PotomacRenaissance Sports, Page 14 11-Year-Old Girl on ‘Jeopardy! Kids Week’ News, page 3 11-Year-Old Girl on ‘Jeopardy! Kids Week’ News, page 3 News, page 3 Jesse Dinkin of

Potomac Almanac ❖ April 8-14, 2009 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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April 8-14, 2009 ❖ Volume LIII, Number 14 online at potomacalmanac.com

PotomacPotomac

HaulingTrashNews, page 3

HomeInvasionPrank?News, page 5

Food, YoungFolks and FunNews, Page 4

AthleticRenaissanceSports, Page 14

11-Year-OldGirl on ‘Jeopardy!

Kids Week’News, page 3

11-Year-OldGirl on ‘Jeopardy!

Kids Week’News, page 3

HaulingTrashNews, page 3

Jesse Dinkin of Boy Scout Troop439 out of Kensington, Md.

holds up a bag of trash collectedduring the 21st annual Potomac

River Watershed Cleanup onSaturday, April 4. Among the

trash that Troop 439 collectedat the Old Angler’s Inn

portion of the C&O CanalNational Historical Park

was a dog collar,two footballs, a

diaper, an air mattressand air pump, numerous

beer bottles and sodacans,and a length of

phone wire.

2 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ April 8-14, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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News

See Volunteers, Page 6

Michelle Schrier spentthree days in Los An-geles last week. She

took a bus tour of the city and sawGrauman’s Chinese Theatre, theWalk of Fame, the Kodak Theater,the farmers market, and the fa-mous La Brea Tar Pits. She alsosaw Alex Trebek, up close and per-sonal. That’s because the 11-year-old Schrier’s trip to Los Angeleswith her family was for her to com-pete on “Jeopardy! Kids Week.”

“He’s not as intimidating as heseems on TV,” said Michelle of theshow’s host.

“She was watching “Jeopardy!”on TV [one day] and there musthave been an announcement or atagline … she was like, ‘Mommy, Iwant to do that,’” said her motherLeslie Schrier of how the saga be-gan.

Michelle took an online test, andfrom that was selected for NewYork City for an on-site test, thenin mid-March she got the call thatshe would be heading to Los An-geles.

“It’s very excit-ing, I’ve neverbeen off the eastcoast so this willbe quite an ad-v e n t u r e , ”Michelle said asshe prepared tohead out for thetaping on Mon-day, March 30.Unlike the regu-lar version of theshow where winners advance tothe following day’s competition,“Jeopardy! Kids Week” competitorscompete in just one show, saidLeslie Schrier; winners can get upto $10,000.

A trivia magnet, Michelle readsvarious Almanacs and has alwaysabsorbed that type of knowledgevery easily, said her mother.

“Geography is one of my niches,

you could say, as well as Broad-way musicals and Greek mythol-ogy, and also literature as well,”said Michelle.

Michelle’s favorite subjects atEastern Middle School, where she

is in the magnetprogram, in-clude math, so-cial studies, anda media produc-tion curriculumthrough whichshe learns about— radio, film,TV, and advertis-ing. She said shewants to be anews reporter or

a journalist while waiting her bigbreak on Broadway.

For now Michelle and the Jeop-ardy people are keeping a tight lidon the results – Michelle couldn’tcomment on the types of questionsthat were presented – but she didsay that she was pleased with herperformance.

“I thought that I did pretty well,”she said. “We all did amazing, we

What Is … An Amazing West Coast Vacation?11-year-old girlcompetes on“Jeopardy.”

“It’s very exciting,I’ve never been offthe east coast sothis will be quitean adventure.”

— Michelle Schrier

Photo courtesy of Jeopardy! Productions, Inc.

Michelle Schrier of Potomac with Alex Trebek during ataping last week of “Jeopardy! Kids Week.”

were all winners for making it thisfar.”

Michelle Schrier’s appearance

on “Jeopardy! Kids Week” will airon ABC on July 15.

— Aaron Stern

By Aaron Stern

The Almanac

As volunteers stood besidethe Potomac River fillinglarge plastic bags withtrash and litter, a steady

breeze rose to a strong gust of wind.A sharp, hollow cracking sound splitthrough the air and the volunteerslooked up. Fifty feet or so away a largelimb on a tree splintered from the

trunk, crashing against other limbsand showering smaller branches intothe river.

“Good thing we weren’t over there,”said volunteer Bill Wallace.

The winds died down as the morn-ing went along, and volunteers at sev-eral cleanup sites throughout Potomac

took part in the Alice Ferguson Foundation’s21st annual Potomac River WatershedCleanup on Saturday, April 4.

“Chicken liver lids seem to be the orderof the day,” said C&O Canal National His-torical Park deputy superintendent BrianCarlstrom as he strode through the Swain’sLock campground moments after the vol-unteers there had paused to watch thesnapped tree limb fall. Commonly used asbait, fishermen had left the discarded cansand lids about the campground, said

Carlstrom. Beer bottlesand cans, cigarette butts,paper cups, Styrofoamfloats, a small rug and amuddy, water-loggedbackpack were amongthe debris that theSwain’s Lock volunteerspicked up Saturdaymorning.

“This isn’t as bad assome of the other places I’ve been to” inpast years, said Wallace.

MORE THAN 102 tons of trash was pulledfrom the river over the weekend at morethan 400 cleanup sites throughout Mary-land, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. dur-ing the annual cleanup that is sponsored

by the Alice Ferguson Foundation, a Mary-land-based non-profit whose mission is tofoster a connection between people and theenvironment.

Jim Heins, a Kensington resident and amember of the C&O Canal Association, or-ganized nine sites in the Canal on Saturdayand — perhaps because of the high winds— said that roughly two-thirds of the 179registered volunteers showed up that morn-ing. Many of those volunteers were chil-dren, said Heins.

“They’re the most important group to getinvolved — when we’re gone they’re theones that are going to be doing all this” saidHeins. “To me it’s the kids that it’s all about.They’re the answer. If you can get them com-mitted and interested that’s what it’s allabout.”

Students can get Student Service Learn-ing hour credits for participating in thecleanup, but Heins said that he makes surethey aren’t just punching a clock by putting

Hauling TrashVolunteers collect more than 100tons of trash from the Potomac River.

Photo by Aaron Stern/The Almanac

Eleven-year-old Tomasc Cunha-Benjamin and his friend Jacob Mullin,both of Bethesda, collect trash on Saturday, April 4 during the 21stannual Potomac River Watershed Cleaup.

Potomac Almanac Editor Steven Mauren

703-917-6431 or [email protected]

See www.potomacalmanac.com

“To me it’s the kids that it’s allabout. They’re the answer. If youcan get them committed andinterested that’s what it’s all about.”— Jim Heins, a member of the C&O Canal Association


News

Watching hundreds of elemen-tary and middle school stu-dents run through thePotomac Community Center

— bouncing from dodgeball in the gym toice cream sundaes in the rec room, to mu-sic and dancing in the social hall, then hur-tling on towards television, snacks, pingpong, pool, video games, bingo, movies —can be a lot for those charged with super-vising the frenetic activity.

“It’s wild,” said Sarah Ross, a recreationassistant at the Potomac Community Cen-ter. “They have a lot of fun.”

Roughly 300 local students showed up forthe last Club Friday of the season, signifi-cantly fewer than the 500 or so that attendthe busiest nights, said Ross. Since its in-ception in 1990, Club Friday has become

the model youth entertainment activity inthe county’s Recreation Department and ispopular enough that it has a waiting list.Each Friday night hundreds of children packthe community center to play games, sports,dance, watch movies, eat at the snack barand socialize in a safe environment super-vised by the community center’s staff andparent volunteers.

“Because its fun to get your energy outand dance,” said Cold Spring ElementarySchool third-grader Christina Maffeo whenasked why she goes to Club Friday.

“I just like to hang out with friends,” saidCold Spring Elementary fifth-grader AndrewCho as he and friend Josh Parker ate taffy.

The weekly event is over for the schoolyear, but signups are available for next schoolyear. For more information call the PotomacCommunity Center at 240-777-6960.

— Aaron Stern

Local students pack the Potomac CommunityCenter for final Club Friday of the year.

Food, Young Folks and Fun

Sean Claxton and Constantine Bourdeaux square off in a game of pool atthe Potomac Community Center on Friday, April 3. That evening thePotomac Community Center hosted the last Club Friday of the schoolyear. The popular weekly social event just wrapped up its 19th schoolyear and is set to return in the fall.

At right, Wayside third-graders Ryan Lewis and Caroline Altman andBeverly Farms fourth-grader Isabel Rayner were among a room full ofstudents who watched the Disney channel.

Cold Spring Elementary fifth-graders Josh Parker and AndrewCho share a chair and eat taffy atthe last Club Friday of the year atthe Potomac Community Center onFriday, April 3.

Sodas galore were on hand in the snack room.A Nerds exchange and impromptu gossip session broke out briefly inbetween two ping pong tables.

Cabin John Middle School sixth-graders Kelly Ervin and Sedef Berkenjoy their free do-it-yourself icecream sundaes at the last ClubFriday of the year.

Photos by Aaron Stern/The Almanac


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News

An incident that occurred on RockRun Drive last month that residentsbelieved to be a foiled home inva-sion attempt may have just been

teenage pranks, police said in a letter to mem-bers of the affected communities on Monday,April 6.

On Friday, March 20, a Rock Run family wasat home when the doorbell rang shortly after9 p.m. When the occupants opened the doorno one appeared, but upon looking throughtheir windows saw three men dressed in darkclothes and ski masks in their yard watchingthe doorway. Police were called but no suspectswere apprehended in relation to that incident.The residents told The Almanac then that thebehavior of the masked individuals coupledwith last year’s string of home invasions in thearea made them fear they were about to havetheir home invaded.

Two separate groups of teenagers werefound by 1st District officers of the Montgom-

ery County Police Department on Friday, April4 between 9 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. after policeresponded to calls of anonymous doorbellrings and masked individuals in different lo-cations in Potomac. In the first incident three14-15 year-olds were found near the 10500block of Bridle Lane after police respondedto a call about an anonymous doorbell ring,and the teens admitted to pulling the prank.The second incident occurred around 12:30when police responded to a call onGainsborough Road of individuals in skimasks.

“Within a short time span, officers locatedall four individuals near the intersection ofTuckerman Lane and Willowbrook Drive,”wrote Capt. Darryl McSwain, 1st District Com-mander in the community letter. “Each sub-ject was wearing a ski mask at the time and allwere identified as juveniles (16-17 years),”McSwain continued. “They too mentioned theirpurpose for being out that late was to conduct

pranks. Officers made contact with parentsregarding the actions of the juveniles. Two ofthe four in this group live near Brickyard Road,while the other two are from the Gainsborougharea.”

“Although we do not have direct evidencethat ties any of the juveniles to the previouslyreported Rock Run incident, there is good cir-cumstantial evidence to suggest the same,”McSwain wrote.

Police did not immediately respond beforeThe Almanac’s deadline to queries regardingpossible connections between these similarincidents or to car break-ins in the River Fallsneighborhood that have taken place over thelast year.

McSwain urged community members to con-tinue common home safety practices and tocontact police regarding any suspicious activ-ity in their neighborhoods.

— Aaron Stern

Thwarted Invasion May Have Been Prank

Criminal activities reported by the MontgomeryCounty Police Department through March 24.

An attempted burglary from a construction siteoccurred in the 10400 block of Willowbrook Drive inPotomac between Friday, March 20 at 6 p.m. and Sat-urday, March 21 9 a.m.º Entry unsuccessful, nothingtaken.

An attempted burglary occurred in the 10600block of Rock Run Drive in Potomac on Friday, March20 between 9 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. The victim was homewhen the suspects rang the doorbell. The victim didnot answer the door but looked outside and saw thethree suspects wearing ski masks. Victim notified thepolice and the suspects fled.

A garage burglary occurred in the 13900 block

of Grey Colt Drive in North Potomac overnight be-tween Monday, March 23 and Tuesday, March 24.Garage door left open, wallet taken from unlocked ve-hicle.

A theft from a vehicle occurred in the unit blockof Apricot Court in North Potomac between Thursday,March 19 at 9:30 p.m. and Friday, March 20 at 6:30a.m. Unlocked vehicle, GPS unit taken.

Crime Report

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News

From Page 3

Volunteers Collect Tons of Trash from Rivermeaningful responses in the student re-

flection portion of their service forms.“If they’re doing community service they

ought to know why and get something outof it,” he said.

Eleven-year-old Tomasc Cunha-Benjaminand his friend Jacob Mullin, both ofBethesda, said they were helping out be-cause it was important to them to keep theenvironment clean.

“I’m doing this because I’m kind of a kidenvironmentalist,” said Cunha-Benjamin.

THE HEAVY RAINS of the days leadingup to the cleanup had the Potomac riverand the streams that feed it running highand also made getting to some trash moredifficult. As he carried a box full of snacksand drinks to the volunteers, Dan LaFranceof the National Park Service noted that asmall sandbar normally accessible by foot

“I’m doing thisbecause I’m kind of akid environmentalist.”

— Tomasc Cunha-Benjamin

couldn’t be reachedthat morning.

“There’s a tire andthings out there butyou can’t get there,” hesaid.

Among the strangeritems that were pulledfrom the river over theweekend at cleanup sites throughout theregion were a safe filled with concrete, skate

board ramps, a soccertrophy, and a gas maskmade into a bong, ac-cording to the AliceFerguson Web site. Formore information onthe annual cleanup, in-cluding updated statis-tics and information

about the Alice Ferguson Foundation visitpotomaccleanup.org.

Photos by Aaron Stern/The Almanac

A volunteer hauls a bag of trash during the cleanup at PennyfieldLockhouse.

Danny Filer, the volunteer coordinator for the C&O Canal National His-torical Park, reviews his list of volunteers at Pennyfield Lock along theC&O Canal on Saturday, April 4 during the 21st annual Potomac RiverWatershed Cleanup.

Representatives of Boy Scout Troop 439 from Kensington, who cleanedup at Old Angler’s Inn on the C&O Canal: Jim Morris, Jesse Dinkin,Troop leader Jay Diskie, Reed Diskie, Laura Diskie, and Joe Shuler.


LET’S TALKReal Estate

byMichael Matese

For professional advice on allaspects of buying and sellingreal estate, call:

MICHAEL MATESEWashington Fine

Properties301-806-6829

[email protected]

PICKING A WINNERIt is a well-known axiom that

location is one of the most impor-tant elements in the value of aproperty. Let’s take that one stepfurther. A good investment wouldbe a sound property in an areathat is expected to increase invalue in the future. Buying intoan underdeveloped area whereproperties are being upgraded isone way of transacting a success-ful real estate investment.

Trend is everything. The trickis not to get in so early that youare one of the pioneers, but earlyenough that there is still plenty ofroom for the area to appreciate.Being a pioneer is fine if you are agambler who can afford to bepatient. It is safer, though, to buyinto an area after the restorationtrend is unmistakably established.

A neighborhood that is a goodcandidate for restoration musthave an intrinsic location advan-tage, such as being in a school dis-trict with high test scores, or in awalk-to-work business district. Itmust also have homes that meetbasic standards of quality.

Can I help you find a winner?

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To submit an item for the Civic Calendar,e-mail [email protected] or fax the submission to 703-917-0991. Deadline is Thursday at noon twoweeks prior to the event. For questions, call703-917-6407.

MONDAY/APRIL 13 Voice Matters. 6:30 p.m. at the

Wellness Community, 5430 GosvenorLane, Bethesda. Victoria Wells, D.C.State Government Relations Director,American Cancer Society, willexplain how to effectivelycommunicate with elected officialsabout the legislative needs of peopleimpacted by cancer. Reservations,301-493-5002.

SATURDAY/APRIL 18 Humane Society Adoption. Noon-3

p.m. at MCHS Foster Office, 603 S.Stonestreet Ave., Rockville. Visitwww.mchumane.org for more.

SATURDAY/APRIL 25 Scholar. 11 a.m. at Beth Sholom,

11825 Seven Locks Road. RabbiRonen Neuwirth will talk. Free. 301-279-7010.

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 29 Autism Resource Fair. 3-7 p.m. at

Universities at Shady Grove, 9630

Gudelsky Drive, Rockville. Free.Learn about recreation, employment,behavior services for individuals withautism and their families. 240-777-1216.

ONGOING The C&O Canal Trust, in partner-

ship with the C&O Canal NationalHistorical Park, seeks energetic andcommunity-minded individuals and or-ganizations to complete maintenanceand conservation projects throughoutthe park during the upcoming C&O Ca-nal Pride Days. Locations and dates areas follows: April 18 at Great Falls, April25 at Brunswick and Lander, and May 2at Williamsport and Hancock. For more

information or to get involved, visitwww.canaltrust.org, [email protected] or 301-714-2233.

To become a volunteer Bike Patrolon the C & O Canal, send an e-mail toNorman Liebow [email protected] or 301-714-2218.

Writers from the community areencouraged to participate in downtownBethesda’s annual literary festival.Young adults in grades 9-12 and adultsage 18 and over can write a 500-wordshort story or essay about what is theone thing in their life they would changeif they had the opportunity to do it all See Bulletin, Page 11

over again, for the Bethesda LiteraryFestival’s Writing Contest. Additionally,young writers grades K-8 can share theirinsight in the youth writing contest fea-turing the topic, “What Would You do toMake the World a Better Place.” Entriesfor both contests must be received byFriday, March 20 by 5 p.m. Completedentry forms must be submitted witheach essay. For entry forms, call 301-215-6660 or visit www.bethesda.org.

The Greater Chesapeake and PotomacBlood Services Region of the AmericanRed Cross is seeking volunteers toassist its blood collections staff at blood

Bulletin Board

8 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ April 8-14, 2009 Potomac Almanac ❖ April 8-14, 2009 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

YOGA CLASSES IN POTOMAC

Kula Yoga Hamsa Yoga

St. James Episcopal

Church

11815 Seven Locks Road

Monday - Friday

9:30am

St. Andrews

Episcopal School

8804 Postoak Road

Mon & Wed 6:30 & 8:00pm

Thurs 6:30pm

Sat 9:00am

For more information please contact:

Nancy Steinberg

240-994-5092

[email protected]

www.Kulayogaclass.com

Shanthi Subramanian301-320-9334shanthi@hamsayoga@ yahoo.com

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For Weekend &Evening Classes

For Daytime

Classes

Calendar

To have community events listedfree in The Potomac Almanac, sende-mail with the items [email protected] is Thursday at noon for thefollowing week’s paper. Photos andartwork encouraged. Unless other-wise noted, all events are inPotomac. For more information, call703-917-6407.

THURSDAY/APRIL 9 Blues Dance. 8:30 p.m. at Ballroom

Annex at Glen Echo, 7300 MacArthurBlvd. Learn the dances and then enjoymusic from a DJ. $8/person.

Basket Making for Children. 1 p.m.at Locust Grove, 7777 DemocracyBlvd., Bethesda. Children 7-12 canlearn to weave a paper basket out ofgrocery bags. $6/child. Visitwww.parkpass.org or 301-299-1990.

Bunnyland. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Butler’sOrchard, 22200 Davis Mill Road,Germantown. Families can enjoyrides, egg hunts, see live chicks andbunnies and more. $7/child, $5/adult. Bring own basket. Visitwww.butlersorchard.com or 301-428-0444.

FRIDAY/APRIL 10 Contra and Square Dance. 7:30-

11:30 p.m. at Spanish Ballroom inGlen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthurBlvd. Enjoy live music to dance. $9.Visit www.fsgw.org for more.

Family Splash. 1 p.m. at Locust Grove,7777 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda.Learn about some underwateranimals. Children 6 and up.Registration required. Visitwww.parkpass.org or 301-299-1990.

Bethesda Art Walk. 6-9 p.m., meet atBethesda Metro Center. Free. Browsepaintings, sculpture, photography andmore. Visit www.bethesda.org or 301-215-6660.

Bunnyland. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Butler’sOrchard, 22200 Davis Mill Road,Germantown. Families can enjoy

rides, egg hunts, see live chicks andbunnies and more. $7/child, $5/adult. Bring own basket. Visitwww.butlersorchard.com or 301-428-0444.

SATURDAY/APRIL 11 Music Performance. 8 p.m. at Music

Center at Strathmore. ViolinistNicolas Kendall will perform with theNational Philharmonic. $29-$79/person. Visit www.strathmore.org or301-581-5100.

Art Exhibit. Noon-5 p.m. at YellowBarn Gallery in Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd. See paintings byJessica Rush. Free. Visitwww.yellowbarnstudio.com or 301-371-5593.

Park Movie. 4 p.m. at Arcade Buildingat Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthurBlvd. Watch a movie documenting thepark’s 115-year history. Free. Visitwww.nps.gov/glec or 301-320-1400.

Carousel Tours. Noon at Glen EchoPark, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. See howit was made, how it works and more.Free. Visit www.nps.gov/glec or 301-320-1400.

Nature Programs. Enjoy activities,stories, animals, hikes and more from10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Glen Echo Park,7300 MacArthur Blvd. Free formembers and children under 2, $5/non member. Visitwww.discoverycreek.org or 202-488-0627.

Swing Dance. 8 p.m.-midnight atSpanish Ballroom at Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd. $18/person. Visitwww.glenechopark.org for more.

Music Performance. 8 p.m. at MusicCenter at Strathmore, 5301Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.Hear the National Philharmonic andNicholas Kendall. $29/adult; childfree. Visit www.strathmore.org or301-581-5100.

Bunnyland. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Butler’sOrchard, 22200 Davis Mill Road,Germantown. Families can enjoyrides, egg hunts, see live chicks andbunnies and more. $7/child, $5/adult. Bring own basket. Visitwww.butlersorchard.com or 301-428-

0444.

SUNDAY/APRIL 12 Art Exhibit. Noon-5 p.m. at Yellow

Barn Gallery in Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd. See paintings byJessica Rush. Free. Visitwww.yellowbarnstudio.com or 301-371-5593.




Contra and Square Dance. 7-10:30p.m. at Spanish Ballroom in GlenEcho Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd.Enjoy live music to dance. $12/nonmember; $9 to member. Visitwww.fsgw.org for more.

Champagne Sunday Brunch. 11 a.m.at Music Center at Strathmore, 5301Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.Hear music by the artist in residencewhile enjoying brunch. $42/person;$15/child. Reservations required,301-581-5253.

Easter Egg Hunt. 11:45 a.m. atGeneva Presbyterian Church, 11931Seven Locks Road, Potomac, on theplayground behind the churchimmediately following the 10:30morning service. There will be threedifferent kinds of Easter Egg hunts inthree different areas of theplayground for three different agegroups of children, from toddlers toteenagers. 301-424-4346.

MONDAY/APRIL 13 Brownie Try-it: Earth and Sky.

10:30 a.m. at Locust Grove, 7777Democracy Blvd., Bethesda. Browniescan explore the watershed. $7.50/person. Visit www.parkpass.org or301-299-1990.

Bunnyland. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Butler’s

Orchard, 22200 Davis Mill Road,Germantown. Families can enjoyrides, egg hunts, see live chicks andbunnies and more. $7/child, $5/adult. Bring own basket. Visitwww.butlersorchard.com or 301-428-0444.

TUESDAY/APRIL 14 Afternoon Tea. 1 p.m. at Mansion at

Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike.Hear live music and enjoy a tea. $21/person. Reservations required, 301-581-5108.

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 15 Afternoon Tea. 1 p.m. at Mansion at

Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike.Hear live music and enjoy a tea. $21/person. Reservations required, 301-581-5108.

THURSDAY/APRIL 16 Author Talk. 7:30 p.m. at Campus

Center Building, 51 Mannakee St.,Rockville. Alice McDermott will readfrom “After This.” Free.



Swing Dance. 8 p.m.-midnight atSpanish Ballroom at Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd. Admission to bedetermined. Visitwww.glenechopark.org for more.

Blast From the Past. 7:30 p.m. atWinston Churchill High School,11300 Gainsborough Road. Enjoy arock and roll revue. $20/adult; $14/student. Visit www.churchillhs.org or301-469-1243 for matinee times.

Bethesda Literary Festival. 7:30p.m. at The Writer’s Center, 4508Walsh St. Enjoy a reading anddiscussion with Kimberly Dozier. Visitwww.bethesda.org for more.

SATURDAY/APRIL 18 Art Talk. 10 a.m.-noon at St. James

Episcopal Church, 11815 Seven LocksRoad. Robin Russo will talk aboutsilk. Free. Visitwww.potomaccraftsmentguild.org for

more.Art Exhibit. Noon-5 p.m. at Yellow

Barn Gallery in Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd. See paintings by PatLiebowitz. Free. Visitwww.yellowbarnstudio.com or 301-371-5593.




Tiny Tot. 10 a.m. at Puppet Co. in GlenEcho, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. $5/person. Watch “Clowning Around.”Visit www.thepuppetco.org or 301-634-5380.

Swing Dance. 8 p.m.-midnight atSpanish Ballroom at Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd. Admission to bedetermined. Visitwww.glenechopark.org for more.


StoryTheatre Series. 10:15 a.m. atImagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave.,Bethesda. Watch “Magpie.” $7/person. Visitwww.imaginationstage.org or 301-280-1660.

Bethesda Literary Festival. Noon-9p.m. at The Writer’s Center, 4508Walsh St. Meet editors andpublishers, enjoy readings and more.Visit www.bethesda.org for more.

Music Performance. 8 p.m. atWestmoreland Congregational UCCChurch, One Westmoreland Circle,Bethesda. Hear Irish pianist JohnO’Conor. For more information:www.washingtonconservatory.organd 301-320-2770.

Bunnyland. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Butler’sOrchard, 22200 Davis Mill Road,Germantown. Families can enjoy

rides, egg hunts, see live chicks andbunnies and more. $7/child, $5/adult. Bring own basket. Visitwww.butlersorchard.com or 301-428-0444.

SUNDAY/APRIL 19 The Language of Dogs. 3-5 p.m. at

Potomac Community Center, 11315Falls Road. Learn about what dogs aresaying. Free. Registration required,www.yourdogsfriend.info or 301-983-5913.

Bug Walk. 1 p.m. at River Center atLockhouse 8, 7906 Riverside Ave.,Cabin John. Discover the animals thatpeople can find along the PotomacRiver. Visit www.potomac.org.

Reception. 6-8 p.m. at Glen Echo Park,7300 MacArthur Blvd. “Iconic GlenEcho Park” features Daniel Schreiber’sphotographs of historic Glen EchoPark. 301-634-2222 or visitwww.glenechopark.org.

Art Exhibit. Noon-5 p.m. at YellowBarn Gallery in Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd. See paintings by PatLiebowitz. Free. Visitwww.yellowbarnstudio.com or 301-371-5593.

Critiques and Coffee. 10 a.m. atPhotoworks studio in Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd. Bring a photo andget some critique from peers. Free.Visit www.glenechophotoworks.org or301-229-7930.




Waltz Dance. 3-6 p.m. at SpanishBallroom in Glen Echo Park, 7300MacArthur Blvd. $8/person. Livemusic. Visit www.glenechopark.orgfor more.

Contra and Square Dance. 7-10:30p.m. at Spanish Ballroom in GlenEcho Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd.Enjoy live music to dance. $12/nonmember; $9 to member. Visitwww.fsgw.org for more.

Bug Walk. 1 p.m. at Lockhouse 8, 7906Riverside Ave., Cabin John. Discoverthe creepy crawlies along the river.Visit www.potomac.org or 301-608-1188 ext. 211.

Holocaust Heroes and MartyrsDay. 2 p.m. at Beth Sholom, 11825Seven Locks Road. Hear talk by MarkTalisman and more. RSVP for youthprogram, 301-770-0881.

Bunnyland. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Butler’sOrchard, 22200 Davis Mill Road,Germantown. Families can enjoyrides, egg hunts, see live chicks andbunnies and more. $7/child, $5/adult. Bring own basket. Visitwww.butlersorchard.com or 301-428-0444.

MONDAY/APRIL 20 StoryTheatre Series. 10:30 a.m. or

11:30 a.m. at Imagination Stage,4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda. Watch“Magpie.” $7/person. Visitwww.imaginationstage.org or 301-280-1660.

TUESDAY/APRIL 21 Tiny Tot Tuesdays. 10 a.m. or 11:30

a.m. at Puppet Co. in Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd. $5/person. Watch“Teddy Bear’s Picnic.” Visitwww.thepuppetco.org or 301-634-5380.

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 22 Music Performance. 7:30 p.m. at

Music Center at Strathmore, 5301Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.Hear John Kocur, the artist inresidence. $10/person. Visitwww.strathmore.org or 301-581-5100.

THURSDAY/APRIL 23Literary Luncheon Series. Literary

Luncheon Series continues withElizabeth Noble at 11:30 a.m. atStrathmore Hall Arts Center in theMansion, 10701 Rockville Pike, NorthBethesda. Luncheon to follow. $25/lecture and lunch, $20 lecture only.FOLMC members: $22/lunch, $18lecture only.

Blues Dance. 8:30 p.m. at BallroomAnnex at Glen Echo, 7300 MacArthurBlvd. Learn the dances and then enjoymusic from a DJ. $8/person.



Cajun/Zydeco Dance. 8 p.m. atBumper Car Pavilion in Glen Echo,7300 MacArthur Blvd. Price to bedetermined.


SATURDAY/APRIL 25 Living With an Out Of Control

Dog. 2-4 p.m. at Potomac

Community Center, 11315 Falls Road.Laurie Luck will show how to teachdogs self-control. Free. Registrationrequired, www.yourdogsfriend.info or301-983-5913.

Art Exhibit. Noon-5 p.m. at YellowBarn Gallery in Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd. See paintings byNina Bang Jensen. Free. Visitwww.yellowbarnstudio.com or 301-371-5593.



Nature Programs. Enjoy activities,stories, animals, hikes and more from10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Glen Echo Park,7300 MacArthur Blvd. Free formembers $5/non member. Visitwww.discoverycreek.org or 202-488-0627.

Tiny Tot. 10 a.m. at Puppet Co. in GlenEcho, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. $5/person. Watch “World on a String.”Visit www.thepuppetco.org or 301-634-5380.


Concert. 7:30 p.m. at Bradley HillsPresbyterian Church, 6601 BradleyBlvd., Bethesda. Benefit HIV/AIDSProgram. $35/person. Visitwww.bradleyhillschurch.org for more.

StoryTheatre Series. 10:15 a.m. atImagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave.,Bethesda. Watch “Magpie.” $7/person. Visit

Bernadette Peters will be at Strathmore’s Spring Gala onSaturday, April 18. Visit www.strathmore.org for more onthe event.

Audubon String Quartet will perform Saturday, April 18 at8 p.m. at Westmoreland Congregational UCC Church. Free,donations accepted. Visitwww.washingtonconservatory.org for more.

Heidi, played by Tara Giordano, and Peter, played by Chris Wilson, enjoy the view as shetends goats. “Heidi” is playing at Imagination Stage through May 17. Visitwww.imaginationstage.org for more.


McLEAN SCHOOL MAKES EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE FOR A BROAD RANGE OF LEARNERS IN K-12

240.395.0698 [email protected] www.mcleanschool.org

McLEAN SCHOOL of MARYLAND 8224 LOCHINVER LANE POTOMAC, MARYLAND 20854

WASHINGTON KNOWS...

For over 50 years, McLean Schoolhas been the only school thatCELEBRATES each student’sindividual learning style.

WE’VE DONE IT LONGER.WE DO IT BEST.

ADMISSION OPEN HOUSEClassroom Tour

andSUMMEREDGE COFFEE

Fun-Paced Summer Learning Exhibits9:30 am Wednesday, April 15

ADMISSION OPEN HOUSE9:00 am Wednesday, May 13

See This Week in Potomac, Page 12

Spring Fling at PCCMinds in Motions Childcare will host a Spring Fling for area

children at the Potomac Community Center on Friday, April 10from 11a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Potomac Community Center. Friday isduring spring break for Montgomery County Public Schools.

There will be a moon bounce, face painting, arts and crafts,dance contest, food to eat and everything is free. All are invited.For more details call 240-429-2813.

‘Get Golf Ready in 5 Days’The Montgomery County Revenue Authority (MCRA) has started

a new program called “Get Golf Ready in 5 Days.” The programtargets adults, who have little or no experience with the game ofgolf, to learn the game through five small group introductory les-sons from PGA Professionals for $99 per person. The MCRA golfcourses are the only courses in the county to offer this program.

During the lessons, adults will be given basic skills instructionas well as information regarding the background of the game’srules, etiquette, and values. The program is currently offered atthe Falls Road, Hampshire Greens, Laytonsville, Little Bennett,Needwood, Northwest, Poolesville, and Rattlewood courses.

Berliner’s Plan forSmall Business

Following a meeting he convened of Montgomery County eco-nomic development leaders in an attempt to find relief for thecounty’s small businesses, County Council Vice President RogerBerliner (D-Potomac, Chevy Chase, Bethesda) has suggested tothe county’s Executive Branch to deposit county money in localbanks, who in turn would use the increased liquidity to help small

This Week in Potomac

Cleaning-upPhotos by Mary Kimm/The Almanac

Black vultures feast last week ona deer carcass by MacarthurBoulevard.

News


From Page 7

Bulletin Board

drives and blood donor centers. Toregister for training, or for more in-formation, please call the AmericanRed Cross Volunteer Office at 1-800-272-0094, ext. 1, or [email protected].

Montgomery County has launcheda new Web site feature called“My Montgomery,” which helps resi-dents locate a variety of Countyfacilities and services. “My Mont-gomery” can be found atwww.montgomerycountymd.gov/mymontgomery and visitors to thesite need only type in their addressand zip code.

Volunteers are needed to assistsexual assault victims and their fami-lies through the Victim Assistanceand Sexual Assault Program of the

Montgomery County Department ofHealth and Human Services. Toschedule an interview visitwww.montgomerycountymd.gov/vasap or 240-777-1355.

JSSA (Jewish Social ServiceAgency), a non-sectarian communityagency, is seeking volunteers overthe age of 18 to help enhance thequality of life of individuals andfamilies facing life-threatening orterminal illness. The next trainingcourse is scheduled for Mondays,Feb. 23, March 2, March 9, March23, and March 30, from 5:30-9 p.m.at JSSA’s Montrose Road office, 6123Montrose Road, Rockville. For moreinformation, contact Amy KaufmanGoott, Volunteer Coordinator forJSSA Hospice and Transitions at301-816-2650, [email protected] orvisit JSSA on the web atwww.jssa.org.

Pets

Binky is a two-year-old, 7 pound, neu-tered Chihuahua. He is a great dog andcould be a goodwill ambassador for hisbreed. He’s happy, friendly towardspeople and other dogs and absolutelyloves cuddling. Binky will bring a littleray of sunshine into his adopter’s life.

Max is a two-year-old, neutered DSH cat.Max was abandoned by his former ownerand found his way into rescue. He’shealthy, social and loves human attention.Max will shower a kind adopter withaffection and be a great addition to anycat lover’s home.

Partnership for Animal Welfare (PAW) is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit group. To adopt an animal, volunteer or make atax-deductible donation, visit www.paw-rescue.org, call 301-572-4729 or write to PAW, P.O. Box 1074, Greenbelt, MD 20768.

To have an item listed mail [email protected].

Susan Gleasen, a freshman major-ing in nursing (BSN) and a resident ofPotomac, was named to the dean’s listat Marymount University.

Monique Marie Roebuck ,Potomac resident, has earned a bachelorof science from Excelsior College.

Kindergarten orientation is tak-ing place this year now through May 22.

Orientation is open to parents and theirchildren who will be starting kindergar-ten in Montgomery County PublicSchools (MCPS) in the 2009–10 schoolyear. Children who will be 5 years oldon or before Sept. 1, can enroll in kin-dergarten. Parents who are not certainwhich elementary school serves theirarea should call the MCPS BoundariesOffice at 240-314-4710 between 9 a.m.and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Formore information about the kindergar-

ten program, call the Division of EarlyChildhood Programs and Services at301-230-0691. The MCPS ParentAcademy is offering a free parentworkshop on getting your child readyfor kindergarten. It will be held May 4from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Rosemont MiddleSchool. Rosemont is located at 16400Alden Ave. in Gaithersburg. Registeronline at http://www.montgomerys c h o o l s m d . o r g / d e p a r t m e n t s /parentacademy/

School Notes

Geneva Presbyterian Church,11931 Seven Locks Road, Potomac, willhold a Maundy Thursday service onApril 9 at 7 p.m. This will be a Commun-ion service in which the story of theLord’s supper will be retold. CellistJenna Dalby will be a guest soloist.Child care will be provided. 301-424-4346.

The chuch will hold a Good Fridayservice on April 10 at 7 p.m. featuringthe Lenten Drama, “For Such a One as

Faith Notes

This,” involving actors, soloists, choirand instrumentalists.

The church will celebrate the resur-rection of Jesus Christ with a Sunriseservice at 6:15 a.m. Easter morning,April 12 in the garden sanctuary on thenorth lawn and at 10:30 a.m. with mu-sic featuring the Geneva Choir, the Bellsof Geneva, the Pint-Size PraiseChildren’s Chorus, the Children’sChimes, a trumpeter and a timpanist.301-424-4346.


This Week in Potomac

From Page 10

See This Week in Potomac, Page 13

businesses suffering due to the region’s economic downturn.Berliner convened the meeting in response to the increasing

number of empty store fronts and retail holes in strip centers andmalls that are appearing around Montgomery County.

For more information, contact Councilmember Berliner’s officeat 240-777-7828.

River Docents Needed This summer, Potomac Conservancy seeks volunteer docents

at the River Center at Lockhouse 8. Docents are representativesfor the Conservancy on weekends from May through October atthe River Center, and share their knowledge about the C&O Ca-nal and the Potomac River with visitors. Potomac Conservancywill be happy to work with college students to receive internshipor other class credit for volunteering. Expected commitment isone weekend a month. Docents must be at least 18 years old.

A docent meeting will be held on Sunday, April 19. New do-cents will be trained from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.; all current and pastdocents are invited to attend from 3:30 to 4 p.m. for a meet-and-greet.

For more information about being a docent or events at theRiver Center at Lockhouse 8, visit www.potomac.org or contactBridget Chapin, River Center Coordinator, at [email protected] 301-608-1188, 211.

Test Pet Ownership KnowledgeDo Montgomery County children and teens know what it means

to be a responsible pet owner? That’s the question being addressedby the Montgomery County Humane Society with the launch oftwo contests geared toward Montgomery County students ingrades 2-12.

The first is an art contest for students in grades 2-5, who arebeing asked to illustrate one of the “Rules to Love By: 10 Com-mandments of Responsible Pet Ownership.”

The “Rules to Love By” can be found on the Montgomery CountyHumane Society’s Web site at: http://www.mchumane.org/RulestoLoveby.shtml.

All entries must be submitted between April 8-15.A video contest for students in grades 6-12 asks participants to

create a 60-second public service announcement that also illus-trates the “Rules to Love By.” Videos must be uploaded to YouTubeby April 15. A sample public service announcement has been up-loaded to the MCHS YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/MCHumane.

Two $50 gift certificates will be awarded to the winningvideographers: one “Viewer’s Choice” award and “Professional’sChoice” award. Complete rules for both contests can be found at:http://www.mchumane.org/PosterVideoContest09.shtml.

Planning Board Needs ApplicantsThe Montgomery County Council is seeking applicants to fill

one vacancy on the Montgomery County Planning Board. Theterm of John Robinson (Democrat) will expire on June 14.Robinson has served two terms and is not eligible for reappoint-ment.

Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m., on Wednes-day, April 22.

No more than three members of the Planning Board may befrom the same political party, and all members must be residentsand registered voters of Montgomery County when appointed.Members serve four-year terms and are limited to two full terms.

In addition to Robinson, the current board members are Chair-man Royce Hanson, a Democrat; Joseph Alfandre, a Democrat;Jean B. Cryor, a Republican; and Amy Presley, a Republican. An-nual compensation for board members currently is $30,000.

The Planning Board serves as the Council’s principal adviser onland use planning and community planning. Planning Boardmembers also serve as commissioners of the Maryland-NationalCapital Park and Planning Commission.

The Montgomery County Planning Board meets all day everyThursday and often meets on one other evening a week. The en

Out & About

It’s SpringPhotos by Mary Kimm/The Almanac

Daffodils and lenten roses are among the few spring flowers that deer do not devour.Forsythia and cherry blossoms are out all over Potomac.


E P I S C O P A L S C H O O L

To add your Realtor represented Open Houseto these weekly listings, please call 703-821-5050

OPEN HOUSE LISTINGSWill Return after the Holidays

This Week

From Page 12

tire Maryland-National Capital Park and PlanningCommission meets the third Wednesday of everymonth. On average, a Planning Board member canexpect to spend at least two full days a week in sched-uled and informal meetings. Additionally, substan-tial time is required for preparatory work and otheractivities related to Planning Board responsibilities.

Letters expressing interest, including a resume list-ing professional and civic experience, should be ad-dressed to: Council President Phil Andrews, CountyCouncil Office, Stella B. Werner Council Office Build-ing, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850.Letters must be received no later than 5 p.m.,Wednesday, April 22. It is the Council’s policy not toconsider applications received after the deadline.After the April 22 closing date, Councilmembers willreview the letters of application and select applicantsfor interviews to be held in June.

Letters of application are made public as part ofthe appointment process. The names of all applicantsare published and available for public review andinterviews are conducted in public. A resume of pro-fessional and civic experience should be includedwith letters of application. A financial statement ofassets, debts, income and family property interestswill be required of all applicants. Only the candi-dates appointed will be required to make their fi-nancial statements available to the public.

20 Years of BlastInstant Replay will take place at Winston Churchill

High School on April 17-18 and April 24-25 at 7:30p.m. with Saturday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Visit theWeb site: www.churchillhs.org for Ticket Order Forms

and Box Office Hours beginning in mid-March.

Canal Pride Days ComingThe C&O Canal Trust, in partnership with the C&O

Canal National Historical Park, seeks community-minded individuals and organizations to completeover 35 revitalization and stewardship projectsthroughout the park during the upcoming C&O Ca-nal Pride Days. Locations and dates are as follows:April 18 at Great Falls, April 25 at Brunswick andLander, and May 2 at Williamsport and Hancock. Allinterested groups and individuals must pre-registerso volunteers can be matched to jobs in advance.Sign up at http://www.canaltrust.org/canalpride-app-2009.php or by calling the C&O Canal Trust at301-714-2233. Visit http://www.canaltrust.org/canalpridedays-2009.php

Celebrate Earth DayCelebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 25, 11 a.m.

to 3 p.m., rain or shine at 850 Hungerford Drive,Rockville, Maryland (on the parking lot at the inter-section of Hungerford Drive and Mannakee Street).Events and activities include: Taking a tour of theaward-winning Recycling Center (Tour buses arrive/depart 850 Hungerford Drive every 15 minutes),Leafgro and compost bins available while supplieslast, Make earth-friendly crafts and special drop-offs(for Montgomery County residents only) bring con-fidential paper for on-site shredding at no charge.For more information and to volunteer, go to: http:// w w w . m o n t g o m e r y c o u n t y m d . g o v /swstmpl.asp?url=/content/dep/solidwaste/educa-tion/earthday.asp


Sports

By Mike Weiner

The Almanac

Leaving a legacy is always on themind of high school seniors asgraduation approaches. Over atWootton, those aspirations are

already being realized.The class of 2009 has established a num-

ber of new records and accomplishmentsthroughout the course of its four years. At660 students, they are the largest graduat-ing class in Montgomery County and oneof the largest in the nation, and they havebeen a part of many historic events inWootton history.

They have set new academic landmarks,but one of its most influential accomplish-ments has been the return of Wootton ath-letics to the Montgomery County forefront.When this class entered the school threeyears ago in 2006, Wootton was consideredto be just another in a series of intelligentbut athletically disinclined MontgomeryCounty schools.

In 2003-2004, the Patriot athletic pro-gram won only two division titles. Now,Wootton is one of the more well-roundedschools in academics and athletics that thecounty has to offer. Boasting a top-50 aca-demic rating among public schools in thecountry, Wootton also fielded 11 divisionchampions, eight regional champions, andone state champion in the 2007-2008 schoolyear.

How did it happen?

SIX YEARS AGO, Wootton introduced itsnew principal, Dr. Michael Doran. Alongwith keeping up with Wootton’s strong aca-demic reputation, he placed a top priorityon restoring the school to athletic promi-nence. When he arrived, Doran noticed thatunlike Whitman and Churchill — whose

student bodies are of similar demographicsto Wootton — the Patriots did not field goodteams across the board. An athlete himself,Doran wanted to see immediate improve-ment.

“We wanted the athletes to feel that theywere cared about,” Doran said. “We didn’twant them to just go out and play in crappyuniforms on a crappy field.”

The transformation started with thecoaches. When Doran arrived, Wootton hada higher percentage of coaches that weren’tteachers at the school than any other in thecounty. Doran set out to hire coaches thatwould also teach at the school so they couldestablish better lines of communication withtheir student-athletes.

“The first thing I wanted to do was to getas many people in the building that I couldthat are also coaches,” he said. “I wantedpeople that are here all the time and reallycared about Wootton because they alsoteach here, instead of having people thatare here just because they want to coach.”

Girls’ basketball coach Maggie Dyer wasone of those hires, and her program is oneof many that has seen significant improve-ment. In Dyer’s first season in 2003-2004,the girls’ varsity team went 3-22. Five yearslater, the Lady Patriots are the three-timedefending division champions. This season,the Lady Patriots won at least 18 games forthe third-straight season, an unheard ofachievement for the program en route tolocking up that third-consecutive crown.Dyer, also a physical education teacher, hasalso helped guide multiple players into col-lege basketball, a feat very new for the girls’basketball program. Now the main cog onthis year’s team, senior center Chelsea Craighas already signed a letter of intent to playbasketball for the University of Delaware.Craig is the first player in the program’shistory to sign for a Division-I team.

“I think it really started with Dr. Doran,”said Dyer. “When he came to the school, hereally stressed athletic excellence and hiredsome great coaches.”

GREG MALLING, the head coach ofWootton’s varsity football team, was an-other coach thrown into a horrendous situ-ation in 2005. He inherited a team that hadfinished 2-8 in the previous season.

In three years, Malling has guided the

Patriots to their first non-losing season since1991 (2007, 5-5) and their first winningseason (2008, 7-3) since that same year. Themere mention of Wootton in the same sen-tence as playoffs is breathtaking for a schoolthat had become accustomed to losing, andlosing big. This year, though, a cast of 27seniors got that elusive playoff berth — itsfirst in 17 years.

At the outset of his tenure at Wootton,Malling instituted the “B11” mindset, onethat focuses on being the consummateteammate and giving up oneself for thebetterment of the team. It is an approachthat has rubbed off on the entire athleticdepartment, and the results have shown.Cumulatively, Wootton athletics had a 76percent winning percentage in 2007-2008,highest in the county.

“I think our student-athletes and fanshave some swagger again and they should,”Wootton Booster Club President PeteRampp said. “Now, we expect to win andare surprised when we don’t.”

The upswing of the Wootton athletic pro-gram has not only affected the school, butthe rest of the Wootton community as well.At a Friday night football game this pastfall, it was customary to see a full house on

the new home team bleachers, recently in-stalled with profits gained by the athleticdepartment and put back into the programby the Wootton Booster Club. The commu-nity participation in Wootton athletics hasgiven the school more opportunity to putan even bigger emphasis on athletics. Overthe past few years, Wootton has redone thegirls’ locker room, added new lockers to theboys’ locker room, redone the football field,and added new uniforms for almost everysport.

“Our entire community has been revital-ized by the turnaround in our athletic de-partment,” Rampp said.

Many sports have taken the opportunityto give back to the community as well. Foot-ball, for example, has a Community Night,a barbecue right before the start of two-a-day practices that can be attended by any-one in the Wootton community. Boys’ andgirls’ lacrosse also has a Community La-crosse Day during which the varsity andjunior varsity teams interact with studentsin the Wootton cluster. Each player takes agroup of youngsters and teaches them anumber of facets of the game, includingshooting, passing, and stick-handling. It’sevents like these that get young studentscoming up in the Wootton cluster excitedabout coming to Wootton and being a Pa-triot, particularly at Cabin John MiddleSchool, which sends a little over half of itsstudents to Wootton and the rest to rivalChurchill High School.

“More than half of CJMS matriculates toWootton, but because of its close proximityto Churchill, and probably also due toWootton’s lack of athletic success [a whileago], support and spirit really tilted towardsChurchill,” Rampp said. “Walk throughthose same halls today and you see as muchWootton apparel worn as you do Churchill.”

The seniors of Wootton High School havebeen at the center of this transformation.Unlike any class before them, they have seennot only the valleys of athletics at Wootton,but also the peaks. Doran, the commanderof this turnaround, has seen his schooltransform from laughingstock to perennialall-around contender.

“We’ve gone from mediocre to very, verygood,” Doran said. “When kids walk aroundwith their head held a little higher, there’snothing wrong with that.”

Events like its Community Lacrosse Day have helped raise school spirit at Wootton, where the athletic pro-gram is in the midst of some unprecedented success.

Behind talented senior quarter-back Mike Mooney, the Woottonfootball program completed itsdramatic turnaround by makingthe regional playoffs for the firsttime since 1991.

Next fall, senior Chelsea Craig willbe the first girls’ basketball playerfrom Wootton to ever compete atthe Division-I level when she takesthe floor at Delaware.

Resurgence ofWootton’s athleticprogram has beenfar reaching.

Athletic Renaissance

Potomac Almanac Sports Editor Mark Giannotto

703-917-6409 or [email protected]

Pho

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arvey Levine/T

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“Our entire community has been revitalized bythe turnaround in our athletic department.”

— Wootton Booster Club President Pete Rampp


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I'm at a funny age, somewhere betweenaccomplishment and retirement/entitlement.And though I truly believe I have plenty ofgood years ahead, it's the years I've left behindthat concern me more. It seems like the toolsI've used to reach this point in my life mightnot be the tools I'll need to reach the nextpoints in my life. Specifically, I'm referring totechnology, past and present versus future. Asa few examples: utilizing a solar-powered cal-culator instead of pencil and paper and one'sactual brain; replacing an eight-track tapeplayer with a CD player and then replacingthe CD with the upgraded benefits of a DVD;scrapping the VCR for the enhancementsoffered through TiVO/DVR; communicatingvia cell phone rather than with a cordless landline (and not having to be within 500 feet ofits base); and switching to cable/digital/HDtelevision and saying good-bye to anten-nas/rabbit ears (with or without the aluminumfoil), among many others too numerous tomention but familiar to most.

These sorts of improvements, this kind ofprogress, I could handle; it seemed to followin some sort of line with what had precededit. Mentally, conceptually, even literally, I wasable to connect the dots, so to speak and fol-low the progression of change. Things sort ofbuilt upon the hands-on experiences andinstincts I had accumulated over time, thoseformative Wonder Bread-years where one sortof understands and appreciates a bit of what'sgoing on and much of what has already goneon.

But now, the technology changes soquickly that some of the improvements seemnot to be grounded in, or even based upon,the previously accepted technology of the day.It's like having to learn a new language/verbalmeans of communication when the previouslanguage offered few familiar elements thatwere compatible; like going from English toChinese to Navajo to Bushmen to signing forthe hearing impaired. Other than them allbeing means if communication, it's not as ifknowing something about one will help toomuch with the other. Your experiences willonly clarify all that you don't know rather thansome of what you might know. This is exactlyhow I feel about the technological revolutionthat is likely passing me by.

All my learning instincts (and many of mylife's experiences) seem unsuitable for theenvironment in which I must now thrive inorder to survive - or else. It sometimes feelslike an episode of "Star Trek, NextGeneration;" where I'm stuck in a recurringtime loop and can only succeed up to thepoint where I've already succeeded (som-ething to do with the time-space continuum).It's sort of an upgraded "Peter Principle" for the21st century. I feel like I've reached a point inmy life where I've become successful butunfortunately for me, the kind of success I'vehad (and am having) does not make for a suc-cessful transition to the next level. It's as if I'ma victim of my own successful circumstances.

I can only do what I know how to do. Butcontinuing to do that might not get me to thepromised-to-no-one land. To succeed more,going forward, is going to require doing thingswith which I've had little success doing. I sup-pose I don't have to totally undue, I just haveto find a way to redo, and redo in a way inwhich I've never done before; specificallyusing/embracing technological tools of thefuture trade, tools with which I have fewinstincts, limited experience, minimal aptitudeand zero patience. And yet, if I don't embracethis new math, you can count me out, literallyand figuratively. But I'm too young to becounted out. So either I change for the betteror not change for the worse.

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

Remote,UniversallyBy KENNETH B. LOURIE

I believe thefuture is only

the past again,entered through

another gate.-Arthur Wing

Pinero

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.compotomacalmanac.com

Zone 5: Potomac

Ad Deadline: Monday Noon • 301-983-1900

Zone 5 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday 11 a.m.

301-983-1900

Zone 5:

• PotomacEmploymentEmployment

Do not wish to be anythingbut what youare, and try to be thatperfectly.

-St. Francis de Sales

Adult Pool Attendant

Weekend positions at community swim-ming pools throughout Maryland and Virginia. Must be able to swim.

Call: 571-730-3001 or Email: [email protected]

ATTENTION LIFEGUARDSNOW HIRING lifeguards for the sum-mer. We offer training & flexible sched-ules. FT/PT positions in MD, VA & DC. Apply online communitypools.com

or Call: 1-800-966-2500

MYSTERY SHOPPERSMystery Shoppers earn up to $150 a day.

Under cover shoppers needed to judge retail and dining establishments. Exp. not req’d.

Some Fees may apply. 877-448-3385

RETAIL SALES ASSOC.Retailer of fine French linensseeks full-time sales associatefor our Bethesda location.The ideal candidate willhave previous sales ordesign experience. Abackground in furnituresales a plus! Strongcommunication skills required. Competitivesalary plus bonus and benefits. Forconsideration, fax resume to Yves Delorme,301-897-4098 or call 301-897-5009.

Yves DelormePARIS

NATIONAL CHILDRENS CENTERNo sell! Salary + Bonus + Benefits!

Weekdays 9-4

TELEPHONE

☎☎301-333-1900

A great opportunity toWORK AT HOME!

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NATIONAL CHILDRENS CENTERNo sell! Salary + Bonus + Benefits!

Weekdays 9-4

TELEPHONE

☎☎301-333-1900

A great opportunity toWORK AT HOME!

☎☎

Internships AvailableUnusual opportunity to learn manyaspects of the newspaper business.Internships available in reporting,photography, research, graphics.Opportunities for students, and foradults considering change of career.Unpaid. Email [email protected]


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