The Lothian Ruritan Club is offering nine $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors in southern Anne Arundel County and northern Calvert County to study at two- and four-year colleges or trade schools. Funds are raised in annual sales of citrus, Burger Burns and spaghetti dinners, as well as contributions and endowments from Ruritan members. Deadline is Feb. 23: lothianruritans.org.

Let’s talk lunch.          As a child, each day I carried to school a packed lunch in a metal Holly Hobbie lunch box, later replaced by Wonder Woman.     As an adult, I sometimes remember to pack a lunch from home. But more often than not, lunch is carryout.     Bay Weekly prides itself on running an eco-friendly office, and we try to recycle the majority of our waste. Yet the sheer volume of take-out packaging that ends up in the garbage is disturbing.

A convenience that has gotten out of hand, plastic bags remind me of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The Disney cartoon from Fantasia is one of my favorite feats of imagination. In search of ease, Mickey Mouse, the apprentice, puts a spell on his mop and bucket. But he hasn’t learned enough sorcery to limit the spell, and his labor-saving devices multiply beyond his power to control them.

When snow falls, George Sharps goes to battle.     As you read weather reports, he is revving his plow to be ready to fight his nemesis.     Sharps is one of 350 Maryland State Highway Administration operators who brave conditions that should keep the rest of us home. His mission: to clear 17,000 miles of state roads. He has one request of the citizens of Maryland as we send him into battle: “Stay home and let us do our jobs.”

Send your hope into the future. Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center at Grasonville seeks “passionate individuals” to come together on a mission to create a legacy of protecting the environment for future generations. Through nine weeks of “fascinating” educational sessions, the Class of 2016 will gain knowledge on restoration and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay.

Back in the mid-1960s, one animal shelter sufficed for all three Southern Maryland counties, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s.     What was good enough then might not work anymore for a growth region that’s gone from rural to suburban. This month, commissioners from all three counties joined a public hearing about needed renovations at the Tri-County Animal Shelter in Hughesville and future options.

Pride of Baltimore II, Maryland’s ambassador under sail, has found a pot of gold nearer than the end of the rainbow.     Seizing on the replica 1812-era clipper ship’s power to promote economic development, Gov. Larry Hogan has promised $1.5 million, spread over three years to Pride of Baltimore Inc., the nonprofit that owns and operates the tall ship. The money will send Pride traveling around the country and to other nations.

Senior year means dreams of the future. College, jobs, a chance to explore the world.     Seniors in the STEM program at South River High School in Edgewater along with students at Center for Applied Technology South have taken their final year and turned it into a project of, well, tiny proportions.     Sally Albright and Jake Mondoro are students in Michael Bartek’s Green Architecture and Sustainable Design class at SRHS. Think of them as the Tiny House Ambassadors.

It’s worth your while to follow the action