School Classes

MARKETPLACE A.D. 29 comes to Brooklyn Heights United Methodist Church, beginning July 7 and continuing for eight Sundays.Sunday School students will experience life in A.D. 29 by making and learning to play games, hearing Bible stories, singing songs, weaving a mat and making their own manna. Everyone is invited to join in the fun and learning. Class runs from 9: 40 a.m. to 10: 40 a.m."Wonderful Wednesdays" return to the church next week. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., everyone is invited for a trip around the world.

The project manager at the former Patterson Park High School in Highlandtown stood atop a roof terrace and said, "This is not a cookie-cutter property. " That's an understatement. Shaffin Jetha and Chuck Nale, officials of Focus Development, gave me a tour of the Southeast Baltimore landmark it has taken me 50 years to visit. I wasn't procrastinating; I just never got an invitation to view this under-recognized Art Deco-style school that once accommodated 3,200 students. It is now being made into 138 apartments.

The school board is talking about it. Parents are talking about it. Even the County Council is talking about it.They are discussing the number of packed classrooms in the Harford County school system.According to recent enrollment figures, 21 of 31 county elementary schools have at least one -- and some as many as 15 -- classrooms above capacity."We're trying to build a solid [educational] foundation in the early years. It's difficult with 28 and 29 children in a classroom," school board member George D. Lisby said recently.

Shelby Fillinger of Havre de Grace, a member of Girl Scouts of Central Maryland Troop 4111, has earned the Gold Award, the highest achievement within the Girls Scouts of the USA. Only 5.4 percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award. Shelby designed and painted a Noah's Ark mural as well as wrote a corresponding lesson plan for the Sunday school classes at Wesleyan Chapel United Methodist Church. Her mentor was Sue Ellen North.

A sickout by Baltimore County teachers to protest mandatory furlough days left school administrators scrambling today to cover classes and ensure that instruction at the system's 148 schools continued normally.Teachers were upset at the fact that the furloughs were scheduled during days that the teachers would normally be working at school without the students, and they will now have to work those days without pay.The majority of absences appeared to be in high schools, said spokesman Richard E. Bavaria.

The project manager at the former Patterson Park High School in Highlandtown stood atop a roof terrace and said, "This is not a cookie-cutter property. " That's an understatement. Shaffin Jetha and Chuck Nale, officials of Focus Development, gave me a tour of the Southeast Baltimore landmark it has taken me 50 years to visit. I wasn't procrastinating; I just never got an invitation to view this under-recognized Art Deco-style school that once accommodated 3,200 students. It is now being made into 138 apartments.

The idea of dancing with a boy sent several fifth-grade girls at Gunpowder Elementary into a tailspin. Jen Holland even gathered 25 signatures on a petition to curtail the lessons, but ultimately she left the paper at home. Four days into the week of lessons, the petitioners were swinging, swaying and mastering all manner of intricate steps with boys in the lead. "It was a lot better than I thought," Jen said. About 90 fifth graders donned their best dancing duds for a recital Friday, capping off a week of lessons in cha-cha, merengue, tango and swing at the Perry Hall school.

The second annual convention of the Sabbath-school association convened Sept. 8, 1868, in Westminster. Before the association formed, Protestant clergy met individually to discuss the usefulness of religious education, Sunday school classes and ways to extend their influence throughout the county. The group, comprising delegates from all Protestant denominations in Carroll County, met formally for the first time in 1867 and created the Sabbath-school association. -- History of Western Maryland, Volume 2 by J. Thomas Scharf, Page 822. Compiled by Sun researcher Shelia Jackson

Shelby Fillinger of Havre de Grace, a member of Girl Scouts of Central Maryland Troop 4111, has earned the Gold Award, the highest achievement within the Girls Scouts of the USA. Only 5.4 percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award. Shelby designed and painted a Noah's Ark mural as well as wrote a corresponding lesson plan for the Sunday school classes at Wesleyan Chapel United Methodist Church. Her mentor was Sue Ellen North.

When Interim State Superintendent Bernard Sadusky decided to waive the state law to allow Baltimore County to hire S. Dallas Dance to be the next school superintendent, he gave it on the condition that Dance be a guest teacher in a middle and high school this coming school year. State law requires superintendents to have three years of teaching experience, but Dance has only two, in a high school near Richmond. In addition, he did not take teacher preparation courses in college.

'Bless the Years' The "Spirited Seniors" ministry of St. Paul's Lutheran Church will hold its annual celebration Oct. 13-14 at the church, 308 Oak Manor Drive in Glen Burnie. At the Saturday and Sunday worship services and activities, all members 55 and older will be recognized and a special tribute will be given to those 80 and older. Services are at 5 p.m. Oct. 13, and 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Oct. 14. Worship leader is the Rev. Dr. George E. Black. In addition, a reception will be held after the 10:30 a.m. Oct. 14 services.

Returning to school a little shaken, some students walked in clusters behind their parents, while others went arm-in-arm. A few even took their parents' hands, as though they needed the same reassurance they had received in elementary school. At the front flagpole, the band kids, the football players and the chorus members melded together to pray for both the "sweet and kind" victim and the alleged assailant in the shooting at Perry Hall High School. Students came back Tuesday searching for ways to continue to heal a community they say has been drawn closer by the shooting inside their school.

St. Paul's School hosted its 2012 commencement on June 9 at the Brooklandville campus. The following are members of the Class of 2012. Tyler Rashad Adams, Andrew William Agnone, Winston Orlando Anthony Antoine Jr. Nicholas Strong Baker, Sean Thomas Baker, Charles Williams Becker, Henry Graham Becker, Wilson Spencer Beese, Ryan Thomas Belton, Alden Graeme Bittrick, Alexander Johannes Lukas Bonatti, Benjamin Jacob Brehne, Christopher Mark...

Edward O. "Ned" Thomas, a retired District Court and Circuit Court judge for Worcester County who was a Baltimore native, died of congestive heart failure March 20 at his home at Buckingham's Choice in Adamstown. He was 94. Raised on Englewood Road in Roland Park, he was the son of Oscar B. Thomas and Josephine Reindollar. His father was an owner of the Thomas & Thompson Co. drugstores, and as a boy, Judge Thomas worked summers at the business. He attended Roland Park Country and Roland Park Elementary schools and was a 1936 graduate of City College, where he was class valedictorian.

Orientation set for new teachers Howard County schools will welcome about 300 educators to its new- teacher orientation Tuesday through Thursday at Reservoir High School and Fulton Elementary School. The teachers will hear a talk by Harry K. Wong, an award-winning former teacher and speaker. Curriculum and classroom management sessions are to begin at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday and continue through Thursday morning. Teachers will attend a mandatory session on preventing child abuse, neglect, bullying and harassment.