Education Archives - Page 183 of 295

MCPS: Longview Students Compete in TRYathlon

Published May 8, 2023 at 6:48AM

For the third year, students at Longview School, in Germantown, participated in the TRYathlon, a whole school event celebrating the hard work and dedication of its students with complex physical and intellectual disabilities. Sixty-six students cycled, walked and performed other mobility skills with the help of their adaptive equipment, teachers, therapists and support staff. Longview also welcomed many parents and students from nearby Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary School, who celebrated the great work and dedication of students. The event concluded with a medal ceremony.

Longview was originally built in 1950 in Gaithersburg, MD. It opened as one of the first all black schools in Montgomery County and was named the Emory Grove Consolidated Colored Elementary School. The renaming committee selected Longview to represent the “long” distance traveled by the students and the beautiful view seen from the school (Sugarloaf Mountain off in the distance). The school housed a general education population until 1961 when Longview became a special education school for children with disabilities. The original building is still in use and is now known as the Emory Grove Center. In 2001, Longview moved to its current site in Germantown, Maryland.

Joint Statement from Board of Education President Karla Silvestre and Superintendent Monifa B. McKnight On MCPS Operating Budget

By MCS Staff

Published May 6, 2023 at 7:33AM

County Council Education and Culture Committee Reduces MCPS Operating Budget Request: The Montgomery County Council’s Education and Culture Committee today unanimously took several actions on the Board of Education’s requested budget. First, the Council reduced the school district’s budget by $22.3M, on top of the $7.4M by which the County Executive reduced the district’s request in his recommended budget. Second, the committee divided the school district’s remaining $200.7M funding request into two categories of ‘high priority’ ($156.1M) and ‘priority’ ($44.6M). This action now moves the final decision on MCPS funding to the entire County Council. In February, the Board of Education budget requested $230.7M from the County Council.

This action places the district in a seriously difficult position in trying to address the academic, social, and emotional priorities coming off a historic period of time in our nation as a result of the pandemic. The most significant concern is essentially the jeopardy in which this places the key investments that were specifically designed to fully staff our schools and address disparities in literacy and math, close opportunity gaps, and create greater equity across the district, especially among our black and brown students, and students receiving special education, language, and meals services.

Happening Today: Over 200 Children in the White Oak Middle School Cluster to Receive Free Athletic Shoes

By MCS Staff

Published May 6, 2023 at 7:15AM

Non-profit organization Samaritan’s Feet, in partnership with Elevation Outreach, will be providing new socks and shoes to children in the White Oak Middle School community. Approximately 200 Sixth Grade Students and K-5th-grade students that attend OR will attend White Oak Middle School will have the opportunity to receive new sneakers and socks. 200 additional pairs of shoes for students that have not pre-registered will be available first come, first served!

This takes place today, Saturday, May 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at White Oak Middle School (12201 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20904). Volunteers will fit students for new shoes and socks. They will also provide a “Hope Tote“, which is an orange drawstring book bag that also contains a “Hope Note” with an encouraging message submitted by Samaritan’s Feet supporters. In addition, families can participate in fun activities at the event.

MCPS: Pride Town Hall Set for May 20

By MCS Staff

Published May 5, 2023 at 3:21PM

Per Montgomery County Public Schools: The annual Pride Town Hall will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 20 at Walter Johnson High School. Students and their families, staff, youth service providers and community members are welcome to attend. The event will feature workshops, activities for elementary students, community building for secondary students and a resource fair.

The keynote speaker is Elizabeth Graham, a local advocate who speaks to her lived experiences as a transgender, autistic woman. Graham works with the LGBTQIA+ community, helping to run a peer-led transgender support group. She is dedicated to supporting transgender and neurodivergent people. Walter Johnson is located at 6400 Rock Spring Drive in Bethesda. RSVP. LGBTQ+ webpage.

Wootton High School Student is Part of Trio Who Helped Save A Life at the School on Monday Night

By MCS Staff

Published May 5, 2023 at 11:09AM

A Wootton High School senior, Vivek Majumdar, is one of three people credited for helping save a life at a lacrosse game at the school Monday night. According to David Kaplan of Fox 5, “A teacher at Wootton High School, an emergency room doctor and the 18-year-old student government president who just so happens to be a trained EMT” are being credited for working together to save a man who suffered a medical emergency that caused his heart to stop beating at the school on Monday night.

Per the report, someone came from the bathroom screaming for help when Majumdar and a parent who happened to be an emergency room doctor jumped into action and started performing chest compressions. A Wootton teacher retrieved a defibrillator and the trio was able to eventually get a pulse on the person suffering the medical emergency. The person was transported to Shady Grove hospital where we are told his condition is improving.

Six MCPS Graduating Seniors Named Semifinalists in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Competition

By MCS Staff

Published May 5, 2023 at 7:19AM

Per Montgomery County Public Schools: Six MCPS graduating seniors have been named semifinalists in the U.S. Presidential Scholars competition: Sara Cui and Raymond L. Ma, Winston Churchill High School; Ishaan Jain and Paris Z. Ye, Richard Montgomery High School; Brianna J. Lin, Montgomery Blair High School, and Andrew Z. Yuan, Poolesville High School. There were 14 semifinalists from the state of Maryland.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 to recognize and honor some of the country’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. They were chosen based on academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as community service, leadership and commitment to high ideals. Featured photo shows a previous class of Presidential Scholars.

MCPS: Special Education Parents Asked to Complete State Survey

By MCS Staff

Published May 4, 2023 at 8:58PM

Per MCPS: Parents or guardians of children aged 3 to 21 who are receiving special education and related services through their local school are encouraged to participate in the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey by Friday, May 19.

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has mailed the survey to all parents/guardians of students with an IEP in Montgomery County. The information provided will help guide the state’s efforts in improving special education and related services in public schools. There are two options to complete the survey:

MCPS is Piloting Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

By MCS Staff

Published May 4, 2023 at 3:40PM

Last month, as part of a pilot program, the first set of public electric vehicle charging stations for MCPS was installed at the Carver Educational Service Center in Rockville. The stations were installed at no cost to MCPS through a partnership with one of its electric utility providers, Pepco, an Exelon company. The installation is one of the actions MCPS is taking to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the region and the school system, as identified in Board of Education Policy ECA, Sustainability. This updated policy was unanimously adopted by the Board on June 28, 2022. Emissions from on-road transportation, such as from cars and buses, accounted for 36% of 2018 GHG emissions in the county. Increasing the number of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure is a goal for the county and the school system.

Additional pilot charging stations will be installed at Gaithersburg Middle School and are expected to be operational in July. These stations are available to be used by MCPS staff, students and the general public. Both locations will have Level 2 chargers that can charge a vehicle’s electric battery from empty in 4-10 hours, or a plug-in hybrid battery from empty in 1-2 hours. The cost per kWh is $0.18. There are three ways to pay:

MCPS: African American Students Honored for Achievement, Leadership

By MCS Staff

Published May 4, 2023 at 7:08AM

Per MCPS: The Montgomery County Alliance of Black School Educators (MCABSE) honored 27 graduating seniors during its annual Distinguished African-American Scholars and Community Leaders Awards Ceremony on April 26. The event was held at Rockville High School.

Distinguished Scholars and Community Leaders are committed to leadership in their high schools and communities; are passionate and committed to their education and demonstrate a deliberate pursuit of academic excellence; and are talented, positive and motivated. The keynote speaker was Brian Stockton, MCPS chief of staff. The 2023 honorees are:

Board of Education to Recognize 17 Individuals, Organizations for Distinguished Service

By MCS Staff

Published May 3, 2023 at 12:50PM

The Montgomery County Board of Education has announced its recipients for the 26th Annual Awards for Distinguished Service to Public Education. The awards were established by the Board of Education to recognize and show appreciation for exemplary contributions to public education and to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). Nominations were received from the general community, as well as community organizations, businesses, Board members and MCPS staff. This year’s Distinguished Service Award winners are:

Individual Pioneer

Installation of Vape Detectors Begins at Six MCPS High Schools This Week

By MCS Staff

Published May 3, 2023 at 7:38AM

Earlier this month, MCPS announced that vape detectors were in the process of being installed in the bathrooms of a “limited number of high schools.” Student journalists Hannah Lee, Claire Yu, and Avery Wang, of Richard Montgomery’s RM Tide newspaper, have reported that installations begin this week at six MCPS High Schools: John F. Kennedy, Northwood , Paint Branch, Quince Orchard, Richard Montgomery, and Walt Whitman. The detectors will remain until at least the end of the school year.

Per MCPS: “Vape detectors are in the process of being installed in the bathrooms of a limited number of high school schools. These detectors will help to identify any instances of vaping or smoking in the bathrooms, allowing us to take appropriate action to prevent harm to our students’ health and safety.”