Education

Thirteen MCPS students from five high schools have been awarded National Merit corporate-sponsored scholarships financed by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. About 840 high school seniors have been chosen to receive corporate-sponsored National Merit scholarships financed by about 107 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations.

The students are among 25 high school seniors in Maryland to be selected in the latest group of National Merit Scholarship Program recipients. Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year. Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.

Throughout the school year, MCPS has offered Cohort Inspire, an MCPS professional development opportunity for current and aspiring leaders trying to better understand the roles and responsibilities of a high-impact school principal and develop their leadership knowledge, attitudes and skills to work in a high-impact school.

Recently, 29 participants completed the program, which focused on five key areas for effective principal leadership: leading with equity, instructional focus, school climate, building collaborative professional learning communities, and strategic personnel and resource management. “I valued the cohort discussion as it was vulnerable, rich, purpose-driven and passionate,” one participant shared. Another commented that the experience provided “access to conversations that promote and support much-needed changes, as well as a reminder of what needs to be done in a high-impact school.”

Shannon McKenzie, child development teacher at Clarksburg High School, was named the 2023–2024 MCPS Teacher of the Year during a celebration at BlackRock Center for the Arts on April 24. She will now go on to compete for Maryland Teacher of the Year.

An educator for 23 years, she has been teaching in MCPS for seven. She previously owned and operated a private preschool for 16 years, and worked in the Preschool Education Program (PEP) program at Germantown Elementary School. In only her second year at Clarksburg, she has rapidly grown the Child Development program, more than doubling enrollment in the second year. Forty-one students were enrolled in Child Development courses the first year; by the next year, 95 students enrolled. The Clarksburg program—the Coyote Pups Preschool Program—serves 12 families.

The TowerCares Foundation offers an annual college scholarship program for STEM and foreign language linguistics majors. The scholarship is open to high school seniors and college freshmen, sophomores and juniors who attend an accredited two- or four-year college/university full-time.

This year, the foundation will award up to 30 $5,000 scholarships. Additional consideration will be given to children/dependents of active duty military and veterans from all branches of the armed forces, including reserve and guard units. Learn more. The deadline to apply is Monday, May 15.

All secondary students were eligible to vote in the SMOB election and 55,598 students cast ballots. Mr. Saeed received 70 percent of the vote, while his opponent, Mr. Yoseph Zerihun, a junior at Springbrook High School, received 30 percent. The SMOB election was held on April 19 through an electronic ballot that all students received in their MCPS email; students were encouraged to vote during a class lesson.

The celebration will also recognize the MCPS Rising Star Teacher of the Year, the Dr. Edward Shirley Award for Excellence in Educational Administration and Supervision winner, the Supporting Services Employee of the Year, the Community Champion for Children, and the inaugural R.A.I.S.E. Champion of the Year.