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Congratulations to Jack Brice, the Mount Airy Middle School winner of the National Geographic Bee for 2010. Jack, a sixth-grader, beat out eight other team winners from the school.

To compete, students answered questions about geography and social studies. Jack's next step in the bee is to take a written test which will be sent into the state and graded. If his test qualifies, he will represent the school in the Maryland State Geographic Bee.

The other finalists in the bee were eighth grade students Ray Fava, Kaylin Hawkins, Austin Stup and Zach Wagaman; seventh grade student finalists include Devin Anderson, Brian Norwood and Ian Shelton; and the lone sixth grade finalist was Julian Garfield.

Students win writing contest

Congratulations to Mount Airy Middle School seventh-graders Emily Myers and Angela Himmelberg for submitting winning poetry entries in the Random House Student Writing Contest. Both students will receive their awards at the annual Book Fair on March 6 at Carroll Community College.

The final placing will be announced and winners will be given the opportunity to read their pieces, which will be published in the forthcoming book "Writers Today...Authors Tomorrow." The girls will also receive a copy of the book to keep.

Two groups share focus on youth

The Mount Airy Kiwanis Club was treated to a presentation on Feb. 3 by a local group that shares the Kiwanis focus on youth and making a difference in our communities. The Carroll County Public Schools Education Foundation is a nonprofit group created to support and enhance the education of all public school students in the county.

Since it's inception in 2006, the foundation has allocated more than $150,000 in support of a wide range of initiatives, including: literacy and mentoring programs, purchased equipment and software to benefit children with disabilities, music and arts programs, and health, wellness and fitness programs. 

In 2009 alone, the foundation distributed more than $40,000 to 33 different schools and programs.

More information on the CCPS Education Foundation can be found at www.cpsfoundation.org, or by calling their office at 410-751-3468.

Making the grade

Several area natives were honored recently for their academic performance at colleges and universities across the country.

- Joseph Kappes was named to the dean's list at Ithaca College's School of Humanities and Sciences. He earned a GPA of 3.7 for the fall 2009 semester at the New York college. He is the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Kappes of Mount Airy,

- Joy Fry, a first-year student from Mount Airy, has been named to the dean's commendation list for the fall 2009 semester at Gettysburg College. Students must earn a GPA of 3.33 or higher to achieve the honor. Also attending Gettysburg College, Melissa Dorrance, a first-year student from Mount Airy, earned a spot on the dean's honor list. Students must earn a 3.6 GPA or higher to achieve this honor.

- Eric Wasson of Mount Airy has been named to the honor roll at McPherson College in Kansas for the fall 2009 semester. Full-time students earning a GPA of 3.55 or higher qualify for the list.

- Kristen Cogdell of Mount Airy is among the Harding University students included on the dean's list for grades achieved during the fall 2009 semester. Students must carry 12 or more credit hours with a 3.65 or higher GPA.

History event rescheduled

Due to the weather, the Mount Airy Main Street Association has rescheduled its meeting hosting guest speaker Bob O'Connor.

The meeting, originally scheduled for Feb. 16, will be held on April 20.

O'Connor will give a presentation as Ward Hill Lamon, Abraham Lincoln's friend and bodyguard. Promotions chair for the association Ellie Bonde, said O'Connor is "extremely knowledgeable and entertaining." Following the presentation, O'Connor will answer questions from the audience. 

The former director of tourism for Washington County, O'Connor is credited with starting the Independence Concert at Antietam Battlefield each July and the Memorial Illumination at Antietam Battlefield each December. He currently works for the Visitors Bureau of Jefferson County, and volunteers at Harper's Ferry National Historical Park.

The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Mount Airy Senior Center at 703 Ridge Ave., Mount Airy. More information about O'Connor can be found at Web site, www.boboconnorbooks.com.

Despite weather, salon's ‘Hearts for Haiti' raises hundreds

Residents braved the cold and snow on Valentine's Day for O'Hair Salon and Spa's "Hearts for Haiti" fundraiser.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, the downtown Frederick salon performed more than 20 services and raised about $1,400 for American Red Cross disaster relief efforts in Haiti, according to the salon's director, Roxanne Pugh. Haiti was devastated by an earthquake on Jan. 12.

The salon donated all proceeds from services they performed, including haircuts, shampoo/blow-dry, makeup application, quick-fix treatments and seated massages. The salon also held silent auctions on products, raffles and a donation drive.

"When the whole event happened in Haiti, everyone said, ‘What can we do?'" Pugh said. "[We said] ‘this is something we do for a living, let's give it away for a day.'"

Pugh said that poor weather conditions and difficult parking due to ice and snow caused the salon to fall short of its goal, but the staff was grateful to clients who braved the conditions to come out and give.

"We wanted to keep it on Valentine's Day, because we felt like people would be in a very loving, caring mood and we figured we'd spread that to the Red Cross," she said.

Frederick's First Saturday

to be held this weekend

After two snow postponements, February's First Saturday celebration, with the theme "Fire in Ice," will take place 5 to 9 p.m., this coming Saturday.

More than 30 ice sculptures will be located throughout downtown; a live ice-carving demonstration, an interactive ice playground, free hot cocoa and marshmallow-roasting stations will also be available.

For a list of February's First Saturday activities, visit www.downtownfrederick.org.

Do you have an item for Mount Airy Moments? Contact reporter Angie Cochrun at 301-846-2117,

e-mail acochrun@gazette.net or fax news to 301-846-2124.