Written by CAPA-JRC reporters Eileen Luo, Jessica Zhang, Doris Wang
A live music show, candies, an owl: a few highlights from Montgomery County’s Back-to-School fair. It took place in the afternoon on Saturday, August 27, at the Westfield Wheaton shopping mall. The Junior Reporter Club (JRC) sent a few reporters to check out what was happening.
Julie Yang, the Board of Education candidate for District 3, was present. (Photo credits: Jessica Zhang).
Arvin Kim, Student Member of the Board, speaking with one of our reporters. He was at the fair with Brenda Wolff, another member of the Board. “It’s been really exciting to meet all these new families, some of them who have come to Montgomery County for the first time,” said Arvin. (Photo credits: Jessica Zhang).
“This is Rocky the barred owl,” said Mark Granger, a teacher at the Outdoor Environmental Education Program. “If you want to get official, he’s the animal ambassador.” Rocky was rescued after suffering a disabling injury (Photo credits: Jessica Zhang).
A care coordinator from the Landing Program at Sheppard Pratt spoke with us about her work. The program “work[s] with teenagers who are recovering from substance use and abuse [and] partners with MCPS to help students get back on track academically.” (Photo credits: Jessica Zhang).
The JRC’s parent organization, Chinese American Parents Association (CAPA), reserved a table of their own and put up poster displays. CAPA hosts many clubs, such as the Growing and Giving Club and iTeach. (Photo credits: Jessica Zhang).
The fair featured the Springbrook High School Band. At one end, a band member waves the school flag. (Photo credits: Jessica Zhang).
One of our reporters speaks with a member of the Society of Women Engineers, which is based in Wheaton High School. She pointed at a low, sleek vehicle with painted flames, which the society had engineered last year. “For us,” she said, “it’s an initiative for our women engineers [to] move away from gas and towards electric vehicles.” (Photo credits: Jessica Zhang).
A volunteer and reporter for the JRC works at the CAPA table. (Photo credits: Jessica Zhang.)
This article was provided by Chinese American Parents Association Junior Reporter Club (CAPA JRC) with members who interviewed, audio recorded, wrote, translated, and video recorded. CAPA JRC has 25 Montgomery County middle to high school students. They have created a bilingual platform delivering news and serving the community.
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