Guides

Our area schools are producing top-notch students and finding new ways to stay on the cutting edge of education. Rodgers Forge Elementary and Dumbarton Middle Schools will participate in the Feb. 22nd Vertical Articulation Planning meeting. This event for teachers and support staff, in all schools in the Towson Zone, aims to help students as they transition from elementary to middle and then to high school. This transition will be accomplished by the teachers and support staff working together to develop and implement a vertically aligned program to accommodate it. Parents, who may find teens and 'tweens a bit perplexing, are invited to attend the Dumbarton Middle School PTSA's Active Parenting of Teens classes.

What if there was a guide to Baltimore's best restaurants, markets and specialty stores, broken down by neighborhood, that told you where the food-lovers' destinations were but didn't neglect the beloved landmarks? And what if you could put the guide in your purse - you know, like a book? On Thursday, Chazz: A Bronx Original will host a release party for “Food Lovers' Guide to Baltimore,” a just-published book from Globe Pequot Press written by Baltimore residents Kathy Wielech Patterson and Neal Patterson.

New York City is the most fashionable place to be seen this week when Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week rolls into Lincoln Center. One of the biggest draws of the event is the opportunity to rub shoulders with the fashion elite: models, photographers, designers, stylists and celebrities. Here's a guide from industry insiders for the best spots to catch a glimpse of a model, a drink with an editor or a bite with a fashionista. See you in the Big Apple in your stilettos. Christian Siriano If you want to catch up with Project Runway wunderkind designer Christian Siriano , head to these spots: Christian Siriano Flagship Store, 252 Elizabeth St., in Nolita; 212-775-8494.

Weddings are changing and wedding photography education needs to change, too. This is the principle behind “Capturing Love: The Art of Lesbian and Gay Wedding Photography” by Kathryn Hamm, president of GayWeddings.com, and Thea Dodds, a veteran wedding photographer. Together, the two are on a mission to enlighten photographers on how to pose and capture same-sex weddings through their visual guide. On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the authors appeared together in Baltimore at an editorial meeting for Two Bright Lights, an online publicity platform, to discuss and promote their book.

1/27 Sunday Fitness and Health The 10th annual Freedom Fitness and Health Expo will take place at South Carroll Senior and Community Center, 5928 Mineral Hill Road, Eldersburg, on Sun., Jan. 27, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Local entertainment, free health screenings and family activities are featured. Rain date is Feb. 3. 410-795-9101 or cox@freedomfitnes.info . 1/28 Monday Drama workshop Carroll County Recreation and Parks will host a drama workshop on a variety of topics, including drama games and arts and crafts, on Mon., Jan. 28, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Robert Moton Center, 300 S. Center St., Westminster.

The Israel Lacrosse Association has announced that Lauren Paul Norris, a McDonogh alumna and four-time Jewish All-American at Franklin & Marshall, has been named coach of the Israel national lacrosse team that will compete in the 2013 Federal of International Lacrosse Women's World Cup. “Lauren's resume really speaks for itself,” said Scott Neiss, director of the association. “We're extremely confident in Lauren's coaching ability, her passion for the sport and her commitment to developing the game in Israel.

now playing "Django Unchained" (R). A slave turned bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. With Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio. TownMall Cinemas (12:50, 4:20, 7:50 p.m.) "Gangster Squad" (R). A chronicle of the Los Angeles Police Department's fight to keep the East Coast mafia out of their area in the 1940s and 1950s. With Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte. TownMall Cinemas (1:20, 4:10, 7:00 p.m.)