Calvert - County Times - Southern Maryland Online

Spotlight OnThe Calvert GazetteThursday, March 15, 2012 12Local Girls Scouts ModelingFounder By Leading The WayBy Corrin M. HoweStaff WriterJuliette Low, founderof the United State’s GirlScouts, was progressivefor her time, according toLinda Buckley, member ofthe Girl Scouts of CalvertCounty 100th AnniversaryCommittee.“Back then sportsweren’t something theycould do. She set up a basketballhoop in her backyardand put up curtains so noone could see the girls playingin their bloomers,” saidBuckley.The Girl Scouts werethe first to integrate African-American girls and girlswith disabilities. Low wantedall girls to participate.The Calvert Committeestarted planning the 100th Anniversary Celebrationactivities in December 2010.“We called around to see what other GirlScouts were doing and discovered we were amongthe first to start planning. In fact, we started receivingcalls to find out what we were doing,” saidBuckley.The committee, representing each of the fourservice units in the county and the Girl Scout fieldrepresentative, had a mission in mind during theentire planning phase.“The goal was making sure the CalvertCounty Girl Scouts remembered the 100th Anniversaryas one of their experiences in Girl Scouts.”Buckley, a librarian at the Prince Frederickbranch, created a display case at the front of thelibrary with items from local Girl Scouts. She saidshe had enough material to fill five display cases.The items include old books, photos, letters fromthe U.S. presidents congratulating girls for earningthe top Girl Scouting award – now called theGold Award.The actually anniversary, March 12, thecommittee encouraged all Girl Scouts past andpresent to “wear their pin with pride.” Buckleywore a green sweater, green earrings and her pinthat day.At the end of the month, on March 31, atCalvert High School they will have two performanceswith three parts to celebrate a centuryof Girl Scouts. The first part will be a songfestof the songs the girls sang throughout the years.Next will be a drama called “Pearls” in referenceto Juliette Low’s necklace that she received on herwedding and later sold to raise funds. The finalsection will be a fashion show to show all the variousstyles of uniforms. The performances are at10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 and call be purchasedat www.calvertgs100.org.This spring all the service units will have a“round up” where the girls will be “making, doingand taking home different things from eachdecade in Girl Scouts.”In June, Girl Scouts from nationwide willgather on the Mall of Washington, D.C. for a singa-long.They are estimating 200,000. Calvert GirlScouts are hoping to help host some of the otherservice units which traveled great distances.“It’s still in the planning stages, but we arehoping to work with churches and having sistertroop sleep-overs and provide meals.”Grace Mary Brady of Bayside History Museumin North Beach will also have a Girl Scoutdisplay during her 2012 season.The county committee members LindaBuckley, Carol Harrison, Dayna Jacobs, KathySears and Nadine Happell planned to get togetherand celebrate after spending the nearly a year anda half working together. Buckley said the celebrationwouldn’t be possible without all the other volunteerswho have put in so many hours on each ofthe activities they headed up.Making SureChildren are in SchoolBy Sarah MillerStaff WriterIn a county wide alliance, thepublic schools and the State’s Attorney’sOffice have joined forcesto form the Calvert County TruancyCourt.State’s Attorney Laura Martinsaid they held the first of the truancycourt meetings in January, andhave held them monthly ever since.She called the court a “last ditcheffort to get kids in school” aimedat middle and high school studentswho have missed a large amountof school. She said the parents ofthe students are asked to come inand discuss why their student hasmissed so much school, some in excessof 60 days.Martin said truancy court isthe final step, if parents have notbeen responsive to school communicationstrying to find out why studentshave not been in school.Kim Roof, Executive Directorof Administration for countyschools, said truancy court hasbeen in the making for a couple ofyears, and during last summer theyfinally got it in place and identifiedand brought in the first families thatneed it.Normally, between two andfive cases are taken every month.The goal is not to incarcerate parents,Martin said, but to work withthem to find the reason kids havebeen missing school and get thestudents in the classroom. In somecases, the issue is health related andall a parent has to do is submit adoctor’s note.Martin said such cases used togo through district court, but theyneeded the personal touch the circuitcourt and Martin’s office canoffer. During a hearing, parents sitdown with either Martin or a juniorattorney and Pupil Personnel WorkerWalter Williams to talk about thechild’s absence from school.Martin said there has been acomplete turnaround in the attendancefor the students.Williams agreed with Martin,saying truancy court has “definitelymade a difference on a majorityof the families that have comethrough.”In the original 13 families thatwere identified for truancy court,students missed a combined 339days during a 10 month schoolyear. So far this year, the 13 studentshave missed a combined 96days, averaging one day per studentper month. Some students havegone months without missing a day,while others have only missed oneor two.Williams said he expects thefinal number to be a combined 120days missed, which he said is ahuge improvement during a singlecalendar year.sarahmiller@countytimes.netPlum PointPTA Needs PeopleBy Sarah MillerStaff WriterThe Plum Point ElementaryPTA is putting out a plea for all thefamilies in the school to get involvedin the organization.Plum Point PTA President KimKotess said PTA’s big fundraiser forthe year is a Family Fun Night, whichbrings in approximately $18,000.The October event has been held forthe past 10 years, and is always a success.The money is raised through asilent auction, carnival and other activitiesduring the night.The money is the biggest chunkof the yearly operating budget forthe PTA. A chunk of it goes to eachgrade level to support programmingand activities that enhance classroomlearning but may not possiblewith the constraints of the school’snormal budget.She said the PTA also supports“extracurricular activities that arefun but teachers couldn’t afford,” aswell as academic nights and schooldances.Kotess said the school communityhas seen an upswing in thenumber of families with two parentsholding full time jobs, but if eachfamily in the school donated just fourhours of time to the PTA, she saidthere would be more than enoughvolunteers to organize and run thePTA, as well as the yearly fall fundraiserwithout needing smaller onesthrough the year, such as the Christmasgift wrapping that other PTAsdo.She said the planning for thefundraiser begins in the spring, withmeetings during the summer and thebeginning of the school year. Shesaid it is the perfect time to join upand get involved with the planning ofthe Family Fun Night. She said thePTA needs everyone they can get,and there are jobs for any abilities.For more information, call Kotessat 410-414-2185.sarahmiller@countytimes.net