School Supplies

Employee volunteers from Booz Allen Hamilton's Aberdeen office recently delivered 70 backpacks filled with school supplies, in addition to several boxes of additional supplies, to support Edgewood Elementary School. For the second year, Edgewood Elementary School made its school supply list optional due to the economic environment. As nearly 70 percent of students at the school receive free or reduced-price meals, the school did not want to place more of a financial burden on families.

Many people find the holiday season a time to share their blessings with the less fortunate. Local organizations and advocacy groups such as those below would put your gift to good use. Fish of Laurel/Elizabeth House helps needy neighbors in the greater Laurel area by providing dinners, groceries, referral services and, on a very limited basis, some financial help. Elizabeth House kitchen, 301-776-9296. Fish of Laurel groceries and financial help, 301-262-7106. Wish List: Donations of food (fresh meat, cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables, dry or canned food)

SHOPPING WITH mom and dad for school supplies is an exciting time for some children. But what happens when parents can't afford to buy their children items as basic as backpacks, crayons and notebooks? Last year, the Salvation Army of Glen Burnie stepped in to help 297 area children get off to a good start. That help was made possible through generous donations from the community. The need for school supplies has grown, according to Capt. Robert Daniels, commander of the Glen Burnie branch.

Employee volunteers from Booz Allen Hamilton's Aberdeen office recently delivered 70 backpacks filled with school supplies, in addition to several boxes of additional supplies, to support Edgewood Elementary School. For the second year, Edgewood Elementary School made its school supply list optional due to the economic environment. As nearly 70 percent of students at the school receive free or reduced-price meals, the school did not want to place more of a financial burden on families.

DID YOU see this list?" my friend asked as she shoved at me a paper pungent with the scent of ditto fluid. "Do you want to ride over to Office Depot with me?"

The Glen Burnie Improvement Association (GBIA) is sponsoring a drive to collect school supplies for needy children in Freetown and Meade Village in August.Members are asking for donations of pencils, paper, erasers and other supplies.People who wish to donate items should take them to the civic group's building on South Crain Highway near First Avenue.GBIA members voted this month to spend up to $150 on mailing notices to other associations, inviting them to join the drive.For more information, call the association at 766-6760.

I WAS a couple of months short of 9 years old when I was pronounced old enough to go on the bus by myself to "the stationery store next to Bohaks" to buy my own school supplies.Freedom! Honor! Responsibility! and a passing thought to what I might be able to squeeze into the $5 total that might not be a school supply.I truly loved the ritual restocking each fall. I remember the smell of new pencils and the challenge of a bottle of Scripto ink with its little lip-side well, and the dignified satisfaction of setting up a three-ring binder with index tabs for each course.

Programs that provide back-to-school supplies for the needy are looking for money and other donations.The Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services and the Board of Education has 200 low-income elementary school pupils still in need of backpacks and school supplies for the first day of school.Would-be donors are matched with pupils who need supplies. They then may deliver a book bag of whatever the children need to their schools by Aug. 30. School starts the next day. Cash donations also are accepted.

"Prepare for Success," Howard County's backpack and school-supplies drive, is continuing through Tuesday. Drop-off boxes to collect backpacks and school supplies for Howard County children in need will be in county government office buildings, libraries, Columbia village centers, Columbia Association sites, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, British American Auto Care, the Body Factory, Play Wise Kids, Magellan Health Services, Champs...

On the first day of school, each brand new crayon means something to the chubby hand that holds it. Each yellow-green, burnt orange and carnation pink, sharpened to a perfect conical peak, represents the heights, the hopeful hues, the possibilities of an unexplored year. That's exactly why a group of volunteers and school district employees got together this summer to organize the largest school supplies drive in Howard County's history. Collected in 10 weeks: more than $10,000 in cash donations; more than 400 backpacks; and bags and boxes of miscellaneous school supplies too numerous to count.

From the pages of The Aegis dated Thursday, Aug. 31, 1961: Harford County students were preparing to return to school on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 1961. At the time, 17,500 students were registered in the county, attending 28 county schools. Harford Junior College opened for classes on Sept. 14. When Harford Day School opened on Sept. 15. 1961, it was the first year for seventh grade in the school. Concerns with gangs of teenage boys from Aberdeen and Havre de Grace made the news.

After eight heats and a total of 80 contestants, Raven Roost 68's annual Crab Derby finally had its winner. The winning crab was "jockeyed" by Peggy Stankiewicz, the wife of the organization's president, Wayne. The Aug. 20 event, held at Johnson's Highland Inn, raised $700 for the local roost's charity fund, said Wayne Stankiewicz. During the event, which the roost has hosted for approximately seven years, the group also collected school supplies to donate to Baltimore Highlands Elementary School.

Start of the school year offers a test for community support As our community approaches the end of August, we are confronted with both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is to provide supplies to those students in need in our community. The opportunity is experiencing the joy of service to others in the process. The faith community at English Consul Christian Church recently felt such joy after successfully collecting two full pallets of new and gently used school supplies, which were then donated to Southwest Emergency Services (SWES)

Don't miss the first appearance of Improv Now! Friday, Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. at the Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main St. Doors open 7:30 p.m. Under the artistic direction of Mike Young, this in-house comedy troupe is dedicated to bringing improvisational comedy to Main Street. The troupe's blend of performers, stage and ambience come together to create a comfortable, yet adventurous, atmosphere. Tickets are $10 general admission. Call 301-617-9906 for reservations, or email lmp@laurelmillplayhouse.org . http://www.laurelplayhouse.org . Back to School Bingo promises lots of fun for students in first through sixth grades at Laurel elementary schools, Sat., Aug. 27, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at Partnership Hall, Laurel Police Department, 811 Fifth St. Sponsored by the Laurel Board of Trade, children can enjoy bingo games and lunch at no charge.

The city will host its annual Back to School Rally Tuesday from 3 to 8 p.m., at the public school system's headquarters, 200 E. North Ave.. An estimated 4,000 students and their parents are expected to attend. Students can receive free immunizations, health screenings and school supplies, meet with city representatives, get information about family services and listen to live music. There will also be free haircuts for boys, treats for girls and giveaways for families. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is scheduled to attend from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., along with other elected officials and R&B singer Mario, to motivate students.

Classes start Monday, Aug. 22 for all students in Prince George's County public school. School officials are encouraging parents to walk their child to school or the school bus stop on the first day. An inaugural Back-to-School Fair will be held on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, 7601 Hanover Pkwy., in Greenbelt. The event is open to all county students, teachers, staff, parents, community leaders and county agencies. The fair will provide parents and students with access to the resources needed for a successful school year.

WESTMINSTER — The past school year may have just ended, but the nonprofit Shepherd's Staff in Westminster is already collecting for its back-to-school outreach program, and is seeking donations of school essentials for Carroll County students in need. School supplies, new backpacks, monetary donations to purchase new shoes, new and nearly new school clothing and new or used books are being accepted through Aug. 15. Donations can be dropped off at The Shepherd's Staff, 30 Carroll St., Westminster.

For three decades, Ridgely Middle School's PTA has held an annual craft fair to raise money for the school. The $13,000 in proceeds from last fall's event will be used for such things as school supplies, student assemblies and phone directories distributed in September. Every penny raised by the PTA, organizers say proudly, goes back into the school. But this may be the last school year Baltimore County allows the event. The reason? The PTA leases space in the Timonium school to third-party, for-profit vendors (generally part-time purveyors of jewelry, silk floral arrangements, hand-knit sweaters and the like)