1. Garrison Forest School
City: Owings Mills, MD
Category: Education
Telephone: (410) 363-1500
Address: 300 Garrison Forest Rd.
Description: Garrison Forest was founded in 1910 as a day school for the girls of families living in Greenspring Valley, which at that time was far away from city schools. By 1912 the school had established a boarding program, and it still offers boarding for girls in grades 8 through 12 and day school for girls K through 12 and a coeducational pre-K for students from age two. Their motto is Esse Quam Videri—To Be Rather Than To Seem, and their academic program balances exceedingly high standards within a welcoming, spirited atmosphere that enables each student to flourish intellectually and individually. Approximately 270 students are in grades 9-12 and come from all over the world, including the Pacific Rim, Latin and Central America, the Caribbean, and parts of Europe. The school has a new performing arts center, new lower school, and new riding and athletic facilities. Garrison Forrest students are involved in the arts and the school has a 401-seat Garland Theater as well as a Dance Studio in the modern, collegiate-level Campus Center. Additionally, students from the school have worked professionally on national television shows for HBO. Notable graduates from Garrison include Jamie O’Brien, Miss Teen Maryland of 2006 (class of 2006) and Beth Botsford, 1996 Olympic gold medalist (class of 1999), Garrison Forest underwent a campus-wide rewiring that allows students to access the school’s computers from anywhere, dorm to classroom.
2. Gordon Center For Performing Arts
City: Owings Mills, MD
Category: Nightlife
Address: 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave.
Description: The Peggy and Yale Gordon Center for the Performing Arts is almost nowhere near the center of town. Unless you think Owings Mills has a center. However, it is more than worth the drive to listen to international guitar night or come an hour early for the Christine Lavin and Don White concert and sit in the lobby knitting with Christine. Look for music, theater, dance, family programming, and films, many from your “yesterday” with audience members being appropriately attired. With only 550 seats, you might not want to wait until performance day to hope you can still get a ticket. The box office is open from Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and one hour prior to showtime. Check the changing exhibits in the Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Art Gallery. For those who just want a gallery tour, call Nancy Goldberg, (410) 356-7469, press 5.