One in a series of occasional articles on home-schooling in Howard County.
It's Friday night and dozens of children dressed in black, white and red line the halls behind Owen Brown Middle School's auditorium. A group of Girl Scouts circles up to practice singing "God Bless America" one last time. Four-year-old Teddy Dean fusses with his tuxedo. Though many of these children have never been inside a public school before tonight, they seem at ease, waiting patiently for their holiday pageant to begin.
The Columbia Homeschool Community's third pageant, which took place last week, featured the religious celebrations of Hanukkah, Ramadan and Christmas. Though it is not a religious organization, the group is not bound by public school's secularism, enabling it to use religion to teach diversity.
Lance McLain, the pageant's master of ceremonies and father of Mattison, 6, stood at the corner of the stage to introduce the program. He read, "Because we are home-schoolers, we can delve deeper into the cultures and religions" that celebrate winter festivals.
The youths had been preparing for the pageant at a monthly gathering of the Columbia Homeschool Community (CHC) called "Home Room Day."
The Home Room Day sessions reflect the sophistication of a growing number of home-school efforts in Howard County, where 2 percent of the school-age population is taught at home. About 900 Howard County children are registered with the county's Department of Home Instruction as home-schoolers.
CHC consists of 80 home-schooled children and their families. The organization is 3 years old and says it is the largest nondenominational home-schooling group in the county.
Barbet McClain, Lance's wife, and three other parent-facilitators plan cooperative activities for CHC members, a themed learning unit and physical education time for four age groups.
This year's theme is "The World Is Our Classroom." Since August, the children have been studying one country a month, including two Muslim nations.
"Ramadan fits right in with [our study of] Turkey and Saudi Arabia," said Barbet McClain, an Ellicott City resident. "Home Room Day is one piece of CHC. That's one part of our community."
The group also organizes a 4-H Club, an art touring series and the home-school Girl Scout troop that opened and closed the pageant.
The study of world religions is permitted in Howard County schools, provided the curriculum focuses on the effect that religion has on world cultures and institutions. Religious music is allowed at winter concerts, but must be balanced with secular seasonal music and music from a variety of cultures.
Patti Caplan, spokeswoman for the Howard County Department of Education, said, "Any celebration [in the public schools] has to be nondenominational. It can't focus on any particular religion."
Like the Department of Education, CHC's policy toward religion promotes multiculturalism.
This was reflected in the pageant. A living menorah, with children as the eight candles, represented Hanukkah.
A poem described the traditions of Ramadan and a "Nativity tableau" featured multiple Marys and several Josephs.
Erin Carnell, 6, of Columbia played an angel. "We had to say lines. I had a whole lot," she said.
She learned about many different holidays in preparation for the pageant. "I know about all of them," Erin said.
Erin's mother, Deb Carnell of Columbia, agreed. "I think she's learned a lot about different cultures," she said. "You get so used to doing the things you do [during the holidays]. I think it's giving her a lesson in diversity."
Despite its religious elements, the pageant was like any performance by school-age children.
Onstage, kids waved to their parents and smiled proudly.
Parents waved back from behind their video cameras.
"The parents are into it," said Eric Steinhauser, whose wife, Jen, home-schools their children. "They have to be active."
Grandparents and extended family also were in the audience. Rachel Oslund, mother of 7-year-old James and 5-year-old Alexander, invited her mother and sister, both public school teachers, to the pageant.
"I wanted to show my parents that [home-schooling] is legitimate," Oslund said. "This pageant is one of the things that people miss when they're in the schools."