Marriotts Ridge Seeks Science Fair Judges

By Cassie Felch
Posted: October 30, 2008

Calling all mathematicians, scientists and engineers! Marriotts Ridge High School requests your help evaluating science fair projects Jan. 28, 2009 (rain date Feb. 3). The school needs 100 judges, each of whom will judge between 10 and 15 projects during a two-hour time slot: either 8 to 10 a.m. or 10 a.m. to noon.

If you can assist, e-mail science instructional leader Dan Sageman at daniel_sageman@hcpss.org or science assistant Amy Harich at amy_harich@hcpss.org, or call the MRHS science department at 410-313-5568.

Indicate your name, phone number, e-mail address, which time slot(s) you prefer, and which of the following areas best fit your background: physics, chemistry, environmental science, earth and space science, behavioral and social sciences, animal biology, plant biology, microbiology, computer science, engineering technology or mathematics. The department will try to match you with your area of expertise.

Comment on this entry • No responses

Locals Choose Different Ways to Save Gas

By Cassie Felch
Posted: October 29, 2008

Susan Fugate waited six months to get her Smart Car, but the wait was worth it for an automobile that gets 40 to 45 miles per gallon. (Photo by Cassie Felch).

This past summer, as I gassed up my “mommy-van” in Glenelg, my area of choice for lower gasoline prices, I contemplated the irony of driving out of my way to save a few cents per gallon at the pump. Although gas prices have since dropped considerably, our community – the Howard County portion of Marriottsville, Sykesville and Woodstock – contains no gas stations, so many of us, by necessity, still drive a distance to fill up our tanks. Some of our neighbors have chosen to spend less time in this pursuit.

Susan Fugate, data clerk for Marriotts Ridge High School, decided to purchase a Smart Car, a tiny two-seater manufactured by a division of Mercedes-Benz. Smart Cars became available in the U.S. in January 2008 through select Mercedes dealerships. In Maryland, only Mercedes-Benz of Annapolis and Euro Motorcars Germantown offer Smart Centers.

Susan and her husband, Carl, explain that interested customers must first register online at www.SmartUSA.com and pay a registration fee, which later applies to the cost of the vehicle. Do not expect speedy service – the Fugates waited six months before a car became available through the “Orphan List,” an inventory of vehicles that others ordered and then opted not to purchase. Smart Car then allotted the Fugates 24 hours to make their decision.

Susan believes that her “orphan” was definitely worth the wait. Foremost, she appreciates the fuel efficiency – 40 to 45 MPG as opposed to the 17 she logged with her other vehicle, a Pontiac Aztek. Of course, she hangs onto the Aztek for occasions when she needs to transport more than two people. Susan also finds her semi-automatic Smart Car great fun to drive and values the knowledge that it boasts the highest possible safety ratings in its class. Susan cannot believe the amount of attention her new vehicle garners, but happily answers the many questions other drivers direct her way.

Walt Kehoe, who works for Herb Gordon Mercedes-Benz in Silver Spring, limits his trips to the gas station in another way. Instead of driving his Mercedes C230, which averages about 25 MPG or his Jeep, which registers an even lower 14 MPG, he uses one of his two motorcycles as frequently as possible. Walt’s Harley Davidson Heritage Softail averages 38 MPG, while his Kawasaki KLR650 logs an impressive 49 MPG.

For Walt, another benefit to motorcycle travel is sheer enjoyment. However, he acknowledges the danger involved and explains that he drives with extra vigilance when on a motorcycle. Unfortunately, he did not notice many vehicles driving slower in response to high gas prices over the summer, especially in the more urban areas.

Mark Bosley, who works as a meat cutter for Weis Markets in Waverly Woods Village Center, has experienced a more positive reaction from the drivers around him and finds truckers especially supportive. His savings come in the form of a different bike – the human-powered kind.

Although Mark has always biked to work on occasion, he began doing so more frequently in response to the recent higher gas prices. Weather permitting, Mark bikes to work three or four days in a row, then drives his Chevy Silverado one day. He can make the 14-mile trip from his home in Owings Mills in about 50 minutes and, since his pickup averages only 14 MPG, estimates that he saved about $500 per month in gasoline over the summer.

Since Mark participates in mountain bike competitions, he views his ride as training time, but he also feels closer to nature during his commute. He describes the experience as therapeutic. Biking certainly provides a good way to keep fit while preserving the environment.

Do you know other neighbors who have chosen different means for reducing their time spent “commuting” to gas stations? Keep the tips coming! Maybe a little positive peer pressure will encourage the rest of us to make some changes, too.

Comment on this entry • No responses

St. Alphonsus’ Bull and Oyster Roast Nov. 8

By Cassie Felch
Posted: October 27, 2008

Edward Pelsinsky, Financial Secretary for St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Knights of Columbus, invites the community to a Bull & Oyster Roast Nov. 8 from 7 p.m. to midnight on November 8. In addition to a full buffet menu with raw bar and drinks, the event will feature live music by The Keepsakes and 50/50 games of chance.

Tickets, which cost $45, will help support the work Father Walter Kongari, a Christian missionary in India. The Roast will take place in the church hall at St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Catholic Church, 10800 Old Court Road in Woodstock. Call Ed at 410-313-8808 or email epelsinsky@verizon.net for tickets.

Comment on this entry • No responses

Assistant Principal Raises Awareness of Colon Cancer

By Cassie Felch
Posted: October 23, 2008

Trish Lannon, a vice principal at West Friendship Elementary School works with first grade math students Alex Lindahl, left, and Abbie Eshleman. She was diagnosed with colon cancer at a young age and appears as Miss March in the 2009 “Colondar” being sold as a fundraiser by the Colon Club. The models for each month, men and women, show their midline incisions and talk about early detection and prevention on a Web site. (Photo by Doug Kapustin, Baltimore Sun).

Trish Lannon shows the midline incision she got because of surgery in this “Colondar” photo. (Submitted photo).

Many of us have heard about the 1998 death of newscaster Katie Couric’s 42-year-old husband, Jay Monahan, from colorectal cancer. Although typically considered an “older” disease, colon cancer strikes approximately 15,000 people under the age of 50 every year. In March 2007, at the age of 39, West Friendship Elementary School Assistant Principal Trish Lannon became one of the statistics.

Lannon awoke one morning with abdominal pain and a fever and finally visited the emergency room after fainting twice. There, she learned that she was severely anemic; she had lost two thirds of her blood. Following numerous transfusions, tests, and ultimately some drastic emergency surgery, doctors concluded that Lannon had colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Lab results identified her cancer as level IIIC, with IV being the highest stage.

As you can imagine, she suffered much anguish over the next year: a second hospital stay, nine months of chemotherapy, many questions, and constant fears for herself, her husband, and her three young children. During this time, she relied heavily on the Internet site www.colonclub.com for information and support from others via the site’s message board.

Now that Lannon has completed her treatment, she has entered a new phase of her life as a cancer survivor and would like to educate the public about CRC and its prevention. She recently took part in a colon cancer awareness calendar called the “Colondar,” where she appears as “Miss March 2009.” To view the Colondar online and read Lannon’s full story, go to www.colonclub.com/colondar.html. Click on the 2009 models link, and then select March. To support the cause by purchasing a Colondar, select the buy now link.

Lannon recommends visiting the Colon Club Web site or the Colon Cancer Alliance at www.ccalliance.org for more information on CRC. Most importantly, she advises that you know your body. Visit a doctor for any odd or unexplained symptoms, even unplanned weight loss.

Obviously, one’s prognosis becomes better the earlier colon cancer is discovered. Lannon feels tremendously thankful that she currently shows no evidence of the disease and would like to help others avoid it altogether.

Comment on this entry • No responses

Mt. View Middle Celebrates New GT Band Members

By Cassie Felch
Posted: October 22, 2008

Congratulations to the Mt. View Middle School students who earned acceptance into the Howard County Middle School Gifted and Talented Band! These hard-working individuals include flutist Sara Kim and alternate flutist Gloria Nam, clarinetists Allie Berges and Richard He, alternate bassoonist Emily Ingalls, alto saxophonist Mac Robertson and alternate baritone saxophonist Alex Peaco, French horn player Anna Rimlinger, trumpeter Jordan Lee, trombonists Dana Koehler, J.D. Fishman and Jonathan Wu, tuba player Ku Min Kim, and percussionists Jon Schonfeld and Jon Kahl.

Comment on this entry • No responses