Middle School

CLEAR SPRING - Eliminating Clear Spring Middle School's marching band program next fall would benefit students by making them better musicians, according to Dennis Wine, the middle school's band director. Wine told parents at a Clear Spring Band Booster meeting Monday that many middle school students don't have the strength and coordination to march, carry their instruments and play well at the same time. Clear Spring Middle School Principal Roger Stenersen is considering canceling the marching band program.

All Washington County middle schools will offer enrollment registration on Wednesday and Tuesday, Aug. 5, for middle school students who have moved into Washington County or who have moved within the county and as a result will change schools. Registration times for both dates are 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will be in the counseling office at each middle school. Parents may call 301-766-2960 if unsure of the school their child will attend based on residence. Children transferring from outside Washington County will need to bring: o Birth certificate.

karenh@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - Students enrolled in some rigorous middle school courses will have to wait a little longer to see if they will be able to receive high school credit for their efforts. The Washington County Board of Education came to a consensus Tuesday afternoon to return to committee a policy that would give middle schoolers credit for certain high school-level offerings. Board members agreed the proposed policy should be reworked to include the possibility of future classes being pushed down to the middle school level.

Middle school students may soon be able to take foreign language classes if the Washington County Board of Education approves a staff proposal. cont. from front page All the county's high schools offer at least one foreign language and some offer several. But local middle schools quit offering those classes in the 1980s, according to Foreign Language Coordinator Larry Steinly. Washington County is the only Maryland county west of the Chesapeake Bay that does not offer a foreign language in middle school, he said.

Young musicians from Washington County gather Saturday night at The Maryland Theatre in downtown Hagerstown to perform with the Middle School and High School All County Bands. The high school band was led by guest conductor Dr. Harlan D. Parker, conductor of The Peabody Wind Ensemble and coordinator of the Music Education Division at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. The middle school band's guest conductor was Lynn Zeller, a retired band director from Allegany County.

The Northern Middle School Destination Imagination team took first place in the middle school competition in the "I've Got a Secret" category in the March 15 tournament at South Hagerstown High School. Team members are Ashley McCoy, Annie Beachley, Sammie Beard, Stephanie Milani, Emily Smith, Susie Bechtel and Jackie Stewart. The team manager is Rob McCoy.

Middle school students are invited to the WyldLife club event Friday from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Friendship Hall on Locust Grove Road between Boonsboro and Rohrersville. WyldLife is a night specifically for middle school students (ages 11 to 14 or grades 6 to 8). The events will include contests, games, competitions and music and time with friends. Snacks will be provided. The event is free. Any middle-schooler from any school is welcome, including home-schoolers. For more information about WyldLife (the middle school branch of Young Life!

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. On a breakaway shot, David Applebaum of the Martinsburg South Middle School Trojans added two more points to the score of a basketball game with a layup. "He should've dunked that! He can dunk," a student in the crowd exclaimed. "Are they allowed to dunk?" a friend sitting near him asked in response. A year and a half after members of the Berkeley County Board of Education voted 3-2 in favor of having middle school sports, the second season of basketball is under way. During the first boys home game at South Middle one recent night, cheers and chants of "DE-FENSE" could be heard from across the parking lot. Inside, the raucous crowd applauded, stomped their feet, threw up their arms in disgust or exhilaration and expressed a few tame words for the game's referees.

karenh@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - Washington County Public School middle schoolers might be able to start eliminating their high school credits now. A resolution updating the county's graduation requirements would allow middle school students to receive high school credit for classes meeting the outcomes and rigor of approved courses in grades 9-12. The resolution, which passed by a Washington County Board of Education vote of 5-2 on its first hearing, is broader than a resolution passed in February by the board, which initially considered allowing students to receive credit for specific courses that would not be counted toward their high school record.