The free MCPS Stronger Student mobile app is now available via the Apple and Google Play stores. The project was led by students who performed all aspects of design, building and focus grouping for the app. For secondary students, the app provides access to crisis support resources or other mental and physical health/wellness needs, including reporting incidents of discrimination. It is anonymous and confidential.
Users can access:
For the second year, James Hubert Blake High School has earned the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science A. Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access in AP computer science courses. More than 1,100 institutions achieved either 50% or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science exam takers meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population during the 2021-2022 school year. In 2022, Blake was one of 209 recognized in AP Computer Science A.
“We’re thrilled to congratulate our female AP computer science students and their teachers on this step toward gender parity in computer science education,” said Bob Sinclair, principal of Blake High School. “We’re honored that our school earned this distinction and look forward to seeing these young women and others pursue and achieve success in computer science education and careers.”
Shouk, which recently opened two MoCo locations– Rockville at 5568 Randolph Rd in the Montrose Shopping center in November 2021 and Bethesda at 5436 Westbard Avenue in the Westwood Shopping Center in 2022, has closed its Bethesda location permanently. The plant-based Kosher street food restaurant was operating as a pop-up shop in Bethesda and the plans no longer include a permanent location.
Shouk is best known for its plant-based, Kosher street food. Per their website, their menu is “Inspired by the bold flavors of the world’s liveliest street markets, we craft our food from real ingredients you can pronounce. Fresh vegetables, beans, grains, and lots of spices.” Shouk’s offerings include stuffed pitas, homemade veggie burgers (known as “Shouk Burgers”), eggplant burgers, mushroom shawarma, different flavors of hummus, salads with mediterranean ingredients, plant based side dishes (shouk’n nuggets, red lentil soup, cashew labneh), desserts, and more.
Montgomery Parks is offering a diverse selection of educational and entertaining programs to celebrate Black History Month. “Montgomery Parks not only has an exciting lineup of events for Black History Month, we also have year-round offerings focused on African American history and culture,” said Shirl Spicer, cultural resources museums manager at Montgomery Parks. “We invite visitors to take advantage of these resources throughout the year, not just in February.”
Unshakable: The Rise of Newmantown at the Agricultural History Farm Park | Every Friday and Saturday in February | 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Agricultural History Farm Park, 18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855 The exhibit “Unshakable” explores the history of Albert and Mary Newman, freedmen who emigrated in 1862 from Virginia to Montgomery County, Md., and became landowning farmers despite unprecedented circumstances. Albert and Mary Newman, and their children, built a thriving African American kinship community known as “Newmantown,” located on the grounds of the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood. The exhibit showcases photographs, documents, family mementos, local history, and rarely seen artifacts excavated from the site. Free.
A driver described as “flying down Jones Lane Rd” by the resident of the home that was hit, crashed into the home at the intersection of Darnestown Rd and Jones Lane at approximately 3:30am on Tuesday morning (photos below).
When the car crashed into the home, there was a resident approximately 5 feet to the right where the car entered. There were no injuries. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) and Montgomery County Police arrived on site, but no arrests were made. It is unclear how the driver lost control of the vehicle at this time.
Per Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown: “In a show of support for protecting residents from the harmful effects of gun violence, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition of 16 Attorneys General asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to reverse a lower court decision that preliminarily enjoined a provision of New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA). In an amicus brief, Attorney General Brown and the coalition argue that the lower court’s decision was wrong because the enjoined provision of the CCIA is consistent with Supreme Court precedent and with a long tradition of states enacting similar regulations.
In the brief, filed in the case Christian vs. Nigrelli, the coalition explains the CCIA requirement criminalizing possession of a weapon on another person’s private property – when the person carrying the firearm knows or should reasonably know that the property owner has not given express consent to carry firearms on the premises – is constitutional and effective. The coalition further explains the Second Amendment allows states to implement firearm regulations tailored to local conditions to promote gun safety and protect the public from gun violence. The coalition also argues this provision is consistent with the longstanding practice of states across the country to enact regulations for the carry of firearms on private property.
The city of Rockville’s Vision Zero Task Force is using a new audit process to examine roadways and identify needed improvements following several serious and fatal crashes on Rockville roads last fall. The visual inspection audit includes assessing pavement markings, signs, sidewalks, roadway quality and traffic signals on roadways where crashes occur.
The audit is conducted before the Montgomery County Department of Police’s Collision Reconstruction Unit files its report, which examines the crash environment and circumstances. The CRU is examining fatal collisions on Oct. 28 and Dec. 1 on Rockville Pike (MD 355), north of the intersection at Talbott Street, and a collision that resulted in serious injury Nov. 14 on East Gude Drive, south of the Taft Court/Taft Street intersection.
Rockville celebrates Black History Month in February and encourages community members to explore our city’s rich African American heritage. Visit www.rockvillemd.gov/history to find the city’s African-American Heritage Walking Tour story map. The map, developed by the city’s Department of Community Planning and Development Services, runs 2 miles and includes 18 locations in and around Rockville Town Center highlighting people and places important to the city’s Black history from the 18th- through 20th-century.
Rockville 11’s YouTube channel offers a playlist highlighting activists, pioneers, places, city leaders, Black history facts and community members who remind us of the many contributions made by African Americans to Rockville and our country. Find it at bit.ly/RkvBHMPlaylist.
Rockville’s Mayor and Council will consider in February several recommendations from the city’s Charter Review Commission that could change the city’s voting age, the size of Mayor and Council and other elements of city elections.
On Monday, Feb. 6, the Mayor and Council are scheduled to hold a public hearing on recommendations that, if adopted, would amend the city charter to lower the voting age from 18 to 16, permit noncitizens to vote, set term limits, create representative districts, create an administrative process to fill a vacancy on the council, change election years to coincide with presidential or gubernatorial elections, and implement ranked-choice voting. Learn how to testify during the Feb. 6 hearing at www.rockvillemd.gov/hearings and find more information when the agenda is posted at www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter.
Plans to renovate and upgrade the Rockville Swim and Fitness Center’s popular but aging outdoor recreation pool were brought to the Mayor and Council in late January. Renovation to the more than 30-year-old pool will include innovations to enhance visitors’ enjoyment and swim experience.
The recreation pool has been a feature of the facility since its construction in 1991, when it was built within the shell of the original 1968 outdoor pool. A 2015 audit identified the need for major renovations to improve safety and maintenance, and updated codes and developments in industry standards for recreational pool amenities.
Quince Orchard High School student-athlete Savan Briggs is a highly recruited two-time State Championship winning quarterback at Quince Orchard. On Tuesday, he announced that he has committed to Howard University (announcement can be seen below, courtesy of Fox 5).
Briggs, a 6’2, 190 lb dual threat quarterback that has led Quince Orchard to back-to-back 14-0 seasons while earning a 3.45 GPA, previously announced via social media that he received an offer from the Bison late last month.