potomac the nose rulesconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/...2013/02/26 ·...

Potomac Almanac ❖ February 27 - March 5, 2013 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com online at potomacalmanac.com

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‘Yolanda Prinslooand Friends’

News, Page 5

Churchill Girls’Basketball Falls

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‘Yolanda Prinslooand Friends’

News, Page 5

Churchill Girls’Basketball Falls

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Water Main BreakFloods River RoadNews, Page 3

Board Re-assertsLand ControlNews, Page 3

Water Main BreakFloods River RoadNews, Page 3

Board Re-assertsLand ControlNews, Page 3

Dogs interpretprimarily withtheir nose.

February 27 - March 5, 2013

2 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ February 27 - March 5, 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Pisarra andWeiler WedOn Sunday Feb. 17, TonyPisarra, the president of thePotomac Theatre Company,married Trish Weiler. RabbiStan Levin officiated.

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People

By Susan Belford

The Almanac

Thirteen-year-old Anna Gray discov-ered the story of unsung hero SybilLudington when she googled

“Revolutionary War women” — and as Annaexplains her choice, “She was the most in-teresting of the women I had not heard of.”Sybil Ludington was a 16-year-old girl whovolunteered to gallop 40 miles through acold damp night on horseback to warnAmerican troops that the British were ap-proaching.

The assignment was to write about “For-gotten Patriots Who Supported the Ameri-can Struggle for Independence” for theDaughters of the American Revolution(DAR) annual American History Essay Con-test. Anna, a seventh grade student at theFourth Presbyterian School in Potomac, readher winning essay to the Goshen Mill DARChapter on Feb. 11, where she accepted acertificate and monetary award. That sameday, they announced that her essay had alsowon the Maryland State Society DAR con-

test and she will receiveher award on March 23.Her essay will now be en-tered in the Eastern Divi-sion contest and could ad-vance to the nationallevel.

Anna’s composition,“Teen Rides Forty Miles inStorm To Save Town” was

written as a newspaper article for theDanbury Post Historic Special on the Revo-lutionary War of 1777. Under the name of“Annie Grayson, Staff Writer” she wrote thestory of a young woman who most likelyhad many of the same feelings, thoughtsand aspirations as Anna does today.

Sybil wanted to be independent and tohelp her country, as well as her father, acolonel, in the fight against the British.When an exhausted messenger relayed thenews that the British were soon planningto attack and burn Danbury, Conn., Sybil, askilled horseback rider, volunteered for thedangerous mission. She rode from villageto village shouting for the militia to meetat her house, since her tired father wasmustering the troops. After her journey, shearrived back home to find that the men hadall responded and were waiting for ordersin her front yard. She was thrilled that theyhad listened and immediately responded.

Anna wrote, “Her father later reflected onthe extraordinary circumstances of hisdaughter’s daring ride. He was over-whelmed that a child of 16 could accom-plish so much. He stated in his memoir‘there is no extravagance in comparing herride with that of Paul Revere and its mid-night message.’ Unfortunately the troop wasunable to stop the burning of Danbury onApril 26, 1777. The 7th Duchess Militiajoined the Continental Army, though, in theBattle of Ridgefield and was able to pushthe British back to their boats the next day.”

Anna also included that George Washing-ton and the French Comte de Rochambeauvisited Sybil’s house to thank her for herbravery. Her birthplace, Fredericksburghchanged its name to Ludingtonville and stat-ues of her stand in Lake Glenieda and out-side the Danbury Library. Anna states,“Sadly, after she died, she was only a quicklyfading memory.”

The DAR American History Essay Contestwas established to encourage young peoplein grades 5-8 to think creatively about thenation’s history and to learn about it in anew light. Essays are judged for historicalaccuracy, adherence to the topic, organiza-tion of materials, interest, originality, spell-ing, grammar, punctuation and neatness.

Anna is the daughter of Karen and CoreyGray of Bethesda.

Student Wins DAR Essay ContestsAnna Gray writesof forgottenRevolutionary hero.

Anna Gray

Potomac Almanac ❖ February 27 - March 5, 2013 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

An eight-inch “relatively small”water main break caused spoutsof bubbling water on River Road

Saturday morning, Feb. 23.Workers for WSSC had the pipes fixed

by Saturday night 12 hours later, accord-ing to WSSC spokesperson Lyn Riggins.

No forensics are done on water mainbreaks of that size, she said. In an aver-age year, 1,700 to 1,800 breaks may oc-cur to the 5,600 miles of pipes in thisarea.

Alerting WSSC to leaking pipes or bro-ken pipes is helpful, she said. “Sometimespeople will call television or news sta-tions first, but ‘call us,’” she said.

Mobile applications available on theWSSC website give residents the abilityto report issues to WSSC from cell phonesand other such devices and can helpWSSC pinpoint locations of problemsquickly since global positioning devicescan be accessed by WSSC.

See www.wsscwater.com

A water main break creates a flood of water on River Road Satur-day, Feb. 23.

Pipe Break Floods River Road

The water lifts sod at a drive-way.

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Elementary and middle school stu-dents are invited to Club Friday’sOpen House on Friday, March 1,

from 7-10 p.m. Parents are invited, too.Admission is free.

“This is a chance for all to experiencethe fun and excitement Club Fridaymembers enjoy every Friday night fromOctober through March,” said Linda

Barlock, acting director of the PotomacCommunity Center.

Club Friday will feature a moonbounce, obstacle course, DJ music,bingo, raffle, art project, snack bar andgames.

The Potomac Community Center is lo-cated at 11315 Falls Road. Call 240-777-6960.

Club Friday To Host Open House

Potomac Almanac Editor Steven Mauren

703-778-9415 or [email protected]

See www.potomacalmanac.com

News

See School Board, Page 4

By Ken Moore

The Almanac

With a resolution Monday night,Feb. 25, the MontgomeryCounty Board of Education

made clear what it already thought it hadmade clear.

The Board of Education voted unani-mously Monday, Feb. 25, that Resolution138-11 authorizing the land agreement withMontgomery County for construction of ballfields at the future Brickyard Road MiddleSchool site “is of no force and effect,” ac-cording to Board of Education documents.

“The board wishes to resolve any per-ceived ambiguity and clarify the status ofResolution 138-11,” accordingto the documents.

This resolution is “to ensurethat it is clear that the boardlease with Montgomery Countyis cancelled and is no longer ineffect,” said SuperintendentJoshua P. Starr. “At this point,no entity but MontgomeryCounty Public Schools has rightto be on the property.”

“Just to be abundantly clear. This prop-erty belongs to the Montgomery CountyBoard of Education. There is no lease withanyone,” said Board of Education memberPatricia O’Neill.

“This is a future school site,” said O’Neill.“Clear?”

“That is very clear,” said Board PresidentChristopher S. Barclay.

Next steps for the 20-acre property onBrickyard Road are uncertain.

At the board meeting Monday, SophiaMaravell, director of Brickyard EducationalFarm, testified along with two other sup-porters.

She asked the Board of Education to“open the Brickyard Road School site forcompetitive proposals so that the BrickyardEducational Farm proposal can be seriouslyconsidered,” she said.

She asked the board to open the process“so the land does not remain unattendedand prone to soil degradation this spring.The possibilities of serving MontgomeryCounty Public School students on this landare enormous and within our reach,”Maravell said.

“While there are no walls in this class-room, there are infinite possibilities,” testi-fied Elizabeth Levien, a teacher at Blair HighSchool. She said 67 Montgomery Countyschools are located within 10 miles of thefarm.

“Take advantage of this wonderful trea-sure we have in our backyard,” testifiedPatrick Detzner. “Please, make the best useof this.”

SCHOOL BOARD security officers locked

some of the gates to Nick Maravell’s OrganicFarm and his daughter’s Brickyard Educa-tion Farm on Brickyard Road last Tuesday,Feb. 19.

“As you may be aware, Mr. Maravell hasno right to be on the property. On. Aug. 17he was sent a letter saying he could accessthe property only to harvest existing crops.On Sept. 21, he was told that he and all ofhis equipment needed to be off the prop-erty as of the end of December,” said DanaTofig, public information officer for MCPS.

“Security and maintenance personnel ar-rived [Feb. 19] to inspect the property,which belongs to the Board of Educationand is not leased to anyone at this point.The staff was not able to access the prop-

erty because locks had beenplaced on the gates by Mr.Maravell. Our staff removedthe locks, inspected the prop-erty and put on our ownlocks,” Tofig said.

That night, the Board ofEducation held a special worksession to announce thatMontgomery County Execu-tive Isiah Leggett ºwrote a let-

ter to the board that “the county has de-cided not to proceed with the developmentof any recreational facilities on the site.”

The School Board accepted the surren-der of the lease, declared the lease rescindedand of no force and effect.

Leggett issued a press release that day.“I today wrote to the Montgomery County

Public Schools to inform them we are ter-minating our sublease with them to use the20 acres of public land on Brickyard Roadto construct soccer fields for County kids.

“I strongly believe public land should beused for public purposes, not for privatecommercial gain. Montgomery Countyfamilies need more soccer fields, especiallyDown County. Under the Potomac MasterPlan, this tract was specifically mentionedto be used for recreational uses andballfields, if not used for a school. The sub-lease would have fulfilled that.

“I want to thank the hundreds of peoplewho supported this project, including indi-viduals on Brickyard Road itself. I want tothank Montgomery Soccer, Inc., our would-be-partner in this valuable public-privatepartnership, for caring so deeply about find-ing places for kids to develop themselves,physically and mentally.

“I will continue my support for findingother options to expand ballfields in theCounty and to uphold the public interest ofMontgomery families,” wrote Leggett.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY Circuit CourtJudge Robert A. Greenberg was expectedto rule this week on the legality of theSchool Board’s lease of the 20-acre prop-

This Land Is Our LandNext steps not certain in controversy, butboard asserts land belongs to school system.

“There is nolease withanyone.”

— Patricia O’Neill,member, Board of

Education


One year with rolling admission

Fall 2013 deadline is 5/1/2013

Contact the Program Coordinator for details

202-687-1070

MS programsin Biochemistry

or Biotechnology

http://bmcb.georgetown.edu/masters/biochemistryandmolecularbiology/

http://biotechnology.georgetown.edu

LET’S TALKReal Estate

For professional advice on all aspectsof buying and selling real estate, call:

MICHAEL MATESELong & Foster Realtors

[email protected]

by Michael Matese

Home is Wherethe Comfort Is

You think of your house as a refugefrom the outside world; we all do.That’s part of what buyers are lookingfor and one of the best ways to marketa house is to make the buyer feel as ifthey must have that sanctuary. Youcan help that feeling along by creatingat least one space that tells a buyer,“Come right in here, put your feet upand relax.” With warmer weather, youcan create an outdoor space that willtell buyers, “This is it; you’re home. Noneed to look further.” Whether you’reselling or buying, that ambience ofpeaceful serenity is of the utmostimportance.

For sellers, find a space outside that’scalm and has a great view, and thenstart decorating. Start with a simpleset up, wicker chairs and a sofa withthick cushions in a nice neutral color.Splash those neutrals with mutedthrow pillows, maybe even a smallblanket and add a simple area rug inmuted tones and a subtle pattern toplace under the furniture. Place lowwattage lamps on end tables andyou’re set with your haven from theoutside world!

For buyers, evaluate a home and itsrooms not just for what they are rightnow, but for what they could be.What’s now a home office with stan-dard windows could be a quiet familyden that looks out into the backyardwith the installation of an infinity win-dow; the supplementary laundry roomupstairs could easily become a readingnook, perfect for quiet weekends andrainy days at home. With a few cost-efficient upgrades, an spacious bath-room could become a home spa. Take alook at the room you’ve got to workwith, and evaluate what peace andcomfort look like to you!

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Technology is everywhere and we are here to help you make sense of it all!

News

From Page 3

School BoardRe-assertsLand Controlerty to the county for sublease toMontgomery Soccer Inc. for soc-cer fields.

Nearly two years ago in March2011, Nick Maravell, neighborsand civic organizations in Potomaclearned that Leggett had alreadydecided to take control of the 20-acre school property on BrickyardRoad to turn it over to a privateorganization for development intosoccer fields, which county offi-cials say were desperately needed.The Board of Education voted witha few days notice to lease the prop-erty to the county for that purpose.

Nick Maravell had leased the 20-acre site from the MontgomeryCounty School Board for morethan 30 years, running an organicfarm, which produces heirloomGMO-free corn, and soybean seed.More recently, his daughter,Sophia Maravell has run the Brick-yard Educational Farm on the siteas well, bringing in local schoolchildren to learn about farming.

Montgomery County Councilheld a town meeting in Novemberat the Potomac Community Cen-ter, and advocated that the CountyExecutive and Board of Educationreconsider.

“The way this matter has un-folded has been ugly and costly toeveryone involved,” fivecouncilmembers wrote in a letterto Leggett and Board of EducationPresident Shirley Brandman. “Wedo not think this result is neces-sary or inevitable.”

George Leventhal (D-at large)wrote a letter of his own. “Thisturmoil has not only tainted ourconstituents’ opinion of represen-tative government, but it has alsocompletely shut down communi-cation,” he said.


People

Yolanda Prinsloo and her students will show their art this month at The Art Galleryof Potomac. Back row, from left, are Stephanie Shih, Nancy Loh, Mark Claus,Donna Shields, and Swati Gupta, then front row, Scott Spangenberg, Esther Chow,Yolanda Prinsloo, and Javier Padilla.

Art Gallery Hosts ‘Yolanda Prinsloo and Friends’

This month The Art Gallery of Potomac pre-sents “Yolanda Prinsloo and Friends.” Theshow will be in anticipation of spring arriv-

ing and will include artwork by: Swathi Gupta,Darinka Zic, Paula Belman, Ed Balkovich, Gary Wind,Donna Shields, Javier Padilla, Stephanie Shih, NancyLoh, Sandra Duval, Geraldine Duval, Scott Roberts,Scott Spanenberg, Esther Chow, and Betsy Baden.

The show runs Feb. 27- March 31. An opening re-ception will be on March 2, 5-7 p.m. with music bypremier recitalist Jacqueline Niemat and with vio-

linist Jose Cueto.The Art Gallery of Potomac is located at 9945 Falls

Road in Potomac. It has relocated within the sameshopping center and is now next to Big Wheels Bikesbehind Walgreens. Phone 301-765-7617. Galleryhours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon until 4p.m. For more information go towww.potomacartists.org. orwww.theartgalleryofpotomac.com

— Colleen Healy

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www.lostdogandcatrescue.org

lost (adj): 1. unable to find the way.2. not appreciated or understood.

3. no longer owned or known

HelpingAnimals FindTheir WaySince 2001

Adopt/Donate/Volunteer

PetConnect Rescue

“Adopt Me, Please...”Meet Patsy, Penelope, Preston,Parker, Patrick, Paige and Piper.These little three-month-oldbulldog-mix pups and their verythin and scared mother, SugarBear, were dumped at a remote high-kill shelter where concerned vol-unteers moved them to an outdoor kennel to keep them from beingeuthanized. They were cold and frightened and life looked bleak untilPetConnect rescued them. Each pup weighs about 20 pounds; all havetheir shots and are wormed. They are rambunctious and loving andtheir difficult life has not put a damper on their enthusiasm.

Those wishing to adopt or foster the pups, please e-mail Melinda [email protected] and/or fill out our online application at

www.petconnectrescue.org.

To donate or volunteer, please visit our Web site above.

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“My modeling contract says I get a thousand dollars anhour. I guess for that much money I can put up with thesebright lights.”

— Shuler, who lives with Harvey Levine

Wink out runs her brother Elroy. For almost all of my life,dogs have been in my life. In November 2011, my wife and Ihad to have our Australian Shepherd put to sleep because shehad a massive kidney failure. We love the breed and knew wewould be getting another Aussie in the spring. Our pastor toldus that we wouldn’t pick a dog, a dog would pick us. Whenwe went to the breeder to see Wink (she has one blue eye andone brown eye, so she looks like she is winking) we fell in lovewith Wink, but told the breeder we needed to talk it over. Aswe were getting ready to leave, Wink tried to get in our car.On the way home I said my wife, “I think Wink just picked us.”Of course we got Wink and she is part of our family.

— Robert A. Jones

Pet Almanac

The sweetheart who wouldn’t stopplaying: Kyra and her friend Sophie (8-year-old female Bichon Frise mix).

Partners for Life: Kaylen (10 yearsold) running the lovely Solo (13-year-old female Afghan Hound).

This is the first day Kyra (12 years old) picked up her newdog Jet (4-year-old male Afghan Hound). Even on the first daythey loved each other.

Bessie lives with Peter and Grace Kimm In Potomac.

This is Angus. He is a mix be-tween a chihuahua, rat terrierand a Jack Russell. Angus’ storybegins in West Virginia. I was incollege and thought it was agreat idea to bring home a littledog. My friend and I went to thepound and saw him in a littlecage with no toys and no roomto run. He came right over to meand at that moment I knew hewas my dog. The pound said he

was abused and a little under weight. Now a year and a halflater, he’s doing great. He’s super spoiled, has many toys toplay with and plenty of yard to explore. Several activitiesAngus enjoys are playing ball, digging, chasing squirrels,helping grandma in her flower garden, and snuggling. We aretruly blessed to have Angus.

In this photo Angus was helping grandma in her flowergarden when he decided he wanted a ride in the red wagon.

— Katelyn Kumm

Emma Dixon with recently adopted kitties Rose and Cuminin Potomac. Rose is polydactyl and was adopted from Lost Dogand Cat Rescue Foundation. She and her four siblings wererescued at 2 weeks old and bottle raised by Lost Dog volun-teers Jean Card and Stuart Moll. More cats and dogs availableat www.lostdogandcatrescue.org. Cumin, the orange kitty,was adopted from Pet Connect. He and his brothers were res-cued from a high-kill shelter in South Carolina. More cats anddogs available at www.petconnectrescue.org

Almanac writerKen Moore with

Holden and Trilke.

Redford Berinstein, a Michigan Muttgoing on 16 with her younger siblings,Sonya, Jenna and Joel. She loves walk-ing (slowly) along the canal and playingin the snow. She hopes we’ll still get onegood snow day this winter!

— Diane Berinstein

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EXPERT REPAIR • GOLDSMITH ON SITE

1079 Seven Locks Road • PotomacPotomac Woods Plaza (next to Walgreens)

301.838.9696

The Land by PaulineJakobsberg.

Bowl (mixed woods) byWilliam Peirce.

Adding In, Taking AwayGallery Har Shalom presents “Adding In, Taking Away.” An opening reception

will take place Sunday, March 3, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., featuring artists Patricia S. Affens,of Olney; Allan Akman, of Rockville; Pauline Jakobsberg, of Potomac; Charles EdwinMyers, of Bethesda; and William Peirce, of Silver Spring. The exhibit runs Friday,March 1 - Monday, April 22, 2013. Free and open to the public. Gallery Har Sha-lom, located at Congregation Har Shalom, 11510 Falls Road, Potomac. Call301-299-7087 for hours and directions.

Email community entertainment eventsto [email protected] is Thursday at noon. Photos andartwork encouraged.

ONGOINGThe Puppet Co. at Glen Echo Park has

announced its 2012-2013 season.There are favorite fairytaleprincesses, and a special guest artistwith a bilingual twist. 301-634-5380or www.thepuppetco.org. Alice inWonderland, through March 10,Thursdays and Fridays at 10 and11:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays at11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Jack andthe Beanstalk, March. 14-Apr. 21,Thursdays and Fridays at 10 and11:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays at11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

WEDNESDAY/FEB. 27Music Performance. Artist in

Residence Wytold will perform onthe electric cello at 7:30 p.m. atMansion at Strathmore, 10701Rockville Pike. $15/person. Visitwww.strathmore.org for more.

THURSDAY/FEB. 28Blues Dance. 8:15-11:30 p.m. at

Ballroom Annex at Glen Echo, 7300MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. CapitalBlues presents a beginner workshopat 8:15 p.m. with dancing starting at9 p.m to blues music from everycorner of the genre. $8. [email protected] for more.

FRIDAY/MARCH 1Family Fun Night. 7-10 p.m. at

Potomac Community Center, 11315Falls Road. Learn about Club Fridaywith moon bounce, obstacle course,raffle and more. For families withelementary and middle school agedchildren. Free. 240-777-6960.

Ceramics Class. 7-9 p.m. at VisArts,155 Gibbs St., Rockville. Cours inceramics is 8 weeks. $260. Registerat www.visartscenter.org or 301-315-8200.

MARCH 1 THROUGH MARCH 31Exhibit. “Crossing the Distance’ brings

together emerging contemporaryartists in a cultural exchange.Presents a wide-range of media.Located at VisArts, 155 Gibbs St.,Rockville. Free. Visit www.visartscenter.org or 301-315-8200.

Exhibit. See B.G. Muhn’s “AccidentalReality” at VisArts, 155 Gibbs St.,Rockville. Browse his paintings,which float between abstraction andrepresentation, presence andabsence. Free. Visit www.visartscenter.org or 301-315-8200.

SATURDAY/MARCH 2Free Workshop. 1:30-3:30 p.m. at St.

Luke’s Episcopal Church, 6030Grosvenor Lane. Learn how dogscommunicate in play settings andmore. Free. To register, go to

www.yourdogsfriend.info or call 301-983-5913.

Dare to Draw. 9:30-10:30 a.m. atVisArts, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville.Children in grades K-2 can enjoy thisclass. $75. Goes until April 20.Register at www.visartscenter.org or301-315-8200.

Dare to Draw. 11 a.m. at VisArts, 155Gibbs St., Rockville. Children ingrades 3-5 can enjoy this class. $75.Goes until April 20. Register atvisartscenter.org or 301-315-8200.

Music, Dance, Artist Talk. 3-7 p.m.at Exhibit9, 10116 Lloyd Road. Aportion of the proceeds benefit JohnsHopkins cancer research. RSVP at202-276-9419.

THROUGH MARCH 2Art Exhibit. Gallery B presents its

February exhibition, featuringphotographers Howard Clark, MartinEvans, Stephen Hoff and DaveMontgomery. The exhibit will be ondisplay at Gallery B, located at 7700Wisconsin Ave., Suite E, Bethesda.Gallery hours are Wednesday –Saturday, noon-6 p.m.

SUNDAY/MARCH 3Strathmore Show: Pianist Alain

LeFèvre. 4 p.m. The Canadianpianist will perform the Washingtonpremiere of Francois Dompierre’s “24Preludes,” written for and dedicatedto the pianist by the composer. TheMansion at Strathmore 10701Rockville Pike. Visitwww.strathmore.org.

Fused Glass Seder PlateWorkshop. 2-6 p.m. at at VisArts,155 Gibbs St., Rockville. Anyone age12 and up can learn the basics ofworking with colorful sheet glass,including selecting, cutting andcombining to build a complete piece.$175. To register, visitwww.visartscenter.org or call 301-315-8200.

Waltz. 2:45 p.m. lesson; 3:30 p.m.dance to the music of Contratopia inthe Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo,7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo.$10. No partner required. Visitwww.waltztimedances.org or 301-634-2222.

MONDAY/MARCH 4Benefit Concert. 7:30 p.m. at Winston

Churchill High School Auditorium.Hear music by the Churchill WindEnsemble and the Capital WindSymphony. Proceeds support themiddle and high school musicprograms within the Wootton-Churchill cluster. $10/adult; $5/child; band and orchestra playerswithin the cluster are free. Ticketsmust be purchased online atwww.capitalwindsymphony.org.

TUESDAY/MARCH 5Dare to Draw. 5-6 p.m. at VisArts, 155

Gibbs St., Rockville. $75. Goes untilApril 23. Register at www.visarts

center.org or 301-315-8200.

WEDNESDAY/MARCH 6Introduction to the Wheel. 7-9 p.m.

at VisArts, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville.Learn all about the potter’s wheel.$260. Register at www.visartscenter.org or 301-315-8200.

MARCH 6 THROUGH APRIL 14Children’s Theater. Imagination

Stage and Natasha Holmes, directorand cofounder of Tell Tale HeartsChildren’s Touring Theatre Companypresents “From Here to There,”Tuesdays through Sundays at 10:30a.m. and 11:45a.m. at ImaginationStage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda.Appropriate for children ages 2-5.Tickets are $10-$12 with a lap seatfor children under 12 months for $5.Visit www.imaginationstage.org or301-280-1660.

THURSDAY/MARCH 7Advanced Ceramics. 7-9 p.m. at

VisArts, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville. Forthose with prior ceramics experience.$260. Register at www.visartscenter.org or 301-315-8200.

FRIDAY/MARCH 8Opening Reception. 7-9 p.m.

“Crossing the Distance” bringstogether emerging contemporaryartists in a cultural exchange.Presents a wide-range of media.Located at VisArts, 155 Gibbs St.,Rockville. Free. Visit www.visartscenter.org or 301-315-8200.

Opening Reception. 7-9 p.m. see B.G.Muhn’s “Accidental Reality” atVisArts, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville.Browse his paintings, which floatbetween abstraction andrepresentation, presence andabsence. Free. Visit www.visartscenter.org or 301-315-8200.

Pencils and Pasties. 7-10 p.m. atVisArts, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville. Tryyour hand at sketching. Soda andchips are free, beer and wine will besold. $15. Visit visartscenter.org or301-315-8200 to register.

MARCH 8-24Theater. Potomac Theatre Company

presents “Blithe Spirit” at BlairFamily Center for the Arts, BullisSchool, 10601 Falls Road. Fridaysand Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at2 p.m. $20/adults; $18/students,seniors. 301-299-8571 to reserve.

SATURDAY/MARCH 9Dance Bethesda Concert. 8 p.m. at

Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. Sevenperformers and choreographers havebeen selected to perform includingthe Washington School of Ballet.$20/adult; $10/child 12 and under.Visit www.bethesda.org.

Seminar. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Hopkins &Porter, 12944-C Travilah Road,#204. Workshops discuss additions,ways to open up a floor plan, more.Free. Space limited to 15 partici-pants. Register at 301-840-9121.

SUNDAY/MARCH 10Dan Tepfer and Ben Wendel. 7:30

p.m. Join the jazz duo of piano andsaxophone for the release of theirnew CD. The Mansion at Strathmore10701 Rockville Pike. Visitwww.strathmore.org.

Performance. 4 p.m. at the MusicCenter at Strathmore, 5301Tuckerman Lane. Young Artists ofAmerica and the Maryland ClassicYouth Orchestra presents “MadamaButterfly” and “Miss Saigon.” Ticketsrange between $20-$40. Visitwww.strathmore.org for tickets.

Soup ‘N’ Bowls Fundraiser. Noon-4p.m. at Landon School, 6101 WilsonLane, Bethesda. Help raise money forcamp scholarships for children andteens with chronic health conditions.Silent and live auction, food andmore. $25/online or $30/door. Visitbrainycamps.com or 202-476-5142.

Entertainment


Brian Kimm dries Ribsy,who endured two bathsin as many days. Brianfound the starving,bedraggled kitten on theside of the road at SevenCorners in Virginia on amiserably cold, wetFebruary night. Ribsy isnow a very happy kitten.

Elizabeth Egger, withHarry Potter lightningmark, snuggles theamazingly patient Venus.Venus and her sisterSerena are rescue kittiesfrom Mehr BrothersFlowers in McLean, Va.

Butters, a golden re-triever/lab mix fromMutts Matters Rescue,meets new housematesVenus and Serena,rescue kittens fromMehr Brothers Flowersin McLean.

Butters, a golden re-triever/lab pup fromMutts Matters Rescue,gets a hug from ownerElizabeth Egger.

Jesse Jane, a 12-year-old lab,receives a good-bye hug fromowner Elizabeth Egger on thefirst day of school.

Pets

See The Nose, Page 9

Pet Almanac

By Carole Dell

The Almanac

The otherday Iwatchedmy ca-

nine companion, Zina,put her nose to thebreeze and then buryit deep in the grassnear the pasture fence. Her excitement re-minded me of the days when my GermanShepherds were able to roam freely in thefields before the housing development setin. Their nose-down, tail up odyssey fulfilledevery scent-driven need in their bodies.

Dogs are news junkies and scent is their“Washington Post.” They interpret theirworld with a sniff as readily as we do withour sight. Dogs can discern sex, age, health,and more from another dog’s simple stopat a tree, as well as learn what this caninehad for dinner- proteins and amino acidsare the clue.

Each year brings new skills to the traineddog’s nose. They can discern cancerous le-sions before they appear; detect diabetesand sniff out invasive plants in impossibleplaces.

Sniffing is a dog’s most stimulating expe-rience, so what happens in that joyous mo-ment when a scent goes from nose to neu-ron? Your pet’s nose is made up of a verycomplicated sensing system that enables herto decipher each smell and register it.

ONCE A SCENT is registered in thememory, it is there for life. By the age ofthree months, 80 percent of a puppy’s ex-perience is indelibly imprinted on its brain,scent being one of them. Thus, a traumaticevent involving a particular smell early oncould be adversely relived when exposedto it many years later.

The part of a dog’s brain used for analyz-ing smell is about 40 times larger than thatof a human and 10,000 times more sensi-tive. That dog lying on our bed with us has

over 22 square feet of nasal membranepacked in her moist, quivering nose, com-pared to 3 square feet in ours. The dog’solfactory lobe, which decodes scent mes-sages, dwarfs that of a person’s.

“If humans are able to detect one drop ofa specific substance diluted in a few dropsof water, dogs would be able to detect onedrop in 25 million barrels,” said Dr. BonnieBeaver of Texas A&M University College ofVeterinary Medicine.

Imagine the deliciousness of the vast ar-ray of scents that waft across a whopping225 million scent receptors in your GermanShepherd’s nose and act as a lightning rodfor odors. Compare that to the humanschnoz, which must make do with a minus-cule five million receptors.

And, not all noses are created equal. TheDachshund has 125 million scent-detectingcells and the Fox Terrier 147 million. Theywere bred for hunting and digging whilethe Bloodhound has 300 million — so thereis not much that can elude that sniff.

Wildlife biologist Alice Whitelaw, direc-tor of Programs at Working Dogs for Con-servation in Three Forks, Montana, workswith scenting dogs but still finds their skillsa mystery. You can ask 1 in 10 people abouthow a dog actually processes scent and theiranswers can all be different, she said. Westill don’t fully understand the dog’s scent-ing abilities. Her conservation program’sdogs are trained to detect everything froma Gila monster to invasive snails to carni-vore scat (feces).

SCENT RETRIEVAL begins with sniffing,the kind we hear when our pet buries hernose in a bush. Sniffing is a disruption ofthe dog’s regular breathing pattern and con-sists of rapid inhalations and exhalations,which come in sets of three to seven sniffseach. Sniffing allows air to stay in the nasalchambers and is believed to be initiated bya bony structure not present in humanscalled a “subethmoidal shelf,” which isfound below the bones of the dog’s nasal

cavity.As the particles of sniffed air enter the

dog’s nostrils they pass onto the lining ofthe nasal membranes, the olfactory epithe-lium, and travel to a pocket above this“shelf ” where the scent molecules aretrapped to prevent them from being expiredwhen the dog breathes out.

There they accumulate with each “sniff”and interact with the olfactory receptorswhich are transmitted by the nerves to thebrain. It is this process that allows a dog torecognize and remember scents. At aboutthe same time, the dog’s normal breathingcontinues through the nose and on downto the lungs.

Then, there is the “vomeronasal organ”an auxiliary olfactory sense organ locatedunder the nasal bones close to the nose andused to detect pheromones. It is importantin the role of reproduction and social be-havior. These fluid-filled sacs are located

Field Notes: The Nose Rules

The nostrils are moist and mobile. The folds on each side, shown here,allow them to move and expel air. They quiver and rotate in order toseek out the direction of a scent. The moisture aids the nose in detectingscent. If scent is airborne, the dog raises her nostrils to the breeze, if itis buried in the ground, those nostrils can often come up with a nose-fullof dirt.

The nose dominates the face andhas more importance than eithereyes or ears in a dog’s interpreta-tion of his world. The more drop-lets of moisture on a dog’s nose,seen here, the better smeller hecan be. The best noses can driplike a runny nose on a child. Dogsinterpret primarily with their nose.They see shapes and can react withfear or anxiety until they are ableto smell the shape.


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SAVE THE DATE FOR:

The World’s Fanciest Rummage SaleBENEFITING

Please Donate new (or like-new) items for Sale NowHave a really big item to donate?

Contact Helen Kruger (703-748-4068) to make pick-up arrangements

Sunday, April 7th, 12-4pmThe Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner

Admission: $5 per PersonMembers of the Military FREE with Military ID

On-site moving company available for hire for large item purchases. For more information, visit our event site.

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Small items and clothing drop-offs may be made to the front of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel,Tysons Corner with the Bell Staff. Please indicate that the items are for the Boys and

Girls Clubs Rummage Sale. Donation receipts will be available at drop-off.

Pet Almanac

From Page 8

The NoseRulesright above the roof of the mouthand open into either the mouth ornose. The vomeronasal organ isalso responsible for a dog’s reflexcalled the Flehmen response (inGerman meaning “to curl the up-per lip”) That curl helps move thescent into the upper part of themouth.

In male dogs Flehmen shows upas a kind of tooth chattering inresponse to a specific scent orpheromone. Some males that havehad no experience with females inestrus (heat) will not react to fe-male pheromones. These dogshave to be exposed and learn fromthe experience.

In their groundbreaking experi-ments, which are still relevant andwritten about, the team of scien-tists John Paul Scott and John L.Fuller put the dogs to a test at theirBar Harbour, Maine, facility in theearly 1960s. Their book, “Genet-ics and the Social Behavior of theDog, is still a turn-to book on dogbehavior.

In their book they wrote aboutplacing a mouse in a one-acre fieldand turned a group of beaglesloose to find it. It took less than aminute. A group of fox terrierstook a quarter of an hour, and theScottish terriers never did find it,with one actually stepping on themouse.

Then there’s Seamus, a rescueBorder Collie trained at WorkingDogs for Conservation, whodoesn’t have to sniff out mice inhis line of work. His specialty:leaves, according to Whitelaw, theprogram director. Seamus’ targetis called Dyer’s Woad, an invasiveplant in Missoula, Montana. Whenthe county loses the battle with theplant, they ask for Seamus. Heshows up and not only finds thetiny plants hiding on the Missoulaplain, but sniffs out the roots af-ter the weeds have been pulled.

That’s some big league nose, aTom Brady kind of sniffer. But,according to Whitelaw, the supersniffers at Working Dogs for Con-servation need more than a nose— they need attitude. “There aresome great dogs that you wouldn’texpect to do this work, but theyhave the drive,” she said. The pro-gram usually finds one dog in athousand that will have the quali-ties to do the job.

So the next time your belovedpet takes her time sniffing everyleaf, wrapping the leash aroundtree trunks, nose working like ahand-held vacuum, think twicebefore you drag her away. There’sa lot she’s missing by not sniffing.


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Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr.will be performed by the sixth-grade class of Washington Epis-

copal School, on Thursday, March 14 at7 p.m., Thursday, March 15 at 7 p.m.,and Saturday, March 16 at 12:30 p.m.Tickets for each show are $5. The mati-nee performance is followed by a pizza/lunch meet and greet with cast membersin full costume at 11:30 a.m. Tickets forthis event are $8 including pizza and per-formance. All performances are open to

the public.The 60-minute musical, designed for

middle-school aged performers, is basedon the 2008 Broadway production andthe 1989 animated feature film. Thesixth-grade cast contains 28 students ledby Performing Arts Director RonValenzia. Washington Episcopal Schoolis an independent, coeducational dayschool in Bethesda, for students age 3 toGrade 8, founded in 1986. For more in-formation, visit www.w-e-s.org.

Washington EpiscopalSchool sixth-grade studentRyan Kyle (mermaid)rehearses a song from theclass’ production of “TheLittle Mermaid Jr.”

Washington Episcopal Grade 6 students(from left) Piers Greenan, MorinsolaTinubu, Sophia Mishurny-Santini, LibbyScanlon, Juliet Faris, and Casey Davisconsult the script as they rehearse“The Little Mermaid Jr.”

Pho

to

s by A

li Bratun

WES To Present ‘Little Mermaid Jr.’

Email announcements to [email protected]. Deadline is Thursday at noon. Pho-tos are welcome.

Emma Catherine Devine, a first year Frenchmajor at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., hasbeen named to the dean’s list for the fall 2012 se-mester. A graduate of Thomas Sprigg WoottonHigh School, she is the daughter of Jack andJoanna Devine.

Marissa Yoder, a senior, was named to thedean’s list at the University of Mary Washington.

The following area students have been named tothe dean’s list for the fall 2012 semester at theUniversity of Vermont: Matthew Z. Bruns, afirst-year; Zachary W. Byers, a first-year;Aswini Cherukuri, a first-year majoring in wild-life & fisheries biology in the Rubenstein School ofEnvironment & Natural Resources; Jason M.Fish, a senior majoring in business administrationin the School of Business Administration; MelissaM. Guzikowski, a sophomore majoring in an-thropology in the College of Arts & Sciences;Meraz S. Mostafa, a sophomore majoring ingeography in the College of Arts & Sciences; andMatthew P. Ray, a senior majoring in zoology inthe College of Arts & Sciences.

Samantha Dalton Spears has been named tothe fall dean’s list at Radford University. Spears, thedaughter of Tomye Spears of Sprinklewood Lane,is a freshman communications major.

Morgane Amat, class of 2014 at ConnecticutCollege, has been named to the dean’s honors list.

School Notes

Whitman AdvancesTo Region Semifinals

The No. 2-seed Whitman girls’ basketballteam defeated No. 10 Blair 46-43 on Mon-

day to advance to the 4A West region semi-finals.

The Vikings will host No. 3 WalterJohnson at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27with a spot in the region championshipgame up for grabs.

Wootton Loses inDouble Overtime

The Wootton girls’ basketball team lost76-68 in double overtime to two-time de-fending state champion and No. 1-seedGaithersburg on Monday night in the re-gion quarterfinals.

Sarah Wallerstedt led Wootton with 17points. Sophie Ellis scored 14 points andSheri Addison and Ellie Kobylski each had12.

No. 8 Wootton defeated No. 9 Magruder67-46 in the opening round.

Sports Briefs

Sports

By Jon Roetman

The Almanac

The Churchill girls’ basketball teampicked a bad time to have one ofits worst offensive performances of

the season.The Bulldogs struggled for most of the

night, including a two-point second quar-ter, during a season-ending 47-34 loss atBethesda-Chevy Chase in the 4A West re-gion quarterfinals on Monday night.Churchill produced its second-lowest pointtotal of the season and finished with 27turnovers.

“It just was not there,” head coach KateMcMahon said. “We could not get anyrhythm on offense. We couldn’t hit a shot.All [the credit] to B-CC, they played verywell.”

Both teams had a rough opening quarter,which produced five field goals, 16 turn-overs and an 8-8 tie. But B-CC outscoredChurchill 10-2 in the second quarter andtook an 18-10 lead into the locker room.

The Bulldogs opened the second half witha 7-2 run and eventually got within onewhen an Alaine Thronson bucket cut the B-CC lead to 25-24 with 2:56 remaining inthe third, but the Barons scored the finalfive points of the period, including abanked-in 3-pointer by Mariama Tunkaraas time expired.

B-CC scored the first eight points of thefourth quarter, part of a 13-0 run, and ledby double digits for the final 5 minutes, 10seconds of the contest.

“[B-CC was] playing really aggressive, up-tempo. They trapped well on the press andthat obviously added to the frustration onoffense,” McMahon said. “The girls startedto get a little panicked when they weren’thitting early. I thought they had come outmuch better at the beginning of the second

half — the first couple minutes looked re-ally good — and then when stuff kind ofstopped going their way, I think that [someplayers] got a little more panicked. Noth-ing due to lack of effort, it just didn’t click.”

Churchill’s Erica Lindsay and Thronsoneach had eight points. Japria Karim-Duvallscored seven points and Katie Jenkins addedfive. Churchill finished the season with a17-7 record one year after the graduationof center Sarafina Arthur-Williams, whosigned with the University of North Caro-lina-Greensboro. The Bulldogs will lose se-niors Jenkins, Lindsay, Thronson, ShiraRacoosin and Amory Tetteh.

“I wish we had extended the season, es-pecially for my senior class,” McMahon said.“Losing those girls — I will get emotional— they are just such a good group of girls.[They are] all leaders [and] they laid theirheart out there tonight and I really wish ithappened for them.”

No. 13 Churchill defeated No. 4 North-west 45-43 in the opening round.

Churchill Girls’ Basketball Falls to B-CCBulldogs finishwith 17 victories.

Potomac Almanac Sports Editor Jon Roetman

703-224-3015 or [email protected]

See www.potomacalmanac.com

That is my question. And though I can’tquite quote Shakespeare the way I can quoteThe Three Stooges: “Moe, Larry, the cheese.Moe, Larry, the cheese,” “’tis nobler” to ask itnonetheless. Still, if Hamlet had been diag-nosed with a terminal form of cancer, as Ihave, perhaps he wouldn’t have been con-templating suicide but rather allocating hismonthly budget – as I do every day, withnearly every purchase. That’s my dream,“perchance” or otherwise.

Given that I’m not heir to a fortune, butrather fortunate to still be here, what dollars Iearn – and in turn spend, are dollars whoseexpenditure has to make sense (at least addup, anyway). As a result, I’m always thinking“what if,” as in “what if” I’m spending moneynow on relative incidentals, money that Imight need later for more important healthand welfare-type costs? And I’m not discuss-ing comfort foods, either. I’m discussing in-home care and/or miscellaneous othercancer-related expenses that can’t exactly bepaid out of petty cash. Expenses that gener-ally don’t take care of themselves anymorethan cancer takes care of itself. Moreover,though little I know about health and fitnessand subsequent complications, I do know mymedical ABCs: Anything But Cancer.

However, cancer has become the name ofmy game and living with it the greatest chal-lenge of my life. Do I ignore it? Do I give into it? Do I adjust to it? As much as I want to“live long and prosper,” and live as normallywith my diagnosis as I would live without it,that compromised life expectancy/mortalitything tends to rear its ugly, uncontrollablehead. The subconscious control it exerts overme is not so much scary as it is uncomfort-able – and somewhat uncharacteristic of whoI am and how I want to be. Unfortunately, Ican’t change the way I think now/how I’minfluenced any more than this life-long mem-ber of Red Sox Nation can become a NewYork Yankee fan. It’s almost as if your person-ality profile/tendencies are genetically trans-formed because of the mutations in yourcells brought about by the cancer being trig-gered somehow. You know what you’redoing. You think you know why you’re doingit. But you still can’t stop yourself from doingit. This preoccupation seems to manifest itselfmost when I am spending money. I alwaysask myself if I really need that item now. Andif I do need it now, how long might I actuallyneed it for. And how long I might need it fordetermines the level of financial commitmentI’m willing to make. After all, are we talkingdays, weeks, months or years?

A few decisions that have consumed meof late, involving value versus actual need:

Eight pack of soap. Yes, I need to beclean, but at what cost and for how long?

A 150-count “Mega” pack of tall kitchenbags. We use a bag a week, approximately.This purchase counts for three years. Whobenefits from that?

Pills/supplements I buy. Do I supply myselfwith one-month, two-month, three-month,or longer? Yes, the unit cost goes down butmy true cost may go up because my timemight be up.

My AARP membership. One-, three- orfive-year renewal. Again, the more years Iprepay, the less the cost. But at what cost?Who’s the beneficiary? Me or mybeneficiary?

What to do? Live like having cancer mat-ters or live like it doesn’t? Either way, “I’m avictim of soicumstance.”

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

To Buy OrNot To Buy

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