Sleepover

The scene at Hashawha Environmental Center in Westminster Friday evening was filled with the friendly chaos typical of the start of summer camp. Parents unloaded gear and gave last-minute instructions. Ubiquitous counselors welcomed visitors and ushered them to cabins. And chatty children seemed eager to be on their own. Well before the dinner bell, one girl was so enthralled with her bunk that she spread her sleeping bag across it and laid down to test the accommodations. She was so comfortable that only the promise of craft-making with her older sister could draw her away.

The scene at Hashawha Environmental Center in Westminster Friday evening was filled with the friendly chaos typical of the start of summer camp. Parents unloaded gear and gave last-minute instructions. Ubiquitous counselors welcomed visitors and ushered them to cabins. And chatty children seemed eager to be on their own. Well before the dinner bell, one girl was so enthralled with her bunk that she spread her sleeping bag across it and laid down to test the accommodations. She was so comfortable that only the promise of craft-making with her older sister could draw her away.

High school seniors got a lesson this weekend in what it's like to sleep outdoors under cardboard when it rains. It didn't rain exactly. While taking part in a "sleepover" outside a local soup kitchen, some of the students were soaked when a garden irrigation system unexpectedly turned on at 3 in the morning. Nevertheless, a point was made. "The night changed my thoughts about the homeless," said 18-year-old Sunny Odogwu, a senior at St. Frances Academy who lives on Brentwood Avenue.

High school seniors got a lesson this weekend in what it's like to sleep outdoors under cardboard when it rains. It didn't rain exactly. While taking part in a "sleepover" outside a local soup kitchen, some of the students were soaked when a garden irrigation system unexpectedly turned on at 3 in the morning. Nevertheless, a point was made. "The night changed my thoughts about the homeless," said 18-year-old Sunny Odogwu, a senior at St. Frances Academy who lives on Brentwood Avenue.

Baltimore police have identified the teenage victim of a fatal shooting which occurred after a sleepover in Cherry Hill Saturday morning. Michael Brooks, 15, was shot and killed by an unidentified 11-year-old who was apparently playing with a gun, police said. Police could not say how many times Brooks was shot or who owned the gun. The gun was secured in the house, but the children had found a key or passcode to unlock it, said police spokesman Kevin Brown. As of Sunday morning, no charges have been filed against the shooter or any adults who may have been present, Brown said.

Richard L. Moore Jr. doesn't know which of his 22 guns, locked in a bedroom and unloaded, killed 15-year-old Michael D. Brooks Jr. after a sleepover Saturday morning. His collection included black powder pistols, Western revolvers and military-style firearms, he said Monday. It was a handgun, is all police will say about the weapon that killed Michael. The shooter was an 11-year-old boy, police said, and Michael was struck at least once in the head in what appeared to be an accident inside an apartment in Cherry Hill.

A Baltimore boy who was apparently playing with a gun shot and killed a 15-year-old friend Saturday morning in Cherry Hill, Baltimore police said. Police could not say Saturday how many times the boy was shot or who owned the gun. The gun was secured in the house, but the children had found a key or passcode to unlock it, said police spokesman Kevin Brown. The shooter, who was either 11 or 12 years old, was not being charged at this time because the killing appeared to be an accident, he said.

There's a dollop of charm and a deluge of formula in Sleepover, a teen-girls-on-a-mission comedy that desperately wants to be the John Hughes film for a new generation. Hughes was the guiding force behind such benchmark '80s teen films as Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off - films that captured the exuberance and heartache of the teenage years so perfectly that one had the suspicion Hughes must have been sitting at the lunchroom table next to you. One gets a similar impression from Sleepover; doubtless, director Joe Nussbaum and writer Elisa Bell know their teens.

I AM MARRIED to a man who considers it a privilege to pay taxes, and reminds me that our nation's tax rate is among the lowest in the world. I try hard to remember that about this time every year. It doesn't do me much good, but I offer his attitude in the hopes that it will give some comfort today, to someone.Sleepover with 'Chelsea'One thing that does give comfort is the indomitable energy and enthusiasm of youth. Take, for example, the bevy of students, ages 5 to 18, who are preparing an original musical for presentation at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.

The Florida Marlins' wild-card surge was interrupted by Hurricane Frances last weekend, but they did get a little quality bonding time. As the Category 2 storm blew 70 miles to the north, several members of the team and their families hunkered down at Pro Player Stadium - for four days. It wasn't quite as bad as it sounds, though, as the group had hot saunas, big-screen televisions and spaghetti dinners. Josh Beckett slept in the umpires' dressing room. Ismael Valdez, Matt Treanor and Armando Benitez slept on air mattresses.

What girl doesn't love a sleepover with her friends? It's all about giggling and being silly together. It's a time for sharing secrets, painting each other's nails, and munching on cheese curls and chips while watching the latest Disney princess DVD or teen romance. So it also is for the young women of the ARC of Howard County, the nonprofit that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Twice a month, they gather at the ARC's respite care house in Columbia for their own version of a sleepover, Ladies' Night Out. And while the girls are mostly 20-somethings, with a variety of intellectual and physical disabilities, they are, in many ways, typical girls who love to hang out with their friends, away from their parents.

Richard L. Moore Jr. doesn't know which of his 22 guns, locked in a bedroom and unloaded, killed 15-year-old Michael D. Brooks Jr. after a sleepover Saturday morning. His collection included black powder pistols, Western revolvers and military-style firearms, he said Monday. It was a handgun, is all police will say about the weapon that killed Michael. The shooter was an 11-year-old boy, police said, and Michael was struck at least once in the head in what appeared to be an accident inside an apartment in Cherry Hill.

Baltimore police have identified the teenage victim of a fatal shooting which occurred after a sleepover in Cherry Hill Saturday morning. Michael Brooks, 15, was shot and killed by an unidentified 11-year-old who was apparently playing with a gun, police said. Police could not say how many times Brooks was shot or who owned the gun. The gun was secured in the house, but the children had found a key or passcode to unlock it, said police spokesman Kevin Brown. As of Sunday morning, no charges have been filed against the shooter or any adults who may have been present, Brown said.

A Baltimore boy who was apparently playing with a gun shot and killed a 15-year-old friend Saturday morning in Cherry Hill, Baltimore police said. Police could not say Saturday how many times the boy was shot or who owned the gun. The gun was secured in the house, but the children had found a key or passcode to unlock it, said police spokesman Kevin Brown. The shooter, who was either 11 or 12 years old, was not being charged at this time because the killing appeared to be an accident, he said.

The nonprofit group that promotes Baltimore living isn't just hoping that relocating BRAC workers will move to the city. It's busing them in for a weekend tour. Live Baltimore will pick up a busload of Fort Monmouth personnel and contractors in New Jersey and bring them to Baltimore Sept. 12 and 13, the first overnight stay the group has organized. Workers will go to the "Buying Into Baltimore" home-buying fair on the first day, which is open to anyone, and will get a BRAC-only tour the following day. Nearly 40 people have signed up. "We thought it would be a great way to show more of the city," said Anna Custer, executive director of Live Baltimore.

Halloween -- Columbia Gym and Supreme Sports Club are offering Halloween activities for children and teenagers: a Halloween Boo Bash for ages 3 to 10 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday; a Halloween sleepover for ages 7 to 12 from 8 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; a Halloween skating party from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; and a Halloween basketball party from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31. There may be a fee for activities. For a listing of events and locations: www.columbiaassociation.com/HalloweenEvents.

Sleeping with the fishes was never supposed to be this much fun. The National Aquarium in Baltimore is presenting a new overnight program in which visitors can take part in a "Sleepover With the Sharks," now through August. The adventure includes guided tours, behind-the-scenes access and hands-on activities. The event is geared to adults and children ages 8 and older. The event includes a guided tour throughout the aquarium, including a tour to the food-preparation area to see how the sharks and the rays are fed and cared for. Guests can take a walk along the Shark Catwalk and view the swimming sharks that are just inches below their feet.

WASHINGTON - In a dark corner of "East Berlin," a nondescript phone booth stands alongside a cobblestone road. A band of young "spies" loiter in the area, trying hard to be inconspicuous. Some examine a nearby empty black sedan, others gather by cafe tables. Finally, one of them slips into the booth. He emerges moments later, a slight grin on his face, and his shadowy group melts into the night. Chad Arrendell, a tall 15-year-old wearing a dark curly wig for this assignment, had managed to accomplish his mission - a dead drop.

Bowie-- --After the game, after the fireworks, after a Harry Potter movie, it was time for a little shut-eye. Or maybe not. Let's face it, when a professional baseball team invites kids to pitch a tent in the outfield with several hundred of their fellow scouts, why would they make it a field of dreams? Imagine spending hours racing foul line to foul line, sliding on your belly on the dewy, close-cropped grass and leaping high on the warning track at the 405-foot mark to pull in a blast headed for downtown.

The Florida Marlins' wild-card surge was interrupted by Hurricane Frances last weekend, but they did get a little quality bonding time. As the Category 2 storm blew 70 miles to the north, several members of the team and their families hunkered down at Pro Player Stadium - for four days. It wasn't quite as bad as it sounds, though, as the group had hot saunas, big-screen televisions and spaghetti dinners. Josh Beckett slept in the umpires' dressing room. Ismael Valdez, Matt Treanor and Armando Benitez slept on air mattresses.