Hero’s, a local party outfitter, was recently named the Best Birthday Party experience in the country. Announced at the 2012 Amusement Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center in March, Tourist Attractions & Parks magazine awarded Hero’s the title for its continued excellence in the party industry. Hero’s offers an assortment of affordable and fun party packages, including laser tag, sandlot games, balloon animals, and magic shows, as well as inflatable slides, bounce houses, and jousting arenas. Mobile parties are available in addition to the Hero’s location in Rossford. Call for hours. 419-873-9400. 9851 Meridian Court. www.herostoledo.com.

To commemorate the Girl Scouts’ 100th anniversary, the Toledo Museum of Art will host “Girl Scout Night at the Museum” on May 5, 2012. Our community has a long history with the Girl Scouts of America, as the charter of the first Girl Scout council was signed on the steps outside of the museum. Open to Girl Scout Brownies and Juniors, the girls will spend the evening engaged in hands-on projects, flashlight tours, dancing, and storytelling. Although registration for this event is now full, the public is welcome to attend the celebratory ceremony on May 5 from 4pm-6pm, at which a plaque will be dedicated. Event to be held on the Museum Terrace at the Toledo Museum of Art. 2445 Monroe Street.

Have you ever wanted to impart your unique skills or knowledge to a class? The 577 Foundation is seeking teachers for its youth, adult, and family classes. Founded by the late Virginia Secor Stranahan in 1990, the organization provides a space to groups and individuals passionate about teaching classes to the community. Interested educators who want to share their knowledge are welcome to use the facility free of charge. The staff at the foundation will help with the logistics and promotion of your class, so all you need to do is develop your syllabus and write a short class description for the brochure they mail out. To find out more about teaching here call 419-874-4174. 577 East Front Street in Perrysburg. www.577foundation.org

A reported 37 percent of local Toledo high school students failed to graduate in 2010, a huge loss for the city in terms of earnings and social capital. WGTE is calling attention to the Toledo dropout crisis has launched a series of broadcasts, online, and community activities, including TV programs that can now be viewed online (see QR code). Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), this national initiative aims to help Toledo and other communities keep kids in school through graduation.  The initiative will work to raise public awareness about the dropout  dilemma as well as recommend solutions to increase high school graduation rates in the area. Local partners in the initiative include Toledo Public Schools, United Way, and YMCA. For more information: 419-380-4652 or www.wgte.org.

Locals students are making strides to improve the lives of people with physical disabilities. The St. Ursula Academy Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Club recently earned recognition at two national competitions. In January, the students placed among the top five teams in the country at the 10th Annual AbilityOne Network Challenge. That victory  provided the 6-member team with funding to compete in another competition in Washington DC in mid-March, where the students placed second in the nation. The challenge called on students to develop assistive technologies that improve the lives of people with disabilities. The students called their invention The Pathway, because it helps blind people walk more safely.