Hundreds of kids and parents turned out to scramble for eggs during Salem’s annual Easter Egg Hunt at Longwood Park on Saturday, March 31. We’ve got over 25 photos of the mad dash plus some candid photos of families.

Do you have photos from any events or games over the weekend? You can share them with So Salem by emailing news@sosalem.com or using our handy-dandy “SHARE” tool.

*Update 4:30 p.m. April 2: Mark Ingerson tells us they’ve raised almost $3,500 for BRAAC

Over 100 people turned out for “Kaeden’s Day Walk and 5K” at the Salem High School track on Saturday, March 31 to benefit the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center.

The Spartans’ girls soccer team and many local families and former students who know Mark and Sharon Ingerson walked or ran. The SHS culinary arts class “Gourmet Foods” provided cinnamon rolls for sale and the Salem Singers sang the national anthem before the event created special lyrics to the tune of “Ray’s Rockhouse” that suited the occasion.

Winners of the 5K include:

Adult (over 18): 1st Girls soccer coach Josh Jones, 2nd assistant girls soccer coach Taylor Davis, 3rd Sharon Ingerson (Kaeden’s mom)

Under 18s: 1st Olivia Raines, 2nd Alesea Wimmer, 3rd Sierra Sallah

Kids: 1st Luis Geyne

Seventeen months ago, Kaeden Ingerson began attending the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center after a public preschool for kids with disabilities didn’t work out. He had trouble riding any distance in a vehicle, playing normally, along with a variety of other autistic behaviors that made life difficult for the Ingerson family and learning almost impossible.

Mark Ingerson, Kaeden’s dad and a teacher at Salem High School, says the walk is a thank you to the BRAAC: “We at least have a lot more normal moments, and we’re really appreciative for that.”

Thanks to the applied behavioral analysis approach BRAAC uses to “re-train” the brain, said Ingerson, Kaeden can sit still to listen to a preschool story, he knows his alphabet and is learning lots of numbers. He doesn’t do as much “stimming,” an autistic terminology that describes self-stimulating behavior like repetitive motions, like scratching on a spot on the wall or fixating on a blade of grass.

“If you lived with him, you would understand that it’s miraculous,” he said, adding that they hope Kaeden will be able to return to public school soon. BRAAC therapists work systematically and spend lots of time with their students, even coming into the home, visiting the grocery store, or riding in the car to help parents and caregivers understand how to help.

“I knew enough to know that I didn’t know enough,” Ingerson said, even as a public school teacher. The Ingersons hired a specialist to advocate for Kaeden’s placement in BRAAC through Roanoke County Schools. They’re lucky, Mark said. The families of most children who attend pay the hefty tuition out-of-pocket, he said.

For more information about the BRAAC, visit their website at www.blueridgeautismcenter.com. April is National Autism Awareness Month.

-Miranda Beck, So Salem

Since Facebook’s pages are changing over to timeline view today and So Salem’s will need a scenic view, I swung by East Hill cemetery to get a few fresh photos for my editors to choose from. At left is one of a little bird who complied and had his photo taken for a few frames on a tree next to General Andrew Lewis’s grave.

Here’s a link to the rest. If you were driving up East Main this morning around 10 a.m., yes, that was me with a camera in the middle of the street, scurrying out of the way after taking a quick picture.

Will you be out and about this weekend? Tomorrow (March 31)  I have plans to take photos at Kaeden’s Walk at Salem High’s track  and the City of Salem’s Easter Egg Hunt at Longwood Park, unless it rains (I hope it won’t!)

If you see me and would like your photo taken for So Salem – just let me know! I’ll be happy to oblige. If you’d like to submit your own photos from anything fun going on this weekend or any time in Salem and Glenvar, email them to news@sosalem.com or use our easy “SHARE” tool.

-Miranda Beck

The Valley’s Tree City USA localities and the Valley Beautiful Foundation are jointly sponsoring an Arbor Day Ceremony and tree plantings at Andrew Lewis Middle School on Thursday, April 5 at 10 a.m.

Purchase and plant several different varieties of trees, including red and sugar maples, willow oaks, redbuds, and a flowering cherry tree. These trees will be planted around Andrew Lewis Middle School track and near the entrance of Longwood Park.

The Friends of Rachel Club of Andrew Lewis Middle School will be joining the beautification crew in planting the trees. Rachel was the first student killed in the Columbine tragedy so this club focuses on kindness and community involvement: the perfect complement to Arbor Day.

Elected Salem officials, Salem City School administrators, Congressman Morgan Griffith and local media will be invited to attend. The Valley Beautiful Foundation, along with Mr. Robert Boeren with the Virginia Department of Forestry, will also be invited.

The presentation will include a program by the ALMS Friends of Rachel Club, a ceremonial tree planting in memory of a teacher who recently passed away and a discussion on the important role or trees in relation to healthy ecosystems and community impact.

– Submitted by David Wagner, Valley Beautiful Foundation

The Roanoke County Public Library system will be offering the following computer classes in April 2012. There is a $10 charge for each class. Deadline for registration is two days before the class.

The South County Library (ph#: 772-7507) at 6303 Merriman Road, Roanoke will be offering:

PowerPoint (2010) on Monday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m.
Windows 7 on Tuesday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m.
Digital Photos with Picasa on Wednesday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m.

The Vinton Branch (ph#: 857-5043) at 800 E. Washington Ave., Vinton, will be offering:

Windows 7 on Tuesday, April 10 at 6 p.m.
Introduction to Social Networking on Tuesday, April 17 at 6 p.m.

The Hollins Branch Library (ph#: 561-8024) at 6624 Peters Creek Road, Roanoke, will be offering:

Excel 2010, Part I on Wednesday, April 11 at 6 p.m.
Excel 2010, Part II on Wednesday, April 18 at 6 p.m.

– Michael R. Meise, Assistant Director, Library Services, Roanoke County Public Library system

Photo cropped from Salem golf 2011 team pic, courtesy of Wing I.T. Photo Arts

Austin Smith,16, of Salem had a hole in one at the VSGA Suffolk Junior Open on Saturday March 24th.

It was on hole #2, 160 yards with a 6 iron at the Nansemond River Golf Club.

Witnesses: Connor Rinoski(Yorktown) and Weston Ringer(Chesapeake)

Submitted by Bob Smith

Terence Gardner, an eighth-grader at Andrew Lewis Middle School, left Salem this morning to represent his school at the state Geography Bee at Shenandoah University in Winchester Friday and Saturday, March 30 and 31.

“It was such a great surprise – I’m really excited,” Gardner said. After winning the geography bee at ALMS earlier this spring by knowing where the “Sea of Whales” is (it’s a desert in Egypt!), he filled out the qualifying papers and took a test which qualified him to compete at the state level.

“This is the first time we have had someone get to the state level in about 15 years,” said Principal Forest Jones.

Gardner will compete against about 100 students. The winner of the state competition will represent Virginia in the national competition May 22 and 24 at National Geographic Society’s headquarters in Washington D.C.

Keep reading for the talented students in Glenvar Middle School’s third nine weeks honor roll! Read more »

Roanoke College sophomore Timaria Hammond-Downing recently was chosen for a prestigious scholarship.

She received the Altria Student Leadership scholarship, which awards a total of $10,000 over two years to a student from each of 10 Virginia colleges that are part of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. Some of the colleges under the VFIC include the University of Richmond, Washington and Lee University and Roanoke College. For 60 years, private businesses have donated more than $139 million to the VFIC to fund college scholarships.

Each college’s president nominates an upcoming junior for the leadership scholarship. Roanoke College President Michael Maxey nominated Hammond-Downing.

Scholarship recipients must graduate from college by the spring of 2014, demonstrate financial need and have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. They also must exhibit career/work-life skills, leadership potential and major either in accounting, biology, business management, chemistry, computer science, economics, engineering, finance, marketing or physics.

Hammond-Downing, a business major, is the vice president of membership for Alpha Kappa Psi, the business fraternity at Roanoke. She is also president of the Black Student Alliance.

“It has been a lot of work but being in a leadership role this early has been a great experience,” said Hammond-Downing, who is from Minneapolis. “I love that I can be so involved because [Roanoke] feels like a big university, but it is still a smaller campus.”

Her involvement has helped her build strong relationships with Roanoke faculty and staff, including Scott Hardwig, a professor in the Fine Arts Department, who encouraged Hammond-Downing to minor in art because he saw her creative potential.

Hammond-Downing works as a graphic design assistant in Roanoke’s Public Relations Office, and she also seeks academic and social guidance from Juliet Lowery, who is director of Multicultural Affairs at Roanoke.

“It is important to make personal connections with the faculty and staff because they are able to help you in the future,” Hammond-Downing said.

Her goals after Roanoke include graduate school, traveling and possibly becoming a graphic designer at a small company or college.

– Submitted by Roanoke College

I recently moved to Florida from Salem. My best friend Christy Foley and I share a birthday on March 30. This year will be our first year not celebrating together and Christy is turning 40. Happy 40th Birthday Christy Foley from your Best Friend!

Submitted by Jamie Bowers