Hickory

During May, students were recognized for the Character Counts! trait of determination at Hickory Elementary School. Students and families were invited to school for a pinning ceremony, which included certificates, pencils and erasers, followed by ice cream sundaes and family bingo. First row, from left, Aiden Young. Second row, Amylia Edwards, Emily Giffin, Benjamin Riley, Hailey Bui and Elijah Carey. Third row, Richard Edwards, Isaiah Edwards, Holden Shirley and Daniel Keplinger. Fourth row, E.J. McKee, Jossy Ventura, Alexis Hubbard and Juliet Kisalita.

During April, students were recognized for the Character Counts! trait of courage at Hickory Elementary School. Students and families were invited to school for a "pinning ceremony," which included certificates, pencils and erasers, followed by ice cream sundaes and family bingo. Honored students included Destiny Vinyard, Stephen Goodman, Tanner Morgan, Jordan Brown, Tea Taylor, Hao Lui, Mariah Davis, Leanne Jones, Katana Hawkes, Jakob Lane, Brittany Weese, Jacob Danner, Coby Brady and Khosim Mohamad.

During March, students were recognized for the character trait of loyalty at Hickory Elementary School. Students and families were invited to school for a "pinning ceremony," which included certificates, pencils and erasers, followed by ice cream sundaes and family bingo. Honored students included Maranda Poffenberger, Jared Silvers, Corrine Carrazco, Noah Cauffman, Abigail Gricks, Mary Frances Troast, Corbin Carrazco, Kevin Weddle, Kaiden Echeverry, Noah Mills, Haile Smith, Sarah Duffy, Stephanie Leisinger and Brooke Poffenberger.

HAGERSTOWN -- It's a fine balancing act -- co-parenting four children, working full time, and volunteering in her church and children's school. But it's one Tina Carrazco enjoys and seems to manage with ease. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed, and a nomination by the staff at Hickory Elementary School has led to her being named the countywide winner of the Comcast Parent Involvement Matters Award. The award is a collaboration between Comcast and the Maryland State Department of Education.

During September, Hickory Elementary School collected old phone books to be recycled at a local recycling agency. Hickory collected a total of 1,852 phone books. The winning classroom, Ashly Weidner's first-grade class, collected 627 phone books. Class members included Brianna Morrison, Mariah Naugle, Malayia Brady, Tea Taylor, Cecil Smith, Deziree Alvez-Wilson, Jessica Hutzell, Jordan Bussard, Noah Baker, Rhyan Kifer, Diamonte Caldwell, Isabella Wegman, Kimberly Kelley, Haley Bui, Tashera Lloyd and Kaiden Echeverry.

These Hickory Elementary School students exhibited the Character Counts! pillar of Responsibility for the month of September. Row one, from left, Abby Esser, Makenzie Simons and Dayira Goodwin-Sappleton; row two, Jessica Hutzell, Diamonte Caldwell, Athena Pike and Spenser Lane; row three, Billy Wood, Sophie Butts, Skyler Koontz and Alyssa Stickley; and row four, Alexis Hubbard, Corveyon King, Lindsey Weaver, Drew Huffer, Bryan Detrow and Brittany Weese....

WILLIAMSPORT -- What's big, blue and furry and brings an anti-bullying message with it as it visits schools from Virginia to Connecticut? YoJo, a costumed character with a mop of red hair who stands 7-feet tall, was recently at Hickory Elementary School to share an important lesson about bullying. YoJo's dance moves and attitude generated squeals of laughter among the audience. The assembly was paid for by money awarded to the school for the students' performance on Maryland State Assessments.

For Mike McDonald, good music comes from good relationships among band members. "I've played in a lot of bands through the years, and not all of the band members saw things the same way," said McDonald, mandolin player for bluegrass band Hickory Ridge. "We're all on the same page, which helps. " Hickory Ridge will be play Saturday, July 18 in City Park as part of the Music by the Lake series, which is a summer concert series featuring local bluegrass musicians. McDonald said Hickory Ridge members get along well, and it shows in their productivity.