Manchester Elementary

Pressing the dark-blue crayon as hard as she could without breaking it, Ciera Lord earnestly filled in the sky. You have to press hard, her teacher at Manchester Elementary had told the class, so that the colors will stand out on the quilt blocks. Ciera and her classmates were creating the blocks for blankets that will be distributed to children who are grieving, hospitalized, homeless or otherwise traumatized. But these blocks will also stand out because of what they represent. Each one depicts a Maryland symbol such as the state boat (the skipjack)

About noon every day, while sitting in social studies, Dakota Beatty's stomach begins to grumble. That's because Dakota isn't scheduled to have lunch until 1:05 p.m. at Manchester Elementary, about six hours after the bowl of Cheerios he usually eats for breakfast. He says he is so hungry during social studies that his stomach aches, he can't concentrate and his handwriting grows increasingly sloppy. "My whole class wants an earlier lunch," said Dakota, a fourth-grader. The flip side of the problem is pupils eating as early as 10:40 a.m. at some Carroll schools, about five hours before the end of the school day. School officials acknowledge that many pupils are eating lunch earlier and later as principals struggle with growing enrollments and do what they can to wedge more pupils into cafeterias that weren't built for so many children.

While they had the undivided attention of the state's second-highest elected official, nearly two dozen pupils at Manchester Elementary gave Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele an earful on a range of issues including late-day lunches, lack of access to the computer lab and having to attend classes in portables. As chairman of the 31-member Governor's Commission on Quality Education, Steele came to the school in northeastern Carroll County to hear from pupils, school officials and area residents about what is working - and not working - at the school.

Bonnie Bosley and Sue Petrie remember the October day that they and their daughters wrapped the first gifts they had collected for a group of Naval Reservist Seabees deployed to Iraq. "We mailed out five large boxes of toiletries, food and Beanie Babies for the sailors to give to Iraqi children," Bosley said. "The kids wrapped all the packages, we put on some music and wrapped ourselves silly." "You couldn't even walk in my living room, we had collected so much at that point," Petrie said.

With milk jugs, nets and high spirits, the fourth-graders in Betty L. Smith's science classes descended upon an outdoor laboratory that is only a short walk from their classroom at Manchester Elementary School. Forest, meadow, bogs, ponds and streams waited to be discovered - along with several miles of trails in the 69 acres that constitute Pine Valley Park and Charlotte's Quest Nature Center. "It's Manchester's Central Park," said Smith, who has served for six years on the board of the nonprofit Manchester Parks Foundation.

With milk jugs, nets and high spirits, the fourth-graders in Betty L. Smith's science classes descended upon an outdoor laboratory that is only a short walk from their classroom at Manchester Elementary School. Forest, meadow, bogs, ponds and streams waited to be discovered - along with several miles of trails in the 69 acres that constitute Pine Valley Park and Charlotte's Quest Nature Center. "It's Manchester's Central Park," said Smith, who has served for six years on the board of the nonprofit Manchester Parks Foundation.

Sports columnist to present lecture at McDaniel College Michael Wilbon, Washington Post sports columnist and co-host of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, will present the Wenner-Wingate Lecture on the "History of Literature and Sport" at 8 p.m. Tuesday in McDaniel Lounge at McDaniel College. Wilbon -- who has covered four Summer Olympics, two Winter Olympics, 12 Super Bowls and four World Series in his 23 years at the Post -- has offered commentary on national issues as they relate to sports.

A third-grade teacher at Manchester Elementary was named the new president of the Carroll County teachers union yesterday afternoon, after a razor-thin election tally forced a vote recount. Barry Potts, a 27-year teaching veteran whose career has taken him from Eldersburg to Westminster and Manchester elementaries, was declared the winner yesterday by 12 votes. He will take office in July or August. "We had loose chads and dangling whatevers," said Cindy Wheeler, who is finishing her second consecutive two-year term as president of the Carroll County Education Association and was union president from 1991 to 1995.

The Hampstead Town Hall Art Gallery is displaying Sam Gunby's photography through Oct. 31. Gunby owns and operates Scenic Views Photography. He has been taking photographs for 25 years. He also owned and operated for six years a photography studio that specialized in weddings, portraits and commercial work. His travels led him to expand into scenic photography. Now, his photos focus on lighthouses, old mills, waterfalls, landscapes, steam trains and local city scenes. The Town Hall is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at 1034 S. Carroll St. Information: 410-239-7408.