Language Arts

Poets are invited to submit works LOGAN, Utah - Creative Communication announces its semi-annual free poetry contest. Students and adults from the Atlantic states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., are invited to enter the contest. More than $2,500 in prizes are awarded to the winning poets and $500 in grants is awarded to schools. There are five separate divisions with 10 top winners in each division. The divisions are: Grades K to 3, 4 to 5, 7 to 9, 10 to 12 and adult.

Winter Street Elementary receives award By TARA REILLY -- tarar@herald-mail.com Winter Street Elementary School received the Exemplary Reading Program Award for Maryland, the only school in the state to win the honor. continued "This recognition demonstrates a total school commitment to the students and community of the West End of Hagerstown," said John Festerman, the Washington County Board of Education's director of elementary education.

1350 Marshall St. Hagerstown Phone: 301-766-8451 Principal: Francis X. Murray III The Washington County Job Development Center program serves the vocational training needs of special-needs students ages 14 to 21. The students live at home and are served educationally through this public school program. Each student is placed in the JDC program through special-education guidelines. All students receive vocational and academic training, including language arts, math, computer skills and handwriting.

Clear Spring schedules Veterans Day assembly The annual Veterans Day assembly at Clear Spring High School will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the auditorium. School faculty, staff and students will honor America's veterans in a program that includes music from the Clear Spring High School band and chorus, patriotic readings, a guest speaker from the Clear Spring American Legion Post and a ceremonial wreath laying. Frederick County schools receive grants Frederick County Public Schools "Gifts for Education" funds, administered by the Community Foundation of Frederick County, has given $4,600 to nine schools.

WALKERSVILLE, Md. -- Walkersville Middle School celebrated the second day of the year with big news. Thanks to a winning essay submitted by a teacher, the school received $8,000 toward supplies from Wal-Mart. Rebecca Remsburg, who teaches language arts, entered her description of the school's needs to Wal-Mart's national "Write to Change the Classroom" program. Her entry was one of just 20 nationwide tapped for honors. Of the prize money, half was awarded in school supplies for Remsburg's classroom and the remainder in funds toward purchases for the entire school.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - The Harpers Ferry Job Corps recognized the service of the Shepherd University Office of Student Community Services and Service Learning and Department of Education. Doris Hall-James, Job Corps Center director, and Keith Leverett, Job Corps academics manager, presented the award to Shepherd President David L. Dunlop and C. Lynne Hannah, chair of the Department of Education. The Office of Community Services and Service Learning has coordinated a service learning component for students and faculty in the education department for several years.

1. Harlem arts To celebrate the Harlem Renaissance, students of Martinsburg High School will present instrumental and vocal music, theater productions, dancing, visual arts, literary reading, language arts and more. Refreshments. 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 31, at Martinsburg High School, 701 S. Queen St., Martinsburg, W.Va. Free. Call 304-267-3530 or email runnone@access.k12.wv.us . 2. Lenten music St. Andrew Presbyterian Church will present a cantata, “The Lenten Sketches,” with handbells, vocalists and ensembles.

Is spelling taught in Washington County schools? It might seem like a dumb question, but for much of the 1990s it hasn't been an easy one to answer. Whether a child was taught spelling sometimes depended on what school they attended or which teacher they had, according to several parents interviewed for this story. School officials don't deny there were some inconsistencies over whether spelling, a staple of the phonics method of teaching language arts, was to be part of the curriculum.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- Greencastle-Antrim High School gave the community a taste of 21st-century learning Thursday when it flipped the switch on its nine new Classrooms for the Future. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been granting money to high schools across the state to change select classrooms from chalkboards and textbooks into Classrooms for the Future with interactive white boards and Wi-Fi laptops. Principal Edward Rife said this is the first year Greencastle has been awarded the grant, despite applying for the past few years.

1. Harlem arts To celebrate the Harlem Renaissance, students of Martinsburg High School will present instrumental and vocal music, theater productions, dancing, visual arts, literary reading, language arts and more. Refreshments. 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 31, at Martinsburg High School, 701 S. Queen St., Martinsburg, W.Va. Free. Call 304-267-3530 or email runnone@access.k12.wv.us . 2. Lenten music St. Andrew Presbyterian Church will present a cantata, “The Lenten Sketches,” with handbells, vocalists and ensembles.

WALKERSVILLE, Md. -- Walkersville Middle School celebrated the second day of the year with big news. Thanks to a winning essay submitted by a teacher, the school received $8,000 toward supplies from Wal-Mart. Rebecca Remsburg, who teaches language arts, entered her description of the school's needs to Wal-Mart's national "Write to Change the Classroom" program. Her entry was one of just 20 nationwide tapped for honors. Of the prize money, half was awarded in school supplies for Remsburg's classroom and the remainder in funds toward purchases for the entire school.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- Greencastle-Antrim High School gave the community a taste of 21st-century learning Thursday when it flipped the switch on its nine new Classrooms for the Future. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been granting money to high schools across the state to change select classrooms from chalkboards and textbooks into Classrooms for the Future with interactive white boards and Wi-Fi laptops. Principal Edward Rife said this is the first year Greencastle has been awarded the grant, despite applying for the past few years.

Ballroom dancing The Jim Powers Ballroom Dance Party will be Friday at the Maugansville Ruritan Building on Maugans Avenue from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is $4. Powers will be playing the Yamaha organ. Senior site Smithsburg Senior Site calendar: Today -- Senior Information and Assistance with Tom Day, 10 a.m. Thursday -- Bingo. 10 a.m. Friday -- Closed for Independence Day. Monday -- Trivial Pursuit, 10 a.m. Tuesday -- Van stop at shopping center, 9:30 a.m.; "Osteoporosis," with Ita Kavanagh, 10 a.m. Pen Mar Park The Pen Mar Park summer concert series Sunday will feature Back to Back.

1350 Marshall St. Hagerstown Phone: 301-766-8451 Principal: Francis X. Murray III The Washington County Job Development Center program serves the vocational training needs of special-needs students ages 14 to 21. The students live at home and are served educationally through this public school program. Each student is placed in the JDC program through special-education guidelines. All students receive vocational and academic training, including language arts, math, computer skills and handwriting.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - The Harpers Ferry Job Corps recognized the service of the Shepherd University Office of Student Community Services and Service Learning and Department of Education. Doris Hall-James, Job Corps Center director, and Keith Leverett, Job Corps academics manager, presented the award to Shepherd President David L. Dunlop and C. Lynne Hannah, chair of the Department of Education. The Office of Community Services and Service Learning has coordinated a service learning component for students and faculty in the education department for several years.

janeth@herald-mail.com With the roof destroyed, windows blown out and considerable water damage, there's not much left of Terrytown Elementary School in Terrytown, La., following Hurricane Katrina. FEMA condemned the school that was built in the 1950s. The remaining students at Terrytown Elementary - 65 percent of the population fled before or after Hurricane Katrina and have not returned - are now attending Boudreaux Elementary in Jefferson Parish until they can return to their own school, probably sometime next year.

Classes offered in languages, art, dance, karate, computers Sign language classes Deafnet will offer the following American Sign Language classes: · Basic ASL II - Fridays, Jan. 14 to April 1, 9 to 11 a.m. Instructor is Dennis Gladhill. The cost is $60 and does not include a text book. For information, call Deafnet at 301-791-9025, or send e-mail to deafnet@nfis.com. Beginning language courses Hagerstown Community College Center for Continuing Education will offer language courses for those who need to learn practical and common phrases.