April, 2019 | EASTBALTCO.COM

Police Continue Investigation into Weekend Shooting in Essex

Baltimore County Police continue to investigate a shooting in the 1100 block of Tace Drive in Essex that occurred just before midnight on Saturday.

Police located an adult male and an adult female victim upon their arrival, both suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body. Both were taken to area hospitals with life-threatening wounds. The suspect(s) fled prior to police arrival. The female victim died a few days later. She was identified as Jessica Holly Diotte, 27, of the 2100 block of Southorn Road in Middle River.

Anyone with information regarding this shooting is asked to contact BCoPD detectives by calling 410-307-2020. Callers may remain anonymous.

Reward Offered

Metro Crime Stoppers, an organization that is separate from the Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore County Government, offers rewards for information in connection with felony offenses.

Anonymous tips can be sent to Metro Crime Stoppers by phone, online or via mobile app.

County wraps a forest around Shady Spring Elementary School

County Executive Johnny Olszewski celebrated Arbor Day on April 26 with Shady Spring Elementary School students and staff, planting trees to complete a 2.5-acre reforestation project that surrounds the schoolyard with native trees.

“Trees are critical infrastructure for our communities and for our environment, and it makes perfect sense for us to replace underutilized lawn space in schoolyards with forested acreage that reduces air pollution, absorbs stormwater and provides shade to help cut energy costs,” said Olszewski. “We appreciate our partners in the school system for helping us make a difference that will span generations.”

The Shady Spring Elementary School project is a 2.5-acre native tree planting along the perimeter of the school property. Students had the opportunity to plant and monitor the newly planted trees, meeting several Maryland Environmental Literacy Standards and Maryland Green School objectives.

The project is a result of a partnership between the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability (EPS) and BCPS’ Office of Science, called Comprehensive Landscape Improvement Projects. Since 2014, they have reforested 39 acres and planted 196 landscape-style trees at 37 schools.

EPS’ approach to planting on school property focuses on planting trees on underutilized school lawns to increase the County’s tree canopy and reduce BCPS’ long-term mowing costs. In addition to these plantings, EPS also planted 957 native shade trees from 2011 through 2012 at 46 County schools and other facilities under EPS’ Cool Trees program.

Crossroads Nielsen named BCPS Teacher of the Year

Crossroads Center student Abby Lawson is just a few weeks away from graduation, and she credits her English language arts teacher, Kristen Nielsen, for helping her get there and being her inspiration.

“Unfortunately, not every school can have her, but I was blessed with her, and everything she’s done for me,” Lawson said.

Nielsen, a champion for all her students, was named the 2019-20 BCPS Teacher of the Year at a ceremony Wednesday night.

Nielsen is in her second year as a teacher at Crossroads, where she teaches Grades 9 and 12. She is also an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program teacher and a member of Crossroad’s equity team.

“Kristen Nielsen does whatever it takes to assist all her students,” BCPS Interim Superintendent Verletta White said. “She has dedicated her career to not just doing all she can to teach others but serve as a powerful advocate for equity in public education.”

Nielsen, who resides in Middle River, is in her 16th year as a Baltimore County Public Schools educator. Previously, she taught at Eastern Technical High for 11 years, Deep Creek Middle for three years, and Chesapeake High for one year. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and a reading specialist certification with a focus on adolescent literacy at Goucher College.

Principals at the 174 BCPS schools, programs, and centers could nominate one educator for BCPS Teacher of the Year. Nominations were received from 164 schools. A selection committee, comprised of administrators, teachers, students, and staff, selected Nielsen as this year’s BCPS Teacher of the Year.

In addition to Nielsen, four other BCPS finalists were recognized. They include:

Christina DeSimone, child development teacher, Catonsville High
Jamie Metzgar, Grade 5 teacher, Honeygo Elementary
Abigail Metcalf, inclusion teacher, Relay Elementary
Ronald McFadden, choral arts teacher, Southwest Academy

Past BCPS teachers of the year include:

2018: Brendan Penn, Lyons Mill Elementary
2017: Rebecca Eig, Owings Mills Elementary
2016: Corey Carter, Northwest Academy of Health Sciences
2015: Orly Mondell, New Town High
2014: Anne Cross, Gunpowder Elementary
2013: Sean McComb, Patapsco High & Center for the Arts, the 2014 National Teacher of the Year

Honeygo and Overlea High Have Best Principals

Baltimore County Public Schools held their Teacher of the Year ceremony which was won by Crossroad Center teacher
Kristen Nielsen on Wednesday, April 24. There was also awards for BCPS Elementary & Secondary Principals of the Year and are both from the eastside. Charlene Behnke of Honeygo Elementary School was named the Elementary School winner Monica Sample of Overlea High School was named the best principal for Secondary Schools.

Behnke had the challenge of starting a new elementary school as Honeygo is in its inaugural year.

“I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to work at a school that has been embraced by the entire community,” Behnke said at the ceremony. “I’m inspired by the overwhelming support for our school from our students, our parents, local businesses and Baltimore County.”

Sample has spent her 24-year professional career in Baltimore County by previously serving as a high school Spanish teacher and Assistant Principal.

“I feel blessed that I am a principal and get to be a nurturer as one who is consistently and unconditional supportive of scholars by letting them know they can accomplish their dreams,” Sample said.

Eastern Tech students earn 7 medals at SkillsUSA Championship

Eastern Tech had eight students team up to earn seven medals at SkillsUSA Maryland 2019 State Championship on April 12 and 13.

More than 1,000 students enrolled in Career and Technology Education programs around the state compete at the state championship each year, which features more than 90 occupational and leadership skill events. Gold medal winners qualify to represent Maryland at the National SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference, which will be held this year in Louisville, Kentucky, from June 24 – 29.

BCPS students won 25 medals overall and here is a list of the 13 Eastern Tech students that won medals:

Health Knowledge Bowl – Team G (consisting of Kiet Nguyen, Jane Lee, Nhuquynh Nguyen, Frances Maglaqui), Eastern Technical High School
Principles of Engineering/Technology – Lorenzo Regala, Eastern Technical High School
Related Technical Math – Amir Moon, Eastern Technical High School

Silver Medals

Medical Terminology – Victoria Chinaka, Eastern Technical High School

TeamWorks – Team F (consisting of Ryan Strait, James Comotto, Evan Lund, Devin Polluck), Eastern Technical High School

Bronze Medals

Computer Programming – Norman Moon, Eastern Technical High School
Medical Math – Paulo Manalo, Eastern Technical High School

Milam Throws No-Hitter as Parkville Knights Baseball Defeats Carver A&T

Cole Milam was brilliant on the pitcher’s mound on Friday, as he threw a no-hitter to lead Parkville Knights Varsity past Carver A&T 20-0.

Maurice Gray led Parkville to victory by driving in four runs. He went 2-for-2 at the plate. Gray drove in runs on a single in the first, a double in the first and a walk in the second.

The Knights got things moving in the first inning, when Devin Braun singled on a 0-1 count, scoring one run.

Milam was the winning pitcher for Parkville. He allowed zero hits and zero runs over five innings, striking out nine and walking zero.

Parkville racked up 13 hits on the day. Dustin Braun, Gray, Adam Bigelow, and Braun all collected multiple hits for the Knights. Braun, Bigelow, Gray, and Braun each collected two hits to lead the team.

Honeygo Student named winner in Team BCPS Haiku Contest

The 2019 Team BCPS Haiku Contest challenge was simple: write a haiku on the theme of family.

The response from Baltimore County Public Schools students was extraordinary. A record 2,223 entries flowed in from 105 schools and centers. Students opened their hearts and imaginations to craft emotional, thoughtful, and sometimes funny poems. They reflected on the daily challenges of getting along with siblings and parents. They expressed the pain of separation through death and divorce. They described families created by choice – adoption, foster care, remarriage, friendship – as well as genetics. But, primarily, they described the sense of security and comfort that family brings. And they offered glimpses into the big and small family traditions – from movie-watching and cookie-baking to annual trips to the beach or beyond – that fill their lives with joy.

After a lengthy debate, a panel of judges selected just three winners. One of those winners was Honeyo Elementary School student Jayla Clovis, who won named Elementary School winner. Clovis is a third-grader in Ann Murk’s class at the first-year school in Perry Hall and was honored for the following poem:

Warmth in the kitchen

Brown sugar, secrets and love

Making Mom’s cookies

Annie Cullinane, an eight-grader at Cockeysville Middle School and ninth-grader Aaron Partin of Catonsville High School named the Middle and High School winners.A

The three winners of the 2019 contest will each receive as prizes: four game tickets from the Baltimore Orioles, a gift card from Ukazoo Books, a gift certificate to a writing workshop from The Ivy Bookshop, and a writing journal and framed poster of their haiku from BCPS.

“The depth of our students’ creativity and talent never ceases to impress me,” said BCPS Interim Superintendent Verletta White. “The winners wrote exceptional poems, but I also want to congratulate every student who entered and every teacher who encouraged his or her students to write. Writers improve through reading and through the practice of writing. We celebrate every one of our students from Kindergarten through Grade 12 who took the time to sit and write, to think about which words best expressed their ideas.”

The haiku were judged by several staff members from the Office of English Language Arts and the Department of Communications and Community Outreach, in addition to four award-winning student poets: Lilian Davison of Dulaney High School, Nadia Karber and Rebecca Scherr of George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, and Kayla Yup of Towson High School.

Perry Hall High Sports Announces 15 Students Receiving Scholarships

When you have a sports program that has won a boys and girls state soccer title and two-time boys basketball state championship within a few years, you are bound to send student athletes to the next level.

Perry Hall High School announced that 15 seniors from the Class of 2019 received colligate athletic scholarships. The state championship Gators girl soccer team is sending Goalie Lauren Gwin to Stevenson University, Phoebe Canoles to Towson University and Kara Dietrich is going to CCBC Essex.

The Gators are also sending another state champion to the NCAA as two-time Track and Field Champion Eryk Goode is heading to Coppin State.

The Perry Hall football team was loaded with talent as Rese Jenkins (Delaware Valley), Tahji McCain (Mount Union) Josh Harrison (Shepard) Joshua Addo (Merrimack College), DJ Cloude (Fairmont State) are all continuing their football careers next year.

Here is a full list of Perry Hall High Schools Seniors that signed with colleges to continue their athletic careers.

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Three local residents nominated for BCPS Teacher of the Year

Three local residents are among five BCPS educators that have been named finalists for 2019-20 BCPS Teacher of the Year. Perry Hall resident Jaime Metzgar, Middle River resident Kristen Nielsen and Christina DeSimone of Parkville will also compete with Ronald McFadden and Abigail Metcalf to see who will be named BCPS Teacher of the Year on April 24.

Metzgar is a fifth-grade teacher at the new Honeygo Elementary School in Perry Hall. This is her 13th year as a BCPS educator and Metzgar previously taught at Joppa View and Grange elementary schools, where she was also nominated at those schools for the Teacher of the Year honor.

After being a teacher at Eastern Tech, Nielsen is in her second year as an English language arts teacher at Crossroads Center in Middle River. Nielsen serves on Crossroad Center’s equity team and teaches Grades 9 and 12.

Although DeSimone lives in Parkville, she teaches child development teacher at Catonsville High. She previously taught seven years at Dundalk High. A second-generation BCPS educator, DeSimone leads her school’s community preschool program, where high school students teach preschool students.

Principals at the 174 BCPS schools, programs, and centers could nominate one educator for BCPS Teacher of the Year. Nominations were received from 164 schools, and all nominees are featured on the Team BCPS blog by zone: east, central, and west. The BCPS Teacher of the Year selection committee, comprised of administrators, teachers, students, and staff, selected the five finalists.

The BCPS Teacher of the Year will be Baltimore County’s Maryland Teacher of the Year representative and Interim Superintendent Verletta White said she is proud of all five candidates.

“I’m so proud of these dedicated educators for the ways they creatively promote literacy across the subject areas and a warm and welcoming school climate,” White said. “All five finalists are champions for equity in their classrooms, and I am grateful for their tireless efforts to support all students.”

Early Morning Shooting in Middle River Injures Man

Baltimore County Police are investigating an early morning shooting in Middle River on Sunday, April 14.

The victim, 21, was shot once in the upper body as he was walking on Midego Drive near Banca Place around 2 a.m. Witnesses heard the shooting and found the victim lying on the ground suffering a gunshot wound to the upper body. He was transported to an area hospital and is expected to survive. The suspect(s) fled the scene prior to police arrival.

Detectives from the Baltimore County Police Violent Crimes Unit continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Anyone who may have seen or heard anything around the time of the shooting is asked to contact police by calling 410-307-2020. Callers may remain anonymous.

Reward Offered

Metro Crime Stoppers, an organization that is separate from the Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore County Government, offers rewards for information in connection with felony offenses.

Anonymous tips can be sent to Metro Crime Stoppers by phone, online or via mobile app.