Talented Program

The Savage Volunteer Fire Company Ladies' Auxiliary will hold a ham and cabbage dinner from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 16 at the fire hall, 8925 Lincoln St. Tickets, which may be purchased at the door, are $7 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 to 12. Children to age 6 will dine free. Information: 301-498-6813 or 301-725-6409. Historical society plans Bollman bridge discussion The Savage Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. March 18 at the Faith and Ministry Center, 9032 Baltimore St., Savage.

THERE WAS a time when many Howard County children carried their lunches to school in a syrup bucket and families traveled by horse and buggy to shop in Ellicott City. There were no gas stations or cars, and wagons in need of repair were serviced by the local blacksmith. You can read about the early history of our county in A Trip into the Past of Historical District V, a book written by children at Clarksville Middle School under the direction of teachers Carroll Haddaway and Pat Greenwald.

WHEN LES WALL climbed into the cab of a 14-foot panel truck Nov. 24 and headed for a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania, he knew the holiday season had arrived. Wall and other volunteers from the Atholton High School Athletic Boosters have made the trip for the group's tree sale for the past five years. "I was always one of those people concerned with the stores starting their sales so early," Wall said. But, he added, "picking up the trees the day after Thanksgiving gets me into the spirit."

FOR THE FIFTH YEAR in a row, Talbott Springs Elementary School pupils have raised money to help the National Zoological Society in its efforts to save threatened animals.Under the direction of Gifted and Talented Program resource teacher Carrye Jones, the pupils sold art and crafts on the theme of endangered animals at an Endangered Species Bazaar at Chatham Mall in March.Sales of items such as tote bags with hand-painted gorillas, emperor penguin hand puppets, Indiana bat bookmarks and an Atlantic green turtle tea set brought in more than $2,000.

TALBOTT SPRINGS Elementary School fifth-grader John Lloyd will gladly tell you the secret of success: Find a need and fill it.John created a Type III project at his school, which requires the pupil to find a problem and then invent the means to solve it.Type III projects are open to everyone, although they must be accepted by a committee of resource teachers who work in the Gifted and Talented Program.The pupil is required to write a proposal describing the problem and the proposed solution, including supplies and outside resources that may be needed.

KEITH SMITH'S efforts to have Montel Williams, Rosie O'Donnell and Oprah Winfrey write letters on behalf of Anne Arundel County's gifted and talented program is pretty easy to dismiss.Why would County Executive John G. Gary or the school board pay any more attention to these afternoon television personalities than they would to parents who live and vote in the county?Mr. Smith, a former teacher of gifted and talented students, obviously is willing to try anything to revive this program, which was eliminated during this year's education budget slashing.

School Superintendent Carol S. Parham did not recommend last night bringing back the middle school gifted and talented program.But she did urge the school board to eliminate the unpopular music and athletic fees, reinstate middle school activity buses and turn on the heat or air conditioning during after-school functions.Those were her suggestions to the board, which was considering what to do with the $5.8 million that the County Council took from the contingency fund and gave to the schools Monday night.

School Superintendent Carol S. Parham did not recommend last night bringing back the middle school gifted and talented program.But she did urge the school board to eliminate the unpopular music and athletic fees, reinstate middle school activity buses and turn on the heat or air conditioning during after-school functions.Those were her suggestions to the board, which was considering what to do with the $5.8 million that the County Council took from the contingency fund and gave to the schools Monday night.

The Anne Arundel County Council has added $5.8 million to the school board's account, but board members say it is unlikely they'll use that money to restore the middle school gifted and talented program or any of $9 million in student services cuts they made two months ago."This money is there for teachers, personnel and other things," said board member Joseph H. Foster. "The gifted and talented program is $950,000, a big-ticket item. It is going to be extremely difficult to find money for that."

Jesselyn Johl had more than the Monday blues a week ago -- she also had a black eye.The 67-year-old Columbia woman got those distinctive bruises when she spent the day at St. Agnes Hospital having a cancerous tumor near her right eye removed. She was feeling down in the dumps.Her mood did an about face Wednesday when Lynn Spence, owner of Here's a Hug and a self-described "oBEARator," delivered a cuddly white teddy bear. The idea was to cheer Johl up. It worked."Oh my goodness," Johl said as she clutched the bear in her hands.