Latin Lives: At River Bend Middle School, at least, any report of the death of the Latin language may be considered an exaggeration. This year, 31 River Bend students scored at the top of the charts on the National Latin Exam.

Gold medal and summa cum laude honors for Latin I were awarded to Amanda Geyer and Alexandria Soccio-Mallon. Silver medal and maxima cum laude honors were awarded to Latin I students Douglas Bradley, Mackenzie Dorsey, Aditya Jayanti, Katrina Schmid and Christian Tessman. Magna cum laude honors went to Latin I students David Hansberger, Kiersten Margulies, Saloni Mittal, John Thai and Anna Wang. Cum laude honors were awarded to Latin I students Joshua Blair, Nathalie Groot, Ruchi Kakkad, Trent Koerner and Kevin Roll.

Jack Shangraw earned a perfect score in Level II. The gold medal and summa cum laude honors in level II went to Chantal Groot, Alison Hau, Meg Helein, Deven Macgoy, Wyatt Pontius and Michael Xu. Silver medal and maxima cum laude honors were awarded to Logan Rice and Ryan Wells. Magna cum laude honors went to Daniel Kim, Marisa Lemma and Matthew Schultheis. Cum laude honors were awarded to Mela Coffey and Arthur Wang.

Andrea Weiskopf, the school’s Latin teacher, should get a great deal of credit for making the language come alive in Sterling. Or maybe that credit should go to her mother.

“Although my mother told me that I would enjoy Latin, I took Spanish through high school,” she said in a message posted on the River Bend web site. “It was not until college that I fell under the spell of things classical.”

It looks like this is one more time that mother knew best.

Top Debaters: The Dominion High School Debate Team topped off a great competitive year with a second place finish at the Virginia High School League State Debate April 21 and 22. In addition, AK Komanduri was awarded first place, or state champion, in Student Congress, and Jay Daniel Gusman earned second place in Student Congress.

Pool picnic: CountrySide holds its 12th annual Pool Safety Picnic on Saturday, May 19, at the Lindenwood Pool from 1 until 4 p.m. The event includes pool safety demonstrations and free pizza, drinks and ice cream. For admission, bring your 2012 CountrySide amenities pass to enter the pool. The rain date is Sunday, May 20, same time at the same location.

7 of everything: Potomac Falls High School presents the musical, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” on Thursday, May 17, through Sunday, May 20. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $10, or $7 for students and seniors.

Princess Camilla: Eastern Loudoun’s StageCoach Theatre Company presents “The Three Quests of Princess Camilla,” an original show for children produced as an outdoor performance at the Oatlands historic site in Leesbug on Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 20. The show features Sterling residents Donald O’Brien as the King and Herbert DuVall as the Wandering Peasant. The cast also includes Kathleen and Sean Donovan, of Waterford; Herb Fuller, of Reston; Matthew Hammrich, of Ashburn; Angela Hepola, of Leesburg; Emily King, of York, Pa.; Sam McRae of Reston; and Ashburn residents Elizabeth Mykietyn, Zach Wold and Tristan Woodruff.

The grounds open at noon, with carnival concessions available. The show begins at 1 p.m. both days. Sunday’s performance includes interpretive signing for the hearing impaired. Tickets at the door are $8 for children ages 2-11 and $12 for adults. For information, go to stagecoachtc.com.

Big Wins in Salt Lake City: DECA students from Dominion and Potomac Falls high schools brought back an impressive array of awards from the DECA International Career Development Conference held April 28 to May 1 in Salt Lake City. DECA is an association of marketing students; the awards honor student marketing programs.

Six students from Dominion High School were recognized for their achievements. Jake Backers and Kristen Angerome earned first place in the School-Based Enterprise category for their presentation on Dominion’s Titan’s Corner school store. Jason Eller, Rebecca Slatkin and Amanda Wong earned first place in the Financial Operations Research category with Access National Bank as their client. Jacob Stavos received a $1,000 Harry Applegate DECA Scholarship.

Eight students from Potomac Falls High School received recognition. Nicole Economu received a National Emerging Leader Award. Riley Jamison placed in the top 10 in one role play in Quick Serve Restaurant Marketing and made it to the finals in that category. Cari Lutkins placed in the top 10 in one role play in Business Services Marketing, received an Emerging Leader Award and is the Southern Region National Scholarship recipient. Patrick Middendorf, Lauren Sturman and Harrison Williams received Gold Certification for the PFHS school store, The Panther’s Den, and placed third in the nation for their presentation. Patricia Mook and Darby Pontius placed third in the nation for their Financial Literacy Promotion Project.

Directors wanted: The Sterling Playmakers theatre company is looking for directors for the 2012-2013 season. First-timers or veterans are welcome to apply. A long history in theatre is not required. For detailed information on the application process and a link to the director application form, go to http://sterlingplaymakers.com/. Keep in mind that the completed application paperwork must be received, via email or U.S. Postal Service, by May 25.

Arts festival: The Loudoun County Public Schools Arts Festival opens Friday, May 11, at Dulles Town Center. The show takes place May 11-14 and May 18-22 at the mall. Music performances are scheduled for Center Court on Friday, May 11, from 4:15 to 6:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and Monday, May 14, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Plan to spend some extra time at the mall to get a good look at the wonderful work of Loudoun’s students.

Treasure hunting: CountrySide holds its annual spring yard sale on Saturday, May 12, beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing as long as the sellers feel like selling, rain or shine. Maps to yard sale locations will be available Thursday, May 10, at the CountrySide Proprietary or online at countryside-va.com. For information, call 703-430-0715, ext. 16.

A gift for Mom: Sterling-based brain researcher and author Don DuRousseau will be signing copies of his book, “Your Playlist Can Change Your Life,” at Books-A-Million in Dulles Town Center on Saturday, May 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. The book, endorsed with a cover blurb from the rocker Sting, explains how music affects the brain and offers tips for creating musical playlists to help reach a desired mood, feeling or motivation level.

Farmers Market: The Cascades Farmers Market is back in business for the season. The market is open on Sundays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the Cascades Senior Center. New vendors this year include Caprikorn Farm Goat Cheese and Hidden Creek Apiary. Later in the season, you’ll see newcomers Beechwood Orchards and Paynes Berries. If you can’t wait for the weekend, though, you can find some of the market’s goodies at the Whole Foods in Reston. Last week, I found a very tempting jar of Bigg Riggs’ apple pie filling on the shelf over there.

Learn about Lyme: The Cascades library hosts a showing of “Under Our Skin,” an Oscar-nominated documentary film on Lyme Disease, followed by a facilitated discussion, on Tuesday, May 15, at 7 p.m. The film tells the stories of patients and physicians dealing with one of the most serious and misunderstood illnesses of contemporary life. The event is free and open to the public. The film is not rated, but is recommended for adults. For information, call 703-444-3228.

Leading by reading: This month, Dominion High School swept to its fourth victory in the annual Loudoun County Public Schools Battle of the Books competition. With the win, the Titans held onto their previously earned crown—and set a record as the winner of four of the seven annual book battle events. The Titans’ final score of 420 points outpaced Briar Woods High School (390 points), Freedom High School (360 points), Woodgrove High School (360 points), and Potomac Falls High School (325 points).

The members of the Dominion team include Lara Armstrong, Zeena Benarbane, Celestina Buansi, Mairead Crotty, Kaniz Fatima, Jenna Frawley, Meg Gouse, Nikolle Holland, Michela Hunter, Sydne Hunter, Heather La France, Storm Martel, Caehla McGeady, Madeline O’Neill, Lindsey Osedacz, Ariel Ramsey and Katie Strycharz. The team is coached by Meghan O’Rourke and Kathy McDermott.

Help wanted: The Sterling Community Center is hiring instructors for its busy summer class schedule. The center’s education programs are designed for preschool, elementary and middle school-aged participants. The classes cover art, cooking, creative writing, nature, outdoor recreation, science and sports. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have six months of experience working with children. The pay rate, based on experience and education, ranges from $11 to $18 per hour. To apply, contact Jen Schrader or Zoe Irwin by calling 703-430-9480, or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Outdoor theatre: Tickets are on sale for the StageCoach Theatre Company’s outdoor performances of “The Three Quests of Princess Camilla,” an original show for children written and directed by James Campanella, of Hamilton, with original music by Joe Campanella, of Leesburg, and arrangement by Abby Gray, of Ashburn. The eastern Loudoun theater company presents the show at 1 p.m. on May 19 and 20 on the lawn at the Oatlands Historic House and Garden site in Leesburg. The entertainment continues after the show with a sword-fighting skit. The grounds open at noon. Carnival food concessions will be onsite. Advance tickets are $7 for children ages 2-11 and $11 for adults. Tickets at the door are $8 for children and $12 for adults. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Oatlands. Discounted tickets for a tour of the Oatlands house will be offered for $5 with the purchase of a show ticket. For information, go to http://www.stagecoachtc.com, or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Yard sale: CountrySide holds its annual spring yard sale on Saturday, May 12, beginning at 8 a.m., rain or shine. Maps to yard sale locations will be available on Thursday, May 10, at the CountrySide Proprietary office and online at countryside-va.com. To get on the map, you must sign up by 5 p.m. on Monday, May 7. For information, call 703-430-0715.

Birders on the stroll: The Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy celebrates International Migratory Bird Day with an annual walk in CountrySide’s Horsepen Run nature preserve on Saturday, May 5, beginning at 8 a.m. Local naturalist Andy Rabin leads the walk, with the goal of identifying as many different types of bird species as possible. Expect to be walking for about four hours, wear comfortable shoes, and bring binoculars, water, sunscreen and insect repellent. To sign up, go to http://www.loudounwildlife.org/IMBD_Signup_Form.htm or contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).