"Five kids, four different schools, all ages. It is a crazy schedule." Those are the comments of Amy Olson Pagnotta, mother to the energetic and accomplished brood which she and her husband, Alex Pagnotta are blessed to have keep them hopping.

The Pagnotta children have one very proud grandpa named Paul Olson who along with his wife, Stephanie, proud grandmother to this gang, just can't say enough about these active children. Amy Pagnotta manages to keep this athletic gang on time to each and every practice and match, even with her own full time work schedule and volunteer coaching duties.

Alex Pagnotta coaches in addition to running the Western Howard County Warhawks football and wrestling programs. All five of the Pagnotta kids participate in programs which range from recreational sports to travel and club teams to national competitions.

The Pagnotta's youngest child, Alayna, is a third-grader at Lisbon Elementary School and involved in soccer, field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. Next comes Austin, a sixth-grader at Glenwood Middle School who excels at football, wrestling and lacrosse. Then there is seventh-grader Anthony, a student at McDonogh School who also focuses on football, wrestling and lacrosse. Amanda, a sophomore at Glenelg High School, is also following the family tradition with excellence in lacrosse and field hockey.

But it is oldest son, Alex, a junior at McDonogh, who is currently making headlines. By all measures, Alex is leading the way in this amazing athletically inclined family.

At McDonogh, Alex plays football and wrestles. Over the past two seasons, he has won more than 80 percent of his wrestling matches including 39 by pins.

Alex has finished first in his weight class at the Maryland Independent Athletic Association Tournament and the Maryland Independent Schools State Tournament and third in the Nationals Prep Tournament.

He is ranked No. 1 in Maryland, No. 5 nationally among juniors in high school and No. 19 nationally among all classes. Alex's hope to wrestle in college should be a dream come true, as savvy college coaches surely will be lining up at the door when the recruiting season begins in July.

Sally Lawrence's fifth-grade class at West Friendship Elementary know their rights. And well they should after having just completed a simulated congressional hearing in late May.

The faux congressional hearing served as the culminating event for the fifth-grade social studies students. The Simulated Congressional Hearing is an authentic performance based assessment in which students demonstrate their understanding of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The students assumed the role of constitutional experts and presented oral statements before a panel of simulated congressional committee members.

West Friendship Elementary strings students and advanced chorus members traveled to the Fairhaven Retirement Community May 27 where they performed for the elderly residents. The students were led in song and instruments by vocal music teacher Richard Ulma and strings teacher Andrea Aldrich.

West Friendship Elementary kindergarten teachers Ann Hull and Cathy Huebner are preparing their classes for the kindergarten end of the year ceremony Monday, June 2.

Busy times continue at West Friendship Elementary where the annual PTA Spring Festival is in full launch mode. Co-chairpersons Janet Yingling and Barbara Sharbaugh are getting ready for the elementary's signature fun event, set for June 6, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The band members, chorus and orchestra students at Folly Quarter Middle School worried about the rain but forgot all about that once they arrived at Hershey Park in late May. The kids left at 5 a.m., performed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m and then had a ball at the famed amusement park. Eighth-grader Purvi Nanavaty simply couldn't wait for the rides.

Congratulations to Glenelg Country School senior Alexis Monroe who was officially recognized for her efforts and international leadership in the Congressional Record, by House of Representative speaker, Honorable Darrell E. Issa of California on April 9. Alexis raised funds to purchase Lebanese Red Cross ambulances.

The Celestial Searchers Astronomy Club will meet Monday, June 2 at 7 p.m. at Bushy Park Elementary for the last meeting of the year.

Just a reminder. The Howard County Antique Farm Machinery Club will participate in the fifth annual Historic National Road Yard Sale Sunday, May 31. This sale purports to be the longest continuous yard sale in the country, with vendors tables stretching more than 800 miles, from Maryland to Missouri.

The sale will be held 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Living Heritage Farm Museum, on Route 144, just across the road from the Howard County fairgrounds, in West Friendship.

If you'd like to sign up for a sale table at a fee of only $10, e-mail Virginia Frank at jsrStar@comcast.net.

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