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Sophomore recognized

mbalakumar — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:35:58 +0000

Sophomore Olivia Stanhope has been recognized with the Congressional Award for excellence in community service.
This congressional program is open to applicants aged 14-23 and each participant
has the opportunity to earn different
certificates and medals depending
on how many hours of service they record and how many personal goals they achieve. Participants set four goals for themselves in different program areas such as volunteer public service, physical fitness, personal development and exploration.“My goals were swimming, guitar, and getting volunteer hours,” Stanhope said.
Stanhope earned service hours for attending two mission trips with her church.
There are many different community service projects that one can learn about through the congressional program. This program offers many unique opportunities
for students, including volunteering
at soup kitchens and building homes for the needy.

Community center to open in North Potomac

yakbari — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:01:23 +0000

After a decade of planning, designing and forming a team, the North Potomac Community Center will begin construction on Travilah Road, near Big Pines Local Park, by August 2011.

The new community center plans to include several activity rooms, such as a gym, a game room, an exercise room and a social hall. The idea for the center was originally pitched in an effort to bring the Darnestown, Gaithersburg, Potomac and Rockville communities together, and will provide activities for all ages and abilities.
“The center will provide a long range of recreational facilities and programs,” Department of Recreation division chief Jeff A. Bourne said. “In addition, community recreation centers enhance the identity of the community, and contribute to the overall health of communities.”

According to Bourne, there were some initial environmental hazard concerns regarding lead, which was found in the synthetic turf field that the community center is to be built on. However, the Department of Recreation assured the community, at a meeting held Oct. 14, that the new building will be LEED certified, eco-friendly and safe.

“The community center will also prevent any future impacts to the site by protecting large portions of the site as wetland and stream buffer areas,” Bourne said. “We intend to enhance the environment, by planting green roofs to help storm water runoffs and a host of other environmental improvements.”
The center hopes to bring the community together and offer activities for everyone.

“The construction was essentially a response to the need in the community,” Bourne said. “There are many different programs and activities that will serve the entire community, including active and passive recreation for all residents.”

Club Corner

adviser — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:07:40 +0000

The Key Club is a global organization that strives to help different aspects of the community and provides its members with the opportunity to build character and develop leadership skills. The CHS chapter meets at least twice a month in room 126.

The club is broken down into five subcommittees: Tutoring, Elderly Care, Cancer Research, Fundraising and the Green Team, which works on environmental issues. Each division concentrates on different community service projects and fundraisers.

“We fundraise, but equally important, we raise awareness through bake sales, local restaurant discount nights, holiday cookie sales [and holiday themed] candy grams,” president Tessa Port said.

The club aides several notable world organizations which raise money to improve education, hunger and living styles for children around the world. The money is then collected from District 7, all the key clubs in the area, and donated to the charities.

“The Churchill Key Club encourages the Churchill community to reach out and support Key Club and the organizations we strive to help, like the Ronald McDonald Foundations and many more by collecting tabs off soda cans,” Port said. “Once [District 7] receives the tabs, they are recycled for a money value. This money is then used by the Charities to benefit the families that rely on the Ronald McDonald Houses.”

According to KeyClub.org, it is the largest club in the world and is available for more than 5,000 high schools.