&
CAPITALCONNECTION A cappella group blends voices for BlackRock show. B-5
The Gazette DAMASCUS | CLARKSBURG
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
25 cents
Council to examine views on watershed
A date with Carnegie Hall
n
Meeting about Ten Mile Creek is scheduled for Jan. 13 BY
VIRGINIA TERHUNE STAFF WRITER
2013 FILE PHOTO
Damascus High School Chamber Singers Brianna Nelson (left) and Rodesia Roberts perform “Homeward Bound” with their peers at the American Legion Post 171 Veterans Day service last month in Damascus. In March, the group will perform at Carnegie Hall.
Chamber Singers land gig of a lifetime n
Students also will perform at school’s annual winter concert on Dec. 19 BY
VIRGINIA TERHUNE STAFF WRITER
The Damascus High School Chamber Singers concert will include songs in English but also in Latin and German this year. The school’s annual winter concert is scheduled for Dec. 19. “I always try to pick a couple of foreign languages [to improve diction],” said Brian Isaac, now in his third academic year as director of choirs. On the program is “Silent Night” in the original German and several songs in Latin based on
texts from the Bible. Mastering songs in different languages may be one reason why the group of 41 singers is heading to Manhattan to sing on March 9 at Carnegie Hall. The trip costs $1,500 per student, which is why the Chamber Singers are hosting a fundraising dinner in the school cafeteria before the concert. Seats are reserved at the concert for those who attend the dinner. The dinner by Carrabba’s Italian Grill restaurant includes chicken marsala, pasta, salad and beverages, Isaac said. Those wanting to attend are encouraged to RSVP by emailing Darlene Melkonian at the school at melkonid@ gmail.com The Chamber Singers will be performing all but one of the songs
without instruments. “It’s great to have a chamber choir sing a cappella,” said Isaac. “You won’t hear a single piano.” “I’m a true believer that it teaches students to be more confident singers,” said Isaac about the group, which requires auditions. Joining them halfway through the program will be the 21-member Concert Choir to sing “Silent Night” and a jazzy version of “Carol of the Bells.” The orchestra will then join in “Tollite hostias,” composed in 1858 by Camille Saint-Saens for his Christmas Oratorio. There is also a spot in the program for two pop songs by the Treble Yell girls’ group and the Brovertones boys’ group. Isaac said he started those two ensembles as a way to interest students in singing.
Auditions are not required. Treble Yell will sing the 2013 pop hit “Royals,” by New Zealand singer/songwriter Lorde, and the Brovertones will sing the 1957 doo-wop hit “Silhouettes.” If students like participating, they sometimes sign up for the Concert Choir or audition for the Chamber Singers. “It’s a great recruiting tool,” said Isaac, who sang in a doo-wop group while a student at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.
Challenging students After graduating from the Naval Academy, Isaac served in the Marines and then earned a bachelor’s degree in music education
See SINGERS, Page A-10
Development along the Ten Mile Creek watershed once again proved to be polarizing topic at two County Council meetings set to hash out the future of the area. Nearly 80 people spoke their minds during the hearings on Dec. 3 and Thursday. But many of the speakers either belonged to a countywide environmental coalition or, at the other end of the spectrum, are aligned with developers’ interests. “We heard very little from people who actually live in Clarksburg,” Councilwoman Nancy Floreen (D-At Large) of Garrett Park said Monday. Learning more about what local residents want is one of Floreen’s goals as the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee begins to wrestle with the future of development in Clarksburg and Boyds. Council members asked no questions during the two-night hearing, but they will have a chance to delve into the issue in committee meetings.
See WATERSHED, Page A-10
Pepco again pushes for higher rates n
Utility seeks $4.80 per month increase from its average customer BY
STAFF WRITER
Ervin to leave council seat n
County councilwoman taking position with New York nonprofit BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Calling it one of the most difficult decisions she’s ever had to make, Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin will leave her seat in early January to take over a New York nonprofit that advocates for working families. Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring said Tuesday that she would resign her seat on Jan. 3 to become executive director of the Center for Working Families. “I want to continue to make a difference, in a new way,” Ervin said.
NEWS
SAYING NO TO COAL Dickerson power plant makes the move to cleaner energy.
A-4
No one has been a stronger voice against inequality than Ervin has, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said Tuesday at a press conference at the Council Office Building in Rockville. Along with several other speakers, Leggett referenced Ervin’s direct way of dealing with issues. Ervin has been a friend and political supporter, but also one of his most vocal critics when they disagreed, he said. State Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring said he’s also been on both sides of conflicts with Ervin. But he praised her Tuesday for her passion, as well as her dedication to justice and solidarity.
See ERVIN, Page A-10
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin of Silver Spring announced Tuesday that she would take over a New York nonprofit that advocates for working families.
SPORTS
JAGUARS RETURN TOP TALENT Northwest’s indoor track and field teams expect big seasons.
B-1
KATE S. ALEXANDER
Automotive Business Calendar Classified Community News Entertainment Opinion School News Sports Please
Just months after it was given higher rates and granted Maryland’s first upfront surcharge, Pepco is asking yet again for more from ratepayers. Pepco filed a case with the Maryland Public Service Commission on Dec. 4 for $43.3 million more in base distribution rates, a hike of $4.80 a month on the average customer bill. This is the company’s third rate increase request since 2011. Pepco is seeking the increase to recover the cost of providing service and to give a fair rate of return on capital to its investors. The monopoly utility, which serves 540,000 customers in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, is asking to increase its allowed rate of return for investors from 9.36 percent to 10.25 percent. Pepco’s request comes less than five months after the Public Service Commission raised the utility’s base rates and broke with precedent to grant it the first tracker, or upfront surcharge, in the state. In July, the PSC granted Pepco $27.9 million of a
See PEPCO, Page A-10
B-13 A-11 A-2 B-10 A-4 B-5 A-14 A-12 B-1
RECYCLE
Check out our Services Directory ADVERTISING INSIDE B SECTION
1906206
THE GAZETTE
Page A-2
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
PEOPLE& PLACES More online at www.gazette.net
PEOPLE & PL ACES KIRSTY GROFF
Cancer-free freshman buoys others’ spirits A love of baseball kept Damascus High School freshman Eric Lansinger going strong through
chemotherapy. Now he will give that love back to other children in a similar situation. Eric, cancer-free for eight months, is collecting baseball caps and toys through early January at his school to give to patients in Children’s National Medical Centers in the area as a way to brighten their holiday season. He was inspired by a similar project his cousin took on at her school. “I had already gone through my battle with cancer earlier this year,” he said, “and I just felt like doing this would make those kids’ lives more special.” Diagnosed about a year ago with Hodgkins lymphoma, Eric underwent five months of chemotherapy with “no problems physically,” he said. As he reached the end of his treatments, he noticed he had a baseball tournament on May 11; he was able to play, and used baseball as a way to keep his strength and health up after being declared cancer free. During his treatment, Eric would see other patients in the hospital’s children’s oncology ward, many of whom were much younger than him. As time passed after he was given the all-clear, he wanted to do something to help those kids. “I stayed strong throughout the whole thing and quite honestly thought I was looking at a lot larger of a problem,” he said. “You can see there are kids who are 4, 5, 6 years old who had a lot harder of a life than I had.” Through Jan. 5 or 6, Eric and a friend working on his Eagle Scout award will collect new toys such as stuffed animals for younger
patients as well as baseball caps or other hats for all ages. The donations will then go to either the smaller satellite center in Rockville or the Washington, D.C., hospital. Anyone can donate items by bringing them to the main office at Damascus High School, 25921 Ridge Road, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Students also can bring items to sociology teacher Robert Dickie’s classroom in Room 134. Email Robert_P_Dickie@mcpsmd. org for more information.
Poolesville teen hits sitcom heights Aspiring actor and Poolesville teen Zachary Conneen racked up another big achievement last week with an appearance on the television show “Modern Family.” Conneen, 15, attends Poolesville High School. He got the acting bug at age 6, when he saw a children’s perfomance of “Annie,” according to his mother, Denise Conneen. “He said that it looked really cool to be on stage and wanted to try it,” she said. The following year, he auditioned and landed a role in a local children’s production of “Seussical.” After that, he was a regular performer with the Kensington Arts Theater Program. The exposure later got him a meeting with a Los Angeles talent agency, where he signed a contract and got minor roles in television shows “The Middle” and “Community.” In an episode of “Modern Family” that aired Dec. 4, Zachary played the role of Justin Miller, a mean-spirited classmate of Manny and Luke. Zachary said he’s had experience as a bully character in other productions, but he wasn’t a regular viewer of the show when he auditioned for the part. “I was watching like three episodes a day on Netflix to catch up,” he said. The high school freshman said living in California for months at a time has been difficult, but his family has adapted to its moves between Poolesville and Hollywood. He hopes to return to Los Angeles for more auditions in February.
EVENTS Singer Songwriter Series: Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, 3 p.m.,
Kentlands Mansion, 320 Kent Square Road, Gaithersburg. $25 for concert, $45 for concert and workshop. stakahashi@gaithersburgmd.gov.
THURSDAY, DEC. 12 Sing to Save Fundraiser for Philippines, 6-7:30 p.m., The Pony Express,
Bolger Center, 9600 Newbridge Drive, Potomac. deb.a.muniz@gmail.com.
Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association Meeting, 6:30-9 p.m., Stedwick Com-
munity Center, 10401 Stedwick Road, Montgomery Village. gaithersburgfineartsassoc@gmail.com. The Underground Railroad, 7:30-9 p.m., Goshen Church of the Nazarene, 8921 Warfield Road, Gaithersburg. Free. 240-276-1763.
FRIDAY, DEC. 13 Germantown Historical Society
DENISE CONNEEN
Holiday Reception, 6-8:30 p.m., Ger-
mantown MARC Train Station, 19311 Mateny Hill Road, Germantown. Free. 301-972-2707.
SATURDAY, DEC. 14 Santa’s Secret Shop, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Oakdale Emory Church, 3425 Emory Church Road, Olney. 301-929-1389. Book Sale, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Germantown Library, 19840 Century Blvd., Germantown. 240-777-0110. Open House, 1-3 p.m., House with A Heart Senior Dog Sanctuary, 6409 Stream Valley Way, Gaithersburg. Free. 240-631-1743. A Christmas Carol, 2 p.m., Poolesville High School Auditorium, 17501 W. Willard Road, Poolesville. $14 general admission, $11 for youth and seniors. 301-466-1906. Glorystar Children’s Chorus Winter Concert, 2-3:45 p.m., Chinese Bible
Church of Maryland, 4414 Muncaster Mill Road, Rockville. $12 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, free for age
SPORTS Winter sports are underway. Check online throughout the week for coverage of high school basketball.
Zachary Conneen (right) of Poolesville, with “Modern Family” actor Rico Rodriguez, who portrays Manny on the ABC sitcom.
Holiday pet photos at pet store Pet Valu invites local pet owners to come out and take a seasonal family photo — dogs and cats included — from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. There will be pictures with Santa or in front of a snowflake backdrop; $10 will buy a 4-by-6inch print of the photo and an emailed copy. The event also will have raffles and dogs for adoption. Pet Valu is at 9809 Main St., Damascus. Call 301-414-2338 for more information.
In the service Army Pfc. Jaron D. Jones has graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. Jones is the nephew of Jamie Ervin and Theresa Hedrick-Ervin of Damascus. He is a 2006 graduate of Christiansburg (Va.) High School.
SUN
15
He received an associate degree in 2012 from I.T.T. Technical Institute in Owings Mills. During the nine weeks of training, he received training in drill and ceremonies, weapons, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid and Army history, core values and traditions. Additional training included development of basic combat skills and battlefield operations and tactics, and use of various weapons and weapons defenses available to the infantry.
Entertainer at Damascus Library
Annual Living Nativity, 6:30 p.m.,
Damascus United Methodist Church, 9700 New Church St., Damascus. Free. 301-253-0022.
For more on your community, visit www.gazette.net
ConsumerWatch If you have an all-electric home, do you still need a carbon monoxide detector? To be safe, let’s turn to Liz for our answer.
LIZ CRENSHAW
Everyone is invited to sing and dance at 11 a.m. Dec. 28 at the Damascus Library with entertainer Mr. Jon, who will lead the audience in both traditional and original songs. The library is at 9701 Main St. Call 240-773-9444 for more information. Pleasant Ridge Drive, Montgomery Village. Free. 301-926-8920. Holiday in the Mansion, 3 p.m., Kentlands Mansion, 320 Kent Square Road, Gaithersburg. $25. 301-2586394.
BestBet
Send items at least two weeks in advance of the paper in which you would like them to appear. Go to calendar.gazette.net and click on the submit button. Questions? Call 301-670-2070.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11
GALLERY
Northwest’s E.J. Lee makes a catch under pressure from Suitland’s Anthony Jackson during the 4A state championship game. Go to clicked.Gazette.net.
WeekendWeather FRIDAY
37
SATURDAY
22
42
32
The Great Zucchini Comedy-Magic Show, 11 a.m., Quince Orchard Li-
brary, 15831 Quince Orchard Road, Gaithersburg. Free. 240-777-0200.
12 and under. 240-277-7629.
Airmen of Note Live in Concert!,
3:30 p.m., Sherwood High School, 300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Sandy Spring. Free. 202-767-4310.
Mobile Download the Gazette.Net mobile app using the QR Code reader, or go to www.gazette.net/mobile for custom options.
GAZETTE CONTACTS
TUESDAY, DEC. 17
One Wintry Night: A Christmas Open House, 4-8 p.m., Christ Lutheran
Church, 23425 Davis Mill Road, Germantown. Free. 301-831-7339.
The Gazette – 9030 Comprint Court
Potluck Lunch for At-Home Adults, noon-2:30 p.m., St. Nicholas Episcopal Church, 15575 Germantown Road, Darnestown. Free. 240-631-2800.
Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Main phone: 301-948-3120 Circulation: 301-670-7350
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18
SUNDAY, DEC. 15 Breakfast With Santa, 8 a.m.-noon, Laytonsville Fire Department, 21400 Laytonsville Road, Laytonsville. $8 for adults, $5 ages 5-11, free age 5 and younger. 240-304-1332. Handel’s “Messiah” Musical Presentation, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Covenant
United Methodist Church, 20301
Mother’s Morning Out, 9:30 a.m.noon, Faith Presbyterian Church, 17309 Old Baltimore Road, Olney. Free babysitting. wellwood15@verizon.net. Holiday Open House and Benefit, 6-9 p.m., Bella Moda Salon and Spa, 10118 River Road, Potomac. Free. 301983-5545.
35
NBCWashington.com
Church, 610 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg. Free. 240-398-8870.
MONDAY, DEC. 16
45
Get complete, current weather information at
Montgomery Philharmonic Concert, 7 p.m., Gaithersburg Presbyterian
MORE INTERACTIVE CALENDAR ITEMS AT WWW.GAZETTE.NET
SUNDAY
DEATHS Edward Thomas Blongiewicz Edward Thomas Blongiewicz, 70, died Nov. 29, 2013 in Gaithersburg. A private memorial service will be held in Philadelphia.
1.00 OFF $ 5.00 ofAny$30Purchase Dine-In or more OFF Family or Carry-Out! Only Packs $ 1499 $
al Casuily Faming Din
Limit 1. With This Coupon Not Valid with any Other Offers
Carry Out Only Limit 2. With This Coupon Not Valid with any Other Offers
Best Pizza & Subs in Damascus Now Serving Beer & Wine!
FAMILY RESTAURANT REAL ITALIAN CUISINE
Any New York Style Large Pizza
t y Ou CarrOnly
Super 18” Pizza, Super Salad, 2-Liter Soda
75¢OFF
Toppings Extra. Limit 1. With This Coupon Not Valid with any Other Offers
ANY SUB
Limit 2. With This Coupon Not Valid with any Other Offers
SUBS • PIZZA • PASTA • SALADS
Weis Shopping Center
OPEN:
26027 Ridge Road, (Rt. 27) • Damascus Sun. - Thurs.
301-253-1600
1912088
11 AM-10 PM Fri. - Sat. 11 AM-11 PM
SINCE 1979
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Page A-3
LOCAL
A couple inches of snow enough to close schools Forecast shows temperatures around the region will remain low on Wednesday
n
BY JESSICA LODER AND JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITERS
Montgomery County children received an early Christmas present this week: two snow days. After the region braced for a second round of wintry weather in a less than week on Tuesday, officials at the National Weather Service said snowfall accumulation totals came in lower than expected. Still, the forecast was enough to prompt school closings, following an ice storm that shut schools Monday. A winter storm warning issued by the weather service was in effect for Montgomery and Prince George’s counties until 2 p.m. Tuesday. Accumulations were forecast to reach anywhere from 4 to 6 inches; however, totals in Montgomery and Prince George’s varied from 1 to 3 inches, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Hofmann. Hofmann said the highest totals were reported in the northwestern part of Montgomery County. The forecast Wednesday should bring sunshine to the region, but temperatures will struggle to make it above the freezing mark, he said. Residents can report streets that need plowing and check snowplow progress at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcg/emergency/snow. html. Montgomery County Police Capt. Paul Starks said there were no major collisions reported on county roads Tuesday and that all roads remained open throughout the day. He said the closure of the federal government and
Ella Borkat (left), 7, and sister Olivia, 6, make a snowman outside their Kentlands home in Gaithersburg on Tuesday afternoon.
PHOTOS BY TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Nikki Johnson of the Kentlands in Gaithersburg takes her daughter Chloe, 4, sledding Tuesday outside Rachel Carson Elementary School in Gaithersburg. schools and liberal leave policy of local governments most likely contributed to the relatively small number of only minor crashes. Officials with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation were unavailable to comment on road conditions. The first round of the storm initially left thousands of people without electricity, but many had power
restored by Tuesday afternoon. According to their websites, as of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Pepco reported 23 customers out in Montgomery and fewer than five in Prince George’s; Baltimore Gas & Electric reported no customers without power in Montgomery and fewer than five in Prince George’s; and in Virginia, Dominion reported 4,090 customers out in Fairfax County and 300 in Fairfax City.
A snowplow works its way through the Kentlands in Gaithersburg on Tuesday afternoon.
Hearing examiner rules in favor of Premium Outlet plan in Boyds n
Mixed-use plan needs approval by council
BY
VIRGINIA TERHUNE STAFF WRITER
Streetscape Partners, which wants to build a mixed-use Premium Outlet center on the Cabin Branch site west of Inter-
state 270 in Boyds, got a green light from the county hearing examiner on Monday. The Peterson Cos., which opposes the Streetscape project because it wants to build a Tanger outlet center in Clarksburg east of I-270, had argued that the Streetscape project violated the 1994 Clarksburg Master Plan because it would
undermine completion of the still-to-be-built Clarksburg Town Center. But hearing examiner Lynn Robeson concluded in her ruling posted Monday on the county’s Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings website that the Streetscape project would not threaten the town center plan and recommended
approval by the County Council. However, Robeson attached a condition that will require Streetscape to file a revised Preliminary Water Quality Plan as a condition of council approval to satisfy a regulation that requires revisions to stormwater plans earlier rather than later in the development phase.
Ron Kaplan, spokesman for the Premium project and Streetscape Partners, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. “We are in the process of reviewing the recommendations and we remain focused on our efforts to move Streamside forward,” wrote Angela Sweeney, vice president of marketing and
communications for the Peterson Companies, in an email Monday. The Peterson development project is called Streamside at Clarksburg. Robeson’s 150-page ruling can be found at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OZAH. vterhune@gazette.net
20% OFF ANY IN STORE SINGLE ITEM WITH AD. OFFER EXPIRES 12/24/2013
Do you have something of value to sell?
We take most items of interest, specializing in eBay and Internet sales. Visit our website or call for more information.
1912070
We feature new, vintage, and antique items of almost every kind - Large assortment of Seasonal Christmas Sundries and Ornaments
www.curiosityconsignment.com
WE HANDLE BUSINESS AND ESTATE LIQUIDATION! Tues-Fri 10-6 • Sat 10-4 • Closed Sunday & Monday 9870 MAIN ST, DAMASCUS, MD 20872 1912883
1912066
240-207-3783
GRAND OPENING SPECIALS - 2 DAYS ONLY! DEC 14-15 First 10 Clients receive complimentary spa pedicure with purchase of manicure service • 20% Off Gift Certificates • $5 Eyebrow Waxing • $17 Spa Pedicures • $17 Acrylic Full-Set • $10 Off Gel Manicures Valid at Clarksburg Location Only
Passion Nail Spa (Harris Teeter Shopping Center)
12051 Chestnut Branch Way C-2, Clarksburg, MD
301-540-4756
1913067
Hours: Mon-Fri 10-8 Sat 9-7 Sun 11-6
THE GAZETTE
Page A-4
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
AROUND THE COUNTY
Dickerson generator to stop burning coal Looming state regulations could be cost-prohibitive
n
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
The owner of a coal-fired power plant in Dickerson plans to stop using coal to generate electricity at two of its Maryland plants. NRG Energy, owner of the Dickerson Generating Station in Montgomery County and the Chalk Point Generating Station in Prince George’s County, said it plans to “deactivate” the coal-fired units at both plants by June 2017. Both plants produce electricity using a mix of coal, oil and natural gas. NRG sent notice of its plans to regional grid operator PJM Interconnector on Dec. 2, ahead of a capacity auction scheduled for May, PJM spokesman Ray Dotter said. Each year PJM auctions the rates it will pay generators for being available if and when called on to produce power. Dotter, unable to speak specifically about the notice given by NRG due to confidentiality, said a power company must notify PJM when it wants to retire or deactivate a plant. Notices like the one NRG gave typically indicate that the owner expects to and likely will shut down and not operate the plant, he said. However, NRG could change its mind or even revise its plans to expedite closure, Dotter said. NRG East Region spokesman David Gaier said looming state regulations for coal-fired plant emissions precipitated the company issuing the notice. Gaier said the regulations will likely require NRG to install expensive upgrades for processing emissions. “The significant capital investment required to install these systems can’t be justified economically,” he said. The Dickerson plant is capable of generating about 849 net megawatts, according to the NRG website. Gaier said the plant, which employs about 200 people, produces 546 megawatts
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Owners of the Dickerson Generating Station in Montgomery County say they plan to stop burning coal to generate electricty at the plant in Dickerson. The plant, along with the company’s Chalk Point Generating Station in Prince George’s County, uses a mix of coal, oil and natural gas to produce electricity. from coal. Maryland Department of the Environment spokeswoman Samantha Kappalman said talks have only just begun on the regulations, which are part of Maryland’s Healthy Air Act, the toughest power plant emission law on the East Coast. When the regulations will go into effect remains unknown, she said. As the state drafts its regulations for emissions from power plants, it has joined with seven other states to call on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to crack down on pollution in states that are upwind. About 70 percent of Maryland’s air pollution comes from other states, Kappalman said. On Monday, Maryland and seven other states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic petitioned the federal government to require upwind states — Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia — to be good neighbors and reduce emissions. Across the country, coal plants are shutting down, said Diana Dascalu-Joffe, senior attorney for the
Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Environmental advocates are confident that NRG will cease using coal at the two Maryland plants by its 2017 deadline and contribute to efforts to move Maryland to a cleaner energy portfolio. “We are applauding NRG’s commitment and intention,” Dascalu-Joffe said. “By putting in the decommissioning proposal, they’ve basically said to PJM, ‘Look, this is the direction we want to go in. We want to decommission coal, we want to move toward more clean energy.’” But before NRG can stop using coal, the grid operator must study if the grid can handle the loss. Dotter said PJM has 90 days to evaluate the impact the closure would have on the grid and determine if upgrades are necessary before the plant can shut down its coal units. PJM can request a plant remain open longer to ensure any necessary upgrades are made and the system avoid sdisruption, but because NRG has given about three years of notice, any upgrades will likely fit in their window for closure, Dotter said.
Dickerson, which first went online in 1959, is one of seven plants in Maryland that still use coal to produce energy, according to the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Gaier said any action that NRG takes could potentially affect jobs at the plants. But he added that the company has not yet made a firm decision on ceasing coal operations and will continue to evaluate its options between now and May. Exactly how many of the 200 jobs would be impacted he did not say. Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Bethesda said he regrets the loss of jobs that would likely result, but closing the coal-fired units in Dickerson would help the county reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The Dickerson plant is the largest single contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the county, Berliner said. The county seeks to reduce those emissions by 80 percent by 2050. kalexander@gazette.net
Alleged victim a 16-year-old girl, police say
BY
ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER
A 30-year-old Germantown man who had been working as a private tutor and athletic coach has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing the teenage girl he was teaching. According to police, Daniel Mandel Sirotkin, of the 17300 block of Autumn Harvest Court, has been charged with two counts of sex abuse of a minor and three third-degree sex offenses. Police began investigating Sirotkin in November after Montgomery County Public School officials told police that Sirotkin was engaging in
“inappropriate contact” with students, according to a police press release detailing his arrest. The alleged acts did not take place on school property, according to Montgomery County Police Officer Janelle Smith, a police spokeswoman. Schools spokesman Dana Tofig said a friend Sirotkin of the victim alerted a school administrator of the alleged abuse. That school administrator then contacted police, Tofig said. According to police, he was in contact with students from public and private schools in Bethesda and Potomac. Tofig said Sirotkin previously worked as a substitute teacher
within the school system but could not name specific schools where he had taught. Montgomery County Police Cpl. Rebecca Innocenti declined to say what sport Sirotkin coached, or name the schools where some of his students attended, saying that police wanted to try to protect the privacy of the victim of the alleged abuse. Sirotkin has been charged with alleged crimes against one student. Police declined to explain whether he had would be charged with abusing other students or if he had engaged in inappropriate behavior with other minors. According to The Washington Post, Sirotkin was at one time in 2013 an assistant wresting coach at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney. His LinkedIn profile listed him as
Dickerson plant processes 10 millionth ton of waste The Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility has processed its 10 millionth ton of waste, the county reported Thursday. The Dickerson facility is owned by the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority and operated by Covanta Montgomery. The plant, which began operations in 1995, converts post-recycled municipal solid waste into electricity. The 10 million tons of waste have produced 5.7 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. That’s enough to power all of the county’s single-family homes for two years, according to a county news release. It has offset the generation of about 10 million tons of greenhouse gases, the equivalent of taking about 2 million cars off the road. The waste is transported by rail from the Shady Grove Transfer Station in Derwood to Dickerson, 20 miles away. The waste then is burned at very high temperatures and the heat is used to generate energy in the form of electricity or steam. Metal then is recovered from the ash and recycled, according to the county’s website. “The people living and working in Montgomery County have reaped tremendous benefits, both economically and environmentally, from the energy production at the [facility] and from keeping trash out of landfills,” said Robert G. Hoyt, director of the Department of Environmental Protection, which includes the Division of Solid Waste Services.
Muslim groups launch winter clothing drive The Maryland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in partnership with Project Affinity and the Islamic Society of Annapolis, recently launched a winter clothing drive for the homeless as part of its Faith in Action campaign. It is a statewide project with dropoff locations in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. Accepted are new or gently used coats, gloves, hats, scarves and sweaters. Drop-off locations are at 15200 New Hampshire Ave. and 2701 Briggs Chaney Road, both in Silver Spring, and 7306 Contee Road, Laurel.
Staff Writer Sylvia Carignan contributed to this report.
Germantown tutor, coach charged with sex abuse n
InBrief
working at Aerotek, a staffing agency in Rockville. A woman who answered the phone there said that Sirotkin “mostly kept to himself,” and worked at the agency only a short time before finding a new job. Robinson Rowe, an attorney who represented him on a public urination charge — which was eventually dismissed — in April in Montgomery County, confirmed that Sirotkin had attended Harvard University. He said he did not yet know if he would be defending Sirotkin against the more recent charges, adding that he had not yet been retained to do so. Sirotkin is being held on $100,000 bail, online court records show. A phone number listed to his residence was not active Tuesday afternoon. sjbsmith@gazette.net
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.
Commercial armed robbery • On Nov. 23 at midnight at Seneca Convenience, 12611 Wisteria Drive, Germantown. The subjects threatened the victim with a weapon and took property. Commercial burglary • On Nov. 23 between 1 and 9:30 a.m. at a Verizon Wireless store, 26437 Ridge Road, Damascus. Forced entry, took property. Residential burglary • 12900 block of Poppyseed Court, Germantown, at 6:15 p.m. Nov. 22. Attempted forced entry, took nothing. Vehicle Larceny • Multiple incidents in Germantown at 4 a.m. Nov. 22. Took an iPod, Bluetooth, GPS unit, loose change, credit cards and small electronics. Affected streets include Rising Sun Lane, Pine Ridge Lane, Pine Ridge Court, Trailside Way and Autumn Mist Drive.
County Council President Craig Rice’s traffic, parking tickets drawing scrutiny n
Report errs that his license was suspended
BY ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER
County Council President Craig Rice is facing scrutiny for his driving and parking habits. On Friday, a local watchdog blog posted a notice saying that the Montgomery County District Court advised the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration to suspend Rice’s license after he failed to appear for a speeding ticket
court date. When contacted by The Gazette, Rice said that he missed his Nov. 7 court date because of an event in Gaithersburg he was participating in called 100,000 Homes for the Homeless. By missing the court date, Rice (DDist. 2) of Germantown said he was unable to argue against the $90 ticket, which he ended up paying online last month. “It’s already been paid,” he said of the ticket, which he incurred Sept. 9 on I-270 near the Falls Road exit for driving in the HOV lane. Rice said he had been using the lane to pass another motorist.
MVA spokesman Buel Young said Rice has a valid driver’s license, and that earlier reports that the Montgomery County District Court had advised that Rice’s driving license be suspended were incorrect. Instead, Rice would have received a letter notifying him of his failure to appear and advising him to pay the ticket fee, or face having his license suspended, Young said. Court records show that Rice has had three other speeding tickets in Montgomery County since 2011. Those have all been adjudicated. On the heels of that story, WJLA re-
ported Monday that Rice had more than $1,000 in unpaid tickets and citations, citing the traffic ticket in Montgomery County as well as parking tickets and other violations in Washington, D.C., and Annapolis. Neil Greenberger, a County Council spokesman, said Tuesday that the councilman had received several of the tickets on a car he had been leasing. Notices of the tickets were mailed to Rice’s leasing company, Greenberger said. “He does not recall getting the notices,” Greenberger said. Rice called his leasing company
Monday to verify the different tickets, Greenberger said. “When he found out they did exist, he then paid them immediately,” he said. Online records for D.C. and both Maryland counties showed that Rice did not have any outstanding balances for parking tickets on two cars he has leased in the past. On Tuesday, Rice said questions about the parking tickets date back several years and that previous publications and news outlets had erred in their reporting and mixed up facts. sjbsmith@gazette.net
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Page A-5
Bongino brings campaign to Potomac Leggett decides county’s interim Republican tries to distance himself from tea party label n
BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
The main speaker on Dec. 3 was Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert (R), who addressed the crowd in front of a large stone fireplace with a yellow “Bongino for Congress” banner. He said Bongino would guest host Sean Hannity’s radio show on Dec. 23, drawing an approving chorus of applause. Gohmert, a regular guest himself on conservative radio and television shows, defended the Republicans’ decision to push to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which led to a threeweek government shutdown in October. Gohmert asked: If you know that’swhatisbestforthecountry, why wouldn’t you try to do it? Maryland needs Bongino in Congress, Gohmert said. “Could we possibly do better than someone who’s willing to take a bullet for his country?” he said. While he’s often associated with the tea party movement, Bongino said he doesn’t like to get into the semantics of who is in the tea party and who isn’t. He saidheviewstheteapartyasnormal Americans tired of paying more in taxes. He has nearly 42,000 “likes” on his Facebook page, and said a good portion of them identify themselves as Democrats. Bongino said people want candidates who can take the edge off rhetoric while staying true to their principles. “Don’t let anyone pigeonhole you as the angry Republican,” he said.
fire chief should be permanent Appointment of Lohr requires council approval n
BY ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER
Steve Lohr has dealt with tricky situations in the course of his career as a Montgomery County firefighter, from fighting multi-home fires on hot summer days to helping deliver babies — he’s done that four times. Now he is preparing for a new challenge: County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) has decided on Lohr as the next fire chief, subject to the County Council’s approval. Lohr, 58, became interim chief of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service in May after then-Chief Richard Bowers resigned and became fire chief in Fairfax County, Va. Bowers was listed in a 2013 county employee database as having a salary of $190,000 as
1912064
chief. Lohr, who joined the department in 1985, has a current salary is $155,703 as head of the operations division, according to the database. “I’m thrilled,” Lohr said. “I feel like I’ve been prepping for this all my life.” The council might vote to confirm Lohr after the holiday recess, county officials said. In a release announcing the news on Dec. 4, Leggett called Lohr a “highly regarded leader” in fire and rescue services. Lohr has been a firefighter since 1971, when he joined a volunteer fire department in Washington County, he said. He later moved to Montgomery County. Before joining the fire service as a career firefighter, he was a volunteer firefighter at two local stations, in Silver Spring and Gaithersburg, he said. Lohr said he would work to meet the new challenges of his job and the evolving public
safety challenges in Montgomery County, including serving an aging population and keeping his agency properly staffed. He also wants to maintain good relationships with other local and national agencies and make sure the county’s fire stations have necessary equipment. One specific challenge that the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service will face is the increasing number of baby boomers, who need more care as they age, he said. “We will need to be able to meet that demand,” he said. The service also will focus on making sure heart attack victims receive emergency care as soon as possible, he said. The department works to ensure that cardiac care at a hospital is available within 90 minutes of a 911 call. In the last three months, firefighters hit that benchmark 41 out of 42 times, he said. sjbsmith@gazette.net
It’s Never Too Late To Join! • Over 50 Classes • Certified Personnel Trainers • Nationwide Travel Passes • Tanning Beds • Kids Clubs • Cardio Equipment
rmarshall@gazette.net
• Hammer Strength & Cybex Equipment • Aerobic & Cycling • Pilates $ ENROLL0M ENT • Zumba FEE THROUG H • Kickboxing 11/30/13 • Tai Chi
Class Pass
1912087
Congressional candidate Dan Bongino stood at the front of the crowded room, as listeners nodded in agreement with many points he made. Bongino, who’s seeking the Republican nomination for Maryland’s 6th District seat, stopped at the large, well-appointed home in Potomac on Dec. 3 to raise campaign money. Bongino shook hands and chatted with more than 90 donors who had come to meet him. As of Tuesday, the event had generated $19,550, with checks and financial commitments continuing to come in, spokeswoman Karla Graham said. Bongino,aformerSecretService agent who lives in Severna Park, said he and his wife are looking to move into the 6th District as soon as possible. He said he understands the argument that a candidate needs to run in the congressional district where he lives to be more ideologically aligned with the voters there. But he also argued that firstterm Rep. John Delaney (D) of Potomac is “light years away” from the values of most voters in the district, which stretches from the Washington suburbs of southern Montgomery County to the mountains of Garrett County.
When he was elected, Delaney said his top priority was increasing America’s competitiveness in the global market to help create jobs. His platform included creating an infrastructure bank to invest in communications, transportation and energy; instituting a federal carbon tax; implementing congressional term limits; and preserving the Affordable Care Act. Delaney doesn’t live in the 6th District, either; his house is less than a half-mile from the district line after it was redrawn in 2011. According to the U.S. Constitution, members of Congress must live in the state, but not the district, they represent. David E. Vogt III of Frederick County, a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan, also is running in the GOP primary in June. In the front hallway of Arlene Hillerson’s Potomac home, a table was set up where people could buy copies of Bongino’s book “Life Inside the Bubble,” about his time in the Secret Service and his decision to leave the agency and run an unsuccessful challenge against Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) of Pikesville in 2012. The book was listed on Thursday No. 13 on The New York Times’ list of bestselling ebooks, but has since fallen out of the top 25. Writing the book was a delicate matter for him, because he didn’t want to damage the agency’s relationship with the president, Bongino said.
1890786
Club Hours M-TH 5am-10pm Fri 5am-8:30pm The Club For $ Sat 7am-6pm Everybody! Sun 8am-6pm • www.fitness4youdamascus.com • 9930 Main Street • Damascus • 301-482-1900
20 Classes
85.00
THE GAZETTE
Page A-6
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Potomac hopeful enters District 15 race Rushkoff says he’s focusing on fundraising this month n
BY
SYLVIA CARIGNAN STAFF WRITER
A North Potomac man has entered the race to represent District 15 in Maryland’s House of Delegates. Democrat Bennett Rushkoff, 55, filed as a candidate on Dec. 4. He joined the race because, he said, Maryland’s “very effective” government should be a model for the rest of the country. “Right now, we’ve got a big problem at the national level, politically,” he said. “I want to be part of the General Assembly at this time, and help to model effective government by demonstrating it at the state level.” Rushkoff is chief of the public advocacy section in Washington, D.C.’s Attorney General’s Office. He also is a lay minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville. He said he and the congregation have been active advocates in Annapolis, pushing for the right to same-sex marriage and a repeal of the death penalty. Rushkoff, who is married
PHOTO FROM BENNETT RUSHKOFF
Democrat Bennett Rushkoff of North Potomac has entered the race for delegate in District 15.
and has two children, said he is concerned about education. He suggests a “highly selective teaching college” for the University of Maryland, which would attract high-performing students to the profession. The school should consider offering loan forgiveness for graduates who go on to teach in Maryland schools, he said. In Montgomery County, public schools are working as they should, he said, but closing the achievement gap among ethnic, racial and economic groups is an important goal for all Maryland schools. Drawing high-quality teachers into the state’s public schools will create an educated workforce, he said. “The quality of the public schools in Maryland is one of
We cater to kids and “chickens”.
the things that make Maryland a particularly attractive place to live,” he said. Rushkoff supports a socalled public option for medical insurance, renewable energy in the form of offshore wind power and simplified tax regulations. “It’s important to make rules and regulations as straightforward as possible, and as simple as possible, and to minimize the burden of complying,” he said. “A bigger problem than tax level is just overall regulatory burden.” Rushkoff said the state can create a business-friendly environment by reducing that burden on companies that operate in Maryland. As for his campaign, Rushkoff said he plans to focus on fundraising in December and start knocking on doors in District 15 in January. The candidate said he grew up in the New York City area and has been a resident of Montgomery County since 1997. He and his wife lived in Silver Spring before moving to North Potomac in 2001. District 15 stretches along the western edge of the county, from Clarksburg through Germantown and Potomac to parts of Bethesda. Democrats Kathleen Dumais of Rockville, David FraserHidalgo of Boyds and Aruna Miller of Darnestown now rep-
• In practice since 1970 Fami Family ly Dentistry D entistry 1 5% Senior S enior Disc D iscou ount nt
301-972-1400
1912089
23401 Frederick Rd. Clarksburg, MD Clarksburg Exit off 270 Corner of 355 & 121
GEHA
scarignan@gazette.net
• Veneers • Conscious Sedation • Oral Surgery • Root Canals • Implants • Crowns • Whitening • Interest Free Financing
Provider
1913025
Byron (Kyle) Dorethy passed away suddenly in Rockville, MD on November 22, 2013 at the age of 42. He will be mourned by those that survive him: his daughter, Michaela Dorethy, mother Virginia (Ginny) Dorethy, brother Bret Dorethy (Stephanie), sisters Andrea Delgado, and Becky McGhee (Michael), companion Mae Coughlan, 6 Nephews, 2 Nieces, 1 Great Nephew, 1 Great Niece, 1 special person Mike Smith, as well as many other family and friends. They will celebrate his life and memory as well. Kyle was born and raised in Maryland, spending summer vacations in Illinois. He attended Fields Road Elementary, Ridgeview Jr. High and graduated from Gaithersburg High School in 1989. He was a gifted musician, playing guitar and bass, as well as drums. He loved nature and animals, especially his dear cat, Ezel. A capable, self-taught businessman, Kyle spent the last 10 years as general manager of Ledo Pizza in Germantown, MD. He loved to read and explored many philosophies of spirituality, enjoying particularly the peacefulness of the Buddhist Temple. Kyle enjoyed John Wayne movies and MASH reruns. He had a great sense of humor, enjoying comedian Jim Gaffigan’s stories of fatherhood. He was a passionate enthusiast of motorcycles. His greatest love was, by far, his beloved daughter, whom he considered his greatest gift in life. She is his legacy in this world. He was preceded in death by his father, Carol (Dean) Dorethy and Abuelito Bruno (his daughter’s Grandfather). Loving son, devoted father, loyal brother and friend, Kyle Dorethy will forever be in our hearts. A service was held on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 at 11 am, at the DeVol Funeral Home, 10 East Deer Park Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Memorial may be made to his daughter Michaela’s education fund at Marine Bank & Trust, FBO Michaela Dorethy , P. O. Box 216, Augusta, IL 62311.
GERMANTOWN DENTAL AND COSMETIC CENTER 19512 Amaranth Dr., Germantown, MD Walk In Emergencies Welcome.
301-540-0500
www.germantowndentalgroup.com
VISIT OUR NEW LOCATION: GAITHERSBURG DENTAL GROUP 16063 COMPRINT CIRCLE, GAITHERSBURG, MD 301.947.6100 www.gaithersburgdentalgroup.com
BY
SYLVIA CARIGNAN STAFF WRITER
Former Maryland delegate Saqib Ali has withdrawn his candidacy for District 15 delegate. Ali, a Clarksburg resident, withdrew from the race on Dec. 2. He had filed as a Democratic contender in September. He was elected in 2006 to represent District 39 in Maryland’s House of Delegates. He ran for senator in the same district in 2010, but was defeated by Sen. Nancy J. King (D-Dist. 39)of Montgomery Village. Ali was one of eight candidates the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee considered for District 15’s open delegate seat, vacated by nowSen. Brian Feldman (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac. Boyds resident David Fraser-Hidalgo won the committee’s nomination and was sworn in as delegate on Oct. 21. Ali declined to comment on his withdrawal. In 2012, Ali was one of 11 candidates for three seats on the Montgomery County Board
Brookeville resident trying to retain District 14 seat in Maryland House n
BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
When Craig J. Zucker ran for state delegate of District 14 nearly four years ago, he dedicated himself to two things — family and public service. After successfully managing the two, he said, he is ready for a second term. “I have really enjoyed this term and it has filled the need to serve,” he said. “It’s been my dream, and it’s all good.” Zucker, 38, and his wife Jennifer live in Brookeville with their sons, Benjamin, 4, and Samuel, 6 weeks. Zucker and other District 14 legislators — Sen. Karen S. Montgomery (D) of Brookeville, Del.
Obituary Karen Augusta Thurber, 44, of Derwood, died December 1, 2013 at Suburban Hospital, Bethesda, MD. Karen was born March 13, 1969 to W. Robert Thurber and Carolyn Bowen Thurber at Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, MD. She was a graduate of Magruder High School, Rockville, MD, and of Goucher College, Towson, MD, with a double major of English and Spanish and later received a BS in mathematics at the University of MD, College Park. Karen was an enthusiastic Girl Scout, a member of a troop from age 7 through college. She earned the Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. She was also a Girl Scout leader for several years.
* Of 554 auto repair shops, CHECKBOOK rated Total Automotive as one of the best in the Washington area
She had a wonderful sense of humor. She enjoyed solving and writing word puzzles, especially cryptic crosswords, and had several puzzles published in Games magazine. Recently, she used her artistic and creative talents to sew and make accessories for American Girl mini dolls. Karen loved the outdoors, the parkland and the trees that she had watched grow her entire life. On vacations, along with the rest of her family, she kept a journal of visits to parks and historic sites. She is survived by her parents, and brother, Kent R. Thurber, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Family received friends on Wed. Dec. 4 at DeVol Funeral Home, 10 E. Deer Park Dr., Gaithersburg, MD 20877. A funeral service was held on Thurs. Dec. 5 at Mill Creek Parish United Methodist Church, 7101 Horizon Terrace, Derwood, MD 20855. Interment followed at Parklawn Memorial Park. Memorial contributions can be made to the Arbor Day Foundation, www.arborday.org, or to Mill Creek Parish UMC. 1913033
1912085
of Education, but did not win enough votes to be a board member. Ali is currently cochairman of the Equality for Eid Coalition, a campaign to close Montgomery County Public Schools on two Muslim holidays. The coalition formed in September. “We are continuing to push for equality for Muslim staff and students,” Ali said in an email. Current candidates for delegate in District 15 include Democrats Del. Kathleen Dumais of Rockville, Del. Aruna Miller of Darnestown, Fraser-Hidalgo and North Potomac resident Bennett Rushkoff. Republican Flynn Ficker of Boyds said he’s also campaigning for a delegate seat in District 15, but has not formally filed with the state. District 15 stretches along the western edge of the county, from Clarksburg through Germantown and Potomac to parts of Bethesda. Primaries will be held in June 2014 and the general election will be in November. scarignan@gazette.net
Family, teamwork figure into Zucker re-election campaign
1913065
Obituary
Ali Alibakhshi, DDS • Lenora Blathers, DDS • T. Haddad, DDS
1913066
Raleigh,NC - William James (Bill) Anderson, 79, died peacefully at home Saturday evening, Nov. 23, with his family by his side. He was a former resident of Gaithersburg, MD. Bill was a loving caregiver, teacher, coach, grandfather, and provider. Music one of his deepest loves, Bill met his wife of 52 years, Nancy, while conducting their church choir. Since then, he has shared his beautiful voice with us through many endeavors including over 10 years with the North Carolina Master Chorale and over 20 years with the Edenton Street United Methodist Church Chancel Choir. Funeral services were held on Wednesday, November 27, at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh. Burial was at Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh. Surviving are his wife, Nancy Louise Thompson Anderson of the home; daughters, Jennifer Hunsaker and her husband, David of Atlanta, GA, and Melissa Cassario of Raleigh; sons, Chris Anderson and his wife, Molly of Raleigh, and Stephen Anderson and his wife, Bridget of Raleigh; grandchildren, William Hunsaker, Abigail Cassario, Olivia Hunsaker, Jacob Cassario, Samuel Hunsaker, Ava Anderson, and Elise Anderson; and eight beloved grand dogs. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the music program at Edenton Street United Methodist Church, 228 W. Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC 27603.
1913026
resent District 15 and have all filed for the primary. Republican Flynn Ficker of Boyds said he also is running, but has not filed. Democrat Saqib Ali, a former delegate, filed to run, but withdrew his candidacy on Dec. 2, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections website. Ali declined to comment on his withdrawal. Fraser-Hidalgo is serving the remainder of former Del. Brian J. Feldman’s term. Feldman, of Potomac, left the seat when he was appointed to the district’s Senate seat after Democrat Robert Garagiola resigned this year.
Complete Care Under One Roof
Obituary
Online condolences may be offered at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com
Bennett Rushkoff
W E C ATER T O C OWARDS We Take The Time To Create You A Great Smile
John Williams, D.D.S. P.A. No M e rc u ry U se d
“I want to be part of the General Assembly at this time, and help to model effective government by demonstrating it at the state level.”
Ali withdraws from District 15 campaign
Anne R. Kaiser (D) of Calverton, and Del. Eric G. Luedtke (D) of Burtonsville — filedfor re-election on April 9. John P. Evans (D) of Gaithersburg is the only challenger to have filed. “We make a good team,” Zucker said of his colleagues. “One of the things that makes us strong is that we look out for each other, and that helps the community.” Zucker, a community liaison to Maryland Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot, said key issues are Zucker constituent service, job creation, protecting taxpayer dollars, balancing the budget and protecting the most vulnerable in the community. “Since being elected four years ago, I have worked to fulfill my campaign promise to encourage robust economic growth while protecting our most vulnerable citizens,” he said. “This has included writing and passing legislation that shields thousands of children and senior citizens across the state from identity theft, protecting struggling Maryland homeowners against foreclosure, and laying the groundwork to modernize the state’s emergency 911 system. I have also worked with my colleagues in the General Assembly to create new jobs and grow small businesses across Montgomery County and the state of Maryland.” He is the vice chairman of the Public Safety and Administration Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee and is the county’s sole House member on the Capital Budget Subcommittee. Zucker said he’s honored to work with the District 14 team to procure funding for critical initiatives in the district. “These projects include major renovations to the Laytonsville District Volunteer Fire Department, the Olney Police Satellite Station, the Olney Boys and Girls Club, the West Fairland Park in Colesville, the Olney Theatre Center, and the Sandy Spring Museum,” he said. “Over the last four years, our team has helped secure more than $20 million in school construction funding for our district, which provides a positive learning environment for our children.” District 14 includes the northeastern portion of the county, including Fairland, Burtonsville, Colesville, Ashton, Sandy Spring, Olney, Brookeville, Laytonsville and Damascus. Zucker and his District 14 colleagues are using the “team” approach for fundraising. “Sen. Montgomery, Del. Kaiser, Del. Luedtke and myself are running as a team and will have the resources we need to run a competitive campaign,” Zucker said. The primary election is on June 24, 2014, and the general election is on Nov. 4, 2014. thogan@gazette.net
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Page A-7
Montgomery County Selects Three Favorite Teachers Some 150,000 Ballots Cast in The Gazette My Favorite Teacher Program By Karen Finucan Clarkson | Special to the Gazette
“I have been blessed in my life to have had several outstanding teachers that took a real interest in my personal development, and it was just enough to make me want to push myself harder and set goals that have allowed me to lead a successful community-focused organization like MidAtlantic Federal Credit Union,” said Rick Wieczorek, the company’s president and CEO. While Wieczorek’s teachers took a variety of approaches in the classroom and were fervent about different subjects, “the one thing they had in common was an unwavering passion about their students and an ability to inspire a young person to look within and unlock his potential, then turn it into a desire to grow and make a difference in his world,” he said. That recognition, of how teachers change lives, is one of the reasons MAFCU has been The Gazette’s My Favorite Teacher platinum sponsor for the past three years. Wieczorek’s comments came during a December 2 awards
ecognizing our local teachers and giving them the attention they deserve” is important to MidAtlantic Federal Credit Union, according to Marc Wilensky, vice president of
1906066
An apple for the winners of The Gazette’s 2013 My Favorite Teacher program. From left to right: Bobbie Russell, Damascus High School; Ashley Tauber, Earle B. Wood Middle School; Deborah Lee, Beall Elementary School.
ceremony at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, where students, family, friends, school administrators, and sponsors from the local business community gathered to honor the winning teachers. The contest – also held in Prince George’s County – began in September when The Gazette asked students to nominate their favorite teachers. The newspaper selected finalists at the elementary-, middle- and high-school levels based on the most compelling student essays, and then opened up the voting to the public to select the winners. Ultimately, the contest drew some 500 nominations in the two counties and garnered more than 150,000 online votes. Montgomery County selected Deborah Janet Lee, a kindergarten teacher at Beall Elementary School in Rockville; Ashley Tauber, director of bands and orchestras at Earle B. Wood Middle School in Rockville; and Roberta “Bobbie” Russell, a professional restaurant management teacher at Damascus High School. Russell, the top vote-
marketing. That is why, for the third consecutive year, MidAtlantic FCU is the My Favorite Teacher platinum sponsor. “As a community chartered credit union, we believe in giving back to our community and what better way to give back than through education? Every day our employees educate the people of Montgomery County about financial issues. Financial
getter in both counties, is the first teacher to repeat as a winner in the six-year history of the contest. Several other sponsors, in addition to Wieczorek, were on hand to present the awards, including Suparna Shah, director of LearningRx, the elementary school sponsor; and Bill Lauck, director of communications at Barrie School in Silver Spring, the high school sponsor. The teachers were presented with the My Favorite Teacher signature award, a stunning glass apple mounted on an inscribed base. They were surprised to receive generous gifts – including presents from sponsors and a check from The Gazette – totaling $500. Each nominating student received a $50 gift card as well. During the ceremony, students read the essays they had submitted online nominating the winning teachers. Their words resonated with the sponsors, educators and parents alike. For additional details about The Gazette My Favorite Teacher contest go to www.gazette.net.
literacy is a very important component of who we are.” For more than 40 years, tens of thousands of Montgomery County families, individuals and businesses have made Mid-Atlantic FCU their financial institution of choice for borrowing, saving and checking. If you live, work, worship, attend school, or volunteer in Montgomery County, you are eligible to join Mid-Atlantic FCU. Wilensky was awed by the number of students that “took the time to write on behalf of their educators. We always
hear how kids today are involved in so many activities and how they have no free time. So the fact that these kids took some of that valuable time to write to us about a teacher that had an impact on their life is impressive.” Also impressive is Mid-Atlantic FCU’s commitment to the community it serves. “From our CEO down, everyone throughout the organization believes in giving back to the community, a commitment I have never seen anywhere else….The culture is really contagious.”
THE GAZETTE
Page A-8
High School
WINNER Roberta (Bobbie) Russell Professional Restaurant Management Teacher Damascus High School
Chef is honest with her students; she doesn’t sugarcoat things; she is the only teacher I have ever met that tells it like it is. Chef is the one teacher I know that I could go to for anything and she would do everything in her power to make sure my problem was solved. Chef takes the teacher-student relationship to the next level. Gabriella Delpo, 10th Grade
This year’s top vote getter and the first teacher to be named My Favorite Teacher for a second time, Roberta (Bobbie) Russell says she is “touched, honored, and so flattered that my students feel this way about me.” This award means more to Russell than any professional recognition “because it is from my students who nominated and voted for me. It is awards such as this that keep me working despite being in chronic pain that was caused by a work-related accident in 2010.” Russell, a teacher for 13 years, holds a B.A. in liberal arts/education with a minor in special education from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and master’s equivalency from Trinity College in education/special education. She attended L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg and took additional graduate classes at Johnson and Wales in Providence, Rhode Island. Known as Chef to students at Damascus High School, Russell became a teacher because, “I wanted to do something that would make a positive difference in the lives of young people. Everyone had a teacher who inspired them and encouraged them during the difficult teenage years. I wanted to be that person. I believe that I have reaped more rewards as a teacher than I would have in any other profession.” A native of New Orleans, Russell and her husband Ken have lived in Maryland for 19 years. They have five children – all graduates of Montgomery County Public Schools – ranging in age from 32 to 22. “I am very proud of all of them for their achievements.”
HIGH SCHOOL SPONSOR
“A
1906067
s a school, we appreciate and support the efforts of teachers at every level and type of educational institution,” says Alyssa Jahn, director of admission and financial aid at Barrie School. At the Silver Spring school – a My Favorite Teacher sponsor – teachers actively engage the minds, hands and hearts of students. “Barrie’s teachers are the foundation of all that we do, and each one is a favorite of our students and parents in their own right.” Founded in 1932, Barrie is “a center for learning for students ages 18-months through grade 12….We are also a center of excellence in training aspiring educators through our Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies.” The
BARRIE SCHOOL
renowned Barrie Day Camp, located on the school’s 45-acre wooded campus, provides a rare opportunity for children to be themselves, safely explore new things and the outdoor world, spend quality time with friends, and be guided by caring staff. “A Barrie student develops a confident, compassionate voice with an ability to advocate and lead,” notes Charles H. Abelmann, Barrie’s head of school. “This requires being able to think critically and solve problems and knowing how to work both independently and collaboratively in a group. At Barrie, we not only prepare students with skills and knowledge, but also carefully support stewards of our world, who can live fulfilling, joyful lives. Our students learn about the complexity of a world where our interdependencies demand sensitivity to culture.” To learn more, visit www.barrie.org.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Middle School
WINNER Ashley Tauber Director of Bands and Orchestras Earle B. Wood Middle School
She not only taught me about music but about life…. Her courage and brightness kept me going with music. It helped me pursue what I almost gave up…. She implanted a never-give-up mind set, just from her attitude. I can never show the amount of appreciation I owe her; never could it be described in words. Yuni Higgs, 9th Grade
“It is rare to get a chance to experience, or in this case read about, how deeply you can touch someone else’s life, especially your students who move on to new, stimulating teachers. It is so inspiring to know that the energy, hard work, and patience that we as teachers put in with our students does make a huge difference in their lives,” says Ashley Tauber about the statement that led to her recognition as this year’s middle school My Favorite Teacher. “When I first read Yuni’s essay, I was overwhelmed with her kind words and beautiful writing!” Tauber, an instrumental music teacher at Rockville’s Earle B. Wood Middle School, received her B.M.E. from the University of Maryland and currently is pursuing a master’s in human development in education from the same institution. She anticipates graduating in May. It was Tauber’s own middle-school band director who piqued her interested in music education. “He was the teacher I stayed after school with almost every day, the teacher who showed me the joy in making music on my instrument, and the teacher who inspired me to continue performing. From my own experience as a teacher and his student, nothing compares to the connection you feel to inspirational students and teachers you have for multiple years.” Born and raised in the Manhattan suburb of New Rochelle, N.Y., Tauber is a member of the National Association for Music Education and plays soprano saxophone in the Free State Saxophone Quartet.
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPONSOR GERMANTOWN DENTAL
E
ducation – vital to the growth of both the individual and society – is infused into the mission and tradition of Germantown Dental & Cosmetic Center. “Education is a continuous part of our philosophy,” says Dr. Ali Alibakhshi, who, along with his staff, provides patients with the latest information concerning oral hygiene and dental and orthodontic care. That knowledge allows patients to make informed decisions regarding their treatment. It was Dr. Alibakhshi’s appreciation of and desire to honor those who “give their all and dedicate themselves to their students” that led to Germantown Dental’s sponsorship of My Favorite Teacher. “Without good teachers, there
would be no good students.” A family-oriented practice, Germantown Dental’s courteous staff and knowledgeable doctors are dedicated to patient comfort. Tenderness and compassion are the hallmarks of this warm and friendly practice, a place where the patient’s needs come first. An attractive smile has myriad benefits, no matter what a person’s age. Studies have shown that smiling not only lifts spirits and relieves stress, but it opens doors, builds rapport, and exudes confidence. Germantown Dental & Cosmetic Center is committed to helping all patients – adults, adolescents and children – achieve the smile they deserve, a healthy beautiful one. To learn more, visit www.germantowndentalgroup.com.
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Elementary
WINNER
She goes out of her way to make learning fun for her busy bees. She is so creative with the way she teaches and you don’t even realize you are getting smarter….She invests a lot of her own time in her class and it shows as her students and their parents love her.
Deborah Janet Lee Kindergarten Teacher Beall Elementary School
Antonino Pedone, 6th Grade
When Deborah Janet Lee read the essay nominating her as My Favorite Teacher, she felt “loved. Very much loved! And appreciated. What touches me the most is that the essay was written by a ‘busy bee’ from my very first kindergarten class. Of course, I cried.” While Lee may be the award recipient, she shares it with those who have taught her. “Every educator, teacher, and the students and parents I have met are my favorite teachers. These wonderful ‘teachers’ of mine have motivated and inspired me every day. I am so thankful to have these people in my life. They have made my dream of being a teacher better than I imagined. They are all my favorite teachers. We are all a favorite teacher to many. So, this is our award.” Lee was inspired by her first-grade teacher, who was “nurturing, fun, and really valued her students equally. I wanted to be just like her.” Now in her seventh year at Rockville’s Beall Elementary School, Lee holds a B.S. in early childhood and elementary education from Frostburg State University and a M.S. in education with reading focus from Johns Hopkins University. During the My Favorite Teacher voting, Lee received “emails, messages, calls, texts, notes, and in-person comments about how many times they have voted for me every day….My coworkers and members of the school community would stop me in the hallway or send an email rooting for me. And, of course, Antonino, my ‘busy bee,’ and the rest of the Pedone.
ELEMENTARY SPONSOR
E
nsuring the success of Montgomery County’s children is a collaborative effort, one that involves parents and teachers and supportive businesses, such as LearningRx. “My Favorite Teacher is a great way to show appreciation for all our wonderful teachers in the school community and recognize them for their dedication and efforts to develop responsible, hard-working, motivated students and to instill the lifelong joy of learning in them,” says Suparna Shah, director of the North Potomac brain training center. “Our schools empower students with academic content and LearningRx training programs ensure that the skills needed to learn that content are strong.” LearningRx, located in the Quince Orchard Medical Park, is a cognitive-
Page A-9
MY FAVORITE TEACHER
AWARDS CEREMONY Held Monday evening, December 2, 2013 Black Rock Center for the Arts, Germantown
From left to right: Bobbie Russell, Damascus High School; Ashley Tauber, Earle B. Wood Middle School; Rick Wieczorek, Jr., president and CEO of Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union, the platinum sponsor; Deborah Lee, Beall Elementary School.
Barrie School was the proud sponsor of the winning high school teacher. From left to right: Gabriella Delpo, 10th grade student who nominated Bobbie Russell; Bobbie Russell, Damascus High School; Bill Lauck, director of communications of Barrie School.
LEARNING RX skills one-on-one training program for kids in preschool through high school. Cognitive training enhances one’s ability to process, store and recall information. Students with ADHD, dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asperger’s and other learning struggles turn to LearningRx to develop the skills needed to become better, more efficient learners. As a My Favorite Teacher sponsor, Shah enjoyed reading “students’ testimonials and what they think makes a great teacher. It was wonderful learning about the teachers and how hard they work to make a difference in the lives of their students.” LearningRx relies on the latest in brain science to permanently improve core cognitive skills and raises IQ scores, on average by 15-20 points. Brain training differs from tutoring in that it treats the underlying cause of learning struggles by strengthening weak cognitive skills. To learn more, visit www.learningrx.com/north-potomac.
Germantown Dental was the proud sponsor of the winning middle school teacher. From left to right: Rick Wieczorek, Jr., president and CEO of Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union; Ashley Tauber, Earle. B. Wood Middle School;Yuni Higgs, 9th grade student who nominated Ashley Tauber.
LearningRx, the elementary school sponsor, surprised each teacher with a gift basket. From left to right: Suparna Shah, director of the North Potomac brain training center for LearningRx; Deborah Lee, Beall Elementary School; Antonino Pedone, 6th grade student who nominated Deborah Lee.
THE FINALISTS The Gazette congratulates all the Montgomery County Teachers who made it to the final voting round this fall: MONTGOMERY COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: William Tyler Page Elementary School Oak View Elementary School Stone Mill Elementary School Beall Elementary School Cold Spring Elementary School Sequoyah Elementary School Belmont Elementary School Cedar Grove Elementary School Rachel Carson Elementary School Greenwood Elementary School
•Sandy Goldschmidts •Robert Hoffmaster •Gillian Keller •Deborah Lee •Cheryl Sellitti •Charmaine St. Bernard •Gina Stamates-Miller •Regina Thompson •Christine Troilo •James Van Eyk
MONTGOMERY COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL: •Shari Connor Holy Cross School •Bryan Goehring Takoma Park Middle School •Tyler Johnson Forest Oak Middle School •Sarah Manchester Takoma Park Middle School •Michelle Newton Benjamin Banneker Middle School •James Reed Lakelands Park Middle School •Warren Scheib Eastern Middle School •Laura Schrader Shady Grove Middle School •Kevin Settlage Robert Frost Middle School •Ashley Tauber Earle B. Woods Middle School
1906065
MONTGOMERY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL: •Emily Asofsky Northwest High School •Kristin Chilton Clarksburg High School •Ronald Dietz Gaithersburg High School •Herb Edelstein Richard Montgomery High School •Michelle Edwards Montgomery Blair High School •Chuck Ehrman Our Lady of Good Counsel •Steven Garfinkel Albert Einstein High School •Presad Gerard Poolesville High School •Mark Hajjar The Frost School •Roberta (Bobbie) Russell Damascus High School
THE GAZETTE
Page A-10
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
AP test scores show slight decline 2013 marks highest number of exams taken n
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Montgomery County students took a record-high number of AP exams but earned a smaller percentage of collegeready scores in 2013 compared to 2012, according to College Board data the school system released Friday. About 17,000 students took about 33,600 AP exams in spring 2013, marking a 2 percent increase in the number of exams from last year when about 16,800 students took about 32,000 exams. This year’s students earned a score of 3 or higher — or a college-ready score — on about 73 percent of their exams, which is two percentage points lower than last year. The exam takers still slightly outdid their peers from 2011 who earned collegeready scores on 71.8 percent of their exams. The test is scored on a range from 1 to 5, and a score of 3 or higher indicates a student is qualified to receive college credit or advanced placement. Maryland students overall earned a 3 or higher on about 60.4 percent of their tests and students across the nation earned college-ready scores on
ERVIN Continued from Page A-1 “Valerie Ervin is a justice politician,” Raskin said. Council President Craig Rice (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown said Ervin has been like a mother to him since he joined the council in 2010. Rice said he can’t thank her enough for all of the ways she’s helped him be a stronger council member. Councilwoman Nancy Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring, who served with Ervin on the council and on the county’s Board of Education before that, said it was Ervin who first encouraged her to run
PEPCO Continued from Page A-1 $60.8 million rate increase request as well as $24 million of a $192 million request for a surcharge. Together, the decision tacked $2.47 a month on the average customer bill starting in July. Disappointing to both Pepco and its opponents, the July ruling is under appeal in Baltimore County Circuit Court. To Pepco’s critics, this lat-
about 57 percent of their tests. School board President Christopher S. Barclay said in an interview that, while it is ideal for students to earn college-ready scores, he sees great benefit in students taking the AP courses and tests to help them prepare for college and beyond. Barclay said he thinks the school system needs to increase AP-course access for more students. It also needs to make sure students are well-prepared in lower-level classes before they enter the high-level AP courses, he said. Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said in a statement he was pleased with the exam results but that there are still “significant gaps in performance.” The percentage of collegeready scores dropped across the school system’s Asian, AfricanAmerican, Hispanic and white student groups but increased slightly for students who identified themselves on the exams as two or more races. The largest drops were seen among African-American and Hispanic students. About 47 percent of AfricanAmerican students’ tests got a score of 3 or higher, which is about 4.8 percentage points lower than last year. Hispanic students earned a college-ready score on 56 percent of their tests — about 4 percentage points lower than
last year. Both African-American and Hispanic students in the county school system, however, have achieved significantly higher percentages of college-ready scores than their peers on the state and national levels in recent years, including this year. Comparatively, white students grabbed college-ready scores on 79.6 percent of their tests this year — a decrease of about 1.7 percentage points from last year. Asian students — with college-ready scores on 78.2 percent of their tests — only saw a slight drop from 78.6 percent last year. AP exam participation increased again this year for both African-American and Hispanic students, continuing an increasing trend in recent years. Hispanic students took 4,253 tests in 2013, a increase of 237 from 4,016 in 2012. AfricanAmerican students took 3,297 tests in 2013 — 191 more than 2012 when they took 3,106 tests. The number of AfricanAmerican students taking AP exams has risen about 31.4 percent since 2008. The number of Hispanic students taking the exams has risen about 78.7 percent in the same amount of time. Hispanic students in nine high schools earned a higher percentage of college-ready scores this year compared to Hispanic students at their schools in 2012.
The first several largest increases occurred at Col. Zadok Magruder with an increase of 12.7 percentage points, John F. Kennedy with an increase of 8.2 percentage points and Damascus with an increase of 6.9 percentage points. The other 16 high schools saw decreased percentages of exams with college-ready scores among Hispanic students. The largest decreases occurred at Springbrook, which dropped 20 percentage points; Sherwood, which dropped 11.5 percentage points; and Albert Einstein, which dropped 11.2 percentage points. In eight high schools, African-American students earned a higher percentage of collegeready scores compared to their peers last year. Damascus students earned an increase of 16 percentage points, Wheaton an increase of 8.5 percentage points and Col. Zadok Magruder an increase of 8.1 percentage points. Except for Walt Whitman, which remained the same, the other high schools saw decreased percentages in the number of college-ready scores African-American students earned. Among the largest decreases, Richard Montgomery saw a decrease of 19.3 percentage points, and both Clarksburg and Wootton saw decreases of 15.9 percentage points.
for the school board. She said she’s happy that Ervin will be going on to another level with the new job. “I cannot think of anyone better than you to lead,” she said. Since the vacancy caused by Ervin’s departure is occurring after Dec. 1 of the year before an election, no special election will be held, County Attorney Marc Hansen said Tuesday. The council will have 30 days to appoint a new member approved by a majority of the remaining members to serve out the rest of Ervin’s term, Hansen said. The new member will have to be a Democrat who lives in
District 5, the same as Ervin, he said. If the council fails to act within 30 days, Leggett will appoint a candidate from a list provided by the county’s Democratic Central Committee, he said. Silver Spring Democrat Evan Glass announced in November that he intends to run for the District 5 council seat. Ervin has been on the council since 2006, and served as president for the 2010-11 term. She serves as chairwoman of the Education Committee and as a member of the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee. She also served on the Board of Education from 2004
until 2006. She has been a strong advocate over the years for the poor, and was instrumental in making Montgomery the first in the country to have a countywide food recovery network. She called the food recovery network as one of her biggest achievements during her time on the council, as well as a program to provide meals over the summer for low-income children. Earlier this session, Ervin was a co-sponsor on a bill that will increase the county’s minimum wage to $11.50 an hour by 2017.
est request for more money is not surprising. Joseph M. Rigby, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Pepco Holdings Inc., told investors in November it would seek another rate hike. “It just seems to be endless,” said Abbe Milstein of Powerupmontco, a listserv for electric utility issues. “There seems to be no finality because the commission has no control here. The utilities are controlling the commission.” Milstein founded Powerupmontco after the June 2012
derecho left her neighborhood in the dark for eight days. If the past is any indication, a large portion of Pepco’s request should be rejected, Del. Heather Mizeur, a 2014 Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said in a prepared statement. “Pepco’s return on equity should be tied to its performance and Pepco’s performance does not justify an increase,” said Mizeur (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park. “Marylanders deserve a commission that protects consumers and holds investor-owned utilities
accountable.” Even though Pepco’s rates have risen with each request, Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Bethesda, an outspoken critic of the utility, noted that the commission has denied the lion’s share of what it asks for each time. Montgomery County has spent about $360,000 over the last four years fighting rate increases, county spokesman Patrick Lacefield said.
lpowers@gazette.net
rmarshall@gazette.net
kalexander@gazette.net
Professional Services
SINGERS Continued from Page A-1 from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. He is currently earning a master’s of music education at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, and he also sings with the Washington Master Chorale in Washington, D.C., where he also serves as artistic administrator. In 2011 during his first year at Damascus High, the Chamber Singers performed at Riverside Church in New York City, earning a “Gold” rating from the WorldStrides Heritage student performance program that has enabled the Damascus singers to perform at Carnegie Hall in March. They will share the stage with several other high school groups to form one large choir under the direction of conductor Anton Armstrong. “They’re getting to work with musicians other than me,” said Isaac
Diverse program Opening the winter concert is “Heleluyan,” in which the group sings the word “hallelujah” as sung by the Muscogee Indians in the American South. Different sections of singers
WATERSHED Continued from Page A-1 A former land-use lawyer and member of the Planning Board, Floreen chairs the Council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee, which is scheduled to meet Jan. 13 for the first of two work sessions. “The focus will be on the facts and on the science,” she said about the sessions. Floreen said her committee will examine the conflicting environmental studies on the predicted effect of large retail and housing projects on the water quality of Ten Mile Creek. “Environmental issues have come to the forefront, but nevertheless, the master plan calls for [growth],” said Floreen. Several environmental speakers at the hearing asked council members to support independent studies of Ten Mile Creek but Floreen said the job right now is to evaluate existing reports. “I don’t know what we’ll do,” she said about the requests. Joining the PHED committee on Jan. 13 will be the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee chaired by Councilman Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Bethesda. Berliner and Council President Craig Rice (D-Dist. 5) of Germantown, who represents Clarksburg and Boyds, did not immediately respond to email and calls for comment on Monday. Also members of the PHED committee are Council Vice President George Leventhal (DAt large) and Marc Elrich (D-At Large), both of Takoma Park.
start the song at different times to perform a canon accompanied by a shaker, tambourine and large drum. “It’s a really warm projectopener” said Isaac about the piece. “There are four different groups [creating] one tapestry.” Also on the program is “Northern Lights” by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, who lives in New York. The work premiered at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., in 2008. “It’s a fairly difficult piece, but ... the students fell in love with it, and we can’t go back,” said Isaac. Inspired by the shimmering aurora borealis lights above his native Oslo, Gjeilo set the music to Latin text from the Song of Solomon. The Chamber Singers will also sing “Prayer of the Cat,” a song in two parts that is part of Ivor Davies’ “Prayers from the Ark.” The first section features witty lyrics about cats and mice, and the second with an Amen echoes Handel’s “Messiah.” “It’s meant to be fun and light-hearted,” Isaac said. Also on the Chamber Singers list is the English version of an old German song translated into English as “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.” vterhune@gazette.net. Elrich has previously said that studies support protecting the watershed with limited development. Leventhal said he’s still evaluating the issue. “I’m assessing all the information,” Leventhal wrote in an email on Monday. “I’m not prepared to state my position yet.” The Ten Mile Creek watershed drains into the Little Seneca Lake reservoir, a backup water supply for the Washington, D.C., region in times of drought. Developers cite councilapproved visions for growth in the 1994 master plan. They also claim modern environmental site design techniques will protect the watershed from scouring, siltation and pollution from water running off paved surfaces from new development. But environmentalists assert the environmental techniques are still unproven on a wide scale. They argue that it’s not worth taking the risk of irrevocably harming Montgomery County’s last relatively clean watershed and potentially damaging the reservoir. Environmentalists have also made it clear they are watching how council members vote on the issue during the 2014 election cycle, when many members will be running for another term. Floreen said the pending 2014 County Council elections will not affect her review of the situation. She also said that even if it weren’t an election year, parties on both sides of the issue would be just as adamant about their positions. “I don’t think they’d be any less passionate,” she said. vterhune@gazette.net
2013 Holiday Worship
Call 301-670-7106
BANKRUPTCY THE LAW OFFICES OF
RICHARD B. ROSENBLATT, PG CHAIRMAN OF THE MD BANKRUPTCY BAR ASSOCIATION 1998-1999
LOAN MODIFICATION
www.rosenblattlaw.com
Extend your hand in hope and assistance. Share your Holiday Services and special programs.
GD26966
• Chapter 7, 11 & 13 • General Litigation • Tax Debt • Divorce • Traffic/DUI-MVA • Criminal FREE CONSULTATION • PAYMENT PLANS SE HABLA ESPAÑOL
Invite your local community into worship with you.
Rockville
Reserve your space today!
301-838-0098
301-670-7106
THE BANKRUPTCY CENTER The Law Offices Of Erik G. Soderberg, Esq.
Montgomery County Circulation 200,000 Prince George’s County Circulation 105,589 Fairfax County Circulation 105,000
STOP Foreclosure, Garnishment, Repossession, Lawsuits & Creditor Harassment
FREE CONSULTATION * PAYMENT PLANS GD26965
301-279-0303 ext. 368 Also representing clients in Personal Injury and DUI cases.
GD27023
1912978
We are a debt relief agency.We help people file for bankruptcy relief.
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Page A-11
BUSINESS
Stores see changing markets in sales Grocers responding to customers’ desires for cheese departments and more
“This is greatly enhancing our customers’ shopping experience and adding hundreds of new jobs,” Miller said. Safeway, which has a market share of 14 percent in Montgomery, also has renovated or replaced numerous local stores, with Wheaton being the most recent. The new 60,000-square-foot store in Wheaton is about twice the size of its predecessor, said Craig Muckle, a Safeway spokesman. Numerous factors spark such renovations, including customer surveys and company studies, he said. Grocers like Giant and Safeway are not only renovating stores and offering more chef-prepared food, but increasing services such as curbside pickup, delivery and gas stations. “Some of it has to do with competition, but that is not always an overriding factor,” Muckle said. “Customers want to shop at the most modern stores. Our job is to provide the best store we can.”
n
BY
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
While Giant Food and Safeway still hold strong positions in the eyes of Montgomery County grocery shoppers, more are being wooed by cheese departments and other amenities in competitors such as Whole Foods Market, Harris Teeter and Trader Joe’s. And more are turning to ethnic grocers and even drugstores. In the 12-month period ending March 31, the largest sales jumps from the previous year among the 10 biggest grocer players in Montgomery were by Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, CVS and international grocers, according to figures from Columbia, Md.-based Food World magazine. Giant, Safeway and Shoppers Food were the only ones to see declines. “That has been the trend for a number of years now, especially in the Washington area,” said Patrick Donoho, president of the Maryland Retailers Association. “Grocers are competing for a finite amount of money.” Giant had 45 percent of the grocery store market share in the Washington area about a decade ago, but has seen its share slip to 35 percent in the region. Giant’s share is 23 percent if you include the groceries sold by traditional consumer product retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Costco into the regional mix — though it is still a strong 37 percent in Montgomery, even with Target and others. The Landover company has been renovating stores to offer sushi bars and the like, including a recent upgrade to the Bethesda Row location. Since 2008, Giant has renovated or replaced more than 145 stores in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C., said company spokesman Jamie Miller.
Some close, others open In the past year or so, Montgomery County has lost all three of its Magruder’s stores — a local smaller brand dating to 1875. Food Lion closed one store, while Harris Teeter opened another in Clarksburg and plans a sixth store in the county in Gaithersburg’s Crown Farm development in January. More than half of Harris Teeter’s nine Maryland stores are in Montgomery; that’s just how it has worked out, said Danna Jones, a company spokeswoman. The stores offer full-service butcher markets, sushi bars, chef-prepared food and sit-down eating areas. “Decisions to build or maintain stores are never based on one thing, but rather a variety of factors, including size and configuration of sites, and existing and future traffic patterns,” Jones said. Wegmans, a family-owned brand, opened its first Montgomery store in Germantown in September. The Frederick store’s sales in the
BizBriefs
Have a new business in Montgomery County? Let us know about it at www.gazette.net/newbusinessform
New restaurant in Silver Spring Urban Butcher plans to open Thursday in Silver Spring, offering a selection that features in-house cured and aged cuts of meat, as well as seafood, poultry, pig and game. It’s at 8226 Georgia Ave., two blocks south of the Silver Spring Metro station. Reflecting the chefs’ passion for whole animal butchery, many of the proteins on the menu will come from local and sustainable sources, according to a news release. Urban Butcher’s wine list of about 100 labels features avant-garde small producers from the Old World. Also, it will include newer-style wines from around the U.S. The cocktail menu features classic cocktails, plus an eclectic whiskey and malts selection. The restaurant will initially offer only dinner and happy hour, but has plans to open for brunch, lunch and coffee shop throughout the day in early 2014. TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Sarah Duranko of Frederick, an employee at the new Clarksburg Village Center Harris Teeter grocery store, ices cupcakes Thursday. 12-month period surveyed by Food World was $64.3 million, well above most competitors’. Giant’s Frederick stores averaged sales of $32.4 million, while its Montgomery locations averaged about $38 million. Safeway’s Frederick stores averaged $17 million, while its Montgomery sites averaged $22 million. Sales at the 123,000-squarefoot Germantown store — which has culinary chefs preparing various dishes, sushi and rice-bowl bars and a market café — are “right where we projected,” said Jo Natale, a Wegmans spokeswoman. “We are very pleased with the results. All of our Maryland stores are doing exceptionally well, with sales growing year-over-year for all locations.” Trader Joe’s saw sales at its four Montgomery stores rise by more than 40 percent in the past year, according to Food World. Ethnic grocers such as Shalom Kosher, which moved into the former Magruder’s in Silver Spring, saw sales increase by 13 percent.
In Frederick County, sales at Giant Food and Giant Eagle, a separate company based in the Pittsburgh area, increased by more than $4 million each in the past year, according to Food World. Meanwhile, sales at Wegmans, Safeway and Wal-Mart remained about the same, while Weis Markets saw a $2 million decline. Big changes in the food industry include more organic offerings sparked by Whole Foods and the rise of the Wal-Marts and Targets to sell a lot more food, Brian Stoffel, an analyst with investment information company Motley Fool, said in a report. “Many traditional grocers have been feeling the pinch,” Stoffel said. “The Whole Foods clan has taken away high-end shoppers who are lookingforthehealthiestoptions.And the Wal-Mart clan has stolen away the bargain hunters who want the cheapest prices they can find on food.” kshay@gazette.net
Ordan inducted into Business Hall of Fame The Washington Business Hall of Fame has named Mark Ordan of Bethesda, the CEO of Sunrise Senior Living of McLean, Va., one of its four 2013 Laureates, who were inducted Dec. 3. A New York City native, he founded Fresh Fields Markets, which later was acquired by Whole Foods Market, according to a hall of fame news release. Ordan and an investment group purchased Sutton Place Gourmet and transformed it into the gourmet market Balducci’s. He later was CEO of the Mills Corp., a shopping-mall operator, then became Sunrise Senior Living’s second CEO. The inductions were made during a black-tie gala at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Another Laureate was Linda P. Hudson, the president and CEO of BAE Systems, which has an office in Rockville. The other two were William Couper, the retired president of the mid-Atlantic region for Bank of America, and Bobbie Greene Kilberg, president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Technology Council. The Washington Business Hall of Fame gala and awards ceremony raises more than $1 million each year to support Junior Achievement programs, according to the news release.
The Holidays Are Here!
Share Your Holiday Events & Services Call Now to Reserve Space! 301-670-7100 1906068
GD27095
GD27080
A church where people are our passion and kindness is our goal! Come be loved and encouraged Senior Pastors: Bishop Darlingston Johnson & Pastor Chrys Johnson Sunday Service 10:30AM Servicio en español 3:00PM Tuesday Bible Study 7:30PM Bethel World Outreach Church-North Campus 19236 Montgomery Village Ave. Montgomery Village, MD 20886 301-355-3434 cityofhope.bwomi.org
GD27069
HOLIDAY_PROMO
THE GAZETTE
Page A-12
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
SCHOOL LIFE Students score high with game music n
Magruder musicians play the soundtracks of games they play BY
PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER
There are no crashes, explosions or other sounds of destruction in the video game music at Col. Zadok Magruder High School in Rockville. The music, performed by students of the Gamer Symphony Orchestra, is soft, though growing in intensity, for sure. It’s a serious work by the group preparing to take part in the school’s annual winter concert Thursday. “It’s like soundtrack music,” said Mark Eisenhower, chairman of the school’s music department and the orchestra’s sponsor. “Characters have themes.” The orchestra is completely student run, Eisenhower said, although he is willing to support the members. The musicians even do their own arrangements.
Junior Macen Molina arranged the piece the group was working on at a rehearsal Friday, a selection adapted from “Kingdom Hearts,” a role-playing game in which the main character searches for his friends. “I’ve always loved music and to be able to connect video games and music is great,” he said. Molina, who plays the bassoon in the GSO, said “Kingdom Hearts” is dramatic: The player is the key master, trying to destroy people who are. It was a natural choice for him to see if he could capture the music. Roughly 25 to 30 students play in the group, Eisenhower said. They incorporate mostly brass instruments, but also woodwinds, strings, an electric guitar and percussion. The group is led by its president, Brian Berden, a senior and saxophone player, and senior vice president Shiloh Parrish, who is the GSO conductor. Both students are active in other music groups at Magruder and members of the school’s instrumental leadership council.
Berden arranged the second piece the group plans to perform at the concert. “It’s called ‘Fight,’ a medley of a lot of battle themes,” he said. “Themes from ‘Street Fighter,’ ‘Final Fantasy VII’ and ‘Pokemon Black and White.’” The piece is a quartet for four saxophones, so he had to use pieces that could be broken down to four voices, he said. Magruder’s GSO started, the best anyone can remember, about six years ago with just a handful of members. A band member who was interested in gaming heard that the University of Maryland had a gaming orchestra, heard it play and brought the idea back to the school. “We are the first [in the county] and there is one at Quince Orchard [High School in Gaithersburg] and one at Damascus [High School],” Brian said. The students said video games are a big part of their lives. “Video games have always been a big part of my life.
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Members of the Gamer Symphony Orchestra, including (front, from left) clarinetists Stephanie Brown, 17, and Calvin Ho, 17, and flutist Timothy Ho, 17, rehearse Friday at Col. Zadok Magruder High School in Rockville. They’ve helped me bond with friends and get through hard times,” Brian said. Macen said he hopes they
always will be part of his life. “I’d like to go into the industry, be a graphical engineer,” he said. “Take what artists draw
and bring it to life.” And still play the music.
email info@glorystar.org.
choral concert. For more information, call 301-610-8000
pmcewan@gazette.net
EDUCATION NOTEBOOK Eighth-graders flex math muscles in annual contest Six eighth-graders from St. Elizabeth School in Rockville took first place in the 40th annual Our Lady of Good Counsel Math Competition on Nov. 21.
Maggie Hansen, Patrick Howley, Matthew Musselman, Thomas Penny, Kerry Pullano and Connor Starkey repre-
sented the school in the competition, which included teams from 15 schools. The Olney Catholic high school invites Catholic grade schools in the area to send sixstudent teams to the annual fall competition, where they take a 45-minute, multiple-choice test written by the school’s math faculty, according to Patricia Lavin Riely, chairwoman of Good Counsel’s math department. Each team’s score is the sum of their top four individual scores. St. Elizabeth was first with 92 points, followed by St. Martin of Tours in Gaithersburg with 90 and Trinity School in Howard County with 83. Matthew Musselman of the St. Elizabeth team earned a perfect score. The top 10 students were awarded certificates and the top three teams received trophies. “Everyone celebrates with pizza and beverages at the end,” Riely wrote in an email. Good Counsel has a partnership with its Catholic feeder schools and the math competition is a way to encourage them with their math programs, she wrote, adding it is a nice way to get eighth-grade students “excited about coming to Our Lady of Good Counsel for high school.”
KAREN SYMON/ST. ELIZABETH SCHOOL
(Back row, from left) Thomas Penny, Patrick Howley, Connor Starkey and Matthew Musselman, and (front row, from left) Margaret Hansen and Kerry Pullano, members of the math team at St. Elizabeth School in Rockville, show off the first-place trophy they won Nov. 21 in the Our Lady of Good Counsel Math Competition.
Students sell refurbished cars and computers The Montgomery County Students Automotive Trades and Information Technology foundations will hold a sale of reconditioned vehicles and computers from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Damascus High School, 25921 Ridge Road. Three times a year, students from the programs hold public sales where refurbished vehicles and computers are offered at competitive prices. These sales provide the students with the opportunity to practice their sales skills, earn student service learning hours and develop an appreciation for community involvement. Test drives for the auto-
mobiles will be held from 9-11 a.m., with the sale at 11 a.m. The snow date is Jan. 4. For more information contact Kelly Johnson, 301929-2197 or Kelly_R_Johnson@ mcpsms.org. More information on the sales, including lists of cars and computers, is available at www. atfcareers.org for autos and www. itfcareers.org for computers.
Preschoolers collect food for those in need Young students at the
Goddard School at King Farm
in Rockville learned the importance of helping families in need around the holidays and collected more than 1,500 pounds of food during a three-
week food drive in November. The food drive gave teachers the opportunity to discuss social responsibility and healthful eating habits with their students. “While we observe the upcoming holidays that are centered on families and feasts, there are those whom will have neither,” teacher Charles Prather said in a statement. “We wanted to make a point to educate the children on how important it is to help those less fortunate than us.” All of the school’s 200-plus children and their families were invited to participate. “It is amazing how children so young can be excited about something so much larger than themselves,” said Nicole Schwartz, the private preschool’s academic director. The items were donated to Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg.
Glorystar Children’s Chorus plans concert The Glorystar Children’s Chorus will present its annual winter concert at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Chinese Bible Church of Maryland, 4414 Muncaster Mill Road, Rockville. Four choirs — beginner, training, concert and chamber — will perform holiday music for all ages. The program includes choral music from around the world, from baroque to contemporary and living composers, and in eight languages including Chinese, English, German, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Zulu and Hebrew. The audience is invited to join in a sing-along. Tickets are $12 for adults, and $5 for students and seniors; children 12 and younger are free. For reservations and information, call 240-277-7629 or
Rocky Hill blood and toy drive honors Sam Moore The public is invited to honor the life of Sam Moore, a former Rocky Hill Middle School student, by participating in the second Rocky Hill Community Blood and Toy Drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the school, 22401 Brick Haven Way, Clarksburg. Sam was a student at Rocky Hill when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He died in 2012 at age 15. To reserve a spot, call Cheryl Kemp at 301-502-2876 or visit www.donatebloodmedstar.org, select the donate blood tab and enter sponsor code 55119. For help with online scheduling call 301-931-4416. Toy donations will be delivered to Children’s National Medical Center. Donors should meet the following criteria: • Be at least 17, or 16 with parental consent; website has permission form. • Be in general good health. • Have no high-risk factors for HIV or hepatitis. • Be cold- or flu-symptom free for a week. • Have photo identification.
Sounds of music at Montgomery High The music department of Richard Montgomery High School will present two free concerts this month in the school auditorium, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive, Rockville. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, there will be a winter band concert and at 7 p.m. Dec. 19, student singers will present a winter
Book festival launches short story contest High school students from across the Washington metropolitan area are invited to submit short stories to the Gaithersburg Book Festival Short Story Contest. Stories must be no longer than 1,000 words and must start with one of the following three lines provided by Jon Methven, author of “This Is Your Captain Speaking”: • I’ve seen some odd things delivering food for Ned’s Pizza, but nothing beat the lady that ordered a half-mushroom, half fish-eyeball pie, then hit me with this request at the door … • The trouble began since my cell number is one digit off from Madam O’Wiggy’s, the psychic, which is how I came to be answering questions about the future to begin with … • The main thing to know, if pirates commandeer the cruise ship you’re on during family vacation, is that they do much less dancing and singing than in movies … Authors must be public, private or homeschooled students in grades nine through 12 at the time of entry and must live in Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. They may submit only one entry. The submission deadline is midnight Feb. 21. Submissions must include the author’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address, school, grade, and English or writing teacher’s name. The top three stories will be announced at the festival May 17. More information is at gaithersburgbookfestival.org.
T H E G AZ ET T E
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Page A-13
IN T H E HO T SE AT
Blake High students grilled during mock congressional hearings BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Three students in business attire sat together one morning last week at a table cloaked in plastic sheets with U.S. flag designs. Facing a panel of five judges, the students were serious and focused on the Magna Carta’s influence on modern constitutionalism. The three James H. Blake High School students were one of six team units from the school who testified Dec. 4 in simulated congressional hearings on topics ranging from the U.S. political system’s philosophical and historical foundations to the challenges American constitutional democracy might face in the 21st century. Just as congressional hearings allow Congress members to question experts to gather information, the hearings at Blake allowed the students to demonstrate their knowledge of politics, law and government and their ability to link different topics. The high school students will face other Maryland school teams participating in the Center for Civic Education’s We the People program and, potentially, teams from across the country. In each of the 12 hearings on Dec. 4, the teams of three to five students began with four minutes of prepared statements on their topic question. Then the judges — board of education members, state delegates, lawyers and others — fired additional questions related to the topic for six minutes. Without any notes to help, the students must think on their feet to answer the questions. “They’re college-level questions. They’re very intense,” said Donna Phillips, who teaches and coaches the group of about 23 students. The judges “push the kids to really test the depths of their knowledge.” Students in the program work with Phillips in her Global Issues and the Law class. The team is divided into six groups, with each working on a particular topic. Phillips used to run the program at Robert Frost Middle School in Rockville and took it with her when she arrived at Blake in Silver Spring several years ago. At the local level of the competition — which pits schools in the same congressional district against each other — Blake did not have any competition this year, so last week’s scores were for only the teams’ use. The school’s team has won the state competition and gone on to the national competition the last two years. Emerson Sirk, 16, a junior at Blake, said it is “kind of like a rush” when students face questions from the judges. His team, which focuses on issues related to the Bill of Rights, is “always practicing,” he said, and the hearing questions require a lot of research. “You never know what you may need,” Sirk said. During his team’s first hearing at last week’s session, the students answered a series of questions they came up with answers for on the spot, includ-
PHOTOS BY GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Students (from left) Lexxus Ransom, 16, Hercia Alvarado-Gomez, 17, Emerson Sirk, 16, and Francesca Sabelhaus, 16, make their presentaion to judges about the Bill of Rights during simulated congressional hearings Dec. 4 at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring.
Students Estefania Perez (left), 17, and Greyson Boone, 17, listen to feedback from judges after their presentaion on the history of changes to the Constitution in relation to the Declaration of Independence.
Jason Ross (left) of the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University offers feedback to students who made presentations during the simulated hearings. ing whether they thought for-profit corporations should have the same rights as individuals. Phillips said she sees the students become more aware and active citizens and become more articulate. For Francesca Sabelhaus, another 16-year-old junior, the hearings can
be “really nerve-wracking.” Her team prepares with the help of Phillips and through outside work that includes late nights editing speeches. Sabelhaus said she picked the Bill of Rights as her hearing topic because of its broad scope. “You draw in examples from all over
the place,” she said. Bruce Goldensohn — a former Gaitherburg mayor and former school board member — has been a hearing judge multiple times over the years. He said he sees students gain important knowledge from the program, including how to be involved in local politics. State Del. Sam Arora (D-Dist. 19) of Silver Spring said he threw out some difficult questions to help the students — whom he called “exceedingly sophisticated” — prepare for future competitions.
1905963
Fresh Cut Trees for the Best Christmas Ever! #1 Grade Fraser & Douglas Firs from 2-10 Feet Tall
Hand Decorated & Natural Christmas Wreaths Natural Garland by the ft, yd or 75ft coil. Gift Shoppe full of holiday decorations, handmade jewelry and unique toys & gifts. December 7-22 Monday-Friday Noon-9pm Saturday & Sunday 9am-9pm
St. Rose of Lima Parish 11701 Clopper Rd. Gaithersburg
Celebrating Our 30th Year of Giving Christmas to the Community 1912888
1912890
1912877
“You feel for them,” he said. “I think we all want them to succeed, but no one wants to go easy on them.” School board member Michael A. Durso said the students were well prepared. Some seemed unnerved at first, but became more at ease throughout the hearings. “If nothing else, it forces them and their classes to look at something the average teenager isn’t interested in,” Durso said. lpowers@gazette.net
The Gazette OUROPINIONS
Forum
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Newly elected Montgomery County Council President Craig Rice.
The Gazette Karen Acton, President/Publisher
Page A-14
GAZETTE FILE PHOTO
Geoffrey Mason, senior natural resources specialist for the Department of Parks (center, holding map) shows planning board members and others a map of the proposed legacy open space in July as they tour Ten Mile Creek where it crosses Old Baltimore Road in Clarksburg.
An addicted county In testimony before the County Council on Stage 4 development in Clarksburg, the representative from Pulte appears to make claims they have a God-granted right, a Constitutional right, a contractual right and an immutable right to develop their land, even if this threatens the water supply to 4 million people. He referenced the work of his hired environmental science dealers to assure us that no harm will come to our creek, our sole source aquifer or our lake. But indeed the facts strongly suggest otherwise. Well-planned development, poorly planned projects or meticulously planned projects have all produced the same outcome. Every stream, pond, creek, or river in the entire county, save Ten Mile creek, is severely compromised by development. Even Ten Mile Creek shows some signs of stress. We have learned that “dealers” are supporting a county addiction to “a couple more.” John Denver’s reference in Rocky Mountain High for
Support Ten Mile Creek
“more people, more scars upon the land.” We note with skepticism that the county itself does not arrive with clean hands to this debate. Montgomery desires both the taxes “a couple more” brings and to develop property it owns in the water shed. Parks and Planning, under political pressure, has generated its own offering of “a couple more” with no guarantee whatsoever that one more hit of “a couple more” on Ten Mile Creek will not destroy a critical water ecosphere. Even some of the mercantile representatives from Clarksburg itself want their own snort of “a couple more.” These dealers of destruction are the county’s equivalent of heroin dealers; development at any cost and we will disguise or ignore the risks. We now have addicts making the final decision about the fate of our last and only emergency source of clean drinking water. What do you think will be the outcome?
The Montgomery County Council has now heard two nights of public testimony on the Planning Board’s recommendations for the Ten Mile Creek Limited Amendment. Of the approximately 80 speakers before the board, an overwhelming majority spoke against the misguided recommendations for the Ten Mile Creek watershed — recommendations that allow far too much development and will not protect the currently clean creek and water reservoir it feeds from inevitable degradation and pollution. Speakers made clear, compelling and impassioned arguments for the imperative need to protect Ten Mile Creek as our county’s last clean creek, environmental treasure, and major water source for Little Seneca Reservoir, our back-up drinking water. The people have spoken. The council heard. It would now seem a travesty for the council to go against not only the obvious will of the residents, but also the clear, convincing science that backs up their pleas to protect this precious watershed and last pristine water resource in the county. It’s time for the council members to take a stand: stand for the people, for the proven science, for the environment, and for protection of Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Lake. We drink water and we vote.
Arthur Slesinger, Darnestown
Rita Guagliardo, Germantown
Wheaton Rec Center’s weaknesses aren’t abstract During the two hearings conducted by the Montgomery County Planning Board on the question of what to do with the Wheaton Youth Center, there was a clear divide among those testifying. On one hand, there were those who saw the building in the abstract, yearning for experiences long past and remembering honors given 50 years ago to whom the building was an academic exercise. On the other, there were those, mainly from the community, with first-hand experience with the building, who see it as undersized, badly in need of repair, and, for all of its past glories, not sufficient to serve a growing and thriving community in Wheaton. This is a community which deserves not only a new recreation center, but also a new library which would be combined on the land now occupied by the current library and the Youth Center. So here is the question for those on the Planning Board which after all has jurisdiction over the building? How could you let such a “modernist, award-winning structure,” as board chairwoman Francoise Carrier put it, fall into such a disreputable state? When I testified before the board, I showed photos of the rotting arch out front, of plastic bags stuffed in doors as insulation, and of rooms too small to be of use. Others testified that the roof leaks, the carpeting is moldy, the gym floor isn’t level and some kitchen appliances don’t work. The lighting is dim and the rooms, supposedly in Japanese style, are too small. According to the Planning Board, none of that mattered in their decision to render the structure historic. The condition of the building is irrelevant. That it fails to meet most of the criteria for designation is irrel-
Wheaton Recreation Center and Library at 11711 Georgia Ave in Wheaton. evant — it need only meet one. Each case for preservation has to be decided on its merits. In this case, the merits of the existing building are not the only ones to be evaluated. Unfortunately under the Planning Board’s code, the prospective new uses of the property, nor the desires of those who live nearby and would use the new facility, are not part of the discussion. In a different context, a different case might well be made. The board’s solution was to keep the existing Youth Center building, and allow it to co-exist with the larger, newer, energy-efficient structure that will combine library and rec center by taking up some of the grassy area that designers had set aside for outdoor activities. That is not “preservation,” nor is it “peaceful coexistence,” as Carrier
Andrew Schotz, Assistant Managing Editor Nathan Oravec, A&E Editor Ken Sain, Sports Editor Dan Gross, Photo Editor Jessica Loder, Web Editor
Dennis Wilston, Corporate Advertising Director Doug Baum, Corporate Classifieds Director Mona Bass, Inside Classifieds Director
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
said [“Preservation and redevelopment can coexist,” Forum, Dec. 4]. This is a serious distortion of a well thought-out facility and grounds. If the Planning Board wanted to add another element to their fanciful plan, they might as well have added a zoo for unicorns. The County Council will make the final determination next year. The Gazette’s Oct. 30 editorial [“Rec center blues”] was right that a suitable commemoration of the building is in order — a music festival or plaque that would keep alive the spirit of a structure that was fine for its time.
Art Brodsky, Olney
The writer is a member of the Montgomery County Library Board.
9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 | Phone: 301-948-3120 | Fax: 301-670-7183 | Email: opinions@gazette.net More letters appear online at www.gazette.net/opinion
Douglas Tallman, Editor Krista Brick, Managing Editor/News Glen C. Cullen, Senior Editor Copy/Design Meredith Hooker, Managing Editor/Internet Robert Rand, Managing Editor/Presentation
|
LETTERS TOT HE EDITOR
Taking the reins
In his first address as president of the Montgomery County Council last week, Craig Rice hit all the buttons one might expect from a county Democrat. He expressed gratitude to County Executive Isiah Leggett and the fellow Democrats on the County Council. He praised Montgomery County Public Schools. He gave thanks for the hard work of county employees, police officers and firefighters, as well as the Health and Human Services Department. But having genuflected toward the key parties of the Democratic Party coalition, he said something downright Republican: He spoke well of the county’s businesses. “Businesses here in Montgomery County are not the enemy,” Rice said. “It does not require a reliance on discredited, trickle-down economics to understand that business supplies jobs that are needed and essential for economic health and for our citizens to realize [their] potential.” But it appeared that by declaring business isn’t the enemy, he drew attention to what has appeared to be the council’s battle plan. The most recent skirmish was the increase in the minimum wage. Ignoring economists who believed caution was a better plan of attack, the council pressed ahead with its own, politically motivated plan. Rice tried to argue for a wait-and-see strategy; the General Assembly might take action, making Montgomery’s move unnecessary. His colleagues didn’t agree. Ultimately, Rice surrendered. The council has crossed swords with business interests over other legislation. For example, in 2012, the council passed the displaced worker legislation, which requires companies that win certain contracts to retain the former contractors’ employees. To that, a Silver Spring landscaper said: “It’s just another law that makes it hard to do business in Montgomery County.” Council members might object to the landscaper’s sentiment, citing tax credits and other incentives the county uses to let business feel the love from our government. Despite the prevailing wisdom, the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development touts an article that shows Montgomery has the lowest tax burden of five other nearby jurisdictions, including Fairfax County, Va., which some view as the business friendliest. In his one-year term as the council’s president, Rice is unlikely to break Montgomery’s weak-on-business reputation. His address fired a shot across the Potomac: “So let me be clear, and I want Virginia to hear me: Jobs are important to Montgomery County.” To back up his statement, Rice offered a four-point agenda. Three of the points call for greater school funding, preservation of the Agricultural Reserve and restoration of cuts to county services. Point One called for an aggressive business agenda. “There are huge gains available for our citizens with appropriate effort devoted to the development of our businesses, particularly small businesses,” he said. The speech offered only one area of aggression: A change in the way the county goes about its procurement to favor Montgomery County businesses. County documents show its procurement activity on the order of $762.8 million. Possibly, new procurement rules will help the county’s small businesses. But so would a reduction in stormwater management fees, and energy and property taxes. So would an examination of county government activities for potential privatization. Rice — and the rest of the County Council — have to travel a long way to change policies, and to change perceptions. A council president is largely a figurehead. He can set meeting agendas. He’ll have a bully pulpit to highlight policy. But in the end, Rice is still one vote of nine. His bold words were a good opening salvo. But the question remains whether anyone should duck for fear of getting hit from a pendulum swinging in the other direction.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Jean Casey, Director of Marketing and Circulation Anna Joyce, Creative Director, Special Pubs/Internet Ellen Pankake, Director of Creative Services
POST COMMUNITY MEDIA Karen Acton, Chief Executive Officer Michael T. McIntyre, Controller Donna Johnson, Vice President of Human Resources Maxine Minar, President, Comprint Military Shane Butcher, Director of Technology/Internet
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Who hijacked Thanksgiving? Remember when Thanksgiv- only if, after reading messages ing was a holiday? Remember like his, you can keep your food when family and friends gave down. Regardless, we had an oldthanks over a big dinner and enfashioned Thanksgiving durjoyed the day together? This year a confluence of ing which I pondered the many events hijacked Thanksgiving. things for which I am grateful. • I’m thankful that I’m not Panicked by Thanksgiving’s late November date leaving only 26 a Washington Redskins season shopping days before Christ- ticket holder. • I’m thankful that, mas, the retailers so far, my health insurwent into full Santa ance hasn’t been canmode shortly after celed by Obamacare. Halloween. • I’m thankful that And why waste the Virginia governor’s a perfectly good race is finally over so shopping day on I don’t have to watch family dinners? So anymore TV attack ads stores opened, disfor an election in which counts abounded, I can’t even vote. sales people la• I’m thankful that bored, cash registhe Maryland General ters jingled and 45 MY MARYLAND Assembly only lasts 90 million Americans BLAIR LEE days. spent Thanksgiving • I’m thankful that Day shopping. I don’t party with NFL Did I say “Thanksgiving Day”? Heck, they lineman Richie Incognito, Toronto even gave Thanksgiving a new Mayor Rob Ford or Maryland Atname, “Gray Thursday,” to dis- torney General Doug Gansler. • I’m thankful that I didn’t tinguish it from Black Friday and have to travel over the ThanksCyber Monday. Then someone noticed that, giving holiday. • I’m thankful that I can’t afthis year, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah fall on the same day. ford one of those $90,000 Tesla So why not merge them into Model S battery-powered luxury “Thanksgivukkah”? “Great idea,” cars that catches fire when running over something on the highsaid the media, and traditional way. Thanksgiving took another hit. • I’m thankful that Gov. MarThen politics poisoned the tin O’Malley is term limited. celebration. President Obama • I’m thankful that the federal and his political organization in- government is reconsidering its structed their followers to pitch decision to let airline passengers Obamacare over the holiday. yap on their cellphones during “Take advantage of down- flights. • I’m thankful that I didn’t time after meals or between holiday activities to start your help design the Silver Spring talk. Start by asking, ‘Have you Transit Center. • I’m thankful that I didn’t thought about signing up for health insurance on the new bet on the Ravens to repeat. • I’m thankful that gas prices marketplace? When do you plan have dropped 55 cents a gallon on signing up?’ Be persistent but keep it positive.” Right, and since February which helps offset Maryland’s 83 percent gas tax why not discuss abortion, capital increase. punishment, gay marriage and • I’m thankful that I don’t gun control, too? carpool or water ski with Del. President Obama tweeted Don Dwyer. his 40 million followers, “Cel• I’m thankful for the Inebrating Thanksgiving. Lighting tercounty Connector, the only the Hanukkah candles. Talking Montgomery highway on which about health insurance. Gotta you can use cruise control. love dinners like these.” Yes, but • I’m thankful that I don’t live
Did I say “Thanksgiving Day”? Heck, they even gave Thanksgiving a new name, “Gray Thursday,” to distinguish it from Black Friday and Cyber Monday. near the new Maryland Live or Caesar’s Horseshoe casinos now that they have all-night gambling and drinking. • I’m thankful that NSA (“The National Spy Agency”) is located here in Maryland so that when they eavesdrop on me it’s only a local call. • I’m thankful that we’ve seen the last of those god-awful, downtown Baltimore, Labor Day Grand Prix races. • I’m thankful that I’m not a member of any University of Maryland sports team next year when they play in the Big Ten. • I’m thankful that after the governor and legislature bankrupted Maryland one hundred years ago, the voters passed a balanced budget amendment to the state constitution. • I’m thankful that next year Maryland voters can make history by electing Anthony Brown, the state’s first Swiss-American governor. • I’m thankful that the family that celebrated Thanksgiving at my house last Thursday wasn’t the Black Guerilla Family. • I’m thankful for all the folks who read The Gazette every week and mail me their comments, compliments and complaints. Blair Lee is chairman of the board of Lee Development Group in Silver Spring and a regular commentator for WBAL radio. His column appears Fridays in the Business Gazette. His past columns are available at www. gazette.net/blairlee. His email address is blairleeiv@gmail.com.
Page A-15
LETTERS TOT HE EDITOR
Tunnel for trail too expensive
I don’t care what the Planning Board recommends. We can’t afford another tunnel under Wisconsin Avenue [“Planning Board recommends a tunnel for Capital Crescent Trail,” Nov. 27]. The people riding bikes or hiking these days ask all of us taxpayers to pay for a new $40 million tunnel a few blocks south of one already built at Bethesda Metro. You have
to be kidding! We’ve hiked and biked all over Bethesda and Chevy Chase for years without any special tunnels to get us across Wisconsin Avenue. Aren’t there any realistic adults available to decide how to spend our tax money? Where will Maryland get the money?
Pat Broderick, Bethesda
Budget cuts hurt cancer victims This year in Maryland 30,680 people will be diagnosed with cancer. For them, the cuts to cancer research that took place as a result of sequestration are very real. More than 580,000 Americans are expected to die of cancer this year. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the U.S. These are not numbers we can live with. Because of these cuts, 1,000 fewer people were able to enroll in potentially lifesaving clinical trials this past year and the National Institutes of Health, the nation’s medical research center, has lost more than $1.5 billion, a reality felt by cancer research labs across the
country that have had to put their work on hold and even eliminate research jobs. Because of cancer research, the five-year relative survival rate for all cancers is 68 percent, up from 49 percent. This holiday season, I’m holding out hope that Congress will still do what’s right for cancer patients and their families and turn off the sequester, reinvesting in the fight against this devastating disease.
Nikki L. Miller, Rockville The writer is a volunteer with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
Noisy work ignores county’s quiet hours Work on the Kennett Street garage has been going on for three years. County “quiet hours,” from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., have rarely been respected; very noisy work has routinely begun before 6:30 a.m. But a recent night things reached a new level: at 12:55 a.m. Dec. 6, the noisy compressors for pressure washers were still running. At about 11 p.m. I called the non-emergency police number to ask for help. Nothing happened. So about 11:30 p.m. I went out to the garage where two police officers were sitting talking in their vehicles. They said there was nothing they could do because the workers had a permit from the Department of Permitting Services. Noise went on for another hour and a half, until 1 a.m. Does the county not know that this garage is in the middle of what has become an intensely residential area or does the county simply not care if folks in south Silver Spring don’t get the respect given most other Montgomery County residents? This constant disregard for the taxpayers’ rights, enshrined in county laws, should stop.
Maynard Mack Jr., Silver Spring
WRITE TO US The Gazette welcomes letters on subjects of local interest. Please limit them to 200 words. All articles are subject to editing. No anonymous letters are printed. Letters are printed as space permits and are limited to one per person per month. Include your name, address and daytime telephone number. Send submissions to: The Gazette, attention Commentary Editor, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877; fax to 301-670-7183; or email to opinions@gazette.net.
There’s Still Time For A NEW FLOOR Before The Holidays* SELECTED STYLES AVAILABLE FOR INSTALLATION WITHIN 48 HOURS NATIONAL BRANDS YOU TRUST PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED BY OUR EXPERIENCED CREW
Come To Our Design Center Or We’ll Come To You *On orders placed before Dec. 14
Carpet • Vinyl • Hardwood • Laminate • Bamboo • Refinishing
1905942
www.atyourdooronline.com
133834G
Page A-16
1906205
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
BLAKE, GOOD COUNSEL, WHITMAN PLAYERS LEAD ALL-GAZETTE SOCCER TEAMS, B-2
SPORTS DAMASCUS | CLARKSBURG
www.gazette.net | Wednesday, December 11, 2013 | Page B-1
Northwest wins second title n
BY
Jaguars’ victory against Suitland gives Montgomery County its first championship in sport since 2008
ERIC GOLDWEIN
NORTHWEST 33 SUITLAND 16
STAFF WRITER
After a long season and an exhausting championship run, senior Rasheed Gillis still isn’t sure about his primary position on Northwest High School’s football team. Not that he, nor any of his Northwest teammates, care what position they play — as long as they’re on the field. “I just play wherever they put me,” Gillis said. The triple-threat — nicknamed “Flash” by a team supporter — made plays on offense, defense and special teams, helping lead Northwest (12-2) to a 33-16 victory against Suitland (13-1) in the Class 4A state championship game Friday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The victory gave the Jaguars their first state championship since 2004. “I’m just proud of the kids for stepping up and being physical, and doing everything we asked them to do,” Northwest coach Mike Neubeiser said. Playing in cold, rainy conditions, Gillis and the Northwest defense kept the Rams in check, shutting down their run game and putting constant pressure on senior quarterback Wesley Wolfolk. Suitland’s offense was silenced in the first half, but the Rams came charging back in third quarter and trimmed Northwest’s lead to 12-8 after a touchdown on their opening drive.
Northwest (12-2) 6 6 8 13 33 Suitland (13-1) 0 2 6 8 16 N — E.J. Lee 9 run (kick blocked) S — Safety N — Joshua Gills 30 pass from Mark Pierce (pass failed) S — Tevon Singleton 40 pass from Wesley Wolfolk (run failed) N — Rasheed Gillis 2 run (E.J. Lee run) S — Darryl Jasper 4 pass from Wesley Wolfolk (Wesley Wolfolk run) N — Matt Watson 77 pass from Mark Pierce (pass intercepted) N — E.J. Lee 10 run (Diego Melendez kick)
Rushing Northwest — Mark Pierce 7-27; E.J. Lee 17-24; Rasheed Gillis 3-2; Matt Watson 1-(-1); Trint Coulter 1-(-6). Suitland — Wesley Wolfolk 1849; Robert Wigfall 9-31; Brandon Brown 4-27; Joshua Burke 7-21.
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Suitland High School’s Brandon Brown forces Northwest’s E.J. Lee out of bounds during the Class 4A state championship football game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Gillis, though, responded with a 56-yard kickoff return that gave the Jaguars possession deep in Suitland territory. The senior capped off the short drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown which gave Northwest a two-possession lead
and proved to be the gamewinner. Sophomore quarterback Mark Pierce finished his stellar playoff run by completing 12 of 22 passes for 261 yards and two passing touchdowns. His 77-yard touchdown to senior
Matt Watson late in the fourth quarter extended Northwest’s lead to 26-16 and put the game away. “This group’s a special group,” Neubeiser said. “There’s a really nice mix — we’re kind of a young team ac-
tually. We knew coming in that we’d be young. We just needed some of the guys to step up, and they did.” Pierce recorded 14 passing touchdowns during the Jag
See NORTHWEST, Page B-3
Region champs lead Whitman into season n
n
NICK CAMMAROTA STAFF WRITER
At the far corner of the wrestling mat at Walt Whitman High School, sophomore Mitch Fenton leaned over, hands on his knees, and shouted words of encouragement at his teammates. In the Vikings’ season-opening match on Saturday, the talented defending 4A West Region champion already had made his presence felt on the mat (he pinned Thomas S. Wootton’s Sina Dayanzadeh in 1 minute, 36 seconds) and now was asserting himself as one of Whitman’s many leaders. Meanwhile on the bench, senior Jack Calder sat still and chatted with one of his teammates. Calder, also a returning champion, had also already pinned his opponent (Jay Carroll in 1:02) and with his work done for the day, was leading the team in his own way. And while it’s clear that Calder and Fenton are opposites when it comes to their leadership styles, there’s little question both are key pieces of a seniorheavy Vikings lineup that is hoping for big things this season. “Mitch is all about leading like that,” Calder said.
See WHITMAN, Page B-3
1858032
Receiving Northwest — Matt Watson 3-111; Joshua Gills 5-84; Rasheed Gillis 1-38; E.J. Lee 3-28; Brandon Williams 1-7. Suitland — Steven Rivers 10132; Tevin Singleton 1-40; Robert Wigfall 2-29; Darryl Jasper 3-18; Anthony Ruffin 1-0; Dakarai Ellis 1-(-1).
North county making its move in swimming
With different styles, Fenton and Calder pose serious threat for Vikings BY
Passing Northwest — Mark Pierce 12-22261-0; Trint Coulter 1-1-7-0. Suitland — Wesley Wolfolk 1842-218-1. Dakarai Ellis 0-1-0-0.
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Northwest High School’s Tiara Wellman runs the 55 meters at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex on Saturday.
Jaguars return top talent, hope to win states BY
ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER
Northwest High School’s boys’ and girls’ track and field teams have what coach Robert Youngblood calls a “sibling rivalry,” and right now it’s the boys — the 2013 4A outdoor state champions
BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER
— who have the edge. But with the girls returning almost all of their talent, that advantage could swing the other way by the end of the indoor season. “I see the potential in both teams,” Youngblood said. “It’s extraordinary.” Northwest’s boys’ and girls’ teams both impressed during Saturday’s Montgomery County Public Schools meet
Winston Churchill High School, Thomas S. Wootton, Walter Johnson, Richard Montgomery, Montgomery Blair and Poolesville. Which swimming and diving team seems out of place in the county’s top division? Six years ago the answer would easily have been Poolesville. But the small-school program, which swept last year’s Class 3A/2A/1A state championship, has not only ascended into the county’s upper echelon, but should hold its own among the county’s best this winter. “It’s kind of crazy, if you look at the makeup of Division I, seven years ago I never would have thought we’d be there,” Poolesville coach Johnny Leong said. The landscape of county swimming is changing as Potomac-, Bethesda- and Rockville-based teams are no longer the only programs producing top performances. Montgomery County Public School high schools are divided into four result-based divisions.
See CHAMPIONSHIP, Page B-3
See SWIMMING, Page B-3
Northwest teams poised for another championship run n
After seven years, area swimming programs feel the effects of Germantown Indoor Swim Center
THE GAZETTE
Page B-2
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
SOCCER
Boys’ Player of the Year
Girls’ Co-Players of the Year
Aliza Wolfe
Imani Dorsey
Raul Escobar James H. Blake Senior Midfielder
Good Counsel Senior Midfielder/forward
Walt Whitman Senior Midfielder
Integral component of Blake’s historic run to a second-place finish in the state; scored six goals and led county with 17 assists.
Falcons coach Jim Bruno said it best: “Imani doesn’t let you lose.” Duke recruit recorded 15 goals and seven assists for WCAC champions this season.
Fantastic playmaker tallied 10 goals and five assists and was the heart and soul of the Vikings first championship run since 2004, second overall.
GEORGE P. SMITH/FOR THE GAZETTE
GEORGE P. SMITH/FOR THE GAZETTE
James H. Blake High School’s Raul Escobar (right) is The Gazette’s Player of the Year in boys’ soccer.
Good Counsel’s Imani Dorsey is The Gazette’s Co-Player of the Year in girls’ soccer.
GEORGE P. SMITH/FOR THE GAZETTE
Whitman’s Aliza Wolfe is The Gazette’s Co-Player of the Year in girls’ soccer.
Girls’ first team
Boys’ first team
Amanda Amankwa
Karli Cirovski
Eliza Doll
Megan Hinz
Delaney Muldoon
Walt Whitman Senior Midfielder
Damascus Senior Midfielder
Good Counsel Senior Defender
B-CC Senior Forward
Good Counsel Senior Goalkeeper
Holy Cross Junior Defender
Wake Forestbound striker scored 12 goals (3 game-winners) and assisted six.
Dynamic, physical Vikings midfielder displayed technical superiority all season.
Integral cog in the Swarmin’ Hornets first region title in 10 years; scored four goals.
Dominant in the air to lead a stingy backline, added three goals and eight assists.
One of county’s most creative players; Colgate recruit recorded eight goals, 11 assists.
Range, athleticism, fearlessness and ability to communicate set Michigan recruit apart.
Tartans didn’t lose a beat after losing a dominant defender and she was the reason why.
Alejandro Perez-Albela
Jeremy Yeager
Wielfried Zouantcha
Alejandra Ramos
Clare Severe
Carly Shapiro
Stephi Shin
James H. Blake Senior Defender
Clarksburg Senior Midfielder
Wootton Senior Goalkeeper
Northwest Junior Defender
Walter Johnson Senior M-fielder/defender
Walt Whitman Junior Defender/forward
Winston Churchill Senior Defender
Quince Orchard Junior Midfielder
Intellectual center back anchored a defense that only allowed more than one goal once.
Notched six goals and five assists while helping Coyotes to a division championship.
Finished career with a remarkable 0.62 goals against average, stopped three PKs this year.
Talented and physical center back with outstanding distributing awareness.
Peru U-20 National Team player’s versatility has been invaluable, tallied six goals, five assists.
Good luck to anyone trying to outrun or catch this extremely technical Lehigh recruit.
Shutdown defender was strong in the air; strong and accurate foot led to five assists.
Incredibly skilled with the ball at her feet and was starting point of many goals (10 goals).
Donald Benamna
Max Boimov
Alessandro Burlew
Zach Fingerhut
Vegas Kastberg
Montgomery Blair Senior Forward
Gaithersburg Junior Midfielder
Good Counsel Senior Forward
Landon Senior Forward
Repeat first team selection was the tireless engine behind Blazers’ success.
Trojans’ steadying presence in the middle scored four goals and assisted three more.
WCAC Player of the Year and three-year starter scored 16 goals and added six assists.
Teddy Liakakis
Dunchadhn Lyons
Winston Churchill Senior Defender Quick, physical, smart back helped the Bulldogs record nine clean sheets this fall.
Boys’ Coach of the Year
David Edlow Blake 3rd season
Girls’ second team
Jonathan Hart, Poolesville; Neal Iannone, Gaithersburg; Davey Mason, Walt Whitman; Drew Montemarano, Georgetown Prep; Sebastian Obando, The Heights; Pat Quackenbush, Northwest; J.J. Van der Merwe, Winston Churchill; Frank Valladares, Col. Zadok Magruder; Gabriel Vasconcelos, Walter Johnson; Keenthy Yeboah, Montgomery Blair; Andrew Zingone, Georgetown Prep
Keaira Clark, Winston Churchill; Michaela Colon, Gaithersburg; Steph Cox, Damascus; Nia Dorsey, Our Lady of Good Counsel; Danielle Fernandez, Damascus; Anna Gurney, Walt Whitman; Jarena Harmon, St. Andrew’s; Emily Martin, Walt Whitman; Maddie Pack, Our Lady of Good Counsel; Courtney Parr, Our Lady of Good Counsel; Jade Ruiters, Academy of the Holy Cross
Boys’ honorable mention Bryan Argueta, Col. Zadok Magruder; Andrew Battin, Clarksburg; Juan Castellon, Wheaton; Jose Cooper, James H. Blake; Jack Feldman, Landon; Robert Galvan, Springbrook; Ofentse Kale, Col. Zadok Magruder; Matthew Kirchoff, Our Lady of Good Counsel; Ibrahima Kouyate, Montgomery Blair; Alex LaNoire, Our Lady of Good Counsel; Greg Lovegrove, Bullis School; Kyle Madden, Walter Johnson; Brian Mitchell, Bullis School; Duc Momo, Bethesda-Chevy Chase; Jared Nozick, Thomas S. Wootton; Heyner Pajaro, Wheaton; Matt Russell, James H. Blake; Tom Stavrou, Walter Johnson
1905960
Led the Bengals to their first appearance in a state title game as well as the school’s first division and region championships.
Boys’ second team
1905964
1905962
1905961
Girls’ honorable mention Emma Anderson, Walt Whitman; Kaylie Deshler, James H. Blake; Sophia Dillon, Rockville; Dana Eckerstrom, Northwest; Paula Germino-Watnick, Bethesda-Chevy Chase; Alexis Greene, Thomas S. Wootton; Olivia Kane, Holton-Arms; Tania Mamdouhi, Winston Churchill; Sam Sullenger, Quince Orchard; Delia Tremble, Montgomery Blair; Tiffany Woods, Sherwood
Girls’ Coach of the Year
Greg Herbert Whitman 9th season Having the most talented team on paper doesn’t always translate onto the pitch, but Herbert brought out something special in the Vikings’ Class 4A state championship run this fall.
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
WHITMAN
Continued from Page B-1 “I’ve wrestled for a long, long time and I kind of like teaching people on their own rather than trying to establish my tone.” Said Fenton: “I like to scream in the room at people if they don’t do things right or if they’re taking breaks. But Jack doesn’t really talk that much in the room.” Despite the extreme differences in approach, it works well for the Vikings. Calder is joined by senior captains Jacob Cutler, Kevin Baker and Max Sessions, as well as four-year starter Harriet Symington, to form the nucleus of Whitman’s team, which defeated the Patriots, 46-24, in the opener. “These guys know what they’ve got,” Whitman coach Derek Manon said. “I told them
that we have the potential to do great things, but right now it’s just potential. We need to work in the room, we need to push it every day.” Both Calder (160) and Fenton (145), who are sparring partners in practice, flew a bit under the radar last season en route to their regional titles, but that certainly won’t be the case this year. They’re the top targets for opponents against a Whitman team that is rich with experience. “Any time you’ve got two returning region champs and state qualifiers in the room, it’s a huge bonus,” Manon said of Calder and Fenton. “They know what work is expected of them when they’re out on the mat and they’re looking for those bonus points for the team.” Fenton has been wrestling since he was 5 years old and has known Calder for nearly as long.
Both grew up wrestling at the club level together, along with Symington. “When we wrestle, Mitch and I are complete opposites,” Calder said. “He gets really angry and I stay completely relaxed the whole time. I pretty much never get angry unless the guy is egregiously fouling me or something.” A common bond that both share entering this year is their regional championship crowns from last season. And, as would only seem fitting, they both view holding the title in different ways at the start of the 2013-14 campaign. “There’s a lot more pressure when you wrestle as a region champ,” Calder said. “I feel like I have to dominate every match, or I feel like I’m letting down the prestige. But I think it also gives you a lot more confidence because you know kids are going
to be a lot more scared when they come in, just because of the title.” Added Fenton: “I kind of just put it behind me and thought that this is a completely new season. I basically have a target on my back. Everybody wants to beat the returning region champ.” And while repeat performances by both Calder and Fenton would be impressive, the Vikings, who won a state title in 2005, are cautiously optimistic even greater things could be in store for the team as a whole. “We’ll get there when we get there,” Calder said when asked about the team’s season goals. “The thing about the season is it changes a lot from the beginning to the end. I think it’s a bit too early to talk about where we’re going to be.” ncammarota@gazette.net
PHOTOS BY BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Walt Whitman’s Jack Calder (right) beat Thomas S. Wootton’s Jay Carroll on Saturday.
Page B-3
PHOTOS BY BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Walt Whitman’s Mitch Fenton (back) beat Thomas S. Wootton’s Sina Dayanzadeh on Saturday.
2013 MONTGOMERY COUNTY INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD Bethesda Chevy-Chase
Albert Einstein
Richard Montgomery
Sherwood
Athletes to watch: Laila Ismail, Alex Riishojgaard
Athletes to watch: Victoria Cabellos, Luke Woodard
Athletes to watch: Stephen Alexander, Ozioma Edokobi
Athletes to watch: Lauren Woods, Tiffany Woods
Montgomery Blair
Gaithersburg
Northwest
Springbrook
Athletes to watch: Susanna Maisto, Stephen Varella
Athletes to watch: Kayuza “Kelvin” Masanja, Alexia Mitchell
Athletes to watch: Jalen Walker, Tiara Wellman
Athletes to watch: Karen Escobedo, Corey Young
James H. Blake
Georgetown Prep
Paint Branch
Walter Johnson
Athletes to watch: Sarah Moore, Martha Sam
Athletes to watch: Luke Posniewski, Junda Yu
Athletes to watch: Funmi Daramola, Harold Dorsey
Athletes to watch: Christian Campbell, Keirnan Keller
Bullis School
Good Counsel
Poolesville
Watkins Mill
Athletes to watch: Simone Glenn, Kyla Lewis
Athletes to watch: Tyler Cleaver, Rachel Pocratsky
Athletes to watch: Claire Beautz, Chase Weaverling
Athletes to watch: Melanie Dakwa, Sone Penda
Winston Churchill
Holton-Arms
Quince Orchard
Wheaton
Athletes to watch: Kyle Beatty, Lucy Srour
Athletes to watch: Lisa-Anne Barrows
Athletes to watch: Elliott Davis, Donovan Tyler
Athletes to watch: Ryan Scott, Chris Teah
Clarksburg
John F. Kennedy
Rockville
Walt Whitman
Athletes to watch: Claudia Ababio, Tavis Holland
Athletes to watch: Alieu Cole, Devon Hairston
Athletes to watch: Jonathan Baginski, Mecalia Palmer
Athletes to watch: Clare Severe, Ed Smith
Damascus
Landon
Seneca Valley
Thomas S. Wootton
Athletes to watch: Steven Desaulniers, Denise Woode
Athletes to watch: Oliver Hightower, Kevin Soraci
Athletes to watch: Tyatianna Johnson, Damion Rowe
CHAMPIONSHIP
Continued from Page B-1 in Landover, which offered a glimpse of what to expect for the winter season. Senior Tiara Wellman recorded the fourth-best time in the 300 meters (42.70 seconds) while also placing tied for 18th in the 55 — a race she does not usually run. She will be joined by nearly the entire cast from last year’s county and region championship team, including senior Naomi Sheppard and sophomore Chanel Solomon. “Everybody’s coming back, I’m excited about it,” Wellman said. The boys team finished second in the county, region and state last indoor season and is looking to duplicate that success this winter. The group has depth and star power, including a pair of juniors in Diego Zarate and Jalen Walker, the 2013 Gazette’s Athlete of the Year for track and field. In Saturday’s meet, Zarate and Walker looked poised to
NORTHWEST
Continued from Page B-1 uars playoff run. “We knew we had to do it for these seniors this year,” Pierce said. Senior Joshua Gills, who spent part of the season under center, caught five passes for 84 yards. The multi-position star caught a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter that capped off an 85-yard drive. “This is a terrific season with a storybook ending,” Gills said. “The seniors couldn’t have asked for a better year.” Northwest senior cornerback Rodney Snider had a shutdown performance in the
add to their already impressive resumes. Zarate placed second in the 1,600 (4:35.5) and fourth in the 800 (2:05.6); Walker took first place in the 55 (6.4) and won the 300 (36.4). The boys’ and girls’ teams support each other like they are siblings, Youngblood said. For Zarate, whose freshman sister Sofia placed fifth in the 1,600, that’s actually the case. “We’re pretty much like a family,” Diego said. “We’re all cheering for each other, we’re all pulling for each other.” Northwest will face plenty of tough competition throughout Montgomery County. While Clarksburg’s boys graduated two of its top scorers — Paul Joseph and William Bertrand — the defending county, region and state champions have several up-and-coming runners who could make up for the lost production. Look for Carlos Vanzego and Tavis Holland to account for a significant potion of Clarkburg’s scoring. Vanzego broke a school record in the triple jump (45’8”) at the Sat-
urday meet. “We have new guys sort of having to step into that leadership role and prove themselves,” Clarksburg coach Scott Mathias said. Thomas S. Wootton’s girls finished second in last year’s 4A West Region indoor championship, but lost two talented runners in Gwen Shaw and Sylvia Deppen. They are now running at the University of Louisville and Harvard, respectively. Third-year coach Michael Thompson remains optimistic about his team, with several of his top runners returning, including senior Kiralyn Harrison and Rachel Maizel. “I think making first or second in the county is realistic for us,” Thompson said. Northwest, though, might have as good a chance as any school to field championship teams on both sides. “If each person does their job and we all pull our own weight, then we can really do something big,” Zarate said.
secondary, breaking up four passes and intercepting a deep throw late in the second quarter. The special teams advantage belonged to the Jaguars, whose opening offensive possession started on Suitland’s 28-yard line as a result of a short punt. Northwest capitalized on the field position and took a 6-0 lead after E.J. Lee’s 9-yard rushing touchdown. The Rams started slow for the third consecutive game, committing seven penalties and managing only 105 yards in the first half. Their offense picked up in the second half, but so did their penalties. “You can’t have 17 penalties in a state championship game. That shouldn’t be al-
lowed. Those are things we did and we have to own up to it,” Suitland coach Ed Shields said. The Rams had not lost since November 2012, when they were defeated by Henry A. Wise 41-6 in the 4A South Region final. Northwest’s victory gives Montgomery County its first football state championship since Sherwood won in 2008. “It’s just an amazing feeling,” Pierce said. “Words can’t explain how we all feel right now. It’s great to definitely shock the world, and get it done.”
egoldwein@gazette.net
egoldwein@gazette.net
Athletes to watch: Alan Banks, Rachel Maizel
FILE PHOTO
Poolesville High School’s senior Xavier Laracuente is part of the school’s up-and-coming swim and dive team.
SWIMMING
Continued from Page B-1 Poolesville is in the county’s top six this winter while traditional powers such as Walt Whitman, which dropped to Division II this year for the first time since the late 1990s, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase are not. Based on recent years’ results, it’s likely current second-tier teams like Northwest, which just seven years ago was in the county’s fourth division, and Quince Orchard will make their way into that elite group in the coming years. “I think we’re definitely seeing a lot of development [from other parts of the county],” Whitman coach Geoff Schaefer said. “More teams are hanging with the top teams, you’re going to see a more competitive field.” One reason for the trend, Northwest coach Amy Mason and Leong agreed, is the overall growth of the sport in general. While the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area has long been one of the nation’s strongest areas for national-level talent, popularity in swimming has reached new heights with the success of Olympian and Maryland native Michael Phelps and more recently, the ascent of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart junior Katie Ledecky, Mason said. The building of the Germantown Indoor Swim Center in 2006 is the other major factor. The pristine facility gave northern Montgomery County residents accessibility to an indoor facility and top-notch year-round coaching, something that until then required a pesky commute. Of the county’s six public indoor pools, the Germantown facility, housed at the Sportsplex in Boyds, is the
northernmost. “The swim center opening, it opened up a whole new area for swimming to spread to,” Leong said. “We know Montgomery County is all over a great area for swimming but this made it more accessible [to the northern areas]. We have a bunch of kids on our team who swim there, it’s the closest pool to their home.” When the facility first opened, the younger age groups were the biggest, Mason said, because most of the high school-aged swimmers were already established in their club programs. Seven years later, those younger age groups have made their way to high school. In the past, Mason said, she would be happy to have three or four club swimmers per class. This year, there was an influx of year-round swimmers in the freshman class. The girls’ team alone welcomed eight club-level athletes this winter. High school sports go in cycles, but this recent surge from northern county programs is not one that is likely to pass. Bethesda, Potomac and Rockville only became powerhouse areas after the Kennedy Shriver Aquatic Center, formerly the Montgomery Aquatic Center, opened in North Bethesda, Walter Johnson coach Jamie Grimes said. In the late 1990s, Watkins Mill was one of the county’s best, but the closing of the neighborhood’s YMCA hindered accessibility to indoor swimming during the winter. “We’re definitely seeing a shift,” Schaefer said. “Germantown has certainly been making an impact the last few years on swimming. I’m interested to watch how this whole season unfolds.” jbeekman@gazette.net
THE GAZETTE
Page B-4
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Einstein’s freshman guard getting the point n
JD Guerrero expected to play big role for Titans BY ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER
Albert Einstein High School’s upperclassmen said they want to take some of the pressure off their freshman starting point guard early in the season as he figures out his role in the offense. But come playoff time, don’t be shocked if the 15-year-old returns the favor and takes the pressure off his senior team-
mates. JD Guerrero, 6-foot-0, is a talented point guard with a high basketball IQ, solid court vision and tremendous ball-handling skills. For an Einstein team that already has established scorers — among them senior forward Joe Bradshaw (6-7) and junior guard Rahim Hayes (6-4) — Guerrero could be the perfect fit. “What he gives is a little bit of stability for us,” Einstein coach Rich Porac said. Guerrero, who attended St. Jude Regional Catholic School in eighth grade, has played under
Porac in summer league. This season, he wants to be a lead distributor for the Titans, getting everybody involved in the offense while also putting up points when necessary. “I want to be a ‘Chris Paul,’” Guerrero said, referring to the Los Angeles Clippers’ pass-first point guard. The Titans lacked a natural point guard last season but won nine of their last 13 games, taking an astronomical leap forward after their 2-10 start. In spite of the strong finish, the end-result was a playoff exit: a 64-54 loss to Ur-
bana in the Class 3A West Region semifinals. While the Titans hung around with the Hawks — thanks in large part to then-senior Josh Ogburn’s team-high 16 points — they were outscored in the fourth quarter and let the game slip away. Einstein didn’t fare any better against Urbana in Friday’s 62-47 loss in the season-opener, but the players saw positive signs in the loss with the offense running smoothly late in the game. “The nice thing about JD is he will take that pressure off [them],” Porac said.
Growing pains are inevitable for the Titans and their freshman point guard, particularly with upcoming games scheduled against Col. Zadok Magruder and Springbrook. But the challenging regular season schedule will give Guerrero time to adjust to his new role. “He’s young, so he has to get more mature, basketball-wise,” Bradshaw said. The freshman point guard has been a willing learner thus far. “At 15 years old, are you going to be mentally able to handle
it when things aren’t going well and we’re playing at packed gyms?” Porac said. But Porac, a third-year coach, is optimistic about Guerrero’s long-term prospects with the Titans. “He’s an outstanding gem that’s in the program for four years,” he said. For now, the freshman is focused on improving his game and making his teammates better. “If we all work together, then anything’s possible,” Guerrero said.
Churchill’s new basketball coach is just one of the boys Former Magruder assistant Robert Bean hopes to continue program’s success
n
BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER
First-year Winston Churchill High School boys’ basketball coach Robert Bean figures if he can do it, so can his teen-aged players. The former six-year assistant to Dan Harwood at Col. Zadok Magruder doesn’t just bark orders at the Bulldogs, he runs alongside them. “I’m 40, I’m still young, I’m having fun and I want to stay in shape,” Bean said. “I kind of take thewholerolemodelapproach[to coaching]. I think it maybe helps with motivation.”
It does, junior Bobby ArthurWilliams said. It also helped gain Churchill’s trust in the short amount of time the team had with their new leader before Friday’s season opener — the Bulldogs got off to a good start with a 67-62 win over Paint Branch. The energy and enthusiasm for the sport of basketball and imparting his wisdom upon the Bulldogs that Bean brings to the gym every single day, senior guard Allen Njumbe said, quickly earned the former Hobart College point guard the Bulldogs’ respect. “[Bean] does a good job being with us,” Arthur-Williams said. “Most coaches make you run, you do conditioning and they just watch you do it. [Bean] does it with us and it’s like he’s part of the team.”
Though Bean was only appointed just a few short weeks before tryouts in mid-November — former five-year coach Matt Miller resigned this fall after accepting an assistant coaching position at Shepherd (W. Va.) University — he was by no means a stranger to the program. In fact, a second-year counselor at the school, he developed a unique bond with many of his currentplayersashe’shelpedsupport them through the tragic suicide death of a former teammate last May. The Bulldogs have dedicated this season to Evan Rosenstock and will wear his initials on their shooting shirts, Bean said. “First of all, Robert is just a really caring person, he was a great counselor at Magruder for six or seven years,” Harwood said.
“Forget about being a basketball coach, when he left Magruder, people were devastated that we lost a great counselor. Many times what you’re doing when you work with young student-athletes, you’re almost like a psychiatrist, so his counseling background is really going to help him.” Bean stepped back from coaching at Magruder three years ago after the birth of his second child to spend more time at home. In the spring, he started helping with offseason training, and he and Miller discussed the possibilities helping out next winter if he was ready to return to the sidelines. Bean said at the start of this year he had no intention of coaching again just yet, but this opportunity was not something he could turn his back on.
Churchill had a system in place that worked. Under Miller the Bulldogs (18-6 record a year ago) have won 18 or more games in each of the past three division title-winning seasons and in 2012, madeitsfirstClass4AWestRegion appearance in more than three decades. While keeping some of the same basic principles intact — pushing the ball, getting it inside — Bean implemented an entirely new structure in just 12 practices and his players didn’t put up any resistance. Churchill’s new motion offense allows players to freelance, to read opponents’ defenses and play accordingly. Six-foot-6 center Arthur-Williams is a dynamic bigman type player and his presence inside helps open up opportunities for Njumbe and Jesse Locke
on the perimeter. The three returning starters are the focal point of Churchill’s offense, but are surrounded by a talented supporting cast, Bean said. Though Friday’s win was just the beginning and Bean said the team has a long way to go, the Bulldogs certainly seem to be on the right path despite all the changes within the program. Locke, Njumbe and Arthur-Williams said they suspect opponents will underestimate them but that would be a mistake. “A lot of times point guards make very good coaches, they have a different perspective,” Harwood said. “... He’s got the whole package other than just being the head coach. I’m sure Matt did a great job and I’m sure Robert will continue to build on it.”
Confident freshman emerges as Jewish Day gets off to hot start BY TRAVIS MEWHIRTER STAFF WRITER
Two years ago, Dave McCloud wasn’t at a Charles E. Smith Jewish Day Middle School practice to see Bryan Knapp. In fact, he didn’t even know Knapp. The Lions’ current high school varsity coach can’trememberexactlywhoitwas he was checking out, but only that
it is totally irrelevant now. The eighth-grader McCloud had gone to see play didn’t leave much of an impression and wound up transferring. McCloud thinks he wound up at Winston Churchill. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Knapp and the unforgettable athleticism he displayed as a seventh-grader matters. “Hewasn’tevenonmyradar,” said McCloud, who now oversees Knapp, a 6-foot-1 freshman averaging 12.5 points per game, on varsity. “And I saw him, and I said,
hand, a rare display of ambidexterity for a middle school player. “I said, ‘Whoa,’” McCloud recalled. “He went to the basket confidently.” Afterwards, the coach approached Knapp about his future with the school. The confidence the youngster displayed at the rim bordered on hubris when it came down to evaluating his own ability. “I got a pretty good conversation with him,” McCloud said. “I said, ‘I look forward to you coming
up, playing on the [junior varsity],’ and he said, ‘Coach, I look forward to playing on varsity.’” The timing for Knapp’s promotion to the top level — McCloud’s first ever freshman starter on a varsity team — couldn’t have been any better. The Lions lost top scorer Ethan Walfish and his 17.4 points per game to graduation, and while Danny Kravitz (13.7 ppg last season) would be returning for his senior season, he needed a complement. Enter Knapp. “I think it’s been really inter-
FEATURED LENDER/BROKER
NMLS 1522
Call this provider today for your mortgage needs! VA/FHA RATE 30 YEARS FIXED @ 3.75%-APR 3.897 CONVENTIONAL LOAN AMOUNT TO $417,000 LOANS FROM $417.001 TO $625,000 30 YEARS @ 4.250%-APR 4.295% 30 YEARS @ 3.875%-APR 3.997% 15 YEARS @ 3.250%-APR 3.259% 15 YEARS @ 2.875%-APR 2.981% AND 5/1 ARM @ 2.625%-APR 2.873% NOW HIRING LOAN OFFICER AND LOAN PROCESSORS
esting to see how I fit in,” he said. “I’m still making the adjustment to high school ball. It’s different.” Through the first four regular season games, Kravitz and Knapp have combined for 110 points and neither has been held to single digits in leading the Lions to a 3-1 record, including a 54-41 win over defendingPotomacValleyAthletic Conference champion McLean. “This kid’s got some ability,” McCloud said. tmewhirter@gazette.net
CALL(301) 881-5555 FOR FREE CONSULTATION
HELIO SOUZA NMLS #13003
www.americatrustfunding.com
***OTHER LENDERS PROMISE GREAT SERVICE, AMERICA TRUST FUNDING GUARANTEES IT***
We make sure you will get the best interest rate.
1912259
To advertise email: amasick@gazette.net
‘What about this kid? He moves pretty good, he moves different. He’s not robotic at all, very fluid.’” If McCloud was impressed simply by the athletic manner in which Knapp navigated the court, he was blown away by the middle schooler’s ability to finish. The coach remembers a particular sequence when Knapp slashed through the lane, cut back and finished at the rim, slapping the backboard for emphasis. The next possession down, Knapp did the same thing only to his opposite
1864904
Knapp is averaging doublefigures in scoring for Lions
n
MOVIE REVIEW
&
‘FURNACE’ HEATS UP
Many moving parts keep a sprawling ensemble cast busy and engaged
The Gazette’s Guide to
Arts & Entertainment
www.gazette.net www.gazette.net
|
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
|
Page B-5
THEATER
DICKENS WITH A
SHAKESPEARE MEETS JAPANESE CULTURE IN SILVER SPRING
KABUKI
AND THE
TWIST
BARD
Audience joins in ‘A Wake for Jacob Marley’ n
BY
VIRGINIA TERHUNE STAFF WRITER
Readers learn a lot about the mean and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” but not much is known about Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s deceased business partner. Marley is the guy in Dickens’ story who died seven years before he appears to Scrooge as a spectre in chains to introduce the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. “It’s my favorite novel ever written, and I wanted to pay homage to it without doing another ‘Christmas Carol,’” said Christopher Goodrich, who has tapped his imagination to also create a life for Marley.
See DICKENS, Page B-8 Dominic Massimino as Aufidius in “Kabuki Coriolanus,” now playing at Lumina Studio Theatre in Silver Spring. RON MURPHY
KABUKI CORIOLANUS n When: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday n Where: Round House Theatre, 8641, Colesville Road, Silver Spring n Tickets: $8-$15 n For information: 301-565-2282, luminastudio. org
DAVID LEWIS
BY CARA HEDGEPETH STAFF WRITER
Lumina Studio Theatre’s “Kabuki Coriolanus,” now playing at the Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, is what director David Minton calls “one of the most visual shows Lumina has ever done.” The show is coming up on its second weekend with four shows between Saturday and Sunday. “[Kabuki] is really in your face and the colorful makeup and the exaggerated facial expressions and the costuming in particular,” Minton said. “The costumes are extremely
Baakari Wilder plays Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Wake for Jacob Marley,” an imagined wake for Ebenezer Scrooge’s departed business partner, on Saturday at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda.
decorative and colorful.” Kabuki is a classical style of Japanese theater known for its stylized approach to drama and the elaborate makeup worn by its actors. Minton was first introduced to Kabuki while studying abroad during his junior year of college. “I lived with Japanese parents who sort of adopted me during my time there,” Minton said. “They asked me what I wanted to do and I said I wanted to see as much Japanese theater as I could ... I went to my first Kabuki performance and that blew my mind.”
See KABUKI, Page B-8
A WAKE FOR JACOB MARLEY: AN UNEXPECTED FUNDRAISER n When: 7 p.m. Saturday n Where: The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda n Tickets: $55 at the door; $45 ($25 tax deductible) in advance ($25 additional to participate with scripted lines, or sponsor a character — included in program, photo with character; $10 additional for a photo with Jacob Marley. Cocktail attire is encouraged) n For information: 301-337-8290, unexpectedstage.org
DIANNE DUMAIS
Actor Heather deMocker as Virgilia.
A Capital Christmas Capital Hearings hope to delight Montgomery fans
n
BY
CARA HEDGEPETH STAFF WRITER
The Capital Hearings will perform at the BlackRock Center for the Arts on Sunday.
BRITT OLSEN-ECKER
“It’s not just about the performance, it’s about the connections,” said singer John Hazangeles. “We’re all about making connections.” Hazangeles is the business manager for the Capital Hearings — or
Caps as they call themselves — a Washington, D.C.-based a cappella group comprised of 12 classicallytrained singers. The group will perform at BlackRock Center for the Arts for the first time on Sunday. “When you say a cappella, it can mean 10 different things to 10 different people,” Hazangeles said. For Hazangeles and the Caps, a cappella means connecting with an
See CAPITAL, Page B-8
THE GAZETTE
Page B-6
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
STRATHMORE
The Coral Cantigas bring their trademark blend of Latin American, Spanish and Caribbean choral music to the Mansion at Strathmore on Dec. 18.
Latin vibe Washington, D.C.’s own Coral Cantigas will perform their trademark blend of Latin American, Spanish and Caribbean choral music at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Mansion at Strathmore in North Bethesda. Coral Canitgas has performed at the Kennedy Center, presidential inaugural celebrations, museums, embassies and more, and has taken part in international tours in Argentina, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.strathmore.org. WORLD TOURING ENTERTAINMENT
The State Capella of Russia will perform a “Russian Christmas” on Thursday at Montgomery College’s Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center.
Russian REVELRY
The State Capella of Russia will perform its “Russian Christmas” at 8 p.m. Thursday at Montgomery College’s Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center in Rockville. Led by artistic director and chief conductor Valeri Polyansky, this will be the State Capella of Russia’s first ever tour of the United States. The program will feature masterpieces by Rachmaninoff, Bortnyansky and Grechaninoff, as well as western classics and famous Christmas carols. For more information, visit www.montgomerycollege.edu/PAC.
STRATHMORE
The National Philharmonic Chorale artistic director Stan Engebretson will conduct the National Philharmonic in Handel’s “Messiah” on Saturday and Sunday at the Music Center at Strathmore.
Global Glorystar The Glorystar Children’s Chorus will present its annual winter concert at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Chinese Bible Church of Maryland, 4414 Muncaster Mill Road, Rockville. Four of the
Trumpets sound The National Philharmonic will present Handel’s “Messiah” at 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. National Philharmonic Chorale artistic director
Stan Engebretson will conduct the concert, featuring the philharmonic’s nearly 200 voice all-volunteer Chorale, as well as soloists soprano Rosa Lamoreaux, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wór, tenor Robert Petillo and bass Kevin Deas. Handel’s most famous composition, “Messiah” also remains among the most popular works in Western choral literature. Divided into three parts addressing specific events in the life of Christ, it includes such favorites as “The Trumpet Shall Sound,” “And the Glory of the Lord,” and the “Hallelujah Chorus.” A free pre-concert lecture is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. on Saturday and again at 1:45 p.m. Sunday in the concert hall at the Music Center at Strathmore. For more information, visit www. nationalphilharmonic.org.
GLORYSTAR CHILDREN’S CHORUS
The Glorystar Children’s Chorus will present its annual winter concert on Saturday in Rockville.
1912058
1905478 1912886
group’s choirs - beginner, training, concert and chamber - will present a program of choral music from around he world in eight different languages, including Chinese, English, German, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Zulu and Hebrew. The audience also will have the opportunity to learn the Chinese folk song “Fèng yáng huagu” (“Flower Drum Song”) for a sing-along. For more information, visit www.glorystar.org.
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Page B-7
Sugar Plum Fairies everywhere! Venues celebrate with ballet standard Ballet written more than 120 years ago still popular today
range in price from $17 to $25. For more information, visit their website at mbtdance.org or call 301-762-1757. Montgomery College is home to two Nutcracker shows this year. The Maryland Youth Ballet out of Silver Spring will perform “The Nutcracker” at the E. Parilla Performing Arts Center Dec. 21-23 and Dec. 26-28. Tickets for the show vary in price from $23 to $33. For more information, visit marylandyouthballet.org, montgomerycollege. edu/PAC or call 240-567-5301. For a different spin, the Puppet Co. in Glen Echo blends marionettes with costumed characters in what is the company’s 25th anniversary of “The Nutcracker.” Actors dressed as mice, Clara and even the nutcracker interact with puppets on stage while they tell the story of “The Nutcracker.” The show is recommended for ages 5 and up, but is suitable for the whole family.
n
BY
WILL C. FRANKLIN STAFF WRITER
CHRISTOPHER PIPER
The Nutcracker defends Clara-Marie against the Mouse King and his minions in The Puppet Co.’s presentation of “The Nutcracker.” Monday and Tuesday. Ticket prices vary from $28 to $88. Visit Strathmore.org or call 301-5815100 for more information. Continuing the tradition of performing the full-length staging of the show, the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre and Academy will present “The Nutcracker” at the Robert E. Parilla Performing
CELEBRATE CELEBRA TE NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH US! LIVE MUSIC FROM
40 DOLLAR FINE
DANCING TIL 12:30AM DOORS OPEN AT 7:00PM DINNER & DESSERT BAR 8 - 9:30PM OPEN BAR: 8 - MIDNIGHT CHAMPAGNE TOAST ONLY
$59
95 95
PER PERSON
plus tax and gratuity RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED
1912248
to bring the story to life. The Metropolitan Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” will end its run this weekend with a 7 p.m. performance on Friday and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. shows on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets
w No ing! w Sho F.
Scott Fitzgerald Theater
603 Edmonston Dr. Rockville, MD 20851
240-314-8690
www.rockvillemd.gov/theatre
The Nutcracker 2013
1906286
Presented by Rockville Civic Ballet December 14 at 2pm and 7:30pm
Tickets $17 to $13
1912146
December 15 at 2pm
MAKE YOUR NEW YEAR’S EVE RESERVATION NOW! 4-COURSE DINNER PLUS CHAMPAGNE TOAST AT MIDNIGHT LIVE MUSIC FROM
1912887
BLUEBIRD SKY
95 ONLY $5995 PER PERSON
plus tax and gratuity
Golden Bull Grand Cafe
The Inn at Brookville Farms
301-948-3666
301-924-6500
7 Dalamar Street, Gaithersburg
Arts Center at Montgomery College in Rockville. The Metropolitan Ballet has presented the show in its entirety every year since 1989. Student and professional dancers alike work together on stage
1950 Georgia Avenue, Brookeville
1890854
Fresh off the success of the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” in 1890, Pyotr Tchaikovsky was commissioned to write a double-bill program that featured a ballet and an opera. The opera would be called “Iolanta,” while the ballet became a classic staple of the Christmas season. Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” Tchaikovsky and his partner Marius Petipa put together what is now known as “The Nutcracker.” Just in time for the holiday season, several area venues will present their versions of the popular tradition. The ballet tells the story of young Clara who dreams a toy nutcracker comes to life and goes to war with gingerbread soldiers against the mice. After defeating the mice, the nutcracker, who becomes a prince, and Clara travel to the Land of Sweets to celebrate. At the Olney Theatre Center, the Olney Ballet Company will present Mary Day’s version of “The Nutcracker,” with student dancers from area ballet schools performing with professional guest dancers. Mary Day is the founder of the Washington Ballet while Patricia Derrend, who served for 20 years as répétiteur for Day’s “Nutcracker,” is at the helm as director. “In a nutshell — pun intended — we combine the skills of about 90 student dancers with guest professionals from around the country to do Mary Day’s classic [‘Nutcracker’],” said Olney Ballet Theatre president Royal Dellinger. “Miss Day founded the Washington Ballet and choreographed this ballet over 50 years ago.” Olney’s “Nutcracker” opens on Friday and runs through Christmas Eve. Ticket prices range from $15 to $45. For more information, visit olneyballettheatre.org or call 301-774-9850. Meanwhile, in North Bethesda, the Music Center at Strathmore will host the Moscow Ballet’s production of “The Great Russian Nutcracker.” The company of 40 awardwinning dancers brings a Russian flair to the show with leaps aplenty. “The Great Russian Nutcracker,” is set to run at 7:30 p.m.
133818G
133816G
Tickets for the show, which runs from now until Dec. 29 are $10. Times for the show range from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., so be sure to visit the website at thepuppetco. org or call their box office at 201634-5380 for exact times. In Prince George’s County, the University of Maryland’s Ballet Company M will present its version of “The Nutcracker” at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the Dance Theatre at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park. Ballet Company M will perform the second act of “The Nutcracker,” where they will take the audience on a journey through the Forest of the Snowflakes to the Land of Sweets. Tickets for the show are free, but seating is limited, so folks are encouraged to get the tickets as soon as possible. Visit claricesmithcenter.umd.edu or call 301-405-2787 for tickets or for more information. wfranklin@gazette.net
THE GAZETTE
Page B-8
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
CAPITAL
CAPITAL HEARINGS
Continued from Page B-5 audience with sometimes rather unconventional performances, such as in April 2011 when the group surprised lobbyists and members of Congress on Capitol Hill with a rendition of “America the Beautiful” during Arts Advocacy Day. Or the following month when the Capital Hearings staged a flashmob proposal on behalf of a young man for his unsuspecting girlfriend at Good Stuff Eatery on Capitol Hill. Or last year when the group did a second surprise rendition of “America the Beautiful” to open the American Institute of Architects National Convention. “[Surprise performances] have become one of our signature things,” Hazangeles said. The first Capital Hearing performance, however, was a planned one. It was a 2010 outdoor, pool-side concert at the Residence of the Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy for a Choral Arts Young Patrons event. The group had gotten its start just a few months earlier after Hazangeles, Caps music director Dileep Srihari and Carolyn Wise struck up a friendship as members of the Choral Arts Society of Washington. “[It] started very innocently as a bunch of people getting together at someone’s house,” Hazangeles said. “It’s a group that started out of musical curiosity.” All Capital Hearings members are trained vocalists and many come by way of some of the area’s most renowned choral groups, including The 18th Street Singers, Choral Arts, and Cantate Chamber Singers. The group rehearses once every other week and more often during the holiday season. According to Hazangeles, the Caps’ repertoire includes “music of the Renaissance to Katy Perry.” The set list for Sunday’s concert at BlackRock is
n When: 4 p.m. Sunday n Where: BlackRock Center for the Arts, 1209 Town Commons Dr., Germantown n Tickets: $22 n For information: 301-5282260, blackrockcenter.org
The Capital Hearings will make their BlackRock Center for the Arts debut Sunday night. just as diverse, featuring everything from carols to classics like “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph,” to contemporary favorites such as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Capital Hearings members
each hold separate professions, ranging from middle school music teacher to attorney to realtor and a handful of federal employees. “Our members are some of the most interesting, ambitious
professional people I’ve met in my life,” Hazangeles said. “Knowing that we’re part of a creative process together makes the relationship even more strong and even more special.” While the Capital Hearings
DICKENS
Continued from Page B-5
RON MURPHY
Molly Beckett as the Announcer in Lumina Studio Theatre’s “Kabuki Coriolanus,” this weekend at the Round House Theatre.
KABUKI
Continued from Page B-5 The experience stuck with the director and upon his return to the states, he took courses in Japanese, read about Japanese theater and saw any performances that came to town. The Japanese theater influence eventually made its way into Minton’s work at Lumina. “[Founder] Jill {Raye] and I always wanted to do Shakespeare in different ways,” Minton said. “I think that’s one of the philosophies of Lumina; one of the philosophies we operate by.” Six years ago, Minton decided he wanted to stage a Shakespeare play in a Japanese style. The result was a production of “Julius Caesar” with a feudal Japan twist. “There are remarkable similarities between the Japanese Shogun culture ... and Roman culture,” Minton said. “The obvious plays were the Roman plays by Shakespeare.” “Julius Caesar” was a hit. According to Minton, it was one of the most popular shows Lumina has ever done. A few years later, Minton was ready to revisit Japanese culture, this time with a Kabuki influence. “For me it was sort of obvious which play it would be,” Minton said. “One of Shake-
speare’s warriors and his last tragedy, ‘Coriolanus.’” “Coriolanus” is the story of the Roman leader Caius Martius who, banished by the Romans, joins the Volscian army. Lumina actors James Sleigh and Ben Lickerman share the role of Coriolanus. Lickerman, a 16-yearold student at Montgomery Blair High School, has been acting with Lumina for eight years. But preparing for a role in a Kabukistyle show presents a fresh challenge for the young actor. “Normally in Lumina we focus on speech, [so] to then work on all of this posture and movement is interesting,” Lickerman said. “We’re not going full-on Kabuki but every [movement] is deliberate, precise, to the point. You really have to discipline your body and make sure you’re in full control.” Minton, along with choreographer Shizumi Shigeto Manale, worked with the actors to make sure they mastered the physical nature of the play. “Even before we got our parts and our lines, we got the physicality down,” Lickerman said. “Shizumi, day one, she trained us to move this way, straight back, head forward.” Despite the importance of movement, Minton said Lumina has not abandoned its dedication to language. “That’s why we’re here, be-
cause of the words,” Minton said. “So we’re not losing that in this show ... What we tried to do was marry that with the nature of Kabuki which is broad and big and visual.” A major visual aspect of the play is the use of video, something Lumina has employed in past productions. “I’ve had an interest in video and how it can be incorporated in ways that are both entertaining and actually add something, a new facet to the way we see the production or the script,” Minton said. While video didn’t seem appropriate for the production of “Julius Caesar,” Minton said the multimedia facet fit nicely with the Kabuki style. “One of the aspects of Kabuki theater is being big and being over the top,” Minton said. “Kabuki is a really welcome, big expansive style so [video] would really be appropriate.” The director said video is used in “Coriolanus” to make announcements, the way a servant in a Shakespeare play would. “In our production there’s a video [Kabuki-style] mask that comes on and turns back and forth and we hear words come out,” Minton said. “It’s an alternate universe.” chedgepeth@gazette.net
“We don’t know who Marley is [in ‘A Christmas Carol’]” said Goodrich, who in his script, “A Wake for Jacob Marley,” brings Marley to life through five characters who remember him. They are Scrooge (Baakari Wilder), Bob Cratchit (Scott Courlander) and Tiny Tim (Katie Zitz) from Dickens’ 1843 novella and two characters that Goodrich created specifically for this show — Marley’s wife (Lois Sanders) and daughter (Amanda Spellman). Marley (Brandon Mitchell) also makes an appearance — at his own wake. “It’s creative and pretty wide open,” Goodrich said. Scheduled for Saturday at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, “A Wake for Jacob Marley” also doubles as a fundraiser for the Unexpected Stage Company, which Goodrich founded with his wife, Rachel Stroud-Goodrich, four years ago. The audience is invited to
BRITT OLSEN-ECKER
tend to perform primarily in Washington, D.C., Hazangeles said the group is excited to expand into Montgomery County. “Part of [this concert] was wanting to perform in Montgomery County,” Hazangeles
enjoy Christmas carolers and imbibe champagne, wine, malt ciders and holiday food, while also participating in the wake as people who knew Marley. “It’s as if they had known Jacob and are coming to mourn him,” said Goodrich, who added there is humor and fun in the event, but also “definitely some serious colors.” And this is not a wake where mourners sugarcoat their memories of the departed, he said. “You don’t encounter the whole picture — that’s always bugged me,” said Goodrich, who goes deeper into the complexities of Marley and how he’s perceived by others. “You see a lot of honesty,” said Wilder, whose character, Scrooge, ran a moneylender’s firm with Marley. Wilder said he’s having fun exploring Goodrich’s script to find ways to express Scrooge’s relationship with Marley. “They both had the same desires about keeping and making money,” he said. But how did Scrooge feel about his business partner?
said. “We have a growing fan base [there].” Hazangeles said the Caps are also excited for the opportunity to perform in BlackRock’s Mainstage Theater. “I have been an admirer of BlackRock and specifically the Mainstage Theater ...” Hazangeles said. “It has really, really wonderful acoustics. Normally if we were in a ... hall like that we would need to be mic’d, but at the Mainstage Theater it’s almost sort of a church or cathedral acoustic. We can do more classical pieces in a way we would in a smaller setting.” When it comes time to choose songs for their holiday concerts, Hazangeles said it’s always a little tricky. “With holiday music, there’s always a balance,” he said. While the group’s repertoire committee typically meets before the holiday season to decide what pieces would be fun and challenging for the Caps, Hazangeles said there is “usually all kinds of interesting debate and discussion among the group. Ultimately though, song selection comes back to the heart of the group: connections, with their audience and with each other. “There’s something really special about making music together,” said Hazangeles, who also added the Caps greatly encourage audience participation. “There’s something really remarkable about two or three or 12 voices coming together.” chedgepeth@gazette.net
And would he be open enough to express it in front of mourners? Wilder also said he is working on staying in character as Scrooge while mingling with the audience as other mourners, such as Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, relay their memories. “It’s about how you react to everyone speaking — you’ve got to keep the environment going outside the script,” Wilder said. Wilder must also react when Marley shows up at the proceedings. Unlike Scrooge, who is ultimately redeemed thanks to Marley’s intervention, Marley himself is not saved in Dickens’ story. “He’s wearing some pretty heavy chains,” said Mitchell, adding that Marley has the chance to hear what people have to say about him after he’s dead. “It’s about having fun, but it’s also about these people in real life [who interact] in ways that are unexpected,” Mitchell said. vterhune@gazette.net
DAVID LEWIS
Brandon Mitchell plays the deceased Jacob Marley, and Lois Sanders plays his wife, Suzanna Grendel-Marley, in “A Wake for Jacob Marley,” an imagined wake for Ebenezer Scrooge’s departed business partner, on Saturday at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda. The one-night theatrical event doubles as a fundraiser for The Unexpected Stage Company cofounded by Chris Goodrich, who penned the script for the wake.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
THE GAZETTE
Page B-9
Page B-10
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Classifieds Call 301-670-7100 or email class@gazette.net
SILVER SPRING
Randolph Village Senior Apartments "Affordable Independent Living For Seniors 62+." Income Restriction Applies
WEDNESDAY OPEN HOUSE COFFEE SOCIAL 11AM-1PM AMENITIES: *Health Care Facility *Physical Fitness Center *Sun Filled Solarium *Community Media Room *Plenty of Parking Randolph Village Apartments
531 Randolph Road Silver Spring, MD 20904
X
GAITHERHOUSE APARTMENTS
*Library *Resident Socials *Beautifully Landscaped Grounds
501B S. Frederick Ave #3 Gaithersburg, MD 20877
877.907.5577 (Office)
DON’T WAIT APPLY TODAY!
Senior Living 62+
• Emergency Response System • 24 Hour Maintenance • Transportation Via Community Van • Pet Friendly • Full Size Washer & Dryer
www.PinnacleAMS.com/GardensOfTraville
Se Habla Espanol
X
The New Taste
of Churchill
18201 Lost Knife Circle Montgomery Village, MD 20886
OPEN O PEN
SSaturday aturday from f ro m 10:00 am am - 4:00 4:00 pm pm 10:00
We look forward to serving you!
Apply online and get approved today+
1 Month FREE Rent
• Huge Floor Plans • Large Walkin Closets • Private Balcony/Patio • Fully Equipped Kitchen w/Breakfast Bar
21000 Father Hurley Boulevard Germantown, MD 20874
• Minutes away from I-270, Metro, and MARC Train
301-528-4400
+ subject to credit approval
301-948-8898
340 N. Summit Ave. • Gaithersburg, MD
www.churchillseniorliving.com
SILVER SPRING
GAITHERSBURG
It’s BRAND NEW at Amber Commons 7 McCausland Place, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 “If you are looking for the distinctive, the uncommon, the out of the ordinary then welcome home to Amber Commons where we have the perfect blend of tradition: brick, mature landscaping, and gracious space combined with the best of brand new: GE clean steel appliances, energy efficiency and more!”
Advertise Your apartment community here!
SPRING:
3Br, 2Ba, SFH w/ porch, house completely renovated w/ all NEW everything! Call: 410-435-5626 or 410-599-3971
$37,225 Santa comes early this year with pristine park-like hardwood setting & best views money can buy! Short drive DC Beltway. Perc, warranty deed, mineral rights & best financing around. Hurry this one-of-akind parcel at this price only happens at Christmas. Call Santa Now! 1-800-888-1262.
DAMASCUS: 3BR
$1500/ 2BR $1250 +util NS/NP, W/D New Carpet, Paint, Deck & Patio, 301-250-8385
GAITH: EU TH, 4BR 2.5 BA fenced yard, wood deck, garage. Convenient location. $2,250. 301-675-8507
GAITH/MV: 3 bed, 2
1/2 ba TWH freshly painted $1550 central heat/AC , all appliances, wood floors assigned parking fenced patio HOC ok call Nick 301-412-4522
3BR, 2BA, 2-1/2BA. Fin Bsmt, New Deck, Shops/Trans. $1850 + utils. 301-814-0340
GE R M: EU 3lvl TH SS: 3br/2ba 3Br 3.5Ba big deck fnsd w/bsmt fncd yrd nr I/270 bus,schl,shop. $1645. 240-246-6686
GERM: Lrg 4BR, 2.5BA TH. Wood Flrs, W/D, Eat in Kit, Nr Shops, 355, 270. HOC Ok. 240-383-1000 KENSINGTON:
CHRISTMAS LAND BARGAIN! 10 ACRES -
SIL SPRING: TH,
SFH 4 BR/3 BA Updated,Light-Filled, Quiet St. near Park. $2490 301-538 -4638
MONT
VILLAGE:
3Br, 2.5Ba TH, fin bsmt, nr bus/shops, NP/NS $1750 HOC Call: 240-643-0932
MONT
rambler. cac/wd/dw,fin rec rm, hrwd flrs,, fncd yrd $2200 +utils, wlk to Metro. Move now and free November rent. 202-210-5530
SS: 4BR,2.5BA,SFH
Fin Bsmnt, two car garage, deck, hot tub, FP $2500 near metro & shops 301-330-1177
B O W I E : TH 3BR,
2.5BA, Car Garage, 2 Level Deck. $1850/mo Call or Text 916-7187761
3Br, 2.5Ba TH, fin bsmt, nr bus/shops, NP/NS $1700 HOC Call: 240-643-0932
OLNEY:
End unit. 3BD, 2.5BA. New carpet, paint & fixtures. FP. Gorgeous, must see! NS/NP. $1800. 301-343-9711
BROOKEVILLE:
Beautiful Sunny Studio Apt w/BA W/D all utils incl off street parking Avail 01/01 $850 301906-1350
LAKESIDE APTS GAITHERSBURG
Half Month Free Large 1 or 2 BR Apts Short/long term leases POOLESVILLE: TH Utilities Included 3BR 1.5BA, W/D fncd Great Prices bkyd, Pets Ok. $1395 301-948-0087 + utils, avail immed Call: 301-407-0763
ROCKVILLE:
N.POTOMAC ROCKVILLE: 1 BR
NEWLY RENOVATED Apt. $1250 incl util, SFH 4 Bedrooms & CATV, Free Parking NS/NP 2 Bathrooms, near Avail now. Twinbrook Metro, CALL: 301-424-9205 Gran/Stnls kit. New hdwds and paint throughout, Fireplace , CAC bsmnt with W/D. Gas, Carport, deck SS: Lrg Rm for Rent/ and a fenced yard. Quarto para Alquilar $2150/month Please $650 mo/mes 240Call: 301-990-0091. 388-6553
Contact Ashby
Rice (301) 670-2667
OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE Several furnished, individual offices in a Class A building available for sublease with shared reception, conference room, and administrative support in Gaithersburg next to 270. Call 301-972-4430.
ADELPHI:
1 Br + den 14th floor . $1245 uti inc + SD & Move In Fees, Front Desk. Ref req. 240-418-5693
BETHESDA/GROV ESNER: 3BD 1.5BA
Condo in Parkside. $1900 util incl. Avail Jan 1st. 301-233-5721
GAIT H: Penthouse
LG condo 1bd/1ba wood floor, 24hr security, all util incl HOC OK 240-383-1000
GERM: 2Br, 2Ba new
VILLAGE:
kSpacious Floor Plans kSmall Pets Welcome kBalcony Patio
(301) 460-1647 3004 Bel Pre Rd., Apt. 204, Silver Spring, MD 20906
crpt/paint, h/d flr, W/D, fitness center, near shops & restaurants $1295 + SD Mike Remax Pro. Please Call: 301-674-2371
GAITH: 2 Rooms in TH: both shr Ba $600 each plus shared utliities Please call: 240-305-6331
GAITHERSBURG:
Bsmt Br, $500 , Upstairs room $500 util inc for both, nr bus Call: 240-848-4483
GAITHERSBURG:
Lrg bsmt room w/priv BA & Entr. Close to shops, bus & metro. $700 incl utils & int. N/P, N/S. Se habla espanol. Email David davidvaliente01@ hotmail.com
GAITHERSBURG:
Male, master BR w BA $399. Nr Metro/Shops NP/NS. Avail Now. Call 301-219-1066
GAITHERSBURG:
TH Bsmt Apt pvt entr $750/mo util incl.Near Shops/Metro 240-3887552 or 240-370-0272
GAITH:
Female Only. Short-term 1 BR in TH. Free cable & internet. $510. (util Inc.) 301-367-7283
GAITH: Male. 2 BR
in TH. $450 & $500. NP, NS, near Bus, shops. Call 240-4189237 or 240-912-5284
GERMANTOWN:
Male/Female Rm with pvt ba & INT $600 util inc+1mo Sec Dep Aval Immed. 301-916-6163
Room for Rent. $425 $650 incl util D/W,W/D utils incl. Male Pref. Smoker Ok, CATV Avail Now! Please Nr Bus, Avail Now. Call 301-503-1753 Call: 240-361-8655
GERM: Male only 2
BRs $400 each + utils in TH NS/ND. Near bus & shops. Sec Dep Req. 240-476-6224
GERM: TH 1 room
w/pvt BA $400/mo w/utils & int. Nr Walmart & 270/355 CALL: 240-744-2421
OLNEY: 1 Rm in bsmt in SFH share kitchen $500 utils included, NS/NP Avail Now. 301-257-5712 OL N E Y : Furnished
Bsmt Apt for 1 tenant, priv ent, full Kitch & Ba, $1200 util incld except WIFI & Cable, N/P N/S 301-503-6167
ROCKVILLE: SFH,
GAITH/MUDDY BRANCH: EU TH
SIL SPG: 3BR base-
G E R M A N : 1 BR in
uppr lvl of Sfh $600 uti/Inet inc. ns/np nr Walmart 301-7062722 301-978-1542
SIL SPG: SFH, 1MBr Bsmt, priv Ba, kit w/d, int/cable. $850/i n c l utils plus $400 SD Avl Jan 1st 240-602-5533
GERMANTOWN
SILVER
3BR, 1.5BA, NS/NP. Walk to Metro, W/D, $1700/mo + utils. Kanu 301-670-6844 ment apt w/priv BA & kitchen. Separate Entrance. $1,200 util incl. 301-758-5079
DEEP CREEK LAKE water front, across frm WISP Resort,3br/3ba Th,deck,dock,fp,Jacz wd, cbl. 301-916-3077
Plan ahead! Place your Yard Sale ad Today!
24.99
$
*includes rain insurance
Call Today 301.670.2503
kFull Size W/D in every unit kSwimming Pool
To Advertise Realtors & Agents call 301.670.2641 To Advertise Rentals & for sale by owner call 301.670.7100
SPRING:
2 BR in TH, $485 & $525 both incl utils. N/S, N/P. Avail immed CALL: 240-361-3391
Room for Rent $415 shared kitchen, bathroom and utilities W/D 301-404-2681
GE RMA NT OWN :
SILVER
LG Furn BR in uppr lvl $500 util & laundry included. Sec. Dep Req. Call: 301-605-5199
floor private ENT, KIT, BA, PARKING. $1200 quiet and Sunny! call 301-879-2868
GE RMA NT OWN : WHEATON: 1Br in SFH
GAITH:M BRs $435+ 440+475+555+ Maid Ns/Np, nr 270/370/Bus shops, quiet, conv.Sec Dep 301-983-3210
M/F only updated Mbr w/ba $660 + util Avail 12/08 NS 3016747928
SS: NEW 1BR Apt 1st
WHEATON:1 Room w/pvt BA $700/mo incl. utils, Cable & WIFI. Near Metro & Bus Call 240-286-7142
kFamily Room G560380
SILVER
GER MA NT OWN:
TH, 4BR, 3.5BA w/fin bsmt. $2200/month HOC OK. Call 301916-9045
kNewly Updated Units
or pricing and ad deadlines.
www.ambercommons.com
1600+ sq foot patio home 2BR + Den with Large 2 car garage + attic. New kitchen appliances/counters. New carpet and paint. Buyer brokers are welcome. $365,000. Call: 301-977-0635
STRATHMORE HOUSE APARTMENTS
and reach over 206,000 homes!
Call today: 301-355-7111
LEISURE WORLD:
301-762-5224
Office Hours: M-F 9:00am - 6:00pm, Saturday 11:00am - 3:00pm
STREAMSIDE S T R E A M S I D E APARTMENTS A PA R T M E N T S
The Trusted Name in Senior Living
Visit us at www.homeproperties.com
14431 Traville Garden Circle Rockville, Maryland 20850
GAITHERSBURG
GERMANTOWN
1-888-812-9616
•New Appliances, Kitchens & Baths* •Large Kitchens & Walk-In Closets* •1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments •Free Free Electric Included •Pet Friendly •Short-Term Leases •Free Parking •Minutes to I-270 & Metro Bus & Rail •Housing Choice Vouchers Welcome •Se aceptan vales de eleccio'n de *Select Apartments vivienda
• Garden-Style Apartment Homes • On-Site Laundry Facilites • Kitchen w/ Breakfast Bar • Private Balcony/ Patio • Free Parking • Small Pets Welcome • Swimming Pool
301-948-1908
301.622.7006 (Fax) Email: randolph@hrehllc.com
GAITHERSBURG
Cider Mill
ROCKVILLE
GAITHERSBURG
SPRING:
Rooms avail in SFH, nr Metro/Shops, rent incl utilties 202-7041768 or 301-942-2161
or email class@gazette.net
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
16 Chestnut St Gaithersburg, MD 20877
(use Chestnut or Dalmar entrances) Fri. 12/13 9a-7p, Sat 12/14 9a-5p Sun 12/15 10a-4p Many Items 50% Off, Mon 12/16 9a-10a (Dollar Dash)
FREE ADMISSION!
Baby To Teen: Toys, Clothes, Books, Baby Equipment & More!!!!
Sunday, Dec.15th,10:00 AM At Hunts Place
19521 Woodfield Rd (Rte 124) REDUCE YOUR Gaithersburg, MD 20879 Furn CollGold Art-JD Ride Mower-Piano CABLE BILL! * Get
301-948-3937
#5205 Look on Auctionzip.com
ORIENTAL RUG MY COMPUTER AUCTION: Fri. Dec WORKS Computer
13th 10:00am. 7621 Rickenbacker Dr. Ste 200, Gaithersburg Md. 20879. Go to auctionzip.com. enter 3455 Get details & photos DNAuctioneers 410-783-1846
GE RMA NT OWN :
Estate Sale Sat & Sat 12/14 & 15 10a-3p. Furn, Patio Furn, Med Equip, Appliances & HH Items . Clothes/ Linens. 11404 Millport Circle, 20876
a 4-Room All-Digital Satellite system installed for FREE and programming starting at $19.99/mo. FREE HD/DVR upgrade for new callers, SO CALL NOW. 1-877388-8575.
problems? Viruses, spyware, email, printer issues, bad internet WRAP UP YOUR connections - FIX IT HOLIDAY SHOPNOW! Professional, PING WITH 100% U.S.-based techniGUARANTEED, cians. $25 off service. DELIVERED-TOCall for immediate THE-DOOR OMAhelp 1-866-998-0037 HA STEAKS! SAVE 67% - PLUS 4 FREE Burgers - Many Gourmet Favorites ONLY $49.99. ORDER Today 1-800870-8335. Use code APPLIANCE 49377CFX or REPAIR - We fix It no www.OmahaSteaks. matter who you com/holiday34 bought it from! 800934-5107
DIRECTV - Over 140 JESSUP: Pre-Holiday
Sale! Friday, 12/13 & Sat 2/14, 10am-4pm. Gift items, decorations, antiques, collectibles and so much more. 10750 Guilford Road, Jessup, MD
channels only $29.99 a month. Call Now! Triple savings! $636.00 in Savings, Free upgrade to Genie & 2013 NFL Sunday ticket free!! Start Saving today! 1-800-2793018
$175 a Cord Split & Delivered 240-315-1871
Additional sales floor space has been added! More room = more items!
Consignors Wanted www.totswap.net
HUNT AUCTION
PREMIUM ALL SEASONED HARDWOODS Mostly Oak GP2375
Martin, Fender, WANTED TO PURGrestch, Epiphone, CHASE Antiques & Guild, Mosrite, Fine Art, 1 item Or EnRickenbacker, Prairie tire Estate Or CollecState, D’Angelico, tion, Gold, Silver, Stromberg, and GibCoins, Jewelry, Toys, son Mandolins/Banjos. Oriental Glass, China, 1920’s thru 1980’s. Lamps, Books, TexTOP CASH PAID! 1tiles, Paintings, Prints 800-401-0440. almost anything old Evergreen Auctions ***OLD ROLEX & 973-818-1100. Email PATEK PHILIPPE evergreenauction@hot WATCHES mail.com WANTED!** Daytona, Sub Mariner, etc. TOP CASH PAID! 1800-401-0440
Join 400+ families consigning at our HOLIDAY SALE !! Montgomery Fairgrounds
FURNITURE FOR SALE: Ethan Allen
solid wood dining set, 13pcs, table, 6 chairs, 3 leaves, buffet with hutch and dry sink. $1500. Cash Only! 301-253-2667
FIREWOOD FOR SALE 100% Oak $150 half cord $225 per cord Mixed Firewood $100 half cord $150 per cord Call Adrian 301-309-0062 240-506-4326 FIREWOOD FOR SALE
$250/cord $150 per 1/2 cord µ Includes Delivery µ Stacking Extra Charge Ask for Jose 301-417-0753 301-370-7008
It’s FREE! Buy It, Sell It, Find It GazetteBuyandSell.com
HAVANESE PUPPIES Home raised, AKC, best health guarantee noahslittleark.com Call: 262-993-0460
MAKE UP TO
$2,000.00+ Per Week! New Credit Card Ready Drink-Snack Vending Machines. Minimum $4K to $40K+ Investment Required. Locations Available. BBB Accredited Business. (800) 962-9189
NOW HIRING!!! $28/HOUR. Under-
cover Shoppers Needed \\ $300/DAY Typing Companies Advertising Online. We provide the training & the jobs to perform. Genuine Opportunity. PT/FT. Experience Unnecessary. www.HiringLocalHelp. com
EARN $500 ADAY: Insurance
Agents Needed; Leads, No Cold Calls; Commissions Paid Daily; Lifetime Renewals; Complete Training; Health/Dental Insurance: Life License Required. Call 1-888713-6020.
ADOPTION- A Lov-
ing alternative to unplanned pregnancy. You choose the family for your child. Receive pictures/info of waiting/approved couples. Living expense assistance. 1-866236-7638
NOTICE AT&T intends to file an application to install a new light pole, antennas, and associated equipment at Gaithersburg High School located at 101 Education Boulevard, Montgomery County, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877. AT&T is publishing this notice in accordance with Federal regulation 37CFR1.1301 et seq, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 36 CFR 800. The project referenced as "Old Tonga" will consist of the replacement of the existing light pole with a 120-foot light pole. Antennas will be installed at a height of 124 feet. An 11-foot six-inch by 20-foot pad with shelter and generator will be installed near the pole. Trenching for wires linking the light pole to the equipment shelter is also proposed. Parties interested in submitting comments or questions regarding any potential effects of the proposed facility on Historic Properties may do so in writing by contacting Carolyn Mitchell, AT&T, at 7150 Standard Drive, Hanover, Maryland 21076 or c/o theresa.scarlato@cardno.com. (12-11-13)
U12 BOYS MSI ONE CALL, DOES MEDICAL OFFICE CASH FOR UNEXPIRED DIACLASSIC SOC- IT ALL! FAST AND TRAINING CER TEAM FORM- RELIABLE PROGRAM! Train to BETIC TEST become a Medical OfSTRIPS! Free ShipING FOR SPRING PLUMBING REping, Friendly Service, fice Assistant. No Ex2014: Honey Badgers PAIRS & INSTALBEST prices and 24hr - U12 Boys MSI Clas- LATIONS. Call 1perience Needed! Ca-
payment! Call today sic Soccer Team is 800-796-9218 reer Training & Job 877-588-8500 or visit looking for quality Placement Assistance www.TestStripSearch. players for their Spring ONE CALL, DOES at CTI! HS com Espanol 888-4402014 season. Practi- IT ALL! FAST AND Diploma/GED & Com4001 ces and games will be RELIABLE ELECputer needed. 1-877held around Rockville, TRICAL REPAIRS 649-2671 MEDICAL ALERT Germantown area & INSTALLAFOR SENIORS Coach Nougais TIONS. Call 1-80024/7 monitoring. Metellus is a licensed 908-8502 FREE Equipment. soccer coach with FREE Shippng. Namany years of coachtionwide Service. ing experience. So if CUT YOUR $29.95/Month CALL you are looking to eleSTUDENT LOAN Medical Guardian Topayments in HALF or vate your game, con- AIRLINE CAREERS begin here - Get FAA day 866-992-7236 more. Even if Late or tact the team manager approved Aviation in Default. Get Relief at 240-372-1100. Maintenance training. FAST. Much LOWER Housing and Financial payments. CAll StuAid for qualified student Hotline 877-295dents. Job placement VIOLET’S 0517. assistance. CALL AviALL THINGS CLEANING ation Institute of MainBASEMENTY! Looking For tenance 800-481GET FREE OF Basement Systems 8974. Houses to Clean, CREDIT CARD Inc. Call us for all of DEBT NOW! Cut Exc Refs, Legal your basement needs! AIRLINES ARE payments by up to Waterproofing? Finish- HIRING- Train for English Spkng, half. Stop creditors ing? Structural ReOwn Car hands on Aviation from calling 877-858pairs? Humidity and Maintenance Career. 1386 301-706-6317 Mold Control FREE FAA approved proESTIMATES! Call 1gram. Financial aid if 888-698-8150 qualified- Housing GUARANTEED available. CALL Avia- INCOME FOR DISH TV RETAILtion Institute of Mainte- YOUR RETIREHOUSEKEEPER ER . Starting at nance (877)818-0783. MENT. Avoid market NEEDED IN POTO$19.99/month (for 12 risk & get guaranteed MAC to cook, clean, mos.) & High Speed income in retirement! to advertise 5½ days for couple. Internet starting at CALL for FREE copy 301-983-3278. call $14.95/month (where of our SAFE MONEY available) SAVE! Ask 301.670.7100 LIVE IN HSKPR: GUIDE. Plus Annuity. About SAME DAY Inor email Min 2yrs Experience. Quotes from A-Rated stallation! CALL Now! class@gazette.net Potomac. Legal. Drive. compaines! 800-6691-877-992-1237 Cook. 301-887-3212 5471
Daycare Directory
G GP2340 P2340
***OLD GUITARS WANTED!** Gibson,
Page B-11
Children’s Center of Damascus
Lic. #:31453
301-253-6864
20872
Elena’s Family Daycare
Lic. #:15-133761 301-972-1955
20876
Kids Garden Day Care
Lic.#:139378
240-601-9134
20886
Debbie’s Daycare
Lic. #:15-127060 301-540-6818
20876
Affordable Quality Child Care
Lic. #:156840
301-330-6095
20886
Veenu’s Family Day Care
Lic.#:52608
301-977-2305
20855
DEADLINE: DECEMBER 30, 2013
Careers 301-670-2500 to advertise call 301.670.7100 or email class@gazette.net
class@gazette.net
Auto. Tech & Experienced Service Advisor
MD State Inspection certificate is a plus. Montgomery County Pls. Call: 301-769-1121 or 240-277-1035
CLEANING
Earn $350-$500/wk. M-F, No nights or weekends. Must have own car & valid. Drivers lic. Se Habla Espanol.
Recruiting is now Simple! Get Connected!
Merry Maids
Silver Spring 301-587-5594
Concierge
The Village at Rockville - a National Lutheran Community, is seeking a full time and part time concierge to join our dynamic rehab team. Candidates must be service excellence focused, friendly, courteous, and person-centered advocates for each rehab guest. Successful candidates must possess strong problem solving skills and be able to communicate with a wide variety of disciplines. Full time hours: Monday-Friday, 10am - 6:30pm; part-time hours include every other Saturday & Sunday 10am - 6:30pm. Qualifications include high school diploma or equivalent, receptionist and/or concierge experience in a senior health care setting. Must be able to work in a fast-paced, computer automated environment. Compensation includes excellent pay and a benefits package. If interested, please email your resume to jobs@thevillageatrockville.org. EOE
Search Jobs
Find Career Resources
Delivery
Deliver Phonebooks in Maryland Suburban including Silver Springs, Germantown, Gaithersburg and Oxon Hill. Stop by: 1251 West Montgomery Ave Rockville, MD, 20850 Or 4420 Lottsford Vista Drive Lanham, MD 20706 Call (877) 581-0555 deliveryellow.com
Foster Parents
Treatment Foster Parents Needed Work from home!
û Free training begins soon û Generous monthly tax-free stipend û 24/7 support
Call 301-355-7205 to advertise call 301.670.7100 or email class@gazette.net
Editorial Staff Supervisor/Reporter Comprint Military Publications has an immediate opening for a full-time, Editorial Staff Supervisor/Reporter in its Joint Base MyerHenderson Hall Virginia office. News writing background, InDesign knowledge, & digital camera familiarity, and experience supervising an editorial team a must. Familiarity with military a plus. We offer a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, pension, 401(k) and tuition reimbursement. E-mail resume, writing samples and requirements to: jrives@dcmilitary.com Position Location: Pentagram Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall 204 Lee Avenue Building 59, Room 116 Fort Myer VA 22211-1199 EOE
salary
Pharmacy/ Phlebotomy Tech Trainees Needed Now Pharmacies/ hospitals now hiring. No experience? Job Training & Placement Assistance Available 1-877-240-4524 CTO SCHEV
Healthcare
FRONT DESK
Busy Rockville Doctor’s office. Must be a team player, dedicated, & career oriented. Serious applicants only. Willing to train. Excellent salary & benefits. Fax resume: 301424-8337
Dental/ Medical Assistant Trainees Needed Now Dental/Medical Offices now hiring. No experience? Job Training & Placement Assistance Available 1-877-234-7706 CTO SCHEV
Local companies, Local candidates Get Connected
Gazette.Net
Maintenance Generalist The Village at Rockville - A National Lutheran Community, is seeking a full time and a part time Maintenance Generalists. The position requires previous experience working in a health care environment in building maintenance. Qualified applicants must have knowledge in preventive maintenance and repair, HVAC, painting, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work. We offer excellent salary. Competitive benefits for the full time position. If interested, e-mail resume to jobs@thevillageatrockville.org or apply in person 7 days a week, 7am - 7pm at 9701 Veirs Drive, Rockville, MD 20850. EOE
Page B-12
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Careers 301-670-2500
DIESEL TECHNICIAN
Sheehy Ford Lincoln in Gaithersburg is looking for qualified professional to work at our Truck center location as a Diesel Technician. Competitive Pay, NO weekends or holidays and great benefits includes 401k, life insurance. Short term and long term disability and more! Apply online @ Sheehy.com, on our Careers page.
class@gazette.net Local companies, Local candidates Get Connected
Gazette.Net
GC3222
Sales
Customer Service Representative
Comprint, one of the largest commercial publication printers in the Baltimore/Washington area, is looking for an experienced Printing Customer Service professional. We have terrific customers, and we need a customer service professional to make sure they receive the care and attention they deserve. The successful candidate will have a strong track record of success in printing AND customer service. The successful candidate will have a good working knowledge of MS Office, especially Excel, Outlook and Word. We’re looking for someone with good work ethic, good people skills, and strong organizational skills. Knowledge of electronic prepress (PhotoShop, InDesign, Quark Express, Illustrator, etc.) can be a big plus. Comprint Printing is part of Post Community Media, publisher of Gazette newspapers in suburban Maryland which is owned by The Washington Post. We own and operate a new state of the art printing plant located in Laurel, MD. We offer a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, pension, 401(k) and tuition reimbursement. To apply, please e-mail your resume along with salary/earnings requirements to bscott@gazette.net; EOE
Sales
GC3137
Real Estate
Silver Spring
Work with the BEST!
Be trained individually by one of the area’s top offices & one of the area’s best salesman with over 34 years. New & experienced salespeople welcomed.
Must R.S.V.P.
GC3041
Call Bill Hennessy
3 301-388-2626 01-388-2626
bill.hennessy@longfoster.com • Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. EOE
Sales - Outside
James A. Wheat and Sons has immediate opportunities for Plumming Salesman. Commission, Bonus & Allowances. Target areas are Montg Co. & DC. Experience required. Resumes can be sent to ddimonte@wheatandsons.com or call 301-670-1444
Search Jobs
Find Career Resources
Recruiting is now Simple! Get Connected
SKILLED TRADE
HVAC SERVICE TECH
IMMEDIATE Position Avialable for NATE and/or Journeyman HVAC service technicians. MUST have 2 yrs exp. Great hourly pay, commission, weekly bonus & insurance. Drug free, customer oriented, and motivated. Only qualified applicants apply. 301-670-1944 - Gaithersburg SKILLED TRADE
PLUMBER IMMEDIATE Position Avialable for Plumber. MUST have 2 yrs exp. Great hourly pay, commission, weekly bonus & insurance. Drug free, customer oriented, and motivated. Only qualified applicants apply. 301-670-1944 - Gaithersburg
WE’RE HIRING WEEKEND CNAS, GNAS, AND HHAS!
Provide non-medical care and companionship for seniors in their homes. Personal care, light housework, transportation, meal preparation. Must be 21+. Must have car and one year professional, volunteer, or personal experience www.homeinsteads.com/197 Home Instead Senior Care To us it’s personal 301/588-9023 Call between 10am-4pm Mon-Fri
Part-Time
Work From Home
National Children’s Center Making calls Weekdays 9-4 No selling! Sal + bonus + benes.
Call 301-333-1900
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Page B-13
Automotive Call 301-670-7100 or email class@gazette.net
DARCARS VOLVO OF ROCKVILLE
DECEMBER SNOW SALES DAYS!!! 04 Toyota Rav-4 $$
#3364498A, 4 Speed Auto, 2WD, Spectra Blue
9,800
07 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS #364333A, $ 5 Speed Manual, 1 $ Owner, 44k Miles
10,985
09 Toyota Camry LE $$
#355058A, 5 Speed Auto, 4-Door
11,800
11 Toyota Camry LE $$
#P8793, 6 Speed Auto, 29k Miles, 4DR, 1-Owner
14,800
04 Honda CR-V EX $$
#453007A, 4 Speed Auto, 1-Owner, 4WD
9,800
07 Toyota Sienna LE $$
#3364373A, 5 Speed Auto, 2WD, Arctic Frost Pearl
11,800
09 Volkswagen CC #R1702A, $ 6 Speed Auto, $ Sport Model
12,800
10 Toyota Prius III $$
#P8805, 4 Door, CVT Transmission, 45k miles
17,500
2012 Nissan Versa S
08MercuryGrandMarquisLS $$
#472145A, 4 Speed Auto, Silver Metallic
10,800
#E0263, 32K Miles, 4 Speed Auto, 4 Door Coupe
11,800
#329040A, Ent.Center, 4WD Sport Utility, Formal Black, 88K Miles
13,800
#426021A, 6 Speed Auto, 37,6K Miles, Taupe Gray Metallic
#N0270, 58K Miles, Navigation 6 Speed Auto
14,980
$
2008 Ford Mustang GT
#326024A, Premium, M/T Car Coupe, 46K miles, 5 Speed
17,980
#N0271, 8k Miles, Sunroof, 6-Speed Auto
#N110008, 62k Miles, 4WD, Sport Utility
15,480
$
2009FordEscape Hybrid
16,980
#429003A,60.5kMiles, 1-Owner
18,980
#P8750, AWD, Electric Silver, Metallic, Certified
$
12,980
$
2009 Nissan Xterra X
16,980
$
2010 Volvo XC60 3.2L
2013 VW Passat SE
$
$20,480
$12,480
2011 Subaru Outback
$20,980
$12,980
2012 Toyota Highlander
$17,980
2009 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ 4x4
$23,980
$18,480
2011 Volvo XC60 T6
$19,980
2012 Volvo XC60
#E0211a, 72k Miles, 2.5L, Black, Turbo w/ Park Assist...........................
2012 Volkswagen Jetta
#E0278, 32K Mile, 6 Speed Auto, Gray Metallic.....................................
2008 Volvo S80
#P8842, 68k Miles, 3.2L, Blue Metallic....................................................
2009 Volvo XC90
2011 Mazda 3i.................. $14,800 $14,800 2008 Toyota Tacoma............ $23,800 $23,800 #472137A, 4 Door, 19k Miles, 1-Owner, Graphite Mica #465002A, 5 SpeedAuto, 49k Miles, 1-Owner $24,800 2009 Toyota Venza.............. $16,800 $16,800 2013 Prius Plug-In.............. $24,800 #374533A, CVT Transmission, Blizzard Pearl, 1-Owner #378091A, 6 SpeedAuto, 1-Owner, Blue Green
#P8834, 103k Miles, 1 Owner, Shadow Blue Metallic..............................
2012 Hyundai Sonata LTD
#N0276, 6 Speed Auto, 22.5K Miles, 1-Owner, Gray Metallic.................
DARCARS
355 3 5 5 TOYOTA TOYOTA PRE-OWNED P R E - OW N E D
26,980
$
2013 Honda Civic E-XL
2006 Volvo V70
2011 Toyota Camry LE......... $13,800 $13,800 2013 Honda Accord Sport..... $21,800 $21,800 #P8783, 6 SpeedAuto, 45K Miles, Magnetic Gray Metallic #364571A, CVT Transmission, 1-Owner, Hematite Metallic
$
$11,480
#E0277, 42K Mile, 4 Speed Auto, Polar White........................................
$12,500 2008 Toyota Tundra............ $19,800 $19,800 2010 Toyota Corolla LE........ $12,500 #P8841A,4SpeedAuto,31kMiles,1-Owner,DesertSand #369083A, 5 SpeedAuto, 4WD, Desert Sand Mica
G558429
#E0259, 5 Speed Auto, 38K Miles, Polished Slate
2008 Land Rover LR2
2012 Toyota Yaris
$11,800 2012 GMC Terrain SLE-1...... $19,800 $19,800 2011 Scion XD.................. $11,800 #355050A, 4 SpeedAuto, 4DR, 1-Owner, Espresso #460033A, 2WD, 6 SpeedAuto, 1-Owner, 45k Miles
#326082A, Navigation, 3K Mile, Crystal Black Pearl...............................
#P8847A, 29K Miles, Blizzard Pearl........................................................ #429002B, 11,421K Miles........................................................................
$26,980
#327217C, 63K Miles..............................................................................
$31,980
#P8825, 6 Speed Auto, Ice White, 4WD, 1-Owner, Certified...................
$34,980
#327208A, 6 Speed Auto, Caspian Blue, Certified.................................
VOLVO
15401 Frederick Rd, Rockville, MD
www.darcarsvolvo.com
G558430
1-888-831-9671 1-888-831-9671
11,980
$
15,480
$
2012 Mazda Mazda 6
CERTIFIED
19,800
See what it’s like to love car buying
#438356A, 96K Miles, 4WD
2008 Cadillac STS
2007 Toyota Camry LE......... $10,800 $10,800 2011 Toyota RAV-4............. $17,800 $17,800 #472097A, 5 SpeedAuto, Turquoise Metallic #363397A, 4 SpeedAuto, Metallic Silver, 1-Owner
DARCARS
13,980
2010 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ
13 Toyota Camry LE #R1738, $ 6 Speed Auto, 14.2k $
miles, 4 Door, 1 Owner
#N110003, 5 Speed Auto, Blue Metallic, Sunroof, 73K Miles
$
11 Ford Focus SE $$
#364474A, Auto, 4 Door, 1 Owner
11,480
$
2008 Honda Pilot SE
09HyundaiVeracruzLTD $$
#364523A, 6 Speed Auto, 1-Owner, Sport
2008 Volvo S60 2.5T
15625 Frederick Rd (Rte 355) • Rockville, MD | OPEN SUNDAY
V VISIT ISIT U US S O ON N T THE HE W WEB EB A AT T w www.355.com ww.355.com
1.888.824.9165
DARCARS
Selling Your Car just got easier! Log on to
Gazette.Net/Autos to place your auto ad!
As low as $29.95!
See what it’s like to love car buying.
YOUR GOOD CREDIT RESTORED HERE
Page B-14
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
’04 GMC SIERRA: 18kmi, 2 door reg cab p/u, V6, auto, Grey, exc cond, tilt wheel etc $7,300 Call: 301-351-2515
Page B-15
DARCARS NISSAN
DONATE AUTOS, TRUCKS, RV’S. CASH FOR CARS! LUTHERAN MISAny Make, Model or SION SOCIETY.
2006 CHEVY UPLANDER: 84K miles,
very good cond., MD Inspected, DVD/MP3, $4499 301-674-5011
Year. We Pay MORE! Running or Not. Sell Your Car or Truck TODAY. Free Towing! Instant Offer: 1-888-545-8647
CA H
DONATE YOUR VEHICLE FOR BREAST CANCER - IRS/Tax Deductible!
FOR CAR !
Receive $1000 in Grocery/Restaurant coupons. Free Mammogram, Free Towing 24/7. 501(c)(3) United Breast Cancer Foundation www.ubcf.info 888-433-6199.
ANY CAR ANY CONDITION
WE PAY TOP DOLLAR-FAST FREE PICKUP! SELL YOUR CAR TODAY! CALL NOW FOR AN
INSTANT CASH OFFER
(301) 288-6009
Your donation helps local families with food, clothing, shelter. Tax deductible. MVA licensed. LutheranMissionSociet y.org 410-636-0123 or toll-free 1-877-7378567.
See what it’s like to love car buying.
Sale Price: Nissan Rebate: NMAC Bonus Cash:
to advertise call 301.670.7100 or email class@gazette.net
13,995
$
$14,995 -$500 -$500
SV Hatchback #11614 2 At This Price: VINS:370976, 370059
2013 NISSAN SENTRA S MSRP: $17,560 Sale Price: NMAC Bonus Cash:
$
#12013 2 At This Price: VINS: 794572, 797360
2014 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S MSRP: $23,640
Place Your Vehicle for Sale online
Sale Price: Nissan Rebate: NMAC Bonus Cash:
17,795
11,977
$
#P8751A, Wolfsburg Edition, Leather, Sunroof, Manual
#346486A, Auto Transmission, Alloy Wheels, Sunroof
$
$19,495 -$500 -$500
13,977
$
18,495
2012 Nissan Altima #446003A, Automatic, 1-Owner, Low Miles
$27,995 -$3,000 -$1,500 -$500
$ G558432
2008 Nissan Altima 2.5S Coupe
2013MSRP: NISSAN ROGUE S$22,990 AWD
2014 NISSAN MAXIMA S MSRP: $32,005
22,995
2012 Nissan Versa SL #346423A, Auto Transmission, Alloy Wheels, Bluetooth, Power Features
12,977
$
2003 Ford Thunderbird #N0275, Hard Top Convertible, Low Miles
13,977
$
With Bluetooth, Rear View Monitor #13114 2 At This Price: VINS: 154860, 155602
W/ Bluetooth, #22213 2 At This Price: VINS: 142237, 141453
Sale Price: Nissan Rebate: Nissan Bonus Cash: NMAC Bonus Cash:
11,977
$
#P8767,PWR, Mirrors, Lock, Remote Keyless Entry
$14,995 -$500
14,495
Sale Price: Nissan Rebate: NMAC Bonus Cash:
95
30 Days
8,977
$
2010 Nissan Versa Hatchback
$19,795 -$1,000 -$1,000
$
24/7 at Gazette.net
39
2011 VW Jetta
2005 Chevrolet Colorado LS
#346249A, Auto, 2WD
2014 NISSAN VERSA$17,115 NOTE MSRP:
Deals and Wheels
G558420
$
DARCARS
SEASON TO CHOOSE
14,977
$
2010 Nissan Frontier #P8788, 4WD, Leather, Bluetooth, 1-Owner
#16114 2 At This Price: VINS: 436838, 446410
DARCARS NISSAN of of ROCKVILLE ROCKVILLE 15911 Drive • • Rockville, Rockville, MD MD (at (at Rt. Rt. 355 355 across across from fromKing KingFarm) Farm) 15911 Indianola Indianola Drive www.DARCARSNISSAN.com 888.824.9166 •• www.DARCARSNISSAN.com
Prices include all rebates and incentives. NMAC Bonus Cash requires financing through NMAC with approved credit. Prices Pricestax, include rebates incentives. NMAC Bonusand Cash requires financing through NMAC with approved credit.with exclude tags, all freight (carsand $780, trucks $725-$995), $200 processing charge. *Lease payments are calculated Prices exclude tax,$200 tags,processing freight (cars $810,and trucks $200 processing charge. valid only onthrough listed tax, tags, freight, charge first$845-$995), payment dueand at signing, and are valid withPrices tier one approval VINS. See dealer for details. Offer expires 12/17/2013. NMAC. Prices valid only on listed VINS. See dealer for details. Offer expires 10/22/2012.
23,977
$
2013 Nissan Cargo Van #E0283, Auto, Low Miles, 1-Owner
19,977
$
2010 Nissan Murano SL #P8790, 1-Owner, Leather, AWD
23,977
$
www.DARCARSnissan.com DARCARS NISSAN of ROCKVILLE 15911 Indianola Drive • Rockville, MD (at Rt. 355 across from King Farm)
888.805.8235 • www.DARCARSNISSAN.com
BAD CREDIT - NO CREDIT - CALL TODAY!
in print and online
2014 NEW COROLLA LE
36 $
NEW2 AVAILABLE: 2014#470004, COROLLA LE 470006
2 AVAILABLE: #470156, 470170
$
129/mo.**
4 DR., 4 CYL., AUTO
NEW 2014 SCION XD 2 AVAILABLE: #453005, 453011
NEW 2013 HIGHLANDER 4X2 2 AVAILABLE: #363401, 363223
SAVINGS START NOW!
24,590
$
AFTER TOYOTA $1,500 REBATE
15,990
4 DR., AUTO, 4 CYL., INCL.
$
4 CYL., AUTO
169/mo.**
4 CYL., 4 DR., AUTO
NEW 2013 RAV4 LE 4X2 BASE 2 AVAILABLE: #364572, 364556
NEW 2014 CAMRY LE 2 AVAILABLE: #472138, 472071
36 Month Lease $
149/mo.**
4 DR., 4 CYL., AUTO
NEW 2014 CAMRY LE
2 AVAILABLE: #377729, 377730
16,990
AFTER $750 REBATE
2 AVAILABLE: #472091, 472090
0% FOR
4 DR., AUTO, 4 CYL.,
4 CYL., AUTOMATIC
AFTER $500 REBATE
NEW 2013 PRIUS C II
$
20,990
60
DARCARS
MONTHS+
On 10 Toyota Models
See what it’s like to love car buying
$
18,990
AUTO, 4 CYL., 4 DR
AFTER TOYOTA $1,750 REBATE
G557425
1-888-831-9671
15625 Frederick Rd (Rte 355) • Rockville, MD n OPEN SUNDAY n VISIT US ON THE WEB AT www.355Toyota.com
G558428
$
PRICES AND PAYMENTS INCLUDE ANY APPLICABLE MANUFACTURE’S REBATES AND EXCLUDE MILITARY ($500) AND COLLEGE GRAD ($500) REBATES, TAX, TAGS, DEALER PROCESSING CHARGE ($200) AND FREIGHT: CARS $795 OR $810, TRUCKS, SPORT UTILITY AND SIENNAS $810, $845 AND $995. *0.9% APR & 0% APR FINANCING UP TO 60 MONTHS TO QUALIFIED BUYERS THRU TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES. TOTAL FINANCED CANNOT EXCEED MSRP PLUS OPTIONS, TAX, AND LICENSE FEES. 0% APR 60 MONTHLY PAYMENTS OF $16.67 FOR EACH $1000 BORROWED. 0.9% APR 60 MONTHLY PAYMENTS OF $17.05 FOR EACH $1000 BORROWED. APR OFFERS ARE NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER CASH BACK OR LEASE OFFER. NOT ALL BUYERS WILL QUALIFY.**LEASE PAYMENTS BASED ON 36 MONTHS, 12,000 MILES PER YEAR WITH $995 DOWN PLUS $650 ACQUISITION FEE, NO SECURITY DEPOSIT REQUIRED. SEE DEALER FOR COMPLETE DETAILS. OFFERS EXPIRES 12-31-13.
Page B-16
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 d
Advertorial
G558426