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The Rockville High School community has raised more than $3,200 to help a former science teacher's fight against brain tumor.

Math teacher Lindsay Junkins said 70 people attended a fundraiser for Carrie Dischiave at BlackFinn in Bethesda on Aug. 20 and contributed more than $1,200.

Junkins said many of those who attended were Rockville High School teachers, parents and students.

Junkins said an additional $2,000 was raised from drop-off donations for Dischiave and her family at the school's financial office.

Dischiave and her husband, Kevin Pierce, both former residents of Germantown, were unable to attend the fundraiser. Dischiave is undergoing her first round of chemotherapy treatments at Hillman Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh.

"She was so amazed and so thankful for everything that everyone did," Junkins said. "They're both so thankful."

Dischiave was diagnosed with the brain tumor known as fibrillary astrocytoma several months ago following the birth of her son, Caleb. Dischiave left her teaching position and moved to Syracuse, N.Y., to be closer to her family and to seek treatment options. This would have been Dischiave's eighth year teaching at Rockville High School.

The donations will go towards the family's medical costs and the cost of travel to medical facilities.

Junkins said she will continue to collect donations for Dischiave and her family and will coordinate fundraisers at the school's football games and post notices in the school's newsletters and student newspaper.

Additional donations can be dropped off at the financial office at Rockville High School or mailed to Rockville High School, 2100 Baltimore Road, Rockville, MD, 20851. Checks can be made payable to "Rockville High School for Carrie Dischiave."

For more information, e-mail Lindsay_Junkins@mcpsmd.org.

Filmmaking success

for Rockville man

Eric Fleischman, 20, of Rockville was among a team of University of Southern California students to create a five-minute film that reached the top showing of student work at one of the largest student film festivals, Campus MovieFest.

Campus MovieFest supplies college students with the tools needed to create in one week a five-minute film to submit to the contest.

Fleischman worked with a group of peers to make "Commitment," a film about a young man's struggle with relationships and fear of commitment.

Fleischman, a student at the university's College of Cinematic Arts, produced and co-wrote the film.

The film debuted at USC's film festival, where the flick was named best comedy. As an award-winner, "Commitment" moved on to the western regional festival, where it was selected as a top 16 pick, and was shown at the national/international festival in Las Vegas in June.

At the Campus MovieFest showing, the film's leading lady, Marielle Membreno, then a sophomore at USC, won best actress.

Fleischman said he is working on a short film about a young Al Capone, scheduled to begin shooting in Los Angeles this fall. He said he hopes to submit the film, which is being produced by USC, to larger film festivals.

Montgomery County to mark African Heritage Month

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) will kick off African Heritage Month with a celebration on Thursday in downtown Silver Spring.

The event will take place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building, and will include a reception hosted by members of the county's African Affairs Advisory Group. Musical entertainment and African cuisine will also be available at the reception.

The Silver Spring Civic Building is located at One Veterans Plaza.

Other events throughout the month include:

-Sept. 4 and Sept. 5, 2 p.m., Solidarity Soccer Tournament sponsored by the Congolese Community of D.C., New York and Chicago at Gunners Lake Park in Germantown.

-Sept. 5, 10 a.m., African Heritage Month Labor Day event at the Viking Center in Burtonsville.

-Sept. 18, 4-9 p.m., Pan African Cultural Festival at the Silver Spring Civic Building in Silver Spring.

-Sept. 21, 5-10 p.m., African Leadership Congress at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C.

For more information, call the Office of Community Partnerships at 240-777-2584.

Items appropriate for this column should be sent to Mimi Liu, Staff Writer, The Rockville/Aspen Hill Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877; faxed to 301-670-7182 or 301-670-7183; or e-mailed to mliu@gazette.net. Deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m. for consideration for the following week. Items are subject to editing and used on a space-available basis.

-Federal, state and county offices are closed Monday, Sept. 6, Labor Day.

-Banks, libraries and courts are closed.

-MCPS administrative offices are closed.

-Recycling and trash pickup — no collection. Collections provided one day later for the remainder of the week. County's waste transfer station is closed.

-Ride On, Metrobus, Metrorail will operate on Sunday schedule.

-MARC trains will not run.

-County liquor stores are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the exception of the Diamond Square store, which will be closed.

-Parking is free at county lots, meters and garages.z