Back To School

It's 10:30 on a Thursday night in College Park. The weather is warm, homework has yet to pile up and thousands of students are getting ready to drink. Also out are 34 officers from the University of Maryland Department of Public Safety, caffeinated and ready for a long evening. In the next four hours they will bust more than a dozen parties of varying sizes, confiscating kegs and pouring out bottles of liquor. They will check parking garages for rocking cars, tell students not to stand in the street and call ambulances for the intoxicated students they find passed out. They will make only seven arrests.

Weary consumers kept their wallets tightly shut in July and the trend looks as if it might continue through the back-to-school season, a time when retailers normally see a boost from parents getting their kids ready for the new school year. Retail sales fell 5 percent as shoppers continued to worry about their jobs and spent more cautiously because of the recession, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. Shoppers also had nothing to entice them to spend because there were fewer sales.

It's hard to see a silver lining when you're out of work. But some unemployed workers believe getting a pink slip was a blessing in disguise, according to a new survey by SnagAJob.com, which focuses on hourly jobs. Of 584 workers who have been laid off since the start of the recession in December 2007, four in 10 saw the positive in getting the ax. And 26 percent who do not see their layoff as a blessing expect it will eventually become one. "Once they got over the initial shock, they were able to refocus on themselves, spend more time with their families, their hobbies, their volunteer work," says Cathy McCarthy, a senior vice president and marketing director at SnagAJob.

A slow economy and labor market can lead many workers to consider going back to school. In fact, schools geared toward working professionals generally report higher enrollments during recessionary periods. But it might not be the right choice for everyone. Before taking the leap back into academia, take some time to ask questions and do some research. For starters, consider whether additional schooling or another degree will advance your career. Career experts and recruiters say an advanced degree doesn't always mean you'll get a higher salary or a better job. Researching your industry and salary level will help you determine whether that is the case.

For the past several months, former NFL safety Keion Carpenter has been going back to school. Roaming the halls of Woodlawn High School, he slips into classrooms for lessons on federal versus state government powers. He stops to chat with teachers and students between classes. And when the dismissal bell rings, Carpenter, 31, joins the varsity football players as they practice, exchanging quips with and shouting instructions at the athletes during grueling exercises. For Carpenter, who graduated from Woodlawn in 1995, the time spent with students as a volunteer coach and mentor is a chance to show them life's possibilities - and teach them what's necessary to turn their potential into reality.

Before the first day of school, county students were invited to attend an open house at their respective schools. During this night, the students were introduced to their teachers, shown their classrooms, and met classmates and schoolmates. Now it's the parents' turn. As their children adjust to new buildings, new teachers, new friends, class changes and schedules, parents are invited to attend an orientation meeting in their child's school. "The parent nights are an essential start of the home and school partnership," said Peggy Kirk, principal at Emmorton Elementary in Bel Air. Called Back to School Nights, the events are held in the evening, and bring parents in droves to the schools.

The Harford County superintendent of schools, accompanied by the county executive and a state senator, made her annual bus ride with students to celebrate the opening of the school year. Several schools rolled out a red carpet to welcome students. The faculty at Roye-Williams Elementary in Aberdeen went formal, wearing top hats and white gloves for the morning arrival. And Harford Technical High School added black and yellow balloon arches to its doors. "It is all about making students feel welcome, excited and motivated on the first day of school," said Teri D. Kranefeld, schools spokeswoman.

Students were not the only ones who woke up early and spent the day going from classroom to classroom as the first day of the new school year arrived. Howard County Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin and school board Chairman Frank Aquino were up and out early, visiting seven schools Monday as part of Cousin's annual ritual. The two started at Howard High School just before 7 a.m., where 125 staff members, playing percussion instruments, welcomed students back to school. The teachers toted drums and formed "rhythm circles" near the school's entrance as buses pulled up. Cousin said he was impressed by the display of enthusiasm.

Troy Todd has spent the summer moving, only to come right back where he started. The 36-year-old principal at Running Brook Elementary is a familiar face to students and staff. He spent the past three years there as a respected, dynamic assistant principal. It was hard for him to leave the school when he was transferred to Waterloo Elementary as an assistant principal at the beginning of the summer. But a series of transfers and promotions within the school system created an opening at his beloved Running Brook, which resulted in his returning to the school just as he had virtually completed the transition to his new assignment.