A Biweekly Newspaper January 28, 2005 Volume 1, … · A Biweekly Newspaper January 28, 2005 Volume 1, Number 19 Principal Sacco Gives His Farewell to Poolesville ... of John Poole

January 28, 2005 The Monocacy Monocle Page 1

Inside the Monocle

A Biweekly Newspaper January 28, 2005 Volume 1, Number 19

Principal Sacco Gives His Farewell to PoolesvilleBy Rande Davis

When Joseph M. Sacco, principalof John Poole Middle School (JPMS),announced his acceptance of an offerfrom the county school board to headup a new middle school in theLakelands area of Gaithersburg,concern rippled through thePoolesville area as evidenced by aflood of e-mails. Mr. Sacco, whohas led the school administra-tion since 1998, has been a verypopular principal among arearesidents. The school’s record inacademic excellence, communityspirit, service among its stu-dents, and innovative scholasticprograms has resulted in theschool being ranked within thetop five middle schools (ofthirty-seven middle schools) inthe county. Such success is atestament to Mr. Sacco’s leader-ship.

Mr. Sacco, who is a native NewYorker and the father of four boys,looks forward to the unique challengeof opening a brand new school that isroughly three times larger than JPMS.At a hastily-called assembly ofstudents to confirm the announce-ment of his leaving, Mr. Sacco soughtto reassure the students and to

congratulate them on their success inmaking JPMS such an outstandinginstitution. He encouraged them totalk to him personally about thetransition to a new principal.

Jerry Lynch, a retired and experi-enced middle school principal, willserve as an interim administratoruntil a permanent replacement hasbeen named. JPMS has a declining

enrollment, which ultimatelythreatens its ability to offer abroad selection of courses andservices to its students.

At this moment of transi-tion, The Monocle sought Mr.Sacco’s perspective on anumber of matters importantto the community. Our firstquestion was to seek hisopinion as to those items aboutwhich he is most pleased.

Principal Joe Sacco and staff (l to r) Coree Ogden, MaryPhillips, Darlene Umberger and Tiffany Carpenter.

Walter Matia’s Merrill Lynch Bull

Sculptor Walter Matia—Finding the Music

—Continued on page 4.

At his last assembly, Principal Saccoexhorts attentive JPMS students to

keep reading The Monocle.

Hey, what do you know about Straw?See Equestrian on page 18.

Running backwards you say? Youcould be right! See Sports on Page 11

for all the details.

—Continued on Page 3

Sculptor Walter Matia—Finding the Music

By Maureen O’Connell

We must first see,Then we may safely imagine more. Robert Fawcett

How does one define “art?” Iadmit that is a very open-endedquestion. I will take it one step furtherand ask “who is an artist?”

Several years ago I met, throughmutual friends, Walter Matia, aninternationally recognized wildlifesculptor. They owned several of hisworks of art. Upon seeing them, I wasimpressed by two things: the beautyof the anatomical reality of the figuresand their sense of spirit. Recently, Iwas reading two of Walter’s books, AQuestion of Balance and Spirit of the Bull,and a flood of questions startedbouncing around in my head. So I

called Walter to ask if I could visit himin his studio in Hyattstown. He wasgracious enough to give me two hoursof his time and be patient with me as Ipicked his brain regarding his vary-ing concepts of art. Let me nowintroduce you to Comus residentWalter Matia.

Walter was born in 1953 inCleveland, Ohio. He says his boyhooddays were filled with “bird-watching,botanizing, log flipping and collect-ing.” After graduating from WilliamsCollege he apprenticed at ClevelandMuseum of Natural History. He thenspent eleven years with the NatureConservancy as the Vice President incharge of Land Management. Duringthis time he continued with his firstlove, painting and sculpture. In 1980he began casting bronze sculpture.Unlike many people, he was fortunatethat at this time of his life, he was ableto combine his passion for wildlife,the outdoors and creating art. In the

beginning he concentrated on birdlife, but over the years his subjectsgrew to include sporting dogs andother mammals such as the wildturkey, the Great Blue Heron, eagles,wolves, deer, cranes and the fox.

In our area his works include thenine foot Great Eagle at AmericanUniversity and a series of largefountains and garden pieces at theBlair House in D.C. In 1988 he wascommissioned to create the MerrillLynch Bull at a scale of one and one-

It’s not all luck-it’s talent, too.Read about Tracie Luckin Center Stage, Page 8.


Family AlbumThis issue we feature thebipartisan Barnesville

Inaugural Ball, founded byLib Tolbert and Father

George Reid.Some partisans were prob-ably happier than others.

Father Reid says a few words.

Ed Brown and Barbara Davidson.Nancy and Ben Daughtry, Marjorie and Woody

Rupp, and Jill Chadwick run the fashion spectrumfrom formal wear to Texas flair.


Finding the Music Continued —

half times life size. They are nowinstalled at the corporate offices ofMerrill Lynch in Florida, New Jerseyand Colorado.

“In order to attain the bestpossible, one must attempt theimpossible.”(Unknown)

In 200l Walter was selected as theartist to create statutes of bulls for thenew Reliant Stadium, home of theHouston Texas football team. Thechallenge was to create sculpture thatwould portray in bronze the funda-mental qualities that define the bulland then to take it one step higher toshow the beauty and spirit of the bull.Walter’s vision was to have the spiritof the bull represent the spirit of theteam. The gestures of the individualbull sculptures represent the threemain skills of a football player:running, blocking and tackling. Thebulls are enormous. The largest onemeasures fourteen feet long, eight feethigh, four feet deep and weighs about2700 pounds. The dynamics involvedin creating a work of art of this size isdaunting. Unlike a painter who inorder to produce a “finished product”deals with himself and maybe theframer, a sculptor must work with

and get along with many moreartisans to take his initial idea fromthe rough drawing to the deliverableand installed work of art. It is a teameffort.

“There is a peculiar virtue in themusic of elusive birds. Songsters thatsing from the topmost boughs areeasily seen and as easily forgotten;they have the mediocrity of theobvious.” (Alex Leopold, A SandCountry Almanac.)

Those of us fortunate to live inMonocacy country are familiar withthe sights of running deer, geese inflight, wild turkeys, pheasants,hunting dogs and foxes. We see theshape of their bodies; we hear thehonking of the geese and the barkingof the hounds. But can we see andhear more? Some can and they are theartists; they see beyond the medioc-rity of the obvious. There are also thepeople who are not familiar withthese sights and sounds. “The strangecrook of a heron’s neck and the slow-motion blur of a covey rise are notpart of their visual memories.”

The title of one of Walter’s books,as I aforesaid, is A Question of Balance. Iasked him what that meant. Heanswered that creating art “is about

the balance between the time I spendwatching animals in the wild and thehours I spend in the studio developingthe techniques to depict them inbronze. It is about the battle wagedon each work to find the balancebetween representing anatomicalfacts and seeking out what is trulyartistic and beautiful about gesturesand composition. It is about balancingwhat I know by “seeing” with what Ican imagine in a sculptural renderingof that knowledge.” I asked him whatabout the non-Monocacy people whodon’t have the vision of the story line.Can they “see” the same thing? Hereplied, “If art is successful, this willnot matter. Sculptures that dependtoo much on story line or on mereanatomical correctness are not up tothe task of making metal objects intoart. Animal sculptors—all representa-tional artists, in fact- must meet thechallenge of getting beyond simplerecognition, of balancing what is realagainst what is beautiful and trueabout the reality.”

Walter has a wonderful Labnamed Molly. She is a little older thanmy two Labs, Max and Sam, and amuch more experienced duck hunter.When I arrived at Walter’s studio,

Molly, in true Lab fashion, greeted meenthusiastically. Walter and I startedtalking about dogs—the dog breedswe both have lived with and theirrespective personality traits or lackthereof. I asked him about his dogcommissions. As a fellow dog lover Iloved his answer. He commented,“The ten most feared words in mybusiness are, “I want you to do asculpture of my dog.” It’s the “mydog” that sets an artist’s heart pound-ing. “My” implying particularlyunderstood to be unique. “Dog,” CanisFamiliaris, implying everybody hasan opinion of what a dog should looklike. Herein lies the challenge. Some-times the closer I get to the anatomicaland gestural perception of the owner,the farther I get from the essence ofthe breed. Successful portraiture liessomewhere between telling the truthabout the dog and finding the sculp-tural equivalent of the owner’sfeelings about it. It is the ultimatequestion of balance.”

As I entered Walter’s studio, hewas working on a piece. I asked himwhat it was. It was a sculpture of

—Continued on Page 5.


Mr. Sacco replied, “I am mostpleased with the progress JPMS hasmade academically over the years.When I first started, about half of thestudents made the honor roll, fewwere admitted to magnet programs,and we were in the lower third in thearea of standardized test scores.Today, sixty-eight percent of thestudents are on the honor roll, overtwenty students each year areadmitted to magnet programs, andwe are in the top ten percent ofmiddle schools in our standardizedtest scores.”

As he looks back over the pastseven years, we wanted to knowwhat gives him the most pride inJPMS. “Our new Community Ecologyand Technology Academy is a greatprogram that culminates years ofemphasis on environmental issuesand academic rigor. I am also proud ofthe great work our Leos do, especiallyin service to local charities. I am alsovery proud of our academic peprallies—how great it is to hearstudents cheering for other studentswho get straight As or make thehonor roll or who have excellentattendance. What a culture shift!”

Expanding on his thoughts ofpride, Mr. Sacco said, “I often talk tostudents about academic success, butI am equally proud of them for theirvolunteer service and the supportthey give each other. We have devel-oped a very special community here,and this is immediately noted whenvisitors come to the building. JPMS isa wonderful school located in awonderful community.”

Being a teacher or principal is asmuch a learning experience as it is ateaching position. We wanted toknow what Mr. Sacco has learnedfrom his seven years in Poolesville. “Ihave learned a great deal from thestudents, staff, and community inPoolesville. ‘Smaller is better’ when it

comes to educational facilities. Thechallenge of personalizing educationis one that will face me as I go to anew school, but I realize how impor-tant that is. The sense of communityand caring is prevalent and pervasiveinthis community and its schools. Iwill have the opportunity andprivilege of helping to create a newschool community and will remem-ber the benefits of community-schoolpartnerships I experienced here.”

As he leaves JPMS, we asked ifthere were any concerns he has aboutthe school and what perspectives hewanted to share with the community.Mr. Sacco stated, “Middle schools are

often neglected—we are ‘stuck in themiddle.’ I’m not sure how well thecommunity understands how muchgrowth students undergo duringthese few years and how hard thestaff works to prepare students forhigh school. We now offer an impres-

sive number of courses that are highschool credit courses, and the JPMSstudents are very successful in thosecourses. JPMS is now one of the bestschools in the county by any measure.Out of thirty-seven schools, we areusually ranked fourth or fifth. Admin-istrators from Potomac and Bethesdacall us at times to find out how we doit.”

So, are there any stories ormemories that stand out about hisexperience here? Mr. Sacco sharedwith us, “There are many stories thatI could share. My favorite times havebeen at honor roll assemblies andacademic pep rallies. At first, students

were reluctant to wear honor rollshirts—they were embarrassed. Afew years ago, I knew we turned thecorner when as soon as we handedout t-shirts, students put them onover their clothes. They wear them atthe pool, in town, and to school. Most

days, I see a dozen kids wearinghonor roll shirts—with pride. Thiswas a quiet turning point for us. Askany student now if they plan to be onthe honor roll and over ninety percentwill say yes (and mean it).”

After being in education inPoolesville for over a decade, wewanted to let him end this reportwith his own message to our readersand the community. Mr. Sacco, themike is yours.

“Thank You! Thank You! ThankYou! I have spent eleven years in thePoolesville community and haveloved every day here. My communitysuperintendent noted that I had ahuge smile on my face during the lasthigh school graduation. I was andcontinue to be very proud of thestudents in this community. The towncommissioners have been verysupportive, the parents are alwaysthere for each other and especially thechildren, and the students seem toreally appreciate what they have(how unusual!). Please stay involvedand let your voices be heard (espe-cially at the county level). As a smallcommunity, your voices need to be abit louder. JPMS is proof that commu-nity efforts can yield wonderfulthings. I wish all of you continuedsuccess and look forward to seeingyou in the future.”

We know we are not beingpresumptuous in expressing on behalfof the community our heartfeltgratitude to Mr. Sacco and his contri-butions to the lives of our childrenthese past eleven years. Expressions ofappreciation from students, teachers,and parents have been e-mailed to TheMonocle this past week. Their notes,each in their own way, express thesame message. They each share thewriter’s affection, gratitude, andappreciation for Mr. Sacco’s leader-ship, and each extends best wishes forcontinued success in his new position.

At the farewell party with Mr. Sacco: Melanie Dahlen, Sara Defnet, BarbMumford, Lisa Guertin and Diane Yendrey.

Sacco’s Farewell continued —


Published by Monocacy Press, LLCP.O. Box 175Poolesville, MD 20837301 349-0070 • FAX 301 349-5646

John ClaytonPresident and Publisher

Managing Editor(301) 349-0071

[email protected]

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(301) [email protected]

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Finding the Music continued—

Molly, his lab, who was lying at hisfeet. Here is another quote from hisbook A Question of Balance which I canrelate to: “Every dog is unique, and sois every owner. Then there are theretrievers. Or, more accurately,owners who are trained by theirdogs. That’s me. I don’t really carewhat my dog looks like and I amcompletely forgiving of her antics inthe field. All I know is that despitebeing a little overweight, long in theback, and with the neck of a polarbear, she’s the best Lab in the world. IfI ever sculpt her, she will be prancingaround my bed with a dirty sock inher mouth. With retrievers, personal-ity is everything.” I guess now wasthe time to sculpt Molly.

I keep referring back to his book AQuestion of Balance because I love somany of the quotes. He mentions BillReese, a painter, sculptor, adviser,friend and fellow traveler who hadfour letters painted across the top ofhis battered French easel, “ITMS.” It’sThe Music, Stupid.” In Walter’s mind,painting a landscape or sculpting agroup of whooping cranes is notabout faithfully reproducing what is“right” or accurate. The goal is to find

and explore the forms, patterns andinteractions that make the piecevisually beautiful and add realunderstanding. Neither the growthconfigurations of grass nor thepersonal spacing of a flock of birds israndom. Deciphering these patterns,exploring the compositional possibili-ties, and pushing the idea beyondfield guide accuracy to art is all partof finding the music.”

Walter Matia, with his greatvision of the world, sensibility andpure love and passion for his subjects,has discovered how to “find themusic.”


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Eating is Good for Body and Soul!Here’s a motto: Never pass up an

opportunity to eat and at the same time helpa good cause.

Thanksgiving in FebruaryTrue believers will make their

way to Bassett’s or order fromPoolesville Domino’s on February 1since it is the annual Thanksgiving inFebruary event. On that day thesetwo restaurants will donate tenpercent of all proceeds to WUMCOHelp, Inc. When it comes to charities,there is none closer to home thanWUMCO. Their mission is to helpthose in need right here in our area.

Pancake BreakfastCub Scout Pack 694 has its annual

Pancake Breakfast on February 5. Itwill be at St. Peter’s Church from 8:00a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Portions of theproceeds will go to St. Peter’s BuildingFund and to the Red Cross ReliefFund.

United Methodist Church EventsThe youth at the United Method-

ist Memorial Church will be deliver-ing pre-ordered subs for the Super

Big Board Bowl. This is an annual event withsome of the proceeds going toWUMCO. You need to pre-order socall 301-349-2261 or 301-349-2296 nolater than February 5.

The renowned Crafty Ladies andGents will have their famous Spa-ghetti Dinner on February 11 from5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. For those on aserious diet you could just write acheck.

Career DayJohn Poole Middle School is

planning their annual Career Day forFebruary 18. This program is foreighth grade students and designed toencourage them to take their futureseriously and to consider the widerange of career opportunities. TheGuidance Department would particu-larly encourage any individual inbroadcasting, fitness, veterinarymedicine, plumbing, or in electricalrepair. Any career would be welcome.Interested business people do notneed to have a student in the schooland if they are willing to share toexperience with these students theyshould contact Traci Tatum at 301-407-0413.

How to Make Cabin Fevera Festival

If you start having those winterblues in mid-February there is asolution to the doldrums. On Febru-ary 12 and 13, the Cabin FeverFestival takes place at the FrederickFairgrounds. Located in six buildingsand heated tents, the festival willfeature juried craftsmen, artisticdemonstrations, decorating ideas,great food and entertainment. Cost isonly $6.00 for adults and $3.00 forchildren under twelve years of age.

Award Winning Art ShowThe Delaplaine Visual Arts

Education Center in Frederick ispresenting an art show of the worksof those area artists who have wontheir Meredith Springer Award.Winners of this regional award musthave played a role in the growth andstrength of the arts community inFrederick County. Located at 40 southCarroll Street in Frederick the showwill run from February 5 to February27. A reception for the artists will beon February 5 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00p.m. For more information call 301-698-0656.


Center Stage

Dame Fortune Smilesupon Lady Luck

By Dominique Agnew

The grand piano dominated thestage in front of the red curtains,until the pianist and singeremerged. Elegant and gracious,thought I.

The piano opened the piece.Lovely, thought I.

The mezzo-soprano began tosing. Thought was suspended.

I have been to my fair shareof musical performances. Usu-ally, I enjoy them. Sometimes, Iget goose bumps. Most rare, atear will come to my eye. (Myviolin teacher’s most oft-repeatedquote, next to the pencil being thegreatest invention ever, was thatBeethoven said, “Music shouldbring fire to the hearts of menand tears to the eyes of women.”)On Sunday, January 9, at theWeinberg Center for the Arts, amost delicious sensation oc-curred—goose bumps andwatery eyes combined, instanta-neously.

The recital given by TracieLuck (she is très lucky, n’est-cepas?) opened the WeinbergCenter’s “Bravo!” Series, a newclassical music series of perfor-mances, and they couldn’t havechosen a better performer. Herpresence and expressive singing,notwithstanding the beauty andrichness of her voice, bespoke aneloquence that lent grace and warmthto a varied program. Covering manyperiods, from the classical throughthe romantic to some modern piecesof the twentieth century, Ms. Luckproved throughout the afternoon thatshe could convey the incredible rangeof emotions desired by the composers(at times, in moments of completesilence, as demanded in “Les Nuitsd’Eté” by Berlioz).

It is not surprising, then, thatTracie Luck was exposed to a widevariety of music during her child-hood, including rhythm and blues,pop, jazz, and songs from musicals.Born in Washington, D.C., Traciemoved with her family when she wastwo years old to Frederick where shewas raised. Tracie’s parents, Ted andAlyce Luck, both teachers, are her

“first blessing.” While studying to bea teacher, Ted Luck was an assistantmanager at the National Theater inD.C., which may account for thesinging of musicals during Tracie’schildhood. Both her parents sup-ported everything Tracie did with“love, understanding, and patience.”

Tracie says of them, “They havebeautiful voices and beautiful spirits.I would strive to have the kind ofmarriage they have and be the kind ofparents they are when the timecomes.”

As a child, Tracie wasn’t aspiringto be an opera singer, opera was notwhat she listed as music to which shewas exposed as a young child. Tracieplanned on being a Triple Threat, acombination of actress, dancer, andsinger. At the age of thirteen, Tracieauditioned for the concert choir ofGovernor Thomas Johnson HighSchool. David Crawford, director ofthe concert choir, saw something inher and suggested that she pursue acareer as a singer. He also introducedher to Carol DeSantis for vocalinstruction. It was Mrs. DeSantis whotook Tracie to a recital given by thegreat mezzo soprano JessyeNorman—and Tracie knew. Sherealized then that opera covers theTriple Threat.

By the time she began college atTowson State University, Traciealready had stage experience innumerous musicals at the WeinbergCenter for the Arts in Frederick, aswell as being named Frederick’sYoung Woman of the Year, and in1993, she was named Miss Frederick.

In 1994, she gave a recital at theWeinberg Center for the Artsaccompanied by the FrederickChildren’s Chorus.

Teacher Ruth Drucker drewher to Towson for two years, thento the Peabody Conservatory forthree years from which shereceived her Bachelor of Musicdegree. She was then among twohundred people who auditionedfor a place at the Academy ofVocal Arts in Philadelphia, andshe was one of the eight acceptedinto the program. There shestudied under Joanna Levy, andafter four years she earned herArtist Diploma, the equivalent of aMaster’s degree. All during herschooling, Tracie was receivingaccolades for the various roles sheperformed.

Although she now callsPhiladelphia home, she spent thefirst few years out of school doingnumerous apprenticeships withvarious opera houses from Vir-ginia to Utah to Santa Fe back toPhiladelphia. Interestingly, as an

apprentice in the Virginia Opera, inthe Virginia Opera Spectrum Pro-gram, she was part of a touring groupthat brought opera to Virginiaschools. One of the operas, “The PiedPiper of Hamlin,” allowed the stu-dents to become involved, as well.They were able to see the stage propsand how the special effects werearranged. They also participated asthe rats and the children in the story,and took part in a mini-rehearsalbefore the production. Maybe chil-dren who saw Tracie Luck will beinspired, as she was upon hearingJessye Norman.

All these apprenticeships gaveher experience in all sorts of roles,singing in choruses, ensembles, and incomprimario roles (secondary roles).This gave her the opportunity towork in the field. Since then, Traciehas already made numerous operacompany debuts. She debuted in theOpera Company of Philadelphia asAnnie from “Porgy and Bess.” Her

other debuts include the VirginiaOpera and the Michigan OperaTheatre, as well as performing inopera festivals all over the East Coast.

Tracie is very excited to becovering Denyce Graves in the role ofMargaret Garner in the opera of thesame name. The new opera, byRichard Danielpour and ToniMorrison, will premiere in May of thisyear at the Michigan Opera Theatre,in July at the Cincinnati OperaFestival, and in February of 2006 atthe Opera Company of Philadelphia.At the same time this summer, Traciewill make her Cincinnati operaticdebut as Maddalena in Verdi’s“Rigoletto,” a role she already sangfor the Virginia Opera in 2004, andagain in Michigan. How lucky wewere to have her sing a recital inFrederick.

When children talk to Tracieabout singing, she always tells them,“No matter what kind of music youwant to sing, learn to sing classically,then you have the tools to do any-thing.” Tracie should know, some-times she’ll go to a Philadelphia openmike night and sing jazz. She isdefinitely more than just a pretty face.

There is a system of classificationfor operatic singers, but Tracie gentlyrefuses to categorize herself. Shedoesn’t want to be pigeon-holed intocertain roles. The categorization toher “is less important than the artitself.”

Although Tracie has noimmediate plans to be singing againin our area, one of her goals is to havesteady work. As she has achieved somuch already, it would behoove us tokeep our eyes peeled for her at theWashington Metropolitan Opera orthe Virginia Opera performing inFairfax. Great talents like hers are fewand far between, and tears and goosebumps are definitely worthwhileanytime.

Mezzo-soprano Tracie Luck


Financing Available


School News

February 1

Thanksgiving in FebruaryDine at Bassett’s or Domino’s10% of proceeds go to WUMCO

February 2 and 9

St. Peter’s Preschool TimeInfants through Preschool childrenwith Parents in attendance.Bible Stories, Singing, Crafts & Snacks10:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.

February 5

Cub Scout Pack 694 Pancake BreakfastSt. Peter’s Church 8:00 a.m. to 11:00.

Meredith Springer Artist AwardsDelaplaine Visual Arts CenterArtists Reception and Show3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.Call 301-698-0656

February 7 and 21

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)Poolesville Presbyterian ChurchYoung Mothers Support Group9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

February 10

Poolesville Library StorytimeChildren up to PreschoolersStories, crafts, musicUnder two requires parent’s atten-dance10:30 a.m.

February 12 and 13

Cabin Fever FestivalFrederick Fairgrounds40 Arts/Crafts Exhibitors$6.00/adults – 3.00/children 12+

Things To Do

Annual Talent ShowSparkles

By Rande Davis

Move over American Idol, our localtalent is on the rise. The PoolesvilleHigh School annual talent show camejust in time to diminish the earlywinter doldrums. This event sparklesnot only for its obvious pride in localtalent, but it also offers an impressivevariety in the presentations. Whilepresented as a competition, thisprogram is really design to showcaseand entertain. Nevertheless, winnerswere announced in the variouscategories. Congratulations to all theparticipants and to those listed belowby category.

Singing: Placing in order fromfirst to third was Gracie Jones singing“Honey Bun” with Alex Kreiserdancing, Vicki Greenberg singing“Cabaret,” and Stephanie Hellwig andher rendition of “There You’ll Be.”

Dance: First place went to Bhumiand Neha Patel with their classicalIndian dancing. This was followed byPallavi Das, Indian Fusion Dance, andChelsea Beroza, dancing to “UptownGirl.”

Band: The battle of the bands hadfirst placing go to Sidehatch (PeterMattes and Rudi Greenburg, singing“Linger,” their original composition),and second place to Hydroplayne(Sam Cooper, Amir Behnia, EmmaDacol, Craig Sadler, and Piper Owensperforming “If the Stars Fell”).

Instrumental: Violinist AllisonTaylor accompanied by pianistCarissa Moore took first place playing“Preludium and Allegro” by Kreisler.Second place went to Melanie Wongon piano performing “Valse” (OpusPostumum) by Chopin. BryannBenton on piano performed “FirstMovement” by Aram Khatchaturian.

And, the overall winner is?Drumline (Matt Bushman,

Amanda Lyon, Sean Mackenzie, PeterMattes, Susie Montone, NatashaNubgaard, Becca Ricketts, and MandySmith). Drumline is a spectacularprecision drum team performingdramatically under strobe lights tothe energizing and crowd-pleasingbeat of the drums.

Congratulations to everyone whoperformed. If only the Ed Sullivan Showwas still around.(Note to Monocle readers below the ageof 45: Ed Sullivan hosted a popular“variety show” in the mid-20th century.)

Boundary RealignmentPresented to Board of

EducationParents, educators, elected

officials and other concerned citizensjoined to together on Thursday,January 20, 2005 to make their case tothe Montgomery County Board ofEducation to consider altering bound-aries that determine student enroll-ment for John Poole Middle School(JPMS). The concern raised by thePoolesville Cluster representativesfocused on declining enrollment atJPMS that could negatively affectscholastic and other programs at theschool.

The prospect of altering theboundaries for the ClarksburgCluster, which is still in its earlieststages of development, could serveboth the needs of reducing enrollmentin that cluster while at the sameboosting those prospects for JPMS.

Speaking on behalf of JPMS wasCluster representative Liz Smith andCommissioner Jerry Klobukowski. Mr.Klobukowski testified in favor theproposal. He stated that the Board hasa unique opportunity to resolvestudent population issues since boththe Poolesville Cluster and theClarksburg Cluster both agree with

the proposal. “What is being pro-posed is a win-win situation on thebudget level, class size level, and thestudent level.” Stated Mr.Klobukowski.

About 20 individuals from thePoolesville area were present at themeeting to support the concept on theproposal. The Board will not make adecision prior to the next meeting onFebruary 8.

Kids Assemble Kits forTsunami Victims

On January 15 an estimated 100people came to Poolesville Presbyte-rian Church to assemble Health Kitsto be sent to Southeast Asia for thevictims of the Tsunami Disaster. Thegroup included children from PPC’sSunday school classes and two youthgroups, Tiger Cubs from Pack 694 andBrownie Girl Scouts from Troop 4855.The items for the kits were donatedby parishioners and members of thecommunity. Local businesses got intothe act as well. Drs. Pike and Valegadonated toothbrushes and toothpastefor the kits. Selby’s grocery, Cugini’spizza, and Darnestown Food Lion alldonated items to feed the volunteerswho came to help in the assembly ofover 225 kits. PPC plans to assembleabout 90 more kits over the nextweek. All the kits will be sentto Church World Service in NewWindsor, Maryland to be shipped tothe stricken area for distribution.

Young volunteers assembling kits at thePoolesville Presbyterian Church.


Youth Sports

Poolesville High WrestlingBy Dominique Agnew

When Poolesville High School’swrestling coach, Eric Britton, came toPoolesville last year to begin coach-ing, to say that the “wrestling pro-gram was in disarray was an under-statement.” Coach Britton, in his firstyear, was the third coach in threeyears, and there were only thirteenwrestlers on the team. His goal at thattime was to build the program, andalthough he’s succeeding, it is still hisgoal. From last year’s team to thisyear’s team, he’s already nearlydoubled the team size now that hehas twenty-three wrestlers, but thisstill isn’t enough. He would like toconsistently have thirty wrestlers tofill all the weight classes. Recruitingnew wrestlers has not been easy.There is a lot of competition at PHS forathletes, and there is a stigma at-tached to wrestling that is no longerof any consequence.

As with any 1A school, there is asmaller pool of students from whichto draw to fill the same number ofslots for sports as the larger schools.Basketball and indoor track arealready well-established programs atPoolesville with indoor track havingninety-five student-athletes. Added tothis, Coach Britton is not teaching inthe school, but at a different school, soit’s difficult to have preseason meet-ings and the like. Fortunately, on hisside is the growing intramuralwrestling club in Poolesville (see PAAWrestling). A large number of wres-tlers on the high school team are

PHS Wrestling Coach Eric Britton (standing)and Assistant Coach Jerry Vollmer (seated).

experienced wrestlers from the PAAwrestling team. The young wrestlershave been to some of the high schoolmatches to support the team, andCoach Britton makes an effort toattend some of the practices andmatches of the youth team.

Then, there’s the “make weight”stigma. “This is long gone,” he says.“Wrestlers are no longer killingthemselves to make weight. There aremany rules to make it, not onlydifficult, but nearly impossible forkids to do that.” Before the seasoneven begins, there is a whole proce-dure wrestlers need to follow, underthe guidance of a doctor, that mea-sures body fat compared with heightand weight. This makes clear thehealthy weight range for a wrestler.

Despite these factors, CoachBritton is very optimistic about theteam and what it will achieve.Presently, his team is very young, ofthe twenty-three, there is one seniorand five juniors. So if eight freshmenjoin next year to replace the onesenior leaving, the numbers will begood for the team. This is what CoachBritton wants the most—to build aprogram with stability and competi-tiveness—and he needs the numbers.

While it is difficult for the team todo well this year (something CoachBritton says will change in two yearswhen he expects to have a verycompetitive team) due to the lack ofwrestlers in certain weight classes, hehas some individual wrestlers whowill do exceedingly well. JuniorsRoger Torres and Jimmy Stout (son of

Dan Stout, recent inducteeinto the East StroudsburgHigh School Wrestling Hall ofFame) both went to states lastyear as sophomores and areexpected to do so again thisyear. As it is, Roger Torres ispresently ranked second inthe county and fourth in thestate. Hopefully, there will beat least five wrestlers whowill qualify for regions.

With such strong wres-tlers leading a young butgrowing team, the wrestlingteam shows much promise inbecoming a powerhouse forits region and in the state.

A Farewell to the Last ofthe Indians

By Rande Davis

What’s going on at PoolesvilleHigh School, anyway? The wallsreverberate with pounding feet, asliterally scores of Poolesville HighSchool students storm the hallwaysforcing innocent visitors to pushagainst the lockers to escape themayhem. As they run by, theirsmiling faces and light bantercounters the impression that a riothas begun. Just as they slow down byraising their knees as high as possibletoward their chests, they suddenlyreverse their high-stepping actionand begin to run backwards up thehall. This is no riot. Could it be thedrama club dancers rehearsing somegrand finale àla Chorus Line?

Just then a large man with ashaved head, beard, and very broadshoulders turns the corner and takescharge of this group. When you firstsee him, the thought dance instructordoes not come to mind—nor should it.He is PHS teacher and track coach,Scott Mathias. Clearly there is nomayhem. Just the indoor track teamwarming up for practice after beingforced inside due to the cold, snowyweather.

As the track team started out thisyear, a record ninety-plus studentscame out to be part of a group ofathletes that has proudly set newrecords and scaled new heights.

The hard work, injuries, and thepressure of other responsibilities havereduced that earlygroup to aboutseventy students. Thisis still the largest teamin school with nearlyten percent of thestudents participat-ing.

The team, sepa-rated by gender incompetition, unites inpractice. The PHSIndoor Girls’ Trackteam has been nothingshort of stunning inthe past four years. Asthey come out of the

Senior Indoor Track and Field athletes. Front: BryannBenton, Stacie Payne, Jackie Hancock and Rachel Unger.Back: Reuben Goetzel, Caitlin Evans, Steven Eader, EricAgnew, Greg Connor, Coach Mathias, K.C. Marchwicki

and Peters Mattes.

blocks this year, their record speaksfor itself: County Champions (firstever), Region Champions (thirdconsecutive) and State Champions(fourth consecutive).

With nearly forty percent of theteam coming in as freshmen (twentygirls and eight boys), the team isactually beginning a rebuildingprocess. With so many freshmen, isCoach Mathias concerned? Not really.“It’s always hard to rebuild, but wehave great leadership with lots ofexperience and talent. We rely heavilyon the senior class this year.

“In addition, many others havestepped up to a level equal to andbeyond anything they have donebefore. Meghan Rose is a key exampleof this. She has run the 300 two timesand the 500 this season and is rankedin the top ten in the state, all classifi-cations, in both events. The blendingof experience, talent, leadership, andcompetitive drive have made thisseason a lot of fun.”

While the success of the girls hasbeen prominent on this team, theboys’ side continues to make gains.Coach Mathias points out, “Theyended last season, fifth in the regionwith more boys qualifying for statecompetition than ever. They have amix of seniors with experience andthose without it, and their competi-tive drive has made this season a lotof fun.”

There are fifteen seniors on theteam. This elite group has been asignificant part of the success of thisteam through the past four years.This group, the last of the Indianssince they are the last class to havecompeted under the old moniker, is

—Continued on page 13.


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replete with individual achievementin reaching their team goals.

We ran through just some oftheir individual successes with thecoach.

Caitlin Evans is the first four-year hurdler in team history. She ranher personal best in the 100-yardhurdles of 9.2 seconds this season.Bryann “Breezy” Benton has been amost varied runner participating inthe 500m, 800m, 4 x 800 relays, polevault, competing at least once inevery event in track and field.

Stacie “Quadzilla” Payne hasperformed strongly in the 55m and 4x 200m. She will be running forDartmouth College next year. RachelUnger, the star performer on PHSCoach Vollmer’s cross country team,specializes in the longer eventsrunning the 1600m, 3200m and 4 x800. She is the leading all-time activepoint scorer. Battling illness early thisyear, she is coming back strong.

Jackie Hancock, competitor inthe triple jump and long jump, is theschool record holder. K.C. Marchwickiis coming off an injury from last year

and has rebounded in this her secondyear to run in the 1600m and the3200m.

Chris Rackens has run all fouryears and is the school’s record holderin the 300m and the 500m. CoachMathias was very pleased with first-time runner Eric Agnew, “Although heis new to the team, he has alreadyranked second in the 1000m in statecompetition (all classes),” statesMathias. Steve Eader is anotherversatile competitor, running every-thing from 200m to 800m. Sean Peters,who ran the 55m and 4 x 200, is thebest “out of the blocks” on the team.Senior Greg Connor came out for thefirst time this year, competing in the55m, 4 x 200, and 300m and hasexemplified great attitude andleadership.

The athletes are lookingforward to the championship season.Both the boys’ and girls’ teams will bein strong contention to win theRegion and State titles; and there is ahost of opportunities for them to winboth individual and team awards.Just what do the coaches think aboutthis season? “This team has workedhard, endured crazy weather, andperformed great already. With the

focus that comes at this time of season(on regional and state competition)and with the leadership provided bythe tremendous class of seniors, weare looking for great things, too.” Welearned a long time ago, don’t doubtCoach Mathias.

Youth SportsLast of the Indians continued—

PAA WrestlingBy Dominique Agnew

In 1997, Dan Stout approached thePoolesville Athletic Association (PAA)about the possibility of starting awrestling team. “I wrestled all my lifeand loved the sport,” says Dan.“There wasn’t a program inPoolesville, and I knew that if Iwanted my kids to wrestle, I had tostart one.” So it began.

That first year, Dan sent out aflyer to the elementary and middleschools in Poolesville and hadtwenty-five kids on the team. It was arough year. “We took our lumps,”says Dan, “but in the second year, wefinished third in the league.” In thethird year, they were able to split intotwo teams, Poolesville Black andPoolesville Gold.

All along, Dan’s goal was to teachthe kids not only about the sport, but

to also teach them about “sportsman-ship, how to compete, how to win,how to lose.” He adds, “People whowrestled credit it with a lot of posi-tive things. It teaches self-discipline.”The emphasis on sportsmanship wasrealized since the team won threesportsmanship awards during Dan’stenure.

Initially, the team practiced at thehigh school, but as the team andsupport grew, it was able to arrange acongenial partnership with themiddle school. The PAA wrestlingteam owns the mat they use forpractice and matches (Dan waspleased to have gone to Pennsylvaniaand to have chosen the mat himself),and the middle school stores the mat.In exchange, the team uses the gym,and the middle school has use of themat.

As his own children got into highschool, it was difficult for Dan tocoach the PAA wrestling team andwatch his own kids. In 2002, when hisyoungest began high school, Dancontinued to coach; however, by lastyear, he was no longer coaching, butcontinued on as commissioner (a team



Mystery History

The Canteen in the WoodsBy Jack Toomey

The relic hunter had been in thewoods for three hours on a bitterSunday afternoon ten years ago. Eventhough the temperature was belowfreezing, he was not cold because ofthe constant swinging of his metaldetector and his stooping and diggingin the ground. So far he had foundmostly beer cans and shotgun shells,but a .57 caliber bullet from the CivilWar gave him some hope that he wasclose to his goal.

About two years before, he hadbeen searching a field outside ofPoolesville when an old stationwagon stopped by the side of theroad. An elderly gentleman hadgotten out and watched. Since therelic hunter knew the propertyowner, he gave the man little thought.The old man watched for awhile andthen walked out into the field. He said,“You think they were here?” Theyounger man answered that he hadfound Civil War relics there before.The old man replied, “I’ll show youwhere they were—get in.” He thendrove to a site near Poolesville andpointed to a hill and said, “They wereup there somewhere.” The old manexplained that he had devoted his lifeto researching Civil War encamp-ments in the Montgomery Countyarea. He believed that a New Yorkcalvary company had been camped inthose woods in 1863, but he had neverlocated the exact spot.

When the next winter came, therelic hunter spent his days off search-ing those woods for signs of thecampsite. An occasional bullet or

piece of brass was found, but nothingto indicate a camp. Oddly enough, oneafternoon, he found two 1906 quarterslying next to each other about twoinches under the ground. Variousscenarios played out in his mindabout how these two coins could havebeen lost together at that spot.Summer came and the woods wereforgotten, and the relic hunter re-turned to the fields away from thepoison ivy and snakes.

He returned to the woods afterthe first killing frost in hopes offinding the long lost camp. Then, onthat cold Sunday afternoon, he cameto a hilltop. He thought that it was aperfect spot for a campsite. A west-ward exposure to catch the wintersun, water nearby, and a flat surfacefor tents. A strange feeling came overhim. He soon found a brass calvaryspur and a New York coat button. Heknew that he had found the camp. Alight snow began falling, but hepressed on. Bayonet tip protectors, alarge cent dated 1857, another spur,and a brass part of a saddle wereunearthed. Then he received a signalin his earphones. He kicked the leavesaway to prepare to dig when he sawit. Only this time there would be nodigging. Amazingly, he simply bentdown and lifted the relic from theleaves. There it lay, practically inplain sight. It was a soldier’s canteen.Who had left this canteen there? Nosoldier would ever have thrownaway or lost his canteen. Only a holeor defect could have caused a soldierto abandon his canteen—at this spotin the woods—to be found onehundred and thirty years later at thevery spot where it had been dropped.

liaison to PAA and the league). Finally,this year, he relinquished the reins.There were too many conflicts, butDan says, “I am happy to see theprogram continue.”

Continue it has, phenomenally.Steve Seeger who has been coachingfor three years at PAA is, for the firsttime this year, the commissioner ofPAA wrestling. “I wanted a slowchanging of the guard,” he says. Hehas taken the mantle from Dan Stoutand wears it well. “We want the kidsto have fun while learning disciplineand how to become better wrestlers,”Steve adds. “Evidently, we’re doingsomething right because the teamgrew from twenty-six wrestlers lastyear to forty-nine wrestlers for thisyear.” With this number of wrestlers,a third team was created, PoolesvilleWhite.

The PAA wrestling team is trulysomething special. For the past twoyears, the dedicated coaching staff hasremained virtually unchanged. MarkAgnew, Kevin Dorsey, ChrisGiarratano, Chris Lee, Bruce Savage,

Youth SportsPAA Wrestling Continued—



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Arena

By Rande Davis

Two years overdue and almostexactly one year since the PoolesvillePlanning Commission presented theTown Commissioners with their draftMaster Plan (MP), the commissionershave just completed the final publichearing prior to voting on implemen-tation.

When it passes the commission,the MP will establish guidelines forPoolesville that will define potentialstructural, economic, and populationchanges for the next five years. Statelaw requires this process, and con-cerned residents can rest assured thatit is not being forced on the town by afew special interests. Even though ittook a long time to develop thedocument, the end result is a positiveexercise in small town democracy,The wide degree of resident involve-ment, the countless hours of volunteerstudy and input, and the sinceredesire of the Planning Commissionand the Town Commission to create adocument that reflects the thinking ofa broad spectrum of residents speakswell for everyone involved.

The plan has a number of statedobjectives including a priority tomaintain the small town or villagecharacteristics of the town, adequatewater and sewer, and initiatives toensure that the town’s schools offerprograms at least on a par withschools in the more populous areas ofthe county.

Without changing the ultimatecap on the population of Poolesville at7500, the plan recognizes that growthwill need to be incremental and thatthe actual population will not risebeyond 6500 in the foreseeable future.The plan hopes to improve andstrengthen the core downtown andbusiness district.

The Maryland Heritage AreasProgram, as part of the Master Plan,has already been approved. TheHeritage Area designation enrollsPoolesville in an economic develop-ment program with the goal ofstrengthening the county’s tourismpotential, and it has been subject tosignificant misinterpretation of itsimpact on the town’s governance.What distinguishes this programfrom other historical and preserva-tion programs is the strictly volun-tary involvement of any participating

individual or entity. Each property orbusiness owner can decide whether toparticipate in the program. The townloses none of its autonomy and theprogram offers the potential ofeconomic advantages that can helpmany of the businesses in town. Italso makes available a range of grantsand other economic incentives to thetown and others who choose toparticipate.

The Master Plan encourages theimportance of parks and recreation

and supports land use densities thatwill maintain the town’s ruralambience. The plan tries to ensurethat any new development does notimpose costs on existing residents,and is designed to maintain the WellHead Protection Program to protectlocal water resources.

The thirty-page document isavailable from Town Hall for anyresident and while final adjustmentswill be made in the coming days, it isnot too early to envision whatPoolesville would be like in five yearsas a result of its passage.

It is unlikely that every aspect ofthe Master Plan would get fullimplementation within five years.The overall look of the town wouldhardly be different. The downtownmight have some newly installed butantique-looking streetlights withpossibly some reconstructed side-walks. If they came on the weekendthey might notice an influx of out-of-towners coming to visit expandedantique stores and shops and to visitthe quaint but better-promotedhistorical sites. The restaurants mightbe busier and perhaps more varied.There could be as many as 440 newhomes although it is more likely to be

fewer. Somewhere in the commercialdistrict a housing program for seniorsmight have broken ground. It won’tbe a high rise, but don’t be surprisedat duplexes or housing on smallerlots.

In the area of roads you mightfind some redesign at Elgin Road andJerusalem Road. Fyffe Road (west ofWhalen Common) might be extendedto Tama, connecting at Glass Way.

Just as important as the potentialchanges to the town are those thingsthat will not change if the objectivesof the Master Plan are realized.Educational programs offered at theschools will be broad and the pros-pect of school closings will be re-duced. If you come in the summer thegrass will be green because lawnswill be watered through adequateresources as a result of new wells puton line.

Most of all, in five years the townwill not have collapsed or have beentaken over by the county, and thebudget in Poolesville will still be inthe black (as it was in 2004). The townwill still be run by hardworkingvolunteers who bring to the table awide range of points of view thatstem from their varied backgroundsand areas of expertise. Poolesville willnot lose its character, and not becauseof some kind of cosmic destiny for thetown, but because final decisions willstill be made through the involve-ment of concerned citizens who takeon responsibility in elected offices andwho accept positions on town com-mittees, schools, and other civicorganizations.

This is not to say the Master Planis perfect, but to point out thatwithout such a plan Poolesville couldbecome unrecognizable. As a docu-ment with specific time limitationsenjoined by resident involvement, theMaster Plan is nothing more than aguide for the future. It does notcontrol us. We control it. The processof its development is a lesson in civicsand democracy, and of the involve-ment of many citizens participatingindividually and in groups.

Poolesville keeps changing one way orthe other.

The Master Plan—One Resident’s Perspective Steve Seeger, and Chris Wilson form atight-knit core of coaches helped bymany parent volunteers, includingequipment manager Judy Murgia andteam manager Suzanne Tallia.

The kids practice three times aweek at John Poole Middle School.Although, there are many newwrestlers who have joined the teamthis year, with seven coaches walkingthe mats, as well as parent volun-teers, the kids get a lot of one-on-oneattention. New wrestlers are taughtbasic moves, and more experiencedwrestlers are taught more advancedtechniques. As did Dan Stout, the PAAwrestling coaches place great impor-tance on sportsmanship. Last year,the Poolesville Gold team won thesportsmanship award for the league.This award is determined by thereferees who vote on the winner atthe end of each season at the finaldistrict tournament.

Having good sportsmanship doesnot mean the team is also not com-petitive. As motivation for thewrestlers, there are special awardshanded out each week. During thefirst practice after each match(matches are usually on Saturdays),wrestlers who had pins during thematch receive pins (specially-madepins with black and gold beads) tokeep. Then, the Heart Award is givenout. The Heart Award is a medalcarried and worn for one week onlyby the wrestler who does his or herbest and doesn’t give up. It doesn’tnecessarily go to a wrestler whowins, but it can go to a wrestler whoperseveres despite having a toughmatch or a difficult opponent.

There are also big plans forthe team. The coaches hope to have inplace next year a beltway team. Thisteam would compete at a moreintense level of wrestling againstother beltway teams outside of theregion. Presently, there are somePoolesville-area wrestlers (not onPAA) who wrestle on beltway teams,but they have to go far to find a teamwith which to practice and compete.

With all this going for the team, itis no surprise that PAA wrestling isvery competitive and always gives astrong effort at matches.

Youth SportsPAA Wrestling Continued—


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EquestrianStraw: Revisited

By Debbie Lynn,Poolesville Tack and Supply

At one time, straw was anintegral component of every stableyard. Since wheat is grown in abun-dance, straw is cheap and readilyavailable. For many years it was thestandard bedding material for horses.Today, we have several choices inbedding material, and modern horsekeeping reflects this variety. Strawhas all but disappeared from mosthorse operations. But it deserves asecond look. It has several advantagesover more commonly used bedding,such as sawdust and shavings.

Horses are bedded to providecleanliness, warmth, and padding.There are two basic ways to accom-plish cleanliness. One is by soppingup the horse’s urine and removing itfrom the stall. The other way is toallow the urine to drain away. For thefirst system, you want very absor-

bent material, such as sawdust orshavings. For a drainage method, youwant bedding which holds the horseaway from wet spots and keeps himclean, much as the liner in a babydiaper works. Straw is a good choicehere. It’s less absorptive than saw-dust, and its bulky nature provides adry layer for the horse to bed upon.Good stall drainage is a must for thistype of horse keeping. Straw andrubber matted stalls are not compat-ible. For straw kept stalls, the floorshould be packed crushed bluestoneor small gravel. A layer of slightlylarger gravel under the bluestone iseven better.

There is another cleanlinessadvantage of straw over sawdust orshavings. With sawdust, the fineparticles of dust accumulate in thecoat, and absorb the oils out of thecoat. Straw seems to polish the coat,and does not rob it of oil. The horse’sfeet, too, retain their natural moisturebetter. Wood fiber beddings canexcessively dry the hooves.

For warmth, straw has a clearadvantage over other types of bed-

ding. Its bulk captures more insulat-ing air.

Another possibility for keepingyour stalls warm is deep littering.This is an old fashioned way ofkeeping your horse’s stall warm in thewinter. It’s seldom done now; we havestalls with heat lamps, and betterinsulated barns. But it is anotheroutmoded system which deservesanother look. Deep litter methodshave several advantages. The stallsstay appreciably warmer, you useless bedding, and if it doesn’t reduceyour labor, at least it groups yourlabor time in an efficient way.

I recently compared the ambienttemperature of my barn to that of athermometer laid on top of the deeplitter. The thermometer on the wallread 22 degrees, the one in the stallread 29 degrees.

Methods vary for keeping thistype of stall. Here is my personalrecipe: Part of my decision to use deeplitter was the construction of mybarn. It is a very old fashionedtimbered barn, which is rumored tohave been converted from a corn crib.

The upper outside walls are oakenslats, rather than solid walls. I cherishthis ample ventilation, but it doesmake the barn colder. The stalls floorswere gravel once, but are nowbottomless pits, and pretty soggyeven when unoccupied. Straw seemsto hold up better in these conditions.

I keep a fairly deep layer of strawin the stall (ten to twelve inches) withhigh banks across the back andaround the back corners. The beddingtapers off in the area of the race gatedoors, so it doesn’t spill out into theaisle. I leave a bare square for hay. Onwork days, I pick the manure piles outand redistribute the bedding ifthey’ve tossed it around. This takesonly a minute or two per stall. Once aweek, or as needed, I add a half a baleof straw. On my day off I take out theworst of the soiled bedding and add awhole bale per stall. This processtakes far less total time per week thanregular stalls, and the stalls stay cleanand fresh smelling. I check for ammo-nia fumes constantly. So far, I’ve never


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noticed any. If the weather warms up,I strip the stalls on my day off, andkeep them as regular stalls until itgets cold again.

There are a couple of things towatch out for with this method.Ammonia fumes, created by the urine,are harmful to your horse’s respira-tory system. I think I avoid theproblem by using this system onlywhen it’s cold, and keeping an amplelayer of clean bedding on top. ( I alsosprinkle the stall floor with limewhen I strip them.) Your straw needsto be “bright” straw. Shinny yellowstems, long pieces. Dusty landscapestraw will be hard on your horse’slungs. Even good clean straw hasmore mold spores than good dryshavings. It’s because it’s a fieldgrown crop. Hay contains moldspores, too. If your horse has COPD(chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease) or any other breathingproblem, you may wish to avoidstraw.

Padding is more a matter of howmuch bedding, rather than type.There are all kinds of “rules” regard-ing correct bedding depth, but really,it depends on what you use, and whatkind of stall floor you have. Rubbermats reduce the amount needed forpadding, but since they are a low tono drainage system, you need to addextra bedding to absorb urine whichis trapped in the stall. Concrete floorsare not really suitable for stalls, but ifyou are stuck with them, lots ofbedding can compensate. If you areusing sawdust or shavings, over areasonably soft floor, such as gravelor clay, 4-6 inches of bedding is thetime honored “rule”. You will needmore depth if you are using straw, asit is more compressible. To reallyknow if your stalls are bedded deeplyenough, sit in them for a while! If youare not clean and comfortable sittingon your stall floor for a while, yourhorse probably isn’t either. If yourhorse has “bedsores” (i.e.: rubbedelbows or hocks from getting up anddown), definitely add more bedding.These types of rubs can becomecapped elbows or hocks.

Whether you choose an absorp-tive method of stall keeping or adrainage method depends on yourrequirements, and ultimately in youraesthetic preference. I love to walk

Equestrian

Straw Continued—

into my barn and breathe deeply ofwarm, liniment-scented horse andfresh straw. My horses like a goodstraw bed, and tend to lie down morereadily. I think it seems more naturalto them.

However you choose to keep yourstalls, just remember what Hercules’fifth great labor was: the cleaning ofthe Aegean stables!

If you have any questions pertain-ing to horses, please feel free to e-mailthem to: tackandsupply.com. I’ll eitherreply directly, or in the form of a Q &A column in The Monocle.

Local History

line of troops against such a line offortifications, through such a country,would ensure certain defeat. It wouldbe simply a repetition of Bull’s Runand Ball’s Bluff. We must wrest theirstrongholds from them one by one. Bya sudden concentration of our forcesat some point, and a rapid advance,we can drive them from positions,and the same process repeated willgive us another point; and thus, stepby step, we can drive them back fromthe line of defences, which they havedid all summer preparing; and then,as soon as this has been accom-plished, we have them at our mercy.To ensure success every advance mustbe preceded by a thorough reconnais-sance. The advance of infantry shouldbe protected and covered by artillery.Whenever we occupy a new position,even if there does not at the timeappear any probability of a retreatfrom it, it is far the most safe plan tothrow up such a breastwork aswould render our position impreg-nable. Unless I am mistaken, to goforward slowly, steadily, and surely,and to fortify as he goes, is the policyof McClellan; and unless he is forcedby rash and impatient men, to whatthey are pleased to call “more vigor-ous movements.” I have no doubt hewill soon succeed in crushing thisrebellion.

I walked down to the river theother day, to take a look at the latebattleground. When within a quarterof a mile of the stream, the notes froma rebel band of music came swellingout, clear and lively, from behind alittle patch of woods which concealedthe regiment marching behind. A fewsoldiers were straggling about,curiously examining the field of thelate conflict. An officer rode out insight while I was looking and thendisappeared behind a house. Thebreastwork we had thrown upseemed to have been destroyed, butsome of the booths we had made tokeep off the rain were still standing.The pickets on either shore are innearly the same places as before; theysee each other often, sometimes talkacross the river, and occasionallyexchange shots. The day I was down,the rebels fired twice at one of ourpickets, but their balls did not comemore than three quarters across. Theshots were returned with about thesame effect. The heavy rain of lastSunday raised the Potomac to such a

Letters to Home From aWarrior Encamped In

PoolesvilleFor the soldier in war, every battle they

endure is a major conflict. A few in our midstargue that there was no real major civil warhistory in our area. Don’t tell that to E.Bicknell, a Yankee from the 20th Massachu-setts regiment, who was encamped at CampBenton in Poolesville on November 11,1891.

As he writes a letter to the ChelseaTelegraph and Pioneer about the “affairs” ofEdward’s Ferry, Mr. Bicknell has no idea heis writing about the beginning stages of along drawn out war. Rather, he thought hewas witnessing what was soon to becomethe “crushing of the rebellion.”

His observations, while not necessarilyunderstood by him at the time, indicates he isfacing a tenacious and dedicated enemy thatwill not be easily stopped. The letter thatfollows is an excellent portrayal of thesituation and events surrounding theconflicts at Edward’s Ferry.

First Massachusetts Sharpshooters. Letters of the Civil War.November 11, 1861. Camp Benton,Poolesville, Nov. 11th, 1861.

To the Editor of the Chelsea Telegraph:

Friend Editor:-Affairs at Edward’sFerry remain precisely the same asbefore the battle. The usual monoto-nous routine of drill and guard dutyis varied only by some slight prepara-tions for the greater comfort of manand beast, which the near approach ofcold weather renders necessary. Quitea number of substantial log houseshave been erected, the spaces betweenthe log chinked with mud, and the

roof covered with boards. Tents willprobably be dispensed with when wego into winter quarters. The 20thMass. Regiment has two ovens inoperation, which turn out as goodbread as can be made in the bestestablishments at home. The ovensare built under the level of theground, with a bake-house adjoining,and, by working two sets of hands,furnish the whole brigade with warmbread every day. Every enterprisingcompany has built some kind of ashanty, which answers for a cook-house. The favorite form is, a frame ofpoles covered with poles; considerateskill is sometimes shown in thatchingthese so the rain cannot penetrate.The horses are also sheltered from theweather by some sort of a covering.The best stable I have seen was madeby throwing out the dirt to the depthof four feet, and then setting the roofover this. The horse is led down intothis on an incline plane, and the roofbeing thatched, nothing better couldbe desired. Fireplaces have been builtin almost every tent; but as I haveseen very particular descriptions ofthe different methods of constructionin the papers which come from home,I will omit a description. The under-ground tunnel is the favorite methodjust now.

The battle of Ball’s Bluff has notceased to be the exciting topic. Gen.Stone without exception blamed.Every one says that we might, as wellas not, have been in possession ofLeesburg if it had not been for thecriminal mismanagement shown, innot providing sufficient transporta-tion. The resignation of Scott givessatisfaction. The army has long feltthat McClellan was its proper leader.Now, that he has full command, anadvance movement is every dayexpected. But not such an advance asthe papers at home have been predict-ing for the last two months,-not asimultaneous advance of the wholeline from the Atlantic to the Missis-sippi. We have not such troops forsuch a movement, and I question if wecould raise enough. Such an advanceis impossible. Along the whole linethe rebels have a chain of fortifica-tions carefully chosen, so as tocommand the country through whichwe must pass, and bristling withcannon. Every bridge over which wemust pass has been destroyed; everyrailroad track torn up; every roadeither render impassable or swept bya masked battery. To march a naked —Continued on Page 22.


In the Garden

A Gardener’s JourneyBy Maureen O’Connell

January is an ideal time to focuson your spring garden plans. Thehardiest gardeners might well turntheir backs on the garden this month.No harm will come if tasks are left tolater in the year. By now the new seedand nursery catalogues are settling indeep drifts around my desk. It is verytempting to gorge oneself by orderingone of these and one or two of those. Itis even more tempting, at least for me,to hunt for new rarities with names Ican barely pronounce. We must havea plan.

Some readers may have recentlymoved into a house in a new subdivi-sion, which lacks any gardens ormature plantings. Others might livein an older house whose gardens needa make-over or thinning. All of thesesituations need a different approach.The most essential point is to beyourself; trust your instincts. Youhave to please yourself, not me, notyour neighbors and not your friend inthe local garden club. The elements ofa garden should inspire, surprise, oreven change the way we see. Nomatter how humble the garden, it istruly successful if the gardener’spresence is palpable.

My husband and I bought ourfirst home in 1972. It was a tradi-tional. split-level in a new subdivi-sion with barely a tree in sight. I wasa neophyte gardener and my back-yard was the standard rectangulararea lined up in a row with neighbor-ing homes to the left, to the right andbehind the yard. You could call it avery clean slate. I had my husbandJim dig a long patch on the side of thelawn area. In the early 1970s therewere not as many interesting gardencatalogues as there are today; Burpeeswas my gardening Bible. I wasfamiliar with the basic plants, so Iordered zinnia, marigold and cosmosseeds. I bought geraniums, pansiesand petunias. They were all the colorsof the rainbow and more. Manypeople think that they don’t knowhow to garden. That’s my point. I didnot either, but I did not know that. Ihave been a “humble gardener for along time! If you are new to garden-ing, jump right in; get dirt under yourfingernails. If you crave Crayola-

bright colors in your flowers, fromzinnias to petunias, start planting.One of the most interesting , andfunky, gardens I ever visited wasawash in color, from plants of all hueto an iron side-gate painted school-bus yellow to finials on the picketfences brilliant in fire-engine-red andperiwinkle. You are not trying tocreate a glimpse of Versailles; that cancome later. Some gardeners believethat some colors don’t mix together. Idon’t necessarily feel that way orfollow that. You are learning now.Break the rules. Keep things simple.You don’t need plant menageries. “Ofa good beginning cometh a good end.”(Thomas Heywood, English poet 1575-1650).

My biggest mistake in my firstgardening endeavors, in hindsight,was to plant seeds. They are lessexpensive than established plants,and they are fun, especially forchildren, to watch grow. But, there isan inherent problem; as they emergeand grow, they should be thinned togive them good spacing. So to thisday, I do not plant seeds (exceptmorning glories because they are sowonderful) because I cannot bringmyself to rip out of the ground aperfectly healthy seedling and throwit away. I would either leave them alljammed together or stick themanywhere I found a spot of unplantedsoil. Not a good idea.

In 1975 we bought our secondhome. It was about twenty years old,so it had mature plantings. The onlyproblem with that situation is that allthose wonderfully thought outplanting designs eventually out grewand took over their original location.The beautiful yellow forsythia andviolet rhododendrons around thepatio would every spring climb upthe steps towards the garage andform an impassable tunnel. Ruthlesspruning was called for. Around thepool was a high fence covered in Blazeclimbing rose and privet hedge. Nowthat was quite a project to keep themtamed. Here we have an example ofthe wrong plants in the wronglocation. With this in mind, youmight say that you have lots of ideasfor your garden, but how can you getsome idea of how they will eventuallylook? The English decorator andgarden designer David Hicks drew hisideas on black and white photo-graphs. January is a good time to takephotos of your winter landscape anduse them to play with different plans.Tape tracing paper over the photos, or

make enlarged copies, and try outdifferent fences, hedges, walls, path-ways, pergolas, and so forth. Bydrawing the mature sizes of trees andshrubs, you just might save yourselftime and trouble down the road.

This house did not have manyflower gardens, except for somenaturalistic daffodil plantings. Toexpand my gardening vistas, I becameinterested in roses. In the 1970s,hybrid tea roses were very popular.The more disease resistant, hardy andrepeat blooming varieties were justbeing developed. So I stopped plant-ing zinnia seeds and explored the roseworld. There was a sunny spot at theend of the driveway and it soonbecame my rose garden. I sprayed,fertilized and watered all my newrose children; they thrived. I learned alot also about perennials. The variet-ies that were available were daunt-ing. The catalogues of White FlowerFarm and Wayside Gardens replacedBurpee’s. Jim became better at diggingflower beds, or at least I told him thatto keep him digging. His mulchingskills also improved. Onward andupward.

We moved to Monocacy countryin 1980. Twenty-five years ago,Barnesville, especially for D.C. folk,was considered “out in the country.”Our friends would ask us for direc-tions and whether they should pack alunch to tide them over on theirjourney. My third house was fiveyears old. The plantings consisted ofmany white pine trees scatteredabout, and a long garden stretchedparallel to the house, which wasplanted with white Dogwood treesand Boxwood. It was very apropos formy Williamsburg style house. But, itneeded flower gardens. When I movedfrom Darnestown, I brought with memy peonies, perennials and six roses(the new owner was not a gardenerand did not want them). By the way,those peonies and roses still grow in

my garden. This was exciting now. Ihad more space to grow more plants.Jim became even better at preparingnew plant beds, mulching, andplanting tulip bulbs. He was nowmechanized. (I don’t know if that is aword, but it fits the bill and I’m usingit). He had a tractor or another “toy”for any garden task. I stopped feelingsorry for him when I asked him toplease plant 300 tulip bulbs, becausehis tractor attachment could do it forhim.

In the mid 1990s I discoveredDavid Austin’s roses at the ChelseaFlower Show. Now more beds wereneeded. My knowledge was expand-ing, along with my aching back. Noone ever said that gardening was easyon the bones; it has to be a labor oflove.

Through this garden journey ofthirty three years, I have come a longway from my hodgepodge style ofgardening. And that is the point of myramblings. The journey of the learn-ing experiences and the mistakes wasthe fun and not a glimpse ofVersailles. Create your garden. Do notbe a slave to the latest en voguegarden designs and plants. We needmore Gertrude Jekylls and VitaSackville-Wests for today and tomor-row. I have a little wooden sign thathangs from a branch of the WhiteBirch that says “Welcome to mygarden.” Don’t feel you have tointroduce foreign elements into yourlandscape to make a statement. It’s nogood trying to appropriate otherpeople’s style as a substitute for yourown. No amount of combed sand isgoing to make me think I am in Tokyo.What is the answer? How shouldyour garden look? Look to yourself.Throw in some risk, confidence,surprise, even some whimsicality.Welcome to the world of the garden.

Next: The Pick of the 2005Catalogues


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Focus on BusinessFraming Memories—Jo’s

Frame ShopBy Marcie Gross

“When the jeep’s here, come onin,” says Jo Mills, owner of Jo’s FrameShop. Jo opened her doors on FisherAvenue on Poolesville Day, September14, 2002. Since that day, Jo has becomea valuable part of the Poolesvillecommunity as a member of thePoolesville Area Chamber of Com-merce, an active Poolesville Dayparticipant, and supporter of the arts.

As you enter the shop, you’ll hearthe sounds of the blues and feel thewarmth of all the colorful piecessurrounding you. This is Jo—sheilluminates her shop. It is clear frommeeting her that each object washandpicked, and Jo is proud torepresent it. She stocks what herclients want, and it is obvious that Joloves coming to work.

Jo quickly found her love offraming in the 1970s. She began as apicture framer of commercial art forhotels, then followed by framingwholesale work for many artists.They used all-white mats; however, Joproduced museum-quality framingwith flair. Next, she turned to retail. Joworked at two retail stores in Vir-

Jo Mills of Jo’s Frame Shop

ginia, but dreamed of owning aframing shop of her own.

Jo and her husband Keith bikedover the C&O Canal for many yearswhich led them to Poolesville. Afterfinding a home in Dickerson, thecommute to and from Virginiabecame tiresome. The time had comefor Jo to start her own venture. Jofound a spot in town and opened hershop. She and her family workedextremely hard getting it ready forthe grand opening on Poolesville Day,and all of their work has certainlypaid off. Clients from all over theWashington, D.C. metropolitan areahave followed her because of her topquality framing. She loves the free-dom in going to work when shewants and in stocking the items shelikes.

Jo wants to reciprocate to thecommunity from which she hasbenefited so much, and her generousspirit shines. She is always willing tocontribute to the local schools’ artprograms. When she learned that

Monocacy Elementary would beperforming Charlie and the ChocolateFactory in the spring, she immedi-ately set out to discover how shecould help. She donated several itemsthe drama crew could use as props. Inthe future she would like to teach artstudents the basics in mat cutting andwould like to have apprentices towhom she could teach the framingtrade “the right way.”

The walls and displays in hershop not only have items fromvendors such as Lang Candles andDepartment 56, but also artwork fromlocal artists and photographers. Sheoffers art on consignment and enjoysdoing antique frame restoration. Jocan frame anything. Just sit on thecouch in her shop and look in heralbums. She has framed militarymedals, flags, sports memorabilia,and even musical instruments.

Stop into Jo’s Frame Shop to meetJo, and frame your memories knowingthey’ll be in caring hands.


Day Tripper

By Bob Pickett

Bob Pickett is the Naturalist for thePotomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC)and leads a monthly Natural History hike.PATC, a volunteer organization, has weeklyhikes, maintains over 1,000 miles of hikingtrails, has 32 rental cabins, and is a landconservation organization. More informa-tion may be found at WWW.PATC.net or bycalling 703-242-0693.

Each season has it’s own opportu-nities that can make a hike special. Forsome, winter’s benefits are composedof what it doesn’t offer. It doesn’t havemosquitoes or poison ivy, venomoussnakes or high humidity. Nor does ithave nettles or bees! Certainly, allgood arguments. Perhaps the bestelement that winter doesn’t offer isthe concealing green wall of summer(although it’s becoming all to commonto be able to peek under the curtain,thanks to the serious eating habits ofour ungulate friends).

The Shenandoah National Park isthe place to be in winter. It’s great funto be able to see the stone walls andfoundations of the former mountainresidents. I recommend gettingCarolyn and Jack Reeders’s trilogy ofbooks about the Park published bythe PATC. The third book,Shenandoah Secrets, will take youalong the trails and tell you wonder-ful stories about the people that livedin the homes that you’ll be passing.Len Wheat has prepared a self-guidedtour of eighteen cabins of the commu-nity of Old Rag, or Weakley Hollow,also published by the PATC. While theOctober fire of 2000 has destroyedsome of the chestnut logs, it’s still afun way to spend a winter day. Inaddition, Len has an appendix listing28 cabin sites within the Park thatstill had standing walls as of about1990. Get ‘em and go explore.

For me, the highlight of the winterseason is identifying animal tracts inthe snow. Get a field guide for tracks,such as the Peterson Field Guide toAnimal Tracks, and find out who’sactive. Even though deer, squirrels,and deer mice are most common,bobcat, fox and coyote are not uncom-mon. And, yes, you can see beartracks every month of the year; somearousing for a short stroll, whileothers may remain active all winter.

One highlight I have yet to

experience can only be had in Januaryand early February, and it onlyhappens late at night. This means youhave to rent one of the PATC cabins,or camp on your own in the Park. Ifyou’re very lucky, one night, you’llhear what sounds like the screamingwails of a demented woman off in thewoods. Consider yourself blessed ifyou hear this mating call of the malebobcat. They say you will not mistakethis sound for anything else in thenatural world.

Other winter opportunities? Well,notice earlier I said no mosquitoes. Ididn’t say no insects. In fact, a not toouncommon winter site on snow arethe congregation of thousands ofblack dots, known as snow fleas.These springtail insects tend toappear on snow near the base of trees,where the reflected sun has meltedthe snow to the ground, allowingthese primitive insects to emerge.They have earned the common nameof snow fleas due to the two append-ages they have on their last bodysegment, which enable them to springa distance of several inches.

Speaking of insects, when youlunch by the creek and find half inch,slender winged insects walking abouton the rocks and your clothing, youhave found one of several species ofstone flies that wait until midwinterto metamorphose from aquaticnymphs to terrestrial flying adults.At least, they don’t have manypredators out to disturb their court-ship. After mating, the female depos-its her eggs in the water, at whichpoint, the life cycle is complete forboth the adult male and female.

Finally, wintertime is a good timeto take up birdwatching. First, youdon’t have the hundreds of summerpossibilities to deal with, and, second,as mentioned before, NO LEAVES! Youmay not find any birds for an hour ormore, and then a flurry of birdactivity is upon you, with numerousspecies flying through the forest inmixed flocks. Take advantage of theopportunity; they may pass throughin a matter of minutes, leaving youalone again.

Birds tend to flock in winter. Thelogic suggests that more eyes meanmore food sources found, and moreeyes to detect danger (thus, lesswasted time looking for predators).

Summer flocking doesn’t work due tothe territorial needs of birds. Interest-ingly, woodland flocking is morecommon with insectivores than withseedeaters. Since seeds come in somany different forms, so do the formsof the bird bills, and thus, seedpreferences for each species. Thus, it’snot reasonable to expect that search-ing for communal food sources forsuch diverse needs will work. Twoexceptions are noted. First, intraspe-cific flocks (all one species) can befound, such as juncos, robins andcedar waxwings, looking for theircommon food source. Juncos arecommonly found foraging in four orfive favorite foraging sites, usually nomore than two to three hundredyards apart. Incidentally, if you see aflock of waxwings, notice the color ofthe tip of the tail. Historically, the tipis a bright yellow, but, as the result ofthe introduced Asian shrub honey-suckles to the waxwings diet, some ofthe tips are orange! Second, seedeatersdo tend to flock in field habitats,where a greater abundance of speciesand quantities of seeds can be found.Field flocking seed eaters (not anobscenity or rock band) will tend tobe more sedentary, thus, moreamenable to birding.

Flocking does work for theinsectivores, like the interspecificflocks of Carolina chickadees, tuftedtitmice, white-breasted nuthatches,golden-crowned kinglets, and, maybea couple of brown creepers anddowny woodpeckers. The reason itworks, while insectivores have just asmany varied bills and specializedfeeding habits as the seed eaters, is,unlike the seed eaters, they can findall their needs in one site. You cannotice how the chickadees tend to feedon the outer branches, often high inthe tree, while the titmouse tends tosearch the thicker inner branches, oron the ground. Kinglets are veryactive and tend to hover aroundbranches, snatching insects as theyexplore the outermost branches.Interestingly, the brown creeper andthe nuthatch are both found on thetree trunk. But, while the browncreeper is always found spiralingfrom the bottom and traveling up, thenuthatch will start high in the treeand travel down the trunks, so thateach tends to find eggs and larva thatthe other would miss.

When you find these winter birdflocks, try to notice who is leading theprocession. Studies can be found

supporting either chickadees ortitmice. Both tend to be loud andvociferous. Expect to find from four tosix of both species, including themated couple whose breedinggrounds you now find yourself, andtheir offspring and perhaps a fewother locals.

Shenandoah National Park in Winter

height that it overflowed its banksuntil the river and canal were one.Part of the canal was washed away,and until it can be repaired nothingcan pass.

Gen. McClellan has ordered thateach soldier shall drill one hour eachday with a knapsack packed andstrapped upon his back. This order isstrictly observed, and gives generalsatisfaction. The men are glad to havethe opportunity to accustom them-selves to this exercise. Every one whohas carried a knapsack knows thatthe reason why the knapsack rides soheavily that it chafes the muscleswhich are not used to the labor.

This company (sharpshooters)has nothing to do, just now, but tokeep their guns in order. Gen. Landerhas gone to Washington, thus reliev-ing us of the rather severe duty ofguarding headquarters. Capt. Saunders has gone home, and lettersreceived from him sate that threecompanies are being raised to join usand stand by us in action. We are tobe furnished with a revolver apiece,and then I should think the wholewould be a “whole team.” We canpick the rebels off with our rifles at amile distant! those who are to join uscan engage them at shorter distance;and at close quarters we can receivethem with our revolvers and bayo-nets; so let them come on!

While the Captain is gone, thecommand rests with LieutenantGleason,-a gentleman, and a goodofficer. He has the good-will andrespect of the men, and we should besorry to part with either our captainor first lieutenant.

E. Bicknell.

(Chelsea Telegraph and Pioneer,November 23, 1861, Pg. 1, Col. 3.)

Letter from Home Continued—

Local History


Guiding EyesBy Rande Davis You have known about “seeing

eye dogs,” and you most likely findtheir success in helping persons withvision impairment extremely impres-sive. What may surprise you abouttheir development is the importantrole you can play in their training andsuccess. What may surprise you evenmore is that even when dogs intraining fail to graduate, they oftenend up in a career that just may saveyour life.

There are a number of peopleand organizations dedicated tobringing guide dogs to those in need.Nationally, there are programs suchas Seeing Eye, Leader Dog, andGuiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB).Locally, the Monocacy Lions Club andCarroll-Manor Lions Club, groupswhose central mission is helpingpersons with vision problems, havesupported the Lions Leader DogProgram for decades. Maryland’sGuiding Eyes for the Blind(www.guidingeyes-md.org) is part ofa national group that is responsiblefor training up to five hundred dogsannually.

In our area, Kathleen Haywardand Michelle Sauder of Poolesville aretwo of your neighbors who aredevoted to playing an essential role inthe development of such dogs throughGEB. Mrs. Hayward is now workingwith her fourth dog, while Mrs.Sauder has recently answered the callto be a “raiser,” the term for personsresponsible for the pre-training phaseof the program.

Raisers often compare their roleto that of a parent. The raiser will bematched with an eight-week-oldGerman shepherd, Labrador, orgolden retriever in a relationship thatwill last between twelve to sixteenweeks before the dog, as stated byMrs. Hayward, “moves out to go tocollege and enters a career in service.”Once accepted into the guiding eyetraining program, the dog willundergo four to six months of intenseand specific training as a guide dog.Raisers often attend the dog’s formalgraduation.

The process of developing aguiding dog can take up to two yearsat a cost of $35,000, which results inan average of eight to ten years ofservice to a person who is blind.Through the developmental process,the dog undergoes periodic evalua-

tions to assess its ability to succeed asa guide dog. For the raiser, like aparent at SAT time, the big momentcomes when the dog is tested throughthe In for Training (IFT) evaluationwhich will determine whether thedog will go on to “college” andgraduate as a guiding dog.

GEB specializes in training dogsto handle high-stress situations facedby blind persons living in highlypopulated, urban environments. Stepby step, the dog goes through aprocess of training to build its confi-dence and strengthen its ability tofocus only on the moment, and thatallows it to fulfill its purpose. Eventu-ally, its success in being able to ignoreloud and highly distracting situationswill determine whether or not it canbecome a guiding dog.

The dog lives with its raiser whois required to put the dog throughvarious daily and weekly routines toregulate and minimize many of itsnatural instincts. This pre-trainingprocess focuses on basic obedience,command training, and exposure tocontrolled socialization situations

that include handling distractions ofloud noises, other animals, traffic, andcontrol of normal bodily functions.

Formal weekly classes andquarterly visits from GEB staff followan eight-week orientation andtraining program to educate raisers intheir role. Just as in any relationship,

bonding with guiding dog varies fromraiser to raiser and dog to dog.Raisers can maintain a lifelong,although distant, relationship withtheir dog, which keeps them informedof the dog’s development and ultimaterole of service and can include futurevisits.

Just as not every dog is suitablefor the guiding eye training, noteveryone should consider being araiser, but all of us have role to playand can help in a variety of ways.Mrs. Hayward wants people to know,when encountering a raiser and a dogin pre-training, what rules will bemost helpful. Rules, by the way, thatare good suggestions when encoun-tering any strange dog. First, remem-ber that the dog, although a puppyand cute, is not a pet. You should

The Pulse

Kathleen Hayward and Preston

never approach the dog withoutpermission from the raiser. Youshould also avoid eye contact, andwhile you may comment on the dogto the owner, such comments shouldnot be made directly to the dog. Talkonly to the raiser, not the dog. Youwill recognize the guiding dog by itsblue jacket that clearly states it is intraining. Although the dog mayappear to be simply settled andresting, keep in mind that it is learn-ing one of its most important lessonsof “settling.” Once it is fully trainedand in service, a guiding dog willspend a great deal, if not most of itstime, settled at the feet of its ownerwaiting for the moment when it isneeded. Key to its usefulness andsuccess is its ability to not be dis-tracted.

Raisers are also very apprecia-tive of students and others whovolunteer to help put the dog throughits daily routine. Raisers, like parents,can often use a babysitter.

As you can well expect, notevery dog makes it through the entireprocess. Only about forty percent goon to become a guiding or leader dog.Many, however, move into anotheressential career, one that may justsave your life someday. Guiding eyedogs, when moved into a bomb-sniffing training program through theAlcohol, Tobacco, and Fire arms (ATF)or local police departments, have anearly one hundred percent successrate of serving our homeland securityby identifying bombs and otherexplosive ordnance. It is intriguing tolearn that one of the reasons for theirability to successfully identifyexplosives is that the only time theyget fed is by the hand of the instructorand only after successfully findingsuch material. Every day, the instruc-tor must set up situations where thedog will find explosive material sothat it can be rewarded and fed.

Possibly the most positive aspectof the guiding eye program is thisunique “win-win” aspect whichresults in dogs serving the publiceven when they are not able tocontinue in their intended roles asguides to persons who are blind. Thelocal Lions clubs, individuals like Mrs.Hayward and Mrs. Sauder, localveterinary Doctors Eeg and Andersonwho often donate their services tosuch dogs, are examples of concernedcitizens helping out those with sightproblems. If you would be interestedin doing the same, feel comfortablecontacting any one of them.


Documents

A Biweekly Newspaper January 28, 2005 Volume 1, … · A Biweekly Newspaper January 28, 2005 Volume 1, Number 19 Principal Sacco Gives His Farewell to Poolesville ... of John Poole