Eventful and Hopeful

The day is going to start out damp but it doesn’t look like a total loss. That’s not a scientific analysis but rather a hopeful prediction.

The Farmers Markets in Clarksville and Old Ellicott City are happening as usual. The Oakland Mills Fall Festival kicks off at 11 am with a performance by the Oakland Mills High School Band. (I’ll be the one giving people the death stare if they chat during the performance.)

I’m must say I’m disappointed that Old Ellicott City hasn’t moved on from its Hogwarts-centric autumn event.

From the following comment on Facebook it looks like I’m not the only one:

Isn't it time to move this event past Harry Potter? There's so much more out there in the magical books oeuvre.

Make it so, folks.

Word of warning:

There’s an enormous event at the center of town this weekend which just might impact traffic? Just a thought to consider as you plan your day.

Looking towards tomorrow, here’s another good reason to head to Clarksville Commons.

Clarksville Commons is hosting a Book Festival tomorrow from 11 am - 3 pm. You can learn more about the event at their website.

Of course there are all kinds of events in Columbia/HoCo today. This is just a sampling. If there’s anything you think I should share, let me know.

Other than a visit to the Oakland Mills Fall Festival, my plans include a stack of books from the library and a desire to make a big pot of chicken soup.

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Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Separate and Unequal

Remember “Separate but equal”? Remember how that really meant that Black schools languished in broken-down buildings without adequate heat or toilet facilities, with cast-off, ragged learning materials, underfunded and largely ignored? The Supreme Court struck that down in 1954. The evidence was clear that separate was not equal. Plessy v Ferguson had led to - - no, endorsed - - deeply unequal schooling and opportunities. We tend to think of Brown v Board as being purely about racial integration. It was not. It was about the logical consequences of segregation. And they were not, not, not equal. The ruling in 1954 didn’t transform public education for non-whites into a land of milk and honey by any means. But it articulated some essential truths in a way that made including everyone a legal precedent which could be relied upon and built upon. It was better than what came before it but it rested upon unsteady ground. It did not necessarily change the hearts or minds ...

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