Lifelong Clarksville resident Linda Shenk, now an assistant professor of English at Iowa State University, was recently named the Jerry Shakeshaft Master Teacher in Humanities and Social Sciences for the 2008-09 academic year in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Shakeshaft Master Teacher title is awarded annually to an outstanding teacher in the humanities and social sciences at Iowa State in honor of Jerry Shakeshaft, a long-time political science professor at Iowa State who was dedicated to the principle of undergraduate teaching.

Linda's enthusiasm for teaching the works of Shakespeare and early modern British literature have earned her the affectionate nickname "Shenkspeare" among her students.

"Her classroom style allows students to see Shakespeare as a source of humor, brilliant thinking and fun -- something they can adapt to various uses as English majors, teachers or good citizens," one colleague observed. "Linda Shenk enables her students to be active learners and teaches with the utmost enthusiasm and passion for her subject and students."

Congratulations, Linda. Those are qualities we all long for in a teacher. You make the folks back home proud to know you.

Neighbor Ride, a volunteer based nonprofit with Clarksville roots, is celebrating a fourth anniversary of service in an exciting way. To decrease isolation and improve the quality of life for those 60 and older, they have teamed with the Volunteer Center Serving Howard County to promote volunteerism. A wealth of talent and experience among older community residents make them a perfect fit to fill volunteer needs, but older people do not always have transportation.

Neighbor Ride volunteers use their own vehicles to offer low-cost transportation to those 60 and older for medical and personal care appointments, religious services, social outings, shopping and other day-to-day activities.

As of Oct. 1, Neighbor Ride and the Volunteer Center Serving Howard County have jointly established the Senior Volunteer Fund through a generous contribution from Ascend One EDGE Fund. Seniors seeking transportation from Neighbor Ride for volunteer activities will be able to travel at a price through the Senior Volunteer Fund through the end of 2008. With community support, they hope the special discount can be extended indefinitely. Now is the ideal season for beginning a volunteer activity. You will find it's a tremendous blessing to yourself as well as to others.

All those interested in participating in the Senior Volunteer Initiative as a driver or passenger should contact Neighbor Ride at 410-884-RIDE (7433) for more information or to register as a passenger. You'll be glad you made the call.

In a very relaxed setting with refreshments, you will be able to enjoy a sampling of all the music departments at River Hill High School Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. The symphonic b and, wind ensemble, percussion ensemble, orchestra, concert choir and madrigal singers will all be performing in the River Hill High dining center.

The River Hill music department proudly presents the sixth annual "POPS" Concert, "Music For a Darkened Theatre." A delightful evening of music from around the world will be presented by members of our award-winning music program. There will be numerous theme basket raffles with such interesting titles as "Dramatic Ending," "I Love Musicals," "Comedy Club," Romantic Evening," "Action Packed" and more. Movie food and snacks will be available for purchase. You can participate in the movie trivia contest and enjoy free popcorn for all.

Due to limited seating, advance ticket purchases are recommended. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Children 10 and younger will be admitted free. It should be a fantastic evening right here in Clarksville. For more information, call the music office at 410-313-6127. For tickets, call Karen Carlton at 240-755-0048 or e-mail karleto@umd.edu.

The River Hill field hockey team is holding a four-hour instructional clinic for elementary and middle school girls Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. There will be three hours of instruction and drills, working with ball control, passing, shooting, defense and a session for goalies as well. The last hour will be games consisting of 25-minute halves. The cost is $40 per player. Girls need to bring a water bottle, mouth guard, shin guards and a stick. For more information, e-mail schamness@hcpss.org.

Western Howard County Youth Basketball is accepting registrations for the 2008-09 season. For registration forms and other information, go to www.whcybasketball.com or call 410-489-0351.

You can make a clean sweep of fall house cleaning by recycling tech trash at Clarksville Elementary. The CES Tech Department is collecting printer cartridges, toner drums, cell phones, PDAs and laptops. US Recycling processes the materials and sends funds to the school.

Search drawers, closets and wherever you tend to store your empties and old tech items. You could check at the office, too. You'll be getting rid of clutter, making money for CES and saving the environment all at the same time. To learn more, call 410-313-7050.

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