Elementary School

Burke Street Elementary and Martinsburg High schools again finished on top in fundraising activities in the 2011-12 American Cancer Society Relay for Life campaign, Berkeley County Schools announced Friday.   The small elementary school at the intersection of Burke and Raleigh streets in Martinsburg raised $5,700 in donations, which was more per capita than any of the county's 30 schools, according to  school district spokesperson Leah Daniel. Martinsburg High School, which raised $13,023.42, was recognized by American Cancer Society Community Manager Barbara Henry for raising the most donations, according to Daniel.

West Virginia education officials are honoring 58 schools across the state, including four in the Eastern Panhandle, for the highest level of recognition. Officials with the Office of Education Performance Audits say the exemplary status given to the schools is the gold standard of educational achievement. The schools honored Thursday, which included Inwood Primary School in Berkeley County and C.W. Shipley Elementary, Driswood Elementary and Shepherdstown Elementary schools in Jefferson County, met a set of rigorous standards on proficiency tests, student attendance and other measures.

Washington County Public Schools is piloting food pantries at six schools to help families of those schools' students, said Teresa Thorn, the school system's development coordinator. Officials with the Western Branch of the Maryland Food Bank approached the school system with the idea last year, Thorn said. The Western Branch has been supplying food for the Micah's Backpack program, which sends participating elementary school children home with 10 pounds to 15 pounds of food a week, officials said.

A children's art competition, Winter in Hagerstown, is open to artists in any media. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: elementary school; middle school (sixth through eighth grade); and high school (ninth through 12th grade). Submissions on the theme "winter in Hagerstown" must be delivered to Contemporary School of the Arts & Gallery Inc., 4 W. Franklin St., Hagers-town, by Friday, Jan. 4. Entry is free. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Rouzerville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, The Master's Four Quartet will be in concert this Sunday at 6 p.m. Marlowe (W.Va.) Assembly of God, 9045 Williamsport Pike, Falling Waters, W.Va., The Promisedland Quartet will be in concert this Sunday at 6 p.m. St. John's Episcopal Church, Hagerstown, a choral concert by the Shepherd University Chamber Singers and Women's Camerata, under the direction of Erik Reid Jones, will be Friday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. Myersville (Md.)

Classes at Shepherd University were suspended for more than two hours Tuesday due to a power outage, the university announced. Power was restored by about 1:30 p.m. University offices remained open. Hedgesville (W.Va.) Elementary School also lost power, causing students to be dismissed at 11 a.m. Afternoon prekindergarten was canceled at the school, according to Leah Daniel, spokeswoman for Berkeley County (W.Va.) Schools. Power was restored to the school at 2:10 p.m., after utility workers replaced a utility pole that caught on fire, Daniel said.

Hagerstown resident Darren Covington, 41, offered a simple and specific suggestion on how to help prevent mass shootings in schools such as what happened inside the Connecticut elementary school Friday while also giving his take on whether principals in schools should have guns. “I don't mind police officers trained to use guns, but for the principal to have one, that's a bit extreme,” said Covington, who was picking up his 10-year-old fifth-grade daughter, Lucy, on Monday from Fountaindale Elementary School.

To the editor: I am responding to Dr. Becker's letter to the editor encouraging teachers to give more homework to school children. It's fine to say that teachers should give homework to students. However, one might look at the reasons why they don't. I have a wide circle of friends who are public school teachers. I have heard from some of them that they are extremely discouraged. Some are even at the point of finding another profession. They have to "teach to test," rather than teaching for the love of children and the love of teaching.

Schools legislative liaison is recognized On behalf of the Washington County Board of Education, Schools Superintendent Clayton Wilcox recently presented a certificate of recognition and a pin to the board's legislative liaison, Ardath Cade. “One of the things that we've been blessed with are your services,” Wilcox told Cade during the school board's May 7 meeting. Wilcox said that, not long ago, a member of the county's state legislative delegation said that, in regard to securing a disparity grant for the county, there was no “tougher bird dog than you on it.” Referring to the disparity grant, Wilcox said Cade brought $1.5 million to the county.