Thumbs up: Ever heard of a makerspace? For anyone out there who hasn’t, it’s only a matter of time. Think of them as collaborative spaces where kids can learn not just with their heads, but with their hands as well. They’ve been popping up all over in recent years in a modern phenomenon that we fully support. Most recently, the Boys & Girls Club of Westminster opened its own makerspace where kids can practice coding, robotics, etc. Between that and the newly built gymnasium the club has opened, the range of things to do after schoolwork are growing — getting through homework is the first task for the kids and teens who visit, of course. The new gym, which fills a space that was once a parking lot behind 71 E. Main St., was part of a renovation project that broke ground in March. The gym creates opportunities for activities like dances and move nights, as well as the expected sports. And the opening of the indoor facility on Oct. 21 came just in time for colder weather. The makerspace, known as the Hill STEAM Center, just received a delivery of laptops, part of a $46,500 grant. It also has equipment that ranges from a 3-D printer to snap circuits to construction toys suitable for younger kids. A telling sign of what the makerspace means for the youngsters it serves: Many kids don’t want to leave when their parents arrive to pick them up, Erin Bishop of the Boys & Girls Club told us. “They ask, ‘Why do you have to get here so early?’ " Says it all, really.
Thumbs up: When it comes to public servants, it’s hard to build a better legacy than someone like Bob Bond Sr., who died in June. His work is apparent throughout Sykesville — as town engineer, he touched every development in Sykesville for the past 47 years. In light of that, town officials recently memorialized his long service record by presenting two symbols in his honor: a brick and a bench. It’s a fitting tribute for a man who unquestionably deserves to have his name explicitly present in the town he loved — even if his name has already been all over the town, in a figurative sense. If you needed any more persuading, we’ll point out that Bond was a U.S. Army veteran. The bench was placed in front of the Sykesville town house, overlooking Main Street. It’s a distinguished location for a man with a distinguished legacy.
Thumbs up: The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching — how’d you like to have hanging on your office wall? It’s a distinction Denise Kresslein, a life science teacher at North Carroll Middle School, can now claim. She was presented with the award recently in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. And that’s no small thing. The award is the highest honor given by the federal government to kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers of mathematics and science. Yeah. On top of that, each awardee received a citation signed by the president and a $10,000 award. Kresslein was nominated by her supervisor Jim Peters in November 2017, when she was a teacher at West Middle School. “When I think about my children, who would I want them to have as a science teacher? She certainty would be at the top of that list,” Peters told us in a ringing endorsement. Plus, Noah Scholl, a science teacher at Mount Airy Middle School, was a finalist for the award. Education is — and should be — a priority in Carroll County; we will sing the praises of the outstanding people who work so hard day after day in Carroll County Public Schools any chance we get.
Thumbs down: If you thought you’d been seeing a lot of headlines relating to rabies recently, well, it’s probably because you have. Most recently, on the night of Oct. 29, a kitten was found “very ill and lethargic" on Bachman Valley Road near Eckard Road, near Manchester, that tested positive for rabies. Carroll County health officials asked that anyone who might have had contact with the animal to reach out for a risk assessment, and it’s important that anyone who might be able to respond to that in the affirmative take the matter seriously. Rabies is a deadly disease. If there’s any chance you might have been exposed to the saliva of an infected animal, don’t wait until you start noticing symptoms to get treatment — at that point it would be too late. The kitten, which died after it was found, was the fifth animal to test positive for the lethal virus in Carroll County in a two-week span. And make sure to keep your pets up to date on their rabies vaccinations, and don’t hesitate to call the health department at 410-876-1884 for a risk assessment if there’s any chance you were exposed. For more information on rabies, visit phpa.health.maryland.gov/Pages/rabies.aspx.