Church School

Summer school had been in session scarcely a week at Thomas Johnson Elementary when one beginning reader turned in a list of 30 books she had finished.Another third-grade girl, who struggles to read, is trying to catch up to her peers. She might not close the gap during the summer session, but she will be closer because of it, said reading teacher Maria Zozulak.Summer schools and summer reading camps are not unique in Baltimore -- many have been launched in recent years amid the push for increased reading instruction.

'Bless the Years' The "Spirited Seniors" ministry of St. Paul's Lutheran Church will hold its annual celebration Oct. 13-14 at the church, 308 Oak Manor Drive in Glen Burnie. At the Saturday and Sunday worship services and activities, all members 55 and older will be recognized and a special tribute will be given to those 80 and older. Services are at 5 p.m. Oct. 13, and 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Oct. 14. Worship leader is the Rev. Dr. George E. Black. In addition, a reception will be held after the 10:30 a.m. Oct. 14 services.

Classes were in full swing on a Thursday afternoon at Miracle Baptist Church School last month when a bullet ripped through a small room full of third-graders.No one was hurt, but the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and FBI are investigating -- and the church community is furious that three local teens allegedly responsible skirted more serious charges."I'm outraged, I'm insulted," said the Rev. Frank A. Murphy, pastor of Miracle Baptist in northeast Baltimore. "It's minimizing the value of human life."

Shirley H. Atkinson, a former public school liaison officer and longtime active member of Sharon Baptist Church, died Feb. 18 of complications from diabetes at St. Agnes Hospital. The lifelong Sandtown-Winchester resident was 77. The daughter of a Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. worker and a homemaker, Shirley Mae Hopkins was born in Baltimore and raised in Sandtown-Winchester. She attended Baltimore public schools and later earned her General Education Development certificate.

Some Ellicott City residents are outraged by a church's proposal to build 89 upscale senior housing units on its Centennial Lane property -- alongside a long-planned church and church school.Covenant Baptist Church, a well-known voice in the community, received a special exception in 1993 from county regulations to build a church with an attached elementary school on its 123 acres of fields and woodlands. Now church officials want to amend that exception to allow units for the elderly, which a developer plans to sell for between $200,000 and $300,000.

After four years of experimenting with an alternative curriculum, the Barclay School has its children performing better than kids at other city public elementary schools, according to an assessment by the Johns Hopkins University.This is no surprise to Principal Gertrude S. Williams. She risked her career by fighting former Supt. Richard Hunter to get the experiment. Dr. Hunter stubbornly said "no". He refused even after Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke said "yes", which is one reason Dr. Hunter is no longer in Baltimore.

Taneytown Rod and Gun Club and Maryland Natural Resources Police are sponsoring a hunters safety course at the gun club. Classes will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Oct. 3, and from 9 a.m. until finished Oct. 13. Participants must attend all four classes and pass a written and live firing test. Participants will be given a certificate to buy a hunter's license when they complete the course. The gun club is at 12380 Shoemaker Road. Registration is required. Information: 410-751-1685 between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Public meeting Taneytown planning: Taneytown Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 17 E. Baltimore St. 410-751-1100.

Union Bridge Volunteer Fire Company will hold its annual holiday bazaar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the fire hall on West Locust Street. Santa Claus will visit with children between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. The bazaar will feature crafts, gifts and decorations, baked goods and other food. Information: 410-775-7422. Public meetings Taneytown planning: Taneytown Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 17 E. Baltimore St. Information: 410-751-1100. Union Bridge council: Union Bridge Town Council will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at Town Hall, 104 W. Locust St. Information: 410-775- 2711.

Change has come to the unassuming town of St. James, amid the quiet hills south of Hagerstown.The post office remains in the general store; the barbershop still charges about $2 and relies on clippers instead of scissors. But there's news from these hills. Girls will be boarding at St. James School a half-mile away.Put it in the category of historical footnote to the school's founding in 1842 as an Episcopal college, or its closing during the Civil War when most of the young men went south to fight for their cause, or its reopening in 1869 as a preparatory school for boys.

If you have information for the community digests or datebook, call Ellie Baublitz at 410-751-7910 during the day, leave a voice mail message after hours, or fax news releases to 410-751-7916. The Taneytown Economic Development Commission will hold its monthly business breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 7 at Thunderhead Bowling Centre at Routes 140 and 832. Mindy Basara, anchorwoman and reporter for WBAL-TV Channel 11, will discuss "How the Media Define `Newsworthy'." The cost for breakfast is $5.50, payable at the meeting.

Mercina Daskalakis, who co-owned and operated a wireless communications business and became a donor to religious, educational and health charities, died of cancer Feb. 27 at Gilchrist Hospice. She was 69 and lived in Baldwin. Born Mercina Vendelis in Baltimore, she was known as Cina and lived on Lehigh Street in Highlandtown as a child. Her parents owned the Busy Bee Restaurant in Northeast Baltimore and later the Bee Hive on Lexington Street in downtown Baltimore. She was a manager at the restaurant, which was patronized by City Hall, courthouse and postal employees.

On the walls of Yorkwood Elementary School are letters to Santa Claus, with students proclaiming their year's worth of good behavior and asking for their favorite Barbies and video games in return. But the neighboring Northeast Baltimore community knew it would take a lot more than a letter to the North Pole to grant the Christmas wishes of many of the students this year. More than a dozen Yorkwood students and their families were displaced by a rare tornado that ravaged neighborhoods around Northeast Baltimore and Parkville last month.

Ferdinand P. Kelly, a retired Baltimore architect who was known for the churches, banks and schools he designed during a three-decade career, died of heart disease May 1 at Morningside House of Ellicott City. He was 90. Mr. Kelly, the son of a Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. foreman and a homemaker, was born in Baltimore and raised on Preston Street. After graduating from Polytechnic Institute in 1936, he enlisted in the Army and served in a cavalry unit at Fort Riley, Kan. With the outbreak of World War II, he attended officers candidate school in ordnance at Aberdeen Proving Ground and was commissioned.

A new partnership between Phelps Luck Elementary School and Our Shepherd Lutheran Church will provide mentoring and other support to children, families and school staff. Under the terms of the agreement, church members will provide at least 10 hours of volunteer time each week to mentor students. They will also help at school events. The church has also pledged to help with food, clothing and school supply drives, holiday assistance and a transportation fund. The church also plans to offer space for school meetings and provide refreshments for staff appreciation events.

Viola E. Woodson, a retired telecommunications supervisor and instructor who was an active member of Sharon Baptist Church, died Sunday of heart and lung failure at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The longtime Northwest Baltimore resident was 68. Viola E. Brown was born in Baltimore and raised in Mount Winans. She was a 1956 graduate of Frederick Douglass High School and Cortez Peters Business School. For more than 30 years, Mrs. Woodson worked for American Telephone & Telegraph and Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co., where she provided employee training for clients such as the state of Maryland, Baltimore City Hall, the Johns Hopkins University, The Sun, and other major industries that had installed Bell Systems Communications equipment.

The Rev. Allen Jack Beck, a retired Baptist minister and missionary who preached in Baltimore and Harford County, died of Parkinson's disease July 3 at Manor Care South in York, Pa. The longtime Jarrettsville resident was 83. "He was a man of prayer and had a great passion for the word of God," said the Rev. John W. Manry, who succeeded Mr. Beck as pastor of North Harford Baptist Church upon his retirement in 1989. "He used to type books of the Bible so he could meditate on them. It was his way of studying the Bible," he said.

Immanuel Episcopal Church celebrates 125th birthdayImmanuel Episcopal Church in Glencoe will celebrate its 125th anniversary Sunday.The celebration and rededication will begin at the 10: 15 morning prayer service. A covered dish luncheon will take place at 11: 45 a.m. and a program of remembrance and thanksgiving will be offered at 12: 30 p.m. A Passing of the Peace will begin at 1: 30 p.m.Other activities include a 100-year pictorial history, words from past and present rectors and songs of celebration from the church school choir.

The Taneytown library branch, 10 Grand Drive, will offer: "Year-round Family Story Time" for all ages (age 3 and younger must be with an adult) at 9:45 a.m. today on "Story Time Favorites." "On My Own Story Time: Best Friends" for ages 3 to 6 at 9:45 a.m. Monday and 1:30 p.m. Jan. 2. This theme-based story time is for children who are ready for an independent small group experience. "Jump Into Applique" at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 9 and 16 for adults. Students will learn basic freezer paper applique techniques using heart and leaf shapes and will complete a quilted pillow top. A materials list will be provided at registration.

The old and unjustified rap against classical music holds that it's an elitist art form, reserved for the few and the wealthy. You can get a quick jolt of the truth around almost any corner in the area. Although the largest and most obvious classical venue, the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, home of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, may come to mind first, there are all sorts of other places to find quality music-making. From modest-sized recital halls and inviting churches to the elegant ballroom of a (usually)