Louis School

The advent of Catholic Schools Week took on added significance this week at St. Louis School as Principal Terry Weiss was recognized and thanked for 25 years of service in the Baltimore Archdiocese. Weiss, a native of the Baltimore area, reached the milestone this month and was surprised repeatedly and moved to tears more than once as she accepted gifts and accolades from pupils, parents and staff members Monday. "In all the years I've been in Catholic school education, this is the best tribute I've had," Weiss, principal at St. Louis for five years, said after two ceremonies at the Clarksville school.

ARTWORK BY pupils at St. Louis School in Clarksville has found an unexpected home. Last year, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders worked on a variety of pieces that were destined for display in a gallery in Oella. The work was painstakingly completed and beautifully matted and framed, ready for hanging. But because of changes in the gallery's management, the exhibition did not materialize. The children and their teacher, Judy Lanciotti, were disappointed. One day, while she was at the Clarksville Bagel Bin, Lanciotti related the tale to the store's manager, Lee Glushakow.

St. Louis School in Clarksville will hold a fund-raiser to help battle a rare and serious disease, primary pulmonary hypertension, which afflicts the capillaries of the lungs.The disease forces fifth-grader Cristin Gildea, who suffers from PPH, to wear a pump that continually supplies her with medicine.She and her family live in Harper's Choice village.After learning about Cristin, school officials and parents decided to sponsor the fund-raiser, Hoops & Hop for PPH.Students will collect pledges for shooting basketballs or jumping rope during gym class.

WE ARE fortunate to have so many staff members with long service at western Howard County schools. They teach our children, grandchildren and neighbors. Here are names from Bushy Park Elementary School that you may recognize.These folks were honored recently for long service: Lois Muhl, Dona Wilson and Janice Tucker each have taught in Howard County for 25 years.Sandy Thrasher, Alice Painter, and Nora Blau each have taught in the county for 20 years.Jean Reed has spent 15 years as a cafeteria assistant.

HIGH SCHOOL juniors and seniors eagerly await the tap on the shoulder that will let them know they've been elected to their school's National Honor Society.Current members tap inductees, congratulate them and give them a token of their new status.Applicants for the society are evaluated on the basis of scholarship, character, leadership and service.Two seniors and six juniors joined the honor society in an evening ceremony Jan. 16 at Glenelg Country School.They are seniors Corrine Berk-Smith and Kevin Marshall, and juniors Alexandra Cesaitis, Eric Greenberg, Kim Greene, Alexandra Miller, John Tucker and Nicholas Woodford.

The pope and Regis and Kathie Lee -- or at least some clever impostors -- will visit Clarksville this morning to help send off Sister Mary Catherine Duerr, who is leaving her job as principal of the St. Louis School.The staff and children of St. Louis will hold a parade in the principal's honor. It will feature teachers dressed up as Regis and Kathie Lee and kindergartners dressed up as priests, nuns and the pope.Complete with a police escort, they will file by a reviewing stand where parents, teachers and Sister Mary Catherine will watch.

The St. Louis School in Clarksville brought in more than $8,600 for a coalition of Howard County churches that aids homeless people, in the school's fifth annual fund-raiser.The parochial school's 400 students solicited pledges for Churches Concerned for the Homeless from sponsors of students who solved math problems in a Math-a-thon.Churches Concerned for the Homeless is a nonprofit organization of 30 churches in the county that provides transitional housing and counseling to help homeless people become self-sufficient.

Regarding the editorial in The Sun on Feb. 16, "No Free Ride for Parochial Students":I find it very difficult to understand how The Sun can take such a position on the Howard County law which allows for transportation of parochial school students, when the student lives on an existing bus route and bus seats are available. What a distortion of justice!I first of all require clarification as to how the $206,000 cost for this service was established. Is this the true incremental cost of transporting these students?

Students of St. Louis Catholic School in Clarksville raised $6,771 through their third annual Math-a-thon to benefit Churches Concerned for the Homeless.The total was $73 more than the school raised last year. This year's collection was hampered by bad weather and was postponed for two days.About 280 students -- 85 percent of the school's enrollment -- solicited pledges from sponsors for correctly solving 110 math problems.Winning classes were treated to a pizza party in Glenelg, and students earning $30 or more received a Math-a-thon T-shirt.

Several east Columbia Thespians are in the cast of this Saturday's performance of "The Wizard of Oz" presented by the Wilde Lake Camp of the Arts Conservatory at Slayton House Theater, Wilde Lake Village Center.Director Pam Mizell Land held auditions this spring for girls and boys, 11- to 18-years-old, interested in joining the advanced theater. Many in the cast are graduates of several summers of the regular camp sessions, which require registration.The troupe members are Shohannah Beck, Seth Blunder, Rebecca Doob, Brad Grey, David Heine, Stephanie, Jessica and Kelly Diamond, Jessica Bunder, Philip Isacco, Jennifer Crooks, Jackie Santos, Jennifer Segawa, Nick Thomas, Emily Wilkenson and Leah Zenner.