Takoma Park Boys & Girls Club teams win county Basketball Championships

Both the 7th grade and 8th grade boys’ teams won championships in the Montgomery County Recreation Department Basketball League this year. The 7th grade team finished with an undefeated record of 8-0, and the 8th grade team came back from one loss to capture their championship with a 7-1 record.

The 4th grade boys’ team, in their first year of playing competitive ball, overcame two early losses to finish in third place in their age group.

"Our youngsters worked extremely hard and their efforts paid off," said Anthony Langley, club president and one of the coaches. "We expected our 7th grade team to be competitive, since they won as 6th graders last season. However, most of the youngsters on both the 4th and 8th grade teams had never played organized ball, so for them to be this successful was a great accomplishment."

Langley also acknowledged the efforts of the parents and the other coaches for a job well done this year.

"We could not have reached the goals that we achieved without the help of the parents; our team mom, Miss Judy; and coaches Scott Davis, Chinelo Cambron, and former Club President Gene Calvert, who helped coach the 7th grade team," Langley said. "We are thankful for their support, and we look forward to football in the fall."

The boys will receive their championship trophies as well as their participation trophies at the end-of-season pizza party in April.

Congratulations once again for a job well done!

Shakespeare Club

Takoma Park Middle School’s Shakespeare Club, under the direction of Arlene Barte-Lowe, was recognized as the most outstanding ensemble for their performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Folger Student Shakespeare Festival on March 16.

Nilan Schnure took home the award for most distinguished actor, and Sarah Kinter the award for the most distinguished actress. Nora McNally and Sarah Rothman were student directors, with assists from parents Chuck Schneiderhan and David Rothman.

TOP ROW: Katherine Bertault, Talia Puressen,Maryam Elbalghiti, Sam Barth, Nathan Goldstein, Abiola Lantianyu, Tara Schiraldi, (teacher-sponsor) Mrs. Barte-Lowe, Jamie Mohebali. CENTER ROW: Keisah Carr, Stephanie Bastak, Nora McNally, Alexandra Spillsbury, Caitlin Schneiderhan, Sarah Rothman.FRONT ROW: Gabriella Huffman, Michael Groeneman, Ethan Miller, James Anderson, Sarah Kinter, Lauren Mirviss, Seth Reeker, Amelia Hessey.

Chess Team

The TPMS Chess Team won the third place trophy at the Maryland Chess Cup tournament. The accomplishment is all the more spectacular because all the team members were from the sixth grade in a middle school tournament, with the other teams fielding players from sixth through eighth grade.
TPMS was represented by William Bartlett, Rajarshi Chattopadhyay (0.5 point), Timothy Lee (1 point), and Anand Oza (2 points).

At the 2004 National Elementary School (K-6) Championship Tournament, TPMS will be represented by six players: Elliot Meyerson, Ben Lewis, Devin Peck, Josh Reback, Rajarshi Chattopadhyay, and Anand Oza. The tournament will be held April 2-4 in Pittsburgh, Pa.