Washington Informer

Winner Will Compete in National Finals in D.C.

Washington D.C. –The Washington D.C., High School Science Bowl, -- which builds upon President Barack Obama's efforts to help more students excel in math and science -- takes place Saturday, Feb. 18 at Friendship Collegiate Academy, 4095 Minnesota Ave. in Southeast.

This competition, which is part of the 22nd annual U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl, allows District high schools to compete for a spot in the national finals in D.C., at the end of April.

The National Science Bowl brings together thousands of middle and high school students from across the country to compete on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, astronomy, and math.

Registration begins at 8 a.m, Competition, 9 a.m.

Officials at Friendship Public Charter School (FPCS) announced recently that 89 students who attend Friendship Collegiate Academy, and 35 students at Academies at Anacostia, have earned full college scholarships from the D.C. Achievers Scholarship Program, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The college scholarships total $6.2 million.

"Congratulations to our students and their families, and a big thanks to the teachers who have worked so hard to get them to this point in their education," said FPCS chairman Donald Hense,

Friendship Collegiate Academy PCS is a college preparatory high school serving students in grades nine through 12. Collegiate has a 95 percent graduation rate and 100 percent of its graduating class is accepted to college. Some 75 percent of its students are eligible for free- or reduced-price school lunches.

The Academies at Anacostia has been run by FPCS in partnership with D.C. Public Schools since September 2009, when Friendship was invited to assume management of the school by former DCPS Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Since the partnership began, the graduation rate has increased from 57 percent to 79 percent, with 90 percent of graduates being accepted to college. Currently, 95 percent of Anacostia's students are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches.

The Achievers Scholarship Program was founded in 2007 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. To date, it has provided college readiness, mentoring and support, as well as scholarship financial aid, to hundreds of low-income youth in the District of Columbia.

Friendship's mission is to provide a world-class education that motivates students to achieve high academic standards, enjoy learning and develop as ethical, literate, well-rounded and self-sufficient citizens who contribute actively to their communities.

Mayor Vincent Gray and Deputy Mayor for Education De'Shawn Wright have added a second public hearing on the District's budget for public education on March 8 at 5:30 p.m., with the location to he announced.

The hearing will provide an additional opportunity for public feedback on school-budget issues to complement the already-announced budget hearing, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at H.D. Woodson High School.

The hearings are opportunities for community members to weigh in and offer testimony before the Mayor finalizes Fiscal Year 2013 total budget allocations for D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools.

The additional hearing is a bonus opportunity for the public to provide input prior to the final stages of the budget process. The March 8 hearing will provide an opportunity for feedback on individual budget proposals for DCPS campuses, which will receive their initial allocation proposals shortly after the latest Fiscal Year 2013 revenue projections are provided later this month by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and reviewed by the mayor's office.

Initial budget allocations are the overall amounts each DCPS school receives within which to craft its budgets. These school-budget allocations are the vehicles through which school communities propose the specific staff positions and non-personnel spending that they need to enable their students to achieve. These schools then submit their proposed budgets back to DCPS.

Gray and Wright look forward to holding these two hearings and having the community weigh in on such important matters. Members of the public are invited to testify. Testimony may be limited to three (3) minutes per witness and five (5) minutes per organization or group. Those wishing to testify on February 22 at H.D. Woodson High School should contact Joshua Thompson in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by telephone at 202.701.9289 no later than 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17.

Those wishing to testify on March 8 (location TBD) should contact Joshua Thompson in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by telephone at 202.701.9289 no later than 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6.

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Secretary Raymond A. Skinner has announced more than $3.9 million in Community Legacy program awards to 35 municipalities and community groups around the state for revitalization projects.

Thirteen projects in the Capital Region of Maryland were selected to receive $1,237,000. Community Legacy provides flexible funding to local governments and community development organizations for essential revitalization projects in existing communities through activities that expand neighborhood business and job development, homeownership investment, commercial revitalization, and other activities that support Governor Martin O'Malley's Smart Green & Growing initiative.

"The Community Legacy Program supports jobs across Maryland while improving the quality of life for residents and visitors though home rehabilitations, cultural and community center improvements and 'green' upgrades," said Gov. Martin O'Malley. "By making investments in these improvements today, we can ensure that our local treasures are preserved for many years to come."

Smart, Green & Growing is a multi-agency, statewide initiative launched by Governor O'Malley to help Maryland achieve a more sustainable future by linking community revitalization, transportation improvements, economic development, smart growth and environmental restoration efforts.

Community Legacy projects directly support the Smart, Green & Growing initiative, including a program in the City of District Heights that provides assistance to elderly property owners to make green improvements and enhancements and upgrades to an existing HVAC system in Cottage City to make it compatible with solar panels.

For more information about Smart, Green & Growing, visit http://green.maryland.gov As one of its traditional, core goals, Community Legacy provides assistance to attract and support small businesses in historic downtown communities, including a façade improvement program in downtown Frederick, as well as projects that increase tourism and downtown foot traffic, including the restoration of a historic building in Thurmont to create a Main Street headquarters and visitor's center, improvements to the historic B&O Railroad station in Gaithersburg, and sidewalk improvements in Frederick and Forest Heights.

The list of award winning projects in the Capital Region includes: City of Frederick Amount: $100,000 Project: Carroll Creek Park Description: Construction of an ADA-compliant crosswalk connecting the park to the neighborhood. Awardee: City of Frederick Amount: $50,000 Project: Downtown Façade Improvement Program Description: Façade improvements to support economic revitalization initiatives on Main Street. Awardee: Town of Thurmont Amount: $75,000 Project: Main Street Headquarters Renovation Description: Restoration of an historic building on Main Street, which will help create Main Street headquarters, visitors' center, office space, and meeting space. Montgomery County Awardee: City of Gaithersburg Amount: $80,000 Project: Historic B&O Station Interior Improvements Description: Installation of ADA-compliant restrooms for a MARC train and to comply with Environmental Protection Agency requirements. Prince George's County Awardee: Town of Capitol Heights Amount: $200,000 Project: Property Acquisition for TOD Mixed-Use Site Description: Acquisition of properties near the Capitol Heights Metro station for land assemblage for a mixed-use Transit-Oriented Development site. Awardee: City of College Park Amount: $75,000 Project: Acquisition and Demolition of U.S. Route 1 Sites Description: Acquisition and demolition of blighted properties for redevelopment along the Route 1 Corridor. Awardee: City of District Heights Amount: $100,000 Project: City Beautiful Program Description: Provides grant funding to senior citizens making green improvements to their properties. Awardee: Town of Forest Heights Amount: $97,000 Project: Upgrade of Existing Pedestrian Facilities Description: Upgrades to the Town's sidewalk infrastructure to ensure ADA compliance. Awardee: Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. Amount: $150,000 Project: Palmer Park Acquisition and Rehabilitation Description: Acquisition and rehabilitation of derelict properties for sale to first-time homebuyers. Awardee: Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. Amount: $150,000 Project: Capitol Heights Acquisition and Rehabilitation Description: Acquisition and rehabilitation of derelict properties for sale to first-time homebuyers. Awardee: City of Mount Rainier Amount: $25,000 Project: Green Initiative Bike Share Program Description: Purchase and installation of bicycle racks to be used in the City's bicycle shared rental program. Awardee: Port Towns Community Development Corporation Amount: $35,000 Project: Cottage City HVAC Restoration Project Description: Energy efficient upgrades of an existing HVAC system to make it compatible with solar panels. Awardee: City of Seat Pleasant Amount: $100,000 Project: Seat Pleasant MLK Jr. Highway revitalization Project Description: Acquisition and demolition of several blighted properties along Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway. TOTAL AWARDS: $1,237,000

Program Provides Opportunity to Own a Part of the Iconic Brand

HOFFMAN ESTATES,ILL. – Sears Holdings will Share the Word™ of empowerment through entrepreneurship in 2012. The Share the Word™ platform was created to promote and honor the legacy of African-Americans by providing valuable resources and information to enhance the lives of Sears and Kmart customers. Now in its fifth year, the program will focus on empowering African-Americans by presenting opportunities for entrepreneurs through the "Own a Sears Store" program.

A recent study in entrepreneurship found that African-Americans are 50 percent more likely to start a business than any other race or ethnicity. And, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011, the number of Black-owned businesses increased at triple the national rate over the past five years2.

"The desire and interest in owning a business is huge among African-Americans; and, in terms of sheer number, Black-owned businesses are one of the fastest growing segments of our economy," said Alfred Edmond, Jr., senior vice president and editor-at-large of" Black Enterprise" magazine. The "Own a Sears Store" program presents a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to work with one of America's most trusted and recognized brands.

Sears offers extensive training and ongoing support for retail franchise concepts including Sears Appliance Showrooms, Sears Appliance & Hardware Stores and Sears Auto Centers. Each franchisee is given a business model to follow, strategic insight and creative support for marketing and competitive pricing on premier brands such as Kenmore®, DieHard®, Maytag®,Whirlpool®, Samsung®, Craftsman®, Michelin® and Goodyear®.

Statistics show that seven out of 10 African Americans regularly access a social media account. As the role of social media in business continues to evolve, entrepreneurs can take advantage of the opportunities presented to engage customers in real-time dialogue and personally respond to questions and comments. Share the Word™ will bring the "Own a Sears Store" message of entrepreneurial empowerment to life through social platforms including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn with engagement opportunities such as tweet-up events and sharable video content.

Additionally, in-store materials and signage will provide a QR code which links to the "Own a Sears Store" homepage. For more information on Sears Holdings Share the Word™ or "Own a Sears Store" programs visit:http://www.kmartepk.com/sharetheword and www.ownasearsstore.com