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The Garrett Park Education Foundation is hosting a family Valentine's Dance on Friday to raise money to build a bigger stage when Garrett Park Elementary School undergoes its modernization.

Barbara Ferry, the event chair, said "the foundation likes to have events that bring families together," and the dance is a chance for families to put on their best dresses and boogie together before the kids get too old.

"When they get to middle school the kids go off to dances by themselves," Ferry said. But for one night, attempts at corsage pinnings can be more adorable than awkward. Professional photographers will be on hand, the gym will be strung with magical lights, and given the age range, the disc jockey will probably be spinning everything from Cyndi Lauper to the Jonas Brothers.

"It's just like prom," Ferry said.

The event is open to all Garrett Park Elementary School students and their families, as well as neighborhood families whose children may be homeschooled or attend private schools. The cost is $25 for the first two people and $5 for additional family members. The dance will run from 7-9 p.m. at Garrett Park Elementary School, 4810 Oxford St., Kensington.

A personal tale

about women's rights

Chevy Chase resident and professional storyteller Ellouise Schoetler will debut a new, personal story about her own transformation from a timid housewife to a political activist at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Woodend, 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase.

In the story, Schoetler describes her experience as her political awareness dawned through the 1960s and '70s. Schoetler graduated from high school in 1954. At age 19, she got married and dropped out of nursing school.

"The options were very limited for women at that time," she said.

In 1968, she settled on going back to school and enrolled at the age of 31 as a painting major at the Dumbarton College of the Holy Cross, a women's school. It was there she became a feminist.

"It was 1968 and students were joining the anti-war marches," she said.

Schoetler went to Washington, D.C. to lobby against the war.

"It was the first close contact that I had with the big game we play here in Washington, having your voice heard," she said.

She went on to become increasingly involved in the women's rights movement. Schoetler led a number of women's organizations including the Washington Women's Art Center, the Coalition of Women's Arts Organizations and got involved with the Equal Rights Amendment Campaign and the League of Women Voters.

Schoetler received a grant in 2007 from the Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Council to develop the story, which she said has particular relevance now, when many young people are involved in working for political change. After her debut in the county, she will bring the story to the Fringe Festival in Fresno, Calif.

"I've watched the Obama campaign, watched the power being demonstrated at the grassroots level. They went for the young people. They went for the involvement," she said. "It reminded me so much of the excitement and hope women had in the ‘70s."

She said the story is a part of women's history that can't be found in a text book and she hopes it will inspire others.

"It's about how an ordinary untrained person can get involved and make a difference," she said.

The cost is $10 and reservations requested. Call 301-951-1213.

Cupid not the only Valentine's heart health expert

Hearts aflutter on Valentine's Day should check out the free Kensington Wellness Clinic, where Dr. Cindy Tracy, a Kensington resident and the director of Cardiac Services at George Washington University, will be on hand to help love birds truly take care of one another.

Last year the clinic had hundreds of attendees, and this year, patients can have their blood cholesterol and other lipids tested, get an electrocardiogram (EKG), have blood pressure checked, body mass index (BMI) calculated and complete a cardiac risk assessment tool. The clinic will include information about what individual risks are and how to modify them, and if it turns out there's some hypertension happening, a free seated chair massage is also available. Cardiac fitness and diet experts will also be on hand to give exercise information.

Light refreshments and coffee will be available.

The clinic runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kensington Town Hall, 3710 Mitchell St. in Kensington.

Get the ear of

Park and Planning

Fred Boyd, the Park and Planning staffer heading up the Kensington Sector Plan, makes himself available twice monthly to answer questions, hear concerns and discuss ideas about the new long term vision for the town. He will host office hours tonight from 6:30-8 p.m. at Kensington Town Hall, 4710 Mitchell St., and again at the same time Feb. 25.

MoverMoms celebrate

two years of service

MoverMoms gathered on Feb. 1 to celebrate the moms group's second anniversary and two years of community involvement and activism.

The anniversary celebration was held at member and Bethesda resident Anne Hollander's home and featured guest speaker Del. Jolene Ivey, (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly, who spoke about how she balances being a state legislator, mother of five and wife of Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey.

The group began in February 2007 when several mothers decided to serve dinner at the Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health, a home-like setting for families and children to stay while they receive treatment. The group gets together for monthly volunteer projects, a book club, speeches, outings, and other special events. 

"It's amazing how much more of a difference we can make in the larger community by working together than if were to just work alone," group founder Rebecca Kahlenberg wrote in a e-mail to The Gazette.

The group comprises about 125 moms of all ages. Kids participate in many of the volunteer projects and activities, which take place around the Washington region. For more information on the group, visit www.movermoms.org or email movermoms@aol.com.  

ESOL classes offered

in Bethesda

English for Speakers of Other Languages classes are starting up at beginning Saturday at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center in partnership with the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center.

A beginner's class will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. An intermediate class will be held from 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays. An advanced class will take place from 2-4 p.m. Thursdays. Classes will be held at the B-CC Regional Services Center located at 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, and will last three months.

The classes are free, but require a $10 refundable deposit and $20 book fee. Registration will take place on Saturday at the center. To sign up for a class or for more information, call 240-777-8210.

Kids and moms stretch out

Kids and moms can sometimes be a pain in each other's neck. But the Kensington Park MOMS Club, a national support group for mothers who primarily stay at home with their children, will help everyone loosen up with a Budding Yogis presentation on the benefits of yoga for the entire family, including an interactive yoga presentation for moms and kids.

The meeting will be at 10:15, Feb. 25, at the Kensington Park Library, 4201 Knowles Ave. in Kensington.      

This MOMS club is open to moms whose children are zoned to attend Garrett Park ES and Kensington Parkwood ES. The group's activities include trips to parks, lunch and coffee get-togethers, playgroups and more.  More information is available at www.kensingtonparkmoms.com or you may email kpmomsclub@yahoo.com.

On campus …

-Elizabeth Barnett was named on the Dean's List for the fall 2008 semester at Emory College in Atlanta, Ga. She is a 2006 graduate of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.

-Eliza K. Feltus of Chevy Chase was named to the Dean's List for the 2008 fall semester at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. To qualify for the Dean's List, a student must be enrolled in at least 16 credit hours of academic work and must achieve a semester grade point average of 3.70 or better.

Reserve the park

while parked on your couch

The Montgomery County Department of Parks launched and upgraded its permitting Web site, www.ParkPermits.org, to allow users to find, check the availability of, reserve and pay for permits for popular park facilities, such as picnic shelters, campsites, park activity buildings and others.

"These new web enhancements should mean less wait time on the phone and at our offices for our customers," said Department of Parks Park Permits Supervisor Denise Reid-Bourne. "We are really excited about the changes because they will provide a faster and more convenient permit process."

To book park facilities online at Cabin John and Parklawn, the Woodside Gym and others, park users will need to register for or use an existing ParkPASS account, which can be done at www.ParkPASS.org. ParkPASS accounts are free to create and only require some general contact information to set up.

For Bethesda and Chevy Chase items, contact Stephanie Siegel via e-mail at ssiegel@gazette.net or phone at 301-280-3006. For Kensington and Garrett Park items, contact Jen Beasley via e-mail at jbeasley@gazette.net or phone at 301-280-3005. You can also send information by fax at 301-670-7183, or snail mail at 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.