Villa Julie College

VILLA JULIE College began in a few rooms of the old George Carroll Jenkins mansion in Green Spring Valley, home for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.It soon expanded to the carriage house and stables on the mansion's grounds. Then it slowly gained buildings of its own.But only within the past year has it had the space it needed to accommodate its students with room to grow.That extra room came with two buildings that practically doubled the learning space on the campus: an academic center and theater that were completed last fall and a student union and athletic center that opened in January.

In Baltimore County Water pressure drops in northwest areas after valve breaks OWINGS MILLS -- A broken valve caused four pumps at a pumping station in Owings Mills to shut down yesterday morning, causing water pressure to drop in some northwest Baltimore County neighborhoods. The valve broke Tuesday night or early yesterday, which caused flooding at the station and the pumps to stop, said Kurt L. Kocher, spokesman for the Baltimore Department of Public Works. Owings Mills and Reisterstown residents may have experienced low water pressure yesterday morning, said Kocher, adding that pressure was back to normal by afternoon.

BALTIMORE Chief operating officer for city schools resigns Carlton G. Epps, the chief operating officer of Baltimore City public schools, has resigned from his position, school officials said yesterday. Epps resigned Monday afternoon, according to a school spokeswoman who declined to give further details. Epps could not be reached for comment. As COO since October 2003, Epps directed the maintenance and renovation of school facilities. He also was responsible for student transportation, school police and cafeteria operations, and served as one of three top administrators under city schools chief Bonnie S. Copeland.

A Baltimore County woman had about $340,000 in student loan debt discharged by a federal bankruptcy judge this month because Asperger's syndrome prevents her from holding a job. Carol Todd of Nottingham pursued college degrees "as a stepping stone toward a measure of liberation … and perhaps to help her achieve something closer to a normal life," according to the May 17 opinion of Judge Robert A. Gordon, a bankruptcy judge for the District of...

The Southside, a tangy cocktail made with mint, citrus juices and secrets, is an old-line favorite. It appears in the spring at tailgates in the Maryland hunt country and is still stirring at late-summer, white-shoe gatherings. Once served almost exclusively at private clubs, the cocktail has entered the public domain. Anyone of age now can enjoy a Southside by simply buying a mix and adding ice, rum, gin or vodka, and perhaps some club soda. Membership not required. Recently, I bought a bottle of Lindsay's Southside Mix, then compared the beverage it produced with the Southsides of Andy Ervin, the 85-year-old bartender at the Elkridge Club, and George Lee, the 87-year-old former bartender at the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club.

Villa Julie College President Carolyn Manuszak marked her last commencement as head of the college yesterday afternoon, as 341 students received their degrees during a ceremony on the campus lawn.Manuszak, who will retire on June 30 after leading the college for 33 years, received a proclamation from Baltimore County in front of the largest graduating class in the school's history.While 329 students received undergraduate degrees, 12 were the first to receive master's degrees in advanced information technologies, the only such program in the state.

New positionsMcCormick & Co. names Lawrence vice president of quality assuranceMcCormick & Co. Inc., the Sparks-based spice company, selected Roger T. Lawrence as vice president of quality assurance. The Timonium resident is a DePaul University graduate and is a member of the American Society for Quality Control and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.Koscher, Milliken appointed to posts at Sheraton HotelThe Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel has appointed Jon Koscher general manager and Sandra Milliken account manager.

Mrs. Joan Hock of Overlea is pleased to announce the marriage of her son Dennis Hock, son of the late Charles Hock, to Diane Turek of Rosedale, daughter of Marlene & Joseph Sichette of Stewartstown, PA. Diane is a graduate of Villa Julie College & currently works for Baltimore County, Dept. of Aging. Dennis has been employed by Miller Refrigeration for many years. After two weeks in Hawaii they are now residing in Baltimore County.

Salem Lutheran Children's Center of Jarrettsville has hired Elizabeth Smithson as the new director. Smithson will head the accredited nursery school and day care programs. She will also be teaching the afternoon 3-year-old nursery program. Smithson's educational background includes a bachelor's in early childhood education from Villa Julie College and a master's degree in reading from Towson University.

Maureen Berry, a dance student at Towson State University, won fourth place in the Oireachtas National Competition for Irish Step Dancing, qualifying her to compete for the world championship to be held in Dublin in April.*Eight high-school students were winners in a high-school senior art competition sponsored by the art department at Villa Julie College. Mark Selby won best of show and was awarded a half scholarship for two years at Villa Julie College. Other winners are Wendy Gelber, Karen Beard, Laura Singer, Jason Kehl, Ben Tilly, Bradley Zisow and Jason Scott.