Students And Staff

One was an honors student and talented athlete, described as a "bright light." The other, the youngest of 10 children and an avid reader, was recalled as "pure of heart." Students and staff at two Carroll County high schools mourned yesterday the loss of Emily M. Burke, 15, and Rudolfo Calderon, 14, who died in a single-car accident in Finksburg this past weekend. Emily, of Sykesville, was a sophomore at Liberty High, and Rudolfo, of Finksburg, was a freshman at Westminster High. Counselors were at both schools yesterday to help students and staff, some of them in the students' classes, officials said.

Coppin State University President Reginald Avery told an auditorium of roughly 300 students, faculty and staff Wednesday that he is accountable for the direction of the institution and that he will address concerns about his leadership head-on. Avery, who recently received a vote of no confidence from faculty, fielded about a dozen questions and comments, including that the university needs to improve staff training, better its customer service, provide higher salaries and add perks for loyal staff, amplify school pride and prioritize campus improvements.

No more soggy, cellophane-wrapped hamburgers for Carroll Community College students. After years of relying on vending machines, the college finally has a real cafeteria."

Scotchtown Hills Elementary School will host a family dinner night on Nov. 10, 5-7 p.m., at the school 15950 Dorset Road, Laurel. Join the students and staff at Scotchtown Hills Elementary School as they host a fundraiser in support of the school's healthy kids club. For more information, call 301-497-3994. —Lauren Budik

Scotchtown Hills Elementary School will host a family dinner night on Nov. 10, 5-7 p.m., at the school 15950 Dorset Road, Laurel. Join the students and staff at Scotchtown Hills Elementary School as they host a fundraiser in support of the school's healthy kids club. For more information, call 301-497-3994. —Lauren Budik

Towson University police were investigating two suspicious letters sent to university staff containing a white granular substance, apparently intended to look like anthrax. Preliminary field testing showed no evidence of a hazardous material, and police believe the letters are a hoax, Susanna Craine, a Towson spokeswoman, said yesterday. Still, university officials sent alerts via email and the university Web site asking students and staff to call police to report any other suspicious letters and packages.

Some parts of Northeast High School in Pasadena remain off-limits as Anne Arundel County hazmat crews address a chemical odor that made seven students and staff feel ill, a county school spokeswoman said. The school was evacuated at 9:20 a.m. and students and staff reentered the building at 10:30 a.m., said the spokeswoman, Maneka S. Monk. Some students are staying in the auditorium and cafeteria while crews address the problem. "We plan on continuing our day some kind of way in terms of instruction," she said.

WESTMINSTER - East Middle School has chosen Stan Gilmore as its Teacher of the Month for December.The art teacher was cited for his spirit of cooperation, his willingness to give of his time, energy and talents and his understanding.The school's TOWER (Treat Others With Equal Respect) Committee has named John Marinucci as the Student of the Month for December.The eighth-grader was nominated by one of his teachers for his honesty and integrity. John was awarded a school sports bag and bumper sticker by East Middle students and staff.

Five days after a frustrated Anne Arundel County Superintendent Carol S. Parham urged a roomful of parents to discuss with their children the severity of bomb threats at schools, she went a step further and mailed a letter to parents Friday asking the same thing.Since schools opened Aug. 25, 26 bomb threats have disturbed classes, mostly in the southern part of the county. Police have made four arrests, including two this week. But the threats are still interrupting learning and forcing students and staff members outside.

Thanks for support of our students On behalf of the Board of Education, I would like to thank all of you for your endless support for the students of our school system. To our teachers and instructional support staff: Thank you for coming in Thursday, Friday, and Monday (April 17, 18, 21) in order to make up for the snow days taken in February. Your attendance helped to instill in your students the importance of their education. To those who already had vacations planned and gained permission from your supervisors to take a personal day, we thank you for giving prior notice of your absence and thank you for your continued dedication to our students and support for your school team.

Jay VanRensselaer had photographed archaeological digs in Egypt since 1996 without ever feeling uncomfortable or unwelcome. But the Johns Hopkins University staff member sensed a seething anger in the populace last week as he finished another excavation with Hopkins graduates and undergraduates. When one of the students read Facebook posts about overthrowing the government on Friday — well, it seemed like a good time to go. "At no point did I feel threatened, but there was a certain level of anxiety," VanRensselaer said.

Some parts of Northeast High School in Pasadena remain off-limits as Anne Arundel County hazmat crews address a chemical odor that made seven students and staff feel ill, a county school spokeswoman said. The school was evacuated at 9:20 a.m. and students and staff reentered the building at 10:30 a.m., said the spokeswoman, Maneka S. Monk. Some students are staying in the auditorium and cafeteria while crews address the problem. "We plan on continuing our day some kind of way in terms of instruction," she said.

Wilde Lake Middle School Principal Tom Saunders stood with his hand extended, welcoming the 161 eighth-graders to give him a high-five on the final day of their middle school career. Many students slapped his palm with an enthusiastic crack. Others opted for a hug. And there were a number who were so overcome with emotion that they headed to the nearest adult to console them as they cried at the thought of leaving their beloved school. Saunders was joined by the entire staff of the school Wednesday for its annual "clap out" ceremony, in which the adults line the halls leading to the school entrance to give the eighth-graders a final sendoff.

BB&T is suing a defunct Hunt Valley-based computer training school, claiming the company's out-of-state owners defaulted on a $1.5 million loan and spread false and misleading statements about the lender's role in the school's closure. ComputerTraining.edu, which had operations in Maryland and 13 other states, shut down in December with little explanation, other than to blame the bank for ordering it to "immediately cease operations." BB&T filed suit on Friday in Baltimore County Circuit Court against ComputerTraining.

Kharina Chapron, a senior at Hammond High School in Columbia whose parents are native Haitians, has been overwhelmed by the support her classmates have shown her since a major earthquake struck the country, causing widespread devastation and destruction. When a staff member learned that Chapron had such a close connection to the country, she decided to launch a fundraising effort at the school. As a result, students raised almost $400 in three days by donating money during lunch periods and class breaks.

A distinct bustle filled the kitchen of the Falcon's Nest cafe as 11 a.m. approached. "Excuse me - hot," said Katina Guyton, pulling a tray of ciabatta rolls from the oven and walking to the counter out front. There, with gloves and black hairnets snapped on, her colleagues - also her classmates - were lining up behind a display of deli meats, cheeses, soups and other food. It was almost time for the lunch-hour rush of students and staff at the Forbush School at Glyndon. At the Falcon's Nest, students run the show - from food preparation to the cleanup.

Two students from St. Alphonsus-Basilica Elementary School will receive scholarships from one of their neighbors, the Agora Publishing Co., which Friday kicked off its first educational partnership with the Saratoga Street school.The company will pay the full tuition of a boy and a girl who maintain a B average and need financial help to attend the $2,185-a-year school. The largely commuter school has 225 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.The Mount Vernon-based publisher also will stock the school library with the children's books it publishes and sponsor pizza parties for honor students.

Students were not the only ones who woke up early and spent the day going from classroom to classroom as the first day of the new school year arrived. Howard County Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin and school board Chairman Frank Aquino were up and out early, visiting seven schools Monday as part of Cousin's annual ritual. The two started at Howard High School just before 7 a.m., where 125 staff members, playing percussion instruments, welcomed students back to school. The teachers toted drums and formed "rhythm circles" near the school's entrance as buses pulled up. Cousin said he was impressed by the display of enthusiasm.

Anne Arundel County school teachers rejected higher pay in favor of a more manageable workweek by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in a union vote last week. More than 170 teachers voted on a measure last Wednesday that would have increased their pay by 6 percent but also required them to work 38 1/2 hours a week. Teachers overwhelmingly defeated the measure amid concerns that the extra pay was not worth the additional workload, said Tim Mennuti, president of the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County.