Welcome to the gorgeous month of May; spring is finally and really here. My yard and deck have been cleaned up of reminders of winter; my flowers, herbs and vegetables planted; and now it's time to enjoy the beautiful West Laurel outdoors. Of course, there are all the activities that go along with May like the Bond Mill Carnival on May 21, which is a phenomenal community event. Some of the traditional games like the Cake Walk are still as popular as ever. The Bond Mill PTO is looking for donations from the community for baskets that are in good shape for gift baskets and small clean coffee cans for raffles. If you would like to donate these items, drop them off at Bond Mill's front office as soon as possible.
The West Laurel Civic Association Spring General Meeting will take place on Thursday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the West Laurel Community Building. All West Laurel residents are invited to come. Meetings are always informative and a great opportunity to meet your WLCA leaders and representatives.
The West Laurel Swim Club opens its doors at the end of May. It's the right time to get your membership or pay your dues. The WLSC is the family place to be during the hot summer months. The kids have a blast with all their friends. Packing up the kids and going to the pool every day is like a vacation that lasts the entire summer. There is also the added bonus of the West Laurel swim team for kids 5 to 18 years old. Kids learn about team work and team spirit, root for each other while enjoying lots of healthy exercise and increase their own swimming skills. Go Wahoos! For more information, contact wlscmembership@gmail.com or wlswimclub@gmail.com.
Kindergarten registration is ongoing through May. If you have a little one who will turn 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2016, you need to register at Bond Mill Elementary at 16001 Sherwood Ave., right away. (If you have a neighbor with a 5- year-old, please spread the word.) Registration takes place Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Please bring your child's original birth certificate, up-to-date immunizations and proof of your residence. Call the school at 301-497-3600 for more details about ways to prove your residence and for more information.
Bond Mill Elementary students have earned some impressive Prince George's County Public School Awards of late. The following students placed in the PGCPS Write A Book contest with their original writing and artwork: First place – Mathias Kvale; second place – Alison Bent, Alinah Walker, Thara Pillai, Trevor Bateman, Aaliyah Minwah and Sneha Jose; third place – Asia Perkes and Victor Jovel; and Honorable Mention – Alex Lambert and Adam Rinker. Congratulations Bulldog authors.
Bond Mill Science Fair is a tradition with backboards and hypotheses. Young scientists whose science projects will be going to the County Kids for Science competition to represent Bond Mill are: Grade 3 – Antonio Dominguez, Elijah Powers, Jaden Dawkins; Grade 4 – Sophia Michaels, Kevin Hsu, Adam Rinker, Mia Maniece; and Grade 5 – Madilyn Magno, A'Meeyah Grimes.
Spring welcomes so many other events such as baseball and softball games, school concerts, awards ceremonies and graduations. If your family is celebrating graduations, weddings, births or special events and awards, be sure to email me at cbfolkswl@aol.com so you can share your good news. Share yard sale events, too, remembering that this column is biweekly so specific dates must be shared early.