News - The Bridge Center’s Wall of Fame

At a place where the personal touch is its stock in trade, the Bridge Center’s new Wall of Fame reminds staff, students, and visitors alike of the center’s dedication to fostering a nurturing learning environment.

The Wall of Fame, which was created by former Principal Barbara Cheswick, is much like walls of fame at other Baltimore County schools, centers, and programs in that it highlights and celebrates accomplished current or former students.

But the Bridge Center is altogether different from a comprehensive secondary school, and so is its Wall of Fame. The center, which opened its doors in 2005, is a short-term intervention program that serves about 70 middle and high school students each day from the county’s northwest and southwest areas. Students who come to the Bridge Center may be entering the system from other states, school systems, or by agency placements, and they are generally at-risk for academic failure because of reasons such as gaps in school attendance or lack of current or incomplete records.

While at the Bridge Center, students prepare for entering a comprehensive school by taking English, reading, mathematics, and other skills courses. Assessments and counseling are completed, and the center staff stays in touch with students even after they have left the Bridge Center and entered a comprehensive school.

Former Bridge Center Principal Barbara Cheswick

And while students who enter the Bridge Center remain at the Lansdowne program for no longer than 15 days, administrators created the Wall of Fame as a way to express a sense of connectedness and remembrance with each student who participates in the program.

“I wanted some way to remember these wonderful children,” said Cheswick, who is now principal of New Town High School. “They receive so much from the staff at the Bridge Center, and this was their gift to us – to see and hear what they learned and gained from being here.”

Cheswick said the concept of the wall is simple but powerful. On a student’s final day at the center, his or her photo is taken. The student is invited to write a personal essay about his or her experiences at the center. The photos and essays are superimposed and then framed, and a ceremony is held during which students hang their photos and “stories” on the wall.
The centerpiece of the wall includes a copy of “The Bridge Builder” poem by Will Allen Dromgoole, the themes of which the program has adopted as part of its story.
The Wall of Fame also provides a daily reminder to staff members that they enjoy the privilege of being “bridges” for each student who transitions through the center.

“The Wall of Fame . . . has been one of her passions,” Bridge Center resource teacher Sheri Glasser said of Cheswick. “It has proven to be a very positive activity for the students as well as the staff.”

Cheswick agrees. “It’s a very personal kind of thing, but building relationships is an important part of what the Bridge Center does,” she adds. “This is an extension of that.”

Story by Sheri Glasser, resource teacher and Good News Ambassador at the Bridge Center, and Charles Herndon, communications specialist for BCPS. Photos of the wall of fame courtesy of the Bridge Center. Other photos by Charles Herndon.