposal represents a real potential for change and to see a range of candidates that would not have been seen before.”

The County Council will hold a hearing on Bill 16-14 at 7:30 p.m. on March 4.

Council member Phil Andrews is a candi-date in the June 24, 2014 Democratic prima-ry election for County Executive. He does not accept contributions from PACs and de-velopment interests.


QO Student Athletes SignBy Syl Sobel

E leven Quince Orchard student athletes signed national letters of intent to con-tinue their academic and athletic careers

at colleges and universities next year. The school held a Signing Day event recently to mark the occasion.

The group included four standout QO football players:

• Lamonte Armstrong, U.S. Naval Academy

• Malcolm Brown, University of Delaware

• Elliott Davis, North Carolina State University

• Kyle Gregory, Monmouth University

Also present at Signing Day were these tal-ented student athletes from other sports:

• Brittany Beckwith, basketball, Saint Vincent College

• Babette Sanmartin, basketball, Saint Vincent College

• Jamilla Jongo, track and field, Towson University

• Umbra Kassa, lacrosse, York College• Lizzy Parker, field hockey, Bridgewater

College• Brent Greenberg, lacrosse, University of

Mount Union• Taylor Segreti, lacrosse, Babson College

“I am excited to be able to continue to play at the next level and be a part of something

that is more than football,” said Armstrong about attending the U.S. Naval Academy. “I look at it as an opportunity to continue to play the sport I love and become a selfless man and serve my country.”

“This means a lot to me because it’s some-thing I’ve been working for my entire life and it feels really good to finally have it pay off,” said Brown. He said he chose University of Delaware for its “home feeling” and the coaching staff, and because “it’s a great school both academically and athletically.”

Beckwith said she’s “looking forward to playing next year at St. Vincent’s.” Currently the center for the Lady Cougars, Beckwith isn’t certain what position she will play in college but is excited about the opportunity.

Gregory said, “This ... gives me the satis-

faction of knowing I did something I put my mind to.” He said he likes the academic pro-gram in law at Monmouth University and that he is looking forward to rejoining for-mer QO teammates Matt Choi and Darnell Leslie on the football team.

Signing Day is also a day of accomplish-ment for the parents of student athletes. “It means a lot to me because Elliott has worked extremely hard for this,” said Davis’ moth-er, Aretha Montgomery. She cited the camps that he attended, hours working out and working on academics, and the careful pro-cess he went through to make his decision. “He’s had an excellent year on the field and off the field and has grown as a player and as a person. The best is yet to come.”

Compiled by Pam Schipper

MCPS Seeks Applicants for Cybercivility Task Force

The Cybercivility Task Force will de-velop strategies to raise awareness of the need for cybercivility in how Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) students and adults communicate online. It will also guide the creation of tools for schools, par-ents and community members that en-courage conversations about cybercivility. “The Cybercivility Task Force will be a crit-ical resource in our ongoing efforts to help our students understand how to use tech-nology and social media appropriately,” Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr said.

MCPS is seeking broad involvement from parents, students, staff and communi-ty members to serve on the task force. The group will meet once a month, and mem-bers will be expected to meet in smaller groups as well. The process will last from March to August.

Individuals who wish to serve on the task force need to submit an application by 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24. Application forms can be found at www.montgomery-schoolsmd.org/cybercivility/application.aspx. For more information, visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/cybercivility or call 301.279.3853.

assignmenteducation

n assiGnment eduCation Continued on page 15


Quince orchard student athletes came together with coaches and parents for signing day. they are (left to right) malcolm brown, football, university of delaware; elliott davis, football, north Carolina state; Kyle Gregory, football, monmouth university; lizzy Parker, field hockey, bridgewater College; babette sanmartin, basketball, st. Vincent College; umbra Kassa, lacrosse, York College; taylor segreti, lacrosse, babson College; and brent Greenberg, lacrosse, university of mount union. student athletes not pictured are lamonte armstrong, football, u.s. naval academy; jamilla jongo, track and field, towson university; and brittany beckwith, basketball, st. Vincent College.


It’s Only Fair: Carrie Reed Receives Character Counts!By Pam Schipper

L akelands Park Middle School (LPMS) Assistant Principal Carrie Reed has giv-en many character-recognition awards

to her students during her 25 years as an edu-cator. On Feb. 3, she received one of her own from the city of Gaithersburg.

“I was truly honored,” she said. “It came as quite a surprise.”

The city’s Person/Business of Character award is presented to adults who live or work in the community and consistently strive to exemplify the Six Pillars of Character: trust-worthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Only 34 people have received the award since its inception in 1997.

Principal Deborah Higdon nominated Reed because of her warm and caring sup-port of students, something that students themselves recognize if all the hugs Reed re-ceives each day are any indication. Higdon elaborated that Reed greets students by name, keeps calm at all times, has high ex-pectations of students and supports Latino students by speaking Spanish.

Higdon also cited Reed’s mentorship of colleagues in her nominating letter. “Over the past few years Ms. Reed has helped train two assistant principals. This year, Ms. Reed is a coach and mentor to a new assistant prin-cipal at another school. Ms. Reed is repeat-edly chosen as a coach and mentor because of her outstanding character and job knowl-edge,” she wrote.

“It has always been my thing to help oth-

ers,” Reed said, adding that she has a twin sister who is also an educator. Denise West, who teaches sixth grade math at Crestwood Middle School, was one of the top final-ists for Frederick County Public Schools Teacher of the Year. “My mother is very pleased to have both of her daughters recog-nized,” Reed said.

Reed began her career in 1989 as an in-structional assistant for the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at Montgomery Blair High School, later be-coming an ESL resource teacher there and coaching as well. The principal at Blair, Phil Gainous, saw leadership potential in her and encouraged her to enroll in the school ad-ministration and supervision graduate certi-fication program at Johns Hopkins School of Education.

She continued as an ESL resource teacher at Seneca Valley High School under the di-rection of Seneca Valley’s Wayne Whigham.

Reed moved into administration to be-

come assistant principal at Robert Frost Middle School, where she worked with Dr. Joey Jones, principal. She then opened up Lakelands Park Middle as assistant princi-

pal. After three years at LPMS, she cycled to Roberto Clemente Middle School, and then returned to LPMS. She is now in her sixth year as assistant principal at LPMS, and she enjoys seeing the younger siblings of some of the students she started working with there.

Reed feels that all of the six pillars of char-acter are important, but she puts special em-phasis on fairness in her job as assistant prin-cipal. “Fairness goes a long way when I’m dealing with discipline,” she said. “I look at the whole child, what they are dealing with in their lives at home as well as at school.”

Reed said that she loves how the city of Gaithersburg “has all of these opportunities for students to be recognized” for character as well as academic achievement.

The Road to College Admissions

“E arly Action” and “Ear-ly Decision”

are for many families the introduction to the con-fusing, exciting and some-what exasperating college applications and admis-sions process. Traditionally (under the Regular Deci-sion application process), students apply sometime around early January and receive decisions around early April. If students elect to apply Early Action or Early Decision, they must submit their applications by early Novem-ber, but are able to receive their decisions by mid-December.

While Early Action is not a binding ad-missions process, Early Decision is. What this means is that students who apply Early Decision must attend the school they ap-ply to, if admitted. The intention is pre-sumably to build a class of highly moti-vated and committed students who will be able to take full advantage of the all of the school’s resources and opportunities. Another perk lies in that accepted students can breathe easy and can avoid spending even more time and money slaving away on other applications.

But what happens if you’re not accepted?As all the Early Action/Early Decision

results have already been released, and as all the Regular Decision applications have been submitted, I can sit back and reflect on the process as a whole. One thing that

has really simmered in my mind in the past few months is the concept, effort, and re-sults of Early applications.

The problem with many Early Action applications and certainly with Early Decision applications is that they allow, if not force, idolization and infatuation with one school. Everything about the school becomes perfect—the curriculum, the lo-cation, the faculty, the student body. I have witnessed many a student lose them-selves in idealization of a certain institu-tion. What happens is that students, many of them new to and incredibly enthusiastic about the idea of university life, find them-selves unwilling and thus unable to imag-ine themselves at any other school.

This unwavering commitment leads to a polarization of emotions come decision time. Accepted students are understand-ably ecstatic. Years of hard work and stress have finally come to fruition. Those de-ferred (pushed back to consideration in the Regular Decision pool) or rejected, how-ever, are often devastated. I have witnessed many of my classmates and close friends lose hope and self-confidence. For many high-achieving classmates, this is one of their first huge failures—one of the first times that investing Herculean amounts of emotion, time, work and stress has not led to expected outcomes. As someone who was deferred from her top-choice institu-tion, I understand. Rejection is personal. It hurts, it is frustrating, and it is scary.

n ColleGe admissions Continued on page 14

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and students can connect and send each oth-er video chat invitations, meeting on a vir-tual platform to do a pre-screening. This is an important feature, said Ross, because most students don’t have cars and with the video chat feature, they don’t have to ask their parents to drive them from interview to interview.

“When they find a company that is worth making the investment, then they will go for

that face-to-face interview,” he explained.FORCE will launch first locally, and Ross

has had some interest from businesses in the Kentlands area already, including Not Your Average Joe’s, Papa John’s, Chick-fil-A, and SPAGnVOLA. But Ross also hopes to ex-pand much further in the future. Their Facebook page reads: “FORCE - The 1 million student job project.” Ross said that their goal is to have facilitated one million student jobs by 2016.

FORCE will launch on March 1, and Ross is convinced of its importance. “It’s

good for students to have jobs to give them an idea of what they want to do. So many students go to college without having any idea what they want to do, and then they waste all that money and still don’t have an idea.” Ross’s own children are only in el-ementary school at the moment, but when the time comes, Ross said, perhaps they will have an easier time looking for a summer job of their own.

For more information, visit www.worktheforce.com or www.facebook.com/worktheforce.

The Tiffany blue packaging and whimsi-cal design for the bars focuses on a lifestyle. Even the bar names have a touch of fairy dust with Apple Butter Cran-dipity and Peanut Butter Cherry-licious as offerings.

“This is not just about a bar for us,” said Ascher. “We want to create something that people would be proud to throw in their yoga bag or child’s lunch.”

“We were on a mission,” added Burnstein.That mission resulted in a product that

uses natural sweeteners like dried fruit and honey and a baking process that keeps the bars chewy for a one-of-a-kind taste.

“We knew we had something special from the start,” emphasized Ascher.

After obtaining a nutritional analysis, leasing commercial kitchen space and in-vesting monetarily and with sweat equity, the bars were ready to debut.

“Now that our kids are older, this was the

logical time to embark on this,” said Ascher, the mother of two college-aged children. “There were nights when we did not get home until 3 or 4 a.m. We were prepar-ing for the Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore at the end of September with over 1,500 exhibitors.”

That show earned them exposure and praise from many retail notables, includ-ing TJ Maxx Corporation that now features their bars in all of their Canadian stores. The U.S. market also took notice, and the bars are now available across the country as well as online through a thoroughly charming website.

Just as CharmedBars have a perfect blend of ingredients, the Charmed Girls, as the partners refer to themselves, found balance as well.

“While Debbi and I are very similar, we are also very different in many ways,” said Burnstein. “And because of this, we natu-rally fell into our roles in the business. It has worked out beautifully! We are both very lucky to have each other to continually bal-

ance each other out. It’s very Zen-like, and we laugh a lot!!”

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this journey for the partners has been the oppor-tunity to meet with the public and see their reaction to CharmedBars.

“We still do all the demos and touch our customers,” said Ascher. “We find that once people taste the bars and like them, they open up to us and start talking to us about the health issues and their journey. It is really special, that connection.”

Baking, demonstrations and fulfillment now rest squarely on the shoulders of the founders, but Ascher feels that “we will have a distributor within the next year.”

And the next year will, no doubt, bring continued growth. “I envision growing from local to regional to more of an East Coast presence,” said Ascher, “but we know we can’t grow too fast.”

“We plan to keep charming one per-son at a time with our charmed bars,” said Burnstein, “and showing them how to live a charmed life.”

n charMeDbar from page 1

n StuDent jobS from page 1

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has taken a jazzercise class at the Jazzercise Germantown Center and an exercise class with Foundry Fitness.

“The best part of this (Ton of Fun Challenge) is that it keeps you focused on what you’re doing,” he said. Other people in their lives, like his wife’s parents who are now in their 80s, have been very interested in their progress.

Lynn Oundo of GermantownLike so many of us in the D.C. metro re-

gion, Lynn Oundo has felt challenged to maintain her exercise routine during the past two weeks’ onslaught of wintry weather. “You’re stuck,” she said. “You’re not moti-vated enough to leave the house. The weath-er gets you down.”

Oundo prefers going to the gym and meeting people, something she has made a point of doing every other day since begin-ning the Ton of Fun Challenge at Fleet Feet Sports. She rises at 4 a.m. to work out on her own before commuting from Germantown to Bethesda, arriving at her desk by 7 a.m. The morning workout is my gift to myself, she said. The rest of the day can be for work and doing for others.

Morning visits to the gym work well for her, too, because she makes a point of eating dinner by 7 p.m. and cooking healthy meals. “I rarely eat out,” she said.

So how does she stay motivated when the alarm goes off on a cold, dark morning?

Even though she works out on her own, Oundo recommends having a workout bud-dy, someone you won’t want to disappoint by not showing up at the gym. Also, check

off the days that you work out on a calendar. That way, at the end of the month you can look back and get a boost of self-confidence.

Oundo is still feeling a bit frustrated with the scale, but since starting Sunday work-out classes at Foundry Fitness with other Challenge participants, she has seen inches come off. Combining weights with the car-dio may not have brought down the num-bers on the scale much, since muscle weighs more, but her body feels stronger and looks fitter.

“I know that this is a lifestyle change,” she said. “It didn’t come on overnight, and it won’t come off that way either.”

And it’s not all about inches and pounds. Since breaking her right ankle in spring 2013, the beginner runner has been working to recover from the injury. “My orthopedist told me that if I exercise more, I’ll feel bet-ter,” she said. Since starting the Ton of Fun Challenge, Oundo has discovered, “The more I work out, the less swelling and dis-comfort I feel in my leg.”

Ton of Fun Challenge weigh-ins at Fleet Feet have also helped her to stay motivated. She has met new people, and “it’s nice to share.” Even if your weight loss is less than a pound, people in the program celebrate that and tell you to keep up the good work. “You’re encouraged if you’re worried about the scale,” Oundo said.

She also found a nutrition presentation at Whole Foods helpful, and she has become even more mindful of what she puts in to her body. “You are what you eat—it’s really true,” she said. “It’s a learning process.”

Her best tip for others also trying to be-come healthier?

“I try not to let the numbers that show up on the scale discourage me,” she said. “You just put in the work, day by day.”

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year, Michael was able to start his high school career knowing more students. Michael will also play in the pit band for QO’s spring musical, “Bye Bye Birdie,” he said.

“We just have so much music around here—in Montgomery County especial-ly,” Jonathan Baniak said, citing the Arts Barn and the Strathmore. “There’s also so much competition.” Originally, his son was just looking for experience playing in front of judges, he said of the Young Artist Award Competition. He is very excited to

see Michael perform on March 22 with the other winners.

Michael Baniak will perform the second movement (Andante) of Joseph Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E flat major at the Young Artist Award Winners’ Concert on March 22, 7:30 p.m., at the Rosborough Cultural Arts Center on the grounds of Asbury Methodist Village. Tickets are $10 for city of Gaithersburg residents and $12 for nonresidents, and may be purchased in advance by calling the Gaithersburg Arts Barn at 301.258.6394 or online at www.gaithersburgmd.gov/RecXpress.

from page 3

aroundtown

February Is Spay/Neuter Awareness MonthTuesday, Feb. 25 is the 20th anniversary of World Spay Day, an annu-

al campaign of the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society International that promotes spay/neuter as a way to prolong the lives of companion and stray animals and reduce the number of unwanted animals euthanized in shelters. Approximately 45,000 animals are eutha-nized in Maryland shelters each year.

Thanks to Maryland’s Spay/Neuter Bill, which took effect on Oct. 1, 2013, low-income pet owners will soon be able to access a state fund to sterilize their pets and cut down on overpopulation in the state’s animal shelters. According to Julie Oberg with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, “MDA is well along on setting up the process of administering the grant program.” The MDA will solicit public comments soon at www.mda.maryland.gov.

Locally and through the month of February, the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County will be issuing 100 free cat spay/neuter certificates to cat owners unable to afford to have their cats altered. For more information on this program, visit www.awlmc.org/pdfs/AWLMC_100_Free_Cat_Spay_Jan28_2014.pdf


QOP Resident Steve Scharf to Serve on CCT Advisory Committee

Quince Orchard Park resident and HOA Board member Steve Scharf has been asked to serve on the 15-member Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) Area 1 Advisory Committee. The CCT Area Advisory Committees (AACs) will meet quarterly for the next two years, as the transitway design process continues. Depending on funding, construction could begin as early as 2018.

The role of AACs is to solicit community involvement and input on the project’s de-sign and construction. AACs will explore ways to incorporate the stations into exist-ing communities. Other topics of discussion will include station design amenities, traffic management, transit operations, safety, se-curity, and transitway access.

“I am looking forward to serving on the committee,” said Scharf. “There is a lot of interest in our community, and I am thrilled by the opportunity to help influence this major transportation initiative.

“The CCT will have a major impact on our community and all of the communities around us. Please share with me your ideas, concerns and suggestions so that I can bring them to the table as we move forward in the evolving CCT planning process.”

Scharf plans to bring community feed-back, including questions and areas of spe-cial interest, to committee meetings. He will provide answers and information to the community, as data becomes avail-able. Scharf will also present updates at the monthly Quince Orchard Park HOA meetings.

Three Area Advisory Committees have been established by the MTA for CCT Phase 1—the nine-mile leg of the transit-way, running from Metropolitan Grove in Gaithersburg to the Shady Grove Metro Station in Rockville. Members of the Area 1 Advisory Committee are drawn from the neighborhoods around the planned Metropolitan Grove, Firstfield, NIST and

Kentlands stations.The first meeting for the Area 1 Advisory

committee will be held March 6 at Kentlands Clubhouse. Contact Steve Scharf with CCT suggestions and concerns: [email protected]. For more information about the CCT, visit www.cctmaryland.com or call 410.454.9761.

Green Up!Saturday, April 5 (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.) is

annual Green Up Day. Residents meet at the Community Center parking lot. Bring gloves. Trash bags will be provided. Participants will walk the NIST path, the areas around Ponds 1 and 2, and other des-ignated areas to spruce up the communi-ty. Montgomery County Student Service Learning hours (SSLs) are available. Please join us. All are welcome. Contact Steve Scharf at [email protected] for more information.

Keep the Easter Egg Hunt Alive!We need a volunteer from the communi-

ty to take the lead. Supporting funds will be provided by the HOA.

We are also looking for a new Social Committee chairperson. Contact Community Manager Ruchita Patel at [email protected] and copy Steve Scharf at [email protected].

Swim Team NewsThe Diamond Farm Stingrays Swim Team

represents swimmers from the Diamond Farm, West Riding, Quince Orchard Park and other neighboring communi-ties. The team swims at the Diamond Farm Swimming Pool, located at 1203 Quince Orchard Blvd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878.

“Swimming teaches teamwork, sports-manship and skills that last a lifetime. Swim team is also a great way to keep kids mov-ing during the summer,” said Carole Valis, Quince Orchard Park’s liaison and Stingrays’ Board member.

She added, “In addition to practices and meets, the team has several social events—spaghetti dinners, ice cream nights, tie-dye shirts night—and it’s always a tradition to meet for lunch after meets. … A summer swim team is a unique environment—a place where a 4-year-old can have an 18-year-old teammate.”

The swim team season begins the Tuesday after Memorial Day and continues through the end of July.

The team is seeking sponsors for 2014. “It’s a great way to support young peo-ple in our community. In 2013, four out of five sponsors were from QOP,” said Valis. “Sponsors advertise on our website, which is the central communication hub for our 80-member team and visited frequently by our competition. Also, our sponsors are ad-vertised at our home meets.

“As always, we are thankful for the gen-erous support of Quince Orchard Park busi-ness and our community’s strong backing.”

If anyone is interested in sponsoring the team—or volunteering—contact Carole Valis at [email protected]. The team website is dfstingrays.com.

HOA NotesSuzanne Scharf has been appointed by

the HOA Board to chair the Facilities and Grounds Maintenance Committee. The position had been vacant for an extended period.

“I got tired of how our neighborhood was looking, so I stepped up,” said Scharf.

HOA Board President Troy Kennedy

commented at the Feb. 11 meeting, which followed a campaign by QOP residents in-cluding Suzanne Scharf and Sonya Burke, that the ongoing trash problem around the Vistas construction site appeared to be some-what abated.

Kennedy noted that the city of Gaithersburg is currently evaluating its stormwater and water quality protection program—and that construction waste washing into waterways should be one of the things considered in that assessment.

The ParkPagesNews and Current Events for Quince Orchard Park n E-mail your contributions to [email protected] n FEbruary 2014

Meeting calendar2/24 — Condo Board I, Clubhouse, 7 p.m.2/26 — Condo Board II, Clubhouse, 7 p.m.

ManaGeMent MentionStrash and recycling

Trash, which is collected on Tuesday and Friday, must be placed in lidded trash cans. Trash must not be left for collection in bags. Trashcans and recycle bins must be stored out of sight on non-pickup days.

Recycling is picked up on Fridays. Please contact the city at 301.258.6370 to have a lidded bin delivered and the old one picked up. It is helpful to label recycling bins with house numbers.

Bulk recycling pickups are the first Friday of each month. March 7 is the next bulk recycling pickup day.

The city of Gaithersburg and Potomac Disposal (301.294.9700) both offer collection services for bulk items at no cost.

Dog Duty and Animal Services Information

Cleaning up after dogs is the legal responsibility of every canine owner walking a dog in the community. Dogs are not permitted off-leash on common property in the city of Gaithersburg.

To request non-emergency animal services or for information related to Animal Control, during business hours, residents may contact the Gaithersburg Animal Control Office at 301.258.6343. Information: www.gaithersburgmd.gov/animal.

For after-hours/emergency animal service calls, Gaithersburg residents should call the county police non-emergency number at 301.279.8000.

WebsiteAgendas for meetings, as well as

many important documents (minutes and meeting summaries), can be found at the QOP website: www.quinceorchardpark.com.

Qop Management contact information

Quince Orchard Park Community Managers, Ruchita Patel and Quinn Chase

C/o The Management Group Associates, Inc.20440 Century Boulevard, Suite 100

Germantown, MD 20874Phone: 301.948.6666Fax: 301.963.3856E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

Qop newS

Photo | Sonya Burke

snowstorm aftermath: Quince orchard Park glitters in Valentine's day sunshine.

Local Hero Rescues Pup From Gazebo Pond

T his is the story of a lucky dog and a wonderful neighbor.

Quince Orchard Park was in the throes of a polar vortex the morning of Jan. 30. Tannery Drive resident and mort-gage banker Ron Schwartz, just out of a hot shower, was dressing for work when his two older sons ran in to tell him that a neighbor’s dog had fallen into the frigid waters of the pond behind the gazebo.

The boys, both students at Lakelands Park Middle School, were walking to the bus stop when they saw neighbor Andrea Roberts at the pond’s edge, frantically call-ing to her dog, Sunny.

The Roberts’ young, 50-pound shep-herd-lab mix had slipped off of her leash, chased some ducks across the pond ice, and fallen into the nearly frozen water at the center.

“The dog was trapped with one paw above the ice and one paw caught below. She was going into shock,” Schwartz recalled. “Fire and rescue was en route, but it looked like they might arrive too late.”

Schwartz grabbed a long ladder and a leash belonging to his fami-ly’s dog and headed for the pond. He fashioned a slipknot in the leash in case he needed it, eased the ladder toward the center of the pond and cautiously made his way about 60 feet to the freezing dog.

“I grabbed the dog by the scruff of the neck and pulled,” he said. “I’m just glad Sunny was alright.”

Photo | Amy Horwitz Schwartz

the scene of the jan. 30 pup rescue behind the gazebo. note the tracks and ladder impressions in the snow.


welcoming and friendly that this writer, there strictly to listen and report, finds her-self singing.

“(Rock Me Mama Like A) Wagon Wheel” follows John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” They play “Louie, Louie” and “Margaritaville.” The songs continue, with an occasional inter-ruption to repeat difficult bits.

After about an hour, it is time for a break. Many Jam members have brought snacks and drinks, and folks gather around the room’s big conference table to munch on chips and hummus, chicken wings and a variety of other foods. Now conversation and laughter fill the room as people catch up on recent life events. Some of the regu-lars are not there, and those in attendance update one another on the whereabouts of the missing. One hears that one woman “still has the flu,” and that someone else is out of town.

Soon, people drift back to the instru-ments and it begins again. “How Does It Feel” is followed by some Bob Dylan: “Fare Thee Well (My Honey)” (formally titled “Dink’s Song”) is quickly followed by “The Times, They Are a-Changin.”

As 9 p.m. approached, they played “Amie,” “Can’t You See,” “Leroy Brown,” “Stand By Me” and other songs. Watching, my foot tapped unbidden. I kept on sing-ing, hoping my voice could not be heard. Also, wishing that it could.

From time to time, the Kentlands Acoustic Jam plays publicly—usually in in-

formal community settings. The Kentlands Farmers Market and the Kentlands 5K Race were among recent venues. Some of the Jam members accompanied the Kentlands Community Chorus (also sponsored by the Kentlands Community Foundation) at their holiday concert in December.

John Bauer plays the bass in the group. A Lakelands resident, he said he plays for fun and for the musical “stretching” that comes with playing in the group.

“It’s interesting to meet neighbors who are into music,” he said. “It’s an opportuni-ty to connect with some people I wouldn’t meet otherwise.”

Bauer, who chairs the Gaithersburg Planning Commission, noted that the Kentlands Acoustic Jam is a fit with the community’s philosophical commitment to New Urbanism. “Kentlands Acoustic Jam is a great example of how you build community.”

Kentlands Community Foundation Director Carrie Dietz agreed. The band promotes New Urbanism, she said. “It brings people together, and it is completely in line with the cultural arts and volunteer-ism components of the KCF mission.”

“The Kentlands Acoustic Jam gives back to the community with music,” she said. “When the idea was presented to the KCF board by Markham Luke (in November 2012), it was a perfect fit.”

For more information about the Kentlands Acoustic Jam, stop by a practice (6 p.m. Kentlands Clubhouse, first and fourth Tuesday of the month); contact the KCF at [email protected] and 301.926.6636; or visit the group’s website: http://www.reverbnation.com/kentlandsacousticjam.

n shoP talK Continued on page 16

from page 4

shoptalk

n MuSic from page 3

and obstacle courses. Recently, Casas part-nered with neighbor Bella Ballet to sched-ule Fitsu classes to begin and end at the same time as Bella classes; that way parents can get a workout while waiting for their children to finish ballet.

Casas also places a unique emphasis on what he calls “pre-hab,” conditioning to pre-vent injury. “A couple years back, I had a real-ly bad back injury and the only time I wasn’t in pain was when I was doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,” Casas said. So every Friday morning from 5 to 7 a.m., Fitsu offers a class that fo-

cuses on preventing injury.Casas’ injury has given him a different per-

spective on working out. “The only muscle we train is the heart,” Casas said. “There are lots of people who are pushing themselves really hard, and they don’t get any enjoy-ment out of it. We want them to be healthy.” With his pre-hab classes and strategic work-outs, he aims to do just that.

Whole Foods Adds Juice MachineIf you’ve been to the Kentlands Whole

Foods recently, you may have noticed some

ing business classes and really wants to the take the restaurant to the next level. Yianni (23) is a server and steps in to manage or do whatever needs to be done if I am not here.”

Although the menu has remained almost unchanged as a nod to the regulars who favor particular dishes, Vasilis is keeping things fresh.

“We make our own breads, soups and sauces here every day. All of our seafood and vegetables are fresh as well. No bagged salad here,” Bill said. “We have focused recently on adding some interesting daily specials to the menu.”

In part, the specials are a way of offer-ing a variety of dishes at affordable prices.

“We did see a slight dip in business when the economy dropped,” he recalled, “but we added affordable specials to balance out the menu as a means of making it easier for families to dine out.”

That notion of family also plays into the business hours for Vasilis. “We are closed on Sunday to spend time with our family,” said Bill. “We have a lot of extended family in the area and we really treasure that day to be with them.”

For many, Vasilis is a treasure right in their own neighborhood, and the own-ers feel blessed by community support and their restaurant’s longevity.

“We are just going to keep doing what we are doing,” said Bill. “If we keep offer-ing a great product, hopefully we will keep our great following. They really are more like family to us.”

n vaSiliS from page 4


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French Melodies Grace the Salon at Kentlands MansionBy Nora Fitzpatrick

T he third installment of the yearlong sfz salon series, which features a blending of various styles of chamber music, comes

to the Kentlands Mansion on March 1, 8 p.m. Sfz, short for sforzando, is an indication on sheet music for a “strong, sudden accent on a note or chord.” The latest in the series, “Vocalise,” focuses on French melodies by Ravel, Debussy, Messiaen and Satie, each of whom were groundbreaking artists in the ear-ly twentieth century. The selections featured in this performance will highlight the revolu-tionary concepts of exoticism and mysticism incorporated in their compositions.

These composers were flourishing at the time of the Paris Exposition in 1900. The West was being introduced to Eastern cul-tures and Art Nouveau was in vogue. The music composed by these artists was un-like other works of this era, and pieces were inspired by the circumstances of the time. At this performance, the audience will be treated to a Ravel piece written in Greek. The melodies that evoked the sounds of Ancient Greece struck an authentic cord with French audiences and evoked feelings of timelessness.

Debussy was known for pieces based on erotic texts, and his compositions had an

aura of sensuality about them. Messiaen’s modern works took rhythm to an entirely new level, free from the bonds of groups of two or four beats in a measure. The pieces were meant to capture the sense of being in a trance and religious state of mind.

Satie was the complete antithesis of all of this, poking fun at the seriousness and mys-ticism of the works of Ravel, Debussy, and Messiaen. As part of the Dada movement, Satie’s pieces purposefully bordered on the ridiculous with overly mystical titles, not so subtly jabbing at the earnestness of his contemporaries.

Suzanne Takahashi, music program co-ordinator at the Arts Barn, said that the Kentlands Mansion lends itself perfectly to a chamber music discussion series. There are multiple performance arts centers in the D.C. area, but the intimacy of a salon series with a lively discussion is something that isn’t possible at Strathmore or the Kennedy Center.

The featured musicians of “Vocalise” are mezzo-soprano Kate Jackman and pi-anist Alex Peh. Peh, who is also the cu-rator of this series, met Jackman years ago at the Tanglewood Music Festival and al-ways hoped to perform with her. This se-ries gives him the opportunity. Peh earned

his B.M. and M.M. in piano performance from Northwestern University and is cur-rently an assistant professor of piano at the State University of New York at New Paltz. Jackman earned her B.M. at the University of North Texas and her M.M. from the Peabody Institute.

Admission is available at the discounted rate of two tickets for $25, or two tickets for $23 for city of Gaithersburg residents. French wines, including a St. Emilion Bordeaux and a Pouilly-Fuisse Chardonnay, will be avail-able at an additional cost. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 301.258.6394, online at www.gaithersburgmd.gov/RecXpress, or at the Arts Barn Ticket Office, 311 Kent Square Road.

• Private and Group Music Lessons• Piano, Brass, Woodwinds, Strings, Guitar, Percussion and Voice• Chamber Ensembles• Early Childhood through Adult - All Levels• Instrument Sales and Rentals• Music Books, Accessories and Gift s

Your Kentlands Neighborhood Music Center!325 Main Street Gaithersburg, MD 20878

www.PritchardMusic.com — [email protected]

• • Piano, Brass, Woodwinds, Strings, Guitar, Percussion and Voice• Chamber Ensembles• Early Childhood through Adult - All Levels• Instrument Sales and Rentals• Music Books, Accessories and Gift s

Photo | Submitted

Pianist alex Peh is also the curator of the sfz salon series.

Photo | Submitted

mezzo-soprano Kate jack-man performs with pianist alex Peh at the march 1 “Vocalise” salon.

www.towncourier.com


Multimedia Works From the Art League of GermantownFeb. 7-April 4, Kentlands Mansion

More than 20 members of the Art League of Germantown, including fiber artist Elaine Katz, exhibit their work at the mansion. www.gaithersburgmd.gov/kentlandsmansion

‘A Little Night Music’Feb. 7-23, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m, Sundays at 2 p.m.Special Thursday performance on Feb. 20, 8 p.m.The Saturday, Feb. 22 performance will be held at 2 p.m., The Arts Barn

Produced by Damascus Theatre Company, “A Little Night Music” pres-ents witty and heartbreakingly moving moments of adoration, regret and desire. Don’t miss Stephen Sondheim’s most ac-

cessible and melodious musical. Tickets are $18 for nonresidents, $16 for city of Gaithersburg residents. For information and tickets, call 301.258.6394. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.gaithers-burgmd.gov/RecXpress

Singer Songwriter Concert Series: Slaid CleavesFeb. 22, 3 p.m. workshop, Kentlands Mansion, Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m. concert, Arts Barn

Slaid Cleaves spins stories with a novel-ist’s eye and a poet’s heart. Twenty years into his career, the celebrated songwriter’s “Still Fighting the War” spotlights an artist in peak form. Cleaves’ seamless new collec-tion delivers vivid snapshots as wildly cin-ematic as they are carefully chiseled. Dress William Faulkner with faded jeans and a worn six-string for a good idea. Maryland singer songwriter Tony Denikos is also fea-

tured, presenting his modern Americana with deep roots. Admission for the concert only is $30, or $28 for city of Gaithersburg residents. Admission for the concert and workshop combined is $50, or $48 for city of Gaithersburg residents. For tickets and information, call 301.258.6394 or visit www.gaithersburgmd.gov/artsbarn.

Dar WilliamsFeb. 22, 8 p.m., BlackRock Center for the Arts

Dar Williams is a singer-songwrit-er specializing in pop folk and a frequent performer at folk festivals. Plain-spoken and heartfelt, yet inspired and ambitious, Williams stands as one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of contemporary folk. Tickets are $32. www.blackrockcenter.org

Ballet Hispanico Latin Dance PartyFeb. 28, 7:30 p.m., BlackRock Center for the Arts

Whether you’re new to Latin dance genres like salsa, merengue and bachata or you’re a pro, you’ll enjoy this high energy lesson led by two members of the nation’s premier Latino dance company, Ballet Hispanico. The lesson will be followed by a fun-filled dance party! Tickets are $15. www.blackrockcenter.org

Comedy & Magic SocietyFeb. 28, 8 p.m., The Arts Barn

Astounding magic and sleight of hand with interactive theatre adds up to hilarious fun! Tickets are $12 for city of Gaithersburg residents and $15 for non-residents. www.gaithersburgmd.gov/artsbarn

Cashore MarionettesMarch 1, 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., BlackRock Center for the Arts

This puppet company brings two shows to BlackRock. Both are a series of vignettes set to music by such composers as Vivaldi, Strauss and Beethoven. “Simple Gifts,” 1 p.m., is shorter and lighthearted

with subjects that engage a family audience. “Life in Motion,” 8 p.m., is longer and has more varying tones and themes appropriate for a wider range of ages. Following the 1 p.m. show, the puppeteers will demonstrate how the marionettes work. Following the 8 p.m. show, enjoy a Q&A with the puppeteers. Tickets are $25. www.blackrockcenter.org

sfz salon series: Vocalise Kentlands MansionMarch 1, 8 p.m.

Musicians Kate Jackman and Alex Peh present an evening of Ravel, Debussy, Messiaen and Satie. Enjoy chamber mu-sic in an intimate salon setting, lively dis-cussion with the musicians and some spe-cial wines. Tickets are $23 for city of Gaithersburg residents, and $25 for non-residents. www.gaithersburg

Do Your Role, Feed a SoulMarch 2, 1-4 p.m., Pasha Land Restaurant, 644 Center Point Way

This benefit for the KamKam Foundation that supports 30 children in need in Cite Soleil, Haiti, includes a three-course meal and entertainment by Audist Shawkat, Nazira and belly dancers. Tickets are $30, available for purchase at www.eventbrite.com/e/do-your-role-feed-a-soul-tick-ets-10625131053. For more information, visit www.kamkamfoundation.org.

National Christian ChoirMarch 8, 6 p.m., First Baptist Church of Gaithersburg, 200 West Diamond Ave.

The National Christian Choir presents an extraordinary ministry of music. All proceeds benefit Gaithersburg HELP to as-sist local families in need with food, infant needs, transportation and prescriptions. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased on-line at www.GaithersburgHELP.org.

arts& entertainment Compiled by Pam Schipper

n colleGe aDMiSSionS from page 7

But it is going to be OK! One thing I have learned from Early Decision/Early Action applications is that failure is not only natural, but essential. Whereas I, too, was initially devastated by my deferral, I came to embrace it. I felt not ashamed, but proud that I dared to dream big and that I put heart, soul and a lot of time into an endeavor with a high risk of failure. Teenagers (especially of the perfectionist, precocious sort) must understand that fail-ure happens to everyone. More important-ly, they must be able to find the courage and motivation to move past it.

Deferrals and rejections, furthermore, are an excellent reality check. All too of-ten well-off suburban high school students lose perspective. They believe that achiev-ing A, B and C will ensure that they at-tain Goal X. But it is not so. Bumps and glitches occur along the road. Other peo-ple may be more qualified. Little things that you thought wouldn’t matter did. It is unhealthy to assume that all things will fall according to plan if you work hard enough or want something enough. Sometimes

things simply fall out of our control; it is part of personal growth to be able to un-derstand that and let the chips fall where they may.

Finally, deferrals and rejections are a good starting point and preparation for Regular Decision. Self-reflection and improvement are crucial lifelong skills. Perhaps one es-say was too bland. Perhaps the verb us-age in the activities sheet was not exciting enough. One thing I felt was an import-ant gain from the application process was the ability to look critically at my own ap-plication rather than blaming the admis-sions committee for their decision. The best thing about Early applications is that they give students and families an excellent grasp on the application and essay-writing process for Regular Decision, when the bulk of applications are completed.

So fear not, deferred and rejected can-didates. All things, including college de-cisions, happen for a reason. And above all, never fear the heartbreak of rejection. Only after completely devoting ourselves to something can we truly grow and flour-ish (even if we fail the first time around). So loosen up, breathe a little, and relax before the mayhem of Regular Decision results.

The Pâté Painters and Glass Artist Tony GlanderJan. 31-March 23, The Arts Barn

The appropriately named Pâté Painters celebrate life and friendship by en-joying fine foods and wines each time they gather to paint. Their paintings— watercolor, gouache, acrylic, pastel, pencil, oil, tinted papers, and even fab-ric—depict places, people and scenes that are meaningful to the artist and pleasing to the viewer.

Tony Glander has been a resident artist at the Arts Barn since its inception, with a studio that serves as a wonderful enclave for lovers of the medium of glass. Glander started working in stained glass in 1989 and is nationally rec-ognized for his work. For this exhibit, Glander will be sharing some of the spe-cial glass bowls he has been creating in celebration of both his birthday and studio anniversary. www.gaithersburgmd.gov/artsbarn


mikeat the moVies

By Mike Cuthbert

The Monuments Men (PG-13) ****George Clooney gam-

bled on his audience and their patience in this odd war film. Many critics find it too episodic and slight for true praise, and episodic it is. Perhaps Clooney, who wrote and directed the film, as-sumed the viewers would bring their own histori-cal knowledge and use this to fill in gaps in the story. What he ended up with is an evenly paced story of a band of art histori-ans and architecture academics who were called into service near the end of World War II, tasked with locating and return-ing to private hands a huge cache of mas-terpieces that the Nazis stole in order to destroy all Western art. The Nazis stashed the works in salt mines in Germany, for the most part, though some nestled in the homes of German officers.

The cast is a stunning one with fine performances by Bob Balaban as Preston Savits and Cate Blanchett as Claire Simone. Simone works as a secretary for the Germans and secretly kept a meticu-lous log of where each piece of art went. When she hears that James Granger (Matt Damon) is a curator for the Met in New York, she logically suspects that his real purpose is not to return the found pieces to their owners but to instead find new ac-quisitions for the Met. Her trust is hard to win, but she eventually turns over a cat-alogue that assists the Monuments Men mightily in their search.

The suspense in the film comes from several sources. The action takes place near the end of the war in 1944 and 1945. The Men are therefore fighting for time before the Soviet troops arrive with less altruistic motives for capturing the works, and the remaining Nazis would like to pick off as many Americans as possible. In fact, not all the Monuments Men make it home alive.

In the end, some 5 million works are dis-covered and restored to their rightful plac-es, and untold millions of dollars’ worth of gold, both in bullion and in dental fillings, are collected. The action is very episodic but not hard to follow, the cast is fantastic

and motivation for the Monuments Men admirable. Was it worth a life to save works of art? The answer of the film is a strict af-firmative. How you see the question might depend on how you see and value art itself.

RoboCop (PG-13) ***One wonders if a Fox News critic wrote

the script for this remake of the 1987 fran-chise starter. One of its many villains is a Fox Bill O’Reilly-modeled reality show, “The Novak Element,” an estab-lishment-loving, super-patriotic jumble. Samuel L. Jackson is its host, Pat Novak.

The film’s chief subject is a Detroit cop, Alex Murphy ( Joel Kinnaman), who is blown up outside his house when he gets too close to capturing a vicious drug lord. Well, most of Murphy is blown up. Left in the destruction of his car is a body with one arm, lungs and a functional head with a damaged brain. The geniuses at OmniCorp use his core to “put a man in a machine.” He is reconstructed with man-ufactured parts, taught to walk and inject-ed with the right combination of drugs to make him a perfect fighting machine with just enough compassion to make him tol-erable. After all, as the head of OmniCorp Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) says, “I’ve got to sell something the American people will like.” Sellars wants to sell the RoboCops to cities all over the world as the Ultimate Peacekeepers.

Indeed, once RoboCop is on the streets of Detroit, crime rates plummet. The rea-son RoboCop is so effective is that he is programmed to make judgments without responsibility for his decisions. That makes it possible for him to react far faster than humans and kill them much faster. He is also programmed to recognize friend or foe immediately, so he is not burdened by moral distinctions.

A crisis brought on by visualizing his own attempted murder starts to feed do-pamine into RoboCop’s system and make him more independent. This is not what OmniCorp had in mind. They plot to kill him, and corruption in the Detroit Police Department adds to his list of enemies.

The central question of the film is if we would prefer an amoral, non-judgmental set of robots enforcing our laws to a set of human beings. As Novak advises his au-

dience, “Machines are not corrupt.” Yet the film warns against trusting machines to deal humanely with humans. The ma-chines prove to be particularly untrust-worthy when they have a spark of con-science left in them so that they can strike back against their masters who run the computers and prescribe the drugs.

There were just a couple of things about the film that I couldn’t accept. OmniCorp offices and laboratories are allegedly in China—when blown out of one factory, RoboCop wakes up in a rice paddy—yet RoboCop is easily reached by anyone liv-ing in suburban Detroit. The other prob-lem is that RoboCop as a piece of ma-

chinery meant to capture perpetrators has a glaring weakness: His gears clash so loudly and his tread is so thunderous that he couldn’t sneak up on a convention of American Sign Language speakers.

But we quibble.There’s a lot of action, minimal or absent

humor, a charming wife and child at home (Abbie Cornish and John Paul Ruttan) and a soupçon of philosophy tossed into the mix. And there’s always Novak to re-mind you of Fox News. It could have been worse.

Enjoy more of Mike’s reviews at www.towncourier.com

from page 6

assignmenteducation

Board of Education Approves $2.32 Billion Budget Request

On Feb. 11, the Montgomery County Board of Education approved a $2.32 bil-lion operating budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015—an increase of about 4 percent over the current budget. The bud-get is $51.7 million, or 2.3 percent, above the amount of funding required by state law.

The Board’s request will allow Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to manage the district’s continued enrollment growth, while making strate-gic investments aimed at narrowing the achievement gap and preparing students and staff for the future. The budget also recognizes the commitment of MCPS em-

ployees by funding compensation increas-es, but asks employees to pay more for their health benefits.

“I believe this is a fair and thoughtful budget that balances the value our commu-nity places on high-quality schools and the Board’s commitment to fiscal responsibil-ity,” said Board President Phil Kauffman. “This budget will allow MCPS to keep up with its rapid enrollment growth and invest wisely and strategically to improve teaching and learning.”

The Board’s budget request is $35.5 mil-lion higher than Dr. Starr’s initial budget recommendation. Last month, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley released his proposed budget, which includes a $13.8 million increase in state funding to MCPS. This is slightly less than Dr. Starr estimated in his budget recommendation.


Stereo-typing

I t seemed to happen in super slow motion, like a scene from “The Six

Million Dollar Man” fea-turing Steve Austin run-ning, complete with the time warp digital music. The speed was so incredible that your mind had to slow it down for the human eye to process it correctly.

Drew’s water glass, near-ly full, teetered slightly before landing on its side with a thud. Then the liquid made a bee-line for my phone, which was nestled among the salt, pepper and grated cheese on the edge

of the table.My adrenaline kicked in, and I snatched up

the phone as the liquid ran off the table and dripped onto my jacket and jeans. I am sure it was cold, but I felt nothing as I stared at my phone in horror, silencing the table.

I mean, is there any moment worse than the realization that you damaged your phone in a totally preventable situation?

I took off the beautiful peach and blue case with the big, curly “S” in the middle. I then peeled off the clear screen saver with the matching blue trim and only allowed myself to exhale when I found the screen and case were fairly dry. I even managed a half-smile at Drew, who looked like he might throw up

in a restaurant full of people.The phone was then passed around the ta-

ble as everyone took turns grumbling at Drew while drying it in some fashion. Wiping with napkins, rubbing against a warm jacket, blowing repeatedly into the various holes for charging and ear buds all in the hopes of con-taining the damage.

I took a moment to mop up my lap and jacket and reassure Drew, who was now fear-ing for his life and his own iPhone 4s—think-ing his working model would be replacing mine should it stop.

So, I abandoned my meal and tested my phone until we paid the check. I made calls just fine. I received calls just fine. I could read the screen. But there were dead spots on the touch pad. Some apps worked and others did not. I kept tap, tap, tapping on the unrespon-sive icons like one would the button of a slow elevator. Even though you know it is not go-ing to bring about anything, it feels really good to do it.

This was not our first rodeo so, sadly, we had a Tupperware bin full of rice in the pan-try for just such an occasion. I sent up a prayer as I snapped the air-tight lid and then pro-ceeded to reach for my phone at least 50 times in the ensuing hours as I repeatedly forgot that it was convalescing.

The next morning, I unearthed my poor baby from its rice prison and my heart sank when I realized that there had been little im-provement. To make matters worse, I knew we had months to go before we were due for an upgrade on our account as we had pur-chased a phone for my son Mac recently.

So, I opened the drawer in the center is-land that serves as our cell phone graveyard and perused my choices. My eyes fell upon my old BlackBerry, which I still miss occa-sionally just for its simplicity and durability. A little water never would have dampened my BlackBerry’s spirits or capabilities. I had all but destroyed that phone, and it had contin-ued to work perfectly.

There was Mac’s old iPhone 3 with the cracked screen. Hmm, if the 3 worked, then I could give it to Drew and take his 4s until it was time for an upgrade. With the upgrade I would get a new one, give Drew back his, and outfit the 3 for Reed as a lame re-gift for his birthday after repairing the screen.

Genius, but AT&T was going to hate us.I moved to my phone to text Mac and ask

him if there was anything else wrong with

the old phone other than the cracked screen. Arrgh! I stared at the microphone icon and groaned. Without a working keyboard, I was left to recite all texts and emails.

Over the next few days while I tried—to no avail—to finagle a new phone out of AT&T and Apple, I was forced to speak every single bit of communication without punctu-ation, capitalization or any semblance of basic grammar rules.

It made my head want to explode. The for-mat is like torture for a writer with all the words just spilling into the text box with no ability to add punctuation without a keyboard.

A random sampling? “I am going to the store do you need anything make sure that you leave the door unlocked or I will make you carry all the bags haha”

I tried saying the words “period” or “com-ma,” but the words were just added to the run-on sentence, leaving me to try to delete them or start over.

I also discovered that if you have to say ev-erything out loud, you censor your words and choose your location carefully or oth-er’s words will be interjected into the mid-dle of your message. In fact, Mark kept try-ing to word-bomb my messages. As I was carefully speaking into the phone, he would come up behind me and shout random unre-lated words into the phone so I would have to begin again. As usual, my pain and inconve-nience were a great source of entertainment to my family.

I resorted to calling people when I could recite no more, and everyone seemed genu-inely surprised and alarmed. Surely I would only actually speak to them if there were something seriously wrong. The only hitch in that plan was that the END button for calls was located in one of the big, old dead spots on the screen. As a result, I often wound up with an open line long after the conversation was over, which requires a whole different kind of censoring.

Finally, my friend Randi took pity on me. She had a similar phone graveyard and offered me her 4s model until we got our upgrade. I think she just wanted me to stop calling her to handle things that could have been conveyed in one-line texts, but I didn’t care!

Because like “The Six Million Dollar Man,” we had the technology and it was time to rebuild me. Faster, stronger and, in my case, typing better than before.

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firstperson

By Maureen Stiles

big changes. The beauty department has a sleeker look and the bulk section has been expanded. But this, says Marketing Team Leader Candace Child, is just the beginning of a long project to update and revamp the Kentlands Whole Foods.

Since October 2013, the Kentlands Whole Foods has been working with regional offic-es to update the location. The work, as with all major construction work, has met up with unexpected delays but has been going forth nonetheless. The latest addition? A juice machine set up in the produce department. Shoppers can get themselves freshly squeezed orange juice made right before their eyes.

The juice machine lives in the newly ex-panded produce section, which took out some of the back offices of Whole Foods team members. To accommodate the new section, Child said, the department heads now reside in their respective departments instead of spending their time in a central location.

“We haven’t been touched since we opened up in 2001, so our regional depart-ment decided that there would be a facelift,” said Child.

“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback. Every time someone walks in … people just stand in awe,” Child enthused. If all goes well, she reported, the public can expect a grand re-opening in May.

from page 12

shoptalk


Flying Kangaroos and Penguins

A fter a three-hour delay at BWI Air-port and a six-hour

flight across the continen-tal USA, our plane finally touched down in Los An-geles. We were tired and eager to deplane. But the pilot announced over the intercom that air traffic was so busy we had to wait a few minutes more to taxi to the arrival gate. There was an audible sigh from everyone.

I had plenty of time to transfer to anoth-er flight to Sacramento. I remained seated by a window on the right side of our plane. By incredible good fortune, this location gave me an ideal view across the airport apron. I was rewarded with a sight I’ll nev-er forget.

An enormous Qantas jet was parked at the far end of this part of the apron. I was captivated by a huge red design on its tail and part of the fuselage. At first it looked

like an abstract design. Suddenly, I realized it was a kangaroo! Of course, it would be. What is the first image that comes to our minds when we think of Australia? The design was so ingeniously sleek, spare and simple, I began to smile with admiration. The artist had perfectly captured the very essence of a kangaroo, seemingly with one continuous line.

I felt as if my vision were suddenly en-lightened because I began to notice oth-er remarkable logos on the row of aircraft parked nearer to us. There was an enor-mous, mauve-colored orchid painted on one rudder, a gigantic dragon stretched along the body of another plane. It seemed to have an upturned moustache on the tail. A red maple leaf logo was easy to identify as belonging to Air Canada. There were jets that had silhouettes of birds and the as-cending stork of Lufthansa. Aeroméxico featured the head of an eagle. Especially appealing was the portrait of a smiling Inuit as the logo of Alaska Airlines.

The vista of logos that I could see from

my window was as exciting as an exhibit of graphic art in a gallery. I had a flash-back to the vivid colors and special logos that I would see on boxcars when my father took me to visit the Frisco Railway yards in Springfield, Missouri. (“Chessie,” the sleeping black cat in a yellow circle, was stenciled on a Chesapeake & Ohio car.)

Had airline logos always been this eye-catching and I just hadn’t noticed them, or were they a new way to adver-tise? A bit of research turned up the fol-lowing: “The designs painted on planes help distinguish one airline from anoth-er, using colors that promote and repre-sent the brands. But with frequent mergers and acquisitions in the industry over recent years, traffic in and out of paint shops has increased to keep planes updated with new airline identities.”*

Waiting to board my return flight from California, I was still piqued by the artistic display of logos on the tails of jet planes at LAX. I began to ask the airline attendant at my gate about them. He said he hadn’t been

involved in any of this updating, but he had noticed how planes would sometimes pay a visit to the paint shops and emerge with bright new logos. For instance, Southwest Airlines wanted to promote their connec-tion with SeaWorld. Occasionally, when they flew penguins with their keepers from one location to another, they would have the stately little birds waddle down a ramp to entertain passengers. Consequently, a few of the airline’s planes had a penguin painted along their fuselage.

Since my trip, I’ve been counting my blessings that I had a window seat on the right and that my flight had to wait long enough to arrive at the gate so that I had time to see that amazing array of airline logos. Many people would say that it was a coincidence. But then, one of my men-tors once said, “There’s no such thing as a coincidence.”

*”Flying Colors: How Airline Liveries Reflect a Changing Industry” by Ayesha Durgahee, CNN

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Coach Mac Begins Anew in UrbanaBy Kristy Crawford

A fter a successful 10-year-stint as foot-ball coach for Quince Orchard High School, Dave Mencarini is moving to

Urbana High School to coach the 2014 sea-son for the Urbana Hawks. An Urbana resi-dent, Mencarini was introduced as the newest addition to Urbana’s athletic staff. The crowd, assembled for the Feb. 11 announcement and Tuesday evening basketball games at UHS, cheered.

“We are so very fortunate to have Dave as our new coach,” said former Urbana Football Coach Ryan Hines. Hines became the athletic director at UHS in January. Hines said he was very pleased to help bring in Mencarini to replace him. After receiving more than 20 applications and interviewing four candidates for the position, Hines said it was an easy decision.

But it wasn’t as simple a decision for Mencarini. “I’m really excited to be here,” Mencarini said, “but it was a tough day say-ing goodbye to my QO Cougars after such a great experience.” On Tuesday morning, he met with school personnel and students and sent a letter to parents, students and the Quince Orchard community. “Out of re-spect to my QO family,” Mencarini said, “I

wanted to make sure they heard the news from me.”

Mencarini helped the Cougars make the playoffs each year during his tenure, finish three seasons undefeated and win the state championship title in 2007. Mencarini was named Maryland’s Coach of the Year that same year, and the team was runner-up in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Fifty-two players from Mencarini’s QO teams have gone on to play football in college; 10 have played for Division 1 teams. Four of Mencarini’s assistant coaches went on to coach at other schools in Montgomery County. Mencarini leaves the Cougars after a 10-year-record of 107 wins and 18 losses.

In the summers of 2012 and 2013, Mencarini coached Team Maryland against Pennsylvania in the annual Big 33 Football Classic scholastic all-star game, widely con-sidered the Super Bowl of high school in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Since 1957, the event has brought together some of the best high school players, coaches and cheerlead-ers from as far afield as Texas. Maryland re-turned to prominence in the event in 2012 after 20 years.

“As far as I’m concerned,” Hines said, “the state coach’s association selected the best coach for our all-star team, and now he is

coming to Urbana.”Mencarini, a Maryland native, graduated

from Rockville High School in 1992. He re-ceived his degree at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. He currently teaches ac-counting for work/study students at Quince Orchard, and will teach either math or phys-ical education at Urbana.

Although it was difficult to leave what he considers his extended family at Quince Orchard Mencarini said family was the big-gest reason for the switch.

“We have lived in Urbana for 12 years,” Mencarini said, “and now I can be closer to my girls.”

Mencarini and his wife, Brynn, have two daughters. Courtney is a sixth grad-er at Urbana Middle School and Camille is a fourth grader at Centerville Elementary School. Although he admits his schedule will likely be just as demanding as before, Mencarini said eliminating the 20-plus min-ute commute will help.

“It’s important to be around as our girls grow up,” he said. “We have two great daughters and I consider the football play-ers my sons.” Courtney and Camille are ac-tive with cheerleading and pom-pom teams, so Brynn Mencarini, a real-estate agent in Gaithersburg, said the move will make life much easier on Friday nights in the fall. “Hopefully,” Mencarini said, “when the

girls go to high school, the whole family can just go across the street for games.”

Mencarini said his family is closely tied to Urbana and has great respect for the Hawks community. “I look forward to building re-lationships with all of you,” he said.

He will never forget walking out onto the Hawks field in 2001, as an assistant coach for Seneca Valley High School. “The crowd was one of the largest and most enthusiastic I’ve ever seen. We went to triple overtime in that game.” He hopes to continue the tradition. “In 269 days, the Urbana Hawks will walk out onto the football field,” Mencarini said, “and take back the I-70 trophy!”

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By Syl Sobel

A rare Saturday morning basketball doubleheader at Quince Orchard High School last weekend almost

produced a twin win for the QO basket-ball teams, but just when victory seemed within their grasp, the Lady Cougars lost a heartbreaker to Watkins Mill, 59-55, in triple overtime. Earlier, the boys defeated WM, 55-39.

“It’s like anything that can go wrong for us at the end does,” said girls’ Coach Ken Buffum after guiding his team to perhaps their best game of the season, only to see the kinds of miscues that have haunted them in this 2-18 season occur again and again. Witness:

• QO had a 43-41 lead as time was running out in regulation but al-lowed WM to tie on an offensive re-bound and putback at the buzzer.

• QO had a chance to take the lead with under a minute in the first overtime, but missed an open shot from the baseline.

• QO’s tight defense protecting a 51-49 lead in the second OT almost forced WM into a shot clock viola-tion, but a prayer of a shot went in to tie the score as the shot clock expired with 11 seconds left.

• QO committed an offensive foul, a

turnover, and a foul on a missed shot in consecutive possessions in the final two minutes of the third OT, allow-ing WM to pull away for the win.

“It’s a lot of little mistakes,” said Buffum. QO’s leading scorer, Brittany Beckwith, had 30 points, mostly in the paint and from the line. The team’s sec-ond leading scorer, Babette Sanmartin, did not play because of an injury suffered earlier in the week. Point guard Jasmine Chang pitched in with 15 points and dished to Beckwith for numerous assists, and Summer Jones had a strong rebound-ing effort and contributed 7 points.

The boys improved to 6-14 in topping Watkins Mill. Like the girls, their record does not indicate how hard they compete or how close many of those Ls came to being Ws. They built a 12-point second half lead, but Watkins Mill mounted a comeback to cut the lead to seven deep into the third.

“So many times this year, when teams made a run we faltered,” said Coach Paul Foringer. “Not today.” He credited soph-omore point guard Damon Daniels with playing “a great floor game controlling tempo throughout” and junior Daryl Lewis “was everywhere on defense, al-ways making a big stop.”

Daniels scored 20 to lead the Cougars. Jake Seiniger added 12.

Photo | Tracey McCabe

Qo football Coach dave mencarini announced his move to urbana high school on feb. 11.

QO Boys Win, Girls Lose Weekend Contests


n farewell from page 1

“We had and will continue to have a great relationship that was far more important than football. He didn’t just shape me as a football player. He shaped me as a young man.”

Walker’s father, Kyle, added, “Mac did many things to help kids that nobody ever sees on Fridays. He has affected many young men in a positive way and given them memories that they will keep for the rest of their lives.”

Mencarini announced his decision to his team members on Tuesday and followed it quickly with an emotional letter ad-dressed to parents, students and the Quince Orchard community. He said his decision to leave QO was motivated by one thing: “It is strictly based on what I feel is best for my family, specifically my daughters.”

The Urbana job opened in December when Coach Ryan Hines stepped aside to become the school’s athletic director. Mencarini, who lives near Urbana High School, which his girls will attend in a few years, said the move would “allow me to accomplish two things: continue to do what I love and be a better dad.”

“I’m happy for him and glad he made the decision that he did. I know it wasn’t easy for him, but we all know how import-ant his girls and family are to him,” said Kyle Gregory, a senior on this year’s team who recently committed to play football at Monmouth University.

Twine added, “Those who know his

little girls know how important they are to him and will support him with his decision.”

Matter said, “We’re very proud of him for choosing his wife and daughters first.”

Mencarini leaves Quince Orchard after 10 years as head coach with a record of 107 wins and 18 losses. The Cougars won the Maryland 4A State Football Championship in 2007 and were runners up in 2011 and 2012, suffering heartbreaking, last-minute defeats both times. This season QO went 10-2, losing both its games, including the region final, to eventual state champion Northwest. His teams won at least one playoff game each season except his first, and the Washington Post named him All-Met Coach of the year in 2011.

“He’s a legend at QO and will be one of the greatest coaches wherever he goes,” said Tommy Addison, star running back on the 2007 state champs and now a profes-sional football player in Europe.

Mencarini’s strong influence on the young men he coached was a common theme among former players and parents. “He taught the boys some important life skills, such as discipline and integrity,” said Bonnie Richter, whose son, Jonathan Levin, played center on the 2007 team.

“He had high expectations for his play-ers, on and off the field” concurred Levin, who completed his college football career last season at Washington University in St. Louis and is graduating in May. “I’ll never forget the lessons he taught.”

Bradley Walker, who plans to play foot-ball at Gettysburg College next year, said, “He brought out the toughness in me.”

Mencarini also understood that while football was the primary attraction on Friday nights at the Cougar Dome, it was just part of the experience for the students and their families who participated in the band, as cheerleaders or poms, or in the fa-bled red-clad rooting section known as the Red Army. Izzy Sobel, a former Cougar pom captain, remembers how after one playoff defeat Mencarini saw her at school and said, “Hey, pom captain! Sorry we lost. You guys deserved a chance to perform at states. You’re great!”

“Mac and his success created a program that garnered support from not only his players, but from students, parents and the community,” said Kyle Walker. “Every kid either wanted to play for him or to be part of the Red Army. He made Friday nights at QO special.”

Indeed, it was that Friday Night Lights atmosphere that became a focal point for the Quince Orchard community. Said Nick Bobruska, a longtime supporter of the program whose loving care makes the Cougar Dome turf one of the best natural playing surfaces in Maryland, “It was easy for me to become so involved in the pro-gram when I saw the commitment, drive, devotion and attention he gave to the stu-dent athlete. He has created a program that is loved and supported immensely in the community and will last for years to come.”

QO faithful know that the Urbana com-munity is getting more than just a new coach. “I’m happy for Coach Mac and his family to have the opportunity to benefit another program, community and group

of players,” said Malcolm Brown, a team captain this past season and recently com-mitted to University of Delaware.

Twine said, “Urbana has a great coach but a better leader for that community to follow.”

What happens next to QO football?“Aside from all the great victories and

agonizing defeats, I’m most proud of how Quince Orchard Football is now synony-mous with the elite programs in the state of Maryland,” Mencarini said in his letter. “This will continue moving forward. ... [T]his program is very stable.”

Awkard said the school plans to hire a new head coach as soon as possible and has already posted the vacancy announcement. He said QO will be looking for someone who can continue “producing great stu-dent athletes.” Speculation is centering on John Kelley, current Cougar defensive co-ordinator who is very popular with play-ers and parents. Kelley’s Black Paw Defense last season shut opponents out five times and allowed less than 7 points per game.

Jack Webster, a junior now working out with other team members for next sea-son, said, “Our program is forever thank-ful for what Coach Mac has accomplished here and I respect his decision and will miss him, but we have to work hard in the off-season and focus on next year.”

His dad, Bob, added, “With any new season there’s uncertainty, but the coach-ing staff at QO is strong and they have the respect of a talented team. I wish Mac well and look forward to next season.”


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