Education

Inaugural Festival of Education Set for Oct. 21

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPS: MCPS staff and families are invited to attend the Inaugural USA Festival of Education from 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21. The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac is hosting the event, which will bring together teachers, researchers and policymakers and include those leading school change in areas such as AI, the science of learning, student and faculty well-being, coaching and school design. This will be the first time the Festival of Education will take place in the U.S.; the event is a renowned event created by Wellington College in the United Kingdom.

The day’s agenda includes more than 50 sessions and a speaker lineup that includes Assistant Secretary of Education Roberto Rodriguez, teachers and administrators from area school districts, and policy leaders including David Steiner, executive director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy.

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Education

MCPS: Registration Now Open for Saturday School

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPS: Registration for the George B. Thomas Sr. Learning Academy, Inc., also known as Saturday School, is open for the 2023–2024 school year. Saturday School provides K–12 academic support programs in math and English/Language Arts. The longest-running mentoring and tutoring program in Montgomery County began on Sept. 30 in eight locations, and also will provide a virtual option. The curriculum is aligned with MCPS and is taught by certified teachers. The locations are: Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, Paint Branch, Springbrook, Wheaton, Gaithersburg, Clarksburg and Northwest high schools.

The annual cost is $85; $40 for families eligible for Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMs). Registration for Saturday School, Grades 1–12 is here. Kindergarten registration is here. For an additional cost of $150 for a five-week session, Saturday School also offers classes in Coding and Robotics.

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MoCo Government

County Executive Elrich’s Next ‘Community Conversation’ on Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget on Monday, Oct. 16, Will Focus on Priorities for PTA Organizations

By Patrick Herron

Seven of the 10 conversations will be conducted in English, including one focusing on issues for older residents and the one focusing on issues of importance to PTA organizations. For a County first, one of the forums will be conducted in Amharic (Oct. 18). Two other non-English language forums were on the schedule. The Sept. 21 forum was conducted in Spanish and the Nov. 27 forum will be in Chinese. A select number of Community Conversations will be held online so that residents have the option to participate remotely.

The County is in the early stages of formulating the FY25 operating budget. County Executive Elrich is required to submit a recommended budget to the County Council by March 15, 2024. The Council then will have two months to review the budget. It must adopt a final budget no later than June 1. The FY25 operating budget will go into effect on July 1.

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MoCo Government

Cider Pressing and Costumed ‘Witchy Paddle’ on Little Seneca Lake Are Among the October Activity Highlights at Nature Centers

By Patrick Herron

To view all Fall 2023 activities, visit the Montgomery Parks Program Guide. Go to Montgomery Parks event calendar for a complete list of special events and programming and to learn how to sign up using ActiveMontgomery.

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Glenmont

Glenmont Forest Community Fall Art and Harvest Block Party Celebration Will Include Introduction of Two New Park Amenities on Sunday, Oct. 8

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: The Glenmont Forest Neighbors Civic Association (GFNCA) Fall Art and Harvest Block Party will be held from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8. In addition to family fun, games, exhibits and art activities, the annual event this year will also celebrate the activation of two new park amenities: the Serenity Community Gardens and the Gathering Tree public art projects.

The new park and pavilion is located at the corner of Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue adjacent to Fire Station No. 18 in Wheaton-Glenmont. There is no charge to attend the block party. There is limited parking on Grandview Avenue. The event will take place rain or shine.

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MoCo History

18th Montgomery History Conference on Nov. 4 Will Include Address on ‘Black Chevy Chase’ and Sessions on ‘Du-Drop Inn’ and ‘Historic Homes of the Agricultural Reserve’

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: The 18th Montgomery County History Conference will return as an in-person event for the first time since 2020, with the full day of activities on Saturday, Nov. 4, at Montgomery College in Rockville including a keynote address on “Black Chevy Chase” and breakout sessions “The Du-Drop Inn of Emory Grove” and the “Historic Homes and Barns of the Agricultural Reserve.”

In addition to breakout sessions on the Du-Drop Inn and the historic homes and barns of the Ag Reserve, breakout sessions will focus on the families of the Agricultural History Farm Park, Sentinel publisher Rebecca Fields, a history of enslavement in Kensington, the County’s Poor Farm, the seven enslavers who have public schools named for them and new techniques for indigenous archaeological research.

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Bethesda

Free Drop-In Electric Scooter Clinics for Adults to be Held Oct. 22 and 28

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery College: Residents 18-and-older who are interested in electric scooter lessons will have the opportunity to attend free clinics sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation on Sunday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 28. Participants will be able to take a test ride, learn safety tips and get details on basic scooter laws.

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Bethesda

Plans for Development at Montgomery Mall as Westfield Pulls Back From Plan to Sell U.S. Properties

By MCS Staff

As recently  as this past May, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) maintained its deleveraging progress with U.S. asset sales with the sale of Westfield Brandon Shopping Center  (located in Brandon, Florida) in the US for $220 million. It was reported in 2021 that Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) planned to sell all of it’s US holdings in 2022. Last year, then-Chief Executive Jean-Marie Tritant told investors that Unibail wants to shed most of its U.S. properties by the end of 2023, which pushed things back about a year, but things appear to have changed according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

“Unibail is also investing in its top properties.” the report stated. “Unibail is also moving forward with development projects at properties in Illinois, northern New Jersey and Bethesda, Md., including adding apartments and open-air retail and restaurants.” According to development information posted by Westfield, this will include “reimagining the Westfield Montgomery experience by creating a mid-rise multi-family and amenity-rich community with architecture that reflects the seasonal, wooded quality of the community, combined with a modern, urbane feel.  And all within easy walking distance from everything you enjoy.” This will include:

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Celebrities

Wisdom Martin Joins WUSA9 After 20 Years With FOX5

By MCS Staff

Wisdom Martin, a Montgomery County resident, joined the FOX 5 News team in 2003. 20 years later, this past June, he celebrated his last broadcast with FOX 5 with the network where he has recently been the morning anchor, starting the day at 4 a.m. through 6 a.m. and from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Good Day DC. As of Mid-September, the award-winning anchor took on a new assignment by joining the Get Up DC team on WUSA9 (video below).

Per FOX 5: His career started while he was a sophomore at Jackson State University. His first job in TV news was running the teleprompter on the weekends at WAPT news. From there he worked his way up to news photographer, editor and sports reporter for the weekend shows, before graduating. After leaving Jackson, he became a news and sports reporter/anchor at KSEE in Fresno, California; WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina (Go Tar Heels!), weekend anchor at CNN in Atlanta; and anchor/reporter at WKRN in Nashville Tennessee.

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Uncategorized

Governor Wes Moore Announces $10 Million Build Our Future Innovation Infrastructure Pilot Program

By Patrick Herron

Per the State of Maryland: “Governor Wes Moore today announced the launch of the Build Our Future grant program, a financial resource for innovation infrastructure projects to support eligible technology sectors. Funded at $10 million, the pilot program will provide matching grants of up to $2 million to projects that demonstrate a transformative impact in accelerating growth and innovation in the state’s strategic industry sectors.

“From cybersecurity and manufacturing, to quantum and drug discovery, we believe the Build Our Future pilot program will grow our innovative industries throughout the state,” said Gov. Moore. “While building a more competitive and equitable Maryland, we need to ensure we’re looking toward the jobs of the future and supporting the progressive technology sectors. This program will help us invest in the tech-advanced facilities that tomorrow’s workforce depends on.”

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Maryland

Attorney General Brown Joins Coalition Supporting EPA’s Proposal to Strengthen Dust-Lead Regulations That Could Reduce Adverse Health Effects in Low-Income Communities

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition of 13 Attorneys General supporting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to strengthen dust-lead hazard standards and post-abatement clearance levels, as authorized by the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

In a comment letter, Attorney General Brown and the coalition strongly support the EPA’s efforts to strengthen its dust-lead hazard standards and clearance levels, two important regulations that help to protect the public against dangerous dust-lead and lead paint exposures. The EPA’s proposed regulations are based upon several scientific studies that found that there is no safe level of lead exposure. Even very low levels of lead exposure can lead to serious health effects. For example, lead exposure is associated with delayed growth and lower academic performance in young children.

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