More

MCPS Community Message: We are All Winners When We Show Respect at MCPS Athletic Events

Per Montgomery County Public Schools:
“Dear MCPS Families,
As we enter the exciting time of year known as homecoming we write with a reminder of the importance of demonstrating respect by all spectators attending MCPS athletic events. The R.A.I.S.E. core values of the school district athletics program teach and reinforce respect and sportsmanship, academic excellence, integrity and character, spirited and safe competition, and equity and access. When you attend an MCPS sporting event you are enjoying an exhibition of skills developed by student-athletes in an educational setting. Being in the stands or on the sidelines is just like being in the classroom; respect for your fellow spectators, student-athletes, coaches and referees is the expectation.

You can support these expectations by following these simple guidelines.

  • Applaud all student-athletes for their efforts.
  • Accept the decisions of officials and coaches.
  • Appreciate all participants for their commitment.
  • Support school personnel in conducting a spirited and safe contest.
  • Maintain composure when something seems to go against your team.
  • Respect the rights of other spectators.
  • Reward sportsmanlike behavior through cheering.
  • Focus attention on the positive aspects of competition.
  • Encourage student-athletes by showing enthusiasm and positive recognition. and…
  • Demonstrate concern for the safety and welfare of student-athletes and each otherAlso, please comply with our spectator expectations:
  • Tickets are purchased through GoFan. Spectators are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. General admission is $5.00, which includes convenience fee.
  • Students should bring their student ID, in order to verify their enrollment
  • Middle school students must purchase a ticket and be accompanied by a paying adult or will not be able to attend the event
  • Elementary students (10 and under) are admitted free with a paying adult
  • Senior citizens over the age of 62 are admitted free
  • Be Loud, Be Proud, Be Positive!

We’ll see you at the game.

Montgomery County Public Schools”

0 Comments

MoCo’s Katie Ledecky Wins Awards for Best Female Athlete and Best Olympian at 2022 ESPYs

MoCo native Katie Ledecky won ESPN ESPYs (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards) for “Best Athlete-Women’s Sports” and the “Best Olympian-Women’s Sports” at last night’s annual award show.  Ledecky has won 7 Olympic gold medals and 22 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. She is also the world record holder in the women’s 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle (long course), and holds the fastest-ever times in the women’s 500-, 1000-, 1500-, and 1650-yard freestyle events.

Ledecky attended Little Flower School through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in 2015. Ledecky’s current home base is in in Gainesville, Florida. You can view a Ledecky’s acceptance speech below:

 

0 Comments

MoCo Natives Trevon and Stefon Diggs Are Featured on the Cover of Sports Illustrated (Aug 2022)

Trevon and Stefon Diggs are both coming off of Pro Bowl seasons where the brothers dominated the NFL. The honors continue as the brothers, who are Montgomery County natives, are featured on the cover of the August 2022 edition of Sports Illustrated.

The issue features the brothers jumping for the same football, highlighting the fact that they play on opposite sides of the ball– Trevon is a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys while Stefon is a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. The piece is titled, “Bond of Brothers” How Family Forged NFL Stardom for Trevon and Stefon Diggs.

Trevon Diggs was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2020 draft. The Gaithersburg native lead the NFL last season with 11 interceptions in his second season in the league. Trevon played for the Wootton Patriots before transferring to Avalon. At Avalon, Diggs played on both sides of the ball and became a four-star recruit and was two-time All-Met as a wide receiver.

After his time at Avalon Diggs continued his academic and athletic career at the University of Alabama. By his junior year in 2018, Diggs had become a full-time starter for Coach Nick Saban’s defense until he broke his foot midseason, ending the 2018 season with 20 tackles, one interception, six pass breakups in six games. By his senior year, Diggs started 12 games and posted 37 tackles and two fumble recoveries. (including a 100-yard score). During his senior year, he was a third-team AP All-American and second-team All-SEC.

Stefon grew up in Gaithersburg and attended Good Counsel High School in Olney, where he played football and ran track. He recorded 810 yards receiving with 23 touchdowns as a junior in 2010, and was runner-up for the Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year. As a senior, he recorded 770 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns, and racked up 277 rushing yards and three more touchdowns on the ground. He was named to the All-Metro team by The Washington Post both seasons.

Following his senior season, he was named MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Junior Combine in 2011 and was invited to play in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.A consensus five-star recruit, Diggs was viewed as one of the best players in the nation. He was considered the second-best wide receiver recruit in the nation and was rated as the No.1 recruit in the state of Maryland by Rivals.com. Though he had scholarship offers from Florida, USC, Cal, Ohio State, and Auburn, among others, Diggs chose to stay close to home and committed to the University of Maryland on February 10, 2012.

In his three seasons at Maryland, Diggs had 150 receptions for 2,227 yards and 14 touchdowns. During his freshman year at College Park, he recorded the second-most all-purpose yards in school history with 1,896. He finished his three-year college career with 2,227 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns, as well as two kick-return touchdowns. He was selected in the fifth round with the 146th overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2015 NFL Draft, and signed a four-year, $2.5 million deal that included a guaranteed $227,000 signing bonus.

Diggs became a full-time starter for the Vikings midway through his rookie year despite his late-round draft status. In 2018, he received a 5-year contract extension, playing two more seasons in Minnesota before being traded to Buffalo in 2020. With the Bills, he became the fastest receiver to surpass 100 catches with his new team and broke Eric Moulds‘ franchise record for receiving yards in a season. Diggs led all NFL receivers in 2020 with 127 receptions and 1,535 receiving yards. Last season he had 1,225 receiving yards on 103 catches with 10 touchdowns for the 11-6 Bills.

 

2 Comment

Council Enacts Legislation to Create New Montgomery County Sports Advisory Committee

Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Council President Albornoz spearheaded measure to increase sports opportunities and tackle discrepancies found in youth sports

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 28, 2022—Today, the Council unanimously enacted Bill 6-22, which will create the Montgomery County Sports Advisory Committee. This new organizing body will identify and advocate for enhanced sports opportunities and address discrepancies found in youth sports.

Montgomery County has a rich sports tradition and numerous public and private facilities, including the Montgomery County SoccerPlex, which provide a significant economic boost to Montgomery County and raises the quality of life for residents.

The Montgomery Sports Commission will include 17 members, appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the Council, who reflect the diversity of the community, including diversity in race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, geography and sports represented.

The advisory committee is responsible for researching and reporting on factors that affect sports participation and making recommendations about ways to improve the quality, quantity and variety of sports opportunities and facilities in Montgomery County. Together with the County Executive and Council, the commission will formally recognize teams and athletes who win state or national championships or represent the U.S. in international competitions.

“Sports bring together communities and generations in ways that other activities cannot,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz. “In addition to the physical benefits that sports provide, players learn about commitment, fair play and teamwork while building self-esteem. It’s important that we establish an organization to ensure that all of our young people have access to recreational sports and that we have high-quality sports venues for our community members.”

Recent analysis, conducted by the County’s Office of Legislative Oversight, on youth sports participation in Montgomery County and gender equity in local sports programs, confirmed the numerous benefits of sports participation for children and youth in social and emotional development and overall health and wellness. The analysis also found that there is a wide discrepancy in sports participation in Montgomery County. The reports identified barriers to access that relate to social and economic factors in addition to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Montgomery County is home to Olympic athletes, professional athletes and numerous state and national championship teams. Sports participation is the largest extracurricular activity taken up by young people. When added to adult sports leagues and recreational play, sports is the largest participatory activity in Montgomery County.

Despite the significant interest, participation levels and rich sports history in Montgomery County, prior to Bill 6-22 there was no entity in the county to serve as an organizing body to help conduct research, advocate for enhanced sports opportunities or identify and address discrepancies found in youth sports opportunities.

The Council staff report and Bill 6-22 can be viewed here.

0 Comments

MoCo Sports Hall of Fame Seeks New Board Members

As The Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame (MCSHF) continues to grow and evolve, the organization is now seeking new board members to help them achieve their goals.
MCSHF’s annual induction to its Hall of Fame is designed to be a vehicle to serve the youth of Montgomery County (MC) by providing opportunity, particularly for the underserved. In the future, the organization sees scholarships, grants, sports programs, and other opportunities to serve the Montgomery County youth athletics community.
If you have knowledge of, and are familiar with, any of the many sports leagues and training programs in Montgomery County, or have a keen overall sense of sports and needs here, this might be an excellent opportunity for you.
Per MCSHF: This is a working board, meaning members are expected to join one or more committees to make the effort to achieve the goals of MCSHF and the duties of that committee. Applicants of diverse backgrounds, professions, genders, geography, abilities, ethnicities, and ages are encouraged to apply. We are looking for people with the following attributes, knowledge, and skills:
  • Sincere interest in sports, particularly at the local level.
  • Willingness to devote the time to a non-profit.
  • Fundraising.
  • Event planning.
  • Legal expertise.
  • Business expertise.
  • Social media, communications
  • Excellent contacts with members of the government and county sports community.
MCSHF is a 501(c)(3) organization. At this time, meetings are virtual on designated Thursdays at 7pm and become weekly as we get closer to events. You can apply by contacting Trish Heffelfinger, Board Chair at [email protected]. Applicants will be vetted by the board and invited to join based on a majority vote. Please visit our website at www.mcshf.org for more information about us.
0 Comments

Rory McIlroy Will Compete in Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm Next Month

Alex Flum of WDVM reports that Rory McIlroy, currently ranked 7th in the world, will compete in the Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in May.

McIlroy is coming off of a second place finish at the Masters, where he finished 3 strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler.

In 2012, he became the youngest player to reach $10 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour. He is a four-time major champion, winning the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA Championship, 2014 Open Championship, and 2014 PGA Championship. This makes him one of three players to win four majors by the age of 25, along with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods

Last May he won the Wells Fargo Championship that will be played in Potomac next month (last year’s event was held at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was his third time winning the event.

TPC Potomac will host the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship from May 5th-8th at Avenel Farm.

 

0 Comments

QO Alumnus Demeioun Robinson Announced He’ll Transfer From Maryland to Penn State

Demeioun Robinson, a 6’4, 250 pound Edge who graduated from Quince Orchard High School, announced on March 28th that he would be entering the transfer portal. Earlier this week he announced that he will be transferring to Penn State University, via social media.

Robinson, who was a highly sought after recruit coming out of high school, has three seasons of eligibility remaining after playing in 13 games for the Terrapins. He had 13 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for a loss as a true freshman.

Per 247sports:

“It didn’t come as a surprise,” Terps head coach Mike Locksley said of the decision. “You know, as I’ve said before, we have to recruit our current roster. You have to recruit sophomores, juniors, and seniors. We’re recruiting all the time. And we hate to see players leave our program, but as I’ve said before, this is the landscape of college football. The Transfer Portal giveth and taketh away. I’m sure we’ll enjoy the fruits of the Transfer Portal during my time here.”

Robinson initially earned offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and more, but decided to go with the hometown University of Maryland out of high school.

He is eligible to play for Penn State this upcoming season and could still redshirt a year if needed, though he’s expected to compete for a starting position with the Nittany Lions.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcQPSNwutcw/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

0 Comments

Councilmembers Propose Funding for Sports Programs That Are Popular with Girls

Per Montgomery County:

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Councilmembers Riemer and Albornoz introduce appropriation to expand recreational programs in sports like volleyball, lacrosse and softball, aiming to create more opportunities for girls

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 15, 2022—Today, Councilmember Hans Riemer and Council President Gabe Albornoz introduced a $100,000 special appropriation for theexpansion of sports leagues that are popular with girls. The co-sponsors for this appropriation include Councilmembers Nancy Navarro, Andrew Friedson, Sidney Katz, Tom Hucker and Craig Rice.

Currently, the Montgomery County Recreation Department’s only large youth sports league is basketball, which serves 6,000 kids. With additional offerings, thousands of additional children will have opportunities to participate in league sports activities. The special appropriation will provide initial funding for the Department of Recreation to create affordable and accessible opportunities in sports that are popular with girls such as volleyball, softball, lacrosse, and soccer.

Volleyball is the most popular sport for girls in 21 states and second most popular in nine states, while softball ranks first or second in six states. Since 2001, lacrosse has seen a more than 200 percent increase in the number of collegiate women’s teams and a recent 10-year national survey showed a 101 percent increase in the number of girls participating in the sport.

The new programs will include introductory activities, instructional skills classes and clinics. The funding would also support the expansion of the Soccer-4-Change girls’ program in the County. These activities are designed to provide the foundation for the establishment of County-wide recreational leagues for these sports in the next fiscal year.

Recent reports conducted by Montgomery County’s Office of Legislative Oversight on youth sports participation in Montgomery County and gender equity in local sports programs confirmed the numerous benefits of sports participation for children and youth in social and emotional development and overall health and wellness. These reports also found that there is a wide discrepancy in sports participation in the County due to barriers to access, including social and economic factors as well as sexual orientation and gender identity.

Gender disparities in sports begin when children are young, widen as they reach middle school, and widen more dramatically during high school. Because of these disparities, many girls do not benefit from the improved health, social and life outcomes associated with sports participation. In addition, access to sports programming has also been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a coach and parent in youth sports, I know how sports help kids live healthy, learn sportsmanship and teamwork, and experience competition,” said Councilmember Riemer, chair of the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee. “For many kids, sports provides an avenue to a more affordable higher education. However, based on a recent County report, the gap in sports opportunities between boys and girls has widened to where girls drop off from sports at dramatically higher rates than boys. We should offer sports that girls enjoy to play. That is why I am so excited to propose funding that will initiate leagues in sports such as volleyball, softball and lacrosse. We can create more opportunities for girls and all kids to enjoy sports.”

“Sports at their best bring together communities and generations in ways that other genres cannot,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. “As the former director of the County’s Recreation Department, I have witnessed first-hand how sports positively transform our youth, improve mental health and instill life skills that will help guide them on the right path. This special appropriation will continue the Department of Recreation’s long-term vision of sports equity and ensure that all children and youth, especially our girls, gain equal access to recreational sports, programming opportunities, and quality venues.”

A public hearing for this special appropriation is scheduled for March 22. The staff report can be found here.

0 Comments

Council President Albornoz Introduces Bill to Enhance Youth Sports Opportunities in Montgomery County

Per Montgomery County:

For Immediate Release: Monday, March 14, 2022

Bill 6-22 would create an organizing body to advocate for enhanced sports opportunities and identify or address discrepancies found in youth sports opportunities in the Montgomery County

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 14, 2022—On Tuesday, March 15, Council President Gabe Albornoz will introduce Bill 6-22, which would establish an organizing body, the Montgomery County Sports Commission, to advocate for enhanced sports opportunities and identify or address discrepancies found in youth sports.

Montgomery County has a rich sports tradition and numerous public and private facilities, including the Montgomery County SoccerPlex that provide a significant economic boost to the County and raises quality of life for County residents.

The legislation proposes the creation of the Montgomery Sports Commission, consisting of 23 members, appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council, who reflect the diversity of the County, including diversity in race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, geography, and sports represented.

The Commission would be responsible for researching and reporting on factors that affect sports participation in the County; making recommendation to improve the quality, quantity and variety of sports opportunities and facilities in the County; and together with the County Executive and County Council, formally recognize teams and athletes in the County who win state or national championships, or who represent the United States in international competition.

“Sports at their best bring together communities and generations in ways that other genres cannot,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz. “It’s important that we establish an organization that helps to organize our sports community to ensure that all children and youth have access to recreational sports, programming opportunities and our County provides quality venues to meet that interest.”

Recent analysis, conducted by the County’s Office of Legislative Oversight on youth sports participation in Montgomery County and gender equity in local sports programs, confirmed the numerous benefits of sports participation for children and youth in social and emotional development and overall health and wellness. The analysis also found that there is a wide discrepancy in sports participation in the County. The reports identified barriers to access that relate to social and economic factors in addition to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Montgomery County is home to Olympic athletes, professional athletes and numerous state and National Championship teams. Sports participation is the largest extracurricular activity taken up by children and youth. When added to adult sports leagues and recreational play, Sports is the largest participatory activity in the County. Despite the significant interest and participation and rich history, there is currently no entity in the County that serves as an organizing body to help conduct research, advocate for enhanced sports opportunities, as well as identify or address discrepancies found in youth sports opportunities.

The Council staff report on the bill can be viewed here.

0 Comments

MCPS: Capacity Restrictions for Spectators Removed This Tuesday for Athletic Events

Montgomery County Public School Athletics have announced that effective February 22, there will be no restrictions on spectator capacity related to COVID-19.

We are excited to welcome spectators back to our events at full capacity. Tickets will still be only available through GoFan.

According to the updated Return to R.A.I.S.E. Plan, spectators, officials (other than fully vaccinated basketball officials), and coaches must wear masks at all times indoors. All participants shall bring their own mask/face covering; extra masks are available at all activities.

Per MCPS:
Please review the revised Return to R.A.I.S.E. Plan, which includes updated protocols and procedures approved by the COVID-19 Task Force for MCPS Athletics. This includes the elimination of restrictions for overnight travel, weight rooms, locker rooms, meetings, and concessions/meals.

0 Comments

2021 Year in Review: A look back at some of our most popular (non-COVID) posts and stories from the past year.

2021 Year in Review

Below you’ll find some of our most popular (non-COVID) posts and stories from 2021.

January:

Inauguration Day Bernie

Jon Bernthal hanging out at the Lego Store in Westfield Montgomery

“Originally from MoCo, the actor is popular for his many roles in television series and movies such as The Walking Dead, The Punisher, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Accountant, Ford v Ferrari, and the recent Soprano’s movie The Many Saints of Newark.

He grew up in the Cabin John area and graduated from Sidwell Friends in DC in 1995.

He still has family in the area and is spotted hanging out in MoCo all the time.

Photo courtesy of @e_j_fletch on Instagram”

February:

Good Counsel Alum Plays in Second Straight SuperBowl

Kansas City Chief Dorian O’Daniel played against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers at this year’s SuperBowl LV in Tampa, FL.

Dorian attended high school and played football at Good Counsel in Olney, where he was a running back and linebacker. As a senior he was named the Montgomery Sentinal’s Offensive Player of the Year and the Gazette’s Montgomery County Player of the Year.

That year he also made the Washington Post’s All-Met First Team. O’Daniel then graduated from Clemson with a degree in parks, recreation, and tourism management.

In 2018, he was selected 100th overall in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft.

Last year Dorian and the Chief’s won the NFL Championship when they defeated the San Francisco 49ers SuperBowl LIV.

March:

Brian Nicholson, a MoCo Native, is the Youngest Krispy Kreme General Manager in Company History


Krispy Kreme recently opened a new shop at a Columbia Heights in Washington DC with general manager Brian Nicholson leading the way.

Brian is a MoCo native. He was born and raised in the county and graduated from Wootton High School in 2018.

He has worked for Krispy Kreme for five years, starting a the Fallsgrove location in Rockville, where he became a full-time in employee after his high school graduation and served as an assistant general manager.

After just 9 months, he was promoted to general manager of the DuPont Circle location before being asked to open the newest location at 3100 14th Street in Columbia Heights last month.

Brian tells us his experience opening a new store has been “more than fun” and was excited to be able to open the store in February– Black History Month.

We wish Brian the best at Krispy Kreme and look forward to seeing him continue to succeed. Maybe he will bring MoCo a second Krispy Kreme location? We can only hope!

Congratulations, Brian!

Steve Chu, QO alum and owner of Baltimore restaurant Ekiben, Drove 6 Hours to Cook for Customer with Cancer

Steve Chu, QO alum and owner of Baltimore restaurant Ekiben, packed up and headed to Vermont when he learned that one of his customers, who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, was craving one of their dishes.

A family member had reached out to the Ekiben team to tell them that her mother-in-law, who lives in Vermont but often visits Maryland, had stage 4 lung cancer and was craving Ekiben’s tempura broccoli. The family member shared that she was planning to drive up from Maryland to Vermont and wanted to surprise her Ekiben-loving relative with the dish.

After asking whether she could either have the recipe or ingredients for the broccoli dish so it would be fresh after the long drive, she got a surprising response from Ekiben’s team. Chu replied by saying “Thanks for reaching out. Ephrem [a co-owner] and I are more than willing to meet you guys in Vermont, and make the food fresh so it will be just like what she remembered.”

As reported by Good News Movement , Steve and his team stayed in the area for a couple of days and turned down the family’s offer to compensate them for their air bnb, food, and gas. Chu was joined by co-owner Ephrem Abebe alongside one other team member.

By: Michelle Katz @pike.and.rozay on Instagram

April:

Good Samaritan in Germantown

Odessa Shannon Middle School Chooses New Colors and Mascot

Back in November, the Montgomery County Board of Education voted to change the name of Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School in Silver Spring to Odessa Shannon Middle School.

The change will take place following this school year and yesterday the school staff unveiled the brand new mascot and school colors in a YouTube video.

Odessa Shannon Middle School has adopted “Wolves” as the new mascot and has chosen blue (the top color from a survey) and light green (Odessa Shannon’s favorite color) as the nee school colors.

Shannon was the first African-American Board of Education member and a lifelong activist. She worked tirelessly to help close the achievement gap for minority families and was the recipient of numerous awards, such as the Human Rights Hall of Fame, the African American Living Legend Award, and Hornbook Award for Outstanding Service to Education.

Shannon’s name will replace Col. E Brooke Lee, a Maryland politician whose policies shaped Montgomery County’s zoning and land use in the 1920s. These laws barred African-Americans from living in Silver Spring, with the exception as domestic servants. It wasn’t until 1968 that Montgomery County enacted fair housing policies.

May:

Police Search for a Raccoon After Attacks in Rockville

Per Rockville City Police:

“The Rockville City Police Department is asking community members to be on the lookout for a raccoon that attacked a dog and a child in Rockville on Monday morning.

Anyone who sees a raccoon acting aggressively should leave the scene and call 911.

A dog was attacked and bitten Monday morning near College Gardens Park, 615 College Parkway.

Later in the morning, around 11 a.m., a child was bitten in Kinship Park, 254 N. Washington Street.

Officers from the Rockville City Police Department are actively searching for the raccoon.”

The Last Arby’s in MoCo Closes

A few of the reactions from twitter:


June:

2021 High School Graduation Season

July: 

I<3U Jenny

Former Damascus Student-Athlete Bikes Across the Country Raising Money for ALS

 

“On Saturday, June 26th Wil Armstrong, a 2016 Damascus High School graduate, commenced his cross-country bike ride “Against the Wind” from Rehoboth Beach, DE. He is expected to finish 2.5 months later in Seattle, Washington. Throughout this journey, Wil is updating his daily blog with his progress, experiences, and updates on his banana consumption count. During his cross-country journey, he is crowdfunding for the ALS Association after seeing his mentor and former basketball coach, Rodney Lapp, go through it.

Wil played football for his high school’s state champion team and later played rugby at the University of Maryland. What started off as a high school job at Jimmie Cone carried over into his time at the University of Maryland, where he got his Master’s in Quantitative Finance through the Robert H. Smith School of Business through their Plus One program. With eight years under his belt, he was the Damascus Jimmie Cone’s longest tenured employee! How much more Damascus can you get?

When people ask Wil why he is taking on such an adventure he says, “Touring is a way to use my gifts to make a difference in the world, the stars are aligned, and nothing makes me feel more clear, focused, and alive.”

August:

Rockville’s Helen Louise Maroulis Becomes The First American Woman to Win Two Olympic Medals in Wrestling

Helen Louise Maroulis is a Rockville-born freestyle wrestler who competes in the women’s 55-kg 53-kg and 57-kg categories. She was the first-ever American to win a gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling back at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

In August, she became the first American woman to win two Olympic medals in wrestling when she beat khongorzul Boldsaikhan from Mongolia for the Bronze medal.

She attended Magruder High School for three years, where as a freshman she became the first female wrestler to place at the Maryland state wrestling championships. She has been a great spokesperson for mental health awareness after suffering many physical injuries, brain trauma and the effects of prescription medicines.

2021 Montgomery County AG Fair

September: 

Glenmont then and now (60s and 2021)

Katie Ledecky visits Little Flower School in Bethesda

Ledecky provided words of encouragement to current students at the school while proudly wearing her most recent gold and silver medals from the recent 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held this summer).

She and her Team USA Swimming teammate Phoebe Bacon both attended the school while growing up right here in MoCo.

Ledecky has won 7 Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. She is also the world record holder in the women’s 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle (long course), and holds the fastest-ever times in the women’s 500-, 1000-, 1500-, and 1650-yard freestyle events.

The school posted the following message and pictures on its social media:

“Little Flower School Alumna KATIE LEDECKY came back for a visit! Thank you Katie for being an amazing role model and inspiration to our entire Cardinal Community. We are so proud of you! 🥇🏊‍♀️🇺🇸”

October:

Red Light/Green Light

Post Guapo’s Workout

November:

Local P.E. Teacher Recognized at Washington Football Team Game

On-field recognition for Lenny Myers, Kennedy High School P.E. Teacher, who was named educator of the month by Washington Football Team earlier this year.

Lenny Myers was awarded Educator of the Month by The Washington Football Team‘s Black Engagement Network earlier this year.

”Mr. Myers leads from the front. He is an amazing teacher in the classroom at John F. Kennedy High School and his students love and respect him.

His best work is in his community; Mr. Myers has a program for children looking to gain new basketball skills through his program, “Reach Beyond Basketball.” This program provides financial help to to children in the community with scholarships in order to take the burden off of struggling families.”

Tower Records in Rockville

Read our full article about the history of Tower Records in Rockville here.

December: 

Happy 100th Birthday to Kensington man! 

Thai Tanium in Gaithersburg

0 Comments
View More Stories
×

Subscribe to our mailing list