Maggie Muth
Artist and former elementary school classmate of Tom Culotta, Maggie Muth came to the school today to share lunch and stories with the students. Maggie shared her experiences living and traveling in China. The students were especially excited to see the many photos and hear the stories behind them. Thanks, Maggie
AIAC 2013
Students and volunteers from the school were the guests of Tom & Jacque Iacoboni at the Annual Associated Italian-American Charities dinner tonight. For nearly 10 years the AIAC through Tom Iacoboni has made a donation to the school. This group was formed by Italian immigrants and their children at the conclusion of World War II to help provide relief for the displaced, hungry and homeless, especially children. It has grown over the years to be an organization that raises money from its members and through fundraisers to support dozens of organizations of all nationalities most of whom are in the Baltimore area. We had a terrific dinner the Little Italy Lodge of the Sons of Italy followed by presentation of the awards. Not only is their support appreciated, but we appreciate their example of giving back.
We were fortunate to have David, son of Rena Smith, come in to share his artistic talents with the students today. David is a frequent visitor to the school and when he stopped in earlier in the week to share some are he had created with fall leaves, everyone was impressed. David agreed to teach the students how to make their own and even brought in some incredibly beautiful and unique leaves to share with the class. Everyone had a great time and took home their own creations to share with their families. Thanks, David and Rena!
The 5th annual Hauntingdon Avenue Celebration was a great opportunity to bring folks together in the neighborhood. Local musicians including our block’s own Ricky and Lennon LaRicci played and there was a fire throwing group form Johns Hopkins. Current students all attended bringing friends and family and were joined by alumni, volunteers, and supporters. Our thanks to GRIA for sponsoring the event and all of the volunteers who worked so hard to pull it off. Special thanks to the students for decorating and to Dave Bayer and Peggy Lashbrook for staffing the free hot chocolate stand. Everyone’s already looking forward to next year.
The Community School lost a dear friend today. Dianne Lockner was in the 1st class of the school when we started back in 1982 in the basement of the Guardian Angel Church. Dianne was active in the Community Survival Center even before becoming a student and went on one of our more notable cross country trips that included being part of a civil rights protest in Tchula Mississippi and visiting Elvis Presley‘s grave at Graceland (at Dianne’s insistence). Our hearts go out to her two devoted children, Christine and Erik, and her loving companion Will.
DNA Extraction
The 1st science lab of the year was held today at the school. These weekly labs are conducted by a group of volunteer students at Johns Hopkins University who formed a group several years ago called JHU-CSI, Community School initiative. Today our students were amazed when they did a DNA extraction from a banana. Each lab includes a lecture presentation, handout worksheet, and a hands on demonstration. Special thanks to all the members of JHU-CSI