English as a second language

John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle School is one of very few schools in the city to have Arabic-speaking staff. But their ESOL students’ progress still lags behind the state average.

Families used to travel miles to the one ESOL enrollment center in Catonsville. Now, a revamped school bus offers testing on-site at four county schools each month.

Herbalist Olivia Fite' s modern-day apothecary; Jane Elkin's poetry book, 'World Class'; artist Lynne Parks; and a Stoop story from VioletLevoit Before…