Education

Montgomery College Ranked #1 Community College in Maryland; Top 15% Nationwide

By MCS Staff

Montgomery College has earned the number one spot in the state of Maryland in Niche’s community college rankings for 2023. The school was also ranked 77th out of 906 eligible colleges across the country, putting it in the top 15% nationwide.

The Best Community Colleges ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni. The list includes public junior colleges, public technical schools, and all other public 2-year colleges. This year’s rankings have reduced the weight of ACT/SAT scores to reflect a general de-emphasis on test scores in the college admissions process.

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Arts

Churchill Jazz Ensemble Wins Second Place at Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival Competition

By MCS Staff

The Winston Churchill High School Jazz Ensemble won second place at the annual Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival’s High School Band Competition last month.

Twelve high school bands from across the East Coast competed in the prestigious event, with the top three bands performing in a final round to determine the overall winner. This was the first time the Churchill ensemble has placed in the finals, and they were the only school from the state of Maryland to advance to the final round.

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Education

Former MCPS Student Distributes Books to Children in Cameroon

By MCS Staff

Michelle Djemu, former student at Cold Spring Elementary School in Potomac, collected children’s books and distributed them to children in her hometown in Bandenkop, Cameroon.

Michelle, now in the fourth grade, moved to Cameroon in the summer of 2021 after finishing second grade at Cold Spring. As a schoolwide project, the school community donated about 1,500 books that Michelle and her sister Louise gave to children in the family’s village of Bandenkop. The school plans to continue its partnership with the Djemu family to provide needed supplies to Bandenkop students.

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Arts

2022: The Top Twelve List (by MoCo Movie Critic, Andrew Italia)

By MCS Staff

By Andrew Italia. Italia is a Quince Orchard High School graduate and MoCo resident. When he was in college at the University of Maryland, he was the movie critic for The Maryland Diamondback. During his time as the movie critic, he began making Oscar predictions for all 24 categories. His all-time record is 21 out of 24, but he usually falls in the 18-20 range. Below is his Top 12 movie list for 2022. For more movies on Twitter, see @Italia_budo

Mark Twain once mused that history might not repeat itself, but it sure did rhyme.  In that spirit, we found ourselves sipping on gin and nostalgia last year, as what was once old was new again.  The Terps brought back Juan and Gary for a celebration.  Putin brought back the Cold War for an invasion.  The Fresh Prince got in one little fight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myjEoDypUD8), his mom got scared (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TG6r6H5iZM), and he had to move back to Bel Air (https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/bel-air).  McDonald’s Cheese Danish triumphantly returned after 40 years.  Shackleton’s Endurance returned after 107.  Johnny Depp performed again (on the witness stand), Mike Tyson fought again (on a JetBlue flight), and Bennifer got engaged again (in a bubble bath).  Lizzo felt it was about damn time to play a 200-year-old flute once owned by James Madison (rap name “J Mads”).

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Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg’s Housing Element Draft Now Available to View

By MCS Staff

The Housing Element public hearing draft has been released by the City of Gaithersburg for public comment and can be viewed here. Comments on the public hearing draft may be submitted in writing to the Planning & Code Administration, 31 S. Summit Ave. Gaithersburg MD, 20877, or by email to [email protected]. A joint public hearing is anticipated for June 5, 2023. To ensure that your comments will be included in the public hearing materials packet for consideration by the Council and Planning Commission, please submit them no later than May 9, 2023.

Background: Land Use Article of the Maryland Annotated Code requires municipalities to adopt a comprehensive, or “master” plan composed of various elements, such as Land Use and Transportation, which are intended to guide future growth and development of the City.  In 2019, the State legislature passed HB 1045 requiring all master plans to include a new Housing Element. This new Element is required at a minimum to address the need for affordable housing, including both workforce and low-income housing. The Element may also discuss other facets of housing. The City, over the next several months, will begin working on this new Housing Element, which will include goals and recommendations meant to address future housing needs in the City. Please continue to check this project page for background information, status updates, and engagement opportunities.

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MoCo Government

‘Montgomery Connects’ to Distribute 6,000 Additional Computers to Eligible Low-Income Residents

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: “Montgomery Connects,” Montgomery County’s digital equity and inclusion program, will distribute 6,000 laptops in March to low-income individuals funded by the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund grant and Maryland Emergency Education Relief grants. Montgomery County-serving nonprofit organizations, agencies and County departments who have clients eligible for the computers are encouraged to make information available to their clients about the limited remaining availability of the laptops.

Organizations are encouraged to provide assistance to help clients register for an appointment to receive a computer using registration links at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/computer. Organizations that need additional assistance are encouraged to contact Montgomery Connects by email at [email protected].

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MoCo Government

Reminder: When Changing Clocks and Checking Smoke Detector Batteries This Weekend, Reduce the Risk for Trash Fires by Properly Recycling Batteries

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: Daylight Saving Time begins overnight Saturday-Sunday, March 11-12. In addition to moving clocks one hour forward, it is a good reminder to check or replace the batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. If batteries are being replaced, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection encourages residents to not throw them in the trash. They need to be recycled properly.

Improperly disposed batteries in trash and recycling containers can result in trash fires. To avoid a potential tragedy, County residents can bring all types of batteries to the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) drop-off area at the Montgomery County Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station. The recycling facility is located at 16101 Frederick Rd. in Derwood. Some retailers also offer drop-off programs to recycle batteries. Check the Call2Recycle website to find a nearby location. For more information on all recycling opportunities in Montgomery County, visit Home – Recycling and Resource Management Division (montgomerycountymd.gov).

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Education

MCPS: Five Things to Know for Thursday, March 9

By MCS Staff

Per MCPS: 1. Annual Report, Updated Strategic Plan Now Available: The Annual Report to the Community for the 2021–2022 school year and the updated MCPS Strategic Plan for Fiscal Year 2022-2025 are now available. The annual report is designed to be an easily accessible digital summary of information and key system, student and staff data points for the 2021–2022 school year. It includes:

The annual report is available here. The strategic plan is available here.

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DC Sports

Georgetown Basketball Moves on From Patrick Ewing

By MCS Staff

Georgetown University announced today that Patrick Ewing will no longer serve as Head Men’s Basketball Coach and that it has begun a national search for new leadership of the program. Ewing was at Georgetown for six years with a 75-109,l record (.408 W-L%). In the last two seasons, Georgetown was 6-25 and 7-25.

Georgetown President John J. DeGioia said, “Patrick Ewing is the heart of Georgetown basketball. I am deeply grateful to Coach Ewing for his vision, his determination, and for all that he has enabled Georgetown to achieve. Over these past six years, he was tireless in his dedication to his team and the young men he coached and we will forever be grateful to Patrick for his courage and his leadership in our Georgetown community.”

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Kensington

$100,000 Scratch-off Sold at Sunoco

By Patrick Herron

“I felt weird,” the loyal player said. As soon as she had the chance, she shared the great news with her family. The happy winner plans to save her prize for retirement and to spend time with family members. Her lucky Montgomery County retailer can also celebrate her Lottery luck. Kensington Sunoco will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery for its role in selling a $100,000 top-prize winning scratch-off. The Gold X50 game, which debuted in January with 10 $100,000 top prizes, is a member of a Gold Multiplier family of games and the Gold Multiplier second-chance promotion. The Laurel winner claimed the game’s fourth top prize. Seven $50,000 second-tier prizes also remain along with 21 $10,000 prizes. Other members of the scratch-off family are the $1 Gold X5, $2 Gold X10 and $5 Gold X20 games.

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