Students at H.H. Garnet Elementary School are reading the same book together and with their parents, thanks to a donation from the Chestertown Lions Club.

For this year’s One School, One Book program, Garnet students will be reading Fenway and Hattie, by Victoria J. Coe.

The Chestertown Lions Club has donated money to the One School, One Book program for several years now. This year’s donation of $2,000 helped the school purchase 400 copies of the first book in a series about an excitable Jack Russell terrier and his best-friend-in-the-world, Hattie– a young girl finding herself in a new home and environment. The stories are told through the viewpoint of the dog Fenway.

Chestertown Lions Bob Barrows (left) and Henry Hart (rt) present book to Interventionist Heather Davis (mid left) and Principal Brenda Rose (mid right)

Students were given clues to guess the book title from February 27th- March 2nd. Clues were posted throughout the school in the days leading up to the big reveal at an assembly held on March 2nd, wherein additional hints were given. The book’s title was revealed on the morning announcements on March 3rd. The winners were able to choose a prize of their choice from the school’s prize chest.

Once the guess-the-title contest was finished, the books were sent home for families to enjoy a shared reading activity at home. During the announcements, a trivia question is asked each morning based on the assigned reading. Prizes are awarded to students who answer the daily question correctly. Students also participate in daily classroom activities about the book. There will be a culminating activity on March 31st.

“The entire staff and student body at H.H. Garnet Elementary School thank the Lions Club for their generous donation. We look forward to participating in this initiative every year, and they make it possible for us,” said Heather Davis, the school’s Title I interventionist and academic coach.

Prize winners for guessing the correct book title: From left to right – back row: Brenda Llamas Ramirez, Elizabeth Moorman, Ava Marie Seller, Makayla Blake, Haven Wesley, Emily Morrone, Olivia Hively, Sophia Usilton, Harlynn Crew From left to right – front row: Delaney Lord, Makyla Blake, Thiago Hernan

The One School, One Book program is a powerful literacy initiative designed to help an entire school community — children and parents — share a love of books and reading. The school encourages the entire family to participate in the One School, One Book program. Studies have shown that kids whose parents read to and with them achieve more academically.

LuAnn Brady, MSPH

LuAnn Brady, MSPH, has joined University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) as its Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. An accomplished senior health care industry executive, Brady has diverse and established credentials in strategic planning, program development and hospital operations for community hospitals, non-for-profit health systems and academic medical centers.

In her new role with UM SRH, Brady is responsible for hospital operations as well as the operations of the health care system’s outpatient facilities throughout the five-county region served by UM SRH.

In addition to direct oversight of UM SRH non-nursing clinical and support departments, Brady will also be responsible for managing construction of UM SRH’s planned new regional medical center in Talbot County, which is slated to occupy more than 230 acres off Longwoods Road adjacent to the Talbot County Community Center. The new regional medical center will replace the hospital on Washington Street in downtown Easton.

“LuAnn Brady brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in health care operations to the UM Shore Regional Health team,” said Kenneth Kozel, MBA, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, UM SRH. “I am confident that she will be a strong asset as we work to fulfill our decades-long integrated facility and clinical service delivery plan.”

Brady spent more than 10 years with University of Pennsylvania Health System, first as Chief Administrative Officer for Penn Medicine’s Heart Vascular service line, and later Vice President of Service Line Operations at Penn Medicine. Most recently, she served nearly five years as the health system’s Chief Operating Officer at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she managed accountability for approximately 2,000 employees and over $400 million in operating expenses.

Brady also has experience with University of Maryland Medical System as Director of Business Development for University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, where she led initiatives to advance the University of Maryland Comprehensive Heart Center, Division of Vascular Surgery and the University of Maryland Stroke Program. She also worked for nearly 20 years for Bon Secours Health System Inc. in Baltimore, first as Director of Planning and later as Vice President of Professional and Support Services.

“I am honored to return to the University of Maryland Medical System and be part of the UM Shore Regional Health team,” Brady said. “I am excited to be a part of the continuing efforts to strengthen SRH’s operations and services to meet the needs of our patients and community across the Mid-Shore.”

Brady holds a Master of Science in Public Health with a focus on Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Economics Management from Salem College in Winston-Salem, N.C. She is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives and was selected as one of the Top 100 Chief Operating Officers of 2022 by C-Suite Spotlight, which provides news and information on today’s leading C-Level executives.

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System
The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

The other day I decided to treat myself to a handcrafted drink at Starbucks. As I approached the store, I saw another customer approaching. There was no question in my mind that he was going to order 5 drinks for his coworkers. I picked up my pace… I was going to get there first. And I did. But then something came over me. I opened the door and held it open for my competition to enter first. I think he was stunned. Then, as we got to the counter, he suggested I order first, as he had several drinks to buy. I was stunned. There was a lesson there. 

Most mediations start with parties in a competitive mindset. No surprise there, as they are in mediation because of some disagreement, and their goal is to win something from the other party. The parties will state their positions and why they are right, and the other is wrong. Often expressed with emotion. 

Let’s say the financial value of the dispute is $2500. The first party is asking for that amount. Not unexpectedly, the other party says, “not one penny.”  The mediator’s job is to remind both parties that neither will likely get their full demand.  What the mediator is encouraging is that one party step up and make an offer to settle. That is what I call the “magic moment.” It communicates the willingness to compromise and have further discussion, and magically, emotion tends to evaporate.

One way to move the parties to compromise is to reframe the party’s needs. The $2500 demand may be based on some actual cost, but a component of that demand is likely driven by something else. Maybe one party felt they were disrespected, ignored, or treated unfairly.  By reframing the demand, it is often possible to understand the range of motivations driving the dispute and address them. Keep in mind that mediation allows considerable flexibility in structuring a settlement. In this case, the settlement might include an apology and a financial payment. 

Making the first offer requires taking a risk and a bit of strategy. If somebody does not make the first move, there is a deadlock, and time is wasted. The first offer, however, needs to be reasonable.  In our example, if the first mover wants to offer $100, they need to ask themselves what the reaction will be from the other party. You can guess it will probably be taken as an insult…back to square one. 

Mediation is a process. It requires both parties to understand all positions and then move to a give-and-take to create a compromise. The real magic moment is when both parties shake hands and leave the session ready to move on with their lives…and celebrate by treating themselves to a hand-crafted drink at Starbucks…or maybe Rise Up. 

Steve Forrer, the former dean, and vice-chancellor of the University of Maryland Global Campus, is currently a mediator for the Maryland District and Circuit Courts. Questions can be submitted at www.doncastermediation.com/contact for Steve to answer in this column. He also accepts private mediation.

The Mid-Shore is lucky to have several high-quality toy stores, but it would take a lot to beat Preston Powersports in that rare category of toys for adults. Located across the road from the Easton Airport, Preston Motors’ new center for recreational bikes and 4X4s is by far the largest toy store in the area for men if you’re of a certain age.

With an inventory of Yamaha and Honda motorbikes packed onto the showroom floor and with more Kawasaki side-by-sides than most car dealerships have cars these days, Preston’s newest venture is designed to fit perfectly with its hot market with its best-selling Ford F-150 and similar work trucks and those customers interest to using these high-tech recreational toys on their farms.

The Spy was curious enough to cross Route 50 the other day to talk to the story’s general manager, Andrew Buckingham.

As one of Preston’s top truck salespeople, Andrew understood more than most that these bikes and 4x4s (as well as personal watercraft in the summer) were directly linked to the pick-up truck ecosystem. Year and year, he saw his best customers travel far and wide to find these motorsports options for not only themselves but their wives (and husbands) and children. He didn’t hesitate a New York minute to take on this new assignment.

This video is approximately two minutes in length. For more information about Preston Powersports here.