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Students were divided into groups based on their interests and unique skills (software, microelectronics, coding, programming, etc.).  Each group’s goal was to identify a problem in their lives, environment, or society, and make a prototype to help resolve that problem.   In those five weeks, the students conceived projects, designs, and future solutions.  They received access to real-time training and technology in electronics, mechanical 3-D drawing and printing, C-programming, python, computer vision, machine learning, and MQTT protocols used throughout the internet of things.  As a result of this hands-on approach, students produced working prototypes within a short timeframe that with slight modification could be scaled commercially.

Twenty-four students were accepted into the Jumpstart Summer Program, and out of those twenty-four students, only three were young women. These women in STEM included Monica Escalante, Sushma Katta, and Abigail Zhang. At time of writing, Monica was a rising sophomore at Montgomery College. Her interests included studying complex math and science. Sushma, a rising junior from Richard Montgomery, got into STEM at a young age, learning how various gadgets worked and the many ways they could be assembled. Abigail, a rising senior from Winston Churchill High School, hopes to further her studies in the field of electrical engineering. Abigail also mentioned that growing up, she always valued STEM initiatives. As she gets older, she hopes to take more hands-on technology courses, like those offered through the UMD CPSE program.

Shulman Rogers Law Firm today reaffirms its commitment to the growth of minority-owned businesses with the launch of Year Two of its Black-Owned Business Program. The Program will provide free legal support for a year to a Black-Owned business in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia (DMV) region.

Co-chaired by two Shulman Rogers shareholders, Kimberly Mann and Michael Lichtenstein, the Program is open to any business in the DMV that is at least 51 percent Black-Owned and controlled. Applications, available HERE, must be submitted no later than November 15, 2023.

Arnold grew up in almost-rural western Massachusetts, listening to his father’s finger-style guitar and folk music. He described a love of popular music, jazz, rock, musical theatre, and Motown. Originally auditioning for The George Washington University on classical piano, he later studied the upright bass with Herman Burney Jr. In addition to his instructors, fellow students (many of whom are close friends to this day) helped him to learn to play jazz, taking him to jams and hotspots where he got his first gigs. Arnold soon became what CapitalBop described as “…one of the most versatile bassists and side musicians on the D.C. jazz scene.”

Arnold’s band Sea Change was formed in February 2018 in Washington, D.C., when he was asked to lead a band at the Göethe-Institut’s Jazz in the Basement series. His 2020 debut album as a composer, Sea Change, was a finalist for jazz album of the year at the WAMMIE Awards and was named the #4 jazz album of 2020 by local jazz blog CapitalBop. Of his bandmates (Sarah Marie Hughes/saxophone, Federico Gonzalez Pena/piano, Nelson Dougherty/electric guitar, and Keith Butler, Jr./drums), he says he’s drawn to collaborators with their own personality and style, and describes them as “really sensitive and open to feedback, none of them are in a box, you know… It’s like having a family of friends. I feel really lucky that I’ve been able to maintain those connections, so that we can say something really heartfelt.”

The creative (and slightly twisted?) minds at MHF have updated its 3 main haunted attractions for 2023:

Tickets are on sale now at www.markoffshauntedforest.com, get them before they sell out! Pricing is dynamic, and tickets get more expensive as Halloween approaches.

Café Sophie (7940 Airpark Road, Gaithersburg) is a European style café with a Scandinavian influence, located at the Montgomery County Airpark. Owners Sandy & Tom decided to name the cafe after their sweet dog Sophie, who can sometimes be found greeting customers. Sandy’s grandfather & father Bill & Jim Richardson built & operated the Airpark back in 1960. “I used to come to the airpark with my dad on weekends. It was always fun to be in the air with my father flying”. Sandy is also a pilot herself! Tom was born and raised in Bergen Norway. He became a professional pilot & flew private charter flights and private corporate jets all over the US and Europe. He would often fly into Montgomery County Airpark. This is where Sandy & Tom met. As Tom puts it, “I landed one day and never took off”.

Cafe Sophie’s, Chef Asael, offers a creatively prepared menu with locally sourced ingredients. Their meats come from Wagner’s Butcher, their milk, eggs, creamer and ice cream from South Mountain Creamery, German sausages from Binkert’s, and croissants, baguettes & Cro’Gels are delivered from Fresh Baguette. They also offer up fresh baked muffins, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and European goodies, along with specialty coffees, international & domestic beers, a selection of wine, champagne, and mimosas (try the Lingonberry Mimosa). Enjoy a delicious meal while watching the planes come and go, the kids absolutely love it!

On that first day, we had no idea that the next 15 months would present us with the opportunity to help a little girl with so many different needs. All we initially knew is that this little girl needed experiences outside of living in a car and sometimes a motel room – which is how she and her 2 siblings had spent the previous 10 months. We quickly learned that she needed new clothes, needed toys, and needed love and attention. Add to that, the need to learn how to swim and run, a need for 3 significant surgeries, therapy, and a need to repeat first grade since she had not been in school for 8 months. The community we live in enveloped her and brought her gifts, clothes and included her in everything.

Our family doesn’t know moderation – when we get involved, we go “all in” and that is exactly what we did with our first foster placement. We embraced her and integrated her into the lives of our three other daughters. She did everything our own children did. We will never forget on day 2 when she was walking the 50 yards to the bus stop, she complained of being tired because it was too far away. Our response was, “If you’re going to be part of this family, we will need to build your stamina”. And so we did – soccer, gymnastics, track and field, swim lessons and then swim team, parties, family events, sleep overs, play dates and family trips.  She did it all. And all of this on top of the doctors, dentists, specialists, therapists, court-ordered visits with siblings and birth parents… the child was busy for sure! It was so rewarding to see her RUNNING to and from the bus stop this past school year and to see her laughing and playing with her friends day in and day out.

The words “not enough” are heard every day inside of our nation’s foster care system . . . not enough resources, not enough support, not enough families. It doesn’t have to be this way. We work alongside others, and stand together, in our community to make a different reality for children and families.

We need your help.  Can you stand with us?  Can you open your heart and home to become a foster parent?  Foster parents, also called resource parents, are temporary, substitute parents who provide for the physical, emotional, and social needs of children until the biological family can be reunited or a permanent placement can be implemented.