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Jordon Beck of Lake Linganore will attend the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City along with Towson University's marching band.

Beck, 22, and a fourth-year special education major at Towson, said he was excited that he would be on national television with other members of the band. He is in the color guard at Baltimore-area university.

Beck said he thought it was the first time Towson was invited to the parade, which has been held on Thanksgiving Day for more than 80 years, and he said it is an honor to be a part of the tradition.

Beck will be among 25 other Frederick County residents in the 225-member marching band.

Towson University is the only university marching band selected to play in the parade this year, according to the university's Web site.

The parade has marked the official start of the holiday season, and typically includes more than 10,000 participants including Macy's employees, their families, celebrities, athletes, clowns and dance groups, according to a press release. The parade moves along a 2.5-mile route in New York City, and is viewed by more than 50 million television viewers and more than 3.5 million spectators in the streets.

"It's pretty exciting," Beck said. "It should definitely be cool to be on TV."

Natives recognized for completing training

- Army Pvt. Padon J. Levine, of Urbana, recently graduated from Basic Combat Training at Fort Sill, Lawton, Okla.

The nine-week training course taught Levine the Army mission, and instructed him in drill, ceremonies, Army history, values and traditions, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, rifle marksmanship, weapons use, map reading, land navigation, foot marches, armed and unarmed combat and filed maneuvers and tactics.

Levine is the son of T. Levine of Urbana, and is a 2005 graduate of Urbana High School in Ijamsville.

- Edward A. Brown, of Monrovia, recently graduated from the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Leader Development and Assessment Course, better known as Operation Warrior Forge, at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Wash.

This 32-day-long course stresses the aspects of military life, administration and logistical support. It focuses developing and evaluating each cadet's officer and leadership potential, exercising the cadet's intelligence, common sense, ingenuity and physical stamina. Cadet command assesses each cadet's performance in the areas of officer traits, qualities and professionalism while taking the course.

Cadets in their junior and senior year of college are required to take the course, and upon successful completion of the course, the ROTC program, and graduation from college, they are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, National Guard, or Reserve.

Brown, the son of Eric A. and Janet E. Brown of Monrovia, is a student at the University of Maryland, College Park.

New Market resident named Harvest Court finalist

Kimberly Maley, of New Market, is a finalist for Oklahoma Baptist University's Harvest Court.

The harvest court is the university's way of honoring outstanding seniors. Seniors were nominated by their peers in six different categories including harvest king and queen, best all-around man and woman, and most servant-like man and woman. Winners will be announced during the ceremony on Nov. 14.

Maley, 21, said in a press release, that she was honored that of all the possible choices, she was selected by her peers to be a finalist for the "most servant-like woman category."

She said this reflected her participation in a number of activities on campus, including student government, the track team, work as a resident assistant and a student ambassador, and leading a Bible study group, among other things.

"It was definitely humbling," she said.

Students honored

for trustworthiness

Deer Crossing Elementary School students in all grade levels were honored in October through the school's Character Counts program.

Kindergarten honorees include: Luke Ackiewicz, Caden Aruta, Melanie Barger, Madeline Burns, Mackenzie Burroughs, Emilie Cameron, Ashlyn Cooper, Natalie Hill, India Ismael, Lilly Murphy, Brady Oskin and Matteo Torres.

First-grade honorees are: Braden Becker, Jacob Blaylock, Shayna Clark, Lucas Crawford, Brenna Crickman, Cully Leck, Abby Lee, Charlie Sheets and Izzy Wells.

Second-grade honorees include: Lucas Abrecht, Ben Bevilacqua, Brooke Butler, Ethan Call, Kate Chicca, Emily Coblish, Alexandra Dean, Matthew Harris, Katie Roach and Zach Watkins.

Third-grade honorees are: Madison Buckwalter, Megan Conner, Kaleigh Dayton, Anthony Howell, Anna Lee, Nathan Miller, Caroline Schrider, Rylee Schwee, Maddie Scott and Conall Wright.

Fourth-grade honorees include: Michael Allman, Serena Carl, Elissa Dallimore, Maya Brenner Letich, Zac Lindung, Jailyn Pacheco, Marina Potter, Charles Quansah, Ashlen Scarzello and Jensen Whichard.

Fifth-grade honorees include: Ashly Bingham, Maya Clark, Jack Dunn, Allison Eckloff, Kendall Johnson, Nicholas Marsico, Storm Vogel and Gabriella Wolfe.

Do you have an item for News & Notes? Contact reporter Christian Brown at 301-846-2132, e-mail chbrown@gazette.net or fax news to 301-846-2124.