Author: eastbaltco

BCPS Celebrates Local Athletic Champions


–Dundalk High School football made it to the State Semifinals-

Baltimore County Public Schools celebrates its high school athletic teams and individual student athletes recognized as state and regional champions during the 2022 fall season.

The following eastern Baltimore County teams were honored:

State Runners-up

Cheerleading 4A – Perry Hall High School

Regional Champions

Boys Soccer 2A North – Sparrows Point High School

Football 3A/4A North – Dundalk High School

Football 3A/4A North – Perry Hall High School

Girls Soccer 2A North – Sparrows Point High School

“I’d like to congratulate all of our student athletes on a successful fall season,” said BCPS Superintendent

Dr. Darryl L. Williams. “Their participation helps them develop skills that improve their performance both on and off the field. I’d like to express my gratitude to their coaches, trainers, physical education teachers and families for their tremendous support.”

“It is wonderful to see so many of our student athletes perform at a high level,” said Michael Sye, BCPS coordinator of athletics. “We are so proud of their determination, teamwork, and work ethic.

County Purchases Rec Center for Halethorpe


-photo courtesy of Baltimore County Government-

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced the purchase of the approximately 24,000-square foot Leadership Through Athletics indoor recreation facility, located at 2900 Hammonds Ferry Road in the Halethorpe community.

The site, acquired for $3.17 million with funding assistance through Maryland’s Program Open Space, continues the Olszewski administration’s ongoing efforts to expand recreational opportunities throughout Baltimore County.

“We remain fully committed to expanding recreational opportunities in every community across our county and are excited to have the opportunity to continue the rich legacy of this beloved Halethorpe facility,” said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. “I am grateful to our state partners, our colleagues on the County Council, and former County Executive Mohler for their support in helping to make this exciting new project a reality.”

The Leadership Through Athletics center was acquired from the Grace family, lifelong residents of southwest Baltimore County, who operated the facility for nearly 18 years.

The newly-acquired facility features a double gymnasium, second floor half gymnasium, activity room, and basement activity space.

This is the Olszewski administration’s eleventh recreation and parks acquisition since the start of 2021.

The Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks will operate the facility as a public recreation center, with activities and programs that will build upon the legacy of the beloved community-oriented center.

“We are very excited about this new facility acquisition,” said Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks Director Roslyn Johnson. “The Grace family wanted to ensure this Lansdowne asset was accessible to the community and we will ensure it is. Lansdowne is an area that is in need of more recreational opportunities and, for us, this was an ideal opportunity to fulfill an important need.”

Established under the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in 1969, Program Open Space provides financial and technical assistance to local jurisdictions for park acquisition, development, and enhancements.

Since 1970, the County has utilized over $155 million in POS funding to assist in the acquisition of more than 6,800 acres of parkland, and for the construction, enhancement and renovations of recreational facilities at parks and public school recreation centers. The parkland acquisition program has allowed for the preservation of thousands of acres of woodlands, stream valleys and other sensitive lands.

With the support of POS funding, Baltimore County has secured, expanded, and improved a wide range of public parks and recreation sites including Oregon Ridge Park and Nature Center, Cromwell Valley Park, Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum, seven regional parks and athletic facilities, and nearly 100 neighborhood and community parks.

Man Fatally Shot in Arbutus on Monday


Baltimore County homicide detectives are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred on Monday, Dec. 12 at approximately 5 p.m. in the 4400 block of Wilkens Ave in Arbutus.

Officers responded to the location for a report of shots fired. When they arrived on the scene, officers located a male suffering from gunshot wounds to his upper body.

The victim, 39-year-old Alquamaar Royal, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Preliminarily, this appears to be a targeted incident.

As this remains an ongoing investigation, detectives are asking anyone with information about this incident or the person responsible to call 410-307-2020.

Information may also be provided through the Baltimore County Police Department iWATCH program.

Arrest Made After Threats Towards Towson HS


After a thorough investigation, the Baltimore County Police Department has brought closure to the threat investigation at Towson High School and determined that no students, faculty or staff were in danger.

Detectives assigned to the Towson Precinct and Criminal Investigations Bureau have identified and charged a juvenile suspect with multiple recent threatening messages targeting Towson High School.

Charges are also pending against a second juvenile suspect in North Carolina. Investigators believe the suspects intended to incriminate an uninvolved juvenile with their actions.

The Baltimore County Police Department would like to thank the Towson High School community for their patience and support during this investigation.

BCPS students named 2023 YoungArts Award


Ten Baltimore County Public Schools students have been named 2023 YoungArts winners.

Two of the 10 – singer/songwriter Sophia Bryter and photographer Britney Simbana-J, both students at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology – earned finalist honors, the highest award level.

The remaining eight BCPS students honored were recognized with merit awards. Those students are:
• Joshua Bowden, voice/classical: tenor, Carver Center
• Iyana Brumfield, dance/modern-contemporary, Carver Center
• Nia Simone Clark, visual arts, Carver Center
• Hahmini Lewis, visual arts, Carver Center
• Runa Matsushita, classical music/violin, Towson High School
• Victoire Polsky, film/experimental, Carver Center
• Camryn Sydnor, photography, Carver Center
• Isabela Vallar, visual arts, Carver Center

Nationally, 702 accomplished young visual, literary, and performing artists were named YoungArts winners.

As finalists, Bryter and Simbana-J will be invited to participate in National YoungArts Week in January 2023 and to learn from notable artists such as architect Germane Barnes, author Richard Blanco, actor and playwright Taylor Mac, jazz alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, costume designer Machine Dazzle
actor BD Wong.

In addition, Bryter and Simbana-J’s work will be further evaluated and eligible to earn prizes ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.

If they attend National YoungArts Week and meet eligibility requirements, they also will be considered for nomination to the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

As merit winners, the other eight BCPS students will receive cash awards of $100.

All winners become part of a professional network of over 20,000 alumni artists and are eligible to
participate in YoungArts’ regional programs, including YoungArts Miami in February, YoungArts Los Angeles in March, and YoungArts New York in April.
Quoted in a YoungArts press release, Artistic Director Lauren Snelling said,

“Every year we are inspired
anew by the talent, dedication, and creativity of extraordinary early career artists. YoungArts is proud to
support artists at critical junctures throughout their lives, and we look forward to providing community and professional and creative development opportunities that will empower the 2023 award winners as they embark on exciting careers in the arts. Now more than ever, it is essential to support artists so that their voices can be heard long into the future.”

Past YoungArts award winners include contemporary artists Daniel Arsham, Grammy award-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard, dancer/choreographer Camille A. Brown, Golden Globe- winning actor Timothée Chalamet, Academy Award-winning actress and producer Viola Davis, former
National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, singer-songwriter Judith Hill, violinist Jennifer Koh, Academy Award-winning screenwriter and playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, Grammy Award-winning actor Andrew Rannells, dancer/artistic director Desmond Richardson, model/actress/activist Hunter Schafer, and portrait painter Kehinde Wiley.

BCPS Employee Charged with Possession of Child Pornography


Detectives with the Baltimore County Crimes Against Children Unit have arrested and charged 49-year-old Craig Clontz of Middle River with five counts of possession of child pornography.

During this investigation, detectives learned that Clontz was an employee with of the Baltimore County Public Schools.
Clontz is being held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

At this point in their investigation, detectives do not believe any of the images recovered depict BCPS students.

Watershed Public Charter School Honored


Watershed Public Charter School has been awarded a $10,000 grant from Teach For
America Baltimore’s Courtney Cass Catalyst Fund.

The grant fund was created by Teach For America Baltimore to honor the legacy of its former executive
director, Courtney Cass, and support Teach For America Baltimore alumni as they create innovations to
support students’ academic success.

Watershed Assistant Principal Rachel Mejibovsky, a Teach For America Baltimore alum, developed and
submitted the grant application on behalf of the school. The funds will be used to purchase the socialemotional curriculum Move This World and to cover the cost of training, parental resources, and related
materials for the next three school years as Watershed expands from an elementary school to an
elementary-middle school. The social-emotional curriculum is expected to impact nearly 400 students
enrolled in Kindergarten through Grade 8.

In writing to Mejibovsky about the grant award, Normandi Amprey, Teach For America Baltimore’s
executive director, described Mejibovsky’s proposal as “catalyzing” and “poised to make an impact in
Baltimore.”

“Winning this grant award will help Watershed continue to strengthen our curriculum and enhance
student progress,” said Watershed Principal Lori Widney. “Social-emotional learning is incredibly
important to student growth. Watershed is excited to use this program to connect students, teachers,
and families with actionable steps to manage emotions and peer conflict. This grant will help us add to
our project-based, environmental, arts-integrated curriculum and enhance our ability to teach the whole
child. Ms. Mejibovsky’s previous experience with Teach For America has been a wonderful community
partnership that continues to support the education of Baltimore County students.”

In her application, Mejibovsky noted that, as Baltimore County’s only public charter school, Watershed
currently serves 287 students from 20 different ZIP codes, and that therefore the school has a singular
opportunity to reach the larger community.

A native of Iowa, Mejibovsky began her teaching career as a 2011 Teach For America corps member at
REACH! Partnership School in Baltimore City. She has worked in both public and private schools in the
Baltimore area, serving as a K-8 teacher, coach, and assistant principal. Her experience with curriculum
writing and cross-disciplinary instruction brought her to Watershed Public Charter School in 2021. She
holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Central College and a master’s degree in
educational studies and administration from Johns Hopkins University

Police Give Update on Towson High Threats


As families prepare for the work/school week, the Baltimore County Police Department would like to provide a brief update to the community on school safety and the recent threats at Towson High School. There will be an increased police presence in and around Towson High School this week.

As the investigation into this matter remains ongoing, the Baltimore County Police Department would ask families to speak with their children about school safety and any concerns they may have. Please assure student(s) that many people are working to keep their school safe. School Resource Officers are available during the school day should students have concerns they would like to discuss.

Meanwhile, parents can stay connected throughout the day by signing up for emergency notifications and following the Baltimore County Police Department on social media.

The Baltimore County Police Department looks forward to continuing this conversation with the community in person later this week.

Police Report Assault Case at Loch Raven High School


Detectives with the Baltimore County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit responded to Loch Raven High School on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at approximately 3 p.m.to investigate a reported assault.

Preliminarily, this appears to be an isolated incident involving individuals known to one another. As this remains an ongoing investigation, BCoPD is working closely with our partners within Baltimore County Public Schools to ensure student safety.

A School Resource Officer is available should students have information they would like to share.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call SVU detectives at 410-887-2223.