Student Recognition

Congratulations to Mr. Lewis' 6th grade GT Social Studies student, Ada Schnake, who won the First Place Award in the Junior Individual Documentary category at Maryland History Day. She advances to the National History Day Contest on June 15th - 19th at the University of Maryland for her work on The Armenian Genocide. Ada also received a Special Award, the Barry A. Lanman Award for Oral History, Martha Ross Center for Oral History, UMBC. We are all very proud of Ada and her accomplishments! Ada will present her documentary at the GT Fair on Thursday, May 8th.

Thank you to 7th graders Suhayla Admed, Glenn Helme, Madhu Parigi, and Marie Pines who did a fantastic job presenting at the MICCA Conference on April 30th. The students shared their research related to the project: One Laptop for Every Child. MICCA is an Association for Educators Using Technology.

Congratulations to the Concert Chorus for giving a great performance at the Choral Festival on April 22nd. Afterwards, they had their end of the year party. There will be no more chorus rehearsals after school! The last performance will be for the in-coming 6th graders on Thursday, May 15th in the morning.

Teacher Notes

Reminder to all Algebra students: Please bring in your calculator on Thursday, May 22nd for the Algebra HSA.

The 7th grade teachers are still looking for chaperones for the field trip to Howard County Conservancy/Mt. Pleasant on Thursday, May 8th and Friday, May 9th. If you are available to chaperone, please call 410-313-5545 or mpoknis@hcpss.org.

GT Resource

From Mrs. Quinn

The GT Enrichment Fair is on Thursday, May 8th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. in the Media Center, GT Room, and Computer Lab. Students who worked on GT enrichment projects will showcase their work and demonstrate programs using technology. See Mrs. Quinn's website for more details about the schedule that night.

UMBC's Center for Women and Information Technology will be hosting its 6th Annual Computer Mania Day this Saturday, May 3rd. Computer Mania is a half day of technology-related activities for middle school students, their parents, teachers, and community members. Please go to http://www.computer-mania.info for registration information.

PTA

MVMS PTA is recruiting officers and committee chairs for the 2008/2009 school years. Please contact Lori Ferraro at ferrarofamily4@verizon.net or 410-489-2577 or Tracy German at jgerman@comcast.net or 410-489-6245 if you would like to become more active in the PTA. It is a great way to stay involved in your child's education.

Community News

Howard County Library invites you to a Choose Civility Symposium, featuring keynote speaker former Baltimore Colts defensive lineman and co-founder of Building Men and Women for Others, Joe Ehrmann. Ehrmann will emphasize how empathy, integrity and relationships are more important than anything else in life. Breakout sessions on civility in school, workplace and community will follow. The symposium will on Wednesday, May 14th, 8:00 AM ? 12:00 PM at Grace Community Church in Fulton. The cost is FREE. Please RSVP to 410-313-7762 or carol.murrary@hclibrary.org. For more information go to www.hclibrary.org/choosecivility.

The Howard County Library will kick off its Summer Reading Celebration with a 2.5 mile fun run/walk at 8:00 AM on Saturday, June 7th at the East Columbia Branch Library in Columbia. The cost is $20 per person and $50 for a family of up to four people. There will be an additional cost of $10 for each additional person. All proceeds will benefit Friends of Howard County Library. Visit any branch or go to www.hclibrary.org to register beginning May 1. For more information, call 410-313-7750.

The Columbia Association's Teen Advisory Committee is sponsoring a College Fair on Saturday, May 3rd from 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM. The event will be held at Kahler Hall in Columbia. Representatives from colleges and universities across the country will be present to help area teens explore the wide range of options available to them after high school. Admission is free and light refreshments will be available. For more information, contact Carol Wasser at 410-715-5523.

The Girl Scouts of Central Maryland will hold their Daisy Day Program on Saturday, May 17th from 12:30 PM ?4:00 PM at Clementine Peterson Activity Center/GS Camp Ilchester. Activities will include songs, games, crafts, learning about the Girl Scouts and about how to join a Girl Scout Troop in the fall. The event is open to girls who are 5 years old or currently in kindergarten and not a registered girl scout. For more information, contact Maria Pezzella at mpezzella@gscm.org or 410-358-9711, X217.

Howard County Animal Control will hold a Be Kind to Animals celebration on Saturday, May 10th from 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM in Columbia. The event will feature discussions on animal care, animal displays, handouts, craft projects, agility demonstrations, etc. For more information, contact Sheri Fox at 410-313-2780.

The Howard County Poetry and Literature Society will present a free panel discussion called "Racism in America: 1968 - 2008" commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. The panel will include distinguished authors and activists as well as a decade-by-decade account of African-American history. The event will take place at 2:00 PM on Sunday, April 27th at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center in Columbia.

The National Kidney Foundation of Maryland will hold a two-mile walk around Lake Elkhorn in Columbia, on Sunday, May 4th. Registration will begin at 8:00 AM and the walk will start at 9:00 AM. Dogs are welcome to participate. The fundraising event is free and open to the public. Register online at www.kidneymd.org. For more information, contact Kelly Meltzer, Director of Special Events, at 443-322-0378 or kmeltzer@kidneymd.org

The Soccer Association of Columbia/Howard County is registering for Fall 2008/spring 2009. Recreation is an 8-week spring and fall sessions of small-sided instructional and competitive soccer. Practice at least once a week, plus refereed games on Saturdays and/or Sundays. Jersey, shorts and socks provided. Register at www.SACKICK.com.