Montgomery County Board of Ed. selects new president, vice president

On Dec. 4 Shebra Evans was selected by the Montgomery County Board of Education to serve as their president. Along with Evans, Patricia O’Neil was elected as vice president of the board, and both will serve one-year terms. Evans, who currently lives in Silver Spring, was elected in 2016. In addition to being the president, Evans has served on the Maryland Association of Boards of Education’s Resolution Committee and the Policies and Procedures Committee. O’Neil resides in Bethesda, and is currently serving her sixth term on the Board of Education and is currently the longest serving member of the board. She grew up in the area, attending Walter Johnson and then Southern Methodist University. As well as serving on the board, O’Neil has also served as the chair of the Policy Management Committee.

Jazz band competes in annual Big Band Jazz competition

The jazz band competed in the Montgomery County Public Schools 41st annual Big Band Jazz Assessment. The jazz band earned straight superiors for their performance. Junior guitarist Brian Lee was awarded the Outstanding Wootton Jazz Soloist Award for his performance. “It was really cool to win the award, I was proud of myself and also the rest of the band for doing a great job,” Lee said. To close out the year, the jazz band has three more performances before winter break. Their Winter Concert was on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m., in the Commons on Dec. 19 during lunch, and finally at the Celebrate the Arts Assembly on today. “Everyone should come out and support, it’s going to be an amazing show,” Lee said.

ESPN investigation shows local sports stadiums violate safety requirements

An ESPN investigation of food-safety inspections at professional baseball, football, basketball and hockey venues determined Nationals Park and FedEx Field ranked among those with the highest violation rates in the country. In the Washington area, Nats Park ranked the worst, 81st out of 107 venues. At Nationals Park, 14 out of 27 vendors had a violation. One vendor’s violations consisted of mold in an ice machine. FedEx field was ranked just above Nats Park at 71st, however their violations consisted of storing raw chicken next to lettuce, tomatoes, and bread at a food prep table. Baltimore’s ratings were much higher than Washington. Camden Yards ranked 23rd in the investigation. Also, M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens ranked 12th.

-Jack Rothenberg, news editor