Looking for a good book to read this summer? While school may be out, the students at Glenwood Middle School (along with faculty) will read Gordon Korman's novel, "Schooled," over the summer. Upon return to school in August, the school will be using this shared reading experience as a part of opening activities. The reading event will culminate with a visit by the author to Glenwood Middle in early December.

"Schooled" tells the story of 13 year-old Cap who is home-schooled on an isolated "alternate farm commune" that has dwindled since the 1960s to two members. Cap lives with his grandmother, Rain.

When she is hospitalized, Cap is taken in by a social worker and sent to middle school. Smart and capable, innocent and inexperienced (he learned to drive on the farm, but he has never watched television), long-haired Cap soon becomes the butt of pranks.

He reacts in unexpected ways and, in the end, elevates those around him to higher ground. Hysterically funny, this book packs a subtle message about remaining true to oneself in the middle school mayhem. This is a great book to open discussion and unite students.

Dayton Oaks Elementary School would like to congratulate their May Orchestra Musicians of the Month. These musicians have made tremendous progress during the last month. Recognition goes to Valerie Koppang, Max Creager, Victoria Timanus, Minna Njeh, Emily Jongeneel, Hannah Brown, Garrett Houck, Sam White, Jenna Chun, Amanda Bachman, Jessica Lawson, Julia Wolfrey, Jake Ballard, Alex Rosenberry, Patrick O'Keefe, Nicholas Scaldara and Brady Barajas. Keep up the great music!

Additional recognition is extended to Benjamin Peters on trumpet and Shannon Linden on bass clarinet. These two students performed with the Howard County Enrichment Band in early May and did an outstanding job.

Several fifth-graders at Bushy Park Elementary School recently participated in the first Battle of the Books at Marriotts Ridge High School. This county-wide event was sponsored by the Howard County Library and the Howard County Public School System.

Sixty-six teams of Howard County fifth-graders were required to read 15 pre-selected books throughout the school year. During the actual Battle, four rounds of questions were asked of each team. Participants from Bushy Park included: Book Wizards -- Sarah Saiz, Robert Kaiser, Claire Coffey, Praveen Morgan, Brian Dowling and Ben Haddis (alternate); Pickeral's Page-Turning Penguins -- Alex Yuan, Ben Wilkin, Zach Nguyen, Kevin Budock and Tim Null; Four Princess Bears -- Sarah Brock, Katelyn Shumaker, Lola Fadiran and Kelsey Gardner; Princess Page Turners -- Elissa Dorsey (and additional teammates who do not attend Bushy Park).

Members of the Glenwood Middle School and Bushy Park Elementary School Leo Club recently held their annual Bikes for the World bike drive. This year's bike drive was considered a great success. Sixteen Leo Club members processed 48 bikes. They also raised $285 in donations to help defray the costs of shipping the bikes.

Leo Club members thanks the community for their generous donations, and reminds the community to keep them in mind again next year.

Have you been busy cleaning out the closet with clothes your children have outgrown over the school year? Members of the Moore family -- Georgea, Pate and Lee -- along with several others from the Glenelg community will be travelling to Honduras this summer to work at El Hogar de Amor y Esperanza Orphanage (The Home of Love and Hope).

Last year, two volunteers from our community collected new and gently used jeans (no holes) and carried 81 pairs with them. This year they plan to continue with this effort and are currently collecting jeans sized to fit ages 4-14.

All items are for boys and can be dropped off in the Glenwood Middle School front office. The orphanage is very much in need of the jeans. If you want to know more about the orphanage you can go to www.elhogar.org.

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