Superintendent Hairston Among Thousands Cheering Towson High’s Michael Phelps

Talk about a homecoming!

For six-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, the celebration in his honor on Saturday, Sept. 11, must have ranked among the sweetest honors in his young but storied career as the World’s Best Swimmer.

Standing in sandals and “I’m Going to Disney World!” t-shirt, the 19-year-old Towson High School graduate was the center of attention for thousands of fans, elected officials, reporters, and family friends during a special series of ceremonies and a parade.
Billed as “Phelpstival” by Baltimore County planners, the event was a celebration of all things Phelpsian, beginning with his student career in Baltimore County’s public schools – Rodgers Forge Elementary, Dumbarton Middle, and finally Towson High, from which he graduated in 2003.

Joining the celebrants were BCPS Superintendent Dr. Joe A. Hairston and Board of Education President James Sasiadek. Together with Towson Principal Dr. Jane Barranger, the trio congratulated Michael at a school ceremony to begin the Phelpstival and later waved to well-wishers from atop a Humvee along the York Road parade in Phelps’ honor.
While the rest of the world knows Phelps for most recently winning six gold medals and two bronze during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Dr. Hairston, Mr. Sasiadek, and others who are more familiar with Michael and his family stressed aspects of his character and personality.

Phelps, Dr. Joe Hairston, James Smith

Several speakers, among them Gov. Robert Ehrlich and County Executive James Smith, noted Phelps’s unselfishness in ceding his spot on a Team USA relay team to another swimmer. Others, including Barranger, talked about his hometown friendliness and his willingness to devote his time and energies to activities such as helping to inspire students at Riverview Elementary School in Lansdowne.

The world champion’s ties to Baltimore County’s Public Schools are especially close; his mother, Debbie Phelps, is an administrator in the school system’s Southwest Area Office.

At Towson High School, the Phelpstival got underway with a presentation of a plaque from Dr. Hairston and the renaming of Cedar Avenue in front of the school as “Michael Phelps Way.”

Michael and teachers from Dumbarton Middle and Towson High

From there, Phelps, Hairston, and many of Michael’s teachers, friends, and family moved to the parade, where they waved to several thousand cheering fans and supporters lining the mile-long parade route. The parade featured appearances by Mickey Mouse, the Ravens cheerleaders, a variety of elected officials, and the Perry Hall High School Marching Band, in addition to a contingent of BCPS officials and teachers led by Dr. Hairston and Mr. Sasiadek.

Ending at Courthouse Plaza in Towson, the Phelpstival concluded with a ceremony that both marked the solemn anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and rejoiced in the achievements of one of the most famous graduates of Baltimore County’s public schools. Entertaining the huge crowd of well-wishers just before the ceremony was the Catonsville High School Steel Drum Band.

Among those that Debbie and Michael Phelps thanked personally for their support was Dr. Hairston, who was presented a special “MP” lapel pin by Phelps. Following the ceremony, Phelps was scheduled to continue his national “Swim with the Stars” tour sponsored by Disney.

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Story and Photos by Charles Herndon Director of Communications