Carroll Community College

Board of Education to meet Wednesday The Carroll County Board of Education will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Room 007 of the board offices, 125 N. Court St., Westminster. Information: 410-751-3020. Group to discuss homeschooling Educating Our Own, an inclusive home-school support group based in Carroll County, will present "Homeschooling 101: An Introduction to Homeschooling," at 7 p.m. Friday at the Westminster library branch, 50 E. Main St. Parents who are new to homeschooling or who are considering homeschooling are encouraged to attend.

Free CPR course available for adults Carroll Hospital Center has partnered with Carroll Community College and the Carroll County Volunteer Emergency Services Association to offer a free family and friends CPR course for adults. This new streamlined course includes recently revised American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. "CPR Across Carroll County" will be offered to adults from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the following locations: Carroll Hospital Center, 410-848-2244; Carroll Community College, 410-386-8100; Mount Airy volunteer, Sykesville-Freedom and Taneytown volunteer fire departments, 410-848-1488, ext. 206. To register, call the number listed with each location.

Anna Efimova sat at a small table in a Carroll County library with a pen in her right hand and a workbook and a notebook opened in front of her. She pointed to an unfamiliar word in the workbook - "suspicion" - and asked Erica Callaham about its pronunciation and meaning. "It's easier if you say it fast," said Callaham, an adjunct instructor for English Speakers of Other Languages at Carroll Community College. Efimova, who emigrated from Russia four years ago, listened intently and took notes occasionally as Callaham spoke, adding the instructor's explanation of "suspicion" to her dictionary research.

Carroll Community College will launch an honors program designed for top students beginning in the fall of 2007. The Hill Scholars Program will provide an opportunity for groups of 20 to 24 full-time students to progress through their first two years of college together in classes offered specifically for them. "We know we're getting a bunch of high-achieving students here," said Candace Edwards, coordinator of admissions at Carroll Community College. "We decided to tailor a program to meet their specific needs."

Carroll Community College will hold commencement ceremonies for its largest class in history at 3 p.m. Wednesday at McDaniel College in Westminster. More than 375 students make up the graduating Class of 2006. Fifty-three students will be graduating with honors, with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Julia Walsh Gouge, president of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners, will be the commencement speaker. Now in her fourth term as county commissioner, she also is an ex-officio member of the college's board of trustees.

Commissioners OK ethics code change The Carroll County commissioners unanimously approved an ethics code change last week that will prevent county employees from accepting free tickets to athletic, charitable, cultural or political events. Elected officials, such as the county commissioners, may still frequent such events when accompanied by the tickets' donor. Based on recommendations from the State Ethics Commission in February, County Attorney Kimberly A. Millender proposed the amendments to ensure the county policy mirrored the state's.