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Olney resident Rachel Packer was recently awarded a teaching fellowship from the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) in biology.

Packer, 22, was one of 32 teachers from across the country selected for the five-year fellowship, which is valued at up to $150,000.

While attending Belmont Elementary, Rosa Parks Middle School and Sherwood High School, Packer discovered her passion for science, especially biology.

"Growing up with a mother who was a scientist allowed me to find the joy in learning to think critically about the world," she said. "The future of science and science teachers is giving every student the opportunity to gain these skills."

Packer graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and is attending graduate school at the University of Maryland. The 13-month program will allow her to earn a master's degree and teaching credentials.

While working as a laboratory teaching assistant in college, Packer realized her goal.

"I saw that a lot of the students didn't necessarily love science, but took it to just to fulfill their lab credit," she said. "I decided that I loved that challenge of wanting to make it interesting for everybody."

Once she knew what she wanted to do, she began to search for a means to make it happen. She read about the KSTF online and began the lengthy application process.

"I was looking for a way to help me pay for graduate school, but I love that the KSTF also prides support for new teachers, since I know this will be a challenge," she said.

In addition to the money, the KSTF provides each fellow with mentoring, classroom materials, professional development and access to a network of colleagues and educators nationwide.

Packer said she plans to apply for teaching jobs all over the area.

"I could definitely see myself working in Montgomery County," she said.

Two men ordained priests

by Archdiocese of Washington

John Reutemann III of Rockville and Ismael "Mel" Nastor Ayala of Olney were ordained Catholic priests by the Archdiocese of Washington last month.

The Mass of Ordination was held June 19 in Washington, D.C.

Reutemann earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Fordham University in New York while attending St. John Neumann Seminary College. He completed his theology studies this year at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg and celebrated his first Mass on June 20 at his home parish, St. Raphael's Catholic Church in Rockville.

Reutemann has served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and can fly a plane.

Ayala earned a master's degree in thanatology — the study of death and dying — from Hood College in Frederick and studied theology at Theological College in Washington, D.C. He celebrated his first Mass on June 20 at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Damascus.

The Archdiocese of Washington includes 140 parishes and 590,000 Catholics in Washington, D.C., and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and St. Mary's counties.

Blogging about life in Olney

There's a new blog in town, which features a glimpse at life in Olney written in a light-hearted way.

Linda Silverstein, founder of the Olney-Brookeville Exchange Yahoo Group, has organized a team of bloggers to post entries at http://obxlivingin

olney.blogspot.com.

"I just thought it was yet another way to connect the community in a non-traditional way," she said. "The posts are just brief vignettes that always relate back to Olney that are cleverly written and designed to make you smile."

The blog, titled Only in Olney, launched a couple of months ago. The site's six bloggers are encouraged to write when something strikes. Ranting or promoting businesses or causes is not allowed.

Recent entries discuss the extreme weather Olney has experienced this year, the construction going on in and around town, and how a mom spent her time after her children went off to camp.

For information on becoming a blogger, contact Silverstein at lindasil62@gmail.com.

Check out the Olney Loop

The August show of Olney Loop, a cable television program offering vignettes about life in and around the Olney community, features updates on local roads from Intercounty Connector and State Highway representatives who attended July's Greater Olney Civic Association (GOCA) meeting.

September's Olney Loop features a re-cap of Olney's popular Relay for Life, Athena Award winner Helene Rosenheim and the Sandy Spring Museum's Strawberry Festival.

The show airs on Access Montgomery Channel 21, accessible on Comcast and the Verizon cable networks at 9:30 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Wednesday.

To offer story ideas or to volunteer, contact producer Lisa Stancik at theolneyloop@yahoo.com

Museum to hold final

concert of summer series

Back by popular demand, the Friedman/Wysong flute and guitar duo returns as the final performance of the Sandy Spring Museum's free summer concert series. The concert will take place Aug. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

The museum is at 17901 Bentley Road in Sandy Spring. For more information, call 301-774-0022 or visit www.sandyspringmuseum.org.

On campus

-Kathryn Ennes, a first-year nursing major at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., was named to the dean's list for the spring semester. She is the daughter of Mark and Anne Ennes of Brookeville. To qualify for the dean's list a student must achieve a semester grade point average of at least 3.75.

-Olney resident Jeffrey Moy was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Northeastern University in Boston. He is majoring in chemistry

-Three area residents were named to the dean's list for the spring semester at McDaniel College in Westminster. They are Henry L. Belfont of Olney, with honors (3.5 to 3.69 GPA); Edward A. Ezekiel of Derwood, with highest honors (3.9 or higher GPA); and Angeliki B. Stellakis of Rockville, with honors (3.5 to 3.69 GPA).

-Caitlin Lewis of Olney was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Georgia Institute of Technology. Dean's list students must achieve a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

-Sidney Ainkorn, daughter of Sheila Etzkorn and Michael Binder of Olney, was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. A graduate of Sherwood High School, Ainkorn was a sophomore at Macalester in the spring.

-James Iocozzia of Olney earned faculty honors for the spring semester at Georgia Institute of Technology. Students must earn a 4.0 academic average to achieve the honor.

-Kevin Hamerski of Olney was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. To attain dean's list status, students must earn at last 3.5 on a grade-point scale. He was a senior at the university.

If you have an interesting note about the people and the events of our community, send it to Terri Hogan, Staff Writer, The Olney Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md. 20877, or e-mail it to thogan@gazette.net. Our fax numbers are 301-670-7182 or 301-670-7183. Deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday for consideration for the following week. All items are subject to space availability.