Marriottsville/ Sykesville /Woodstock

Amy Bejm, band director at both West Friendship and Dayton Oaks elementry schools, would like to congratulate her May Musicians of the Month. At WFES, Hunter Cestone, Daniel Degenford, Anna Lee, Alexandra Pickett, Megan Plummer, Jake Polinsky, Niklas Schnake, Samuel Sisney and Brent Wade take the honors, and at DOES, Kyra Anderson, Nicholas Baronowsky, Alexis Datta, Sonya Datta, Conor Hoffman, Allen Luo, Michael Lyon, Katherine Murbach, MaryKate O’Neill, Lucas Parker and Madison Stepherson receive recognition.

All of Bejm’s students are studiously preparing for their upcoming Spring Concerts. On June 10, the WFES bands and the WFES/DOES combined jazz band will perform at 7 p.m. in the WFES cafeteria. On June 11, the DOES bands and the WFES/DOES combined jazz band will perform at 7 p.m. in the DOES cafeteria.

Not only does Bejm split her time between two schools – which means remembering two sets of students, two sets of parents, two sets of faculty and two separate schedules – but she has also been attending classes towards her Master’s of Music in Music Education and will graduate from The Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University this very evening, May 21. Kudos to her on her amazing balancing act!

The Howard County office of the Maryland Cooperative Extension welcomes Amanda Rockler as its new Regional Watershed Restoration Specialist for Western Maryland. Rockler comes to the position from the City of Rockville, where she served as Watershed Protection Specialist.

Only two RWRS positions exist in Maryland – the other is based on the Eastern Shore – and both arose out of the new Watershed Assistance Collaborative between the Department of Natural Resources Chesapeake and Coastal Program, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Sea Grant Program. The Collaborative aims to further protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Christine Lothen-Kline, Howard County Extension Coordinator, explains that “One of the major waterways targeted for this program is the Patuxent, and given that, the central location of Howard County, and the priority that County Executive Ulman has given the environment, makes this an ideal location to base this position.”

To reach Amanda Rockler, call 410-313-2708 or e-mail arockler@umd.edu.

Last year, after losing several large trees in my yard, I decided to take advantage of the somewhat sunnier spot to create an edible garden. After carefully researching fruits, vegetables and herbs that would tolerate the less-than-ideal lighting and soil conditions, I tackled the biggest hurdle of all: how to deter deer from enjoying my new, all-you-can-eat salad bar. The garden now boasts an extremely unattractive yet effective seven-foot high fence. However, had I waited until this year, I would now have a better option.

The Howard County Conservancy plans to break ground this spring on an exciting new Community Garden composed of 63 individual plots. Each plot costs $40 to rent, measures 20-by-25-feet, and includes deer fencing, water, compost bins, and a nearby pollinator garden to attract beneficial insects. HCC encourages Bay-wise gardening techniques and insists that all gardens remain pesticide-free; it also plans to offer workshops and lectures of interest to gardeners.

The Howard County Master Gardeners will assist the Conservancy in maintaining the pollinator garden and in designing a new children’s vegetable garden. The group will continue to perform monthly composting demonstrations.

Gardens provide wonderful opportunities for us to minimize our ecological footprint, grow healthy food and beautiful flowers, teach our children about agriculture, and gain some valuable exercise. Located at historic Mt. Pleasant Farm, 10520 Old Frederick Road in Woodstock, the HCC Community Garden will also provide a scenic location in which to commune with nature and like-minded residents.

To reserve your garden plot, e-mail Garden Manager Rita Hamlet at garden@hcconservancy.org or call 410-465-8877.

Every year, local children look forward to mingling with their friends, gorging on carnival-type foodstuffs, and participating in their favorite games at West Friendship Elementary School’s Spring Festival. This year’s event, scheduled for Friday, May 8 from 4:30-7:30 p.m., includes dozens of popular activities, such as the Toilet Toss, the Soda Toss, Shark Attack, Jacob’s Ladder, and my personal favorite, the Cake Walk.

The Festival takes place, rain or shine, at 12500 Frederick Road in West Friendship, and tickets cost 25 cents each at the gate. For more information, contact Barb Sharbaugh at 410-531-3614 or bsinoc@comcast.net or Janet Yingling at 410-442-1967 or janetyingling@comcast.net.