School Notebook | EASTBALTCO.COM

Kenwood High Class of 2020 Graduates After Unique Year

Seniors from Kenwood High School graduated vitrually on Thursday, June 18.

The Pledge was led by Sydni Maul. Nia Hawkes is the Kenwood Class of 2020 president and the valedictorian was Autumn Blackwell.

Kenwood also held an online awards ceremony where students were recognized for receiving scholarships.

Although many BCPS senior activities were canceled as a result of COVID-19, Kenwood parents had organized a car parade for the Kenwood seniors around the Essex area.

Pictures from the car parade are below and are courtesy of Jennifer Mooty Slack.

Perry Hall High Class of 2020 Graduates

Seniors from Perry High School graduated virtually on Monday, June 15. The ceremony started with a Welcome address by Kaleb Todjo. Aya Neal said the Pledge of Allegiance. Linna Cui gave the Valedictorian’s speech and the President’s speech was given by Diana Tran.

Although Perry Hall Seniors were not given a traditional graduation, Perry Hall parents and the community tried to make it a special time for Seniors. A car parade was held on Monday night for Perry Hall Seniors at the Avenue at White Marsh.

“Big thanks to Councilman David Marks for connecting us to THE AVENUE at White Marsh to make this event possible for our Seniors!!
Our local dignitaries have been invited to lead the parade from their cars,” said a statement on the Perry Hall High PTSA website.

The school PTSA also announced that the Class of 2020 was invited individually for separate times to the school to receive their diplomas on Wednesday, June 17. Families were encouraged to go to the school as Principal Craig Reed was there to greet grads.

Principal Craig Reed. presents Morganne Manouse with her diploma. -photo courtesy of David Marks-

Perry Hall also had a created a Class of 2020 banner on the school building with all the names of each grad.

30 Eastside BCPS Seniors Earn Maryland Seal of Biliteracy

Ninety-two Baltimore County Public Schools seniors have earned the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy this year, an honor that recognizes their high proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages other than English.

The award is presented by the state through Baltimore County Public Schools. BCPS is one of 20 Maryland counties along with Baltimore City that have participated in the program since its adoption in 2016. Begun in California in 2011, the Seal of Biliteracy is offered in 36 states and Washington, D.C. In its first year of availability in BCPS, 202 students earned the Seal of Biliteracy.

“Baltimore County schools recognizes the tremendous value and importance of ensuring that our graduates are proficient in multiple languages as they enter a world of increasingly global economic competition, social awareness, and cultural appreciation,” said BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams. “So we congratulate these superlative students for their hard work and determination to earn this distinction and enhance their abilities to become true citizens of the world.”

Including this year’s honorees, a total of 371 BCPS students have qualified for the Seal of Biliteracy since 2016, but more may soon be added to their number. “We expect many more seals to be earned following this year’s Advanced Placement exam results,” said Jennifer Hernandez, director of the BCPS Office of World Languages and English for Speakers of Other Languages. “This achievement is also a testament to the hard work of our World Languages teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school level.”

2020 Seal of Biliteracy Recipients from Eastern Baltimore County high schools

Chesapeake High School

Joseph Agueta-Gutierrez – English & Spanish

Mohaimen Al Karm – English & Arabic

Stephanie Chavarria – English & Spanish

Bianca Darago – English & Spanish

Brianna Hawes – English & Spanish

Yoriam Laboy – English & Spanish

Boswell Pesienji – English & French

Alejandra Posadas – English & Spanish

Jennifer Torres – English & Spanish

Dundalk High School

Joselyn Chicas Barrera – English & Spanish

Yalile Garcia Gonzalez – English & Spanish

Astrid Matta – English & Spanish

Lizbeth Rodriguez-Hernandez – English & Spanish

Eastern Technical High School

Cindy Castillo – English & Spanish

Aneisa Jangbahadur – English & Spanish

Kara Kaskel – English & Spanish

Dimitrios Kostrivas – English & Greek

Sarah Lutz – English & Spanish

Alexander Ramirez – English & Spanish

Naeha Regmi – English & Spanish

Kamalmeet Singh – English & Spanish

Yuriria Vásquez – English & Spanish

Michael Vittini-Ponceano – English & Spanish

Patapsco High School & Center for the Arts

Karlos Garcia – English & Spanish

Perry Hall High School

Kaila Chen – English & Chinese

Cassie Li – English & Chinese

Amy Lin – English & Chinese

Michelle Lopez – English & Spanish

Fidel Rosales Sanchez – English & Spanish

Whitney Wang – English & Chinese

Christina Zhang – English & Chinese

Sparrows Point High School

Kathy Peralta Guachun – English & Spanish

Kenwood’s Powell Named High School Principal of the Year

Kenwood High’s Brian Powell has been named BCPS 2020-21 High School Principal of the Year.

Powell is in his fourth year as the principal at Kenwood High and his 12th year working for BCPS. He earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in education from Salisbury University. For the continuity of education BCPS has used during the coronavirus, Powell was one of the first BCPS principals to start posting school announcement videos online, often with his two young daughters taking part.

“This is something we can celebrate with the entire team,” Powell said. “As far as I’m concerned, we are school of the year. It’s not just about me.”

The Principal of the Year selection process began this year with an opportunity for community members to nominate school leaders. BCPS received 3,905 community nominations, which were considered by the Principal of the Year selection committee led by administrators from the Office of Organizational Effectiveness. This was also the first year in which both a middle and a high school Principal of the Year were chosen; in past years, only elementary and secondary honorees were selected.

Mars Estates O’Connell Named Elementary Principal of the Year

Mars Estates Elementary’s Kelly O’Connell has been named 2020-21 Elementary Principal of the Year

O’Connell is in her fourth year as principal at Mars Estates Elementary and her 18th year with BCPS. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in human resources school leadership from Towson University. She refers to students as #MarsStars, and that social media hashtag is regularly used to celebrate school and community achievements.

“This award is not just about me, it’s a reflection for everyone at Mars Estates Elementary,” O’Connell said. “It’s about teachers, students, and families and doing what is right for all kids.”

During several recent virtual school staff meetings, BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams surprised three Baltimore County school administrators with an unexpected but great announcement.

Woodlawn Middle’s Rochelle Archelus is the 2020-21 Middle School Principal of the Year; and Kenwood High’s Brian Powell is the 2020-21 High School Principal of the Year.

“We have encountered many unexpected challenges this year, but I am so proud of how these Principals of the Year rose to the occasion,” Williams said. “They are champions of their school communities and have shown exceptional leadership.”

Principals of the Year are typically announced during the annual Teacher of the Year celebration each spring. Because of the school closings this year, however, the announcement was made during the online staff meetings for each principal’s school.

Kenwood to Hold Graduation Car Parade for Seniors

Kenwood High School announced that they will honor their Class of 2020 by holding a car parade on Monday, June 8, starting at 4 p.m. in the Essex area. Seniors will be encouraged to wear their caps and gowns for the car ride.

Seniors in Baltimore County Public Schools have had all of their spring senior events canceled as a result of COVID-19.

All BCPS graduations were canceled and are being held in a virtual setting and Kenwood’s graduation is scheduled for Thursday, June 18 at 4 p.m.

Kenwood principal Brian Powell told EastBaltco News that this parade was created by parents to honor the Kenwood graduating Class of 2020.

“This event is being set up, hosted and organized by a group of parents. Parents and seniors are excited about the event and [this is] another great display of our community coming together to support our students,” Powell said.

Other BCPS schools have taken steps to honor graduating seniors after the cancellation of the traditional senior activities. Perry Hall High School has created a Class of 2020 banner on its building with a list of all seniors for the Perry Hall graduating Class of 2020.

What have other Baltimore County high schools done to honor their graduating seniors? Let us know at eastbaltco@gmail.com

BCPS Seeks Comment on Boundary Recommendation for Perry Hall Housing Development

The public has until Saturday, June 13, to comment about a proposed adjustment to the boundary lines of four Baltimore County public schools now under consideration by the Board of Education of Baltimore County.

The proposed boundary change, which was presented to the Board during its May 19 work session, is necessary because of the development of the Village at Gunpowder Falls, a cul-de-sac development currently under construction that straddles boundary lines for two elementary schools – Pine Grove and Seven Oaks – and two middle schools – Perry Hall and Pine Grove.

BCPS planners told Board members during the May 19 meeting that the scope of the boundary change will address the alignment of the attendance areas for the Gunpowder Falls development to a single elementary school, Seven Oaks, and a single middle school, Pine Grove. The proposed change – the details of which may be viewed at the boundary study’s website – will not reassign any students currently attending any of the affected schools.

Condensing the process used to recommend boundary line adjustments was made necessary because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on BCPS academic and administrative operations, planners said. BCPS used the modified boundary resolution process, Board members learned, to ensure a timely resolution of the issue and to avoid any disruption or confusion that might arise.

Instead of a public hearing to solicit feedback about the proposal, the public is invited to provide comments to the Board by e-mail, an online comment form, or by regular mail. Comments will be accepted until midnight on Saturday, June 13, 2020. A decision is expected to be made at the Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

Our Lady of Hope/St. Luke Principal Visits 8th Grade Homes

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many cancellations all over the area that include Memorial Day services, 4th of July events and of course high school graduations.

Our Lady of Hope/St. Luke Catholic School in Dundalk was no exception as the school had to cancel its traditional farewell services for its 8th grade students.

Many students have been at the school for over a decade as they started pre-school at OLHSL.

Longtime school principal Sister Irene Pryle wanted to make sure this year’s 8th graders had a memorable exit, in spite of the cancellation of the school year.

Pryle and other teachers went to the homes of the eighth graders and presented each student with a gift.

“Sr. Irene, our Middle School Teachers, Mr. T, and Mrs. P visited all 24 8th Grade Students delivering signs, yearbooks, and lots of cheers,” said a statement on the school’s Facebook page.

“We are so proud of our 8th Graders and wish them all the best! We know that they will “Let their STAR shine!” In everything they do! Let’s hear it for our 8th Grade Students!”

To see all the photos go to the school’s Facebook page.

Golden Ring Middle’s Bridget Moore Receives Writing Grant

Bridget Moore, an English language arts teacher at Golden Ring Middle School, was selected from among 1,800 international applicants to receive one of 20 grants from the Sustainable Arts Foundation.

The $5,000 grants are designed to benefit artists and writers who are parents. Moore plans to use her grant to develop online lessons about children’s literature. The lessons will focus on children’s literature that reflects diverse backgrounds and often is not taught in schools or in homeschooling curriculum.

Moore, a Baltimore City resident who has been a Baltimore County teacher for two years, received the grant partially based on an excerpt from her upcoming young adult novel. The book, “Dr. Marvellus Djinn’s Odd Scholars,” will be published this fall by MVmedia, LLC. Although Moore has had numerous short stories and poetry published, this will be her first published novel.

The novel is an historical fantasy that Moore has described as “’Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ meets ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ meets ‘Kindred.’” The story is based, in part, on her research about African American amusement parks and magicians in the 1920s. Moore, who refers to her Golden Ring Middle students as “amazing,” said that five of them served as beta (or test) readers during the novel’s development and offered her valuable feedback.

Originally from New Jersey, Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing from Rutgers University and is pursuing a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at McDaniel College. A teacher for 11 years, Moore worked for Baltimore City and Prince George’s County school systems before joining BCPS.

Eastern Tech, Parkville & Towson High Seniors Earn Grants

Baltimore County Public Schools seniors have earned all three of this year’s one-time scholarship grants from the Engineering Society of Baltimore Education Foundation (ESB-EF).

Emma Evans-Nolet, Parkville High School, is the recipient of the $2,000 ESB Board of Trustees Scholarship. She plans to major in electrical engineering at Duke University or the University of Maryland, College Park.

Amir Moon, Eastern Technical High School, is the recipient of the $3,000 James Posey Associates Centennial Scholarship. He is headed to the University of Maryland, College Park, to study mechanical engineering.

Rakrish Dhakal, Towson High School, is the recipient of the $2,000 Larry Lewis Memorial Scholarship. He will pursue a degree in computer engineering or computer science at the University of Maryland, College Park.

The goal of ESB-EF is to provide financial support to talented Baltimore metropolitan area high school students interested in becoming engineers. Each year, the program awards low-interest loans and three one-time scholarship grants. Eligible students must reside in Baltimore City or Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, or Howard counties.