Aberdeen High

Aberdeen High School put Cal Ripken Jr., Class of 1978, on its Walk of Fame months before baseball writers nominated the former Oriole for honors at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Still, the idea that an alumnus had won a place among baseball immortals thrilled the faculty and students at the school, where Ripken studied and played baseball and soccer. Photos and plaques honoring Ripken and his father, Cal Ripken Sr., a 1953 graduate, are displayed in the school's Walk of Fame, a sunlit gallery nearly 1,600 students pass through daily.

Harford Community College's new APGFCU Arena is quickly becoming the venue of choice for many longtime community events, including high school graduations. This June, five of the county's 10 public high schools plan to hold their commencement exercises at the new arena that opened last fall, according to the graduation schedule released Monday by Harford County Public Schools. The arena seats 2,500 for sporting events and up to 3,200 for other activities, according to the HCC website.

ABERDEEN -- Dave Duchon stood in the middle of the dim room where students come to study the stars and planets and shook his head in disbelief.Mr. Duchon, the planetarium director at Aberdeen High School, pointed to dents in the domed metal ceiling, left by slide projectors hurled into the air, and the console panel, where a reel-to-reel tape recorder, ripped from its casing, dangled by an electrical cord.The star projector, a delicate piece of machinery that formed the heart of the planetarium at the school, wobbled on its platform, its wires torn out, its globe dented by a baseball bat or a fire extinguisher.

At first glance, it may seem a bit petty for people in any community to complain that it's their turn for a replacement school, as happened earlier this week at a meeting of the advisory Abingdon Community Council. And for that sentiment to become the rallying cry for folks in Havre de Grace seeking a new high school. From a very real perspective, however, just about every community in Harford County can legitimately claim one of its public school buildings needs to be replaced or renovated top to bottom.

A new planetarium will open at Aberdeen High School next month, replacing one destroyed by vandals at the school 18 months ago.The old planetarium, which was built in 1966 for $85,000, could not be repaired because replacement parts are no longer available. It was fully functional until it was damaged.On Aug. 12, 1992, at least two people broke into the planetarium by smashing a window and jimmying two locked doors.Once inside, the vandals smashed the star projector, a delicate piece of machinery that formed the heart of the planetarium.

Aberdeen High School has been putting emphasis on excellence in academics among its athletes in recent years and the school's latest report is one of its best.Members of the 12 teams that competed during the fall season compiled an overall grade-point average of 3.05, with eight teams at 3.0 or better. Of the 46 students who made straight A's (4.0 average), 26 were on athletic teams.Achievement awards also are presented by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association to those athletes with a 3.2 average or better.

Classes at Aberdeen High School were canceled yesterday after school officials discovered vandals had discharged several fire extinguishers inside the school, requiring extensive cleanup of hallways and several classrooms. By the time school officials saw the extent of the damage, buses were already picking up students on their routes. Harford County Schools spokesman Don Morrison said officials need to make a decision about school closure by 5:30 a.m. Students who drove or walked to school were dismissed immediately, while students who rode buses waited in the gym and cafeteria until buses picked them up about 9:45 a.m. "I'm angry and disappointed," said Principal Tom Szerensits, who got a call from police at 5:30 a.m. "We're disgusted by the dirt, but proud of the way the students handled [the situation]

One of the most striking things about Aberdeen High School's new freshman academy is the atmosphere of quiet, an unusual state for a building housing ninth-graders. Students file down the hall, and some are wearing uniforms - football jerseys, with dress shirts and ties. Those proud members of the junior varsity football team are one clue to changing attitudes apparent among the new ninth-graders, said Principal David A. Volrath. "Football players with ties on game day?" he said. Before this year, he said, the sight would have been unimaginable.

A steady flow of students filed through the Aberdeen High School health suite to see school nurse Robin Testerman. One student complained of a migraine and asked for a note so he could sit out of gym class. A diabetic student came in for juice and crackers. And several students came in for their daily medication. Others, like junior Quenique Newbill, came in just to chat with Testerman between classes. "Many of the kids use my office as a safe haven," said Testerman after the health room cleared out. "As a result, I have to be a counselor ... a mediator, an advocate and a nurse for the students.

Emily Hogan threw a flaming baton up in the air and spun around, catching it on the way down. Puffs of smoke billowed out of the baton as she twirled to the music of the Marching Eagles, the 65-member band at Aberdeen High School. The performance, which took place during the recent holiday parade in Aberdeen, seemed a natural and traditional combination of twirler and marching band. However, it is an uncommon pairing, particularly in Harford County. The 14-year-old Belcamp resident is the only twirler in the county school system allowed to perform with her school's band during competitions.

Elliott and Phyllis Ruby, of Aberdeen, announce the engagement of their daughter, Katelynn Nicole, to Brian Michael, son of Mike and Cathy Leftridge, also of Aberdeen. Both are 2006 graduates of Aberdeen High and 2010 graduates of Salisbury University. An Oct. 6 wedding is planned at Swan Harbor Farm.

On March 21, Aberdeen High School again hosted the Hall of Fame event that was initiated in 2006. These events honor past Aberdeen High graduates who are positive mentors to youth and demonstrate commitment to their community and exceptionality in their field. After a breakfast for inductees, families and other invited guests, a warm welcome by Belawoe Akwakoku, and the national anthem sung by student Aria Real, the program followed. On stage were paintings of the 2012 inductees: John Bender, John Landbeck and Maurice Wallace.

Those who make their living soliciting donations on behalf of charities, colleges and other nonprofits are occasionally asked by outsiders whether asking for contributions from the rich ever becomes tiresome. Doesn't it amount to begging in better dress? The answer is no, because their job is not so much to tug at heartstrings as to make people happy. Signing that check is a thrill when a donor realizes how much it's going to help those who need it. As the purse is emptied the heart is filled, a happy circumstance that Victor Hugo observed more than a century ago. It's also a lesson that members of the Harford County Board of Education might take to heart if they plan to make it a permanent policy to refuse large donations from National Football League players.

Fifteen members of the Aberdeen High School class of 1951 held their 60th reunion on the weekend of Aug. 20-21. For some, this occasion inspired journeys from New York, Massachusetts, Arizona and Florida. Events included dinner at Bruce Bitner's Café and Grill in Campus Hills and a brunch cruise on the Lantern Queen off Havre de Grace. Pictured, standing: Corky Blanchard, Lejeune Pyle, Henry Burns, Bill Gross, Dick Scott, Dan Tamkus; seated, middle row: Wanda Denbow Ruth, Elaine Denbow Beavers, Joan Illick Pyle, Elaine Preston Goodby, Jeannette Wallen Coppersmith; seated, front row: Pat Cronin King, Luanne Burns Ehlers, Irene Vachek Henry, Lydia Latka Corder.

Graduation season has drawn to a close and members of Harford County's Class of 2011 are working on beginning the next stages of their lives. In a  little less than a year, as many parents are well aware, the Class of 2012 will take that next big step. Graduation season, after all, is as predictable as the Fourth of July, so it makes perfect sense that Harford County Public Schools would be making plans for spring 2012 ceremonies even as those who just graduated are still feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Aberdeen High School Girls Amanda Alexander, Bryanna Divine Alford, Yasmeen Ali, Janae Alston, Josseline Stephania Alvarado Perez, Kelsey Marie Badeker, Nia Simone Bailey, Savon Lynise-Elegance Baker, Rebecca Ann Baldwin, Nikeia Lashay Barnes, Magdylenne Yvonne Beck, Altamese Marie Berry, Victoria Biggs, Francesca Rose Blas, Acacia Elvina Bond, Anndreia Loray Bond, Frances Renee Bond, Brianna Boomer, Megan Danielle Bowling, Lindsay Marie...

Harford Community College's new APGFCU Arena is quickly becoming the venue of choice for many longtime community events, including high school graduations. This June, five of the county's 10 public high schools plan to hold their commencement exercises at the new arena that opened last fall, according to the graduation schedule released Monday by Harford County Public Schools. The arena seats 2,500 for sporting events and up to 3,200 for other activities, according to the HCC website.

Elliott and Phyllis Ruby, of Aberdeen, announce the engagement of their daughter, Katelynn Nicole, to Brian Michael, son of Mike and Cathy Leftridge, also of Aberdeen. Both are 2006 graduates of Aberdeen High and 2010 graduates of Salisbury University. An Oct. 6 wedding is planned at Swan Harbor Farm.

Ethel L. Sellman, a retired Harford County French teacher who was known for her elaborate dinners, died April 28 of complications from a stroke at her Aberdeen home. She was 92. Ethel Onetta Estelle Lauterbach was born in a Biddison Avenue rowhouse and later moved with her family in 1928 to Mount Airy, where her parents owned and operated Hillside Poultry Farm. Mrs. Sellman was 14 when she graduated in 1933 from Mount Airy High School and enrolled at Western Maryland College, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1937, majoring in French, algebra and social studies.