Students And Staff

A Meade High School student who received a diagnosis of tuberculosis in February might have infected 34 other people at the school, prompting Anne Arundel County health officials to announce yesterday that they will try to test all of the school's nearly 2,000 students and staff. Health officials mailed letters to parents Wednesday to inform them of the situation. Skin tests will be administered the first week of next month to students who obtain parental permission. "It isn't a public health emergency at this point," said Dr. Katherine Farrell, a county public health officer.

The University of Baltimore has selected five finalists in its search for a new law school dean. The candidates are: Nicholas Allard, a political lawyer at Washington firm Patton Boggs; Penelope Bryan, the dean of Whittier Law School in California; Alfredo Garcia, a professor and former dean at St. Thomas University Law School in Miami; Patricia Salkin, a professor and associate dean at Albany Law School in New York; and Ronald Weich, an assistant...

Preliminary tests of students and staff members at Baltimore's Fairmont-Harford High School revealed nine cases of very low lead exposure, too minor to require treatment and impossible to link to building renovations, health officials said yesterday."

Henrique Vissotto , a foreign language teacher at Laurel High School, is among 21 educators nationwide selected as Healthy Schools Program Champions by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. Program champions held to motivate and lead students and staff, and serve as national representatives for the Healthy Schools Program Laurel High students and staff have embraced new initiatives, such as more nutritional choices in the cafeteria and vending machines.

A survey of Baltimore students, teachers and parents shows an overall perception that city schools were safer and more welcoming in the 2005-2006 school year than in the year before. But the survey also highlighted the need for the school system to do more to improve safety in middle schools, where 46 percent of pupils said student possession of weapons such as guns or knives was a "moderate" or "major" problem. Forty-one percent of middle school pupils also noted problems with student alcohol and drug abuse.

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."

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.

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

Henrique Vissotto , a foreign language teacher at Laurel High School, is among 21 educators nationwide selected as Healthy Schools Program Champions by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. Program champions held to motivate and lead students and staff, and serve as national representatives for the Healthy Schools Program Laurel High students and staff have embraced new initiatives, such as more nutritional choices in the cafeteria and vending machines.

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.

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

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.

Residents of neighborhoods near Morgan State University, upset with students and staff monopolizing parking in their communities, took their frustration to the school itself Monday morning. Organizers of the daylong protest said that Morgan has not done enough to stop off-campus parking. And they said they need better enforcement on the streets that are protected by the residential parking permit program. "I'm tired of being a prisoner in my own home," said Jeanette Pindell.

St. John's College senior Babak Zarin says that, according to school lore, ghosts at McDowell Hall often made such a commotion that hall residents held seances to tell them — politely — to keep it down. Kathy Dulisse, director of community programs, said that once when she was alone on the second floor of the Carroll Barrister House, she caught a glimpse of a cloak of someone heading upstairs. She subsequently headed up to see who it was, and no one was there. Security officer Henry Smith said that one night this past summer at 2 a.m., while leaving the school gymnasium, he heard a "powerful whistling sound" close by. Later, while reading pamphlets in another building, he came across a story about a so-called ghost named "The Whistler" who makes the same sound in front of the gym during the early-morning hours.

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.

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.

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.