The ELS Language Center in Fredericksburg, a partner of the University of Mary Washington, will hold an open house on Sunday, May 20 for those interested in the cultural experience of hosting a college-aged international student.  The open house will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Eagle Village Executive Offices, Suite 350 and is free and open to the public.

During the open house, current host families will answer questions and share their experiences. International coffee, tea and desserts will be served.

The ELS Language Center in Fredericksburg began classes in November 2011. The center partners with UMW to bring international students to the Fredericksburg area to study English. Because of the location’s proximity to Washington, D.C., and the growing need for English as a second language, the student population has grown from 15 students to more than 50 in five months. Many students appreciate the opportunity to live with an American family as they learn English, experience American culture and form friendships.

One host said:

“Hosting an ELS Center student has been a remarkable experience for our family. The primary benefit has been a cross-cultural relationship that is educational and also very meaningful. We have learned about ourselves and our own country as we’ve shared our culture with our student from Saudi Arabia, taking her to a Super Bowl party, going to a bingo fundraiser at the elementary school and watching the election primaries this spring, particularly since Saudi Arabia has a king. She’s the student, but we are all learning!”

For more information, contact Allison Jerdan at  fredhomestay@hotmail.com.

King George County students will get an extra day off this month. The School Board last night voted to change May 25 from a half day to a full-day off, because the division didn’t use the snow days it built into the calendar. School Board member Rick Randall worried that parents wouldn’t have enough time to make child-care arrangements for that day, but member John Davis countered: “Our teachers are teachers, not daycare providers.”

The School Board also announced that members are getting closer to selecting a new superintendent. Chairman Mike Rose said that they expect to announce the new hire by June 1. The candidate pool has now been narrowed to “less than five,” Rose said. But  Randall hinted that the School Board may already have made a decision.

Three area students were among 15 high school seniors to receive the George E. Allen Scholarship this week. The law firm of Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen gave the awards to recognize students who have overcome unusual obstacles or special challenges, while achieving high standards of community service and academic performance.

The local honorees are:

·         Dannielle Addison, North Stafford High School – Plans to attend Shenandoah University

·         Bethany Bernstein, North Stafford High School – Plans to attend Germana Community College

·         Tyler Collins, King George High School – Plans to attend Virginia Tech

“In the face of great challenge, these amazing students have proven that with perseverance, one can achieve great things,” said Trent Kerns, President of the Allen Law Firm. “It is an honor to be a part of helping such deserving young adults accomplish their dreams.”

Celebrating 21 years of helping students achieve their continuing education dreams, the George E. Allen Scholarship was created to honor the firm’s founder, George E. Allen, Sr., who overcame significant hardship to put himself through college and law school. He went on to become one of the Commonwealth’s top trial attorneys and established one of the premier personal injury law firms in the state.  For more information about this and how to apply next year, click here.

Brook Point High School was in lock-down Friday for 23 minutes after two students reported seeing another student with a knife. School officials locked down the building and soon found the student, who did have a steak knife. Stafford County Public Schools Spokesman Valerie Cottongim said that everyone is safe and no one was harmed.

The school division doesn’t have a zero tolerance policy on weapons, but the Code of Conduct does call for at least a short-term suspension if a student is found with a weapon.

Here are some details on two upcoming plays in Stafford County high schools:

The Mountain view High School Wild Acts Presents “Arsenic and Old Lace”. Come out and enjoy this classic American “dark comedy” on May 10, 11 and 12 at 7 p.m. in the MVHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors and $6 for adults.

HAMLET THRILL-MA-GEDDON by Don Zolidis

(L-R) Alia Durrani and Jasmine Lincoln (with teacher Keisha Swain), receive autographed copies of Betty Lewis Ellett's book "ABC's From The Rappahannock River, With Love" at the conclusion of the "3s Spring Program" ceremony at the Old Walker-Grant School. / Robert A. Martin

Summer is quickly approaching, and for Head Start students that could mean three months will little access to books. At Fredericksburg Head Start, the preschoolers have a well-equipped library where volunteers come in once a week to read to the students. At home, they’ll have a smaller, yet still powerful, collection of books. This year, Fredericksburg Head Start has given students each seven books to keep.

This morning, they gave a book that was extra special: Because this tome was written by a Head Start staff member. Betty Ellett has been the family literacy specialist for 20 years. This year, she published “ABCs from the Rappahannock River, With Love.” And today, each of the Head Start’s 3-year olds received their own signed copy. The 4-year olds will get a copy later in the month.

This volume is a follow-up to Ellett’s first book, “ABCs from Ghana, With Love,” a book that was inspired by two mission trips to the African country.

The Theatrical Thinkers include: Back row (L to R)  Sarah Schaefer, Karoline Colucci, Ethan Drake and front row  Maya Madore, Ben Carthron, Riley Sntikin, Priya Singh

Students from Margaret Brent Elementary School will move on to the Destination ImagiNation global competition in Knoxville, Tn. later this month. And they need your help to get there.

The team of seven students placed second in the state competition, allowing them to move on to the next level. But to get to Knoxville, the students need to raise about $10,000–which is $635 per student and team manager, plus some of the chaperones’ expenses.

The team will try to raise part of this money with a spaghetti dinner Friday night, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Margaret Brent. Dinner will be $5 and will include spaghetti, salad, bread and ice cream. There will also be a presentation of the team’s project.

The Theatrical Thinkers’ long-term challenge was to create a new way to store and use energy–and they had to present their idea in a novel way. The team recreated Ford’s Theater and had Abraham’s ghost show up to watch “My American Cousin” one more time (perhaps he wondered how it ended?). But when he catches the show, Lincoln’s ghost learns that Ford’s Theater shows movies not plays and that the projector is powered by a solar gel.

Can’t catch the dinner? Donation boxes can be found at local businesses: Dans Wellness Pharmacy; The Icing; Massage Matters; Wining Image; Monarch Pools; Rob Rochon Realty; Diamond Concepts; Nageotte, Nageotte, Nageotte Attorneys at Law; Cahoon Family Dental.

This team is one of four Stafford teams heading to the global competition. If you belong to one of the other teams, please get in touch so I can post your fundraising details too. aumble@freelancestar.com or 540/735-1973

Ferry Farm Elementary School Principal Robert Freeman had green in mind when he asked teachers to stop using so much paper.

Just not the green they assumed.

Monday, second-grade teachers sent a note home to parents telling them that homework packets would stop for the rest of the year because of a paper shortage. They attributed the shortage to “the effects of the budget crunch.”

But it turns out there isn’t a shortage at Ferry Farm.

“There is no paper issue,” said Valerie Cottongim, public information officer for Stafford County Public Schools.

Freeman was instead encouraging teachers to use technology, such as smartboards, instead of printing out worksheets. And asking them to put more items on the SchoolFusion site. Each teacher has a page on that site and can use it to post the list of spelling words, math problems and other assignments. For older students, teachers can also post grades to the site. Some teachers use the technology more than others and Freeman wanted to see more using SchoolFusion.

Freeman was more concerned about conservation in the environmental sense than the economic sense, Cottongim said. Although saving paper would certainly do both, and Stafford schools are definitely looking for ways to cut back.

After a blog post about the note, some county residents have dropped off paper at Ferry Farm. While Freeman and his staff are grateful for the support, they weren’t facing a shortage, Cottongim emphasized.

If residents are looking for ways to support the schools, they are trying to find money for a new career and technical education center and a fiber optics upgrade, Cottongim laughed.

Gayle Middle School students worked on commercials to get the word out about hunger.

Want to know more about how you can help the hungry in the area? Click here.

If you’ve ever tried to buy a pair of Vans, you know that often, the hardest part is picking a pattern. But imagine a blank pair–that you could decorate however you wanted. A team of four North Stafford High School students tackled that challenge for the annual Vans Custom Culture contest. And they’ve made it to the regional finals. This team of students is now battling nine other schools to win the Southeast region of the competition.

You can vote for them here until Thursday.

The four students are: Micah Zappe jr, Tiffany St. Julien, Rebecca Shephard and Bailey Dodds.  Their art teacher is Carly Sweeney.

And just for fun, if you’d like to decorate your own paper version of Vans, here’s a template.