Monday, May 13, 2024

BCPS Film Expo this Thursday at The Senator Theatre – free and open to the public

Please join us!

Thursday, May 16, from 7-9 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

The Historic Senator Theatre, 5904 York Rd., Baltimore 21212

The public is invited to a free screening of short films created by BCPS middle and high school students. The event will end with a brief awards ceremony. Middle school film categories are animated GIFs, live action, and animation. High school film categories are animated GIFs, short-form video, live action narrative, experimental, documentary, animation, and promotional videos. Films selected as finalists will be shown. No tickets or registration are required.

Poster created by Film Expo Poster Contest winner - Ajit Thapa Magar, Perry Hall High School

Poster created by Film Expo Poster Contest winner - Blen Asaminew, Catonsville Middle School

Stop by to view BCPS student artwork on the walls of the Baltimore Museum of Art

Photo by Mitro Hood, Baltimore Museum of Art

“Art is for Everyone”

Exhibition: Wednesday, May 15 – Sunday, May 19. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On Thursday, the museum is open from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Meet-and-greet and certificate distribution: Sunday, May 19, from 1-4 p.m.

Baltimore Museum of Art, Contemporary Wing, 3rd Floor, 10 Art Museum Dr., Baltimore 21218 (Museum admission is free!)



For the 36th time, the Baltimore Museum of Art is hosting the annual countywide student exhibition, “Art is for Everyone,” presenting artwork by BCPS students from PreKindergarten through Grade 12.

Board approves updates to magnet programs

At its May 7 meeting, the Board of Education of Baltimore County approved changes to several magnet programs. These changes will not impact current magnet students or students admitted to magnet programs in fall 2024.

Currently, 17 percent of BCPS students are engaged in one of 116 magnet programs offered at 32 locations. The Magnet Office is seeking to make changes to a small number of programs for a variety of reasons including low program enrollment, lack of consistency with similar programs, and schools needing to focus on core curriculum.

Those interested can learn more by watching the Magnet Office presentation to the board (beginning at the 1:36:09 mark).

Affected magnet programs will undergo one of three changes:

• Pause – Pause the process of taking new applicants.
• Structural Shift – Program will change from a whole school magnet to a magnet program within the school.
• Sunset – The magnet program will no longer accept applications with the intent to discontinue the magnet program by 2028.

May 13 -17

Please join us in expressing appreciation to our Team BCPS pupil personnel workers for the pivotal role they play in supporting students and families and providing a bridge between home and school.

Graduating seniors offered opportunity to say farewell

BCPS invites all interested graduating high school seniors to share a few final words with the BCPS community. Seniors are invited to share (in no more than two sentences, 35 words total) their favorite BCPS memories OR words of advice for younger students.

Those interested in participating can send their messages and a photo of themselves to communications@bcps.org. Messages should be submitted by Monday, May 20. Selected submissions will be shared on social media. Please note that messages must be accompanied by photos of the students. The student should be the only person in the photo. And messages will be edited for length and clarity if needed. Seniors, please include your first and last name and the name of the high school from which you are graduating. 

Recent honors for Team BCPS

Dulaney High student Mingni Dong honored as a 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholar

Eastern Tech School of Excellence Award

Eastern Technical High School was awarded a Schools of Excellence Award from the American College Application Campaign. The award recognized the work of Eastern Tech school counselors to provide resources, activities, guidance, and support as students pursue their post-secondary goals.

ESPBC honors its Professionals of the Year

Paraeducator of the Year

Meghan Anderson, Parkville Middle School

Office Professional of the Year

Towanda Stokes, Hebbville Elementary School (with her daughter)

Last week, Education Support Professionals of Baltimore County (ESPBC) named Meghan Anderson of Parkville Middle School as its Paraeducator of the Year and Towanda Stokes of Hebbville Elementary School as its Office Professional of the Year.

A news release highlights the accomplishments of Anderson and Stokes.

CTE educators and programs honored with state and national awards

Hereford High School teacher Michael Dodd-o and career and technical education programs at Hereford Middle School and Sollers Point Technical High School have been honored with 2024 Excellence Awards by the Technology and Engineering Educators Association of Maryland and the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association. A blog post shares more details.

Michael Dodd-o, Hereford High School

Christopher Putnam and Shane Stoe, Hereford Middle School

Sollers Point Technical High School biomedical science and technology and engineering teachers

Bridget Jordan of Baltimore Highlands Elementary School selected for Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad to Peru

Bridget Jordan, an English for Speakers of Other Languages teacher from Baltimore Highlands Elementary, is one of 14 teachers in the U.S. selected for the 2024 Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad program to Peru. Jordan will spend six weeks in Peru participating in Spanish courses, creating bilingual resources for her classroom, and collaborating with other teachers to plan lessons incorporating Peruvian culture and history.

Randallstown NAACP awards scholarships to 9 BCPS graduating seniors

The Randallstown NAACP awarded nine scholarships totaling more than $5,000 to BCPS students. The scholarships, recipients, and the colleges they plan to attend are:

Gary B. Coleman Memorial Scholarship (in honor of the former college instructor and administrator, community servant, and political activist)

• Nevaeh A Stanley, Woodlawn High School – Morgan State University

Dr. Ella White Campbell Scholarship (in honor of the former educator and scholar, and activist for the Liberty Road corridor community)

• Jaylaan Stubbs, Randallstown High School – Stevenson University

Randallstown NAACP Scholarship powered by McDonald’s of New Town

• Adanna Ford, New Town High School – Virginia State University

Randallstown NAACP Scholarship powered by We Rock the Spectrum

• Aniyah Sierra, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology – Penn State

Dr. Barbara Dezmon Scholarship (in honor of the former BCPS administrator)

• Kayla Tabernero, Parkville High School – UMBC

Randallstown NAACP Scholarship

• Suzel Kouessi-Adri, Milford Mill Academy – Bowdoin College
• Nialah Mingo, New Town High School – Drexel University
• Ania Fredericks, Western School of Technology – Hampton University
• Treasure Asinyang, New Town High School – UMBC or Morgan State University

Jackson Matz, Grade 11 student, Pikesville High School, and "semi-professional" crossword creator

On March 8, when Jackson Matz had his first crossword puzzle published in The New York Times, he became one of only 69 teenagers to have a puzzle published in the 82-year history of the Times crossword. And only 20 of them were younger than Jackson, who turned 17 in March.

Next up, the Wall Street Journal is scheduled to publish one of his puzzles on Thursday, May 16.

A new Face of the Week blog post explores the role family plays in Jackson's fascination with puzzles.

Join Golden Ring Middle School for a day of community and nostalgia

Farewell to Golden Ring Middle School

Friday, May 17, from 12:30-4:30 p.m.

Golden Ring Middle School, 6700 Kenwood Ave., Rosedale 21237

In May 2023, the Board of Education of Baltimore County voted to close Golden Ring Middle School at the end of the 2023-2024 academic school year. During this farewell event, the Golden Ring Middle School community will celebrate the school’s history and impact. The event will include school tours, commemorative T-shirts, music, games, displays of student artwork and other projects, free summer reading books, a BCPS resource session, archived yearbooks and treasures, and community partners including the Volunteer Fire Department, Rosedale branch of Baltimore County Public Library, and the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks. Registration is required. 

Celebrating the Class of 2024 with graduating senior profiles

In honor of the Class of 2024, BCPS is profiling one senior from each high school. A new profile will be featured on the website and social media each school day until Friday, May 24, the last day for seniors. These profiles highlight the strengths of our seniors and their diversity. Last week, the series continued with a focus on these five students.

Tori Kerr, Towson High School

Tori credits serving as Black Student Union president with broadening her awareness of issues facing the Black community and other communities. She will be attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University as a February One Scholar and plans to become an attorney. 

Nour Al Zamil, Dundalk High School

Nour has a head start on her planned career as a dentist having already earned 24 college credits from CCBC. She has earned a Maryland Seal of Biliteracy in Arabic, represented Dundalk High School in the Outstanding Young Women Leaders Program, and participated in Model United Nations.

Jaywuan Fonseca, Maiden Choice School

Jaywuan is interested in technology, music, and socializing with his friends and family. Maiden Choice staff say they are confident Jaywuan is exiting as a young man with confidence, self-advocacy skills, and a community of people who are always there for him.

Evalyne Okowa, Chesapeake High School

A student in Sollers Point's Allied Health program, Evalyne has earned certifications as a medical assistant and certified nursing assistant and serves as a member of the Johns Hopkins Youth Advisory Board and Hopkins Teen and Children's Council. She plans to become a medical malpractice attorney and to work to prevent healthcare disparities. 

Aisha Olufayo, Western School of Technology and Environmental Science 

A gold medal winner in debate, Aisha has also served as president of the National English Honor Society at Western Tech and has been inspired by her fellow students and their ideas and perspectives. She envisions a career related to healthcare, addressing economic inequality, or mathematics. 

Saturday, May 18, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Sollers Point Recreation Center, 323 Sollers Point Rd., Dundalk 21222

This free event is open to youth ages 10-18. Youth under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The featured speaker will be Dr. Crystal R. Francis. Sponsored by the Baltimore County Police Department, BCPS, the NAACP of Baltimore County, and other groups. Please register by sending an email to policepartnerships@baltimorecountymd.gov. 

Newest Parent University "In the Know" podcast explores the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy

Grab your headphones to listen to the latest episode of Parent University's "In the Know" podcast. The new episode is all about the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy. Hear the perspectives of students and educators as Ashley McCarthy, supervisor, Office of World Languages, leads a discussion about the importance of earning this award and how students can prepare for the required assessments.

If you've missed past episodes of "In the Know," see the entire list on Spotify. Recent episodes have address completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), student mental health, and the special education dispute resolution process.

Looking for more ideas and information? Please sign up for the Parent University newsletter! It is designed specifically for parents and caregivers and offers ideas, information, resources, and opportunities.

"Beauty Can Be Simple" by Kendall Nies, Grade 7, Perry Hall Middle School. Work featured in The Superintendent's Gallery: East Zone School Exhibition.

To see more artwork by BCPS students, teachers, and other members of the BCPS community, please visit the Office of Visual Arts gallery webpage.

mission moment

from The Education Foundation of BCPS

Calling all Baltimore County Little Free Library stewards for a meet-up

Calling all Baltimore County Little Free Library (LFL) stewards! Help The Education Foundation celebrate Little Free Library’s 12th birthday! LFL is turning their organization’s anniversary into a weeklong celebration from May 12-18!

The foundation is hosting a LFL stewards meet-up on Wednesday, May 15, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Exchangeree in Windsor Mill (2034 F Lord Baltimore Drive, Windsor Mill 21244). Register online to attend. 

A new blog post shares more details.

2024 Let's Play Ball! event postponed until 2025

Due to circumstances beyond its control, the foundation has made the difficult decision to postpone the June 1, 2024, Let’s Play Ball! event until 2025.

Over the past three years, the event has transformed from a softball game into a community event raising more than $80,000 to support the Education Foundation's mission.

The foundation looks forward to the 2025 Let’s Play Ball! event returning bigger and better than ever!

The list of administrative appointments and a video of the meeting are available online.

A word from Dr. Rogers

May 13, 2024

Dear Reader:

Last week, I had the great pleasure of surprising two Team BCPS members with the news that they had earned Paraeducator of the Year and Office Professional of the Year honors from Education Support Professionals of Baltimore County.

This week, we proudly celebrate Pupil Personnel Worker Week. Our pupil personnel workers act as advocates and work to detect barriers to academic achievement and emotional well-being. To forge home, school, and community partnerships, they act as liaisons between various BCPS departments and a referral source to outside agencies and community resources.

As we celebrate the different roles Team BCPS members play, we hope to bring attention to the importance of all BCPS staff members. Each one of them in their own way contributes to the success of our school system and ultimately to the work of moving student progress forward.

I am so proud of our diverse, skilled, and committed team.

Regards,

Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.

Superintendent

• Tuesday, May 14: Election Day – Schools and offices closed

• Friday, May 17: Asynchronous learning day for all students – Schools and offices close 3 hours early

Upcoming Board and advisory group meetings

All are welcome to attend

Joint meeting of Northwest and Southwest area education advisory councils

Monday, May 13, at 6 p.m.

Meeting details

Topic: “Summer Resources – What’s new for families this year?”

Southeast Area Education Advisory Council meeting

Monday, May 20, at 7 p.m.

Oliver Beach Elementary School library, 12912 Cunninghill Cove Rd., Baltimore 21220

Topic: “English for Speakers of Other Languages”

Board of Education meeting

Tuesday, May 21, at 6:30 p.m.

BCPS headquarters/Greenwood – Building E, 6901 N. Charles St., Towson 21204

Information about attending and making public comments at meetings can be found on the Board’s website.