Deer Park Middle

Eight months after they began lobbying to keep their children in Reisterstown for middle school, about 50 parents and children from Cedarmere Elementary took their protest to the county seat yesterday -- picketing, marching and chanting "We want Ruppersberger!" in front of the county office building, and the television cameras.Accompanied by children lugging signs, the parents demanded that the county add grades six, seven and eight to their elementary school so their children will not be sent to Randallstown's Deer Park Middle.

Two Baltimore County boys traded a Bersa .380-caliber gun for an Xbox 360 in a swap that ended when officers found a handful of bullets in jeans left in a school locker room, police said Friday. The exchange between the 12-year-old students at Deer Park Middle Magnet is the third gun-related incident in county schools since the academic year started in late August, including a shooting at Perry Hall High School that left one student seriously injured. The recent gun violence — and the extent to which Baltimore County students have had access to weapons — has unnerved many in the school community.

The Baltimore County school board approved last night a $62.6 million capital budget that seeks state and county funds for 26 projects, including an elementary-middle school in Owings Mills.The capital plan, unanimously approved at the board's regular meeting, asks for $32.5 million from the county and $30 million from the state for the fiscal year that will begin in July.Moving to remedy the crowding at many county schools, the board approved a 100-seat addition at Hebbville Elementary, in the southwestern part of the county.

Regarding the Solo Cup factory zoning ("No 'courtesy' for Wegmans," May 27), why is no one talking about using the facility for a new middle school in the northwestern part of the county? Franklin Middle School has 1,292 students, Deer Park Middle has 1,235 students and Pikesville Middle has 1,017. These enrollment figures are higher than the other county middle schools and having over 1,200 students in a middle school is ludicrous. The best use of this property would be a new middle school so that student enrollment at the aforementioned middle schools could be reduced to reasonable levels.

Regarding the Solo Cup factory zoning ("No 'courtesy' for Wegmans," May 27), why is no one talking about using the facility for a new middle school in the northwestern part of the county? Franklin Middle School has 1,292 students, Deer Park Middle has 1,235 students and Pikesville Middle has 1,017. These enrollment figures are higher than the other county middle schools and having over 1,200 students in a middle school is ludicrous. The best use of this property would be a new middle school so that student enrollment at the aforementioned middle schools could be reduced to reasonable levels.

In a first step toward solving middle school crowding in Baltimore County, school officials and parents at Woodbridge Elementary are proposing to add a sixth grade to their school next year, forming the county's only elementary with a sixth grade.The plan, developed by parents and presented by administrators to the school board last night, comes amid months of controversy over proposals to handle bulging middle schools by making elementary schools serve kindergarten through eighth grade.The county's elementary schools go up to grade five.

For Deer Park Elementary School students, yesterday had all the excitement usually reserved for the first day of school -- and in a way, it was.Students from the troubled school near Randallstown entered Hernwood Elementary School and Deer Park Middle and Magnet School yesterday after almost three weeks away from the classroom.Students have been shifted to the two schools until officials can determine whether Deer Park Elementary's building is hazard-free.Deer Park Elementary was closed March 27 -- three days before spring break -- after parents complained that their children were becoming ill from antifreeze leaking from the heating system.

Cedarmere Elementary School parents never recovered from the Baltimore County school board's decision seven years ago to redistrict their children out of their community, from crowded Franklin Middle to Deer Park Middle in Randallstown.Black community leaders never forgot, either -- especially the vehemence with which white parents opposed the move to a school in a mostly black neighborhood.Now, the controversy is resurfacing as residents in the Cedarmere area, with the help of local politicians, push to move their children back to Reisterstown -- saying that the redistricting has damaged community cohesiveness and reduced housing values.

In Baltimore CountyPolice charge pupil with having stun gun at Perry Hall MiddlePERRY HALL -- A 13-year-old boy accused of taking a stun gun to Perry Hall Middle School was arrested Monday, police said yesterday.The teen-ager, whose name was not released by authorities because of his age, was charged with possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds, said county police spokesman Bill Toohey. The stun gun was not used on anyone, Toohey said, adding that the boy told police it was stolen from a relative.

The Baltimore County school board is looking at three million-dollar magnets.Proposals from Parkville and Deer Park Middle Schools and Patapsco High for new magnet programs all carried budgets of more than $1 million over three years when officials presented them at Tuesday's board meeting. The board also heard a magnet proposal for a finance program at Overlea High -- for less than $80,000.Superintendent Stuart Berger said that while the special programs could become a reality, the size of their budgets could be wishful thinking.

In Baltimore CountyPolice charge pupil with having stun gun at Perry Hall MiddlePERRY HALL -- A 13-year-old boy accused of taking a stun gun to Perry Hall Middle School was arrested Monday, police said yesterday.The teen-ager, whose name was not released by authorities because of his age, was charged with possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds, said county police spokesman Bill Toohey. The stun gun was not used on anyone, Toohey said, adding that the boy told police it was stolen from a relative.

Baltimore County educators, politicians, students and parents broke ground yesterday for a $10 million addition to Franklin Middle School that will add space for 400 students in the fast-growing Reisterstown area.The start of construction capped 2 1/2 years of planning and lobbying by the Franklin Middle community, an effort that included giving tours to anyone who would visit the school."This is a very exciting day for our school," said Principal Richard Gudel. "We're very appreciative of the commitment and hard work that everyone has put in to make this happen."

The Baltimore County school board approved last night a $62.6 million capital budget that seeks state and county funds for 26 projects, including an elementary-middle school in Owings Mills.The capital plan, unanimously approved at the board's regular meeting, asks for $32.5 million from the county and $30 million from the state for the fiscal year that will begin in July.Moving to remedy the crowding at many county schools, the board approved a 100-seat addition at Hebbville Elementary, in the southwestern part of the county.

In a first step toward solving middle school crowding in Baltimore County, school officials and parents at Woodbridge Elementary are proposing to add a sixth grade to their school next year, forming the county's only elementary with a sixth grade.The plan, developed by parents and presented by administrators to the school board last night, comes amid months of controversy over proposals to handle bulging middle schools by making elementary schools serve kindergarten through eighth grade.The county's elementary schools go up to grade five.

Eight months after they began lobbying to keep their children in Reisterstown for middle school, about 50 parents and children from Cedarmere Elementary took their protest to the county seat yesterday -- picketing, marching and chanting "We want Ruppersberger!" in front of the county office building, and the television cameras.Accompanied by children lugging signs, the parents demanded that the county add grades six, seven and eight to their elementary school so their children will not be sent to Randallstown's Deer Park Middle.

These teachers have nicknames like "bag lady" and "teacher on wheels." Their classrooms sometimes crash into students, or each other, in the hallways.In the Baltimore area and around the nation, they are officially called "floaters," teachers who roam from room to room when schools are too crowded for them to have their own.Instead, their home base is a cart, stacked with books, calculators, pencil sharpeners, video cameras, posters, lost-and-found items, hall passes, sometimes even test tubes and microscopes -- as much as they can push.

Baltimore County educators, politicians, students and parents broke ground yesterday for a $10 million addition to Franklin Middle School that will add space for 400 students in the fast-growing Reisterstown area.The start of construction capped 2 1/2 years of planning and lobbying by the Franklin Middle community, an effort that included giving tours to anyone who would visit the school."This is a very exciting day for our school," said Principal Richard Gudel. "We're very appreciative of the commitment and hard work that everyone has put in to make this happen."

These teachers have nicknames like "bag lady" and "teacher on wheels." Their classrooms sometimes crash into students, or each other, in the hallways.In the Baltimore area and around the nation, they are officially called "floaters," teachers who roam from room to room when schools are too crowded for them to have their own.Instead, their home base is a cart, stacked with books, calculators, pencil sharpeners, video cameras, posters, lost-and-found items, hall passes, sometimes even test tubes and microscopes -- as much as they can push.

TOWSON -- Thirty-four rookie police officers will graduate from the county police academy tomorrow night.The ceremony, scheduled for 7: 30 p.m. at Loch Raven High School, marks the end of 33 weeks of training at the academy in Dundalk. Monday, the officers will begin seven weeks of additional training with a field training officer.County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger will present the officers with their diplomas and David R. Knowlton, an FBI special agent in charge of the Baltimore FBI division, will be the keynote speaker.

Cedarmere Elementary School parents never recovered from the Baltimore County school board's decision seven years ago to redistrict their children out of their community, from crowded Franklin Middle to Deer Park Middle in Randallstown.Black community leaders never forgot, either -- especially the vehemence with which white parents opposed the move to a school in a mostly black neighborhood.Now, the controversy is resurfacing as residents in the Cedarmere area, with the help of local politicians, push to move their children back to Reisterstown -- saying that the redistricting has damaged community cohesiveness and reduced housing values.