A  small town packed with plenty to do, Kensington is a favorite destination for those seeking a day of discovery. The community’s rich history dates to the late 19th century, when the B&O Railroad inaugurated its first train service to Montgomery County. Today, Kensington’s most impressive architectural marvel is the soaring Washington D.C. Temple, which towers high above the Capital Beltway. Beyond eclectic architecture, there’s Kensington’s plethora of newer treasures. Antiques stores, contemporary boutiques and eateries are nestled around leafy Kensington Park, and there are more restaurants, artisan studios and design shops just across Connecticut Avenue. Kensington may be best known as “Antique Row,” but a new brewery, food market and vibrant murals make this a lively and modern neighborhood.

Coming Up

At the bustling year-round Kensington Farmers Market at the town’s historic train station, shoppers find unique food items from local makers and a bounty of seasonal products. Look for handmade knives from Roaming Stone, Brazilian tamales from Vera’s Bakery, and plant-based food from Sexy Vegie. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. kensingtonfarmersmarket.org

The Kensington Christmas tree lighting features music, treats and Santa Claus at the Kensington Town Hall. 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3. explorekensington.com/farmers-market 

One of Montgomery County’s top holiday attractions is the annual Washington D.C. Temple Festival of Lights, the wonderland of trees on the grounds of the Mormon temple. Along with more than 400,000 colorful lights, nativity scenes from around the world are on display, and there are a variety of live performances. Free. Dusk to 9 p.m. Nov. 30-Jan. 1. dctemple.org

Dress

 Tennis and pickleball enthusiasts will especially love the neoprene tote bags at Pink Dot Styles, a preppy boutique that’s all about color. The owners cater to customers seeking casual, comfortable and local products. 3734 Howard Ave., pinkdotstyles.com

Play

When Sarah Renzi Sanders and Angie Meche Kilcullen teamed up to establish Girls Who Paint, the neighborhood notched a new place to immerse in art and fellowship. The owners are dedicated to showcasing work by fellow women artists. Girls Who Paint is also an Instagram-worthy headquarters for creating—check the website to sign up for a “Sip ’n Paint” party themed around a famous artist. 10419 Fawcett St., girlswhopaint.com

Dine

The newest entry into Kensington’s emerging dining scene: Artha Rini Indonesian Restaurant. Chef/owner Rini transitioned her popular catering service into a dine-in restaurant that serves authentic Indonesian cuisine in a casual setting. Look for such street food favorites as satay, rice platters, gado-gado salad with peanut sauce, and durian fruit shakes. Fresh local ingredients, combined with red pepper, kaffir lime leaves, curry powder and lemongrass impart richness to this aromatic cuisine. 10562 Metropolitan Ave., facebook.com/artharinicatering

Choose

Top cuts of meat and sustainably caught seafood are the main attractions at Kensington Market, which sells food of such high quality that local restaurants buy from the family-owned grocer. Inside the pristine cases are plenty of options, from signature crabcakes to filet mignon, along with prepared foods, such as flavorful sauces, imported cheeses and homemade pies. The staff can also prepare platters for your holiday party. 4215 Howard Ave., kensingtonmdmarket.com

Eat

The charcoal aroma from the fresh-cut oakwood tickles your nose, and your mouth begins to water. You’ve entered the inner sanctum of the beloved pizza joint owned by chef Frank Linn. Before Linn debuted Frankly…Pizza! in 2014, he cooked at top establishments in the region but felt Kensington needed a neighborhood restaurant. His idea was an instant hit, and Frankly…Pizza! remains a destination for excellent pies with red or white sauces. 10417 Armory Ave., franklypizza.com

Discover

The six spires and angel Moroni statue on the Washington D.C. Temple are visible for miles. In 1974, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the iconic 288-foot-tall church of gleaming white marble, now the tallest and third-largest Mormon temple in America. Walk through the wooded grounds to enter the visitors center, where you can learn about the history of the religion and modern aspects of the church. 9900 Stoneybrook Drive, dctemple.org

Furnish

In need of some decor inspiration? Look no further than Tyler Whitmore Interiors, where Tyler Whitmore and Debbie Labonski have expertly rehabbed antiques and luxury furnishings to give them a contemporary look. The women stage homes for real estate clients, but in their showroom on Howard Avenue they sell distinctive pieces paired with elegant furniture. Open on weekends and by appointment. 4208-A Howard Ave., tylerwhitmoreinteriors.com

Drink

The popular BabyCat Brewery has been a welcome addition to the ’hood since opening in November 2022. A colorful mural finished with a cute kitten face (it’s the owner’s cat, Alice, painted by local artist Nicole Bourgea) now covers the outside of this former auto repair shop. The spacious outdoor patio has heat lamps, and the interior bar offers a view of the brewing area. The brewery hosts  a roster of weekly events, from Trivia Wednesdays to a regular lineup of live music. 10241 Kensington Parkway, babycatbrewery.com

Shop

Kensington is known for its wide array of furniture and vintage stores, but there are a few that stand out. HomeWorks is a favorite thanks to the expert curation by Eva Jimenez and Anabel Hering, a mother-daughter duo who have an eye for eclectic and country-chic items you won’t see elsewhere. Among the delightful finds are Beatriz Ball melamine serveware and Nouvelle candles. 3740 Howard Ave., shophomeworks.com 

Browse

The one-of-a-kind merchandise at Olive & Loom is inspired by the Mediterranean lifestyle, according to owner Ferzan Jaeger, a Turkish artist who imports luxury housewares and clothing. Stop in to see Jaeger and her daughter hand-dipping architectural candles that are almost too pretty to light. Her Turkish towels in rainbow colors are another find, along with colorful beaded jewelry. Jaeger also commissions artists to create her lovely beachwear and accessories. 10305 Kensington Parkway, oliveandloom.com

This story appears in the November/December issue of Bethesda Magazine.

The post Keeping up with Kensington appeared first on MoCo360.

Ginger Ager stands amid crowded racks of costumes, masks and novelty props in her shop, Gene’s Costumes in Kensington. It’s two days after Halloween—a holiday for costume shops that’s like Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July all rolled into one—and you can barely see any trace of the store’s floor. Garment and prop returns fill 11 gigantic plaid bags sitting under ceiling displays of Mardi Gras masks, devils’ pitchforks and barrister wigs.

“And I’ve just picked up all The Cherry Orchard costumes from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School,” Ager says, gesturing to two of the bags. “There’s a lot of theatrical items to clean and sort, too.”

Gene’s Costumes doesn’t have a lot of competition these days, at least not from similarly old-school shops, so the demand for Elvis suits, Bridgerton-style breeches and Marvel superhero capes has been intense. In addition, Ager and her small staff pull, measure and deliver costumes year-round for theatrical productions at local schools and theaters. Things were so busy this past fall that Ager’s parents drove from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and moved into her Silver Spring home for a week to help customers find just the right fantasy looks from the thousands of costumes stored on three levels.

Pointing to the neat bags of returns, Ager says, “We’ll just get this all put away, and then it’s Santa suits, elves costumes, Victorian carolers and the Grinch nonstop ’til Christmas.”

Ager, 59, a 1981 Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School grad, had sensible training for her career in masquerade. She worked at her family’s dry-cleaning business in Laurel and later at a Chevy Chase dry cleaner. She knows not to choose velvet or brocade costumes for high schoolers in drama productions, as those fabrics are easily damaged by water or snags, and has turned away customers she senses will not take care of a costume.

“I take any of the damage personally,” she says. “These costumes are all of my children.”

This converted house in Kensington is the place to find Andy Warhol wigs, dragon masks with light-up eyes, and plush spiders the size of suitcases. Costumes celebrating steampunk and Day of the Dead, and outfits for superheroes, flappers and Colonial soldiers fill its racks. There are mascot rentals, so oversize heads of both realistic and comic versions of animals line several shelves. Stage makeup, tiaras, wigs and shoes also are on offer. A not-too-elaborate costume can cost $35 to rent. A full getup, including hat and accessories, typically rents for $65 to $70. 

The shop was created by Genevieve Showalter in the basement of her Wheaton home in the early 1960s, hence the name “Gene’s Costumes.” The enterprise moved to its current location in the mid-1980s, when Ager began helping out part time. After Showalter died in 1986, an assistant and Showalter’s husband, Chuck, kept the shop going. In 1989, Ager was asked to buy it, and she took the leap.

At that time, the metro Washington area had around a dozen costume shops, some dating to the 1920s, when downtown hotels held costume nights and formal costume parties were part of the social scene. 

In recent decades, pop-up Halloween stores, Amazon’s inventory and packaged costumes in big-box stores have shuttered many of the costume shops nationwide, according to Ed Avis, executive director of the National Costumers Association, based in Chicago. “The numbers have been going down steadily in the last 20 years,” he says, noting the group’s mailing list has dwindled to 1,000, of which 100 are brick-and-mortar shops. “But drag, cosplay, comic-con and new theaters are breathing new life into the costume world,” he says. “They’re an enthusiastic bunch—the fun of dressing up is just too vivid.”

At Gene’s, customers can still try on beautifully made costumes of wools and cottons, rather than buying a one-size-fits-all synthetic outfit in a bag. With enough time, alterations are possible. A couple from Laurel recently spent an hour trying on purple velour suits and cheetah print capes for an upcoming 1970s party. The initially reluctant husband ended up renting two costumes in order to change halfway through the party. His wife rented three, Ager says. She often gets invited to customers’ parties, but only attends the theatrical productions she costumes. 

Artistic Director Darnell Patrick Morris uses Gene’s Costumes for the full schedule of six to 20 yearly productions at his Ovations Theatre in Gaithersburg. “I can say the most random item, and Ginger will have it,” he says. “Her collection is so extensive. We’ve pulled for four to five shows in one day.”

Customers can still try on beautifully made costumes of wools and cottons, rather than buying a one-size-fits-all synthetic outfit in a bag.

Ager has bought out the stock of several shops that have closed, is connected to national costume vendors and keeps abreast of European sources for new outfits. At times, she walks two storefronts up the street to Urban Thrift for items. “We did a Mary Poppins play and needed multiple pairs of black pants,” she recalls. “A couple of thrift visits did it.”

America’s resumption of social events is helping the fortunes of costume shops, according to a survey of the National Costumers Association’s members, Avis said. “People still want fantasy, magic and dress-up in their lives,” he says. “Costumes allow people to be something other than their everyday selves.”

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This article was updated at 9:49 a.m. Jan. 22 to incorporate statements from the Montgomery County Council and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.

Swastikas were drawn this week on desks at three county schools, Montgomery County Public Schools and the Board of Education announced Saturday, amid a spate of antisemitic episodes in the county.

The County Council, MCPS and the school board condemned the hateful messaging, called for solidarity against hate, and endorsed efforts to stamp out antisemitism to make county schools “no place for hate.”

Two county councilmembers took to social media on Saturday to call for school officials to revisit curriculum on antisemitism .

This week’s incidents took place at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Silver Creek Middle School in Kensington and Tilden Middle School in Rockville (where a swastika and KKK symbols had been drawn on a desk in April 2022), district communications director Chris Cram said in an email Saturday evening to Bethesda Beat. Both Silver Creek and Tilden have participated in the Anti-Defamation League’s “No Place for Hate” program. The district said culpable students were disciplined.

The episodes follow several other incidents of antisemitism this academic year at MCPS. Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda was defaced with antisemitic graffiti on Dec.17, on the eve of Hanukkah, and several staff members received anonymous, antisemitic emails the next day. Cram confirmed Saturday to Bethesda Beat that a previously reported incident of graffiti Aug. 21 at Thomas W. Pyle Middle School had contained antisemitic messaging.

After the incidents in December at Whitman, hundreds of students and staff there participated in a walkout to show support for Jewish classmates and call for increased Holocaust education within MCPS.

Two council members — County Council President Evan Glass (D-At-large) and Councilmember Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) — said on Twitter that they would be taking steps to work with MCPS to improve education on antisemitism.

Stewart stated she was “deeply troubled” and would be speaking with her staff to discuss enhancing the MCPS curriculum around antisemitism. 

Glass called the incident “disgusting” and said he would speak with the MCPS about its policies and curriculum.

In its statement Saturday, MCPS and the school board said, “We must do more, and we will,” but did not specify curriculum changes.

“In collaboration with advocates such as the Jewish Community Relations Council, we will continue our efforts to educate our students about antisemitism,” officials wrote. “Our schools have held and will continue to hold restorative conversations with students and staff, and schools have held community meetings to discuss incidents, but honest and forthright conversations must continue.”

When asked, Cram did not elaborate on curriculum changes but said in a followup email, “The JCRC has already done a great deal of work with many students in our schools bringing in Holocaust survivors for example.”

The JCRC of Greater Washington said on Twitter, “Grateful for MCPS’ statement. No Jewish student should wonder whether the next desk they sit at will have a swastika, or the next restroom they enter will have hateful graffiti about Jews on the walls” and followed up to say they “looked forward to welcoming” Superintendent Monifa McKnight to meet with Jewish residents of Montgomery County.

Of the three incidents this week, MCPS said in its statement: “In each case, students and the staff addressed the vile impact of the hateful images, worked to immediately remove the drawings, and in each case, appropriate discipline in alignment with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct was assigned.” 

The letter from Silver Creek administrators said they planned to schedule student town hall meetings to readdress their core values and to discuss the importance of being a No Place for Hate school.

Silver Creek has been the site of anti-Jewish vandalism in the past. In 2019, the school had been defaced with antisemitic graffiti twice over the span of a year, once at a boys’ bathroom in May 2019 and again on a school desk in November 2019.

Schools are not the only sites of antisemitic activity in Montgomery County in recent months. Anti-Jewish flyers were deposited Dec. 16 near Westfield Montgomery mall. In November, graffiti, including hangman figures, a swastika and the words “No mercy for Jews,” was discovered on the Bethesda Trolley Trail in the Wildwood Manor section of North Bethesda and on a brick wall at Old Georgetown Road and Tuckerman Lane in North Bethesda. In August, police found swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti in three places along the Trolley Trail and an antisemitic poster in Kensington.

In November, the County Council unanimously passed a resolution to address and combat antisemitism. It affirmed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.

The statement Saturday from MCPS and the school board called for members of the community to “speak loudly and together against antisemitism and all acts of hate and racism.”

“We must be inclusive and welcoming of everyone in our diverse and vibrant community. Our differences make us stronger and better and make our community an exciting place to live; there is no room for hate.”

A statement Sunday from the County Council said, “The Council stands in solidarity with our Jewish community, and with our MCPS students and families. We share the values embraced by our schools, school leaders, and Board of Education members, which include zero tolerance for hate and dangerous displays of religious bigotry.”

Councilmembers thanked schools officials for their efforts on the issues and said, “We cannot allow schools to become places of fear. We must continue to forcibly speak out against hate and religious bigotry in all forms and continue to educate our youth about the values of inclusivity, diversity and acceptance that we embrace here in Montgomery County.”

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A little more than a year ago, Clark Rogers of Kensington first donned a form-fitting costume featuring the design and colors of the Maryland state flag. With cans of Old Bay seafood seasoning attached to his belt, he carried an oversized crab mallet fashioned out of cardboard tubes and a red crab-shaped shield.

It was June 2021, and Rogers was unveiling his new superhero persona of Captain Maryland at Awesome Con in Washington, D.C., an annual pop culture convention where attendees can dress up as their favorite characters.

Rogers, 55, said becoming a superhero started out as a joke to make his friends laugh. He’d been doing cosplay — costume play — for many years, he said, and assembled the costume out of pieces that were “readily available.”

A few months later, he planned on wearing a different costume for Comic Con in Baltimore, but his wife, Ashley, persuaded him to go as Captain Maryland again. Another attendee made a viral TikTok of him, which has received almost 800,000 views to date. From there, his fame skyrocketed — he’s since created social media pages and gained a widespread following.

Rogers wanted to create an original superhero for fun and said with a laugh that if any state were to have a superhero, it would be Maryland.

“If you can’t eat it, you put the flag on it, and if you can eat it, you put Old Bay on it,” Rogers joked about common attitudes among Marylanders.

Rogers was born at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, grew up in Chevy Chase and graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. He was a firefighter for 35 years, starting out as a volunteer at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad before becoming a career firefighter who worked all over Montgomery County.

He’s lived in Kensington for about 15 years, he said, and will march as Captain Maryland in the town’s Labor Day parade next month.

Rogers said he was approached in June over Facebook by country music star Jimmy Charles, who asked him to appear in the music video for his song “It’s a Maryland Thing, You Wouldn’t Understand.”

Charles was singing the national anthem in July at an Orioles game in Baltimore and invited Rogers to come along to film the video that afternoon. During the game, Captain Maryland ran around the stands to hype up the crowd.

The video premiered in Ocean City, Delmarva Now previously reported, and premiered online on Charles’ Facebook page Wednesday for National Maryland Day. In 2017, National Day Calendar began celebrating each state in the order they entered the union beginning in the week of Independence Day, according to its website.

Reactions to Captain Maryland vary, Rogers said. Kids are a bit more “reserved,” since he isn’t a superhero that they recognize, he said, but adults usually “double up laughing” and some ask to take a photo when they figure out his superhero persona.

“The point of the whole thing was to make people smile, make people laugh,” said Rogers, whose 14-year-old son thinks the Captain Maryland persona is “neat” and would like to portray a sidekick.

To make his outfit, Rogers repurposed a cosplay helmet from comic book character Captain America to feature the Maryland flag colors and an “M” on the front. Like his mallet, his shield was originally cardboard, but he’s since made a larger one out of a plastic sledding disc.

Ashley Rogers, a seamstress, said she expected to help when Clark first proposed the idea for the outfit — she thought it was brilliant — but he put together most of it himself. 

“It’s surreal that something that started out as a joke has just blown up,” she said. “I find it amazing and super awesome.”

Christine Zhu of Gaithersburg, a rising junior at the University of Maryland who is studying journalism and Spanish, is the Bethesda Beat summer intern.

The post Here comes Captain Maryland! appeared first on MoCo360.

Gaithersburg police have charged a man in connection with a stabbing that occurred on state Route 355 Monday afternoon.

Dan Lane, a Gaithersburg police spokesman, wrote in an email to Bethesda Beat on Tuesday that police had charged Ricky Stevens, 61, of Gaithersburg, with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

Police posted on Twitter Monday that officers were investigating a stabbing that occurred just before 4:30 p.m. in the 18700 block of N. Frederick Avenue (Route 355). Police found a male victim suffering from lacerations and provided care until Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service crews arrived.

The area where the stabbing occurred is near the Spectrum Apartments and Spectrum Town Center retail development.

Stevens is being held without bond, according to Lane. No attorney information for Stevens was listed in court records as of Tuesday.

Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media

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A Montgomery County Circuit Court judge is set to consider the latest medical evaluation from the Maryland Department of Health next week in the case of a 27-year-old woman charged with killing her 92-year-old housemate in Kensington last year.

Julia Birch was charged by Montgomery County police with killing noted sculptor Nancy Frankel on July 28, 2021, in a home they shared on Spruell Drive. According to police, Birch told detectives in an interview that she suffocated Frankel to death, and a medical examiner has ruled asphyxiation to be the cause of death.

Birch is seeking to plead not criminally responsible, according to Lauren DeMarco, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office. According to state law, a defendant is considered not criminally responsible if at the time of the alleged crime, the defendant “lacks substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of that conduct or conform that conduct to the requirements of law” due to “a mental disorder or mental retardation.”

Family members of Frankel have said the two women met through the Catholic Worker Movement. Frankel’s son, Steven, told Bethesda Beat last year that his mother had been living in her Kensington home for more than 50 years, and Birch moved in about six months before her death in order to keep her company and look after her.

Birch was paying rent to live at Frankel’s home, according to relatives of Frankel.

Birch has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center – a maximum-security psychiatric hospital in Howard County. In February, Montgomery County District Court Judge Aileen Oliver found that she was competent to stand trial. That finding was based on Oliver’s review of a prior Maryland Department of Health (MDH) evaluation, and Birch’s answers to Oliver’s questions during a hearing indicating that she understood the charges against her, could formulate a defense and understood the plea options available to her.

Court records indicate that Birch decided to plead not criminally responsible on April 20, and a trial date has tentatively been set for Sept. 6.

Another MDH report was filed July 25 and a status hearing is scheduled for Aug. 17, according to court records.

Circuit Court Judge James Bonifant will consider the latest doctor’s report at the Aug. 17 hearing, his judicial assistant Lorena Kushida told Bethesda Beat on Monday. The contents of the report are under seal, she said.

Elizabeth Zoulias, an attorney with the county public defender’s office, is listed as representing Birch in court records. Zoulias did not respond to a phone message or email from Bethesda Beat on Monday.

Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media

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Kensington Mayor Tracey Furman was elected to a fourth term Monday in the town’s municipal election. Additionally, one incumbent and one newcomer were elected to the four-member Town Council.

Furman, who ran unopposed, received 390 votes, according to the town website.

In the election for two council members, incumbent Nate Engle was reelected with 279 votes and newcomer Ann Lichter was elected with 317 votes. Third-place finisher Jon Gerson received 196 votes.

Lichter replaces outgoing Town Council Member Bridget Hill-Zayat, who did not run for reelection.

There were 426 total ballots cast in the election out of 1,618 registered voters for a turnout of about 26%, according to town officials.

Kensington’s mayor and council members serve staggered two-year terms. At least two members are typically up for reelection each year.

Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media

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After losing friends in high school and college to gun violence, Silver Spring resident Lucas Intrater had a message Tuesday night for those who have yet to understand gun violence in the United States.

“Don’t wait until it’s already affected you to start caring,” he told Bethesda Beat following a vigil in Kensington.

Intrater was one of more than 50 people who gathered in Kensington’s Flinn Park for a candlelight vigil to mourn the deaths of those who were killed in last month’s mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y, and Uvalde, Texas.

The Buffalo shooting occurred May 14 when an 18-year-old man killed 10 Black people in a  grocery store in what authorities have said was a racially-motivated hate crime. Ten days later, an 18-year-old man opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers.

During Tuesday night’s 20-minute ceremony in Kensington, participants stood in a circle and read the names of the victims of the two shootings, as well as a couple of sentences about each person.

[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”37″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]After the vigil, Intrater said he was friends with JC Webster – a 2015 graduate of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington who died at the age of 20 after being shot in his home in 2017.   

“I want people who think it doesn’t affect them now to know that it could affect them,” Intrater said.

Vigil organizer Derek Symer is from Buffalo and said the last few weeks have been very emotional as he grieves for his hometown. Symer said he still has friends and family who live there.

“It keeps on happening,” he said of the mass shootings. “The numbers are staggering. Gun violence results in over 40,000 lost lives a year and every time we hit one of these events, it seems like something needs to change or will change, but nothing has changed up to this point.”

Symer said he feels somewhat optimistic about the impact of state laws such as Maryland’s ban on unserialized firearms, or ghost guns, that took effect Wednesday.

“Does it give me full optimism? No. But I think maybe these are the incremental changes needed to effect positive change,” he said.

Symer’s daughter Lilly, a fifth grader at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School, said she believes better mental health care and stronger firearms restrictions are needed. Lilly Symer said she feels safe at school, where students and staff practice various drills each month, including those for fire, severe weather and an active shooter in the building.

“I do wish we had a better point in time where we wouldn’t have to do it, but I guess where we are right now, we have to, and I’m OK with that,” she said of the active shooter drills.

Several local and state elected officials attended Tuesday’s vigil, including state Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher, a Democrat whose district includes Chevy Chase, Kensington, and parts of Silver Spring.

“It hits close to home,” he said. “My wife is from Buffalo. She knows exactly where that supermarket is,” he said.

Kensington Mayor Tracey Furman said she, like many others, is tired and frustrated at the mass shootings that continue to occur nationally. But Furman said she feels fortunate to live in Maryland, where there are stricter gun laws.

“I’m not against guns or people owning [guns],” she said. “I have two kids in the military. They’ve used those types of weapons [that were used in the shootings]. They’re trained with them. That’s their profession. But to give an 18-year-old a weapon with no training … I’m speechless.”

Danielle Veith, a volunteer with the national advocacy group Moms Demand Action, which works on gun violence issues, said Tuesday that she feels proud to be working on the issue of gun violence.

Veith noted that Moms Demand Action was formed shortly after the December 2012 shooting in Newtown, Conn., in which a gunman fatally shot 26 students and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School. She said people who say nothing has changed in the country since the Connecticut shooting are wrong.

“It’s so frustrating … I spent the better part of the last five years volunteering 40 hours a week,” she said. “So I know what kind of organizing is being done.”

Veith said that after each mass shooting, more people are having their “enough moment” and are getting involved in their organization, which has eight million supporters.

“We really are trying to meet people where they are and help ordinary people and parents take action, and for me, that’s the only thing that keeps me sane. I couldn’t process this without knowing that I’m doing something about it,” Veith said.

Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media

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A winning $2 million Powerball ticket in Feb. 26 drawing was sold at Rodman’s Discount Gourmet at 5148 Nicholson Lane in Kensington.

For selling the ticket, the retailer receives a $5,000 bonus from the Lottery. [Maryland Lottery]

‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ star diagnosed with cancer

Mia Thornton from the Bravo reality series “The Real Housewives of Potomac” revealed in an Instagram post on Friday that she has cancer.

In the post, Thornton said she received a call from Johns Hopkins Cancer Center saying she needed to be evaluated further. [Montgomery Community Media]

Novavax forecasts as much as $5B in revenue in 2022

Gaithersburg’s Novavax posted $1.15 billion in revenue for fiscal 2021 — a big jump from its $475.6 million in 2020.

It is forecasting total revenue of $4 billion to $5 billion for this year. [Washington Business Journal]

Today’s weather

Partly cloudy, with a high around 58 and a low around 39

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The next student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education will come from either Walt Whitman High or Albert Einstein High.

During a nominating convention this week, representatives from every MCPS middle and high school cut the field of candidates from 16 to two. Students will vote in an election on April 20.

The finalists are Arvin Kim, a junior at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, and Baba Cisse, a junior at Albert Einstein High School.

The winner will be the 45th student member of the school board and succeed Richard Montgomery senior Hana O’Looney.

O’Looney was preceded by another Richard Montgomery student, Nick Asante.

The student board member in 2019-20 was Nate Tinbite, a John F. Kennedy High School student. Before him, another Richard Montgomery High School student, Ananya Tadikonda, held the position.

The last time a student from Whitman was elected to the school board was in 1996, when Rachel Prager was elected, according to MCPS records.

Einstein has not had a student elected to the board since 1993, when Carrie Baker was elected.

Cisse is the vice president of his class at Einstein. His candidate website says his priorities would be to address COVID-19 safety, promoting “eco-friendly schools,” closing the achievement gap and addressing the academic impacts of virtual classes during the pandemic.

“Baba understands what it is like for most students to have buildings that are falling apart, the lack of diversity within our teachers and staff, lack of resources to help us perform better in our academics, and so much more that needs to be addressed,” his website says. “We need a Student Member of the Board of Education that represents all of us that face real problems, even in underrepresented areas, so every single one of us can be represented as a whole.”

MCPS Director of Student Leadership and Extracurricular Activities Shella Cherry wrote in an email on Friday that Cisse is a member of the SMOB Advisory Council and recently joined MoCo Pride Youth’s outreach team. He is a member of Einstein’s varsity track and cross country teams, Cherry wrote.

Kim is a member of the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association.

His campaign website says he has a “180+ point plan for MCPS” that touches on topics such as improving school safety, mental health resources, equity, curriculum and student participation in decision making.

“This is a movement to uplift, empower, and fight for the student voice,” his website says.

Cherry wrote that Kim is the chief of staff for the countywide student government association and was formerly vice president of the Montgomery County Junior Council Student Government Association.

Kim was a founding member of MoCo Pride Youth and previously was involved in the Maryland Association of Student Councils, Asian American Progressive Student Union and MoCo Students for Change.

Cisse and Kim will continue campaigning until April. On April 20, all middle and high school students will be eligible to vote in the countywide election. Results are expected to be announced that evening. The winner will be sworn in on July 1 and serve a one-year term.

Student members of the Montgomery County school board have full voting rights, except on negative personnel actions. They receive a $5,000 college scholarship, student service learning hours and one honors level social studies credit.

Students who will be juniors or seniors during their tenure can apply for the position.

The other candidates were:
• Heera Anand, junior, Poolesville High
• Jaiden Burney, junior, Richard Montgomery
• Max Choi, junior, Thomas S. Wootton High
• Ava Cook, junior, Northwest High
• Shubhang Eruventi, junior, Richard Montgomery
• Christina Garcia De Leon, junior, Clarksburg High
• Liam Kirby, junior, Walter Johnson High
• Maahe Kunvar, junior, Northwest High
• Eleanor Pugh, junior, Walt Whitman
• Norma Romero-Reyes, junior, Montgomery Blair High
• Sarah Seam, junior, Col. Zadok Magruder High
• Muhammad Wali, junior, James Hubert Blake High
• Yehonatan Tapiro, junior, Northwood High
• Todd Zhou, Winston Churchill High

Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media

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