Banners raised to celebrate Churchill's champions

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by Peggy Vaughn

Championship banners, including one dating back to 1968, are once again hanging in all their glory on the gymnasium walls at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac. Numbering more than 50 in all, some of the 4-by-6-foot felt banners had never been displayed while others have been sitting in storage since the school's renovation four years ago.

The school's Booster Club enlisted the help of Constantine Pergantis, president of Nite Lites‚ an outdoor lighting company, in hanging the banners. Three of his employees spent much of last week up on ladders bolting the banners directly to the walls or to wooden two-by-fours they attached to the walls.

"My wife is a graduate of Churchill and many of my customers live in Potomac, so I thought it was time to give back to the community," said Pergantis of Potomac. "I've been teasing everyone that Seneca [Valley High School] may take my diploma away after this."

Sherri Cissel, co-president of the club, said the return of the banners would bring smiles to many of the school's coaches and athletes, past and present.

"It's given us back our history," she said.

The club is also trying to raise $125,000 to renovate the school's fields. On March 4, it will host a Hall of Fame Gala at Bethesda Country Club.

"It's the first time in 10 years we've held an induction ceremony for our hall of fame," said Carolyn Mattingly, club co-president. Some 11 names, including two coaches, will be added to 50 current hall-of-famers, she said.

Tickets cost $175 for the adults-only affair. For more information, call Cissel at 301-873-4748 or e-mail cisselsam@aol.com.

Walk away those winter blues

Fifty Plus Fitness, the fitness group for mature adults, will host a walk along the C&O Canal on Saturday. The walk lasts about 90 minutes and is free to non-members and welcomes all ability levels. Meet at 8:45 a.m. in the parking lot across from Old Angler's Inn, 10801 MacArthur Blvd. For information call 240-632-8355 or 301-530-5991. The event will be canceled due to rain or snow.

Students are tops in chess

Kudos to Montgomery Blair High School seniors Daniel Aisen of Potomac, Zhi-Ya Hu and Randolph Li, both of North Potomac, and Eric Ma of Rockville for winning the Maryland State Chess Championship on Jan. 30. Hu will represent the state in the National High School Chess Championship to be held in Phoenix in August.

Town meeting

State Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-Dist.15) of Germantown and Dels. Jean B. Cryor (R-Dist.15) of Potomac, Kathleen M. Dumais (D-Dist.15) of Bethesda and Brian J. Feldman (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac will host a Town Hall Meeting from 1-2 p.m. Saturday at the Upcounty Regional Services Center, 12900 Middlebrook Road, in Germantown, in conference room A.

The public is invited to discuss county and state issues, as well as issues for the 2005 Maryland General Assembly Session. For more information, contact Diane Yaeger at 301-858-3169.

Pain meeting at
Twinbrook Library

The Montgomery County Chronic Pain Support Group will host a discussion on "normalizing your condition" from 1:30-3 p.m. March 3 at Twinbrook Library, 202 Meadow Hall Drive, Rockville. The group is sponsored by Pain Connection, the Potomac-based nonprofit. For more information, call 301-309-2444 or visit www.pain
-connection.org.

"Gypsy" entertains you at
The Bullis School

The musical "Gypsy" opens tomorrow night at The Bullis School Blair Family Center for the Arts, 10601 Falls Road. Based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the show features show-stopping tunes like "Let Me Entertain You" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. For information and reservations, call 301-634-3631.

Happy Birthday to you,
Dr. Seuss

In honor of the 101st birthday of author Dr. Seuss, a Read Across America event encouraging adults to read to children will be celebrated from 1-3 p.m. this Saturday at Westfield Shoppingtown Montgomery (Montgomery mall), 7101 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda.

The fun includes storytelling by local authors, police officers and Alessandra Torres, Miss Maryland, Teen USA. Entertainers "Wendy Wand," "JuWanna" the clown, "Westie" the Kangaroo and "Bearemy" from Build-a-Bear Workshop will perform for the children.

Kids will have the chance to win $1,000 worth of books for their school by guessing the number of books in the Saturn car on display. Families will also have the chance to enter to win a Staples gift card valued at $500. The event takes place in the lower level of the Nordstrom wing of the mall.

Our congrats to...

*Marlo Bloom, 11, of Potomac, for being selected to participate in the Junior National Student Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., from June 28 to July 3. Bloom, a student at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, will attend workshops and classes studying the role of leadership in government. She is the daughter of Eric Bloom and Andrea Needle of Potomac.

*Jessica Garchik of Potomac for making the dean's list this fall at Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y. She is a sophomore majoring in arts and sciences.

*Mabilia Eunice Reyes of Potomac for making the dean's list this fall at McDaniel College in Westminster.

*Leigh E. Barkley of Potomac for being named to the merit list at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. A freshman at the school, she is the daughter of Brian and Pamela Barkley of Potomac.

*Daniel Bodansky of Potomac for making the dean's list this fall at Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y. He is majoring in finance and marketing management.

*Rebecca Q. Glickman of North Potomac for making the dean's list this fall at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pa. She is a sophomore majoring in physical therapy.

The cat is out of the hat
at Holy Child

Connelly School of the Holy Child is all set to present its annual spring show "Seussical (the Musical!)" this weekend.

Filled with all the kinds of tongue twisters and whimsical characters found in the beloved books of Dr. Seuss, the show is a delight for all ages.

The three performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday and at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $5 for students and senior citizens and $8 for adults. For more information, call 301-365-0955 or visit www.holychild.org. The school is located at 9029 Bradley Blvd.

Volunteers needed for
Potomac cleanup

Willing hands are sought to help with the Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup planned for 9 a.m. to noon April 2. Coordinated by the Alice Ferguson Foundation, a nonprofit advocating a cleaner Potomac watershed, the cleanup attracts more than 3,500 participants each year at numerous cleanup sites in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Currently, volunteers are sought to act as leaders at cleanup sites. Contact Wende Pearson at 301-292-6665 or visit www.Poto
macCleanup.org for site locations.

Kick it around at
Maryland SoccerPlex

With spring on its way, The Maryland SoccerPlex/Discovery Sports Center in Germantown is busy planning spring and summer sessions and camps for fans of soccer, basketball and kickball. Call 301-528-1480 for more information or go to www.mdsoccerplex.org.

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