More News

Does your middle schooler have a flair for the dramatic? Do you think your son or daughter has what it takes to become the next Anton Chekov or Oscar Wilde? Bring your playwright-in-training to the first of the Takoma Park Maryland Library's four-part workshop, "Once Upon a Tale" from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. today.

Led by local poets Elizabeth Rees and Rosanne Singer, participants will be tasked with transforming a popular fairy tale into a theatrical performance to include a full script, character poems and narration culminating in a presentation of the script before an audience of family and friends at the final meeting.

Registration is required to participate in the class, which meets every Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. today through April 14. Registration is limited to 10 participants, so sign up today by visiting the library's Web site, www.takomapark.info/library/ or call 301-891-7259. All classes will take place in the library, 101 Philadelphia Ave. in Takoma Park.

Also in the library this month, children of all ages are invited to take part in the "Comics Jam" beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday to explore the wonderful world of illustrated literature with Takoma Park library staff. The jam meets once a month on a Friday and is open to all comers, no registration is required.

Free lupus support groups

at Holy Cross

The Lupus Foundation of America Greater Washington Chapter will offer free support groups for lupus patients in Private Dining Room 2 at Holy Cross Hospital on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The next meeting is March 24 at the hospital, 1500 Forest Glen Road in Silver Spring. The monthly sessions are led by trained professionals who understand the challenges of lupus, a chronic, autoimmune disease with no known cure that can damage any part of the body including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and the brain. About 75,000 people in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia have lupus — 90 percent of whom are women.

For more information, visit www.lupusgw.org or call 202-349-1167.

Washington area residents wondering if they may have lupus can check their symptoms and read actual patient accounts in both English and Spanish at www.couldihavelupus.gov.

Brains can be cool at annual nonprofit event

There's nothing wrong with being cool and there's nothing wrong with being smart, so why not be both? Community Bridges says you can be smart and cool, even within the drama-filled confines of elementary, middle and high school, and that's the theme of the Silver Spring-based organization's third annual "Step Up" event, which will kick-off its "Smart: The Rebirth of Cool" campaign to empower young girls. The event will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Montgomery College's Silver Spring Takoma Park campus, 7995 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring.

The conference is free but attendees are encouraged to pre-register at www.communitybridges-md.org. All youth from 4th grade through 12th grade and their parents are welcome and the first 50 registrants will be entered into a raffle to receive a brand new laptop.

To join in on this effort, and to receive more information about Community Bridges, the kick-off event and campaign, or to refer a girl for a program, call 301-585-7155 or e-mail Gboyinde Onijala at gonijala@communitybridges-md.org.