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Potomac Almanac ❖ December 17-23, 2008 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Potomac

December 17-23, 2008 ❖ Volume LII, Number 51 More online at potomacalmanac.com

AquaticDepth

Sports, page 16

Tennis BubbleIn Trouble?News, Page 3

Greenbacks forGreen ProjectsNews, page 4 Relay Run Adventure

News, Page 19

AquaticDepth

Sports, page 16

Potomac

Churchill senior JacquelineVito does a flip during last Saturday’s swim

and dive meetbetween Churchill and

Wootton at theMontgomery Aquatic Center.

2 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ December 17-23, 2008 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


News

See Learning, Page 15

See Resolution, Page 15

By Aaron Stern

The Almanac

Standing in the front of acrowded room, all eyes wereon Lt. John Branson, a U.S.Marine recently returned from

fighting in Afghanistan. Sitting on multi-colored gym mats inches away from him,25 kindergartners and elementary schoolstudents visibly squirmed waiting for an-swers to their battery of questions.

“Are you like a ninja?” someone askedhim. Branson smiled.

“I am like a ninja,” he said.“Did you miss your mom?” another

wondered. He did.“Do you march?” asked another. Not

very well, Branson said. One of the lastquestions the students asked of Bransonwas what he wanted to be.

“I don’t know, right now I’m unem-ployed. Stay in school,” Branson saidwith a laugh.

Branson met with the inquisitive chil-dren of The Diener School in Potomacon Friday, Dec. 12 for a ceremony inwhich they honored him for his service,but the event wasn’t just about Branson.

The second-year school, which oper-

ates out of Congregation Har Shalom onFalls Road, caters to students with wide-ranging learning, emotional, and develop-mental challenges but Branson’s visit is partof what school founder Jillian Copelanddescribed as the character building part ofthe school’s curriculum. In ad-dition to addressing the chal-lenges that each of her 25 stu-dents face, Copeland strivesto get them to look beyondthemselves and to care forothers in the world aroundthem.

That was why Branson — aPotomac native who’s sister Kate teaches atDiener — came to the school to be pre-sented with a plaque and a giant Americanflag made from construction paper, and itis also why the students sing songs in re-tirement homes on Valentine’s Day and vol-unteer in park cleanup programs on EarthDay. Copeland strives to help her children

perform through the layered challenges,but she wants them to be good peopletoo.

Sometimes parents of children withspecial needs “forget that they’re people,and for me that’s really, really impor-

tant,” Copeland said.

COPELAND is a teacherby training and a motherof four, but it wasn’t untilshe had her third child thatshe gained firsthandknowledge of learning anddevelopmental delays. Un-

satisfied with the schooling options thatshe was able to find for her son — evenin the Washington, D.C. metropolitanarea which has no shortage of such pro-grams — Diener eventually decided tostart her own school.

“I couldn’t really find the appropriatelearning environment for him,”Copeland said. “I was really looking fora holistic, collaborative approach. Thereare a lot of great schools around, butnothing that really fit him.”

Last year she had 11 students; this yearthere are 25 in grades K – 4, each with arange of challenges from sensory pro-cessing, to social, developmental andlearning delays, to attentional issues.Such issues don’t tend to be isolated ormutually exclusive but rather layered,so each student has a carefully craftedcurriculum that is built around thosechallenges, said Copeland.

Tailoring the programs to the aca-demic needs of each child is essential,but so are physical exercises and activi-ties that help the students build theirgross and fine motor abilities as well asto stimulate their vestibular, propriocep-tive, and tactile senses and abilities, pro-viding through yoga, one-on-one exer

Learning‘Utopia’The Diener Schooloffers holistic,individual learningenvironment forchildren with rangeof challenges.

Photos by Aaron Stern/The Almanac

Students at The Diener School honored Lt. John Branson on Friday,Dec. 12 and got to ask him questions about being a soldier. His sisterKate Branson, left, is a teacher at Diener, which creates highly indi-vidual learning programs for students with a variety of learning anddevelopmental delays and disabilities.

Occupational therapist Brook Walker works with a student on a giantinflatable pillow to help stiumlate him neurologically. Physical activityand exercises are a key component of each school day for students atThe Diener School.

Potomac Almanac Editor Steven Mauren

703-917-6431 or [email protected]

See www.potomacalmanac.com

No kidding,this is utopia.”

— Deneen Wilson,Diener School parent

See Tennis Bubble, Page 15

By Aaron Stern

The Almanac

The Potomac Swim & Tennis Club’sapplication to construct a seasonaltennis bubble on its grounds faces

a stiff challenge when it goes to the Mont-gomery County Planning Board this week.The club’s plan to install a seasonablebubble over three tennis courts has beenrecommended for denial by the PlanningBoard’s staff, and several neighbors plan totestify in opposition to the proposal at apublic hearing on Thursday, Dec. 18.

“The fact that the staff is recommendingdenial is significant,” said Ginny Barnes, theenvironmental chair and past-president ofthe West Montgomery County Citizens As-sociation. Barnes’ group is opposed to thetennis bubble and plans to testify as well atThursday’s hearing before the Planning

TennisBubbleIn Trouble?Planning Board tohear Potomac Swim& Tennis Club’sproposal this week.

By Aaron Stern

The Almanac

A plan to shore up a failed retainingwall on Washington Redskins ownerDaniel Snyder’s property that over-

looks the C&O Canal National HistoricalPark could be approved in the coming weeksand ready for implementation by the spring.

Snyder’s team of engineers submitted aplan to the Park Service late last year to

ResolutionFor SnyderRetaining WallFailed retaining wallin park-controlledeasement threatenshillside and isdelaying requiredreplanting.


News

The transition of Mitch & Bill’s Exxon to Mitch & Bill’s Texaco began Wednesday,Dec. 10 as workers started repainting the gas pump units on the store’s two islandsas EPA testing crews drilled down to the water table to “make sure everything’sclean and good to go,” said station owner Mike Mitchell on Thursday, Dec. 11.Mitchell said the station would remain open during the transition that he expectedto be completed over the weekend. The transition was to include a switch fromExxon fuel to Texaco fuel. “By the time you come around Monday [Dec. 15] thetanks are going to be so low on Exxon that we’ll start pumping Texaco. Might be ablend of the two for a little while, but it’ll switch over pretty quick,” Mitchell said.

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From ExxonTo Texaco

Infill Legislation PassedOn Tuesday, Dec. 9 the Montgomery County Council passed

Infill Reform legislation designed to address “mansionization” is-sues in the County’s older neighborhoods.ºThe legislation, whosechief sponsor was Council Vice President Roger Berliner, appliesto new multi-story construction or major renovations in an at-tempt to preserve the character of older communities.

The Infill Development Task Force, which was formed by theCouncil at the urging of Berliner, worked for more than a year-and-a-half to address several issues regarding infill development.The legislation creates Zoning Text Amendment 08-11, which wasrecommended for approval on Nov. 25 by the Council’s Planning,Housing and Economic Development Committee. The bill changesthe permitted lot coverage to 30 percent on lots up to 6,000 squarefeet. The percentage of lot coverage declines gradually as lotsincrease up to 16,000 square feet and remains at 20 percent forlots between 16,000 and 25,000 square feet. For lots of morethan 25,000 square feet, there is no change in coverage.

The result will be slightly smaller houses — 14 percent on smalllots to 20 percent on half-acre lots but even on the smallest lots,homes can be 4,500 square feet in size. To promote flexibilityand good design, open porches, chimneys, and bay windows and240 square feet of a detached garage are excluded from the lotcoverage calculation.

Carnival at Club FridayClub Friday’s open house on Friday, Dec. 19, offers a drug aware-

ness carnival, open to all elementary and middle school students.To be held at the Potomac Community Center, 7-10 p.m., theMontgomery County Department of Recreation event includes amoon bounce, giant slide. DJ, Bingo, raffle, snack bar and postercontest. Admission is $2, free to Club Friday and After Hour Mem-bers (with card). Laser tag play will cost $5. For more informa-tion, call 240-777-6960.

Schools To CloseInauguration Day

The Montgomery County Board of Education last week to des-ignate Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009, as a holiday in Mont-gomery County Public Schools. All schools and offices will beclosed.

In its resolution approving the change to the current schoolcalendar, the Board also noted that Inauguration Day will be des-ignated as a school system holiday in all future years when Inau-guration Day occurs.

The resolution, put forward by Board member ChristopherBarclay (District 4), was passed unanimously.

Santa RidesSanta Claus is coming to the neighborhoods of Potomac thanks

to the men and women of the Cabin John Park Volunteer FireDepartment. The schedule is as follows:

❖ Wednesday, Dec. 17, Mountain Gate, Eagle Rock, NatelliWoods, Potomac Ranch, River Falls, Fawsett Farms

❖ Thursday, Dec. 18: Beallmount, Potomac Hunt Acres, LakePotomac, Beall Mountain Potomac, Stoney Creek Farm, SaddleRidge, Potomac Hunt Acres, Potomac View Estates, Tara, AlvermarWoods

❖ Friday, Dec. 19: Fox Meadow, River Oaks Farm, Potomac FarmEstates, Potomac Hills, Potomac Manors, Great Falls EstatesPotomac Falls Estates

❖ Saturday, Dec. 20: Avenel, Williamsburg Estates, River RoadsEstates, Concord, “The Village”, Williamsburg Gardens

❖ Sunday, Dec. 21: Potomac Village, Camotop, Falconhurst,McAuley Park, Kentdale Estates, Bradley, Bradley Boulevard Es-tates, Bradley Farms, Congressional Forrest Estates.

Dec. 22 and 23 will be weather make-up days, and the toyscollected during Santa’s rides will be donated on Dec. 24. Pre-sents may be brought to either Cabin John Park VFD Station andthe fire department is requesting donated toys for children from4 to 16 this year.

This Week in Potomac

By David Schultz

The Almanac

President-elect BarackObama seeks to stimu-late the economy bypassing a public works

project with a price tag that couldrun well into the trillions; the lead-ers of local governments in theWashington area have some sug-gestions as to how that moneyshould be spent.

Last week, local leaders fromMaryland and Northern Virginiagathered to request that the stimu-lus money be spent on environ-mentally friendly projects thatwould create “green” infrastruc-ture across the country.

Led by Climate Communities, anational coalition of cities andcounties that lobbies the federalgovernment on climate change is-sues, the local leaders have a wish-list of green public works projectsthat could be started immediately.

“Everyone and their brother arecoming to Washington and talkingabout the funding they need,” saidRon Brown, executive director ofClimate Communities. “But theseprojects are different. They willcreate jobs and will wean us off offoreign oil.”

MONTGOMERY COUNTYCouncil Member Roger Berliner(D) said that his county would usethe federal funds to provide no-interest loans to homeowners. Theloans would be used to retrofit

homes to make them more energyefficient, he said. If 30 percent ofthe households in MontgomeryCounty took these loans, it couldreduce carbon dioxide emissionsby 200,000 tons annually.

Berliner said that the loanswould essentially pay for them-selves by creating substantial sav-ings in homeowners’ energy bills.A $5,000 loan used for retrofittingcan create up to $230 per year insavings, he said. “This isn’t like

Federal moneyshould be spent oneco-friendly items,local leaders say.

Greenbacks for Green Projects

County Council Member Roger Berliner (D) and other localleaders are requesting federal money for green projects.

See Funds, Page 7

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See Rental, Page 11

News

By Aaron Stern

The Almanac

Hotel rooms in and aroundWashington, D.C. may belong gone for the upcom-ing Presidential inaugu-

ration, but that doesn’t mean that out-of-towners looking for a place to stayhave no options. In fact finding a placeto stay may be easier for those willingto pay an exorbitant price than it is forlocal homeowners to land the poten-tial windfall that they hope will comeby renting out their home during thehistoric festivities.

Bruce Allen posted an announcementon craigslist in late November adver-tising his 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath home inNorth Potomac and has yet to receive asingle inquiry about it.

The temporary housing/sublets pageon craigslist competes with sites cre-ated just for the occasion such asinaugurationrental.net and the flood ofpostings is hard to keep up with.

“There are so many people postingon there, every hour, its just crazy,” saidAllen. “You put your thing on there …

and an hour later you’re alreadybumped off the front page.”

The best selling points for those inthe Potomac area looking for inaugu-ration tenants are luxurious appoint-ments and the proximity to Rideonbuses and Metro stations.

“We have a housekeeper. If you rentour house she’ll clean the house, doyour laundry, cook your meals,” saidZohair Ahmad, who is also trying toentice renters by telling them that hisNorth Potomac home is just 20 milesfrom the White House. Ahmad will bethere to shuttle his occupants to andfrom the Shady Grove Metro station.Should he have anyone to shuttle, thatis. Since posting his family’s 5-bedroomhome on craigslist last month he hashad one inquiry, a group of CFOs fromDallas who he hasn’t heard back fromin two weeks.

Ahmad is listing the five rooms in hishome individually or offering all ofthem together — and 3.5 baths — for$12,000, down from his original$20,000 asking price. If interest doesn’tpick up he said he may lower his ask-

ing price as the big days draw nearer, buthe is hopeful that he’ll find takers one wayor another. Ahmad is holding out hopethat someone, perhaps wealthy Europe-ans, will bite.

MONGTOMERY COUNTY’S rentalregulations do not apply to owner-occu-pied properties, meaning that there areno potential legal barriers to inaugura-tion rental dreams, said Mary Anderson,a public information officer for Montgom-ery County.

“It’s like easy cash right there for threedays,” said Ahmad.

Allen is making sure that he protectshimself by requiring a 50 percent depositand an additional $1,500 security depositwith all funds to be paid by certified orcashier’s check, but he isn’t too worriedabout people damaging his home.

“I have to imagine anyone who couldafford to pay that is not the type to trasha house,” said Allen.

Despite the constant crush of newpostings on craigslist — Allen estimated

Zohair Ahmad is ready to welcome out-of-towners to his North Potomac home duringinauguration week but so far he has foundlittle interest.

Inauguration Rental Windfall BluesHomeowners looking to rent their homes for President-electObama’s historic inauguration find takers hard to come by.

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Opinion POTOMACALMANAC

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By Benjamin L. Cardin

U.S. Senator

Every winter we hear news reports oftragic fires caused when families whocannot pay their energy bills turn tospace heaters or candles to save

money. This year it is particularly difficult formany families as our nation copes with a de-clining economy. As the weatherturns colder, I want struggling Mary-land families to know that they canget help in paying their energy bills.

In September, the federal government sig-nificantly increased funding for the Low-In-come Home Energy Assistance Program(LIHEAP). This winter, Maryland will see anincrease in energy assistance from $35 millionto $110 million. In this coming fiscal year, theMaryland Department of Human Resourcesexpects LIHEAP to help an additional 10,000

people from last year.LIHEAP is a federally funded block grant

program that was created in 1982. Its purposeis to assist low-income households, particularlythose with the lowest incomes and that pay ahigh proportion of household income to meettheir home energy needs. The program encour-ages states to give priority to households withthe presence of a vulnerable individual such

as a young child, disabled person orfrail senior.

I consider this increase in fundingone of the success stories of the 110th

Congress. It was one of my top legislative pri-orities and as we continue to see a decline inthe economy it’s even more important. Thenationwide jobless rate recently rose to 6.7percent in November and it’s important thatwe provide low-income Marylanders with theassistance they need to stay warm and safe thiswinter. The Office of Home Energy Programs

(OHEP) helps Maryland citizens pay for theirheating bills, minimize heating crises and makeenergy costs more affordable. OHEP offers vari-ous energy assistance programs to help pro-mote energy conservation, customer financialresponsibility and energy independence.

A Maryland household of four earning up to$37,100 is eligible to apply for the program. Asingle person earning up to $18,200 also iseligible to apply. Energy assistance is a year-round program and applications are acceptedany time of year, but enrollees must reapplyeach fiscal year.

If you need assistance paying your energybills, do not wait for a turn off notice. Act now.To apply for assistance, call 1-800-352-1446,or go to www.dhr.state.md.us/meap orwww.problemsolver.maryland.gov.

U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin is a member of five com-mittees: Foreign Relations, Judiciary, Environment andPublic Works, Budget, and Small Business and Entrepre-neurship. His Web site is: cardin.senate.gov

How To Get Help with Energy Bills

Commentary

Planning’sShake Down?To the Editor:

Montgomery county residents are no doubtsharing the nation’s outrage over RodBlagojevich’s practice of soliciting payment fordecisions he was empowered to make in hisofficial capacity as Governor of Illinois. Shouldthe county’s residents be equally outragedwhen county offices demand unnecessary ex-penditures for decisions they are obliged tomake on the basis of merit alone? More spe-cifically, should a developer who submits a planto the Planning Board for their approval beforced to make an additional and unnecessary

expenditure to obtain that approval? The im-pact on the developer is certainly the same nomatter who initiates the shake down.

A recent case in point indicates that this prac-tice may be so common in Montgomery Countythat it goes unnoticed. The Dumont Oaks Cor-poration submitted a plan to build two housesaccessible by extending an existing section ofRiding Fields Road. The Planning Board andits staff conditioned the consideration of theplan on the developer agreeing to build anadditional and unnecessary section of RidingFields Road because “now is the only reason-able opportunity that the Planning Board willhave to require the continuation of the road”.Although the additional road was unnecessaryfor the planned development, the developer

Letter to the Editor

was in no position to object. The Board and itsstaff, oblivious to the ethics of requiring thebuilder to pay for road building unnecessaryfor his plan, supported its decision on the ba-sis of “facts” that were refuted by the affectedcommunities who unanimously objected to theunnecessary road construction.

What ethical message does it send whendevelopers are required to pony up unneces-sary expenditures to have their plans even con-sidered? Have some county entities read thechapter in Governor Blagojevich’s playbookentitled “Having something of [expletive] valueand getting something for it”?

Gerald BarkdollRockville

For Safety’s SakeA work crew installs a newspeed camera on the north-bound side of TuckermanLane just before HerbertHoover Middle School. Thenew installation adds to theroughly half dozen camerasin the Potomac area. CountyExecutive Ike Leggett an-nounced in September thatstarting next July $4.8 mil-lion collected from thecounty’s speed cameras willbe used to fund his Pedes-trian Safety Initiative. Tolearn more about the SafeSpeed program and to viewthe camera locations, visitmontgomerycountymd.gov/police and click on the SafeSpeed link on the front page.To learn more aboutLeggett’s Pedestrian SafetyInitiative, visitmontgomerycountymd.gov/walk.

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From Page 4

News

Local Leaders Seek Their Portion of Stimulus Fundswhat’s going on on Wall Street,” he

said. “We can pay this back.”However, Berliner said that it would

be impossible for MontgomeryCounty to create the capital for thisprogram on its own, as the county isfacing a $500 million shortfall fornext year’s budget. “We don’t have thecash,” he said. “We can’t do the goodthings, we have to do the essential.”

THE CITY of Alexandria also has severalprojects that could become greener with aninfusion of federal dollars.

Alexandria Vice Mayor Del Pepper (D)said that the City will be building a newfire station and a new centralized policefacility. Budget constraints prevent thesenew buildings from achieving a higher LEEDrating from the U.S. Green Building Coun-cil, she said. But with less than $1.5 mil-lion in federal funds, Pepper said, the fa-cilities could achieve Gold LEED scores.

The greening of public buildings is animportant signal to send to the rest of thecommunity, Pepper said. “We want to setthe standard for the private developmentcommunity,” she said.

But City Council Member Rob Krupicka(D) said that Alexandria faces some diffi-cult challenges in creating more energy ef-ficient buildings. “We are known for ourhistoric neighborhoods and structures,” hesaid. “But those old buildings are typicallynot role models for energy conservation.”

ARLINGTON COUNTY Board MemberJay Fisette (D) said that his county woulduse money from a federal stimulus to in-stall solar panels on multiple public build-ings. Fisette said that the project would cost$3 million, money that the county cannotcurrently afford because it faces a projected

“Everyone and theirbrother are coming toWashington and talkingabout the funding theyneed. But these projectsare different.”

— Ron Brown,Climate Communities

“We have to balance our budget;the Feds don’t,” Berliner added. “Weneed the Feds to be our banker.”

“We don’t have the cash.We can’t do the goodthings, we have to dothe essential.”

— Montgomery County CouncilMember Roger Berliner (D)

“This is not just a way tohelp the localgovernments. It’s a wayto help local taxpayers.”

— Loudoun County SupervisorAndrea Gimsey (D)

$40 million budget shortfall for next year.But the installation of solar panels would

go a long way towards helping Arlingtonmeet its goal of reducing its greenhouse gasemissions 10 percent by 2012, he said. “[Afederal stimulus] is crucial for us to meetour greenhouse gas initiative,” Fisette said.

Installing solar panels would also have ahuge symbolic impact, Fisette said, muchlike when President Jimmy Carter installedsolar panels on the White House. “That wasan important message,” Fisette said. “Ev-eryone should be putting solar panels onprominent buildings.”

ENERGY EFFICIENCY in homes is espe-cially important in Loudoun County, accord-ing to Loudoun Supervisor Andrea Gimsey(D). Because Loudoun has been growing sofast in recent years, she said, many homeswere built with faulty construction work

and are now highly inefficient. “En-ergy is just flying out of the house,”she said.

If Congress passes a stimulus forlocal governments, Gimsey said thatLoudoun County would use theirfunds to pay for the construction of ageothermal fire station. The fire sta-tion would be heated and cooled us-ing natural energy from below theEarth’s surface.

Gimsey said that the geothermalfire station would result in 30 percentenergy savings and would recoup itsinitial construction expenses in threeyears. “After that,” she said, “It’s justpure taxpayer savings.”

“This is not just a way to help thelocal governments,” she added. “It’sa way to help local taxpayers.”


LET’S TALKReal Estate

byMichael Matese

For professional advice on allaspects of buying and sellingreal estate, call:

MICHAEL MATESEWashington Fine

Properties301-806-6829

[email protected]

TAMING TAXES!Buying a home is a good

idea for a number of reasons,and one of the most impor-tant is the tax savings. Atfirst glance, it may look likethe monthly costs for a mort-gage and taxes are muchhigher than the rent for ahome of comparable size andvalue.

For example, if you plan tobuy a $500,000 home with a$100,000 down payment anda fixed-rate 30-year mortgageat 6.0% with annual taxes of$3000, your monthly cost(principal, interest and taxes)would be approximately$2650

The good news comes whenyou consider your tax bracketand calculate the amount yousave each month. During theearly years of your loan,almost all of the mortgagepayment and all of your localreal estate taxes can bededucted on you federal taxreturns. If you are in the 28%bracket for Federal taxes, youcan save about $630 eachmonth, bringing your netmonthly housing bill down to$2050. When you take intoaccount your state and localtaxes, you may save evenmore.

Pets

Sgt. Pepper is a 6-month-old, 50pound, spayed, female Shepherd mix.She is a healthy, bouncy puppy that en-joys leash walks, the people and dogsshe meets, and is almost housebroken.Sgt. Pepper will be at home with a kindpuppy-savvy adopter.

Daisy is a 6-month-old, spayed, fe-male DLH kitten. She is a bit shy butwarms up with loving attention. Daisywould love a nice adopter to cuddle withfor the holidays.

Partnership for Animal Welfare(PAW) is an all-volunteer, not-for-profitgroup. To adopt an animal, volunteer ormake a tax-deductible donation, visitwww.paw-rescue.org, call 301-572-4729 or write to PAW, P.O. Box 1074,Greenbelt, MD 20768.

Sgt. Pepper

Daisy

To submit an item for the Civic Cal-endar, e-mail [email protected] or fax the submissionto 703-917-0991. Deadline is Thursdayat noon two weeks prior to the event.For questions, call 703-917-6407.

THURSDAY/DEC. 18Child Safety Seat Inspection. 10

a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Fitzgerald’s AutoMall, 5501 Nicholson Lane. Free.

MONDAY/DEC. 22Blood Drive. Beth Sholom

Congregation and Talmud Torah,11825 Seven Locks Road, Potomac, issponsoring a blood drive with INOVAfrom 3-8 p.m. Call 301-279-7010 oremail [email protected] toschedule a donation.

SATURDAY/JAN. 17 Registration Begins. Register for

classes at Imagination Stage, 4908Auburn Ave. All ages. Visitwww.imaginationtheatre.org or 301-961-6060 for class schedule.

Bulletin Board

Criminal activities reported by theMontgomery County Police Departmentthrough Dec. 10.

A residential burglary occurred inthe 4000 block River Road in Potomacon Friday, Nov. 28 at 12:44 a.m. Noforced entry, nothing taken. A 18-year-old male, a 17-year-old male, a16-year-old female and a 15-year-oldmale from Potomac were arrested.

Crime Report

To have an item listed free in ThePotomac Almanac, e-mail [email protected] is Thursday at noon for the fol-lowing week’s paper. Photos encouraged.If you have any questions, call 703-917-6407.

Geneva Presbyterian Churchholds a variety of holiday events. Free.301-424-4347.

❖ Sunday, Dec. 21, 10:30 a.m.“Mary Remembers” Geneva’s Children,at the 10:30 a.m. worship service.

❖ Sunday, Dec. 21, 7:00 p.m. holi-day concert featuring the Geneva Bellsand trumpeter Matt Bickel.

❖ Christmas Eve: 4 p.m. Children’sChristmas featuring carols, drama, and

joyful fun for all. 7 p.m. CandlelightLessons and Carols featuring the Christ-mas story as told in scripture and carols.11 p.m. Communion by Candlelight inthe still of the night, featuring flutistCaitlyn Callahan.

❖ Sunday, Dec. 28, a casual serviceof carols and stories followed by a spe-cial potluck dessert reception.

❖ Sunday, Jan. 4, Epiphany of theLord! Bring candles from home to symbol-ize Christ’s light coming into the world.

The Beth Sholom Book Club willmeet Monday, Jan. 26, 8 p.m. at BethSholom Congregation and Talmud To-rah, 11825 Seven Locks Road, Potomac,to discuss Noah Gordon’s “The LastJew” and David Goldstein’s “Jacob’s

Legacy: A Genetic View of Jewish His-tory”. All are welcome. [email protected]

Beth Sholom Congregation and Tal-mud Torah, 11825 Seven Locks Road,Potomac, will be sponsoring theHerbert Lieberman Shabbatonwith Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, a world-reknown rabbi, lecturer and scholarFriday, Jan. 30 and Saturday, Jan. 31.All are welcome. Call 301-279-7010 or e-mail [email protected] for detailsabout times and luncheon on Shabbat.

The Seven Locks BaptistChurch, 11845 Seven Locks Road,Potomac, holds weekly prayer meet-ings, Wednesday in the sanctuary at

6:45 p.m. Call 301-279-9388.

“Prayer Book Hebrew,” Tuesdaysfrom 6:45-7:45 p.m. at CongregationHar Shalom, 11510 Falls Road,Potomac. Call 301-299-7087. This is acontinuing course for those who havecompleted a basic Hebrew siddur seriesof classes using Level I of “Alef Isn’tEnough.” This course is designed toopen the door to understanding theHebrew of prayers. The fee is $30 inaddition to registration fee.

First Church of Christ, Scientistholds testimony meetings everyWednesday at 7:30 p.m. at 100 NelsonSt. Rockville. Free child care and park-ing is provided. Call 301-762-8222.

Faith Notes


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Schools

Norwood School photo

At the Kennedy CenterNorwood Middle School Chorus and their music teacher, Christine Saunders, on thesteps of the Kennedy Center Opera House. The students were there to rehearse for theirperforming in The Joffrey Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.”

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News

From Page 5

Rental Windfall Bluesthat at least 20 to 25 new list-

ings go up each hour, though he isonly able to repost his announce-ment once a day — Allen is hold-ing out hope that after the NewYear people will start to feel theurgency of the impending celebra-tion and he will start fielding in-

terest. After hearing about otherplaces to post his listing, Allen saidhe would likely give those a trytoo.

“I’ll probably toss it on there tooand see what happens,” he said.“It would be great if this happens,it would be a nice little windfallfor me.”

Solar Champion County Councilman and Potomacresident Roger Berliner (D-1),

middle, recently received the Maryland / D.C. / VirginiaSolar Energy Industries Association’s annual Solar Cham-pions of the Year Award for his work on a package ofclimate change legislation earlier this year. RecentlyBerliner was elected to a one-year term as the Montgom-ery County Council vice president. With him in the photois Eric Coffman and Susan Kirby, planning specialists atDEP.


Our Lady Of Mercy Catholic ChurchRev. Msgr. William J. English, Pastor

invites you to join us as we prepare forChristmas

Advent Lessons & CarolsDecember 14, 3:00pm

followed by aReception & Christmas sing-along

4:00pman event for kids “from one to ninety-two”!

Penance ServiceDecember 16, 7:30pm

ReconciliationDecember 20, 9:30am-5:00pm

available all dayMasses

9200 Kentsdale Drive Potomac, MD 20854phone 301-365-1415 website: www.olom.org

Christmas Eve4:00pm (2 Masses),6:00pm, 8:00pm& 10:00pm

Christmas Day8:30am, 10:45am

& 12:30pm Mass in Korean, 5:00pm

Calendar

To have community events listed free inThe Potomac Almanac, send e-mail [email protected] is Thursday at noon for the fol-lowing week’s paper. Photos and artworkencouraged. Unless otherwise noted, allevents are in Potomac. For more informa-tion, call 703-917-6407.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 17Afternoon Tea. Harpist Jo Morrison is

performing at 1 p.m. at the Mansionat Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike,North Bethesda. Prepaid reservationsrequired; $21 plus tax. Call 301-581-5108.

Art After Hours. Zemer Chai, the 30-member Jewish Community Choir ofWashington, D.C. performs at 7:30p.m. in the Mansion at Strathmore,10701 Rockville Pike, NorthBethesda. Tickets: $15; call 301-581-5100.

Book Discussion. 1 p.m. at PotomacLibrary, 10101 Glenolden Drive.Discuss “An Equal Music” by VikramSeth. Free. 240-777-0690.

Book Signing. 7:30 p.m. at AudubonNaturalist Society, 8490 Jones MillRoad, Chevy Chase. Get copies of“City of Trees.” Free. 301-652-3606.

Book Party. 7:30 p.m. in the WoodendMansion Great Hall. MelanieChoukas-Bradley will talk about hernew book “City of Trees: TheComplete Field Guide to the Trees ofWashington, D.C. Free.

THURSDAY/ DEC. 18Winter Snacks for Animals. 10 a.m.

at Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777Democracy Blvd., Bethesda. Children3 years and up can feed the animals.$3/person. 301-299-1990.

Monthly Talk. 7:30 p.m. at AdidamRevelation Bookstore. Hear a talk byAvatar Adi Da Samraj and hisstudents. $9 donation. 301-762-1057.

FRIDAY/DEC. 19Six String Sing-a-Long. A musical

performance and sing-a-long ofchildren’s favorites with EllisWoodward at the Cabin John MallAtrium, 11325 Seven Locks Road,Potomac, 9:30 a.m.

Contra Dance. The Friday NightDancers presents traditionalAmerican dancing including contradances, square dances, and waltzesat the Spanish Ballroom in Glen EchoPark. Contra dance lesson from 7:30-8:15 p.m., dance from 8:30-11:30p.m. to live music. $9/person. [email protected].

Swing Dance. Enjoy a swing dance atthe Spanish Ballroom in Glen EchoPark. Beginner Swing lesson from 8-9p.m. and dance from 9 p.m.- 12 a.m.to live music. $15/person.

Theater Performance. The AmericanDance Institute’s Youth Ensemble willperform a condensed version of “TheNutcracker” at 7:30 p.m. at theinstitute, 1570 East Jefferson St.,Rockville. $20/adult; $10/child,senior. Visit www.americandance.orgor 301-984-3003 for tickets.

SATURDAY/DEC. 20 Family Solstice Hike. 11 a.m. at

Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777Democracy Blvd., Bethesda. Familiescan enjoy hikes and more. $2/person.301-299-1990.

Music Performance. 8 p.m. at theMusic Center at Strathmore. Hear theNational Philharmonic Choraleperform “Messiah.” Tickets start at$29. Children free. Visitwww.nationalphilharmonic.org or301-581-5100.

Theater Performance. The AmericanDance Institute’s Youth Ensemble willperform a condensed version of “TheNutcracker” at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. atthe institute, 1570 East Jefferson St.,

Rockville. $20/adult; $10/child,senior. Visit www.americandance.orgor 301-984-3003 for tickets.

SUNDAY/DEC. 21 Christmas Music. The Washington

Chorus performs at 5 p.m. in theMusic Center at Strathmore, 5301Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.Tickets start at $15; call 202-342-6221.

Waltz Dance. Enjoy a waltz dance atthe Spanish Ballroom in Glen EchoPark. Beginner Waltz lesson from 3-3:30 p.m. and dance from 3:30-6p.m. to live music. $8/person. CallJoan Koury at 202-238-0230 or visitwww.WaltzTimeDances.org.

Contra and Square Dance. TheFolklore Society of GreaterWashington presents traditionalAmerican dancing including contradances, square dances, and waltzesat the Spanish Ballroom in Glen EchoPark. Dance lesson from 7-7:30 p.m.,dance from 7:30-10:30 p.m. to livemusic. $12/non-members, $9/FSGWmembers.

Chanukah Menorah LightingCelebration. 4:45 p.m. at CabinJohn Shopping Center parking lot,corner of Tuckerman and SevenLocks Roads. Enjoy clowns, magictricks, free food, music and more.Free. Visitwww.LightTheMenorah.com.

Theater Performance. The AmericanDance Institute’s Youth Ensemble willperform a condensed version of “TheNutcracker” at 3 p.m. at the institute,1570 East Jefferson St., Rockville.$20/adult; $10/child, senior. Visitwww.americandance.org or 301-984-3003 for tickets.

Sugar Plum Extravaganza. 11:30a.m.-1 p.m. at The American DanceInstitute, 1570 East Jefferson St.,Rockville. Children ages 3-8 canenjoy activities, story dance, pictureswith the Sugar Plum Fairy and more.$25 includes one adult and one child;$25 for extra children and adult. Visitwww.americandance.org or 301-984-3003 for tickets.

MONDAY/DEC. 22Holiday Celebration. The

Washington Symphonic Brass

performs Christmas classics at 7:30p.m. in the Music Center atStrathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane,North Bethesda. Tickets: $29;children 7-17 free. Call 301-581-5100.

TUESDAY/DEC. 23 Dipless Candles. 6 p.m. at Locust

Grove Nature Center, 7777Democracy Blvd., Bethesda. Familieswith children 5 and up can craftsimple candles with no smoke orwax. $6/person. 301-299-1990.

FRIDAY/DEC. 26 Contra Dance. The Friday Night

Dancers presents traditionalAmerican dancing including contradances, square dances, and waltzesat the Spanish Ballroom in Glen EchoPark. Contra dance lesson from 7:30-8:15 p.m., dance from 8:30-11:30p.m. to live music. $9/person. [email protected].

SATURDAY/DEC. 27Chanukah Feast. A Strathmore-

produced stage version of thepopular CD will run at 8 p.m. in theMusic Center at Strathmore, 5301Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.Tickets: $21; call 301-581-5100.

Swing Dance. Enjoy a swing dance atthe Spanish Ballroom in Glen EchoPark. Beginner Swing lesson from 8-9p.m. and dance from 9 p.m.- 12 a.m.to live music. $15/person. Visitwww.tomcunningham.com.

Music. 7:30 p.m. at KreegerAuditorium, JCC of GreaterWashington, Rockville. Hear musicby Lenny Solomon. $18/adult; $15/child. Visit www.jewishroc.org or301-468-3881.

SUNDAY/DEC. 28 Cajun/Zydeco Dance. Dancing by

the Bayou presents Cajun and Zydecodancing with Dennis Stroughmatt &Creole Stomp at the Bumper CarPavilion in Glen Echo Park. Cajundancing lesson at 3 p.m. followed by

See Calendar, Page 13

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American Dance Institute students Alanna Ahlers andMeggan Childs lead children in Nutcracker plies andpirouettes during last year’s Sugar Plum Extravaganza.This year’s event will be on Sunday, Dec. 21 from 11:30a.m.-1 p.m.


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At Potomac Seniors Village, we provide respite carefor as little as few days or as long as a few months.Many people choose respite care for their elderlyfamily member when preparing for a scheduledvacation, a business trip, or simply because theyneed time off from the demands of care giving.

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From Page 12

Calendar

a dance from 3:30-6 p.m. $15/person. [email protected].

Contra and Square Dance. The Folklore Societyof Greater Washington presents traditionalAmerican dancing including contra dances,square dances, and waltzes at the SpanishBallroom in Glen Echo Park. Dance lesson from7-7:30 p.m., dance from 7:30-10:30 p.m. to livemusic. $12/non-members, $9/FSGW members.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 31 Nature Craft Potpourri. 1 p.m. at Locust Grove

Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda.Make a magnet with supplies. $4/person. 301-299-1990.

TUESDAY/JAN. 6 Chinese Book Club. Join in a Chinese book

discussion in the Chinese language from 7-9p.m. at the Potomac Library, 10101 GlenoldenDrive. Registration not required.

Afternoon Tea. Pianist John Dassoulas isperforming at 1 p.m. at the Mansion atStrathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, NorthBethesda. Prepaid reservations required; $21plus tax. Call 301-581-5108.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 7 Afternoon Tea. Harpist Carol Rose Duane is

performing at 1 p.m. at the Mansion atStrathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, NorthBethesda. Prepaid reservations required; $21plus tax. Call 301-581-5108.

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Reservation Suggested

Make Your Reservations Earlyfor Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve

“The Nutcracker” is runningthrough Dec. 31 at the AdventureTheatre in Glen Echo Park. Perfor-mances on Wednesdays, Thursdays andFridays at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. andSaturdays and Sundays at 11:30 a.m.and 1 p.m. Special shows on Nov. 28and Dec. 26-31 at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.Tickets: $10. Call 301-320-6668 or visitwww.thepuppetco.org.

“Frosty the Snowman” will beplaying at the Adventure Theatre inGlen Echo Park Dec. 5- Jan. 4. Call thebox office at 301-634-2270 for showtimes and tickets.

“The Lion, the Witch and the

Theater

Wardrobe” will be performed at theRoundhouse Theatre in Silver Spring,Dec. 15-20 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 21 at11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Call the box of-fice at 301-634-2270.

“Miss Nelson is Missing!,” amusical-comedy, will be running at theImagination Stage, 4908 AuburnAve., Bethesda, through Jan. 4 at12:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays andSundays. Recommended for ages 4 andup. Call the box office at 301-280-1660or visit www.ImaginationStage.org.

“Zomo the Rabbit: A Hip-HopCreation Myth,” a contemporary,high-energy take on an African tale will

be running at the Imagination Stage,4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda, Jan. 24-March 8, 2009 at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m.on Saturdays and Sundays. Recom-mended for ages 4 and up. Call the boxoffice at 301-280-1660 or visitwww.ImaginationStage.org.

Adventure Theatre continues itsliterary series with seven popularchildren’s book adaptations. Experiencethe journey from reading the books athome to seeing the plays unfold beforeyour eyes. Performances are always onSundays at 1:30 p.m. at the theatrein Glen Echo Park. For children ages 4and up. $10/family. Call 301-634-2270or visit www.adventuretheatre.org.

A Holiday Art Show and Sale willbe hold in the Popcorn Gallery in GlenEcho Park Saturdays and Sundays, Nov.22- Jan. 11, 12-6 p.m. Exhibition willfeature works by resident artists.

Work from The Miniature Paint-ers, Sculptors & Gravers Societyof Washington, D.C. is on display atthe Mansion at Strathmore’s GudelskyGalley Suite from December throughJan. 3. All the work is original and mustbe rendered 1/6 or less than life size andthe image may not exceed 25 squareinches. Free. Visit www.strathmore.org.

Peruvian artist Nebiur Arellano isdisplaying tapestries inspired by the in-digenous cultures of her homeland atthe Mansion at Strathmore’s First FloorGalleries from December throughJan. 3. Free. Visit www.strathmore.org.

Alice Hui’s wood fire stoneware,porcelain teapots and vases and sculp-

tures both wheel-thrown and slab-builtand Jane Brashares’ handmade pa-per, natural dyes, and found objectssuch as sea glass, stones and weatheredwood are on display at the Mansion atStrathmore’s Invitational Galley fromDecember through Jan. 3. Visitwww.strathmore.org.

Potomac artist Martha LechnerSpak will have artwork on display inthe Target Gallery’s juried art showfrom Dec. 11 through Jan. 11. Tar-get Gallery is located in the TorpedoFactory, 105 N. Union St., Alexandria.Free. Visit www.torpedofactory.org or301-469-0189.

Joyce Zipperer’s“Unmentionables…Then and Now,” adisplay of undergarments made of metalfabrics runs at the Mansion atStrathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike,North Bethesda, from Jan. 5-31.

See “Figurative Work” by DrewParris from Jan. 6 through Feb. 7at Waverly Street Gallery, 4600 East-West Highway, Bethesda. See drawingsand more. Free. 301-951-9441.

See “ Turning the Page” and“The Art of the Book” throughFeb. 21, exhibiting the fine art behindbook illustration for children, and artistbooks presenting images as the mainform of communication. Located at 155Gibbs St., Rockville. 301-315-8200 orwww.visartscenter.org. Free.

The 35th anniversary celebration ofthe Potomac Vally Watercoloristsruns at the Mansion at Strathmore,10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda,from Jan. 10-Feb. 21.

Yellow Barn Gallery at Glen EchoPark, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo.Free exhibits of emerging artist workand art sales. Each weekend features thework of a different artist. Every Satur-day and Sunday from 12 - 5 p.m. Call301-371-5593 or visitwww.yellowbarnstudio.com.

The Bethesda Art Walk allows artlovers to visit downtown Bethesda’s gal-lery community from 6-9 p.m. on thesecond Friday of every month.Many galleries change exhibits monthlyand hold receptions showcasing the fea-tured artist in conjunction with theBethesda Art Walk.

Glen Echo Pottery. Glen Echo Pot-tery maintains ongoing exhibits in theGlen Echo Pottery Gallery in Glen EchoPark, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo.These feature a special selection of workby resident artists, instructors and stu-dents. Every Saturday and Sunday fromnoon to 5 p.m. Call 301-229-5585 orvisit www.glenechopottery.com.

Glassworks is the D.C. area’s firstglass school located in Glen Echo Park,7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo.When classes are not in session, the stu-dio is open for visitors to observeglassblowing and view the work of resi-dent artist Rick Sherbert. Call301-229-4184 or visitwww.ricksherbertglass.com.

The Art Glass Center at Glen Echoexhibits continually in the Art GlassCenter Gallery. These exhibits featurethe work of resident artists Diane Cab,Christine Hekimian, Bev and ZaydeSleph, and Bobbi Vischi. Sculpture, ves-sels, functional art, and jewelry are alsofor sale. All exhibited work is made atthe Art Glass Center Studio. The ArtGlass Center also produces other exhib-its featuring resident artists, faculty,students and invited artists. The galleryand studio are open to the public on theweekends and by appointment. ContactBobbi Vischi at [email protected].

Fine Arts


News

Tennis Bubble Faces Uphill BattleFrom Page 3

From Page 3

Learning‘Utopia’

cises and other means whatCopeland calls the “neurological re-set” that helps so many of her stu-dents throughout the day.

“No kidding, this is utopia,” saidDeneen Wilson, whose son attendsDiener. Last year her son attended asynagogue preschool in the morningand a special-needs preschool in theafternoon and resisted going toschool every day.

“The proof is in the pudding withmy child who resisted going to schoollast year,” Wilson said. This year?“Loves it. Loves it.”

FINDING THE RIGHT studentsfor the school is a matter of groupingchildren together socially, as much asit is to do with their needs, since cre-ating a cohesive classroom environ-ment is of paramount importance,said the Lois McCabe, who directs theschool’s enrollment program. To en-sure a good fit, maintain a small classsize and ensure plenty of individualattention, not all families who applyare accepted. Of 49 applicants for thisschool year, 19 were accepted and 14enrolled. “It’s amazing when it allcomes together but it’s a really diffi-cult process to put together,” McCabesaid. Perhaps the biggest puzzle pieceto a student’s well-being — any stu-dent, but particularly those with de-velopmental and learning challenges— is to help them build self-esteem.Copeland makes sure that the stu-dents are rewarded and acknowl-edged not for completing specifictasks as much as they are for work-ing hard. To that end, teachers helpstudents construct a graph chartingthe things they’ve done that day, fromworking on their math assignmentsto eating lunch or doing fitness exer-cises. “Hard work and effort is reallycommended here more than ability,”Copeland said. “It’s not the product,it’s the process.”

It’s a process that is ongoing. Di-ener is named after Copeland’s grand-father, Jack Diener, who encouragedand supported Copeland in her questto open the school up to the time ofhis death shortly before it opened forthe 2007 school year. Diener was aninspiration and a support forCopeland, much as Copeland and herstaff now are for the students andfamilies of her school.

“She really is the most dedicated,amazing person I’ve ever met in termsof this sort of thing,” said Wilson.

To learn more about The DienerSchool visit thedienerschool.org.

Board.The board’s vote is not final in this situa-

tion; the proposal to add the bubble is arequest to modify the club’s special excep-tion under which it operates and that willbe decided at a Jan. 9 hearing at the Mont-gomery County Board of Appeals. The Plan-ning Board’s vote is an advisory opinion thathelps guide delibera-tions at the Board ofAppeals.

Adding the bubblewould be a way forthe club to add year-round revenue tohelp ensure its finan-cial health throughmembership fluctua-tions that all com-munity pools endure, said Ted Sears, presi-dent of the Potomac Swim and Tennis Cluband would be an amenity to club and com-munity members.

“Tennis tends to be one of those sportsthat if you learn it young you keep it forlife and … it seems to be a great thing to beable to offer people in the community,” saidSears.

The plan is to shift the two courts cur-rently bordering Oaklyn Drive 17 feet awayfrom Oaklyn and 12 feet to the east, add acourt, and top them with a bubble thatwould be 35 feet high at its apex. The

bubble would be raised from Oct. 25 to April15 each year, and additional lighting wouldallow nighttime tennis to be played until10 p.m. each night the rest of the year. Thebubble would be a dark green to blend inwith the trees, would be screened by addi-tional trees and would be opaque unlikeother bubble in the area such as the one onthe Georgetown Prep campus.

Richard Backuslives next to the clubon Oaklyn Drive andhas been active in or-ganizing neighbor-hood support againstthe bubble. Oppo-nents of the bubbleworry that it will bemore visually obtru-sive than club offi-

cials have let on, and they are wary of hav-ing the resultant year-round traffic and ac-tivity the operation would bring.

THE STAFF REPORT for the planningboard recommends denial of the proposedimprovements because of the visibility toneighbors and suggests that the 18,600square footprint bubble would be out ofcharacter with the residential surroundings.

Yet the biggest obstacle the club faces toits proposal is a matter of trust, or a lackthereof. Backus said that the club violatesthe language of the special exception un-

der which it operates each time they hold aswim meet during the summer and attend-ees park on Oaklyn Drive — on which noparking is permitted — and he does notbelieve that the club would abide by otherlanguage in the special exception that al-lows only club members to utilize its pooland courts. Backus said that when the pro-posal first went public, he saw a post onthe club’s Web site offering member andnon-member tennis rates. That post quicklycame down and club officials have said re-peatedly that they would not open thebubble to non-members, but those asser-tions have not swayed the opposition.

“No matter what they say they do some-thing else,” Backus said.

BARNES SAID that her group tends tosupport neighbors opposed to expandedfacilities in their neighborhoods, but is alsoopposed to the plan because she, too, doesnot believe that the club will not violate itsspecial exception in operating the bubble.

“Absolutely not, members only,” Sears saidwhen asked if non-members would be al-lowed to use or take lessons in the bubble.“We have no intention of allowing non–members to use the facility.” Sears said hedoesn’t know what else he can tell theneighbors to convince them of that, but sofar it hasn’t worked.

“I don’t believe that. I don’t think theneighbors believe it,” said Barnes.

“We have no intention ofallowing non–membersto use the facility.”

— Ted Sears, President, PotomacSwim and Tennis Club

From Page 3

Resolution for Snyder Retaining Wall in the Worksbuild a new, more stable, reinforced wall

in front of the old wall, which was con-structed before Snyder bought the propertyin 1999. An environmental assessment ofthat plan and alternative options as well asthe threat that the failure of the wall posesto the slope below it hasnearly been completedby officials from the U.S.Department of the Inte-rior and the Park Service,said Kevin Brandt, super-intendent of the C&O Ca-nal National HistoricalPark.

“Everyone is anxiousto move forward,” saidBrandt.

THE NATIONAL PARKService must approveSnyder’s request to sta-bilize the 400-foot longwall because it stands ina scenic easement on theproperty administeredby the park, the lan-guage of which prohibits the constructionor rebuilding of structures within 200 feetof the park.

Efforts initiated by the previous owner tobuttress the wall were unsuccessful, and in2005 a 60-foot portion of the wall collapsed,

resulting in a landslide of soil and wall de-bris. Silt fencing and tarps were installedto stabilize the slope where the wall col-lapsed at the order of Montgomery Countyas a short-term fix, but the wall may havebeen destabilized by the removal of 130trees in the easement without Montgomery

County’s permission in2004 also contributed tothe wall’s deteriorationby destabilizing theslope below it.

“It absolutely did,”said Ginny Barnes, en-vironmental chair andpast-president of theWest MontgomeryCounty Citizens Asso-ciation.

Snyder was ultimatelyfined $37,000 for thatincident and required toplant replacement treesby both the County andthe National Park Ser-vice. The replantings re-quired by the Park Ser-vice were never fully

completed because of the landslide that oc-curred when the retaining wall broke,Brandt said. Those required by the Countynever began.

“We’re just waiting for a decision from[the National Park Service]… and then we’ll

get the planting done shortly thereafter,”said Mark Pfefferle, the forest conservationcoordinator for the Maryland-NationalCapital Park and Planning Commission

IN THE YEAR since the review processbegan the hill has not deteriorated muchfurther, said Brandt, but all sides involvedwould like to see a speedy resolution.

“Getting everyone on the regulatory sideof this … to sign off on the same page istaking time. We don’t want to be out of syncwith county regulations, state regulationsand all of that,” said Brandt.

Once the environmental assessment re-view is complete, the results will be releasedto the public and a 30-day window for pub-lic comment will open.

That will likely happen in the New Year,but there is no solid timetable for it, saidBrandt. If there are no significant oversightsbrought to light during the public reviewperiod the planned replacement wall islikely to proceed.

“I’m still hopeful that when the weatherbreaks, whatever the resolution is, we canget under way with it in the spring,” Brandtsaid.

For more information on the wall and toview the environmental report when it isreleased, visit the Park Service’s web pagefor the project at http://p a r k p l a n n i n g . n p s . g o v /projectHome.cfm?parkId=177&projectId=18554.

“I’m still hopefulthat when theweather breaks,whatever theresolution is, we canget under way withit in the spring.”

— Kevin Brandt, Superinten-dent, C&O Canal National

Historical Park


Sports

By Mark Giannotto

The Almanac

It was at a late July basketball tournamentthat Churchill guard Chase Hicks hadwhat he thought was just a casual con-

versation with his then-Bullis counterpart,Elijah Gore, about coming to play for a dif-ferent set of Bulldogs.

As Hicks tells it, Gore wasn’t happy withhis situation at Bullis and made a passing ref-erence about changingteams. Hicks told him he’d bewelcome at Churchill.

“I didn’t know he was be-ing serious, though,” saidHicks. “The first day ofschool, he just showed upunannounced. Nobody knewwho he was, except me.”

Luckily for the Bulldogs,there aren’t too many peoplewho haven’t heard ofChurchill’s newest guard these days. The 6-foot-2 Gore, a senior, has added much to analready veteran-laden squad, averaging morethan 13 points per game with the Bulldogsoff to 1-2 start to the season.

Coaches and teammates alike have heapedpraise on the transfer from just down the roadfor his toughness, willingness to do just aboutanything asked of him, and work ethic.

“He guards with the best of them and he’salways dying to get in the gym,” said coachMatt Miller. “Every time I talk to him, it’s al-ways ‘Coach, can I get to the gym and getsome extra shots? Coach can I get in theweight room.’ He always wants to better him-self.”

Off the court, Gore seems to have adjustedwell to his new team. He credits Miller’s three-day-a-week fall workout schedule for allow-ing him to get to know Churchill’s six otherseniors. And he made it a point to hang outwith teammates outside of school to create abond before official practices even began.

“I didn’t know anybody besides Chase,” saidGore. “So I had a lot of catching up to doquick.”

Miller said he has noticed Gore taking onmore of a vocal leadership role of late, an in-dication that things aren’t quite so unusualfor him anymore. Hicks said his former foeeasily became “part of the family” in the lockerroom.

Now comfortable in once-unfamiliar sur-roundings, Gore has his sights set on takingthe Bulldog boy’s basketball program to aplace they haven’t been acquainted with foryears: the state semifinals.

“Right now I’m really happy with my deci-sion, but I won’t be happy with the whole situ-ation unless we’re playing in March,” saidGore.

Churchill faced Magruder Tuesday night,after the Almanac’s press time. The Bulldogsclose the week with a game at Blair Fridaynight.

By Mark Giannotto

The Almanac

It still comes as a surprise to Churchillswim and dive coach Rodney VanTassell when he watches finishes likethat of the 100-meter boy’s backstroke

race at last Saturday’s meet against Woottonat the Montgomery Aquatic Center.

“Look at that freshman power,” he yelledas the latest of his freakishly good fresh-men class took home another top-threeshowing. This time it was frosh Colin Asburycoming in second place with a time of 59.85.

But Asbury is just one of 19 freshmen thathelped catapult Churchill past the Patriots,201-141, a victory that saw the Bulldogsdominate both the boy’s and girl’s competi-tions. For a team that didn’t graduate anycontributing scorers from last year’s countychampionship girl’s team and third placeboy’s team, it has oftentimes felt like anembarrassment of riches.

“I’ve never seen a class like this,” said VanTassell, who is now in his seventh year ascoach. “It’s the strongest team I’ve ever seenhere, and it’s probably the strongest teamChurchill has had since the late 1980s.”

Although very few of the newcomers fin-ished in first place Saturday, there wereplenty of seconds, thirds, and fourths thatare crucial towards winning the team por-tion of swim and dive meets.

It’s this added depth that has the entireteam excited for what might be come theend of the season. Van Tassell thinks thegirls have a shot at winning metros, whilethe boy’s could fol-low their lead andtake home acounty champion-ship.

“It’s been reallyexciting because Ihaven’t had the ex-perience of having a lot of good freshmen,”said senior captain Matt Jacober. “Usuallythey start off kind of bad and then experi-ence comes with age, they’ve added somuch to the team right away.”

THE BULLDOGS were downright domi-nant on Saturday winning 14 of the meet’s22 events. Leading the charge on the boy’sside was junior Christopher Verbancouer,who took home first place in the 200-yardindividual medley and 100-yard butterflyraces. Senior Marco Tinari conquered thetest of endurance that is the 500-yardfreestyle race, finishing with a time of4:54.72. Tinari also finished in second inthe 200-yard freestyle race.

On top of his second-place showing in back-stroke, Asbury was

also fast enough to win the 50-yardfreestyle race with a time of 23.02. Hewas joined in the winner’s circle by fel-low freshman Collin Stanhope, who wonthe 100-yard breast stroke race.

Senior Michael Stanton and freshmanTimothy Faeber finished in first and sec-ond, respectively, in the diving portionof the meet.

The Churchill girl’s were equally im-pressive, led by senior Dorothy Yu, whofinished in first place in the 200-yard in-dividual medley and the 100-yard back-stroke races. Sophomore Emily Hall wasalso solid, garnering second-place show-ings in the 200- and 500-yard freestyleraces. Junior Alexandra Stanton won the

girl’s diving competition.

WHILE THE FINAL score was disap-pointing, the Wootton swim and diveteam had its bright spots. Coach HowardBlume was particularly happy with theperformances of his own dynamic fresh-men, Kenneth Ke and Michael Fu.

Fu finished in third place in the 100-meter breaststroke, while Ke took homefourth place in the 50-yard freestyle. Onthe girl’s side, Sophia Wang had a ban-ner day, finishing in first place in the100-yard freestyle with a time of 55.76.

Churchill returns to the pool this Sat-urday for a meet against Sherwood atthe Rockville Municipal Swim Center.Wootton takes on Bethesda Chevy-Chase Saturday at the Germantown In-door Pool.

Already loaded withtalent, Churchill swimand dive might haveits best freshmenclass ever.

A Focus on Freshmen ClassSmoothTransferFormer Bullis starteris now leadingChurchill basketball.

Elijah Gore

Churchill sophomore Emily Hall finished in second place in boththe 200- and 500-yard freestyle races.

Wootton freshman Michael Fu was one of severalfirst-year varsity swimmers and divers that hadimpressive showings for both the Patriots andChurchill last Saturday.

“It’s the strongest teamI’ve ever seen here.”

— Churchill coachRodney Van Tassell

Photos by Harvey Levine/The Almanac

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