Village Green/Town²

Remember this post ? It was written on March 6th. Today is April 6th, and I still know very little about these candidates that I didn't know before April 6th. Where are they? Am I not looking in the right places? Thank goodness the League of Extraordinary Women Voters is having a Candidate Forum on April 30th.( 7-10 pm, Board of Ed. offices) But where's the social media for these candidates? The only one actively up (that I am aware of) and running is Leslie Kornreich. I believe Cindy Vaillancourt has a page remaining from the last election, but I haven't seen any recent updates. Please feel free to post links in the comments if I am missing something. Now: Calling All Candidates! From the Howard County Board of Education Website: The Board of Education is composed of seven members elected at-large for four-year terms, and a student member elected by students for a one-year term. The Board is responsible for setting local education policy consistent with state and federa...

Alright class, settle down. Let's get through today's announcements, shall we? It's clear and 48 degrees and the high will be 57 so all outdoor activities will be held. If you skipped breakfast, head over to the library after Homeroom for some waffles. Don't forget, you can get extra credit for attending the Money Matters Fair while you are over there. Lunch for the Poly-Sci Club will be at the Lakefront with special remarks from local politicians. This week's College and Career Ready Visit will be held at Howard Community College with special focus on the field of environmental science. Remember class, every day is Earth Day. Be kind to your Mother Earth. Today's famous birthdays are Booker T. Washington, Gregory Peck, Colin Powell, and local favorite P. Kennedy, the Sweetheart of Stevens Forest. Hey, keep it down back there, I'm not finished yet. No, the bell does not dismiss you--I dismiss you! Don't forget to turn in your permission slips on your...

So, this happened yesterday: Scene: school office Characters, two women, both approximately middle aged. At the beginning of the scene, one woman is working at a desk when the other woman enters and begins to sign the Visitors Log. Secretary: May I help you? ( Her tone is not welcoming; it is challenging .) Teacher: Oh, I'm here to teach. ( Shows her id badge .) Secretary: You can't sign in there! Teacher: ( surprised ) I can't? Secretary: No. Teachers sign in in the book around the corner. ( Points ) Teacher: I'm happy to sign there, but they have never asked me to do that before... Secretary: Wait. Where are you going? Teacher: The RECC. Secretary: Oh, you're *that* lady. Teacher: Yes, I'm *that* lady. ( Smiles tentatively ) Secretary: Oh well, that's different. I thought since you said you were here to teach that you were a teacher. Teacher: I *am* a teacher. I'm here to teach music...( voice trails off as she realized she has been dismissed and the s...

A year ago, when I was running for CA Board from Oakland Mills, I experienced a moment of confrontation at the Candidate Forum which was a foretaste of the subsequent outcome. A gentleman stopped me as I was leaving and said, angrily, "You're trying to get rid of old people!" I was stunned. He was waving my own bright orange flyer at me. "It says so right here. That's what they told me, and that is why I'm here. You're trying to get rid of old people." I asked him to show me the place in my campaign materials where I said that. He just kept on waving it at me. The truth was that I had shared openly throughout the campaign that we needed to bring more people to the table. What that meant to me was making a concerted effort to engage younger residents in the process of running Columbia. Inter-generation knowledge-sharing and power-sharing. My opponent took that and ran with it: she's trying to get rid of old people. The other day Sarah Hussain, a f...

Warning: Religious content ahead. However, I am sharing this today because I think it applies to all of us, religious or not, as we look at our responsibilities as members of a community. ***** So the first reading today – Exodus 19:1-8: Moses and God are on Mt Sinai. Basically, “Obey my commandments, keep my covenant…and you’ll be my treasure, my kingdom of priests!” If they are faithful, they would be set apart – held more responsible for sure, but set apart for a holy purpose. Second reading – Ephesians 4:1-8, 11-13: Paul talks about how we’re supposed to be together, says something to the effect of - “be patient with each other, bear with each other – because of your love for each other. Stay as united in the Spirit as you can. There is one body… and YOU’RE IT!” Be the body of Christ: together as one in heart, Spirit, will and action. And the Gospel reading is where Jesus is somewhere in some kind of house teaching. His mother and brothers show up. They stay outside, sendi...

MPT--New documentary follows the ups and downs of local politicians Calvin Ball and Reg Avery after they secretly agree to switch jobs after Election Day. This multi-part program covers Dr. Ball's consensus building campaign as he wrestles with OMIA and OMCA. Also of note, Mr. Avery's ambition to "Turn Howard County Red" has some council members seeing red. HGTV--Property Brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott take on the iconic Patuxent Publishing Building as they make it over as the home of the future Columbia Association President. Local architect Bob Moon makes an appearance describing the history of the building and promoting his Children's Nature Park. NBC--The producers of The Voice announce an educational initiative in which Howard County Board of Education members and Superintendent will be selected by means of a musical competition. Newly established social media accounts and newly purchased video/sound equipment will be employed to involve the community and ...

This is a post that I do not want to write. This is a post that I should not have to write. I sat with this all weekend, wrestling with whether my involvement would shed any light on the darkness. When I awoke this morning, these words spurred me to action. "She existed. She mattered." So let's talk about Grace. ***** grace: simple elegance or refinement of movement. courteous goodwill. an attractively polite manner of behaving. a divinely given talent or blessing do honor or credit to (someone or something) by one's presence. ***** Postings on Facebook alerted me to the issue. This piece  by Susan Reimer filled in the blanks. Friends directed me to the Grace McComas Memorial Webpage on Facebook. In brief--friends of Grace McComas, who committed suicide in response to horrific trauma and subsequent bullying, requested that they be permitted to wear blue ribbons at graduation to remember her. This would have been her graduation year. The principal ref...