In September of 1951, George Washington Carver High School opened and became the only modern secondary educational facility built for black students in Montgomery County. Today the building serves as the MCPS central office in Rockville. MCPS interviewed Carver graduate Howard Bell about his experience going to school during segregation and later integration and how far we have come as a county. The interview can be seen below:
The nomination period for the 2023 class of the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame ends today, Friday, February 10th. “We are looking for athletes, coaches, journalists, officials, and others who have made significant contributions or brought notoriety to sports in Montgomery County.” Last year’s inductees included Steve Francis, Tim Kurkjian, Sonny Jackson, Rob Bordley, Sally Glynn Hauser, and Clarence “Pint” Isreal.
The nomination form along with nomination criteria and rules can be found on our website at www.mcshf.org. Nominations will stay open until February 10th. Inductees will be chosen by the MCSHF Board of Directors and will be announced in March. They will be honored at a ceremony on Sunday October 29th at the Silver Spring Civic Building.
Registration is now open for the 10th Annual Montgomery County Energy Summit, which will take place in-person on March 28-29, at the Silver Spring Civic Building. Hosted by the County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Energy Summit brings the private sector, nonprofit groups and local governments together to collaborate on expanding high-performing, sustainable buildings.
The 2023 Energy Summit will focus on preparing the commercial building community for compliance with energy benchmarking, building energy performance standards and emerging building codes. It will explore requirements and opportunities in these areas and provide hands-on learning opportunities, as well as case studies from commercial and multifamily buildings.
On Feb. 3, DuFief Elementary School in North Potomac welcomed Montgomery County Chief of Police Marcus Jones to speak to students on community leadership. The school is celebrating Black History Month by looking at ways to serve the community through leadership.
Along with the parent community and the DuFief Diversity Committee, the month will include guest speakers, including Robert Frost Middle School students and students from the Thomas S. Wootton High School Minority Scholars Program. Featured photo: Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones speaks to students at DuFief Elementary School.
In partnership with Montgomery Goes Purple, MCPS invites families to come out Saturday, Feb. 25 for an event and discussion on Fentanyl. Panelists will share important information on the dangers and prevalence of illegally-made fentanyl, prevention tools and protective factors for students, and resources for treatment when needed. The event will be from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Northwood High School Auditorium, 919 University Blvd W. in Silver Spring.
Breakout discussions for students and parents/caregivers & students, resource fair, COVID-19 vaccinations and refreshments will be available. Panel and breakout sessions will be in English and Spanish. Hundreds attended the Fentanyl Family Forum that took place at Clarksburg High School on January 28th.
Montgomery County Recreation is working to ensure the dream of attending prom can come true for all high school students. To ease the financial obstacle, the department is collecting gently used and new dresses, suits and accessories for “Praisner’s Project Prom Dress” giveaway event on Saturday, April 15, at the Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center in Burtonsville. Dresses, suits and accessories can be donated at the recreation center until March 15 during the following hours: Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. The center is located at 14906 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. Three other community centers are also collecting items and have specific donation drop-off dates (see below).
Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, any high school student can visit the Praisner community center, show their school ID card, shop the racks and select an outfit for free.
Per Montgomery County: The Council will hold a public hearing on the capital budget at 7 p.m.; Committees will receive updates on workforce development, workplace learning in Montgomery County Public Schools and shelter services for individuals experiencing homelessness, and will review spending affordability guidelines for the FY24 Operating Budget
The joint Economic Development (ECON) and Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 9:30 a.m. to receive an update on workforce development needs in Montgomery County and workplace learning in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
Last April, Montgomery Parks opened the Josiah Henson Museum and Park, a 3.34-acre park located at 11420 Old Georgetown Road in the Luxmanor Community of North Bethesda. The museum and park is dedicated to telling the story of resilience and perseverance in overcoming slavery, based on the detailed words and experiences of Josiah Henson – enslaved in Montgomery County for much of his life.
The Josiah Henson Museum and Park tells the inspirational life story of Reverend Josiah Henson, who was born into slavery yet defied the odds to become an influential author, abolitionist, minister, public speaker, and a world-renowned figure. One of Henson’s many accomplishments was his 1849 autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, which inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s landmark anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Interagency workgroup to examine the county’s process for reviewing development projects to ensure economic competitiveness and to recommend possible improvements; findings will be delivered by October 15, 2023 to the Montgomery County Delegation
The Montgomery County House Delegation, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, and the Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), have agreed to collaborate together on a workgroup to examine the county’s development review process, with a special focus on economic competitiveness. Delegate Lesley Lopez (D- District 39) will serve as the workgroup’s Chair. The Development Review Process Workgroup will be formed by May 1, 2023 and will deliver findings to the Montgomery County Delegation by October 15, 2023.
Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Office of the County Attorney seeks expressions of interest from lawyers interested in being appointed, pursuant to Montgomery County Charter Section 213, as special counsel to provide legal services to the newly formed Police Accountability Board (PAB) and Administrative Charging Committee (ACC) sitting in Montgomery County, Maryland. Additional information on the PAB/ACC can be found here.
The PAB and ACC is tasked with reviewing issues and receiving public complaints arising from local Law Enforcement agencies including the Montgomery County Police Department, the municipal police departments, and the Sheriff’s office.
Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 9 a.m. The meeting will begin with two proclamation presentations. The first, presented by Councilmember Andrew Friedson will recognize the 130th Anniversary of the Noyes Library for Young Children. The second, presented by Councilmember Sidney Katz and County Executive Marc Elrich will recognize Animal Services Officer Dany Flores-Lopez.
At 11:30 a.m., the Council will hold its annual Black History Month commemoration, hosted by Council President Evan Glass, Councilmember Will Jawando, Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles and the full Council. The theme for this year’s commemoration is Black Resistance.