Congratulations to Columbia Post 300 Patriots for being Maryland state runners-up in the 2016 American Legion baseball tournament held in Funkstown at the end of July. Columbia Post 300 is a 19 and under baseball team that recruits members from Glenelg, Marriott's Ridge, Howard and Centennial high schools. The team completed the season with an overall record of 23 and 10, winning the Anne Arundel/North Central County division with a record of 18 and 3, and earning a spot in the Maryland state tournament.
Columbia Post 300 made it to the championship game with a thrilling come-from-behind win over Mount Airy Post 191. The bottom of the ninth comeback saw 11 hitters score seven runs on seven hits for a 10 to 9 victory. The Patriots' offense was powered by Connor Clemens, Keenan Fischer, Tucker Garufi, Zach Phillips and Jake Wright. Pitcher Cole Yungmann got the win, but a strong five-inning effort by Garrett Gravanda kept the Patriots in the game.
The coaches for Columbia Post 300 are Chris Masters, Stan Merson and Ron Burchett. Tryouts for the 2017 team will be held in September and October. For more information contact Masters at chriswmasters@hotmail.com.
Now that the Howard County Fair is over, it's time to start thinking about going back to school. The first day of school is Monday, Aug. 29. All of the area schools have scheduled orientations for new students and their parents, along with open houses for returning students.
At Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School all the events take place on Friday, Aug. 26. The kindergarten open house will be held from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. The new student orientation for grades one through five will be held from 1 to 1:45 p.m. and the open house for all students will begin at 2 p.m.
Dayton Oaks Elementary School will hold kindergarten and new student orientation on Friday, Aug. 26, at 1:45 p.m. The open house for all other students will be held later that afternoon from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m.
At Folly Quarter Middle School the new student orientation will be Thursday, Aug. 25, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. New students will receive general school information, schedules and locker information while they tour class rooms and meet teachers. From 5:30 to 7 p.m. that evening, all students and families are welcome to tour the building, get schedules and meet the staff.
Glenwood Middle School will hold an orientation for new students on Friday, Aug. 26, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., while Glenelg High School's new student orientation will be Thursday, Aug. 25, from 8:40 a.m. to noon.
The Glenwood Branch of the Howard County Library is offering two workshops to help prepare high school seniors for college. On Saturday, Aug. 27, from 1 to 2 p.m. seniors and their parents will learn tips for writing college essays from Gail Jacobson in "College Essays 101." On Wednesday, Aug. 31, Jacobson will lead a "College Applications Workshop" from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Students and their parents will discover strategies for selecting, visiting and applying for college which should keep everyone from being intimidated by the process. You must be at least 14 years old to take part in these workshops and registration is required. Call 410-313-5577 to register.
Glenelg United Methodist Church Preschool has openings for 3-year-olds beginning this fall. Go to www.gumcpreschool.org for more information, or call Kathy Barna, the school's director, at 410-489-7702.