Thumbs up: Zane Stull, an 11-year old archer from Westminster, brought home the gold at July's USA Archery Junior Olympic Archery Development in Decatur, Alabama. Zane, who said he was inspired by "The Dukes of Hazzard" to pick up the bow and arrow. As a member of the Tuscarora Archers in Frederick, who compete with two separate archery institutions, Zane and his fellow students compete in two national games as well as a number of state and local competitions throughout the year. At the JOAD event, he placed fourth in the qualifiers and defeated all the other archers, including the first- and second-place qualifiers, to win. This weekend, Zane and the rest of the Tuscarora Archers are competing at the National Field Archery Association's outdoor nationals in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Thumbs up: Two new businesses, a defense contractor and a global projection screen manufacturing company, have taken up residence in some of Westminster's industrial space and are expected to employ a total of 80 to 90 people in Carroll County. Advanced Thermal Batteries, Inc., a manufacturer of thermal batteries used in missile, space and munitions programs, is relocating from Cockeysville to Carroll. The firm will be taking up residence across from the Air Business Park along Md. 97 on Independence Way. Elite Screens Inc., a California-based projection screen manufacturing company that has offices throughout the world, chose Carroll as its second base of operations in the U.S. to meet an increased demand for its product, according to David Rodgers, marketing manager for the company. It will also be operating at the airpark in Westminster.
Thumbs up: As part of an effort to be recertified as a Green School by the Maryland Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education and attain status as a U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School, administrators from Manchester Valley High School will take steps to improve environmental science practices and education in the coming academic year. Earlier this month, Manchester Valley principal Ken Fischer and the school's former assistant principal Gina Felter spent three days at an education facility on Port Isobel, an island in the Chesapeake Bay near Tangier Island, learning how to improve environmental literacy for students at their schools. The immersion learning event offered by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to support school principals and administrators in providing environmental literacy opportunities for their schools.
Thumbs up: The Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair will host the Feeding Carroll Food Drive during the fair from 2 to 8 p.m. Aug. 1 through 7. Donations will be accepted near the entrance to the Shipley Arena at the 700 Agriculture Center Drive in Westminster. Fairgoers who bring five canned goods will receive a ticket for a raffle to win a wheelbarrow or a garden cart. A raffle ticket can also be purchased for $3 or $15 for six tickets. Donations can include canned foods, rice, spaghetti and other pastas, cereal, peanut butter, and tomato sauce. Monetary donations will also be accepted. All proceeds will go to Carroll County Food Sunday.
Thumbs up: Students from Ava Wanas Montessori School summer camp recently partnered with the French Twist Café in Sykesville to learn more about French culture. Owner Héléne Taylor and Manager Julie Della-Maria ran the condensed cooking class, teaching the 30 children how to make crepes and the French words for ingredients — eggs are "oeufs," milk is "lait." A big part of the Montessori school's approach is teaching diversity and cultural experiences, organizers said.
