Summer Vacation

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. - Ella Starr's summer vacation after high school graduation will be cut short by her entrance into the U.S. Naval Academy less than 48 hours before Independence Day. "I wanted to serve my country all my life and be a surgeon," Starr said. Starr, 18, will graduate from Chambersburg Area Senior High School with about 700 other students on Friday. Time after graduation will be spent in continued work at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and preparation for the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Ella Starr's summer vacation after high school graduation will be cut short by her entrance into the U.S. Naval Academy less than 48 hours before Independence Day. "I wanted to serve my country all my life and be a surgeon," Starr said. Starr, 18, will graduate from Chambersburg Area Senior High School with about 700 other students on Friday. Time after graduation will be spent in continued work at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and preparation for the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

Now that Washington County's School Superintendent Wayne Gersen has announced that he'll be moving on, the local school board will be making plans to search for his replacement. Let us suggest that in addition to having good ideas about improving the schools, the next superintendent must also have the ability to sell those ideas to the public. Dr. Gersen's tenure here was filled with a variety of accomplishments, including raising academic standards, expanding a variety of programs and developing new partnerships with the business community.

School's in for the summer By TARA REILLY / Staff Writer photo: KEVIN G. GILBERT / staff photographer Kyle Donahue is spending his summer vacation doing what's probably not expected of most 10-year-olds during the hiatus from school: He's back in the classroom. continued Donahue, a fifth-grader at Emma K. Doub Elementary School, is enrolled in the summer literacy program at Bester Elementary School along with about 150 other students. The program is a joint effort between both schools.

Schools take well-earned break Summer vacation from school is beginning this week. It's early this year because there were very few snow days to extend the academic year. Kids are ready, parents are well, maybe ready. They are looking for opportunities for fun and education over the summer, arranging child care with relatives and friends, and making plans for vacations. I have already mentioned the day camp sponsored through the Washington County Recreation Department and openings at the Good Shepherd Preschool at the United Methodist Church on Main Street.

FUNKSTOWN - Most teachers and some studies agree that summer vacation can erode reading skills, especially in younger children. At the Funkstown School for Early Childhood Education, an idea was hatched to open the school every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon for a summer reading program for students in prekindergarten through second grade. The program was the brainchild of Erin Wolford, student achievement specialist. Beth Berry, media specialist, and Lucinda Line, first-grade teacher, volunteered to lead the program each Tuesday.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com WAYNESBORO, PA. - Seven doctors - three orthopedic surgeons, two gastroenterologists and two cardiologists - are being recruited to replace specialists who left Franklin County in the wake of Pennsylvania's medical malpractice insurance crisis. All seven have something in common - they are from Norway. They are being lured to the United States by better pay and the challenges offered by a new and different environment. "We have socialized medicine in Norway," gastroenterologist Arne Roseth said.

Vacation at hand Well, it's finally here! Summer vacation is so close I can already smell the suntan lotion! What a great time of year, the beginning of summer break! Only a half-day to go! Essay winners Recently, Joseph C. Herbert Unit 222 American Legion Auxiliary of Clear Spring honored its essay winners with a dinner and awards. Recipients read their winning essays for family members and the auxiliary. Winners for the grades 3 and 4 were: first place, Ashley Ardinger; second place, Samy Brandt; third place, Lakyn Elwood.

Watching her 8-year-old daughter Andrea play at Hagerstown City Park Sunday afternoon, Denise Carter said she felt relieved knowing her two daughters would be occupied while she's working this summer. "When school lets out, you've got to have it taken care of," said Carter, 41, who works the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift at her part--time job. Carter said she started checking early to make sure Andrea would get a spot at the Boys and Girls Club summer day camp at Frederick Manor, which runs most of the summer.

By LISA GRAYBEAL Staff Writer, Chambersburg CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - School, not the pool, is where more than 400 Chambersburg youths from ages 4 to 14 will voluntarily spend their summer vacation this year. The Thaddaeus Stevens Elementary School on Hollywell Avenue opened its doors Monday at 8 a.m. for the first day of a nine-week summer prevention program known as BOPIC, or Building Our Pride in Chambersburg. In its fifth year, the youth program provides educational and recreational activities - plus breakfast, lunch and a snack - for disadvantaged or at-risk youths who may otherwise be without supervision or activities.