Elementary School

The pursuit and arrest of a burglary suspect disrupted dismissal at a Pasadena elementary school Thursday. Jason Thomas Donaldson, 27, of Severn, faces several burglary-related charges, police said. After a neighbor spotted him trying to break into a home in the 8400 block of Alvin Road, Donaldson led police on a nearly one-hour chase through the Lake Shore neighborhood and onto the grounds of Lake Shore Elementary. Anne Arundel County police responded shortly after 3 p.m. to a neighbor's report of an attempted burglary.

A battle over $5 million escalated this week with Anne Arundel County lawmakers threatening repercussions and school leaders saying seven projects for new schools are jeopardized by the fray. At issue is how the county should pay a $5 million tab owed to the school system under Maryland's maintenance-of-effort law. "It'll probably be the last five million [dollars] the Board of Education gets in a long while," Councilman Jamie Benoit, a Democrat from Crownsville, told a school system representative during a public hearing Monday.

Jina Shin, a South Korean schools budget analyst in the U.S. for three weeks of study, stood in a schoolyard among a boisterous crowd of children, teachers and parents at dismissal. The end of the school day at St. Mark's School in Catonsville is fairly typical of most in terms of noise, enthusiasm and organization. "It is strange to see so many parents here to pick up their children," she said. "In Korea, children, even the little ones, get home by themselves. " Although she has also found American students a bit more lively in the classroom than their Korean counterparts, she has noticed more similarities than differences in the schools systems, she said.

That shout for joy you heard coming from just south of here was from the students and parents at Gaithersburg Elementary School, where the administration has decided to eliminate all homework except reading. According to Fox News , principal Stephanie Brant took a look at the work being sent home with the kids and decided it didn't match what was being taught in the class. “It was just, we were giving students something because we felt we had to give them something," she said.

The Anne Arundel County school system has one of the most accomplished science, technology, engineering and math programs in the state, garnering national awards while ensuring that its initiatives remain available to all students, according to school officials. "Anne Arundel County is doing a fabulous job," said Donna Clem, state coordinator of STEM initiatives. "Anne Arundel County is right here in a hotbed, in the I-95 corridor … with many organizations that are looking for the development of a STEM workforce.

It was a typical Sunday worship service with a twist. The congregation at Ames United Methodist Church in Bel Air, the same lively and prayerful group that planned the hugely successful Yolanda Adams concert a couple weeks ago, was offerering hearty praise songs and worshipping together Sept. 2, in the church's Baltimore Pike sanctuary. Pastor Jay Blake, their annointed and ebullient leader, had just finished delivering a thought-provoking sermon. Challenging them that faith without works is dead, he implored the assembly to gather after the worship service for a brief road trip.

City police chasing a suspected car thief on foot forced a lock-down at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School in the city's northwest neighborhood for less than an hour Monday morning. The city dispatch notified area schools of the incident, which began about 8:10 a.m. Police chased the suspect, who abandoned the stolen car and ran across a field at the school in the 5200 hundred block of Roland Avenue. Staff heard police calling "Stop" and saw the suspect continue running, officials said.

Ring Factory Elementary School in Bel Air received another prestigious honor Friday when it was announced as a 2012 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. According to Harford County Public Schools, Ring Factory Elementary is one of just 10 public and private schools in the state and 269 in the nation to receive this prestigious distinction for students achieving at very high levels or making significant improvements in levels of achievements.

Now we're getting somewhere. Last week, Michael ("Puppy") and Erica ("Plastic Princess") were voted off, Blakeley ("Cougar") declared war on Chris ("Lt. Dan") and Ed ("Adam Corolla") revealed his lack-of-desire for Jaclyn ("The Muppet") in front of the whole house. Now that everyone hates each other and Rachel ("Snaggle Tooth") is permanently crying in the corner, Chris Harrison drops another bomb -- they are now competing, and voting, as couples.  Elementary school spelling bee Sarah: This week the contestants compete in a triple-elimination spelling bee. I know we aren't dealing with the smartest bunch of adults, but seriously?

It seemed at times like a remedial class in vocabulary. More than a dozen rising sixth-graders were attending a middle- school preparation event that highlighted words they will likely hear over and over in the coming years. Words like "locker," "preparation," "bullying," "research projects," "organization" and "peer pressure. " "School is a little bit more challenging this year," said Sarah Russo, teens' instructor at the Howard County library system's Elkridge branch, which hosted "Movin' Up To Middle School" this week.