Education

Burning Tree Elementary School Teacher Wins Shirley Lowrie Award

By MCS Staff

Marni Olesker, third grade teacher and team leader at Burning Tree Elementary School, has won this year’s Shirley J. Lowrie “Thank You for Teaching” Award. A 31-year veteran of MCPS, 21 of them at Burning Tree, Olesker is a game changer for students.

Per MCPS: Each year, she requests the students with the greatest needs and the most difficult IEPs or tough behavioral issues. And each year, she wins them over so skillfully that they make tremendous academic and emotional progress. She has a natural ability to connect with and push each student to reach excellence. She also gets results—during the pandemic, 100 percent of her students met proficiency on two or three Evidence of Learning goals in math, and 85 percent met all three Evidence of Learning goals in reading.

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MCPS: Pride Town Hall Set for May 21

By MCS Staff

The annual Pride Town Hall will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 21 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 and a resource fair.

The keynote speaker is Gavin Grimm, a nationally known advocate for transgender rights. In 2014, he testified to his Virginia school district, explaining that as a transgender teen, being forced to use bathrooms at school besides the one that matched his gender was “alienating” and “humiliating.” In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court released an order rejecting a petition from the Virginia school board to hear the case after Grimm prevailed in the lower courts. The order leaves in place a federal appeals court decision finding the school board violated his constitutional rights.

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Weather Information Message for Monday, May 16 From MCPS

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Public Schools are preparing for expected severe weather this afternoon. At this time, MCPS will not be dismissing students early, however they could activate a Shelter-in-Place if warranted. This morning Howard County Public Schools announced they would close three hour early today. MCPS sent the following community message on Monday at noon:

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Clarksburg Boys Volleyball Wins Back to Back County Championships

By MCS Staff

Clarksburg Boys Volleyball recently won back-to-back county championships. The team lost its first match of the year at Churchill High School, 3-2. Since that match the team didn’t lose a single set (42-0) on the way to becoming repeat Champions.

The Coyotes became back-to-back champions after taking the third set against WJ earlier in the week (25-23). Coach Dickinson and the team ended the regular season going 10-1.

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Springbrook High School Announces Miriam Tesfamikael As New Varsity Boys Basketball Coach

By MCS Staff

Hello Blue Devil Nation! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to take on my new role as the Varsity Boys Basketball Coach at Springbrook High School. I have spent the last 11 years coaching basketball. I originally got my start as a coach at St.Thomas the Apostle in Chicago, IL before transitioning to the JV boys basketball coach at the University of Chicago Woodlawn Charter High School. After 5 years of coaching, I took over the varsity program at UCW and set the record (still standing!) for regular season and playoff wins. In 2017, my husband and I relocated to the DMV and I began working with the varsity program at Springbrook High School. In 2018 I accepted the role of the JV boys basketball coach here at Springbrook  while also coaching the boys team at Argyle Middle School, where I previously taught. I’ve been teaching Biology at Springbrook since 2019 and most recently, coaching our JV team which finished the 2021-22 season with an undefeated record!

A little about my personal background. I was born and raised in Columbia, Missouri and played collegiately at the University of Chicago. I began graduate school early and received my bachelors degree in Public Policy with a specialization in Education Reform and masters degree in teaching, both from the University of Chicago.

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Two Students, From Blair and Clarksburg High Schools, Named U.S. Presidential Scholars

By MCS Staff

The U.S. Depertment of Education announced the 161 students who were named to the United States Presidential Scholars Program on Thursday. The two Maryland students who were named are both MCPS students– Dhruv Bhandarkar Pai of Potomac, who attends Montgomery Blair High School and Sarah Rachel Thomas of Clarksburg, who attends Clarksburg High School.

According to Department of Education, The United States Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by Executive Order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our Nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the Program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields. Each year, up to 161 students are named U.S. Presidential Scholars, one of the Nation’s highest honors for high school students. The Scholars represent excellence in education and the promise of greatness in young people. In honoring the U.S. Presidential Scholars, the President of the United States symbolically honors all graduating high school seniors of high potential.

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MCPS Addresses Rising Covid-19 Case Rates in Latest Community Update; Implements Focused Mask Use in Specific Classes/Schools

By MCS Staff

MCPS has addressed rising COVID-19 case rates in Montgomery County in an update sent out to the community this afternoon. In the update, seen below, MCPS states that the CDC maintains that the impact on the community is “low” and has implemented focused mask use in specific classes and schools. The update regarding Covid-19 can be seen below:

You can see the specifics on the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services data dashboard and the MCPS data dashboard.

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Flyover of What Woodward High School Will Look Like Upon Completion of Construction

By MCS Staff

MCPS has released a “flyover” of what Charles W. Woodward High School will look like upon its completion (video available below). The school originally opened in 1966. Two decades later, in 1987, its students were merged into Walter Johnson High School. Woodward and Walter Johnson High Schools had the same diminished enrollment levels, but MCPS decided to preserve Walter Johnson given the schools larger capacity.

After a brief period as a holding school while Springbrook High was being renovated, the building was used to house Tilden Middle School while that school’s facility began a major renovation project. Tilden relocated to its new building during the summer of 2020.

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MCPS Superintendent Monifa B. McKnight to be Paid Annual Salary of $320,000

By Patrick Herron

On Tuesday, the Montgomery County’s Board of Education approved a four-year contract that finalizes Monifa B. McKnight as superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools and will pay her an annual base salary of $320,000.  According to a report by the Washington Post, the contract will require McKnight, who currently resides in Prince George’s County, to relocate to Montgomery County “as soon as possible”, but no later than June 30, 2022, with the BOE paying up to $15,000 in relocation costs. McKnight and her family currently reside in Prince George’s County. McKnight will receive 30 days of paid annual leave and an additional 25 days for sick/personal leave, as well as a vehicle paid BOE. You can view the full contract here.

On Tuesday McKnight sent out a community message announcing a 3.35% cost of living adjustment and step wage increases for eligible MCPS employees.

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New MCPS Elementary School in Gaithersburg to be Named In Memory of Harriet Tubman

By MCS Staff

Earlier today, the Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously voted to name the upcoming Gaithersburg Elementary School #8 in memory of Harriet Tubman– an American abolitionist and social activist. The additional list of names the Board of Education had previously narrowed it down to can be seen below.

In February, Dr. Cavena J. Griffith was appointed as Principal at the upcoming Gaithersburg Elementary School #8. She is currently the principal intern at Whetstone Elementary School. in Griffith’s presentation earlier today, she stated that the name name aligns with MCPS core values– learning, relationships, equity, respect and excellence.

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