Americorps

cailinm@herald-mail.com When school lets out, summer school is in for a number of area students who go to catch up on course requirements or gain credit to get ahead. In Washington County, some students attend as a requirement for promotion to the next grade level, but others come to get extra help with reading, writing and math, Executive Director of Secondary Education Boyd Michael III said. Michael said 269 students are enrolled in high school summer school classes and 625 students are enrolled in middle school classes, which are held for 19 days.

Lynnsay Jean Erskine, daughter of Lindsey and Lori Gudgeon of Boonsboro and wife of Benjamin Erskine, graduated April 29 from Indiana Wesleyan University. A 2002 graduate of Boonsboro High School, Erskine graduated from IWU with Bachelor of Science degrees in photography and fine arts. She is employed with Portrait Corporation of America Inc. as a professional photographer and also does freelance photography. Karly Logsdon, a sophomore at Hancock Middle-Senior High School, has been selected to attend the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference in May 2007.

By DON AINES Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Eastern Panhandle pre-schoolers needing a head start have a new Head Start Center in Berkeley County to turn to and one set to open early next year in Jefferson County. RESA VIII Head Start officials and guests Monday marked the completion of a center for Berkeley County on the campus of Berkeley Heights Elementary School. The 2,800-square-foot building serves 144 children in Berkeley County. Seventy-two of those 4-year-olds are served by a combination program, visiting the center two days a week with two home visits a month.

As the newest school in Washington County, Rockland Woods Elementary School is being used as a testing ground for new programs. One new venture is the use of a Volunteer Maryland coordinator to help build the school's volunteer base. Sarah Staley was hired as the Volunteer Maryland coordinator, assigned the main tasks of coordinating volunteer activities at the school, starting a student government to develop young leaders, helping start a PTO and developing partnerships with the local business community.

Thumbs up to B. Marie Byers , for her fine performance as moderator of two Washington County candidate forums this past week. For two hours each night, she kept the proceedings running smoothly and professionally, enforcing the rules in a way that gave all candidates an equal chance to be heard. Byers also spent months helping to plan the events. Thumbs up to the late W.E.B. DuBois and the late J.R. Clifford , among others, who in 1905 founded the Niagara Movement, which held its first meeting in 1906 at the campus of Storer College, now a part of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia.

tammyb@herald-mail.com SHARPSBURG - A little rain didn't stop a group of about 25 volunteers from venturing outdoors for some hard work - and a lot of satisfaction - at Antietam National Battlefield on Saturday. Some were local; some had traveled a bit to participate in Park Day 2003, created by the Civil War Preservation Trust for the purpose of restoring Civil War sites to their 19th-century appearance. For the mud-covered volunteers at Antietam, one of 65 sites in 18 states participating in Park Day this year, the project at hand was replanting the historic Piper Orchard with apple trees.

A young volunteer came from the community room, cradling a box of cleaning supplies in her arms. "I think we're on the ninth floor," Brittany Stranathan said to her friends waiting for her near the elevators. The 16-year-old Boonsboro High School student waited patiently in a hallway crowded with teenagers who were armed with paper towels and bottles of glass cleaner. Only a few people at a time could fit on the elevator, so it would be a while until everyone could get their chores started.

HOUSE Ethics, lobbyist rules Voting 217 for and 213 against, the House on May 3 passed a Republican bill (HR 4975) in response to ethics and lobbying scandals on Capitol Hill. The bill requires members to get pre-approval from the House Ethics Committee for privately financed travel, subjects the secretive appropriations known as earmarks to public disclosure, and requires lobbyists to post quarterly Internet reports on their campaign contributions and gifts to lawmakers and staff.

WASHINGTON - Here's how area members of Congress voted on major roll call votes in the week ending March 14. HOUSE Torture ban, spy budget veto Voting 225 for and 188 against, the House on March 11 failed to reach a two-thirds majority for overriding President Bush's veto of a fiscal 2008 intelligence budget (HR 2082) that requires CIA personnel to obey the Army Field Manual's ban on torture of prisoners. The manual authorizes 19 interrogation methods and, by implication, outlaws harsh techniques such as waterboarding used by the CIA since 9/11.

WASHINGTON -- Here's how area members of Congress voted in the week ending April 3. HOUSE Federal tobacco regulation Voting 298 for and 112 against, the House on April 2 sent the Senate a bill (HR 1256) to begin federal regulation of tobacco products. The bill empowers the Food and Drug Administration to regulate cigarette content, require disclosure of product ingredients, ban cigarette marketing to children and require more prominent health warnings. The bill would pre-empt state tobacco laws, require compliance by tribal governments and use fees on manufacturers and importers to finance the new regulatory authority.