Author: eastbaltco

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.

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

“Giving Tuesday” is here, and when it comes to supporting causes close to the
heart, the Education Foundation of Baltimore County wants you to consider one very special
recipient – our own students, teachers, and schools.

“By selecting and investing in The Education Foundation of BCPS,” says Deborah Phelps,
executive director of the foundation, “you can select one of our innovative grants, scholarships,
programs, or campaigns that provides a variety of opportunities, experiences, supplies, and
resources to benefit the educational readiness of tomorrow’s leaders, the more than 111,000
students who attend Baltimore County Public Schools.”

Giving Tuesday began in 2012 as a “global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world,” according to the
charitable organization founded to realize its vision. Beginning the first Tuesday after
Thanksgiving and going until December 3, the movement seeks to join “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” as a charitable alternative tradition of the season.

Those wishing to support BCPS through the Education Foundation may do so by visiting its
website and making a donation to one of the initiatives or programs of the foundation,
including 21st Century Instructional Initiative Grants, student scholarships, or – through the
Exchangeree: Gizmos & Gadgets Galore – the Tools for Schools, Books for Bins, and Share the
Warmth campaigns.

Other ways to contribute include through the United Way of Central Maryland, while shopping
online at Amazon, and following the foundation’s social media links, among others.
“We so appreciate the generous support of the many donors who provide assistance, and in
this season of giving, we extend our gratitude to each of you,” Phelps says. “Together we can –
and do – make a lasting impact.”