WESTERN HOWARD County is experiencing a touch of Spain.
This summer, neighbors are sharing the rural ambience with 24 Spanish students and their chaperon.
The students, ranging in age from 13 to 18, arrived June 25 to begin a monthlong visit that will end tomorrow.
The program is sponsored by Global Friendships Interway.
Living in the neighborhood, the Spanish students are becoming more familiar with American culture and proficient in English.
Katherine McGuinn and Maureen Shelley, who teach Spanish at River Hill High School in Clarksville, have been conducting English classes for the students at the school each morning, with other activities later in the day.
McGuinn said she is pleased with the students' abilities and their progress.
She said she considers the program a success.
The students seem to agree. Four have visited here twice.
McGuinn credits the program's experienced administrators.
Matching students with the right host families is one of the keys to making an exchange program work, and placements have gone well.
The students bonded with their host families and said they enjoyed their visits.
Sports, music, and shopping seem to be some interests that families and students have in common. Because the exchange students love to shop, host families made many trips to the mall.
Cookies have replaced American cereals as the staple breakfast food in a number of the host households.
Cynnie and Carl Hood of Dayton -- summer surrogate parents to Guillermo Braulio, 14, of Madrid -- say they have had a wonderful experience with their student.
Both said they were impressed with Guillermo's command of difficult English vocabulary words, especially so considering his
age.
Although her children are grown, and away for the summer, Cynnie Hood did not hesitate to sign up to be a host to an exchange student.
She met John Allen, program coordinator, when he was stationed at the River Hill Giant store seeking host families.
"I went for groceries and came home with a student, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again," Hood said. "Having Guillermo has forced us to get out of the house and take trips that we should be taking anyway."
She said she has enjoyed meeting other host families.
For some of the host families, this is the second year in a row they have been saddened to see their summer visitors prepare to leave.
Emilio Sifre's spent his second tour with the Brown family of West Friendship -- Melvina and Rochell Brown and their sons Randal and Rustin.
Melvina Brown said Emilio, 17, has become so much a part of the family that she thinks of him as her sixth son.
Emilio's talent as a soccer player and love of the sport may have helped to endear him to the family. The Browns' five sons have been soccer standouts at Glenelg and River Hill high schools.
Melvina Brown spoke highly of the exchange program.
She said her family is learning about the culture of Spain and teaching Emilio about their dual American and African-American heritage.
Because many black families live in Spain, Emilio has been able to explore diverse cultures, she said.
On Saturday, the Browns took him to see the all-black Universoul Circus, which is performing in Prince George's County.
And Melvina Brown's mother, Viola Mason -- originally from Santo Domingo and fluent in Spanish -- has enjoyed talking to Emilio during visits with the Browns.
Randal and Rustin, who study Spanish at River Hill High and aspire to their grandmother's level of fluency, had fun practicing their Spanish with Emilio.
Next summer, as a graduation gift, Randal will travel to the coastal city of Valencia to visit Emilio and his family.
When not in class, the Spanish students have been sightseeing and learning about Maryland.
Besides traveling to Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington, the students have gone as far as New York City, where they saw the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the F.A.O. Schwartz toy store. Dinner in Chinatown was a highlight.
On Tuesday night, they saw the Orioles and Oakland Athletics play at Camden Yards.
And yesterday, the students spent the day at Adventure World, an amusement water park in Largo.
Host families have also taken the students on trips, including a camping excursion in the Catoctin Mountains and swimming on the Eastern Shore.
A touching farewell
Members of the congregations of Jennings Chapel and Poplar Springs United Methodist churches said goodbye to the Rev. Sheila McCurdy, their pastor, on June 29.
McCurdy is beginning a new appointment as pastor of Mount Olive United Methodist Church in Randallstown.
In a farewell letter to members of the churches, McCurdy wrote, "It has been a joy to be your pastor, to share in ministry with you over the past five years. Thank you for your support and love to me and my family. You will always have a special place in my heart and will be in my prayers and thoughts."
The churches' new pastor is the Rev. Margaret Clemons, who arrived June 30.
A native of the Washington area, Clemons graduated from Western Maryland College in Westminster, where, as a junior, she felt "called by God to be in the ministry."
Family and friends encouraged her in this calling, particularly her father, the Rev. James T. Clemons.
After college, Margaret Clemons studied for the ministry at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington.
She was ordained a Methodist deacon in 1982, and an elder in 1984.
She served as a campus minister at Keene State College in New Hampshire, and as a chaplain at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut before beginning parish work at Faith United Methodist Church in Rockville.
For more than two years, she has been one of two pastors at suburban Faith Church, which has a large congregation and support staff.
Now, she is the only pastor of two rural churches with a staff of one -- part-time secretary Johanna Williams.
She describes her new parishioners as "just so very warm and welcoming."
Clemons speaks from experience.
On July 11, she fell and broke three bones in her leg while visiting friends in Rockville.
Clemons underwent emergency surgery and spent four days in the hospital.
She was concerned about conducting services at the two churches and continuing to work on church business.
But on her return home, Clemons was greeted by phone calls, messages, and visits from parishioners telling her not to worry.
"The parishioners here are so caring," Clemons said. "They are incredibly loving people."
Clemons' father, now retired, volunteered to help his daughter with services and to remain with her until things are back to normal.
James Clemons said his daughter's new and former parishioners, other ministers, and friends have prepared meals, unpacked boxes and offered help.
The doctor has told the pastor that she will be riding a bicycle by October.
Although she doesn't ride a bike, she is giving some serious consideration to taking up this activity once her leg has healed.
Despite her injuries, Clemons performed a wedding Saturday after conducting the wedding rehearsal Friday evening.
Then, she delivered a sermon at both churches Sunday.
Preserving the neighborhood
On Tuesday, the Howard County Board of Appeals held a hearing on a special exception request by Amerigas/Triangle Howard Co.
The company wants to build two 25,500-gallon above-ground propane storage tanks, a 3,000-square-foot warehouse, a 1,600-square-foot office building, and a 100-foot tall communications tower on Ten Oaks Road in Glenelg across from Little George's Convenience Store.
The request for a special exception is opposed by residents concerned about traffic, safety issues related to the storage of propane gas and destruction of the rural character of the area.
Information on the hearing: 410-313-2395.
'Dog Days' program
Howard County's librarians continue to create programs for preschoolers.
Children, ages 2 to 5, are invited to "Dog Days of August," a program of stories and activities about hot dogs and cool canines.
The program will be presented at 10: 30 a.m. Aug. 12 at Lisbon Community Library, 710 Lisbon Center Drive, Woodbine.
Information on registration: 410-489-4290.
Pub Date: 7/23/98