Back To School

Another school year has started, and a record number of Carroll County's public school students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in education, one of the most important human endeavors. Children have another year to acquire more knowledge, develop their minds and build on their character.Even though this school year began in late August, the opening of school should be seen as an opportunity to start afresh -- the way we consider spring the season of rebirth, growth and optimism.

Dr. Kenneth B. Kochmann, a former social worker who became a physician later in life, died March 8 of multiple myeloma at Stella Maris Hospice. He was 63. The son of German immigrant parents — his father was a traveling salesman and his mother a homemaker — Kenneth B. Kochmann was born in New York City and raised in Port Washington, N.Y., where he graduated in 1967 from Paul D. Schreiber High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1971 in philosophy from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., and a master's degree in philosophy from the State University of New York at Albany.

The Baltimore City public school system will operate a back-to-school "command center" at its headquarters today to Sept. 2 to respond to questions from parents and guardians about issues such as registration, immunization, school assignments, transfers and transportation. The command center, in the Alice G. Pinderhughes Administration Building at 200 E. North Ave., is in its third year of operation. During each of the first two years, the staff responded to about 1,000 calls. "With rare exception, one call to the command center puts a parent or guardian in touch with a ... staff person who can provide a quick response to a question or concern," Bonnie S. Copeland, the school system's chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Day after day, Richard Stokes rode the bus past his alma mater, New Hope Academy, until he decided to drop in one day and say hello to the teachers and staff who helped him rise above the problems that landed him at the school for behaviorally and emotionally challenged students. And he never really left. The 20-year-old has returned to the nonpublic school in Baltimore as a teaching assistant, helping to mentor students, some of whom display the sort of verbal and physical aggression that Stokes did as a student.

IT'S BACK-TO-SCHOOL time, parents, and you know what that means! It's time to get the kids off the TV-room sofa, using logging equipment if necessary, and take them to the mall for back-to-school supplies.Getting the right school supplies is crucial to your child's chances for success. We all remember the tragic story of young Abraham Lincoln, whose family could not afford school supplies, so he had to write on a shovel blade with a piece of coal. This meant that if young Abe saw a cute girl and wanted to pass her a note in class, he had to hand her this gross, filthy digging implement, sometimes with worm parts stuck to it, and she'd go, "Ewwww!"

You never saw so many "students" so happy to be back in school. Only these were grown-ups -- supporters of the Baltimore School for the Arts -- getting together for the school's annual fund-raiser, "Expressions 2000." First came an evening "class" in theater, music or art, then dinner in the school's ballroom, followed by a performance by past and current students. Although everyone wore a name tag, it wasn't hard to recognize many of Baltimore's movers and shakers in this student population of 450, including: Erin and Doug Becker, event co-chairs; Amy Elias and Sally Michel, past chairs; Clair Zamoiski Segal, school board chair; Sharon Nevins and Jim Dale, board members; Stanley Romanstein, school director; Leslie Shepard, dean of arts; Claire Ingalls, Towson University music educator; former Mayor Kurt Schmoke, partner with Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering; Ron Daniel, Baltimore police commissioner; and Martha Macks, president of Goya Girl Press.

SCHOOL IS OPEN, and it's time to volunteer. Local schools offer possibilities to help them provide an excellent place to learn. Volunteering is a direct way to become involved with the community on a flexible schedule. It's a way to meet children of all ages and other adults. Older adults can reconnect with young people. Moms and dads can learn how their children's peers act among friends. Volunteer work can be a bridge to a career in education or related fields. Those interested in art or literature can volunteer in the art room or library.

The following prices for lunches in the Howard County Public Schoolshave been established for the 1991-1992 school year.Elementary lunch.. .. .. .. .. ..$1.00Middle and high school lunch.. ..$1.25Super lunch.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .$1.75Adult lunch.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .$1.65 w/o beverageMilk.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..25

Outfitting herself to go back to school next week, 14-year-old Courtney Lancos, a freshman at Howard County's Atholton High, bought two flannel shirts earlier this week -- plaid flannel shirts, of course."

Howard County's rapidly growing school system will add two new schools Tuesday -- an elementary school in the western area of the county and a middle school in the east.The opening of Pointers Run Elementary and Mayfield Woods Middle are part of an ambitious $212.6 million construction program that will add 12 more new schools by the year2000. The two new schools opening this year bring the county total to 52.NOTE: SEE MAIN STORY POINTERS RUN IS A PRINCIPAL'S DREAM--AND STUDENTS LIKE IT TOO, NEW MAYFIELD WOODS MIDDLE SCHOOL IS 'AWESOME'

(Guest post by Laurel Peltier, free-lance writer, GreenLaurel.com blogger and mother of three.) Back-to-school means arranging carpools again and sitting through soccer practices, but also packing school lunches. To make this daily chore easier, a recent Coupons.com survey found that almost 70 percent of parents rely on store-bought, pre-packaged foods for their kid's lunch.  Convenient?  Yes, but there is a downside to pre-packaged lunch foods. First demerit: Juice boxes and individually wrapped 'grab and go' foods generate tons of lunch-time trash -- 67 pounds per child annually, according to a survey by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.

Baltimore County and the Kevin Liles for a Better Baltimore Foundation will host a back-to-school festival Saturday in Woodlawn. The event is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. at Security Square Mall. It will focus on families with low to moderate incomes. Features will include educational games, entertainment, free haircuts and school supplies, and information on college and career options. The county's health department will provide free immunizations for children who qualify for the Vaccines for Children program.

Across Baltimore County, schools will begin holding Back-to-Schoolnight activities, some starting as early as this week. The events give parents a way of learning about their child's school, its upcoming events, volunteer and involvement activities, and other facets of school life. The following is the schedule for Baltimore County Public Schools in the Towson, Lutherville, Timonium and Cockeysville areas. Elementary Schools Cromwell Valley Elementary School, 825 Providence Road, Towson - Sneak-a-Peek at Your Seat, kindergarten to grade five, Aug. 23, 4-5 p.m.; Family Picnic, Aug. 23, 5 p.m.;Back-to-School night, kindergarten to grade five, Aug. 28, 6:30 p.m. • 410-887-4888.

It's back-to-school time, and perhaps you are settling back in to a family-dinner routine after summer chaos. Or perhaps you at least plan to. If your picky eater isn't getting into the groove just yet, perhaps these recipes will help. Tell your kids they are eating just like the Ravens do. You won't be exaggerating. These two recipes -- for Ravens jambalaya and roasted chicken and vegetable lasagna -- come from the Classic Catering People, the caterer for Baltimore Ravens training facilities, and are actually regularly fed to the players and coaches.

Drawing on the last drumrolls of the Perry Hall High School marching band, Baltimore County schools superintendent S. Dallas Dance greeted 700 applauding administrators Friday to deliver his inaugural back-to-school address, sending a message he hoped would resonate for the next 10 months. "That explosive sound is what every team needs when they're about to take the field," said the 31-year-old superintendent, who took the helm of the 26th-largest school system in the nation on July 1. "And I have no doubt that 'Team BCPS' are indeed about to take the field for a championship school year and a championship journey.

Shoppers in Maryland showed up at area malls and other retail outlets in large numbers Sunday, the first day of the state's Tax Free Week. The holiday from state sales tax for most clothing and footwear priced under $100 was an incentive to spend and an added bonus this time of year, said parents goingback-to-schoolshopping with their kids. "I say every dollar counts," said Kristin Ganoe of Hagerstown, who was shopping atMacy's at the Mall in Columbia with her husband, Roman, and daughter Gabriella, who's going into the third grade.

The local Cub Scout troops invite old members and new friends to Back to School Night on Thursday. Leaders of the local dens will be available to sign up new members and renew old friendships that night at area schools.Dave Czaplicki is the contact person for Troop 62 at Forest Ridge. His number is (301) 725-1076. Lisa Maloney of Troop 345 out of Laurel Woods can be reached at (301) 725-4750. Tanya Lewis of Troop 513 at Guilford Elementary can be reached at (410) 381-5785. Joseph Owens of Troop 606 at Hammond Elementary can be reached at (301)

Now that August has arrived, I'm starting to get the kids ready for going back to school. I'm trying to get them to bed earlier. I'm nagging them to finish their summer reading assignments. And I have the 11-year-old practicing his multiplication and division. The kids are whining that I'm being too mean, but they don't know how easy they have it. I read a recent report from the National Retail Federation that says the average 13-to-17-year old will spend $36.48 on pens, papers, lunch boxes, etc. as they get ready for school.

jcpenney is ushering in the back-to-schoolshopping season by offering free haircuts all month to elementary school students in the department store salons. "We really just want to help kids go back to school in style, and we're helping the parents too," said Ann Marie Bishop, a company spokeswoman. "Whether you have one kid or more, the value really adds up. " The offer, for students entering grades K through 6, is good through the end of the month, while reservations are available, Bishop said.