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Many readers expressed shock or outrage at the story of Kevin Ricks, who is accused of sexually abusing teenage boys, including foreign exchange students in his care, during a lengthy teaching career that included stops in Maryland and Virginia.


A predator’s path


potomacfever00: This article says much more about the adults (and in some cases teenage bystanders) who ignored the blatantly obvious red flags than it says about the pedophile himself. There were so many reasons to question this man’s motives and behavior, and yet almost nobody did.


BigDaddy651: Criminals come in all shapes, sizes and colors. I hope he gets crushed in our legal system. This guy went to great lengths to avoid detection and manipulated the systems to keep finding victims. It’s going to be hot down there, Kevin.


A mug shot of Kevin Ricks at the time of his arrest in February.


barthy: This same thing happened in a Fairfax County elementary school about 22 years ago and involved my son and two other sixth-grade boys. Initially, parents and other teachers did not believe this was happening by their “favorite, popular teacher,” who acted exactly like Mr. Ricks — befriending families along with the students. He had religious “sessions”with students on school grounds.


My son and our family were vindicated during a trial that two young boys had to testify at.


ceebee2: It appears that Mr. Ricks was enabled by some less-than-diligent school personnel departments.


Independent50: I am concerned that this article can teach others how to be a predator and how to avoid detection. It also increases fear of strangers without really telling us how to do better as a society.


blwpyrtv: This case also illustrates a general blind spot whereby we are a lot less vigilant with respect to our sons than our daughters. I imagine if Ricks had been targeting girls, he would have been called out on it much sooner.


missingwisc: What I can’t figure out is where did he get the money to spend on these trips and gifts? Teachers don’t make that much, and he was usually on probationary status.


For the latest news on schools in the District, check out washingtonpost.com/education; for updates on this story or to read about other crimes, see washingtonpost.com/crime.


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Liquor law violations


Use our searchable database to find out which Virginia restaurants and stores have been fined recently for selling alcohol to minors. There are also real estate and business databases


that include property tax and home value assessments and a listing of complaints filed against Virginia businesses.


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Hot topic: The Sunday storm Readers, newsmakers and Post reporters sharing their views.


JOHN KELLY’S WASHINGTON


Sweet ways to help Send a Kid to Camp


SUBMITTED BY MARYK1 , FALLS CHURCH


Clockwise from top: A damaged home; crowds try boarding a Metro shuttle; two cars crushed by a tree; downed wires and buckled asphalt after the storm.


»


Imagine both of those sensations — M&Ms melting in your mouth after cascading into your hand — as you read about Haley Kaufman of the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management office on 15th Street NW. In a somewhat roundabout way, Haley, a wealth management adviser, oversees a bubble gum vending machine in the company break room. She fills it not with bubble gum (does anybody even chew bubble gum anymore?) but with M&Ms, a handful of which can be yours for a quarter and a turn of the handle. Do not underestimate the collective sweet tooth of 120 Merrill Lynch financial advisers and their 50 support personnel. Over the past few months, Haley — who buys the M&Ms herself at Costco — has raised about 200 bucks for Camp Moss Hollow. “Then I decided I was going to ask people for all the change in their drawers,” she said. “I was going to ask an intern to do it, then I said, ‘Let me go. I’ll get more money.’ ” So Haley went around to people’s offices. The


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quarters, nickels and dimes — as well as the $5 and $10 bills — amounted to another $200. Some colleagues wrote checks. The result of this multipronged effort was $600 for Send a Kid to Camp. “It was actually quite a fun thing for a Friday morning a couple weeks ago,” Haley said. “At least I wasn’t thinking about the stock market.” I don’t think Ethan Gilman was thinking about the stock market, either. The Bethesda boy turned 9 last month. He decided that since he didn’t really want anything, he would ask the kids who went to his bowling birthday party to make a donation to Send a Kid to Camp rather than buy a present. They did. He and his parents chipped in, and they all raised $150. “I like camp, and I figure other kids like camp,


too,” Ethan wrote in his note. For more than 20 years, the Washington


Hebrew Congregation has been helping students from the Abram Simon Elementary School in Southeast Washington. Abram Simon was the synagogue’s second rabbi and a leader in public education in Washington. Volunteers from the synagogue tutor first- and second-graders every week. A few years back, Washington Hebrew’s B’nai Mitzvah students wanted to help send kids to camp. That tradition continues, and this year donors from the synagogue contributed a whopping $12,000 to Camp Moss Hollow. In ways big and small, groups around


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washingtonpost.com/datapost. Today on POSTLOCAL.com


Trouble ahead? Find out how power outages and other problems will affect your commute — before you head out the door — at washingtonpost.com/drgridlock.


All messed up Sunday’s storm created a lot of problems around the area. Point out what needs fixing at washingtonpost. com/dailygripe.


NEW FEATURE! Washingtology Think you know the District? Explore the unseen D.C. through our new online feature, Washingtology. Go to washingtonpost.com/washingtology.


Candidate central Read up on who’s running for chairman of the D.C. Council at washingtonpost.com/dcpolitics.


Here’s the story


Get the latest local news wherever you are: Follow us on facebook.com/postlocal, or read our tweets at twitter. com/postmetro.


THE DAILY QUIZ


According to a graphic in the Health & Science section, which is D.C.’s second-most successful mammal (after humans)?


EARN 5 POINTS: Find the answer, then go to washingtonpost.com/postpoints and click on “Quizzes” to enter the correct response.


R


eaders — those who still had elec- tricity, anyway — shared their sto- ries and photos from Sunday’s


tempest on washingtonpost.com.


dan95 We were on the Potomac, having just hoisted the sails for an afternoon trip, when we received a weather alert on the marine broadcast. It showed the storm 40 miles from National Air- port and moving east at 45 mph. We were about 30 minutes from safe harbor, so we immediately swung north and headed into the channel home. With a little luck, we were able to tie up and get our gear below decks when one of the most spec- tacular squall lines moved down the river and across National Airport. We hunkered down in the cabin and watched as the winds climbed past 45 mph. The peak that I saw on my instruments was 48 knots (55 mph) before I had to close the hatch to keep the water out. We rode out the storm watching trash cans go flying down the dock and hearing fierce gusts of wind.


dprats21 (posted 4:28 p.m. Sunday) Whoa! That was intense. That big cell hit us here in Laytonsville at 3:10 p.m. — winds first,


then the deluge. Lost power several times, really surprised and happy it’s back. . . . According to the wind meter (Wunderground


weather station) at the golf course, we got a 64 mph wind gust, and I believe it. While I was doing last-minute prep, the whole house shook for several minutes due to the wind (okay, prob- ably less than that, but it seemed like it). . . . The system had an eerie gray-blue hue to it in places as it approached, and some of the light- ning was plain startling. I saw a big array of cloud-to-cloud lightning crawl across the north- west sky . . . and then another power outage. The tornado warning popped up a mile or two south of us, and I can see why. That part of the storm was visible from here and had a greenish hue to it, like the type they show on the tornado- chasing shows. It was big, too. . . . I hope everyone is okay. I have to go check around for damage now that the rain has stopped. Can you believe my 4-year-old slept through the whole thing — including being car- ried downstairs until it was safe — yet if I open a soda can on the other side of the house, she’s up? Go figure.


For the latest weather information, consult our team of meteorologists at washingtonpost. com/capitalweathergang.


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POINTS & REWARDS


Freer Gallery of Art and Sackler Gallery Enjoy Masterpieces of Chinese Painting and more at the Freer this summer! Details at asia.si.edu.


Olney Theatre Center Starts tomorrow: The Savannah Disputation, a divine new comedy. See olneytheatre.org.


Thompson Creek Request a quote for windows, siding, gutters or doors at thompsoncreek.com.


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Washington are helping with this year’s Send a Kid to Camp campaign. Here are others:  Rabbi Joseph Weinberg Early Childhood Center’s Rainbow Kids: $36  Sisters of St. Joseph Gewirz Center, the District: $100  Residents of the Edgemoor condominiums, Bethesda: $2,025  Phi Pi Epsilon sorority, White Plains: $700  Community Foundation for the National Capital Region: $5,800 Women of Christ Church, Georgetown: $1,500 McLean School of Maryland, Potomac: $1,303.40  Faith Circle of Presbyterian Women, Little Falls Presbyterian Church, Arlington County: $50 McLean Bridge Group: $130  Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide: $750  Club Les Femmes: $200 Magruder High School and Shady Grove Middle School Leo Club: $202.80  American Business Women’s Association, D.C. charter chapter: $75  Interfaith Families Project of Greater Washington, kindergarten Sunday school: $55  Giving in the Finest Tradition: $250 If you head up a group of like-minded,


generous people, I’d be happy to print your organization’s name here. And now is a great time to give to Camp Moss Hollow. We have a donor who will match what we raise in the campaign’s final week, up to $100,000. Also, our partner Clyde’s is offering a great incentive: Donate $150 before Friday, the last day of the campaign, and you will receive a $25 gift certificate for the restaurant. Donate $250 or more, and you will receive a $50 gift certificate. I’m hopeful that with this support we can reach our goal of $500,000. We’ve raised $293,702.13. To donate, mail a check or money order


payable to “Send a Kid to Camp” to P.O. Box 96237, Washington, D.C. 20090-6237. Or contribute online by going to www. washingtonpost.com/camp and clicking on the donation link. To use MasterCard or Visa by phone, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions on our taped message. kellyj@washpost.com


Read more of Kelly’s columns at washingtonpost.com/johnkelly


A complete list of PostPoints Spots can be found at washingtonpost.com/postpoints.


s there anything nicer than catching an avalanche of cool, candy-coated M&Ms in the palm of your hand? Yes, there is: eating them.


TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2010


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