Perry Hall High Band Allowed to Travel


The band will play after all.

The Perry Hall Band Boosters announced on Friday that the Perry Hall Marching Gators could not to travel to out-of-state for band competitions.

The Perry High High School Marching Band was not allowed to participate as a result of COVID-19 restrictions implemented by BCPS.

BCPS Board of Education Vice Chair Julie Henn was upset with that decision said she was going to contact BCPS officials about reserving their decision. She also encouraged parents to email the BCPS Board of Education on Saturday.

On Monday, The Perry Hall Band Boosters released a statement that BCPS reserved its decision and the band will be allowed to attend out-of-state competitions.

“Thank you to everyone that emailed the BCPS Board of [Education]. Our trip to compete this weekend has been approved!!!,” said a statement from Perry Hall Band Boosters.

Henn, along with County Councilman David Marks, met with band members on Saturday and she believes the community phone calls and email made the difference in reserving this decision.

“Thank you to everyone for standing up and speaking out for our student musicians – both at Perry Hall and throughout BCPS,” Henn wrote on Monday.

BCPS Denying Marching Band Right to Travel


The Perry Hall Marching Gators (Perry Hall High Marching Band) were told that the program will not be allowed to participate in fall travel competitions as a result of COVID-19 restrictions implemented by BCPS.

BCPS Board of Education Vice Chair Julie Henn doesn’t support those restrictions and is asking for BCPS to reconsider their decision to allow the band to travel.

She released the following statement:

“This evening I reached out to BCPS central office leadership and asked that the decision to deny Perry Hall’s Marching Band permission to participate in fall travel competitions be reversed.

“The decision does not align with current guidance which permits weekend activities which adhere to mitigation requirements.

“For instance, travel sports ARE permitted. Also, several other nearby school districts are participating in the same outdoor band competitions.

“Outdoor marching band competitions pose no greater health or safety risks than outdoor sports, involve no contact, and are as important to participants as sports are to student athletes.

“They are demanding both physically and mentally and marching band members commit as much, if not more, time to their performance as athletes do to their sports. They have worked hard and deserve these culminating events.”

The Perry Hall Band Boosters page released a statement thanking Henn for her support and explained the disappointment of the students in the band.

“Our Marching Gators have worked very hard on their Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Show this year and were looking forward to sharing it with others. To perform for other marching bands is something they have not had the opportunity to do for two years,” said the statement.

“Our Marching Gators have huge hearts and we hate to see them broken.”

$1 Million Ticket Sold in Perry Hall


A Perry Hall scratch-off player is a Maryland Lottery millionaire thanks to a $20 instant ticket bought at a Perry Hall convenience store.

The anonymous 66-year-old has claimed the top prize on a 100X.

The Cash scratch-off, which first went on sale in November 2020.

The $1 million prize he claimed Sept. 21 was the second to last of six top prizes on the game.

The lucky ticket was picked up at Dash In located at 9005 Belair Road.

Now the Baltimore County man is $1 million richer! For its role in selling a $1 million top-prize winning scratch-off, the retailer earns a bonus of $1,000 from the Lottery.

The 100X The Cash game offers 20 chances to win and still has lots of unclaimed prizes.

In addition to a single remaining $1 million prize, there are three more $50,000 prizes, four $10,000 prizes and 14 at the $5,000 level.

The scratch-off is a member of a family of multiplier games, many of which are still available in stores.

Man Convicted in 2019 Perry Hall Murder


Baltimore County States Attorney Scott Shellenberger announced that Christopher James Engles, 21, was convicted today by a jury of First Degree Premeditated Murder, Robbery with a Dangerous or Deadly Weapon and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.

At 11:13 p.m. on February 26, 2019, the Baltimore County Police were called to the intersection of Hickory Falls Way and Hickory Hurst Drive in Perry Hall on the report of shots fired. When they responded, they found Taylor Webb, 20, in a car suffering from gunshot wounds. She had been shot once in the face and another time behind her right ear into her head. She was killed as a result of the gunshots.

The police conducted an investigation into the killing and discovered that Ms. Webb had been in what family and friends would describe as a dysfunctional relationship with Christopher Engles. Evidence was presented at trial to show that Engles had lured Ms. Webb to the area she was killed by cellphone. Engles then confronted Ms. Webb, took her cellphone and shot her twice. The evidence showed that Ms. Webb was killed with a .38 caliber revolver.

The police were able to discover a photograph, taken eleven days prior to the murder, of Engles holding a revolver which matches that description.

“This case involves the combination of two extremely serious, and sometimes tragically fatal, issues today in our society- gun violence and domestic violence,” said State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

“We must continue to aggressively pursue and bring to justice those who choose violence in these situations.”

The case was presided over by Judge Paul Hanley. No sentencing date has been set at this time. The State will be seeking a sentence of Life Without the Possibility of Parole. The case was prosecuted by Deputy State’s Attorney Robin Coffin and Assistant State’s Attorney Natalie Scurto.

Lottery Winners in Perry Hall, Dundalk & Parkville


In all, 23 Maryland Lottery players across the state won or claimed prizes of $10,000 or more, and the Lottery paid more than $35 million in prizes in the seven days ending Sept. 12.

Winners of prizes larger than $25,000 must redeem their tickets at the Maryland Lottery Claims Center in Baltimore, which is open by appointment only. Prizes of up to $5,000 can be claimed at any of more than 400 Expanded Cashing Authority Program (XCAP) locations. All Maryland Lottery retailers are authorized to cash tickets up to and including $600. More information is available on the How To Claim page of mdlottery.com.

Here is the weekly roundup of big winners from eastern Baltimore County over last week:

Scratch-off Prizes Claimed From Sept. 6 through Sept. 12:

$50,000 Prizes

· Ca$h Bonus, Royal Farms #017, 8207 Harford Road, Parkville

$10,000 Prizes

· Ca$h Bonus, J Convenience, 8765 Satyr Hill Road, Parkville

· Money Explosion, Merritt Shell, 1521 Merritt Boulevard, Dundalk

Fast Play and Draw Game Tickets Sold for Drawings From Sept. 6 through Sept. 12:

RACETRAX

· $17,144 ticket sold Sept. 7 at Perry Hall BP, 8809 Belair Road, Perry Hall (unclaimed as of Sept. 13)

Perry Hall High Student Semifinalists for National Merit Scholarship


Three Baltimore County Public Schools students from two high schools have been named semifinalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program coordinated by the National Merit Scholarship Corp.

One of those students is Tiffany T. Shum, Perry Hall High School.
She was honored along with Towson High students Jacob B. Fey and Yousse Tewala.

“Congratulations to Jacob Fey, Tiffany Shum, and Yousse Tewala for their academic achievement and to the teachers, families, and administrators who taught, challenged, and supported them,” said BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams. “These students represent the potential we see every day in all of our students, in all of our schools. Recognitions such as this inspire all members of the BCPS family to set and reach higher goals.”

High school juniors entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program by participating in the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NSMQT®). The highest scoring entrants in each state create the national pool of 16,000 semifinalists, which represents less than 1 percent of high school seniors in the nation. Most semifinalists advance to the finalist level (based on their academic records, recommendations, and SAT scores) and compete for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million.

Through its longstanding partnership with the College Board, which administers the PSAT/NSMQT, BCPS provides funding so that all students in Grade 9 can take the PSAT 8/9, all students in Grades 10 and 11 can take the PSAT/NSMQT, and all Grade 11 students can take the SAT – all at no charge to the students or their families. The PSAT test provides practice for the SAT and provides BCPS educators with important assessments of student strengths and challenges.

Parkville Teacher Nominated for Best US History Teacher


Adam Laye, social studies department chair at Parkville High School, has been selected as one of 10 finalists for the 2021 National History Teacher of the Year. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History selected the finalists from among the National History Teacher of the Year winners from all 50 states, U.S. Department of Defense schools, Washington D.C., and U.S. territories.

The national winner will be announced later this month. An in-person ceremony for the winner will be held in late fall 2021, health and safety protocols permitting. Support for the National History Teacher of the Year Award ceremony is provided by HISTORY®.

“We are so proud of Adam Laye for his exemplary teaching and leadership and for receiving this extraordinary honor,” said Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams.

Laye has been teaching American history and American government for the past 15 years. He taught at Randallstown High before Parkville High. It was in college, at Frostburg State College, that Laye decided to apply his interest in social sciences to a career in education. Laye, who holds both a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and a master’s degree in teaching from Frostburg, is recognized for his inquiry-based approach to teaching history.

“I enjoy the challenge of making history relevant to my students’ lives,” Laye said, “by giving them the tools to derive meaning from it.”
Inaugurated in 2004, the History Teacher of the Year Award highlights the crucial importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary school through high school. The award honors one K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, U.S. Department of Defense schools and U.S. Territories. In fall 2021, the National History Teacher of the Year will be selected from the pool of state winners.

Nominations for the 2022 History Teacher of the Year awards are now open. Students, parents, colleagues, and supervisors may nominate K-12 teachers for the award. The deadline for 2022 nominations is March 31, 2022.

West Perry Hall Water System to be Upgraded


Councilman David Marks reported that preparations are being made to improve the water system in western Perry Hall, The project calls for restoring a decaying network that has experienced numerous leaks over the past two years.

“Baltimore County will begin replacing 4,000 feet of water line in parts of Seven Courts Drive, Pinedale Drive, Proctor Lane and Gunview Road before the end of this year. Contractors will replace 4- and 16-inch diameter pre-stressed concrete pipe with ductile-iron pipe in a project which is anticipated to take between three and six months to compete and cost $1.5 million,” Marks explained.

The councilman added there has been a delay in this projects because of supply issues and added that residents in the area will receive updates about temporary water shutoffs and parking changes that will be needed to facilitate progress. Driving lanes disturbed by construction will be resurfaced at the end of the job.

“This project was a big priority for me in the last budget, along with the four-mile resurfacing of Joppa Road. While it may be inconvenient, improvements must be made to end the chronic leaks that are disrupting everyday life,” Marks said.

For more information, contact the Department of Public Works and Transportation at engineering@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Three Scratch-off Winners from Rosedale/Fullerton

The Maryland Lottery announced their weekly winners across Maryland for the week of Aug. 16 through Aug. 22. In eastern Baltimore County, there were local stores that sold $10,000 each in Scratch-off  prizes. Two from the Rosedale area and one from a Fullerton store. There was also a winning RACETRAX ticket sold in Perry Hall. Here are the list of local winners:

 $10,000 Scratch-off Prizes

  • $5,000 Loaded, Paul’s Market, 4571 Ridge Road, Nottingham
  • Bonus Bingo X20, Rosedale Shell, 7514 Pulaski Highway, Rosedale
  • Ruby 6s, Chesaco Crown, 1771 Chesaco Avenue, Rosedale

RACETRAX

  • $15,367 ticket sold Aug. 21 at High’s #007, 9414 Scott Moore Way, Perry Hall (claimed)

Pizza Johns Partners With Weis Markets


Pizza Johns of Essex has announced that it will sell its world famous pizza products at selected Weis Markets.

Now 12″ and 16″ bake at home pizzas will be available at six Weis Markets in Eastern Baltimore, along with two stores in Harford County.

Here are a list of stores:
* 7200 Holabird Avenue in Dundalk
* 7848 Wise Avenue in Dundalk
* 168 Orville Road in Essex
* 4126 E Joppa Road in Carney
* 9400 Scott Moore Way in Perry Hall
* 7927 Belair Road in Fullerton
* 550 W Macphail Road in Bel Air
* 924 Pulaski Highway in Havre De Grace

Pizza Johns announced a similar partnership with a Kingsville store last summer,