Education

MoCo EmpowHER Spring Leadership Institute for Middle School Students

By MCS Staff

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]).

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MCPS Car and Computer Sale is on February 11; Car Inventory Now Available

By MCS Staff

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.

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Information Sessions on Electrician Apprenticeships for MCPS Students

By MCS Staff

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.

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MCPS SMOB Nominating Convention to Be Held on February 15

By MCS Staff

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.

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MCPS Partners to Host Free Webinars on Autism Placements

By MCS Staff

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.

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Free Tickets Available for MCPS Dance Showcase on February 17

By MCS Staff

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.

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MCPS: Recognizing Girls and Women in Sports

By MCS Staff

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.

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MCPS Black History: A Reluctant Revolutionary, Dr. Betty Holston Smith by Student Journalists

By MCS Staff

For many high school students, the first day of school is filled with hugs and joyful chatter as they gather in the hallways, reconnecting with friends and teachers. For Betty Holston, the first day of school was filled with hushed silence and stares from white students. She was not the only African-American student to enroll in Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in 1956. There was Nancy Browne who lived on River Road in Potomac. But unlike Nancy, Betty lived on Hawkins Lane, an unpaved road that led to a small number of wooden homes which were occupied by black families who held service jobs for wealthy white families in the area. “We were segregated racially, of course, ” Dr. Betty explained, “but we were also isolated from other black communities.” In short, Betty stood out immediately at B-CC for two reasons: she was definitely not white and her family was definitely not well-to-do.

A “Better” 11th Grade: “11th grade was better, meaning I was better,” said Dr. Betty. “But everything else was the same.” She still lacked friends, and, the administration demeaned her, advising her, at one point, to switch from an switch from an academic track to a commercial one because her “brain wasn’t developed enough for college study.”

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