Academics

The C. Milton Wright boys soccer team will be awarded a second consecutive National Team Academic Award by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. To qualify, teams must have an average minimum grade point average of of 3.25. C. Milton Wright held a 3.4 average GPA.

When it comes to college athletics, it's time to speak truth to evil. You might think evil is too strong a word for what's going on in college athletics, but consider how Webster's Dictionary defines evil: morally reprehensible; causing harm; offensive. That pretty much sums up the state of big-time college sports today. The inane move of Maryland and Rutgers to the Big Ten is simply the latest example. Here's the current reality of college sports: •NCAA Division I sports - especially at Football Bowl Subdivision schools - has nothing to do with education.

On Wednesday, the main topic of conversation at Northwestern High School will likely be the school's impending closing and what the move might mean to the current student body. But when school dismissed at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday, many Northwestern students and parents hadn't heard a thing about the plan — even though it had been announced more than two hours earlier by Baltimore school officials. Most Northwestern students and parents appeared stunned to hear the news when told by The Baltimore Sun, and some hadn't known that such a move was a possibility.

Few would argue that the University of Maryland's decision earlier this week to join the Big Ten isn't about the money — $24 million a year in television revenue. But university officials are helping to sell the deal with what they argue is a significant academic benefit to joining the athletic conference. The 12 universities that make up the Big Ten Conference, plus the University of Chicago, constitute an academic consortium called the Committee on Institutional Collaboration.

Clarksville student Janie Tankard received a bachelor's degree from Harvard College during the school's 361st commencement. Samuel Lee, of Ellicott City, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. Berklee College of Music, Boston, Mass., reported that Catherine Woodcock, of Ellicott City, merited dean's list placement for the summer semester of the 2012 academic year. Elkridge resident Hannah Ogden participated in Salisbury University's 11th annual Student Research Conference by presenting "Synthesis of New Ligand Containing both Cp and A-Frame Features.

Despite spending a year away from football, Tyrice Rock of Century High School seemingly hasn't missed a beat, and is having a season that most players only dream about. The senior Knight leads Carroll County in rushing attempts and yardage, and his 20 touchdowns far outdistance the current runner-up, Westminster wide receiver Garrett Bean. He has exceeded the 100-yard rushing mark in six of Century's seven games, and has gone for more than 200 yards four times. Even with a tough performance Friday against Westminster, Rock still has a chance to break the all-time Carroll records for rushing yardage and touchdowns.

Michael German , of Perry Hall, attends Lehigh University and has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to India in engineering. He will travel abroad for the 2012-2013 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Rachel Hensberger , of Perry Hall, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in health and occupation from Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, Pa., in August. Lauren Maddox , of Perry Hall, has been granted the Veronica Founder's Scholarship at Alvernia University, Reading, Pa. She is studying occupational therapy.

Rising sophomore midfielder Lane Odom of Haverford School in Havertown, Pa., has orally committed to play lacrosse at Johns Hopkins, according to PhillyLacrosse.com.  Odom plays club for Mesa Fresh, attending Good to Great Showcase, Rider MVP, Lava Lax and Nike Blue Chip camps. He also considered Michigan, Ohio State, Georgetown and Princeton.  Other commitments Rising junior St. Paul's attackman Liam Anderson , a former Georgetown recruit, has orally committed to Colgate.

If you're stuck in a bad relationship, you might have something in common with the subprime mortgage mess. Subprime lenders failed to recognize the depth of their problems and ignored them until it was too late, says Yuval Bar-Or, an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. Similarly, failing to confront troubles with a mate could make things worse or keep you in a relationship that should have ended much earlier, he says. An unusual analogy from a business school academic, for sure.

Taariq Mohammed has never had a problem keeping academics ahead of sports. The captain of River Hill High's state championship wrestling team recently entered a wrestling camp on the morning he was to discover how well he did on the ACT, the college preparatory exam. Right as camp was set to begin, the rising senior checked the online ACT score report from his cellphone. He discovered he had accomplished a feat rarely performed by ACT exam takers: He had earned the highest possible score of 36. Later, Taariq received a letter from Jon Whitmore, chief executive officer of ACT Inc., lauding his achievement.