Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS Foundation Set For Annual Fundraiser
The Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Educational Foundation will host its 7th annual Wine, Chocolate and Cheese Party on March 14 to raise money for its three signature programs at the school.
The Foundation supports the TAP (Time for Academic Progress) program, which offers after-school academic support, CollegeTracks, a Bethesda nonprofit that helps students who are often the first in their families to go to college navigate the college admissions and financial aid process, and Summer Academy, a three-week summer transition program for incoming 9th graders and 10th graders.
The Foundation also provides grants to fund the school’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.
This year’s Wine, Chocolate and Cheese fundraiser, set for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 14 at the Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase (7931 Connecticut Ave.), will highlight and honor some of the faculty in the IB program and the AP program, as well as in B-CC’s theater, arts and music departments.
To purchase tickets, make a donation or learn more about the event, visit the organization’s website.
Morning Notes
Bethesda Metro Elevator Out of Service — After seven months of rehabilitation work, the street-to-gate elevator at the Bethesda Metro station is out again, this time until tomorrow, according to WMATA’s maintenance schedule. [Fix WMATA via Twitter]
Civil Cigar Lounge Debuts Next to Voltaggio’s Range — The 93-seat, cigar bar and lounge will have a ventilation system that replaces the air every two minutes, part of celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio’s swanky new Range restaurant in the Chevy Chase Pavilion. [Washington Post]
Maryland Schools Top List For Fifth Straight Year — Maryland schools were rated No. 1 in Education Week’s “Quality Counts” report for the fifth straight year. The state’s Department of Education spokesman that’s thanks in part to the funding support the system receives from the General Assembly. [Washington Examiner]
Flickr photo by ehpien
Bethesda Group Sends Kids to College
Montgomery Community Media recently profiled a Bethesda nonprofit that helps kids navigate the complicated path to college or college scholarships.
Collegiate Directions Inc. helps students from their junior year in high school through college graduation, first with gaining admission to colleges and also with managing the transition to campus life.
Some of the group’s students may not have had the guidance otherwise. Many are the first in their families seeking a college degree. College Directions Inc. helps them wade through the rigorous standardized testing process, apply for schools and scholarships and continues with academic tutoring and support during their college careers.
For more on Collegiate Directions, visit its website.
Video via Montgomery Community Media
Bethesda Group Hopes to Build MoCo Children’s Museum
A group of Bethesda residents hopes to build a children’s museum Montgomery County can call its own.
Cara Lesser, founder of the Kids International Discovery KID Museum organization, has been hosting focus groups of county parents and partnering in county-sponsored events to help develop the project.
Lesser, who for 20 years worked in health policy and who has two kids of her own, said she saw a need for educational and volunteer-based programming aimed at kids. She and three others are working to publicize the effort and raise money.
“I’ve seen from my professional life and my personal life that we need to do a lot more to cultivate kids’ curiosity about the world and their compassion,” Lesser said.
The museum would be “a little bit of a hybrid” between a traditional children’s museum and a science center, Lesser said. It would be aimed at kids age 6-12, a little bit older age group than most children’s museums with an emphasis on learning about other cultures and promoting volunteer activities.
A “Global Connections” exhibit would explore the culture of a rotating group of countries through cooking, crafts and storytelling. A hand-on science exhibit and “Kids in Action” space are also planned.
The group is working on an economic feasibility study with a consultant that would help determine a location. Bethesda is a possibility.
In partnering with Montgomery County on its World of Montgomery Festival this fall in Wheaton, the KID Museum was able to work closely with county staff that have expressed great optimism about the project. Lesser said the museum would likely be the result of a private-public partnership and the KID Museum is taking donations through its website.
Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Josh Starr has been a big supporter of the initiative and is on the group’s advisory board.
For more information on the KID Museum, visit its website.
City Cycling Class Coming to Bethesda
Just a few days after some Bethesda residents bemoaned safety problems that could come with Capital Bikeshare next year, a local cyclist organization is bringing a safety education course to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad.
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association will hold one of its Confident City Cycling classes at the Rescue Squad (5020 Battery Lane) at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
The three-hour session is designed for riders of all experience levels and will teach basic techniques of safe cycling on city streets. WABA is asking those interested in attending to register on its website. Participants must bring their own bikes, helmets and water and will be required to sign liability waivers.
Background study is strongly recommended before the class, with an online traffic skills tutorial. The class will eventually be split into two groups, a beginner or “Trails” group and an intermediate or “Traffic” group.
The fee is $10 for WABA non-members and $5 for WABA members.
With 29 downcounty Capital Bikeshare stations (and 11 in Bethesda) planned for spring 2013, county officials including County Executive Isiah Leggett and County Councilmembers Nancy Floreen (D-At large) and Roger Berliner (D-Bethesda-Potomac) say they’re aware of the safety issues novice bike riders might face.
Floreen recently asked the State Highway Administration to consider bike lanes and lane markings conducive to cyclists in all its upcoming Montgomery County projects.
In their discussion about Bikeshare on Monday, members of the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board and other residents focused on the danger bikers could pose to pedestrians on sidewalks or in crosswalks. Jack Cochrane, a Bethesda resident and bike activist, explained how many drivers don’t know that cyclists are allowed to take up a lane if there are no dedicated bike lanes available.
He suggested the county look at re-marking a number of Bethesda roads, including turning four-lane Arlington Road into three lanes of car traffic with a center turn lane and dedicated bike lane.
In an August report, CountyStat showed eight reported bicycle collisions in downtown Bethesda in 2011.
Flickr photo by bethesdatransit.org
