Hammond Elementary

WITH THE opening of school only two weeks away, teachers and staff members are busy preparing classrooms, while students rush to fill the last of summer with fun.At Hammond Elementary, returning staff members are glad to find that an addition has been finished. No longer will students and staff members have to walk to temporary classrooms.The sloping courtyard that separates Hammond Elementary School from Hammond Middle School has been repaired. The steep, grassy slope had been supported by huge timber retaining walls.

Makenna Burns is only 8, but she believes she'll never have a Halloween as memorable as this year's. Her Pocahontas costume garnered a slew of comments, including one from President Barack Obama. Makenna, a third-grader at Hammond Elementary in Laurel, was one of 200 children at the school to receive a ticket to the Obama family's first Halloween celebration at the White House. No one at the school is exactly sure how it was chosen, but they don't care. They're still basking in their brush with one of the most powerful families in the world.

Hammond Elementary School will hold its Spring Garage Sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The rain date is May 4. Anyone with gently used goods is invited to reserve a space to sell. Forms to reserve space are available at the school or online at www.hespta.org/garage-sale.html. The school is on Aladdin Drive, off Gorman Road. Information: Cathy Barrett, 301-604-1971. Music society plans benefit The Ebony Classical Music Society will hold its fifth annual benefit Spring Concert at 4 p.m. May 4 at Christ Episcopal Church, 6800 Oakland Mills Road.

Chances are, students and parents caught a glimpse of a high-ranking school system employee or elected official Monday in a tradition that aims to have every one of Howard County's 72 schools visited on the first day. "We really like to take out the elected officials and let them be a part of the excitement that we feel on the first day," said schools spokeswoman Patti Caplan. "It is a wonderful, inspiring time to visit the schools." Howard County Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin and school board Chairman Frank Aquino were among the officials visiting schools, including Hammond Elementary in Laurel.

The Hammond Elementary School PTA will hold a yard sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow at the school, 8110 Aladdin Drive, in North Laurel. About 100 families are expected to participate in the sale, which will feature concessions. Selling space is sold out, but bargain hunters are welcome. Proceeds will benefit PTA-sponsored programs at the school. The rain date is Sunday. Information: 301-776-3169. Montpelier Spring Festival is scheduled Sunday The South Laurel Recreation Council will hold the 32nd Montpelier Spring Festival from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday on the grounds of Montpelier Mansion, Route 197 at Montpelier Drive, Laurel.

The Hammond Elementary School PTA will sponsor a free concert for the community at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Hammond Middle School gymnasium, 8110 Aladdin Drive, North Laurel. "Almost Recess," an a cappella group from the Washington area, will perform percussion, vocals and harmonies. Vocalists and instrumentalists from Hammond Elementary will open for the group. Information: Elaine Povich, 301-490-2832. For a sample of the group's music, go to almostrecess.com. Around Town Open house -- The Open Arms Christian Child Development Center, a ministry of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Laurel, will hold an open house from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. today with tours, entertainment and an opportunity to register children for summer camp and fall programs.

Dressed in a long, flowing authentic Nigerian robe and multicolored head dress, David Larner, assistant principal at Hammond Elementary, might have raised a few eyebrows last school year when he walked the halls on any other school day. But during the school's annual multicultural event, Larner, who is of Irish and Russian descent, fit right in as he wore his ethnic garb. Hammond Elementary will resemble a United Nations gathering at 7 p.m. Wednesday when pupils from 23 countries participate in "A Taste of Culture."

HAMMOND ELEMENTARY is pleased to announce its roster of volunteers serving on the PTA committees. Donna Merson, Dottie Balaban, Gail Brown, Dee Levi, Nancy Trudel, Darla Trigger, Pat Baker, Frank Tesoriero, and Janet Moore are officers of the organization.Eydie Hammers, Barb Costa, Kathy Mattos, Bonnie Miller and Joyce Pope raise the money that lets the PTA operate.They sell books, run the gift wrap sales and hold a garage sale.Others are involved in collecting soup labels and grocery store receipts.

Yvette Lewis was opera-singer-in-residence last week at Hammond Elementary School in North Laurel. In a program titled, "So This Is Opera," Hammond children in kindergarten through fifth grade trooped into the school's music room one class at a time to listen to a story, watch videos and learn two excerpts from an opera's arias. "It was fantastic. It was unbelievable, what she could do with them in such a short period. Second grade sang in German!" said Angela Meade, parent of kindergartner William Mitchell and second-grader Thomas Mitchell.

" 'Picture Not So Perfect' is a mystery about a weird antique camera that only kids could see. The characters are very different; one plays sports and the others solve mysteries. Those are reasons why this is my favorite story." -- Ashley Johnson Powhatan Elementary "I think 'Three Up A Tree' by James Marshall is the best story. I like the part when the chicken and doll are bank robbers. I also like what a little boy named Spider is wearing." -- Craig Morgan Hammond Elementary

Christinia Armstrong, a music teacher and PTA president at Hammond Elementary School in Laurel, stood amid a cluster of African drums looking for the proper one to play for Howard County Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin and school board chairman Frank Aquino. She grabbed an hourglass-shaped drum, positioned it under her arm and rhythmically gave it a series of bops with her right hand. "Good morning," she said as she matched each syllable to each hand tap. "This is why they call it the African talking drum."

Hammond Elementary School will hold its Spring Garage Sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The rain date is May 4. Anyone with gently used goods is invited to reserve a space to sell. Forms to reserve space are available at the school or online at www.hespta.org/garage-sale.html. The school is on Aladdin Drive, off Gorman Road. Information: Cathy Barrett, 301-604-1971. Music society plans benefit The Ebony Classical Music Society will hold its fifth annual benefit Spring Concert at 4 p.m. May 4 at Christ Episcopal Church, 6800 Oakland Mills Road.

A slew of school administrative changes were announced at Thursday's Board of Education meeting. They will take effect July 1. At the secondary level, Kathy McKinley, principal at Bonnie Branch Middle, will be the principal at Mount View Middle; Carolyn Jameson, principal at Murray Hill Middle, will become the principal at Bonnie Branch Middle; Rosalie Bowen, assistant principal at Howard High, will become the assistant principal at Marriotts Ridge High;...

The Hammond Elementary School PTA will sponsor a free concert for the community at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Hammond Middle School gymnasium, 8110 Aladdin Drive, North Laurel. "Almost Recess," an a cappella group from the Washington area, will perform percussion, vocals and harmonies. Vocalists and instrumentalists from Hammond Elementary will open for the group. Information: Elaine Povich, 301-490-2832. For a sample of the group's music, go to almostrecess.com. Around Town Open house -- The Open Arms Christian Child Development Center, a ministry of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Laurel, will hold an open house from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. today with tours, entertainment and an opportunity to register children for summer camp and fall programs.

Dressed in a long, flowing authentic Nigerian robe and multicolored head dress, David Larner, assistant principal at Hammond Elementary, might have raised a few eyebrows last school year when he walked the halls on any other school day. But during the school's annual multicultural event, Larner, who is of Irish and Russian descent, fit right in as he wore his ethnic garb. Hammond Elementary will resemble a United Nations gathering at 7 p.m. Wednesday when pupils from 23 countries participate in "A Taste of Culture."

A stroll along the colorful halls of Hammond Elementary School reveals no evidence of the power struggle that threatens to turn neighbors against one another and teachers against parents. "It's become divisive in the community," said Nancy Trudel, a parent who has heard rumblings of the unrest, but is unsure of its origin or basis. Tucked away in a back room last week at the North Laurel school, a group of 11 educators detailed what they say is harassment by a small group of parents they contend can't separate fact from fiction.

Tests at Hammond Elementary and Hammond Middle schools have found that the magnetic fields from nearby power lines pose little threat to students' health, according to Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., which conducted the tests.The tests found that magnetic field readings near the schools registered less than 0.5 milligauss, far less than those in the average house, according to BG&E.The lines are owned by Potomac Electric Power Co., but BG&E uses them to supply power to the schools and most of the homes in the area.

A slew of school administrative changes were announced at Thursday's Board of Education meeting. They will take effect July 1. At the secondary level, Kathy McKinley, principal at Bonnie Branch Middle, will be the principal at Mount View Middle; Carolyn Jameson, principal at Murray Hill Middle, will become the principal at Bonnie Branch Middle; Rosalie Bowen, assistant principal at Howard High, will become the assistant principal at Marriotts Ridge High;...

Yvette Lewis was opera-singer-in-residence last week at Hammond Elementary School in North Laurel. In a program titled, "So This Is Opera," Hammond children in kindergarten through fifth grade trooped into the school's music room one class at a time to listen to a story, watch videos and learn two excerpts from an opera's arias. "It was fantastic. It was unbelievable, what she could do with them in such a short period. Second grade sang in German!" said Angela Meade, parent of kindergartner William Mitchell and second-grader Thomas Mitchell.

WHAT DO you do if your child will eat nothing but noodles? Or if the sight of a squash sends her sprinting from her seat? Karen Seigel, a nutritionist with the Howard County Health Department, addressed these and other issues at a seminar Saturday at the Savage branch library. Seigel, of Scaggsville, is a registered dietetic technician and nutrition counselor. But her credibility is sealed by the fact that she is also the mother of a 4-year-old -- and she practices what she preaches. No junk food in her cupboards -- Seigel is a strict vegan, and her daughter is vegetarian.