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Adam Shook, a rising junior at Catoctin High School, and Nathan Corp, a rising junior at Tuscarora High School, competed in the 2010 National Law Enforcement Exploring Conference at Georgia Tech last month.

The pair, representing the Frederick Police Department's Explorers program, placed fourth nationally in the hostage negotiation competition. It was the first national award won by explorers in Frederick's Post 714.

Shook, 16, said he's participated in the program for two years. He is also enrolled in the Criminal Justice program at The Career and Technology Center.

"I want to go into a career in law enforcement," he said. And the explorers program "teaches you skills you're going to need to become a police officer."

Officer Chris Herman, one of the Frederick Police Department officers who leads the program, agreed. He said the group, made up of about 20 area residents between the ages of 14 and 21, meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month to train for situations officers face such as responding to domestic violence, accident reconstruction and even traffic stops.

The program is organized through Learning for Life, a subsidiary of the Boy Scouts of America, he said. The explorers also help out by patrolling at area events such as The Great Frederick Fair and Pangaea Frederick, Shook said.

While he was proud of winning the award, he was especially excited to have brought home the post's first national accolades after competing against at least 50 teams, he added.

He and Corp were set up in a room with a telephone. Judges watched as Corp spoke into the phone, which was connected to a person in another room who was pretending to have been taken hostage. The pair "worked as a team to try to get the person out of the situation," Shook said.

"It makes me feel honored that we could do that," Corp said of winning. "Hopefully two years from now we can bring home another one." The conference is held every other summer.

"I've always wanted to be a police officer since I was little," Corp added. The explorers program "is definitely a great thing to check out if you're sincerely interested in law enforcement."

Herman said the post will host an open meeting for those interested in joining the program at 7 p.m., Sept. 1 at the Charles V. Main Training Facility, 6424 Plant Road, Frederick. For more information, contact the department at 301-600-2100.

Frederick native graduates

from The Citadel

Bryan Edward Crosson of Frederick recently graduated from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.

While at The Citadel, Crosson attained the rank of Cadet Captain and was Commander of the 4th Battalion Tango Company of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, as well as a member of the prestigious Summerall Guards elite drill team.

Crosson is a 2009 graduate of the Marine Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Va., and entered the U.S. Marine Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant this summer. A 2006 graduate of Gov. Thomas Johnson High School, Crosson is the son of David Crosson and Esperanza Alzona of Frederick.

Valley Theater event to raise money

for two boys in need

Valley Theater director Colleen McCarrick began working on her annual summer theater projects when she was just 12 years old, and the event has grown into a regular charity event.

McCarrick, now 20, has been running the productions for the last eight years, and has raised more than $20,000, which has been given to local charities. This year, the troupe will perform "The Music Man," with funds raised going to support Matt Kepler, a 2007 Middletown High School graduate who suffered a skateboarding accident, and Ethan Eavey, a 6-year-old special needs child from Myersville.

The nonprofit group is hoping to raise $12,000 to provide rehabilitation expenses for Kepley and educational materials for Eavey. Through its charity promotions, the group has raised thousands of dollars through ticket sales to purchase Christmas presents for struggling families, a service dog for a girl with muscular dystrophy, school supplies for needy children and a bicycle for a handicapped boy. It has also collected canned goods for the local food bank, and put on a holiday show to benefit the family of a Frederick police officer who died.

McCarrick said the charitable aspect of the performances is what she enjoys most, as she sees the efforts the performers and crew put into helping others.

"Seeing these kids give up their summer give up their time and doing it so willingly knowing they're helping someone," she said. "They're not doing it for themselves they're here for charity. It's that sense of community."

The production has about 100 members, ranging in age from 5 to 20, and about 20 more who participate in the crew. The diverse age range makes it more difficult to find a show to get such a large cast onstage, she said.

"It's really unique in that we have such a wide range of ages," she said. "We have little kids and really talented high school actors. It's hard to choose a show with so much variation in age and talent, a lot of kids haven't been up on stage."

"The Music Man" was chosen because it has a large ensemble cast, a critical component of such a large troupe. The play is also a lighter, fun musical, she said.

"It's a really a happy play," McCarrick said. "It's a lot of songs, a lot of dances – we picked it because there's a lot of room for ensemble."

Chand graduates from basic training

Army Pvt. Joshua D. Chand has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

During nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.

He is the son of Deborah Chand of Frederick, and is a 2009 graduate of Gov. Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick.

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