Potomac Family-Style Halloween - Ellington CMS

OpinionTake Time, Slow Down and Smell the LeavesBy Carole Fungerhere’s no better timethan autumn to getoutside and smell theleaves. Slow down,take a moment, and renew yourconnection with the natural world.With its unmistakable earthyaroma, fall offers us a chance torenew and recharge.TLET’S TALKReal Estateby Michael MateseSelling Your Housein a Slow MarketIn today’s market, Realtors and sellersare paying more attention to the importance of “thinking outside the box”. Thereal estate market of the 21st century ischallenging and changing at the pace oftechnology—in other words, at warpspeed! Gone are the days of simply popping a “For Sale” sign in the yard, creating an MLS listing and placing an advertisement in the Sunday papers. Thoughthat’s tradition—and those methods ofhome sale are certainly still necessaryand vital—they’re simply not enough tomake your home distinct in the realestate market of today. Savvy Realtors and sellers know that it takes more—much more—to successfully close on ahome and maximize on the home’sworth. Today’s buyer is looking for morethan just a place to hang their hat—they’re looking for a property thatreflects their lives, their values and theirlifestyle. It’s as much about where yourgrill will be during the summer monthsand what kind of garden you’ll put income springtime as it is about havingfour walls four walls and a roof. Homestaging is a perfect jumping-off point.Most buyers can’t imagine themselves ina space while it’s full of the things thatmake your house a home—so step one inselling, especially in a slow market, is decluttering all the spaces and storing allthe home decorations that make it looklike “yours”. Likewise, keeping thecounters clear and the spaces clean andtidy make a world of difference. Next,have a Kodak moment with yourhouse—glossy print magazines, socialmedia and virtual tours are where mosthome buyers start looking. If they fall inlove with a picture of your house, you’vegot a better chance of them making anoffer once they see it in person. There’s anumber of ways to make the most of aslow market and sell your home for itsmaximum value—sit down with yourRealtor and start drawing up your planfor success!For professional advice on all aspectsof buying and selling real estate, call:MICHAEL MATESELong & Foster Realtors301-806-6829Mike@michaelmatese.comThe careful observer will findpleasure in the details; the delicateremains of the tooth-edged brownoak, the bright red and orangemaple, and the heart-shaped linden. Afloat on the fragrant air,these simple shapes sail frombared branches and dance behindcars, spinning themselves into acrazy quilt of autumn-hued color.Take a moment to enjoy theircrackling beneath your feet. Youwill be rewarded as the leavessend their savory aromas waftingin the air; aromas of orangeand spice andthe indescribableburntodor of theirbaking in thedying autumnsun.What is it about rotting leavesthat conjures up our deepestmemories? How can one whiff ofa decaying oak stir our reflection,catapulting us back to the giantleaf piles of our youth?The secret lies not only in fall’scolorful leaves, but in somethingfar less tangible — its smell. Returning each year to our noseswithout fail, the leaves’ earthy aromas open pathways to memory.More inscrutable than simply seeing and hearing, these smells, bytheir very nature, evoke experience. This deep-seated awareness,untouched by human language,remains dormant in all of us.Autumn’s falling leaves can bringit out. Fall gives us the opportunity to reconnect with our innermost selves, to look back and toreflect. In their simple beauty, autumn leaves are a gentle reminderto live life to its fullest. Throughthe memories they evoke, thesmells of autumn remind us of ourwhole self, our own particularstory and our deep connectionwith the earth. In these ways nature provides us with gentle reminders of life’s beauty in thenever ceasing cycle of its seasons.Letters to the EditorUnsolicitedAdviceTo the Editor:Here’s my unsolicited advice forthis election — first the local ballot questions, then the local candidates. Apologies if it is unwelcome! I have left you to your owndevices on the Presidential race.Ballot questions:Most people skip these, so yourvote has real significance.There are three obscure questions on the county charter (Questions A, B & C), and seven lessobscure questions on the state constitution (Questions 1-7). You willbe asked to vote for or against theproposed changes.MoCo QA: For/yes.Modify charter for hiring disabled persons.Modify county charter re: hiring.Authorize County to hire severelydisabled — but qualified — candidates.Council approved it 9 to 0; unusual in itself. This measure authorizes the county to move forward — still needs enabling legislation for agencies and departments. It is based on a federalmodel with the same goal, andpartly geared to our woundedwarriors.MoCo QB: For/yes.Referendum on “Effects Bargaining.”Again the Council was unanimous on this. It only affects theMoCo Police — not teachers, orfirefighters, bus drivers, etc. Apparently our MoCo chief of policeis much more restricted than mostother chiefs, by this rule on “effects” that creates pressure not tochange anything, without costlyand time-consuming arbitration.Actual examples that have beencited in public discussions: Chiefof Police wanted to put camerasin police vehicles and was forcedinto “effects bargaining” regardingwhat the effect would be. Samefor changes to uniform. Or for4 Potomac Almanac October 31 - November 6, 2012District 3: “Finally, have you no shame, sir?”punching in time. All have “effects” so have to be bargained.MoCo QC: Only people who livein Damascus can vote on this. Thequestion is whether to allow restaurants in Damascus to sell beerand wine by the glass, in the interest of keeping the restaurantsfinancially viable. Most of you arenot eligible to vote on this. Noopinion here.State Questions:Q1: Relates to PG County.Q2: Relates to BaltimoreCounty.Q3: For/yes. Good governmentbill.Question 3 would change thelaw so that a sitting lawmaker atany level of government in thestate would automatically lose his/her seat (and salary), upon pleading guilty to a felony. Duh!Q4: For/yes. Dream Act.This allows qualified children ofundocumented parents to get instate tuition at a state university.To qualify a student must showall of the following: at least three years in MD k12 parents filed tax returns forat least three years (which undocumented workers can do withtax ID #) no criminal record if male, registered for selective service, and 60-plus hours of courseworkat a local community college.Twelve other states have similar legislation; our is consideredto have more hoops than the others. It would also be extended toany out-of-state veterans.Q5: Opposed/No. Accept a terribly gerrymandered map.This question would reject a ridiculously gerrymandered map forcongressional districts that looks,as one councilmember says, like ablood-splat (see map of District 3,which is the most egregious, butgives you the idea). Rememberthe line: “Finally, have you noshame, sir?”These maps were designed by Dcontrolled state legislators to helpthe MD congressional delegationget 7Ds and only 1R (currently 6Ds/2 Rs). If the question is rejected, the results of this electionstill stand for two years, duringwhich the state legislature wouldbe required to re-do the map. Noguarantee of better outcome.But still — somehow agreeingto it goes against my grain, whilesaying no supports the growingmovement toward creating nonpartisan redistricting commissionsfor these things. I vote no/against.Q6: Civil Marriage ProtectionAct. For/yesSeven other states and D.C. havesimilar legislation. Affirmingsame-sex marriage within thestate. If passed, no religious institutions are required to performmarriages to which they object:same-sex, mixed-race, mixed-religion, whatever. Gives same-sexcouples the same rights regardinginheritance, hospital visitation,custody, etc.Q7: Against/No. Gambling.In 2007, slot machines were approved state-wide by 58 percentfor five locations. Only 3 of the 5are open today, 5 years later. Ifapproved, Q7 would add (1) gaming tables and/or (2) PG Countyas a site for slots and/or gamingtables. Outcome could be bifurcated:If PG votes no, they don’t get thegames even if the rest of the statevotes yes and does get them.See Letters, Page 6www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

NewsSt. Andrew’s Praised for Innovative Educational Approachers: “We ask students all the time‘How are you going to approachthis test or this research paper?’”he said. “Some of our best exnational education examples come around helping kidspert recently recogdevelop appropriate study stratenized a Potomac schoolgies for the various types of assessfor its innovative apments we give.” Teachers say theproach to teaching students.approach is making a difference.Author, researcher and educa“It sounds really obvious, buttion blogger Grant Lichtman visstudents aren’t learning if I am notited St. Andrew’s Episcopalteaching the waySchool’s Center fortheir brains work,”Tr a n s f o r m a t i v esaid history teacherTeachingandAmanda Freeman.Learning (CTTL)“We learn more aboutearlier this monthhow they learn,as part of a nawhat’s successful andtional tour ofwhat study strategiesschools in search ofthey put in place.cutting-edge approaches to educa— Glenn Whitman, director of the Center for Trans- One of the things I’vetion.formative Teaching and Learning at St. Andrew’s started doing isGlenn Whitman,Episcopal School in Potomac. taking walks with mystudents. We’ll go ondean of studies anda short walk and it’sCTTL’s director,amazing how they come back resaid CTTL, which is partnered with whole class,” he added.Teachers at St. Andrew’s also freshed and ready to learn.”Johns Hopkins University’sSusheela Robinson, head of Enneuroeducation program, is the have on-going dialogues with sturesearch and development arm of dents about who they are as learn- glish at St. Andrew’s, added:By Marilyn CampbellThe AlmanacASt. Andrews: “The center’s focusis on bringing the most currentresearch on educational neuroscience — which is cognitive science, developmental psychologyand education — to each of ourteachers.“Our teachers are thinking aboutthe brain and the mind of each student as they design their classesand develop their lessons for the“We very deliberately think aboutthe social and emotional aspects oflearning. We talk to the students alot about who they are as learners.”Courtesy St. Andrew’s Episcopal SchoolNational education writer and researcher highlightsCenter for Transformative Teaching and Learning.Teacher John McMillen leads a math class at St. Andrew’sEpiscopal School in Potomac. The school was recognizedrecently for its innovative approach to teaching students.“Wherever I look, I see innovativeteaching. Just this week Iwitnessed teenage boys wearingsuits because they were running a‘town hall’ meeting, and they tookit very seriously. In another room,students are Skyping grandparentsin Lebanon for a health project.“[I]n 7th grade English, we reexamine the structure and purposeof a well-written paragraph: Manyof my students are gifted with expressive language, and they inherently know how sentences need toflow together, but purposeful at-tention to each part of a paragraph— from the topic sentence, to examples for support, to a closingline or clincher, is important toall.” According to Whitman, CTTLcontinues to re-evaluate itself andregularly updates teachers on themost current research and ideasabout educational neuroscience.“Our work targets enhancing theinstructional practice of greatteachers to make them exceptionalteachers using brain research,” hesaid, “but the true beneficiaries ofthe work are our students.”Joining Celebrity Chefs No Power? No Problem. Gas Logs on Sale for Immediate InstallationCall for Free In-Home Professional Estimate!At Metro Cooking ShowBy Marilyn CampbellThe Almanachen some of the celebrity chefs like Giada DeLaurentiis, JacquesPépin, and other high-profilefoodies descend upon the Washington region for the 2012 MetroCooking Show this weekend, aPotomac-area woman will jointhem to honor her late husband.Connie Griffith, president andchief executive officer of GatorRon’s Zesty Sauces & Mixes, willshowcase the products created byher husband Ron.“Ron Griffith was a great grillerand cook,” said Debbie Kaufmann,vice president of Gator Ron’s. “Hemade these great sauces over decades, and was constantly askedby friends and relatives to giveWwww.ConnectionNewspapers.comPhoto contributedUsing latehusband’srecipes to raisemoney for ALSresearch.Connie Griffith, picturedwith her late husband Ron,is selling sauces to raisemoney for the RobertPackard Center for ALSResearch at Johns Hopkins.them more.”When Ron was diagnosed withAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS), better known as LouGehrig’s Disease, he began teaching Connie how to make thesauces so that she could continueproviding them for family andfriends. “He was very strict abouthow the recipes were made,” saidKauffman. “He would say ‘Youcan’t double this ingredient,’ or‘You can’t stir it this way.’”Kauffman said that Connie, who Beautiful efficient Heat10%*11/3/12.PASee Recipes, Page 11Potomac Almanac October 31 - November 6, 2012 5

LettersPOTOMACFrom Page 4ALMANACwww.PotomacAlmanac.comNewspaper of PotomacA Connection NewspaperPhoto by Martin MorrisIf PG votes yes and the rest ofthe state does too, the prior fivespots get slots plus table gamesand PG get both too. On one handit could really help PG County(and they need it). On the otherhand it is an industry that preyson those least able to afford it, sofree-choice notwithstanding, I ambasically opposed.Now the candidates:Board of Education, CountyCouncil, Congress.Board of Education: Theseelected people are in charge of amassive MCPS that spend 2 billion-plus per year, half the countybudget. You should care even ifyou never had children. Althoughraces are labeled as District x or y,everyone in the county gets to votein all the Board of Education races,and the races are non-partisan.Three BOE races at stake:District 2: Fred Evans v. RebeccaSmondrowski. No incumbentAt-large: Phil Kaufman v. Morris Panner. Kaufman is incumbent.District 4: Chris Barclay v. AnnitaSeclomger. Barclay is incumbent.Disclaimer: I don’t track BOEas closely as I used to but attendeda recent candidates forum whichwas instructive. There are otherscoming if you care to attend andquestion the candidates. Givenhow much they spend, you should.In District 2 I come down on theside of Fred Evans. Both are decent, good people; Fred has decades on Rebecca, much of it spentworking in MCPS and in LoudounCounty, as principal in local highschools. Rebecca comes at it as aparent and activist, which is goodtoo. Leaning hard to Fred.At-Large: Incumbent PhilKaufman is facing challenger Morris Panner. Not clear to me: yourcall. Phil has not impressed mewith his energy or effort althoughI supported him last time around.Challenger is intriguing but I don’tknow him really.District 4: no strong opinion butleaning hard to challenger AnnitaSeckinger. Incumbent ChrisBarclay has people palpably disappointed/unhappy. To my surprise he seemed uninformedabout, for example, the financialsof elementary-school languageimmersion programs (nearly adozen for immersion/dual language in Spanish/French/Chinese) and their follow-on years.Short answer: no, they don’t costmore.Challenger AnnitaSeckinger is passionate and drivenand deserves a chance.County Council:Not on the ticket this timearoundCongress:District 6: Many of you havebeen magically transported to aAncient Resident in AvenelThis turtle was in AVENEL in POTOMAC on Turnberry Drive near the pond. Theturtle was about 2 to 3 feet long, the size of a small manhole cover. The turtle wasreturned to the pond after wandering on the sidewalk.new Congressional district, courtesy of the decennial redistrictingmap — political machinations ofAnnapolis. People who used to bein Congressman Van Hollen’s district (District 8) are now in District 6 which has been redrawn tostretch all the way from theBeltway to the Maryland borderwith West Virginia, yes really.The new district is contested by20-year incumbent Roscoe Bartlett(R, 86 years old) and newcomerchallenger John Delaney (D, 5560-ish). Given my political viewsI am in Delaney’s column. I remain in Van Hollen’s district —right across the street from peoplewho may not know they are in anew district. (Both signs —Delaney and Van Hollen — are inour driveway, and are available onmy front porch for the taking.)District 8: Van Hollen is goingto walk away with it, but he stilldeserves your vote as one of thefinest members of the House ofRepresentatives, even if you’re nota D.Sorry this was so long andthanks for your patience.Above all, just go vote —andtake a few friends.Diana E. ConwayPotomacSend MessageTo School BoardTo the Editor:Send a message to the Montgomery County Board of Education: Stop wasting taxpayer’smoney and work in the public interest, not special interests.The election is fast approachingand there is an opportunity tostrike a blow for good government, educational opportunitiesfor our students, fiscal responsibility and common sense. The issueexposing this lack of responsibility toward education and the disregard of judicious use of taxpayermoney revolves around a 20-acre6 Potomac Almanac October 31 - November 6, 2012parcel of land owned by the Boardof Education which was set asidefor the building of a MontgomeryCounty Middle School. The needfor the school did not materializeand in the 32 intervening years theland was leased to an organicfarmer. The farmer and naturehave given the people of thiscounty an unexpected and precious gift. This land was carefullycultivated into organic soil overthe years. As Gov. Martin O’Malleystated in a letter to the Board ofEducation of Aug. 14, 2012: “Ibelieve we are about to make a bigmistake in destroying acres of productive farmland and its soilswhich could be a priceless asset tothe education, health, and wellbeing of generations of Montgomery students.”This has become a unique Montgomery County resource andshould be preserved. This is a public resource and should be used forthe benefit of Montgomery CountyPublic Schools and all the childrenand citizens of MontgomeryCounty. Not for any exclusive private use.The majority of the Board ofEducation voted to lease this 20acre parcel of public land for useby a private organization for thebuilding of a soccer complex forthe exclusive use of a private organization. (The county intendsto lease the land to MSI, a privatenon-profit organization for its exclusive use by MSI and its members.)In my view doing so:A majority of the Board of Education: Violated the Open MeetingsAct (The Brickyard Coalition Suit) Preferred private interestsover the public interest. Is fiscally irresponsible.We cannot vote out the BOE.However, one incumbent member,Christopher Barclay, is up for reelection. He is currently vice president and soon to be president ofthe board. He was and is a strongsupporter of leasing the site to thecounty. And the County ExecutiveIke Leggett wants to lease the landfor private, members only, soccerfields which will result in the destruction of this precious soil.Moreover, Christopher Barclay isadamant in his opposition to anoffer of settlement by the Brickyard Coalition and the BrickyardEducational Farm.The Brickyard Coalition in itssimplest form is seeking to redothe process for deciding the use ofthis land in the open light of dayand in accordance with the law.The Board of Education has expended more than 200,000 inlegal fees defending its decision tolease this property, primarily defending themselves against violations of the Open Meetings Act.This 200,000 has been spent fora lease that will only pay BOE 1500 a year.We can’t defeat all the memberswho voted for private soccer fields,yet, but we can send a messageand take a step in the right direction by defeating ChristopherBarclay and supporting a new slateof candidates for the Board of Education.Annita Seckinger is opposinghim and she is in support of thesettlement. Moreover, she supports using the land for the purpose of education and sustainablefarming.InadditionRebeccaSmondrowski is in alignment withAnnita Seckinger. She supports thesettlement, using the land for theeducation of all MontgomeryCounty students and sustainablefarming.And to the teachers out therewho belong to the MontgomeryCounty Education Association,Annita Seckinger and RebeccaSmondrowski support your positions and aim to keep Marylandschools ranked no. 1 in the nation.The difference is they have integ-An independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper deliveredto homes and businesses.1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314Free digital edition delivered toyour email box. 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Nov 01, 2012 · sixth annual Haunted House on Sunday, Oct. 28. The free event, appropriate for 12 and under, served refreshments and provided small gift items for the children. A Haunting For All A Haunted House was held at the Clara Barton Center on Oct. 28. From left: Fortune Tellers Jan Smith and Ca