The Board of Education will hold its business meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. Closed session will begin at 9:00 a.m. Public agenda items will begin at 11:00 a.m. The meeting will be cablecast live on Comcast Channel 34 (HD 1071), Verizon Channel 36, RCN channel 89, and the MCPS website
The agenda, with related materials attached, can be found on the Board of Education’s BoardDocs site (please visit this link for the most up-to-date agenda)
Head Varsity Girls Volleyball Coach at Magruder High School Scott Zanni announced his retirement today. Zanni has been coaching high school volleyball for 30 years, with the last 27 being at Magruder in Derwood. In 2019, the Magruder Varsity Girls team won the 3A state championship with a 25-0 record. Below is the resignation letter he submitted to Magruder Principal Dr. Leroy Evans:
“After 30 rewarding years serving as a high school volleyball coach, I have decided the time is right for me to retire as the varsity volleyball coach at Colonel Zadok Magruder High School. Coaching student athletes has been among the most gratifying and enjoyable experiences of my life and I will be forever thankful. However, I believe now is the time for me to step away from a sport that has given me so much and take on new challenges and new experiences, both inside and outside of Montgomery County Public Schools.
Applications for MoCo EmpowHER’s Spring Leadership Institute are now open. All MCPS middle school students, regardless of gender identity, are invited to apply. The application can be found here along with more information regarding this opportunity. The Spring Leadership Institute will meet bi-weekly on Saturdays over Zoom from 2:00 to 3:30 P.M. The application is due on February 12th by 11:59 P.M.
Detailed information regarding the Leadership Institute can be found at mocoempowher.org. This is a great opportunity to meet other middle school students from around the county, discuss important and relevant issues, and to enhance your leadership skills in a safe and encouraging space! If you have any questions regarding the Spring Leadership Institute application process, you may reach out to MoCo EmpowHER’s Leadership Institute Co-Directors Mridhula Birdy ([email protected]) and Aneela Shemsu ([email protected]).
Students in the Montgomery County Students Automotive Trades Foundation (ATF) and Information Technology Foundation (ITF) will sell used cars and computers they have refurbished from 9–11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Damascus High School. The school is located 25921 Ridge Road in Damascus.
The cars and computers are refurbished and reconditioned by the students as part of their classroom and lab studies. The sales provide students with the opportunity to practice their sales skills, earn Student Service Learning hours, and develop a deeper appreciation for community involvement.
MCPS is holding upcoming information sessions on its Electrical Youth Apprenticeship Program, which will enable students to enter the workforce while in high school, earn a salary and gain valuable industry skills. This is a new program open to rising juniors or seniors who are highly motivated and responsible, and able to transport themselves to and from work.
High school juniors/Class of 2023 students accepted into the program will begin 450 hours of on-the-job paid employment with an electrical contractor in July 2022 and the first year of the electrical journeyman coursework at Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) in September. Once registered, apprentices graduate in May 2023, they transition to Years 2-4 of their Journeyman Training and full-time employment.
The Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) Nominating Convention will be held on February 15, 2023 at Watkins Mill High School. Delegates from across Montgomery County Public Schools middle and high schools will convene to elect the two finalists for SMOB. The current candidates for the 46th SMOB are as follows:
The two finalists elected at the SMOB Nominating Convention will move forward to the SMOB election to be held on April 19, 2023.
On Saturday night, February 4th, MCPS held its annual County Pompon competition at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring. The results for all three divisions can be seen below:
Division III:
MCPS is partnering with xMinds, the Partnership for Extraordinary Minds, to host free webinar sessions to share more information with parents and guardians about autism program placement options in MCPS.
There will be three virtual Zoom meetings—simultaneous meetings on Tuesday, Feb. 7 (one for preschool students; the second for middle and high school students) and one on Thursday, Feb. 9 (for elementary students). Each presentation focuses on placement options, but parents should attend the session that is appropriate for their child’s age.
Get your free tickets now for the annual MCPS Dance Showcase, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17 at James Hubert Blake High School. The snow date is Tuesday, Feb. 21. Reserve your tickets here. Blake is located at 300 Norwood Road in Silver Spring.
Students from the following 10 middle and high schools are expected to perform—A. Mario Loiederman, Forest Oak, Kingsview and Silver Spring International middle schools and Albert Einstein, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Blake, Montgomery Blair, Northwood and Wheaton high schools. There will also be a performance from the All-County Dance Ensemble. These students thrive in dance class and exemplify their school’s instructional program. Student dancers in the ensemble are nominated by their dance teachers, and rehearse as a group for three months.
2023 MCPS Band & Orchestra Gala Concert
The 2023 MCPS Band & Orchestra Gala Concert will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at Richard Montgomery HS. Admission is free. Come out to hear some the best instrumental music talent that MCPS has to offer!
In the video below, members of the MCPS Student Athlete Leadership Council share the history and significance of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Feb. 1 marked the 37th annual celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. This celebration inspires girls and women to play and be active, and to realize their full power. The confidence, strength and character gained through sports participation are the tools girls and women need to become strong leaders in sports and life.
National Girls and Women in Sports Day was first observed in 1987 to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman and acknowledge her work in promoting equal representation of women in sports. Since then, the day has evolved to commemorate all female athletes, their achievements, the positive impacts of inclusion of women in sports, and to address the challenges regarding equal participation of women in sports activities. The day also appreciates the progress made since the enactment of Title IX, a law passed in 1972 that called for equal participation of everyone in all programs and activities that were federally funded, regardless of gender.