“If it’s in the dirt, we dig it!” is the slogan of M & M Plants, LLC, of Dickerson, Md., run by master gardener Madgie (not shown) and Mark McGaughan. Here a customer peruses the flowers and plants for sale by the business at the Main Street Farmers’ Market, now open Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

New this year is the shifting of hosting responsibilities from the city of Gaithersburg to the Kentlands Downtown Partnership (KDP).

“We will have a different member business each Saturday to provide information about the market, [the city of] Gaithersburg, the KDP and their particular business,” said KDP President Joe Pritchard of Pritchard Music Academy.

The KDP’s member businesses will receive additional exposure through this new responsibility; however, the array of foodstuff and other goodies is what will continue to draw the customers.

When asked about the assortment of available items at the market, Hux had no trouble listing: “A variety of fruits and vegetables that will change as the season progresses, eggs, honey, jams and jellies, breads, pastries, cupcakes, cookies, [and] fresh herbs.” Also offered are “a variety of cuts of meats [including] beef, pork, chicken, duck, rabbit and lamb,” as well as flowers and plants, a variety of baked goods and organic baby food.

In addition, craft items for sale will include art cards and prints, bath and body products, fabric purses and scarves, and other handcrafted goods.

Much of the foot-traffic driven to these markets comes due to environmental consciousness; however, not all the vendors are local businesses. Some of the stalls are occupied by farmers who hail from Howard, Frederick and Charles counties simply to increase the variety of produce offered.

This well-stocked market, open from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. each Saturday during its run, had several special attractions during its May 4 opening, which coincided with Kentlands Day. Top draws included a wandering magician named Wonder Bob, face painting and balloon art provided by Grace Words Bookstore, and a music concert provided by Pritchard Music Academy.

While technically the host of the event, the KDP does not manage the farmers’ market; those duties are left to Hux and her team at the city. Hux was diplomatic when asked about vendor revenues.

“I can tell you that some [vendors] do well and some do not. It all depends on the type of products they offer and if that product meets the needs and wants of our markets demographics,” she said.

As far as disruptions to Kentlands traffic — either vehicular or pedestrian — Hux said no traffic delays have been reported throughout the market’s lifespan.

The city also holds the Fulks Corner Farmers’ Market on Thursdays from 1 – 6 p.m. in Olde Towne at Route 355 and Fulks Corner Avenue. A variety of food vendors attend this market, which does not include craft items.

For more information about the city’s farmers’ markets, visit www.gaithersburgmd.gov/markets.

Author John A. Jenkins in his office.

Most recently, he wrote “The Partisan: The Life of William Rehnquist,” the only biography of the jurist who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1972 to 1986 as an associate justice and from 1986 to his death in 2005 as chief justice. The groundbreaking book has been reviewed by many in print, virtual and broadcast media from CNN to the Washington Post, and last fall was designated an “Editor’s Choice” selection of the New York Times Book Review.

Jenkins will speak at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 18 about his most recent book. However, in this interview with The Town Courier, Jenkins chose to talk about his formative years and the influences that helped him develop into the journalist, the writer searching for answers, the distinguished person of letters he has become.

In this interview, Jenkins talked about Gaithersburg.

Jenkins moved to Gaithersburg from Prince George’s County with his family in 1963. He attended Gaithersburg Junior High School from 1963 to 1965, during eighth and ninth grades. He graduated from Gaithersburg High School (GHS) in 1968. Although he has attended two GHS high school reunions, neither took place in Gaithersburg. This year’s Book Festival will mark his first return to the city since a visit on a celebratory occasion to his old junior high school in 1980 – 33 years ago.

Although he has long been absent, Jenkins’ memories of Gaithersburg, going all the way back to the mid-1960s, are vivid.

According to Jenkins, the years of his Gaithersburg youth were a time when the people he met working in education and municipal government were striving to make a difference — and those efforts in that time — made an indelible mark on him. There was Joe Parker Rhinehart, a “very important teacher” of civics at the junior high school and the faculty sponsor of the school newspaper, “Sword and Shield.”

“Mr. Rhinehart was the one who did everything on the paper,” he said.

Jenkins’ recalls that his own title on the paper was “managing editor,” and he remembers well the column he wrote for the paper.

“It was the first byline I ever had,” he said. “It was then I caught the journalism bug. It never left me.”

Jenkins dedicated his 1990 book, “Ladies’ Man: The Life and Trials of Marvin Mitchelson,” to Rhinehart.

School friends also figure among Jenkins’ memories. A pal he remembers well, Mayor Sidney Katz, will introduce him at the Book Festival.

“Homerooms were set up alphabetically,” Jenkins said. “I was always in ‘H to L.’ … Typically, Sidney Katz would be sitting a row over, in the seat to my right.” The two were friends and homeroom neighbors for all six years of junior high and high school. “And Sid was a great trickster and humorist for every one of those years.”

As a GHS senior, Jenkins was the first recipient of the John W. Griffith Internship Award, given to a senior interested in learning more about local government. (Griffith was a former mayor who died in office.)

Jenkins spent the summer before he started college studies at the University of Maryland working as an intern for a modest but meaningful salary — for which he is still grateful — at the then-tiny Gaithersburg Planning Department. His boss was Planning Director Bernard D. “Dan” Walder, who later became mayor. Jenkins remembers feeling supported by Walder, who despite his mountain of work, took time with the young intern — and hired him for a second summer after his first year in college.

Jenkins recalls one time admitting to Walder that he might have numbered the lots on a yet-to-be-built street backwards — with odds and evens on the wrong sides. The words of his tired, overworked boss, and the man’s patient intonation, still resonate with Jenkins today. “It will have to do.”

Regarding the Fourth Annual Gaithersburg Book Festival, Jenkins said, “I am delighted to have been invited. I am a true son of Gaithersburg, and because of Joe Rhinehart and junior high school, all I ever wanted to be was a reporter and writer writing about law and government.”

At Saturday’s Gaithersburg Book Festival, a son of Gaithersburg comes full circle. Jenkins will speak at the Book Festival at 4:15 p.m. in the H.L. Mencken Pavilion. The Book Festival will take place on the grounds of City Hall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information on John Jenkins and his work: www.johnajenkins.com.

Lauren Wakefield and mom Lori finalize accessories and hair style for Quince Orchard High School’s upcoming prom.

Yet today’s elaborate hotel affairs and after-proms are a far cry from the prom’s humble beginnings in the high school gym. An ABC news report from early May stated that the average individual cost associated with the prom had risen to record levels with a national average of a little over $1,000.

Transportation accounts for a large portion of the budget for many prom goers. Quince Orchard Park’s Taylor Halle is opting for a bus for Northwest High School’s prom, “About 30 of us are going to be on the bus, mostly couples, and it is $64 per person.”

Quince Orchard (QO) High School student Rachel Levenson’s group is so large they are renting two buses. “There are about 50 of us,” she said. “So we need two buses to hold everyone.”

Tish Halle, Taylor’s mother, remembers her prom as being very modest by today’s standards. “It was at a local hotel in North Carolina, but my prom dress cost me only $75 and we all just drove ourselves after eating dinner at a nice steak house. There were no party buses back then.”

This year, that $75 price tag would get a ticket to the dance and the after-party at QO. All of the students interviewed for this article said they planned to attend the after-party, even if only briefly.

Levenson, of Washingtonian Woods, said, “I am really excited for the after-prom because of all the fun games and activities they had last year like ice skating and the big blow-up obstacle course.”

Levenson’s mother, Risa, concurred. “I love the after-prom,” she said. “There was no after-prom when I was in high school, and it keeps the kids safe.”

The advent of the Internet has influenced prom as well. Kids can search for limos, buses and dresses and utilize social media as well.

“Someone made a group on Facebook, and the plans just grew through there,” said Halle. Halle also had the added complication of juggling two proms in one night. “My boyfriend, who goes to Poolesville [High School], has his prom the same night so we are splitting the night up. We are going to my prom, but we are going to his after-parties. Fortunately, pictures for my group are in Poolesville so we can cover that together.”

The idea of “being in it together” is a newer concept for prom-goers. There is no pressure to have a “date” as many of the groups renting buses are not necessarily couples. Levenson explained, “We are going in a big group, and my date is one of my best friends, Omar.”

Her mother added, “All I can say is that it is much more meaningful and fun now. We went [to my prom] in small groups to dinner and the dance, and there was nothing afterwards at school.”

Even the web can’t help those who put off planning, though. Lakelands resident Lauren Wakefield said, “We found out with the limo you can’t procrastinate. Kids have their bus or limo way in advance. Everyone in my group of seven couples is driving themselves.”

Wakefield did plan well enough to save money by wearing the dress she bought in November for another formal. “It was so expensive after alternations,” she said “that I had to get two wears from it to make it worth it.”

Halle purchased her dress months ago online, and Levenson had to discard a virtual choice because someone else already had purchased the same dress. She ultimately purchased a dress locally to avoid the drama of a duplicate.

“There is always drama, though,” conceded Kentlands resident Shota Ono. “Unless you have a girlfriend, there is always that uncertainty of whether someone will say yes.”

He upped his chances of a positive response with a creative ask. “It gets harder to find something elaborate, but I do pottery so I made a vase that said ‘prom’ and put flowers in it as a way of asking her to go with me.”

Wakefield’s mother, Lori, had trouble remembering details from her prom. With a steady boyfriend, she said, “It was just another dance for us. We had been to a lot of dances by the time the prom came around. It is a much bigger deal now and more special.”

This year’s special night is May 17 for Northwest students and May 24 for QO. Both proms are being held at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Md., with after-parties back at the respective schools.

Kentlands resident and town architect Mike Watkins was a volunteer at the planning charrette for the community 25 years ago.

In 1993, my husband, Pat, and I put a contract on a cottage lot in the emerging Kentlands Hill District. A dynamic mix of people and organizations interacted during those days when residents shared streets with earth movers and building inspectors, and the key players hammered out the details of this first-generation “neotraditional” community. The developer, the architects, the engineers, the builders, city officials and staff, and a growing cadre of dedicated resident advocates were all working to turn the Kentlands vision into reality. Lively discussions occurred in town hall-type meetings and newsletters.

Recently, I reconnected with Watkins as a fellow volunteer for the Kentlands 25th anniversary celebration, and he agreed to share his perspective on those days. I asked him about connecting with Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, principals of DPZ hired by Joseph Alfandre to design Kentlands.

CL: How did you decide that you wanted to work for DPZ?

MW: First I was interested in the architecture that then “Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk Architects” [was] doing. While I was in architecture school in the early ‘80s, I would flip through the latest issues of the popular architecture magazines, and I would spot a building I really liked, then surprisingly often notice that it was designed by Andres and Lizz.

After graduating from the University of Cincinnati’s work-study architecture program, Watkins accepted a position at a small design firm in Baltimore and set about preparing for his licensing exam.

MW: A couple of weeks before the June exam, I decided to take a long weekend away to study. I pitched a tent at Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park where I took snorkeling study breaks — and stopped by DPZ’s office, then in two tiny houses, to pick up a list of their projects. I set off to visit a number of them and appreciated them as much in person as in the magazines.

Watkins’ interest in DPZ was further piqued by hearing Andres Duany lecture in Washington, D.C. Watkins decided he wanted to join DPZ and its growing involvement in the fledgling movement of new urbanism, and his campaign began. His persistent letters and phone calls finally led to an offer for him to participate as a volunteer with DPZ during a planning charrette for a new project outside D.C. called Kentlands.

But the charrette was postponed, and Watkins waited for an update. One day in June 1988, Watkins ran into a neighbor in his local grocery store who had read a story in the paper about DPZ working on a project in suburban Maryland that week. In a panic, Watkins scrambled to reach out to the architects already on site for the charrette, which no one had told him had been rescheduled!

MW: I finally reached Andres on the phone that had been temporarily installed in the charrette studio on the second floor of the barn late Friday afternoon. “Look,” he said, “if you want to help, you just have to be here when we need something done.”

Two hours later I was at his side asking what he needed done. As he tells it, I never left. I have many great memories of that week.

CL: Okay, so you’ve volunteered at the charrette. … How did that turn into a job?

MW: In September, I did a second charrette with them, for Belmont in Loudoun County. In November, it was time for a weekend tune-up charrette on Kentlands. They asked that I bring my portfolio as they were toying with the idea of starting an office in D.C. Before I left on Sunday, we talked about my work and their intentions, and they informed me that they were talking to a number of people and just thinking through the possibilities but it would be months before they actually did anything. On Wednesday, they called and asked if I could start right away!

Although demanding, the 19 years I spent working for Andres and Lizz were absolutely fantastic. I will always be grateful for the opportunity they extended to me to join them.

Another interesting feature of Kentlands aligning with Watkins’ life is the position of “town architect.” Watkins explained that that position is tied to new urbanism and, as far as he knows, Kentlands was probably the second community to have a town architect in the country. (The first town architect worked in Seaside, Fla., the first neo-traditional community planned and developed with DPZ.) A town architect “minds the gap” between planners and architects, providing expert advice to both, as well as to municipalities and the community, during and after development to ensure that the vision is reinforced and the design code is followed as the neighborhood matures. Watkins served as the Kentlands town architect until he left DPZ in August 2007 to return to school for a master’s degree in classical design.

CL: Looking back on that period, what really stands out in your memory in terms of challenges that were successfully met?

MW: Working through the handoff from Alfandre to Great Seneca Development Corporation was a challenge successfully met. I remember Steve Wilcox, vice president with Joseph Alfandre and Company, telling me once, “It will still get built well, but it won’t be as much fun anymore.” He was right.

Getting the shopping center approved was a huge challenge. Frank Carruncho (DPZ Miami) did a stunning set of elevations for it [that were never built]. Andres made a passionate plea to swap Nordstrom and Saks for the much more useful Giant and K-Mart. The series of calls I would get prior to the Planning Commission hearings and mayor and Council meetings was like a getting the half-time “pep talk” from a coach determined not to lose this one! In the end, [these stores have] proven much more useful for the neighborhood.

Our conversation turned to my original Kentlands home. I described the location (on a hillside sidewalk), and Watkins immediately recalled the scenario that led to those type of lots in Kentlands.

MW: Your first home was the answer to an interesting design problem in Kentlands. When the Hill District was engineered, the city decided that streets running directly up the hill would be too steep and dangerous. I swapped the street for a path, and the cottages were built along a pedestrian thoroughfare, with no street frontage. The marketing people weren’t sure they would sell, but Stonewall sold so many in the first weekend of availability that they came back for more lots. This was among the many “unconventional firsts” for Kentlands — proving that homes on a pedestrian walkway could actually work.

Author’s Note: In part two of this interview, Mike Watkins will describe the growth of new urbanism, the development of Lakelands and his life as one of the residents of a live-work unit in Kentlands.

Lakelands resident Rachel Carreras participates in a demonstration by Kicks Karate during the Kentlands Day parade.

Kentlands Day organizer Andrew Ross estimated at least 22,000 people attended the day’s events, making it the most well-attended festival to date.

Rachel Carson Elementary School Principal Larry Chep served as the grand marshal for this year’s parade, and a total of 39 entries participated, including many groups from the area.

“It’s amazing to see how the parade and festival have grown in five years. It just keeps getting bigger and better,” said Kentlands Community Foundation Executive Director Carrie Dietz. “The Foundation loves being part of Kentlands Day, and we benefit from the proceeds, which helps us support the Foundation and its programs such as the Community Chorus, Film Society, KidServe and of course the Kentlands/Lakelands 5K, which is Aug. 31 this year.”

Ride Allegheny collected $1,300 in donations while promoting this year’s ride, which will take place on Oct. 3 – 6.

Ross said 100 vendors participated in the business fair, and plenty of activities went on throughout the day.

“Some notable stage performances included middle school band, Fuse, [which] did a great set on the Community Stage, [including LPMS student Devin Streight as the guitarist for the band,] and the Quince Orchard Marching Band and Color Guard were awesome on the Main Stage,” he said. “Potomac Pizza provided breakfast for all of the volunteers in the morning and reported food sales were much stronger than last year, as did O’Donnell’s.”

Overall it was a great day, said Ross.

View more Kentlands Day photos at www.towncourier-photos.smugmug.com/Kentlands-Gaithersburg in the May 2013 folder.

The scores of 275 Quince Orchard High School AP Psychology students were at risk after a fellow student took a video in the testing room on her cell phone and posted it online. After several days of waiting while the College Board reviewed the incident, Principal Carole Working received word that only the score of the student who made the recording will be invalidated. The test scores of the other students will stand.

The College Board, which administers the AP tests, prohibits the use of cell phones and certain other electronic devices within test centers for security purposes, and students are told not to bring them. All rules are reviewed with students prior to the testing dates and again after they arrive to take each test.

Students who observed the incident in the testing room reported the violation to Working. After investigating, the College Board determined that the video in this case did not compromise the security of the test.

“I am very disappointed that the foolish actions of one student caused so much upset to all of the students who took the test and respected all of the testing protocols, and I am very sorry for the upset to our staff, families and community,” said Principal Carole Working. “I am, however, exceptionally proud of all of our student who stood up, did the right thing, and brought the matter to everyone’s attention. I am very lucky to get to work with such great kids!”

Depending upon their score, students may receive college credit for completing an AP course and taking the corresponding test.

Local Pools Ready for Opening

Despite recent cool temperatures, local pools are scheduled to open for the season Memorial Day weekend, kicking off the official start of summer activities.

The Kentlands pool will open to residents at 9:30 a.m. on May 25, and the community will hold a Memorial Day Bash on May 27 from 12 – 2 p.m.

In Lakelands, the pool will open at 9 a.m. on May 25, and an opening day celebration will take place for residents from 1 – 4 p.m. with live music by local band Live Action Hero, giveaways, pool activities and refreshments. At dusk, “Wreck-It Ralph” will be shown on a screen on the lawn next to the basketball courts.

Quince Orchard Park will open its pool at 10 a.m. on May 25, and Washingtonian Woods will open its pool the same day.

Star Diner Seeks City Support for Concerts

For many community residents, the Friday and Saturday night summer and fall concerts hosted by Star Diner create a welcome, relaxing ambience to the end of the week. Owner Marty Kobrin says these concerts started in 2002 and are well received.

City Economic Development Director Tom Lonergan estimates it costs the Star Diner $25,000 per year to host the series in Kentlands Downtown. To continue this popular entertainment, Kobrin has requested funding support from the city. At the May 6 mayor and City Council meeting, Lonergan proposed extending a custom matching grant of up to $7,000 to help the Star Diner cover its costs. The grant would be contingent on whatever further discussions city staff has with the Star Diner about costs of the event and the amount paid by Star Diner.

“We recognize the value and the success of these concerts in bringing scores of people to the Kentlands downtown area each and every week. The benefits of these concerts extend well beyond the Star Diner. Given the costs of producing those shows, we thought this would be a good show of support for a meaningful event,” Lonergan said.

The city’s elected officials were generally favorable towards this proposal but did not reach a decision at the meeting. Council member Jud Ashman asked Lonergan to explore the possibilities of extending the hours of the concerts. Currently, the concerts run from 7 – 10 p.m.

At press time, Lonergan said his staff was researching the possibility of extending concert hours.

This year’s Star Diner concert is scheduled to begin on May 31 with Solomon’s Gold. For a full concert schedule, visit www.stardinerkentlands.com.

­— By Jenny Chen

Police Conduct Seatbelt Enforcement Effort

On May 10, Montgomery County, Gaithersburg and Rockville police officers teamed up to aggressively enforce the nighttime use of seatbelts as part of a Nightime INJury Avoidance (NINJA) effort. From approximately 7:30 – 11 p.m., officers were stationed at entrance and exit ramps of I-270 and I-495. (Heavy rain ended the operation early). The officers were observing vehicles for seatbelt non-compliance and other safety violations.

According to Montgomery County Police, some some specific results of this nighttime seat belt enforcement are as follows:

• Total Number of Traffic Citations Issued — 139
• Seat Belt Citations Issued — 44
• Equipment Repair Orders Issued — 25
• Warnings Issued — 59
• Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Arrests — 4
• Criminal Arrests — 2
• Criminal Citations Issued — 1
• Warrants Served — 1
• Driving While Suspended Traffic Citations — 8

An Elegant Kick-off for K25

A Champagne Celebration and Concert will be held June 16 in the Arts Barn Theater and Kentlands Mansion from 7 – 9:30 p.m.

The Arts Barn concert will be hosted by Sue and Joe Palka and will include two famous professional violinists, two great pianists playing Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” a classical guitarist, a singer presenting light opera/show tunes, and professional actress/singer Nora Palka (known to many in Kentlands)!

The Kentlands Mansion will simultaneously feature new urbanism presentations and a reception with delicious hors d’oeuvres and sweet treats as well as a glass of complimentary champagne (cash wine/beer bar available).

Due to limited seating in the Arts Barn, there will be two performances: one at 7 p.m. and one at 8:30 p.m., and guests will switch venues after the first concert.

Tickets, $50, are available at the Kentlands Clubhouse during regular business hours from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Checks must be made payable to the Kentlands Community Foundation. Tickets are also available via PayPal atwww.Kentlands.org, or from Judy Gross at 301.208.1015 or Sigrid McCutcheon at 301.208.3539. Tickets are limited.

Critters for the Cure 5K Walk/Run

Critters for the Cure (CFTC) will hold a 5K Walk/Fun Run on June 8, 9 – 11 a.m. Rain or shine, participants between the ages of 1 – 100 are invited to walk with their critters for this event.

CFTC is a nonprofit organization, founded and run by Lakelands resident Clancy Kress, that helps women living in MD/VA/DC navigate life beyond cancer. All proceeds from this event will go toward supporting women in the community who are battling breast and gynecological cancers. CFTC strives to help improve the experience and quality of life of women battling cancer by empowering them to survive and thrive and providing the resources as each woman defines her needs (information, life coaching, and emergency financial support) to bridge life before cancer to life beyond cancer.

Registration fee: Individual: $25.00 Families (3+): $50.00 Critters: free! Check in begins at 8:30 a.m. at Fleet Feet Sports, Gaithersburg, 225 Kentlands Blvd.

Register, donate and/or create a team at: www.crittersforthecure.org.

I was horrified to read the quote in the Town Courier’s May 4 edition [on page 3, “Kentlands Landscaping Chemicals Issue Remains Unresolved,] from [Kentlands Environmental Management Committee Chair] Wayne Stengel, who claimed that “there are many people who moved to the Kentlands because it is a premium living community and we have to make sure we keep those standards. …” He seemed to be suggesting that if we don’t have perfect lawns in our green areas, the neighborhood will somehow suffer. One has to ask, wouldn’t knowing that it isn’t safe for our children and pets to use these green areas affect the image of the community more?

I have to believe that it would be a major stain on the Kentlands as a family community for the board to make the value statement that being weed-free is more important than having a healthy environment. This decision should not require six months of study. It requires serious thinking about our priorities. What would Rachel Carson say?

Anne Elmlinger
Kentlands

Gaithersburg’s mayor and City Council voted on May 6 to add a fifth campaign finance report to the election code. The fifth report will be required for the upcoming elections in November 2013 and is due 14 days after the election.

“I certainly agree with the fifth report. I think it makes a lot of sense,” said Mayor Sidney Katz.

However, other proposed changes to the election code garnered mixed reactions and were ultimately opposed by the city’s elected officials. Based on meetings in January and February of this year, the Board of Supervisors of Elections (BOSE) recommended that the Gaithersburg election code change its definition of political committee from any two people contributing $250 or more to a political campaign to three or more persons contributing $1,000 or more. Expressing concern about residents not participating in political activities because they didn’t want to unwittingly break the law, Council member Henry Maraffa argued for more detailed definitions of the term “political committee.”

“We’ve got to do everything we can to get people to vote and take part in our elections. We’re down to 10 percent [of city voters participating in the most recent election.] … What I don’t want is an innocent group of people caught and fined.”

Other City Council members disagreed with Maraffa, saying the city could better publicize its rules to ensure that everyone is clear about when they would have to report expenses.

The BOSE also recommended that a definition of slate be added to the election code. The mayor and County Council also took issue with this proposal, indicating that it may cause more problems than it would solve.

“It might reduce accountability because the slate could redistribute money in any proportion, plus it increases the paperwork,” said Council member Cathy Drzyzgula. “If we’re really interested in transparency, we need to avoid confusion about what is reported and how it should be reported.”

According to City Attorney Lynn Board, the election issue is now closed.

Ethics Commission Appointment

Sigrid McCutcheon of Lake Street has been appointed to the Ethics Commission for a three-year term as an alternate. McCutcheon is active in the community and has previously served as the secretary on the board of the Kentlands Citizens Assembly.

CHARACTER COUNTS! Scholarships Awarded to High School Students

This year 10 Gaithersburg students received a total of $9,000 in scholarship funds through the W. Edward Bohrer, Jr. Memorial CHARACTER COUNTS! Scholarship program. The scholarships are named for former Mayor Bohrer, under whose leadership the city adopted the CHARACTER COUNTS! program in 1996. The program rewards city students who embody the Six Pillars of CHARACTER COUNTS! — trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

Scholarships were recently awarded to the following students:

• Jhenncy Centeno, Gaithersburg High School
• Elizabeth Garcia, Gaithersburg High School
• Roshan Hapuarachchi, Watkins Mill High School
• Channing Kimble-Brown, Richard Montgomery High School
• Arnelle Ky, Watkins Mill High School
• Maria Larraga, Gaithersburg High School
• Emily Maxwell, Quince Orchard High School
• Marlon Morales, Gaithersburg High School
• Ama Owusu, Gaithersburg High School
• David Woodward, Covenant Life School

Since they were first awarded in 1998, 73 high school seniors have received more than $139,000 in CHARACTER COUNTS! scholarships to help with college tuition.

The W. Edward Bohrer Memorial Scholarship Program is administered by the City’s Community Services Division in cooperation with the Educational Enrichment Committee. For more information or to donate, please call 301.258.6395 or visit www.gaithersburgmd.gov/communityservices.

On May 8 at 11:43 a.m., Montgomery County Police responded to a complaint that two women with a baby were soliciting money in the parking lot of the Kentlands Giant. The women were not found, and no report was filed.

Residential Burglary

On May 3 at 9:50 a.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 100 block of Beckwith Street. Sometime between April 26 and April 27, an unknown suspect(s) entered the garage and removed a bicycle. The bicycle was described as a black GT Transeo with a rack over the rear wheel and a pink horn. If located, please call the police at 301.279.8000.

Suspicious Package

On April 30 at about 9:30 a.m., police and fire units responded to a report of a suspicious package delivered to a staff member at Diamond Elementary School. The package came from an unknown individual. Police were called because the staff member found an unknown substance in the package. The package was removed, and police said it contained no hazardous material and posed no danger to students or staff.

Five fourth grade students and their moms are participating in a new Mother-Daughter Book Club with Media Specialist Marcie Gross at Diamond Elementary School this year.

The club is the brainchild of Diamond Media Specialist Marcie Gross, who received a $375 grant from Gaithersburg’s Educational Enrichment Committee for the 2012-2013 school year to begin the program.

“I wrote a grant proposal to the city of Gaithersburg, and they graciously awarded it to us,” said Gross. “The sum I asked for covers the books for each member for the course of the school year.”

The club meets with Gross weekly on Wednesday afternoons from 4 – 5 p.m. in the media center.

“The goals for the club are simple,” she said. “I would like to promote literacy and instill a love of reading through open communication.”

Currently, five mother-daughter pairs participate in the club. Though Gross said there was more interest, the day and time did not work for others.

The club has read two books this year.

“Our first book was ‘Remarkable’ by Lizzie Foley. We were in contact with the author, and she was so delighted we were reading her first novel, she sent us bookmarks,” Gross said. “This book kept us laughing at the characters and their dialog and predicting what would happen each week. There were many twists in the book and we enjoyed every minute of it.”

The club is now reading a mystery entitled “Capture the Flag” by Kate Messner. “We are still reading this book but are entranced with the storyline,” said Gross.

Gross said she has enjoyed leading the book club this year and hopes to receive another grant from the city to continue the program next year.

“I would also like to restart my fifth grade boys’ book club next year. I led one during lunchtime during my first year at Diamond (2011-12), and the boys really seemed to enjoy it,” she said. “The club got them to read more and try different types of books.”

For more information about Diamond’s Mother/Daughter Book Club, contact Gross at Marcie_L_Gross@mcpsmd.org.