Month: September 2026

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal School began its 70th year as students arrived back on campus on September 2nd. With classes in session, all was quiet as we arrived on September 11th for a conversation with new Head of School, Dr. Tracy Bonday.

Arriving a bit early, we were met by the school’s Development Director Christina Hanson and given a tour of the classrooms starting in the Pre-K and Kindergarten areas and the elementary school. We paused for a bit to watch second-grade teacher Julie Bacot lead her class through a discussion about how the earth’s continents were formed millions of years ago.

Directing the children’s attention to a map on the wall, she named the present-day continents including North America.

“We’ll also learn about what it was like millions of years ago when all seven continents were connected,” Bacot told them. “

What was the connected body of land called?” she asked. “It was Pangea,” she said as she held up a map picturing the supercontinent.

As we took our leave, the teacher was explaining how the continents broke apart and became separated by the oceans.

Back at the administrative offices, we met Dr. Bonday who told us she was learning about the history of the school in honor of its 70th Anniversary using a book written by Donna Weingarten 10 years ago. She said she particularly enjoyed reading about the directors who came before her, several of whom we’d met.

Before there was a school, St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal Parish was created in 1954 with church services held at Severn School by founding rector the Rev. Lewis Owens Heck. By November of that year, construction was started on the original St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal Church. The lovely brick structure was completed in June of 1955. (It still exists and was renamed Heck Hall after a new church building was completed in 1989.)

St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal School began in 1957 as a nursery and kindergarten in the church’s newly completed rectory with Betty McNulty as its director and 31 children. In 1961 Elizabeth Windsor, who’d been one of the kindergarten teachers, became principal and remained in the role until 1977. Carol Hjortsberg succeeded Windsor and served as the school’s director through 1986. As enrollments grew, Hjortsberg increased the staff. During her last year, she hired Sharon Holsclaw who began a 25-year career at St. Martin’s as a kindergarten teacher.

Miriam Nocar served next as director followed by Jane Spohn. In 1995, Sharon Holsclaw was elevated from teaching kindergarten to serving as Head of School – a position she held for the next 16 years.

Holsclaw was the first Head of School we knew. Under her leadership, the elementary school was established in 1999, transforming the institution from a nursery and kindergarten-only program to a full-fledged Episcopalian day school for children in first through sixth grade. In 2001, in response to parents’ desire to add an eighth and ninth grade, Holsclaw oversaw the establishment of a middle school in 2004. Without actual space for a middle school, she utilized a modular system for classrooms that remained in use until the construction of the new Learning Center in 2019.

We had the honor of interviewing Holsclaw for a Capital Gazette newspaper article on the occasion of her retirement in June of 2011. The recipient of many honors, she received a standing ovation as she made her way down the center aisle of the St. Martin’s Episcopal Church sanctuary following her retirement ceremony.

At a reception afterward, memories flooded back. Then Board of Trustees president Frank Hilton recalled the first day he “laid eyes on Sharon”.

“I’d driven my grandson to preschool for the first time and there Sharon was, greeting him with a welcoming smile and a big hug as she did for every child,” he said.

Holsclaw was a hard act to follow, but Margaret Moore stepped in as Interim Head until the surprisingly young Canadian native, the Rev. Dr. Frank Sawyer was appointed Head of School in 2012. Rev. Sawyer completed the final stage of a multi-year process leading to St. Martin’s in-the-Field’s accreditation in 2013, the same year Sawyer became a United States citizen.

On September 22, 2014, “Java with Jamey”, an early morning coffee at St. Martin’s provided parents the perfect opportunity to meet Jamey Hein, the amiable new Head of School. It was the first of a series of informal coffees the talented young headmaster would hold in order to become better acquainted with parents.

Hein would remain Head of School for the next seven years bringing to fruition the school’s dream of building a middle school joined to the existing classrooms in St. Martin’s Parish Hall. He oversaw the planning, financing and permitting related to the construction of the building that would be known as the Learning Center and started a capital campaign to raise the necessary funds. With construction of the Learning Center complete near the end of 2019, middle school students were able to move from the modules into their new classrooms on December 2nd. The building’s dedication followed on December 5th.

Following the end of Hein’s tenure in 2020, interim Heads of School including Charlie Sachs, Tony Shaffer and Kathleen Mahar would lead the student body until the arrival of new Head of School, Dr. Tracy Bonday in August.

Dr. Bonday clearly enjoys being at St. Martin’s in-the-Field. We asked her about the pathway that led her here.

“This is my 28th year in education. I’ve worked all over the country,” she said.

Bonday had 15 years working in Catholic education that included being Superintendent for the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa overseeing 17 schools with a student population of 6,500. She moved on to an independent school called Ursuline Academy in New Orleans – the first all-girls Catholic school started in the United States in 1727 – serving there for two years through the COVID lockdowns.

Dr. Bonday moved on to become Head of the Upper School at Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Florida – her first Episcopalian school.

“While there, I fell in love with the mission of Episcopal schools which is involved with making sure there is inclusivity in the environment and recognizing the value of every individual,” Bonday said. “Those core values radiated for me and, therefore, it became important for me to find another opportunity in an Episcopalian school.”

“St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal School held those same values and seemed a perfect fit for me,” she added. “It was especially attractive since my daughter, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who, after serving in the Navy, came back to work at the Academy, is here. And my older daughter, a UVA grad, teaches high school math in Richmond, Va. and is the mother of my 2-year-old granddaughter.”

Asked what she likes best about St. Martin’s so far, she cites the fact that, though evolving over time, she can see that some of the school’s earliest traditions are still important. She’s already seeing the kids taking active leadership roles in various activities from church sanctuary services to the school’s traditional Mustang Rally assemblies. And, of course, she’s enjoying being involved with the ongoing planning for the 70th Anniversary Gala which will take place at Navy Marine Corps Stadium.

Around the Park Again looks forward to following Dr. Bonday’s tenure at St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. Jing Ying also offers a homeschool Kung Fu program this fall. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high-quality consistent care.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Chatting with Magothy River Association president Paul Spadaro about the organization’s upcoming 80th Anniversary Celebration on September 20th, we asked him about its beginnings.

“Right after the Second World War in 1946, the Navy got the idea that they wanted to build a naval air station on Cape St. Claire. For a seaplane base, it seemed like an ideal spot with the Naval Academy nearby…but the residents didn’t want to hear that,” said Spadaro. “So, the residents organized, took on the government and prevailed. That organization became the Magothy River Association (MRA).”

The Association has continued its long history of opposing and preventing commercial interests that threatened the watershed.

From the outset, MRA has been a traditional all-volunteer organization which Spadaro feels has contributed to its success. During the 30 years he’s been president, he’s made it a priority to seek out volunteers who are professionals and follow the directions in which those volunteers lead him.”

Recently, he read MRA’s letters of incorporation and discovered that members’ number one issue at the time was fishing.

“Looking back, I’ve observed that many of MRA’s environmental efforts have, indeed, been centered on fishing – from our multi-year Yellow Perch Project to our current Seining Project using large nets to determine the various species of fish in the river.”

We first learned about MRA’s Yellow Perch Project while talking with Spadaro and MRA volunteer Lise Crafton who’d been attending a meeting at The Big Bean in February of 2024. Crafton normally works with MRA’s SAV and water monitoring programs but was then working with Spadaro to monitor the yellow perch spawn.

“The Yellow Perch Project, one of our most important initiatives, came about through our partnership with Anne Arundel Community College. Having seen the Magothy’s yellow perch population decrease during the 1970’s, we were originally going to collaborate with AACC to restock the fish,” Spadaro said. “But the college students came up with an interesting concept. Instead of buying fish to stock the river, they took yellow perch from the Sassafras River, spawned them in Magothy River water, and then transported them to Lake Waterford where they were set free. ”

Because the yellow perch is one of those salmon type fish that go back to the waters in which they were born, the project succeeded and perch you see in the river today are direct descendants of them.”

Between their more notable initiatives, MRA’s president and volunteers came up with a multitude of successful projects including inventing new games based on the Magothy and launching the Magothy River Water Trail.

MRA has also made several award-winning films about local history, sharing them with the public through YouTube. One of them is about Mt. Misery, a peak that overlooks Round Bay and is designated a Critical Area. Mt. Misery is historically significant as it was the sight of a Union fortification during the Civil War. The fort was later used as a camp for local Boy Scout Troops. (The MRA was unsuccessful in its battle to prevent the building of a private residence on the site.)

An especially important project the Magothy River Association participated in was Master Watershed Steward and Berrywood Restoration Project Leader Molly LaChapelle’s massive effort to restore Cattail Creek to its original state after six years of hard work and persistence on Earth Day 2019.

Spread out along the banks of the creek, over 130 volunteers worked side by side that day to plant 1,000 trees, shrubs and plants. It was the last step in a three-stage construction effort by Annapolis-based Underwood & Associates that began with the creation of a regenerative stream channel that required raising the stream bed to increase flood plain connectivity and creating multiple weirs to slow down stream flow and reduce erosion.

The volunteers included 88 adults and children from Berrywood, the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards, Magothy River Association members, Bay Wise Master Gardeners, members of Girl Scout Troop 10294 and Boy Scout Troop 99, DNR representatives, and county and state government officials.

An ongoing MRA project partnering with the PEARL Foundation and Morgan State University began as a study on fish but shifted to raising oysters on a reef off Dobbins Island. The university students are currently working on developing a low salinity reproducing oyster which is something needed for sustaining a population in the Magothy.

“Our river’s salinity is not ideal for the Virginia type of oyster currently grown here,” Spadaro said. “Our divers have documented that our oysters survive for several years filtering water, but their lifespan is relatively short. They need to reproduce in numbers that are self-sustaining but, at present, we have to fundraise to buy oysters to replace the population.”

We’ve mentioned just a few of the MRA’s many efforts focused on preserving the Magothy River and its watershed. As the organization celebrates its 80th birthday and moves forward, its president points out that the Magothy River Association is one of the last organizations made up entirely of volunteers.

“I hope we’ll continue to be an all-volunteer organization for the next 80 years as it brings a different perspective to what we do,” said Spadaro. “People are more dedicated. For instance, we’ve always had a very robust dive program over the years which appeals to a lot of the membership. At present, they’re involved in a project called Shipwrecks of the Magothy. The diversity of our projects continues to attract youth to become involved with the river, the Magothy watershed and the MRA.”

The organization’s participation in community events is well-known and widespread. The latest example was the appearance of the “Magothy Queen” float in Severna Park’s Independence Day Parade celebrating America’s 250th birthday with Paul Spadaro at the helm.

Lastly, as the Magothy River Association celebrates its volunteers’ long history of opposing and preventing commercial interests that threaten the watershed, Spadaro feels certain they will continue just as forcefully into the future. Observing that MRA volunteers have managed to defeat plans for several major marinas to be constructed along the river, he cited an important win from the past.

“For many years, there was an amusement park called Mago Vista in Arnold,” he said. “In the 1980’s, there was a plan to tear it all down and build a 1,000-slip marina. The MRA said no and fought it. They won. If it had gone through, the area would be entirely different.” 

“Communities that push back win back. Every inch of county code has been compromised by development. Sadly, we haven’t fought back as much as we should have but, hopefully, we’ll continue. It’s never one and done.”

The Magothy River Association is holding a Happy 80th Birthday Party to which the public is invited on Sunday, September 20th from 3 to 6 pm. Tickets are still available. To order them, visit Facebook.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. Jing Ying also offers a homeschool Kung Fu program this fall. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high-quality consistent care.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Late summer days are worrisome times for SPAN, Inc.’s Operations Director Maia Grabau and Development Director Michelle Sabean.

“Summers are the lowest times for donations to our food pantry but hunger does not take a vacation”, said Sabean. “Last summer was the worst but this year’s supply of non-perishable pantry items is nearly depleted as well. But people come here constantly throughout the year to ask for help.”

Facing nearly empty shelves by the end of August, she put out Facebook and Instagram posts with images of those shelves and asking followers for donations of canned vegetables, canned meat, rice, potatoes, Hamburger and Tuna Helper, oatmeal, pancake mix and syrup as well as basic toiletries, laundry detergent and dish soap.

Even as the posts were going out, Sabean and Grabau were grateful when a generous donation of boxes and bags filled with canned meats and beans and dry goods collected by Severna Park Cub Scout Pack 858 was dropped off.

Both women observed that, when autumn arrives, the flow of donations increases. Once schools are back in session and organizations back to their regular schedules, food drives pick up. So, by the end of September or early October, donations are arriving daily and continue to do so through March.

Sabean, who keeps the records, observed that, for the year that ended June 30th, SPAN helped 700 families with food.

“We averaged helping 60 families a month whereas the year before, we’d averaged more like 50 families a month,” she said.

Financial assistance requests from clients for the year ending June 30th remained at a substantial level. However, SPAN’s finances were much improved by the success of the 6th annual concert produced by actress and singer Hankins-O’Connell. Conceived as a way to give back to the community she grew up in, this year’s Broadway Songfest and Silent Auction created and performed by Hankins-O’Connell along with pianist and singer Anita O’Connor was held on June 7th at St. Martin’s in-the-Field Parish Hall.

The event drew well and, as always, 100% of the net proceeds from the concert and silent auction were donated to SPAN.

Sabean and Grabau are already gearing up for their organization’s 14th Annual Stride for SPAN Turkey Trot 5K Race and 1 Mile Fun Run which will take place Saturday, November 7th at Kinder Farm Park.

“This is our biggest event,” said Sabean. “This is our 14th year and we feel fortunate to have diverse and generous sponsors from the community. They include Edward Jones, Severna Park Automotive, the Severna Park Elks, St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal School, Broadneck Pharmacy, Chesapeake Hearing Center, Creative Force Dance Center, Haas & Sons Electric, Shore United Bank, Severna Park Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, Fence & Deck Connection, Cassilly & Appel, Barranco Severna Park, and MacDonalds.”

She added that the fact that participants can choose between the 1-mile or 5K option adding to the popularity of the event. She also noted that, instead of medals, the prizes for the different age groups participating in the 5K will be gift cards donated by local businesses.

For more information about the Turkey Trot 5K Race and 1 Mile Fun Run or other activities, visit SPAN Serving People Across Neighborhoods.

Trinity Bible Church 4th Annual Fall Festival happening Saturday, September 26th

Trinity Bible Church invites the public to join them for a free community event – a Fall Festival taking place Saturday, September 26th from 11 am till 2 pm. The event, taking place across church grounds at 99 Truck House Road, includes lunch (burger/hotdog, drink, chips) and an assortment of fun activities: horseback riding, moonbounce, photo booth, games and crafts, snow cones, bingo, and more. For more information, visit Trinity Bible Church or Facebook.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. Jing Ying also offers a homeschool Kung Fu program this fall. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high-quality consistent care.