Category: School Notebook

New Northeast Elementary School Needs Staff Members


The new northeast area elementary school in Rosedale, scheduled to open in August 2022, is holding in-person and virtual information sessions for individuals interested in working at the school.

The new school will be located at 7649 Gum Spring Road in Rosedale. Please note that during face-to-face sessions, attendees will be required to wear face masks and maintain physical distancing.

For additional information, contact Principal Kevin Jennings, Jr., at kjennings@bcps.org or at 443-809-8519.

Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m.
Golden Ring Middle School
6700 Kenwood Ave., 21237

Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 5 p.m.
Milford Mill Academy
3800 Washington Ave., 21244

Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 5 p.m.
Loch Raven High School
1212 Cowpens Ave., 21286

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.”

Loaded Gun Found in Chesapeake High Classroom


Baltimore County Police responded to Chesapeake High School in Essex after they were notified that a loaded handgun and ammunition were discovered by a school administrator on Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 12:15 p.m.

Officers later learned the weapon was located inside a bag in an empty classroom.

Police made an arrest in this case.

ET Student to serve on MD Youth Advisory Council


The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth and Victim Services announced that Maja Durkovic, a junior at Eastern Technical High School, will serve an one-year term on the Maryland Youth Advisory Council.

Durkovic will be joined by fellow BCPS student Ricky Bridges of Reisterstown, a junior at Franklin High School and two BCPS grads; Meghna Chandrasekaran of Owings Mills, a 2021 graduate of Western School of Technology and a freshman at University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Rosalind Marfo of Reisterstown, a 2021 graduate of Franklin High School and a freshman at University of Maryland, College Park

This will be the first year on the council for Chandrasekaran and Durkovic and the second year for Bridges and Marfo.

“As members of the council, our students and recent graduates will make legislative recommendations on issues affecting their peers, promote youth policy issues, and serve as liaisons between Maryland’s youth and Maryland’s policymakers,” said BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams. “BCPS has a proud legacy of developing student leaders, and we are pleased that BCPS and its students will be so well-represented as the council does its work.”

In total, 23 high school and college students from 10 Maryland counties will serve on the council. Youth are nominated to the council by the Maryland Association of Student Councils, the University System of Maryland Student Council, Maryland Higher Education Commission Student Advisory Council, and the Association of Local Management Boards. Appointments are made by Governor Larry Hogan, Senate President Bill Ferguson, and Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Adrienne Jones.

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.

Boundary Study Meeting for New Elementary School


The first meetings of the Northeast Area Elementary Boundary Study Committee, which has been charged with creating new attendance boundaries for the new northeast elementary school and a new, larger Red House Run Elementary School, has been rescheduled to Wednesday, Sept. 22.

The public is invited to attend the 6-8 p.m. meeting online by visiting the boundary study website. The meeting had been scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 16, but was rescheduled to accommodate the Yom Kippur holiday.

“Ensuring that the public understands how attendance zones are drawn has always been an important part of opening a new or expanded school,” said Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams. “This year, also in response to the ongoing pandemic and the need to maintain the health, safety, and well-being of our students, staff, and families, we are using the virtual platform for those interested in this boundary line process.”

This month’s meeting will be the first of six for the committee, which was formed last spring to make room for the new 700-seat school currently under construction along Rossville Boulevard near Gum Spring and Ridge roads. The school is scheduled to open to students in August 2022.

In addition, Red House Run Elementary School is also being expanded, which will impact attendance lines in many of the same northeastern communities affected by the new elementary school. With the new Red House Run Elementary scheduled to open for students in August 2023, both schools will relieve overcrowding at other schools in the northeast.

For that reason, eight elementary schools have been identified as being part of the committee’s study: Elmwood, Fullerton, Joppa View, McCormick, Perry Hall, Red House Run, Shady Spring, and Vincent Farm elementary schools.

In addition to the six committee meetings, where members will consider boundary options to accommodate the new school construction as well as all other participating schools, the public also is invited to a virtual public information session scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 3, from 7-8 p.m. Members of the public may learn about the boundary process and participate through an online survey conducted to gather feedback from the community on draft boundary line options.

Following the meetings and public information session, a recommendation will be presented to the Board of Education for a decision in March 2022.

More information, including the dates and times of all committee meetings and information about how to join the meetings virtually, may be found at the boundary study website.

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.

Baltimore County Schools to Close Early


Baltimore County Public Schools announced that all schools will be closing three hours early today for inclement weather.

Strong thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and into the evening as the remnants  of Hurricane Ida pass through the region.

Below is full state from BCPS:

“Due to impending inclement weather, Baltimore County Public Schools, the Virtual Learning Program, and offices will dismiss three hours early on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. All afterschool and evening activities are also cancelled. No afternoon PreK. “Essential” employees remain on duty or may request from the appropriate supervisor to use leave time. “Essential as Needed” employees will remain on duty as directed or may request from the appropriate supervisor to use leave time.”

BCPS Kicks Off New 2021-22 School Year


Baltimore County Public Schools kicked out their 2021-22 school year on Monday. For the first time since August 2016, BCPS started their school year before Labor Day with an August opening.

This was also the first opening day that BCPS had since September 2019. The start of 2020-21 school year was virtual as a result of COVID-19. Students went online until this past March when some students started attending school two days a week.

Students later went back to school in-person four days a week in May, but still had virtual learning on Wednesdays.

This will be the first full week (five days) of in-person learning at BCPS schools since March 2020.

The restrictions of COVID-19 still remain as BCPS and all of Maryland Public Schools mandate that all students and staff wear masks all day while in school.

BCPS Announces COVID Guidelines for Sports


The start of the high school sports season is a week away from this Friday and BCPS sent out it guidelines for athletes, coaches, and spectators at its athletic events.

As expected, face coverings are mandated for athletes when inside a school building unless the athlete is in the field of play. All coaches, sideline players and spectators must wear a face covering while indoors. That applies to all vaccine and unvaccinated individuals.

However; BCPS is not requiring masks for outdoor events, although it is recommended that non-unvaccinated individuals wear a mask outdoors.

Spectators are still required to practice social distancing and BCPS is prohibiting congregating at the field, in the school, or in the stadium following the game. Parents are required to meet their student back at the school.

Of course, teams will still be allowed to travel to other schools, but new guidelines are in place as visiting teams will follow BCPS mitigation measures.

Visiting teams will be allowed enough time for warmup prior to the game start time.

Visiting teams must arrived dressed and ready to take the floor/field as access to locker rooms for visiting teams will not be permitted and JV/Varsity team not playing will be required in the bleachers following social distancing guidelines.