Kids prepare to climb on the ropes course at the Spring Fest at Bar-T Mountainside on April 13.

“We really wanted to get kids back outside,” said Joe Richardson, co-owner of Bar-T Mountainside. The festival is a celebration of being in nature, he said, adding that it also focuses on “being good stewards of the planet.”

“It’s great to get outdoors,” said Jessica Jeffrey, a Germantown mother who attended the festival with her 5-year-old daughter, who participates in the Bar-T Mountainside pre-K program.

Marisa Lavine, a mother with two children, said she enjoyed seeing the Bar-T Mountainside camp and experiencing activities such as the zip line and ropes course, which her son loved.

Melanie Williams from Frederick said she appreciated having a safe place for the kids to play.

Caroline Ferrante, a contemporary folk singer from Damascus who performed at the event, said she enjoys “being creative in the outdoors,” as well as “collaborating with other local artists.”

Ferrante, who started writing songs as a child, began performing a year-and-a-half ago at a local open mic event. Other bands that performed at the festival included Crumpled Hat, FerranteHatley, and Doss, Ferrante and Brooks.

Frederick County artists also participated in the festival. Artists and crafters sold hand-made soap, jewelry, scarves, cards, photography and other crafts. Stained glass artist Brad Kellner from Gaithersburg, Md., said he has attended all of the Spring Fest events at Mountainside. Kellner, who has made stained glass for 10 years, said he spends three to four weeks on each stained glass project. Some of his stained glass work included images of herons and flowers. He said he most enjoys coming to craft fairs to see the art made by other artists.

Farmers joined Spring Fest to sell items from their farms and to educate people about community supported agriculture (CSA). CSA members pay for a share of a farm’s harvest and typically receive weekly shares of vegetables and fruit.

Carol Rollman from Sycamore Spring Farm in Frederick sold honey, homemade chocolate chip cookies and plants at the festival. Rollman said she helps to put farms back in the lives of families. She offers the opportunity for people to volunteer on her farm, educates individuals about farming at local community events, and sells many kinds of vegetables.

“The farms are missing out of our lives these days,” she said.

Also in attendance at the festival was Steve Gates from Rolling Green Farms — located three-and-a-half miles from Urbana. The farm sells a wide variety of vegetables ranging from squash to zucchini to sweet corn. Customers at the farm can also purchase bread, eggs, milk, ice cream and pies.

Environmental educators at the event provided information to attendees about ways to help the planet and live a green lifestyle. George Gaines, the Maryland chairman of Trout Unlimited, taught children fly fishing skills. He said young kids become interested in clean water when they learn that trout and other fish need unpolluted water in order to be healthy.

Gaines said his organization’s “Trout in the Classroom” program provides the opportunity for students to raise fish such as trout in a classroom setting and then set them free in a river or stream. The program helps children make the connection between caring for the water and caring for the fish.

Sabrina Harder, Green Homes program coordinator of the Frederick County Office of Sustainability and Environmental Resources, offered practical resources for local residents to conserve energy in their homes. Individuals could sign up for the Green Home Challenge offered by the organization, she said, to learn how to save money on utility bills and reduce the use of energy.

Richardson, who organized the event, said people can feel anxious because of gloomy media coverage of environmental problems. Instead of becoming fearful, he said, citizens can focus on making a difference.

The question we should ask ourselves, said Richardson, is, “What can I personally do to help the environment?”

Lily Poska and her brother, Anthony, are looking forward to Mother’s Day and showing their mom how much they love her. Pictured here are, from left, Lily, father Phil, mom Sarah and Anthony Poska, a family who lives in the Villages of Urbana.

We interviewed local Urbana children about what they loved about their moms, asking them: What do you like best about your mom? What is your favorite thing to do with her, and what is your happiest memory? What is the best thing your mom does for you? Is there one word you can use to describe your mom? What are you doing for Mother’s Day?

Seven-year-old Lily Poska came up with her answers quickly and enthusiastically.

“My mom is so pretty,” Lily said, “and we love each other!” Lily said she loves to go out with her mom to get their nails done once in a while, and she loves it when her parents, Sarah and Phil, reward her with dinner out after bringing home a good report card. “This week I brought home all O’s!” Lily enthusiastically announced.

A recent trip to New York with her mom is Lily’s favorite memory. “We went to a baby shower and saw a lot of trains,” she said, “and it was just us girls, and not my brother.”

Lily’s brother, 4-year-old Anthony, was a little more shy but still enthusiastic in expressing his love for his mom. “We have a lot of fun together,” Anthony exclaimed. He especially likes to read books and play games with her.

“I like to play Candyland,” Anthony said, “and I always win!” He chose the words, “sweet” and “love” to describe his mom.

Johnny Moreno, a first-grader at Urbana Elementary School said he likes that his mom is nice to him and feeds him.

“I like it when she cooks grilled cheese,” Johnny said. He said he loves going to the movies with her and his little sister, Emma, and his favorite memory happened this past Christmas.

“We got to secretly tape Santa eating cookies!” Johnny said. “My mom and I set up the camera before bed, and then we watched him the next morning.”

Johnny said this is a great memory, but “he didn’t look at all like I expected. He looked like he was wearing a sweater his grandma made him.”

For Mother’s Day, Johnny said he plans to wake up early and make breakfast for his mom. “She will think she has to make it,” he said, “but I will say ‘Surprise! I made it. Happy Mother’s Day!’”

Jacob Cicerone, age 12, described his mother, Nicole, as amazing. “She is awesome,” he said, “and she loves me.”

He likes spending time with his mom, even helping around the house, but his favorite memory is family night every Friday evening. He is still deciding on what to do for his mom for Mother’s Day, but when asked what his Mom does for her, he had just one word: “Everything!”

Sisters Sally and Katie McKee, ages 13 and 16, had similar answers about how they feel about their mom, Laura. When asked what their mom does for them, they both agreed, “Everything!”

“My mom is loving and always there for us,” said Sally. Katie said one of her favorite things is, “I can wear her shoes!”

Both girls love to hang out with their mom and talk; their other three siblings are boys. Sally fondly remembers a vacation last summer when they talked their mother into wake boarding. Katie said she really enjoyed their mid-April trip to the city to see the cherry blossoms and then spending a few days in Ocean City.

The sisters haven’t made a final decision on what to do for their mom for Mother’s Day, but Katie recently got a Starbucks coffeemaker for her birthday and wants to make lattes. When asked for one word to describe their mom, Sally said she was “loving,” and Katie answered “crazy — but in a good way!”

Another group of siblings happily offered their feelings about their mom, Mary McQuillen. “She laughs at all my jokes,” said 18-year-old Kelly. “We love to laugh and watch funny shows and You Tube videos.”

Kelly described his mother as “loving,” and said he loves just about everything about her. “She cooks, cleans, does laundry,” he said, “and most of all, she loves me.” He shared a memory when his mother took him for his driver’s license test. “When I passed, she was really happy for me.”

For Mother’s Day, Kelly plans to cook his mom a special breakfast.

Fourteen-year-old Kyle McQuillen said he loves his mother’s personality. “She isn’t rude to me,” he said, “and she cooks, makes my bed, drives me to sports — almost everything.”

Kyle said he likes watching professional soccer on TV with his mother and recalled a happy memory of when he was a baby. “I would get all of the Tupperware out,” Kyle said, “and instead of going ballistic, she would just laugh and I would, too!”

Kyle describes his mother as “perfect” and plans to make her a special gift to celebrate her special day.

Chloe McQuillen, 11, said she loves her mom’s hugs and loves to snuggle with her. “My mom prays for me,” Chloe said, “and she is very loving.”

She recalled a happy and funny memory of when she was a toddler. “I was sitting on the kitchen counter,” Chloe said. “She tied a Christmas bonnet on me, and I said ‘Mommy, Mommy, it’s choking me!” Mom took it off right away. For Mother’s Day, Chloe said she plans to spend plenty of time with her mom.

Four-year-old Aiden Zaldumbide said he loves how much his mom, Julie, loves him and that she gets him food. “I like to play cars with her,” Aiden offered. He couldn’t come up with just one word to describe his mom but said he has happy memories going hiking with her. For Mother’s Day, Aiden said he plans to “eat healthy food and make her a nice present.”

Have a happy Mother’s Day, moms. You deserve your special day — and your children love you very much!

Principal Steve Raff stands with three of his students at Centerville Elementary School.

The community was equally enthusiastic, supportive and appreciative of Raff — so much so that they nominated him for the The Washington Post Educational Leadership Foundation’s annual Distinguished Educational Leadership Award. Frederick County Public School administrators and colleagues agreed, lending overwhelming support.

Raff was named the Frederick County Public Schools recipient for 2013. The award honors metropolitan-area principals who go beyond the day-to-day demands of the position to create an exceptional educational environment in their school.

“I like helping create an atmosphere where people are excited to come to work … where students are excited to come to school,” he said, and where parents are excited to be a part of their child’s education.

“I think, ‘What can I do to help a child learn?’” he said.

At CES, he said, “We are all committed to going above and beyond. We stand by each other and we support student learning.” He stressed that really the school’s success is all about teamwork, although he is the one being honored.

“It’s humbling,” he admitted, to be in the spotlight. “I was surprised by this.”

However, his staff was not surprised by the recognition.

“Raff [is] the exceptional leader, of a remarkable school, who has a laser focus on children first, family partnerships, faith in his staff, and removes barriers to achieve results,” said Sharon West, CES assistant principal.

CES math intervention teacher Nicole Vasquez said she appreciates his leadership style.

“Raff empowers teachers to make decisions and use their expertise to deliver quality instruction. He acts as the driving force behind the curriculum while encouraging autonomy and creativity in others,” she said.

Growing up in nearby Harford County in the ‘80s, Raff was not thinking about being an educator, despite the fact that both his parents were school administrators.

“I was thinking radio,” he recalled. “That was my dream at that point.”

He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in drama at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va., where he also met his wife, Tracy, who now works as a senior art director in Baltimore City. After graduating from Shepherd in 1993, he took a radio job, working the graveyard shift, but soon realized it was not the career for him. He began volunteering at his mother’s school and then went on to earn a master’s in education at Towson University.

In 1996, he accepted a job as a classroom teacher at Twin Ridge Elementary in Mount Airy, Md.

In a twist of fate, Raff recalled that his elementary school mascot was the panda, which is also the mascot at Twin Ridge, so it seemed like a good omen. He taught second grade for two years and fourth grade for three years.

“I was ready for a change,” he said, so in 2001, he joined the teaching staff at Oakdale Elementary School when the school first opened. He and his wife had moved to Frederick County and bought a home in Lake Linganore and, he said, “I had heard some wonderful things about Dr. Sherman,” the principal at Oakdale.

He recalled that Sherman gave him an interesting assignment, teaching a split class of both fourth and fifth graders. “It was very unique in terms of working with the parents” as well as the challenges of opening a brand new school.

At that time he also began taking graduate classes in administrative leadership.

“I was understanding a larger picture,” he recalled.

He earned his Educational Leadership Certification at McDaniel College.

“In hindsight, I did see my parents’ leadership qualities impacting me,” he admitted, as well as those of his older brother, an assistant principal at a Harford County middle school.

He was promoted to assistant principal at Whittier Elementary School in 2002 and in May 2005 he was reassigned as assistant principal at CES. He was instrumental in opening that new school in August 2005.

“It’s a challenge to help bring a community together,” Raff said, while honoring where they are coming from. Many of the students were from Urbana Elementary and were helping to create a new community at CES.

He was promoted to principal in 2007. “I was very fortunate they gave me the opportunity to step in as principal,” he said.

At each school, he has seen his students through some difficult times.

“I was at Oakdale when 9/11 happened,” he recalled, and at Whittier he dealt with the impact of deployment on the military families. “September and February were deployment times.” With Whittier serving Fort Detrick, this had a major impact on the school.

About the shootings in Newtown, Conn., he said, “It was tragic.”

Raff believes there’s an unspoken trust about elementary schools, and the shootings showed what heroes educators are. As a school, he said, “We reflected on our security system.” As an extra step, CES added a buzzer at the front door while still welcoming parents and visitors.

A big part of education is “making relationships with the community,” he said.

CES is the largest elementary school in the county. Raff heads a staff of about 100 and a school bursting with 930 students, but he seems unfazed and indefatigable.

“I am very excited about Centerville,” he said, “ I want to keep the forward momentum we have [and] keep making this successful.”

One of the biggest challenges, he will admit, is helping the community understand that despite the size of the school, the children are receiving a great education.

A large mega-pod nearing completion on the school grounds will house 12 classrooms. The six portable units will remain open for other uses.

His job is demanding, but he stresses that he has an incredible team working with him.

When he is not working, Raff is enjoying the football season as a Ravens football fan and season ticket holder. He also said he thoroughly enjoys cooking (his first semester in college he wanted to be a chef), and his 10-year-old son also keeps him and his wife busy.

During his time as a classroom teacher, Raff said his students always asking him how old he was. He said he never told them, instead saying, “Come back and ask me when you graduate; I’ll tell you then,” hoping to always keep in touch with his students.

Raff will be 42 in August, but his enthusiasm and excitement for education make him ageless.

Triz Pardo, an Urbana mother of Camilo, a fourth-grader at Centerville Elementary, and Andrea, a sixth grader at Urbana Middle School (UMS), volunteers every day at the store at UMS.

Teachers give stamps to students who do good work in school, and students can redeem the stamps for school supplies in the store. Most items cost between 25 cents and a dollar. Pardo said students often save their allowance to buy things in the store.

Pardo said she gets to know the students at UMS because they all pass by the store on their way to the classrooms and lockers. The store is often busy. Sometimes there are lines of children waiting to purchase items from the store, she said.

“I love those kids,” Pardo said warmly. She likes hearing the students say, “Good Morning, Ms. Pardo,” greeting her as they walk by the store and said she enjoys talking with them.

Pardo has become good friends with several students who come in to the store each day. Because she is not that student’s parent or teacher, they listen to her more, Pardo said. The kids talk to her about their problems at home with their parents, siblings or chores. One student who visits Pardo regularly talks to her about their parents’ divorce.

“I feel like a counselor,” she said.

Pardo said the transition from elementary school to middle school is not easy. “It’s really hard to adjust to middle school,” she said, because students need to be more independent and do more work on their own.

One of the challenges of volunteering at a middle school is seeing some students misbehaving and bullying other kids. Sometimes it is difficult to know how to get students to stop making fun of other kids, said Pardo.

A benefit of volunteering at UMS is spending extra time with her sixth-grade daughter, Andrea, who attends the school. Seeing her daughter every day at school has helped Pardo’s relationship with her. “I am very close to my daughter,” said Pardo.

Her daughter is also more likely to do well in school, said Pardo, when she knows her mom has good relationships with the principal and her teachers.

Pardo said she enjoys participating in every part of her children’s lives. She likes going to her daughter’s gymnastics competitions and helping her to excel in her schoolwork. Pardo also support her fourth-grade son, Camilo, a student at Centerville Elementary School (CES), by attending his baseball games and encouraging him to do well in an advanced math program outside of school.

After volunteering at UMS in the morning, Pardo goes to work as an office manager for a dental office in Spring Ridge. She said the dental office staff is flexible and allows her to take time off to be with her kids.

In the future, Pardo said she would like to volunteer for another part of the school such as the library or volunteer at CES.

Pardo loves being part of the students’ lives, she said, adding, “They become like your own kids.”

Walkersville resident and high school senior Samuel Pritt, who has been home educated all of his life, won the grand prize for the second consecutive year at the middle and high school Science and Engineering Fair on March 23.

“We really felt those middle school years are a tough time for kids,” Grabowski said. She and her husband wanted to teach their values to their children, she said.

Many families in the area enjoy the freedom they say homeschool offers. According to the Maryland Department of Education, parents home educated 2,303 students in Frederick County for the 2011-2012 school year.

Grabowski said home education has had a positive influence on her children. “They’ve all become very good writers,” she said. Her children, currently between the ages of 14 and 27, have also graduated in the top 5 percent of their class.

Grabowski, who studied elementary education at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, and now works as a math tutor out of her Urbana home, focused on teaching math and grammar to her kids. John, an associate professor of moral theology/ethics at Catholic University, primarily taught history, reading, literature and religion. John graduated from Franciscan University and got his Phd. at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

For Walkersville resident and high school senior Samuel Pritt, homeschooling has been a beneficial experience. “It gives you a good educational background,” he said.

Pritt won the grand prize for the second consecutive year at the middle and high school Science and Engineering Fair on March 23 for his experimental design project, “Rationally Designed Beta-catenin Inhibitors as Anti-Tumor Agents.”

He said the research he does for his job at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) helped him with his science fair project, which focuses on developing a cure for colon cancer. He currently works three hours each day at the NCI and frequently puts in overtime.

Pritt, who has been educated at home for all of his life, said he enjoys the freedom to structure his own schedule. He has taken classes online and at Frederick Community College. Pritt also plays the piano a few hours every day and plays on a club soccer team.

A benefit of homeschool classes is more individualized attention for students. One local option is the worldwide program Classical Conversations, which offers classes in small sizes (eight students per class) and integrates classical learning and Christian teachings.

The Classical Conversations program, which has three locations in Frederick, also provides an opportunity for students to do public speaking. Teachers assign students who are in the program to give 24 presentations to classmates each year, said Bunmi Morgan, support manager and foundations and essentials director of Classical Conversations.

Mt. Airy resident Helen Dickens, who has homeschooled three of her sons, said one of the best things about homeschooling is being able to customize the school for the children. If a child is having trouble with a concept, a parent can go over it as many times as needed.

Dickens said Frederick also has a large homeschooling community and is a great source of support for overcoming challenges such as choosing a curriculum and managing the class schedule.

Not everyone is convinced homeschooling offers more benefits than traditional education. Urbana High School Principal Jay Berno also said public schools offer more extracurricular activities than home education provides. Being involved in extracurricular activities “helps young people mature into adulthood,” he said.

In addition, Berno said it is very difficult to have one person who is highly qualified to give instruction in many different subject areas. He did say he thought homeschooling can be a good option for some people, such as those living in a rural area or individuals with parents who have a special skill they want to pass on to their kids.

Kim Romanchuk, a physician who lives in Mt. Airy with three children, homeschooled her kids because she liked the results she saw in other children who were homeschooled. She said her kids benefited from homeschooling by interacting with adults and children of different ages in their community, as well as their homeschool co-op. In addition, Romanchuk’s children had the flexibility with homeschooling to travel for sports events and training camps.

Romanchuk said she thinks homeschooling is not the only way to get a good education, but it was a good choice for her kids.

Grabowski also found homeschooling to be beneficial for her children. “We really enjoyed it,” she said, adding, “It has given us freedom.”

Urbana High School’s Mock Trial team advanced to state semifinals in April, then lost to Annapolis High School in its semifinal match. Pictured here, the team includes (back row from left) Cassie Lowell, Chase Tarnstrom, Joey Pasterkiewicz, Bharadwaja Chappa, Alex Pasterkiewicz, Christian Jambora and Jimmy Greene; and (front row from left) Elizabeth Laporte, Grace Cillo, Celina Harris, Bailey Roe, Ariana Sadoughi, Jackie Nichols and Yasmin Lachir.

Last year, UHS advanced to circuit finals from a resounding win at the county level before being defeated by Montgomery County’s Jewish Day School. After losing by a margin of two points, the UHS team returned the favor in full this year, winning its circuit match as well as its regional championship — a record-breaking accomplishment for both school and county — and advancing to state semifinals.

The team lost in the semifinals in what its members described as a very tight match.

“Still a good show nonetheless!” said one team member. Another chimed in that it was a very high scoring match, with a final score of 55-53.

Overall, the team members said they consider the season a success.

The team dealt its regional rival, the Gilman School, a decisive 50-48 defeat in their April 11 regional championship match.

“Our delivery as a whole was impeccable,” said senior Bharadwaja Chappa, a two-year veteran of the team. Chappa played the role of a witness for the prosecution during the regional championship match at the Montgomery County Courthouse.

During each moot court session, participants were judged and scored on their knowledge of court proceedings, successfully placed objections and public speaking skills. The team was coached by UHS media specialist Jessica McBroom.

The students pored over this year’s case beginning in late 2012, refining their opening and closing statements and researching related topics. They became verifiable experts on an unlikely topic: dog fighting. As the prosecution, they brought the case against a man suspected of running a dog fighting ring. With only a few affidavits as a foundation, Urbana’s team constructed a comprehensive argument against the defendant.

“We’ve all worked together for a long time,” said senior Cassie Lowell, an attorney for the team. “After last year, we realized we had the potential to win.”

Lowell numbers among a handful of senior participants who’ve honed their trial prowess since freshman year in high school.

So a record-breaking season seems an appropriate climax for four years of intensive rehearsal. This victory places Urbana Mock Trial in the upper echelons of a pool of 131 schools statewide. The team faced Annapolis High School from Anne Arundel County in the state semifinals. As one of an elite “Final Four” in the state of Maryland, the team traveled to Annapolis to compete.

The team members have made their mark on school history. A point of particular pride is the new banner that will soon hang alongside others in the main stairwell of UHS, detailing this year’s victory — a much-deserved tribute to an accomplished team.

For graduating seniors, mock trial has been more than an extracurricular; it’s been a family, a means for expression and a performance opportunity. Senior Joey Pasterkiewicz plans on pursuing a career in corporate law after college. Similarly, senior Bailey Roe intends to major in international relations.

“I wanted to implement my acting skills in a competitive environment,” said senior Christian Jambora.

Team member Celina Harris had another take on the matter. “I like arguing,” she said, straight-faced.

Another student chimed in: “Arguing and winning!”

Hundreds of students swarmed the halls to participate in the Urbana Elementary School Math Night on April 18. The students navigated grade-level activities as well as pirate themed fact fluency games. In addition fraction bowling and a computer lab were set up to expose parents and students to a variety of free websites that offer Common Core Math practice. The event was a fun way to celebrate math and learning.

Money Bingo in Urbana

On April 19, the evening was laden with ominous threats of severe storms and tornado watches. Despite the weather, almost 300 people turned out for the Urbana Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary Big Money Bingo event.

Green Valley Students Showcase Talent

Green Valley Elementary School held its annual Variety Show at Urbana High School on April 12. Thirty students from all grades performed 17 acts, including skits, singing and dance. Twenty fifth-graders worked as MCs and technical and stage crews to help with production of the show.

At the end of the evening, all performers received a trophy for their performances, and superlatives, such as “best smile,” “most graceful,” and “funniest” were also chosen.

Parent organizer Debra Eckman declared the show a great success. “Green Valley is full of talent,” Eckman said, “and everyone had a great time.”

International Taste Event at Goddard School

To celebrate the summer theme of “Passport Around the World, the Goddard School recently held an international tasting event. On April 11, food from across the world was available for visitors to sample, and families participated in activities and enjoyed entertainment to showcase some of the activities that will be available during the school’s summer program.

“Our event was a huge success,” said owner John Pelicano. “Our families loved visiting the different classrooms to experience the culinary delights from the countries represented. It was a wonderful experience for the children to take time visiting other classrooms and parents getting to know other teachers within our facility.”

At the end of April, the school also held “Root for Earth Week” for the children to celebrate the earth and learn about the need to preserve it with efforts such as recycling. Children enjoyed activities such as a parade with recycled costumes and decorations, a lights out party and art projects with recycled and natural products.

“We pride ourselves on the many green initiatives at Goddard,” Pelicano said, “and we work at being as environmentally friendly as possible while also providing children with the most state of the art and educationally sound learning environment possible.”

Goddard School is located on Carriage Hill Drive, next to Centerville Elementary School. For more information, call 240.699.0006 or visit www.goddardschool.com.

LOUYAA Bears with 2013 Mutiny at the Park

The LOUYAA Bears baseball team took home the trophy on April 12 at the annual Mutiny at the Park baseball tournament, sponsored by Olney Baseball. The off-season baseball clinic helps serious baseball players enhance their performance during the off season, November through April, culminating with the end-of-season championship and the Mutiny at the Park tournament. The Bears were one of several teams throughout the state of Maryland.

Coach Shawn Meade said the Bears won both competitions in their 11 and under division. Meade said, “They boys did their best, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

of my best spring and summer memories are of time spent with my two nieces and nephew when they come to Frederick for their dose of “Aunt Beth Camp.” Here, they’re enjoying a picnic lunch on my deck.

Sitting on our deck and enjoying our first outside meal of the season has brought back memories of summer evenings with friends and precious afternoons with my nieces and nephew. Just today, I discovered a teary voicemail from the younger of my two nieces on my phone saying that she had not been to my house in such a long time and could she come?

“Can I come over and spend the night? I love you Aunt Beth,” she said.

My parents, two brothers and their families all live in Richmond, Va., and since I got married and relocated to Frederick County, our house has become a destination for a sort of “Aunt Beth Camp” each summer. Since we just celebrated two years together and don’t have little ones of our own yet, I bestow my love for children upon my nieces and nephew — and they are my three favorite kids.

Time spent together includes a messy afternoon making splatter-paint T-shirts in the yard, chocolate-chip cookie eating and giggles while watching “Madagascar,” playground dates and snacks on our deck, a very hot and adventuresome trip to the Washington,” the D.C. zoo — and their favorite, visits to my in-laws farm near Thurmont, Md. Sunshine, tall grass, two horses, a donkey, chickens, six cats, three dogs and four-wheel rides seem to be etched into their memories.

“This is the funnest thing ever!” my niece, who was 3 at the time, kept repeating over and over last summer while riding up and down the driveway on the Kubota.

One of my favorite memories is the night my now 5-year-old niece insisted I sing her the old Sinatra tune, “Fly Me to the Moon,” before she went to sleep. I definitely didn’t know all the words, so I asked her to teach it to me. There she sat in her pink nightgown, belting out the song out word for word, then expected that I had learned it just so. Their little voices and laughs give the best perspective to life and are fresh reminders to me of why I cannot wait to have children of my own.

To celebrate the moms in our local community this month for Mother’s Day, staff writer Kristy Crawford asked Urbana-area kids to describe why they loved their moms — and she got some endearing answers.

“My mom is so pretty,” said Lily Poska, a 7-year-old Villages of Urbana resident, speaking in enthusiastic tones, “and we love each other!”

Villages of Urbana sisters and teenagers Sally and Katie McKee said they appreciate that their mom is already there for them. Katie had a humorous reason for loving her mom.

“I can wear her shoes!” Katie said.

Some children chose to share anecdotes of their love for their mom, including Kyle McQuillen, a 14-year-old who reminisced on a happy memory of when he was a baby.

“I would get all of the Tupperware out,” Kyle said, “and, instead of going ballistic, she would just laugh, and I would, too!”

For more on how children are celebrating their moms, including ideas for how to celebrate Mother’s Day, flip to the front page. Also, take time to read about a mom who is actively involved in the community in Sally Alt’s article on page 3 under the Community Spotlight heading.

One way to celebrate moms this month might be to spend a day outside, prepping the summer garden. This month, Sally Alt talked with locals about their plans for backyard gardening. Some are already hard at work, planting vegetables and fruit. Others participate in community gardens by tending to a plot and others, like me, don’t have room for a garden so grow fresh herbs to add to home-cooked meals instead. If you don’t have a garden, plan to consume lots of locally grown fruits and veggies this summer by shopping at farmers’ markets. See page 10 for a sampling of some of Frederick County’s options — including the market that hit the Urbana Regional Library at the end of last month.

As we launch into summer, I want to take time to highlight locals who are spending their summer in incredible ways — perhaps this is a high-school student tackling a new internship, a pastor taking students on a missions trip, someone taking a language class, or even a hilarious family memory here in Urbana. Also, I accept photos on a monthly basis for publication. Please share your favorite summer family photo with us!

Please take a moment to jot me any story topics at bethany@towncourier.com or via phone at 240.409.6734. Your input to the paper is valuable!

Grace Hotung, 15, tackled art projects portraying two of her dogs this spring at Ijamsville’s Friends Meeting School.

“I see their facial characteristics in my work,” Hotung said, explaining how much she enjoys using her dogs as subjects for her drawings.

This spring, each student had to specify what skills they wanted to hone as well as complete one painting and one drawing, said Currie Powers, art teacher and director of fine arts at Friends Meeting School. Hotung, 15 and a Gaithersburg, Md., resident, decided to use her dogs as her focus and portray them two ways — one in a black and white drawing and one in color pastels.

Hotung said the pastel drawing portrays her boxer mix, “Buddy,” and that the project included using a grid technique for first placing the dog’s facial features and parts of the body exactly where they need to be. Powers said Hotung spent much effort making sure her painting was accurate using the grid system. After that was done, Hotung came up with the idea of fusing the two different colors as a background. To complete the project, Hotung tried a technique Powers had never used before, placing a fixative that’s “like paint without pigment,” on top of her painting to keep the pastels from smearing.

“Every piece is a journey with a lot of happy discoveries,” said Powers. He said he always inspires his students by giving them as much freedom in their art as possible and just being excited about art himself.

“I always say, ‘Make me say, Whoa!’” He laughed. “I celebrate effort.”

For her drawing, Hotung sketched her chocolate lab, “Chip.”

“Grace’s strength is how she captured how light in objects,” Powers said, pointing to the shading on Chip’s face in the drawing. He explained that many young artists might not be able to see the light on a chocolate lab and know how to portray that as white in a drawing. “Drawing is 90 percent seeing.”

One of Grace’s favorite parts of her finished products is how they portray the dog’s personalities. She said the wrinkles on Buddy’s forehead and the angle of his head, capture his energetic and always moving personality, and the drawing of Chip portrays his serene spirit.

“I think it captures their personalities pretty well,” Hotung said, looking at her two works of art.

For the future, Hotung said she plans to continue pursuing art as a hobby, she said, adding that it’s a really relaxing pastime for her.

From left, Urbana High School students Holly Winklbauer, Clara O’Connor, Jenny Harshman and Mandy Walasik will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., this month for the Global Finals for Destination ImagiNation.

UHS’s team, dubbed the “Zillys,” is managed by Jodi O’Connor. Team members include Jenny Harshman, 15, Clara O’Connor, 15, Mandy Walasik, 14, and Holly Winklbauer, 14. Pam Walasik assisted O’Connor as co-manager of the team. These students have been tackling DI projects as a team for four years, since their first Destination Imagination competition together as sixth graders nearby at Windsor Knolls Middle School. Since then, the quad of girls (who numbered five for the first three years and are down to four this year) has chosen to challenge itself each year.

“They’re friends in school and outside of school, and they live in close proximity to one another,” Jodi O’Connor said of the Zillys, who include her daughter Clara, a freshman at UHS. “I think that they each have their own individual personalities and skills, and when they come together, they are able to use those different talents for the good of the whole group.”

Each team has one challenge it selects and brings ready to share with the judges — and one challenge it is given upon arrival, which it cannot prepare for at all. This year, the challenge the Zillys selected was called Project Outreach Reel to Reel.

“They needed to find a community service project,” O’Connor said. “As they fulfill[ed] that community need, then they needed to create some sort of documentary to share with the audience of what they did. The film then is part of their presentation at Destination ImagiNation.”

In addition, the foursome has to prepare a press conference and give a review of how the project went. To put a creative spin on this part of their presentation, the girls wrote a poem explaining what went well and what didn’t go well.

For their community service project, the Zillys discovered a social need at Frederick’s Community Living, Inc., an organization that serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The team provided a social event for these individuals by working with a Community Living staff member and planning and hosting a Valentine’s dance. Details such as decorations, a DJ and homemade cookies were completely taken care of by the four students.

“They danced with residents, and it was really quite cute actually,” O’Connor said.

The challenging part of being the manager, she added, is that she cannot offer any assistance to the girls. O’Connor had to sign an interference commitment agreeing not to help the girls in any way.

“They ran into glitches where the movie wouldn’t stabilize,” O’Connor said, adding that since she could not help, her role was “a lot more guidance with questions that make them think about how they can solve the problem.”

Their challenge was a success, and the girls were one of two teams in Frederick County Public Schools (the other team being the New Market Middle School “Avengers”) to advance to the Global Tournament held in Knoxville, May 22 – 25. Once at the Global Tournament, the team will receive their on-site challenge.

“With this being a national competition, I think that my main goal is for them to be able to socially interact with students all across the world,” O’Connor said, adding that there will be teams there from China and other countries. “They will have the opportunity to buddy up with a team from another country. It’s a chance for them to work on their problem-solving skills.”

O’Connor added with a chuckle that one of the group’s challenges is to create costumes to wear to a ball — one of the social events of the week — out of duct tape.

The cost for the week is about $700 per student for the lodging and food. The Zillys are currently looking for donations or sponsorships. If interested, contact O’Connor at 301.514.0055 or at pjaci_oconnor@yahoo.com. For more information, go to www.globalfinals.org.