THE GAZETTE
Page A-4
Wednesday, November 6, 2013 d
AROUND THE COUNTY
Food forum discusses recipe of change Participants say school cafeterias should be providing healthier meals n
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
A forum focusing on healthy food in Montgomery County Public Schools drew a mixed group of participants to the table on Saturday. The issue is an ongoing one, said Lindsey Parsons, co-founder of Real Food for Kids-Montgomery, and the goal of the forum was to “move the conversation forward” and see why and how the food should be made healthier. Parents, advocates, and school and county officials, among others, gathered at the Lutheran Church of St. Andrew in Silver Spring for the forum hosted by Real Food for KidsMontgomery and Montgomery Victory Gardens. Gordon Clark, project director of Montgomery Victory Gardens, said the event is a unique one in the county and that he thinks interest and passion in the community on the issue is coming together. “I think the overall goal is to start a conversation, a very public conversation a lot of people — parents and nonparents alike — want to have and that’s how do we make our school food better,” he said. The forum gained the support of “honorary hosts,” including Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington and state Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Dist. 20). Speakers covered topics from food-related health issues to school efforts to improve food options to the importance of nutrition in education. Marla Caplon, director of food
RAPHAEL TALISMAN/FOR THE GAZETTE
Marla Caplon, the school system’s food services director, and Tony Geraci, a chef and food service consultant, take part in a forum on school food. and nutrition services for the school system, described several ways the school system is working to make its food healthier. Caplon said the school system is continually reformulating recipes to lower amounts of ingredients such as fat and sodium, has made the vast majority of cafeteria grains whole grain, and has been removing fryers and replacing them with ovens. The most important part of the school system’s menu development, she said, is “student acceptability.” “We have to make sure we’re providing food items these kids will eat,” Caplon said. Speakers from two schools shared their experiences working with students to grow food and other plants. Karla Kratovil — vice president of the parent teacher association and school garden coordinator at Flower Hill Elementary School in Gaithersburg — said her school garden gave some of
the students their first chance to “get into the dirt” and plant. “You’ve never seen kids so enthusiastically eating vegetables,” she said. Lisa Lefferts, senior scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, focused her talk on the adverse health effects of artificial food colorings and on caffeine. Lefferts said that, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, food dyes can exacerbate hyperactivity disorders in some children. Several food dyes, such as Red 3, are carcinogenic but still appear in food, she said. Lefferts also spoke on the growing number of products that contain caffeine, including chips, popcorn and waffles. “You could find caffeine in just about anything these days,” she said. Tony Geraci, a chef and food service consultant and the subject of
the documentary “Cafeteria Man,” shared what he had learned in his experiences leading and changing school food programs. Nutrition is an important part of students’ ability to learn, he said, and it’s unrealistic to expect a student who is “jacked up on sugar” or hungry to absorb a lesson. Geraci said he bases his work on the principles that food “has to look good, has to taste good, and has to be good.” County Councilman George Leventhal (D-At large) of Takoma Park, who also spoke at the event, said in an interview he doesn’t think food quality in the school system’s cafeterias has been a “front-of-mind priority” for the county school board or superintendent. The school system is making good efforts, he said, “but it’s not at the front of the pack nationally.” Aura Triana, the parent of an eighth-grader at Rosa Parks Middle School and a member of Real Food for Kids, said she is disappointed in the food quality found in the school system. The school system should not only provide healthier food, she said, but also educate its students on the importance of good eating. “I think we are sending a contradictory message to our students by not providing decent meals to them alongside the education that we are proud to consider so good,” she said. School board Vice President Phil Kauffman said it’s clear the community is concerned about food served to students and that the school system wants to hear what those concerns are. “We’re all about improvement, and to the extent that we can improve, we’d like to improve,” he said. lpowers@gazette.net
Montgomery Village’s Cheng eyes District 39 seat His platform focuses on decreasing taxes
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BY JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
Xiangfei Cheng has never held public office before, but he hopes to change that next year. The Montgomery Village Republican, 50, is running for a seat in District 39 of the Maryland House of Delegates. He filed his candidacy with the state Board of Elections in July. Cheng said he decided to run for the position after listening to concerns from citizens in his community and district regarding high taxes. “I talked with many people in my district before I made a decision,” he said. “I’m trying to help people.” District 39 includes Clarksburg, Germantown and Montgomery Village. It recently underwent state legislative redistricting that is set to take effect in January 2015.
Much of Cheng’s platform is centered around decreasing taxes. If elected, Cheng said, he would work to eliminate sales tax on food and reduce the overall state sales tax from 6 percent to 5 percent. “The economy is bad, yet people are still paying high taxes,” he said. Another part of Cheng’s plan would be to repeal speed and red light cameras in the state. Cameras make the driving experience more stressful, Cheng he explained. His agenda also includes reforming property tax rules and passing legislation that would provide financial assistance for educational costs. For the campaign, Cheng is looking to raise between $50,000 and $100,000 by collecting donations from family and friends. He is in the process of planning a fundraiser, but the date and location had not been decided. A native of China, Cheng completed medical
school in his home country at Nanchang University’s medical college in 1983. He earned a Ph.D. in medical biochemistry from Umea University in Sweden in 1995. Cheng came to the U.S. that same year and completed his postdoctoral work at Northwestern University in Chicago. He is an instructor in the surgery department at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Cheng has lived in Montgomery Village for a little more than a decade. He has been married to his wife, Jamie Huang, for 25 years and they have two children. State Sen. Nancy King (D) of Montgomery Village and Dels. Charles Barkley (D) of Germantown, Kirill Reznik (D) of Germantown and Shane Robinson (D) of Montgomery Village currently represent the district. All of the incumbents are seeking reelection, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections website. The primary election is June 24, 2014, and the general election will be Nov. 5, 2014. jedavis@gazette.net
Officials to request $20 million for school expansion Superintendent: County’s schools are ‘bursting at the seams’ n
BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Montgomery County and its state representatives will mount a “very hard and vigorous fight” for money to increase school capacity for an influx of students, said County Executive Isiah Leggett. Between 2000 and 2012, Montgomery public school enrollment grew by 14,599 students — more than Anne Arundel, Howard, Frederick and Baltimore counties combined, according to the county. With nearly half of the county’s public schools projected to not have enough seats for students by the 2018-19 school year, Leggett, County Council members and state legislators highlighted the need for more
school funds Thursday at Julius West Middle School in Rockville. To help fund expansion projects, the county plans to request up to $20 million from the state, to go along with $40 million from the county, similar to a bill passed last year to provide funding for Baltimore City Public Schools. The infusion of cash would let the county issue about $750 million in bonds to fund 56 construction projects at severely affected schools over the next five years, according to a county release. “We’re bursting at the seams,” said Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendant Joshua Starr. He said schools hold classes on auditorium stages and work with students in hallways. The county also uses 379 portable classrooms. The county’s public schools are part of the attraction for many new residents, said County Council President Nancy Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of
Silver Spring. But the schools can’t sustain their performance without additional resources, she said. Montgomery has been “a victim of our own success” in pursuing policies that supported growth and development the past several decades, said Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (DDist. 18) of Kensington. If there’s no additional money for school expansions this year, it will impede growth in Montgomery and beyond, he said. “Slowing Montgomery slows the growth of Maryland,” Madaleno said. Solving the capacity crisis will be the county’s top priority in Annapolis for the next General Assembly session, which begins in January. Del. Sheila Hixson (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, said getting the increase might not be easy, but she believes that, ultimately, many large jurisdictions in
the state will support it. Madaleno, who serves on the Senate’s Budget and Taxation Committee and chairs the Education, Business and Administration Subcommittee, said it’s always a challenge to get something new and innovative approved. While the Baltimore bill might be a template, he thinks everyone is “keeping an open mind” on how the issue can be addressed. Everyone needs to stay focused on what the challenges to the school system could mean for the county, and the larger repercussions for the state if Montgomery’s economy starts to decline, he said. But getting approval might be a heavy lift, even for one of the most powerful county delegations in the state. “This will be a challenge, there’s no question,” Madaleno said. rmarshall@gazette.net
InBrief American Legion hosts Veterans Day service Damascus Post 171, Auxiliary Unit 171 and Sons of the American Legion Squadron 171 will host a service honoring veterans at 10:30 a.m. Monday. The Veterans Day service is open to the public and will feature music by the Damascus High School Chamber Singers. David Clemmer, a member of the legion and a Vietnam War veteran, will be the keynote speaker. A light lunch will be provided. The post home is at 10201 Lewis Drive.
Heritage Montgomery doles out mini-grants The Heritage Tourism Alliance of Montgomery County, also known as Heritage Montgomery, awarded more than $18,000 in mini-grants this year to local organizations. Among them were several upcounty groups: • King Barn Dairy MOOseum of Boyds, $2,000 to develop a model milk train diorama for its milk transportation exhibit. • Montgomery Countryside Alliance of Poolesville, $1,000 for a “Growing Legacy” short film project. • Sugarloaf Regional Trails of Barnesville, $625 for Heritage Days programming and research on an American Indian trail. • Warren Historic Site Committee of Dickerson, $625 to revise and reprint the Warren Historic Site brochure. Historic Montgomery’s grant award program has awarded more than $142,000 in the past 10 years. Programs supported by grant funding are designed to contribute to the interpretation, promotion, preservation or research of historical resources in the area.
Damascus Theatre presents ‘Seussical’ The Damascus Theatre Company will present “Seussical” from Nov. 15 to 24 at the Olney Theatre Center’s Historic Stage. The Cat in the Hat, the Grinch and Horton the Elephant are some of the characters in the musical. The production is written by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, with music by Flaherty and lyrics by Ahrens. Shelly Horn is directing, and Elli Swink and Matt Kopp are co-producing; choreography is by Laurie Newton and music direction is by Arielle Bayer. Performances run at 8 p.m. Nov. 15-16 and 21-23, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. Nov. 16, 17 and 24. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $18 for seniors, students through 12th grade and children. Visit www.damascustheatre.org for tickets or more information; tickets also can be purchased at the door.
POLICE BLOTTER
Complete report at www.gazette.net The following is a summary of incidents in the Damascus area to which Montgomery County police responded recently. The words “arrested” and “charged” do not imply guilt. This information was provided by the county.
Armed robbery • On Oct. 14 at 10:10 p.m. at S&N Beer and Wine, 12839 Wisteria Drive, Germantown. The subjects threatened the victim with a weapon and took property. Commercial burglary • Between 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14 and 4:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at the concession stand of Edward Taylor Center Field, 19501 White Ground Road, Boyds. Forced entry, took property. Residential burglary • 11200 block of Sibley Terrace, Germantown, between 3:30 p.m. Oct. 15 and 8 a.m. Oct. 16. Forced entry, unknown if anything was taken. • 24100 block of Preakness Drive, Damascus, between 6:30 p.m. Oct. 15 and 2:30 a.m. Oct. 16. No forced entry, took property. • 5100 block of Brookville Road, Germantown, between midnight Oct. 20 and 8:40 p.m. Oct. 21. Forced entry, took property. • 19700 block of Winding Creek Place, Germantown, between noon and 1 p.m. Oct. 21. No forced entry, took property. Vehicle larceny • Four incidents in Germantown between Oct. 14 and 16. No force, took cash, a laptop and sunglasses. Affected streets include Placid Lake Terrace, Seabreeze Court and Tidewinds Way.