Individual School Honors

On January 10, 2008, Governor’s Citations were presented to Battle Monument School as well as Catonsville, Fifth District, Owings Mills, and Summit Park elementary schools for their superior maintenance during fiscal year 2007. The awards ceremony, attended by Superintendent Dr. Joe A. Hairston and school representatives, took place in the Governor’s Reception Room at the State House in Annapolis.

Pinewood Elementary school received the Elementary School of the Year Award from The American Red Cross Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Blood Services Region. The award recognized the school for its involvement, enthusiasm, effort, and support of the blood drives that were held on the premises. School nurse Pam Frankle was instrumental in the leading these efforts.

The November 30th issue of U.S. News & World Report magazine recognizes two Baltimore County schools – Eastern Technical High School in Essex and Hereford High School in Hereford – as among the top high schools in the nation. In its first ranking of America’s best high schools, U.S. News & World Report partnered with School Evaluation Services, an affiliate of Standard & Poor’s, to assess schools based on a “college-readiness index.” This index considers school’s performance on state tests, success in educating disadvantaged students, and offerings of college-level coursework. Based on data from the 2005-2006 school year, 18,790 public high schools in 40 states were evaluated. (Ten states and the District of Columbia were not included due to insufficient data.) The top 100 schools were awarded gold medals, the next 405 received silver medals, and an additional 1,086 were recognized with bronze medals. Eastern Technical High School and Hereford High School earned silver medals. Both schools were also among the 10 Baltimore County schools appearing on the Newsweek magazine list, released in May, of the top five percent of high schools in the nation.

Elmwood Elementary School was one of 54 schools nationwide selected to receive a “Passport to Play Day” sponsorship from McDonald’s. On October 22, 2007, Elmwood students participated in this hands-on, multi-cultural activity designed to follow the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s National Standards for Physical Education. The activity curriculum features 11 games from around the world. The school’s physical education teacher, Jason Dayberry, played a key role in securing this sponsorship. Games included “Buka Ball” from Thailand, “Korfball” from Holland, “Tlatchtli” from Mexico, and “Kung Fu Says” from China.

Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) has certified Milford Mill Academy to provide instruction and training for students in the field of automotive service technology. AYES is a nationally-recognized, school-to-career initiative designed to encourage young people to pursue careers in automotive service technology. During the two-year program, students participating in the AYES initiative complete 650 hours of classroom training as well as mentored internships in new car dealerships. The AYES initiative is delivered through more than 400 affiliated school programs with over 600 instructors and more than 3,500 participating dealerships in 46 states. Since its inception, AYES has placed more than 9,000 students in careers at dealerships across the country. AYES is expected to place more than 2,000 students in 2007.

Lansdowne Elementary has received the “Exemplary Reading Program Award,” an annual recognition presented by the International Reading Association (IRA). To receive this award, a school must first be nominated by the county’s IRA chapter. Then the school completes a comprehensive application, which is reviewed by a committee and scored by each member of the committee. Schools scoring between 35 and the top score of 40 receive site visits. Lansdowne and two other schools in Maryland qualified for a site visit. During the six-hour site visit, three representatives from SoMIRAC (the state’s council of the IRA) interviewed students, staff, and administrators, visited all classrooms, and examined student work. Lansdowne will receive the state award at the SoMIRAC conference to be held in March in Hunt Valley and the IRA award at the international conference to be held in May in Toronto.

The 2006 Omega, the yearbook created by Overlea High School students was selected as a new addition to the Walsworth on the Web Cover Gallery (www.walsworthyearbooks.com) and will appear in Walsworth’s new Possibilities book, a compilation of outstanding yearbook covers and pages shared with schools around the nation.

Baltimore County Public Schools’ partnerships with the College Board and Advancement Via Individual Achievement (AVID) continue to grow. Because of Baltimore County’s successful implementation of the AVID program (which prepares students in the academic middle for college), AVID has selected Baltimore County as one of its national training sites for new program directors. In addition, Superintendent Dr. Joe A. Hairston has been selected to serve on the 12-member national College Board Superintendent Advisory Panel and on the College Board National Conference Board for AVID.

For the second year in a row, Baltimore County Public Schools has received the Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials International.

Of 142 national finalists selected by the National Foundation for the Advancement of Arts, 10 are from Baltimore County Public Schools. Even more impressive is that of the 30 finalists honored for excellence in visual arts, photography, and film and video, seven are from Baltimore County – five from Carver School for the Arts and Technology and one each from Franklin High School and Towson High School. The other three Baltimore County finalists are two students from Towson and Carver selected as finalists in writing and one from Carver in theater. As finalists, these Baltimore County students received an all-expenses-paid trip to participate in NFAA ARTS Week, from January 8–13, 2007, in Miami, Florida. During this week, finalists participated in master classes, workshops, readings, exhibits, and enrichment activities. Also during this week, the finalists were evaluated to determine their award levels, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Through an exclusive partnership with the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, the U.S. Department of Education and the Presidential Scholars Program, the 142 NFAA ARTS Week finalists are the only students who are considered for the additional honor of being named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Some students not named finalists were recognized with either a $250 Honorable Mention Award, given to those in the top five percent of the NFAA ARTS registrant pool, or with a $100 Merit Award, given to those in the top 10 percent of the registrant pool. Baltimore County Public Schools had nine students selected as honorable mention winners, and 17 as merit winners. Award winners were selected in a blind judging process from a national pool of 7,306 applicants.

The Cisco Networking Academy at Sollers Point Technical High School in Dundalk was honored in a special global ceremony as one of nine academy programs in high schools across the nation to pioneer the CISCO Networking Academy concept and program. Sollers Point’s CISCO Academy prepares students for careers in computer networking, administration, and design. The CISCO program has been recognized internationally as the standard for training and certification in this field. The October 10th recognition ceremony was presented during a global TV “web cast” featuring Amy Christen, senior director of the Cisco Networking Academy Program. CISCO also presented the school with an award, a special appreciation from the U.S. Cisco Systems Field Operations Team, and accolades from dignitaries representing the Baltimore County Public Schools and the Maryland State Department of Education.

Dundalk High Communications, a part of the audio/video communications program at Dundalk High School, was recommended by the Maryland State Department of Education to create a video presentation featuring three key stakeholders in the reauthorization process of the Perkins Reauthorization bill recently passed by the US Congress. The video features Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions; and Congressman Michael Castle (R-DE) and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), both members of the House Education and Workforce Committee. These representatives gave their thoughts on the Perkins IV Reauthorization and the importance of Career and Technology Education to the national economy and education system. Dundalk High Communications Chairman Thomas Pless directed the video operation which included three Dundalk students: senior Jenn D., junior Farcy P., and sophomore Amanda N.. The video they created will be shown at three regional workshops sponsored by the National Association of State Directors on Career Technical Education Consortium along with partner organizations the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity and the American Association of Community Colleges, the Association for Career and Technical Education and the National Association for Tech Prep Leadership.

The Graphic/Print Communications (PrintED) Technology Program at Sollers Point Technical High School was selected as the 2007 Career and Technology Education Outstanding Secondary CTE Program of Excellence. This award is presented by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Career Technology and Adult Learning, The Graphic/Print Communications (PrintED) Technology Program at Sollers Point is a comprehensive model of academic preparation, workplace readiness, and technical skills as validated by student completion of nationally recognized PrintED® Certification skill standards. The program is led by Paul Foster, recipient of the 2006 Academic Education Award of Excellence by the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation and the 2005 Teacher of the Year award from the Dundalk Chamber of Commerce.

Two pieces were selected from the Carver Center for Arts and Technology for the Regional High School Dance Festival in Norfolk, VA. One was a student work titled “Child’s Play,” with choreography by Elizabeth A. and the second was a faculty piece by Amanda Thom Woodson titled “Namaste.” The two pieces were performed at the festival was held from February 28 – March 4, 2007. Carver was represented at the festival by 25 dancers.

Battle Grove Elementary, Woodlawn Middle, Ridge Ruxton, and Owings Mills High schools were honored, in October 2006, with Baltimore County Good Neighbor Awards for their outstanding community service.

The 2006 issue of Towson High School’s literary magazine, Colophon, was honored with the top award from the Maryland Scholastic Press Association.

Warren Elementary School and two Warren Elementary parent volunteers, Julie Gaking and Sandy Tolson, received the 2006 Disability Education Award at the Annual Commission on Disability Awards Luncheon on October 18. During the 2005-06 school year, Warren Elementary School provided disability awareness education opportunities to its community on an ongoing basis, culminating with a school-wide Special Awareness Day in April 2006. Julie Gaking and Sandy Tolson spent hours planning and implementing awareness activities and providing resources to the classroom teachers -- educating everyone about how people are more similar than different. Lori Stinson (now a resource teacher for Baltimore County Public Schools Disability Awareness Program), who worked last year as a parent services assistant in the Resource Center for Families and Schools at White Oak, nominated Warren Elementary for this prestigious award.

Franklin High was one of ten high schools in Maryland to receive a $500 Clean Living Award from the Maryland State Department of Education and Maryland’s First Lady Kendel Ehrlich. The campaign promotes parent-teen communication about drug and alcohol use. Franklin High can use the $500 award to support an anti-drinking, anti-drug activity. The school won the award by having one of the highest rates of student participation in the “I Want to Know/Live Clean” campaign.

Hillcrest Elementary in Catonsville proudly achieved Green School status in 2006. The Maryland Department of Human Resources’ Green Schools Award Program recognizes Maryland schools that include environmental education in the curricula, model best management practices at the school, and address community environmental issues. A dedicated effort of parents, teachers, and students enables Hillcrest to successfully raise yellow perch in their classrooms. Each year the students travel to the Patapsco River to release the fish and participate in Maryland Department of Natural Resources activities related to a better understanding of water quality issues. Hillcrest also partnered with a Boy Scout Troop to create a bluebird trail on school grounds. The school’s “green profile” was further enhanced by “green” classroom instruction including recycling box decoration contests and energy conservation contracts for parents to sign

Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts was chosen to host the signing of an historic Memorandum of Understanding linking American and Italian languages and cultures for the benefit of Maryland teachers and students. Building upon the thriving Italian program at Patapsco and three other Baltimore County high schools, this partnership will enhance resources and professional development as we prepare students for the new AP Italian exam.

Cromwell Valley and Mars Estates are two of only five high-performing elementary schools chosen to participate in the Maryland Best Practice Study conducted by the National Center for Educational Accountability. The purpose of the study is to identify the practices that high-performing districts and schools across Maryland are implementing so that information about “what works” can be shared with other schools. The results of the study will be featured on the www.just4kids.org web site and in training sessions for educators across Maryland.

White Oak School has been awarded a family involvement grant from the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals. This grant will be used to assist White Oak in providing an entire day of disability awareness (to be held March 30, 2006) entitled “Incredible Kid Day.”

Teams from Baltimore County elementary schools again swept the statewide Black Saga competition. Held Saturday, March 18, 2006, at Towson University, all five of the Baltimore County schools that qualified for the final round in the elementary division placed within the top nine. A team from Church Lane Elementary Technology School in Randallstown came in first, followed in second place by a team from Cromwell Valley Elementary Regional Magnet School of Technology in Towson. A team from Battle Grove Elementary in Dundalk came in third. In addition, a team from Westchester Elementary School in Catonsville placed fifth, and a second team from Cromwell Valley placed ninth. In the middle school division, teams from Loch Raven Academy in Towson and Franklin High School in Reisterstown made it to the final round; one of them, from Loch Raven Academy, placed fourth. Last year, Baltimore County achieved similar results – winning first, second, fifth, and ninth places in the elementary division as well as tying for third place, and with two middle school teams placing in the top ten, including teams from Cromwell Valley, Battle Grove, and Church Lane elementary schools and Loch Raven Academy. For the third year in a row, Baltimore County fielded more teams than any other school district in Maryland. Thirty-two of the 80 Maryland schools competing represented Baltimore County.

The Achievement Initiative for Maryland’s Minority Students (AIMMS) Council presented a 2006 Excellence Award to the Glenmar Elementary School Student Support Group and a 2006 Merit Award to Sandy Plains Elementary School PTA Executive Board.

Three teams of Dundalk High School students competed in the Baltimore County Physics Olympics on February 25, 2006, and one team walked away with the gold. Mike B., Wayne B., Russell F., and Glenn W. won first place out of 24 teams in the overall ranking. Jenn D., Mike E., Hannah G., Julie S., and Aaron T. placed third overall, and Justin B., Emily E., Stetson L., Nick M., and Vincent O. placed sixth overall. The competition included five events, modeled after the Winter Olympic games. The events included: The Luge, in which participants had to produce a sled to transport an Albert Einstein action figure down an inclined course; The Skater, in which participants had to use their knowledge of rotational inertia and acceleration to produce a desired effect from limited experimentation; The Snowball, in which participants designed a structure to protect an egg from damage when thrown against the wall and allowed to hit the ground; Curling, in which participants tested their ability to move disks from a given starting region into the specified target area; and The Ski Jump, in which participants, given just three experimental trials, attempted to project a “skier” down a ramp to a prescribed landing spot. Mike B., Wayne B., Russell F., and Glenn W. won first in the luge event. Justin B., Emily E., Stetson L., Nick M., and Vincent O. placed first in Curling and second in the Ski Jump.

In May 2006, Battle Monument School and the Chatsworth School were honored by the Baltimore County Health Department with the Health Officer's Diamond Award for Outstanding Performance in Food Safety. These awards were earned for meeting the highest standards of health department sanitarians. Battle Monument and Chatsworth were two of only 20 facilities to receive the recognition for no violations in safety, health, and environmental standards. Each year, the Health Department conducts inspections at more than 350 facilities. Both awards were based on Health Department inspections completed throughout the 2005-2006 school year.

National and International

Academics

Seven Baltimore County public high schools are among an elite group of schools nationwide that are included in a list of “Top High Schools” compiled by Newsweek magazine. One school, Pikesville High School, was among the nation’s top 100 high schools, according to the Newsweek survey. The list identifies schools that offer a rigorous instructional program based on high numbers of students taking either Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate tests. In addition to Pikesville, which ranked 99th on the list, other Baltimore County schools included among the top 4% best high schools in the nation were Dulaney High School, Carver Center for Arts and Technology, Towson High School, Hereford High School, Catonsville High School, and Loch Raven High School. In total, 29% of Baltimore County high schools are represented on the list. Baltimore County is the only Maryland county other than Montgomery County to be represented in the top 100 high schools.

Carroll Manor Elementary in Baldwin was one of six Maryland schools -- and one of only 255 schools in the nation -- honored as a 2004 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

Teams from Kenwood High School and Hillcrest Elementary School competed with more than 8,000 youth at the Destination ImagiNation® Global Finals. The teams from Baltimore County Public Schools competed against squads from more than 15 countries and provinces, including teams from China, Turkey, Brazil, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico, and Russia. Through Destination ImagiNation’s Team Challenge, each year more than 20,000 youth worldwide participate in year-long, technical, structural, historical, and theatrical challenges designed to hone their critical thinking skills.

The Arts

In its first-ever “Advanced Placement Report to the Nation,” The College Board named the Carver Center for Arts and Technology as having the best studio arts program in the world among similar-sized high schools.

Nearly half of 25 national finalists for excellence in visual arts, selected by the National Foundation for the Advancement of Arts, were from Baltimore County schools – Carver, Patapsco and Towson high schools. According to officials with the Foundation’s annual Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS), which administers the competition, Baltimore County’s showing established the school system as a national powerhouse for high school talent in the visual arts. The list of winning students from Baltimore County included Carver students Jeremy H., Dmitry M., Shannon W., Abdullahi F., Andrew T., and Leah F. Finalists were awarded cash prizes between $100 and $10,000 and traveled to Miami for an intensive week of study and master classes.

Career and Technology Education

Dundalk High School’s Technology Education Department was one of only 33 technology education programs in the nation recognized with a Program Excellence Award from The International Technology Education Association.

Teams from Eastern Technical High School and Perry Hall High School were among the final eight teams competing in the championship round of the annual Daimler Chrysler “Build Your Dream Vehicle” competition. The four students from Peter Glaudeman’s Computer Assisted Drafting and Design class at Eastern Technical High School are senior team captain James L. and seniors Phil S., Sam W. and junior Kirsten V. The Perry Hall team is composed of instructor Michael McIntyre’s engineering juniors – Jonathan G., Ming L., Adam S., Camille T., and Ami T.

Parent Involvement

The National PTA designated Owings Mills High School as a Parent Involvement School of Excellence. Owings Mills is the only high school in Baltimore County to be awarded this three-year certification and one of only 225 schools in the nation to have this designation. National PTA’s Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence certification, which began in 2001, recognizes schools that uphold the highest standards in parent involvement.

Local, State, and Regional

Academics

Eighty-six of Baltimore County’s 162 schools were honored by the Maryland State Department of Education for performing well on the Maryland School Assessment tests earlier this year. The schools, including 26 Title I schools that received monetary awards as a result, were evaluated based on both overall achievement on the statewide tests and on improvement of a subgroup of students within the general population taking the tests.

Sparks Elementary School was selected as one of six 2004 Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence. The selections were made from among 875 Maryland schools.

Teams from Baltimore County elementary schools swept the statewide 2005 Black Saga competition. A team from Deep Creek Elementary School came in first, followed in second place by a team from Cromwell Valley Elementary Regional Magnet School of Technology, and a team from Battle Grove Elementary School tied for third. In addition, a second team from Cromwell Valley placed fifth and a team from Church Lane Elementary School placed ninth. In the middle school division, teams from Loch Raven Academy and Franklin Middle School placed in the top ten. For the past two years, Baltimore County fielded more teams than any other school district in Maryland.

At a regional MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement) Competition (between Baltimore City and Baltimore County), Chadwick Elementary won first place trophies in three of six categories: the Storybook Theme Park Ride, the Mousetrap Car, and the Banner. They also scored third place in Effective Communications and tied with the team from Hebbville Elementary School for best overall performance.

For the third year in a row, Catonsville High School had more students than any other school in Baltimore County named National Merit finalists in the competitive scholarship contest sponsored by the National Merit Corporation. While Catonsville had 11 semifinalists, Towson High School had six, Dulaney High had four, and Franklin and Carver had three students each.

Pikesville High School’s Forensics Team sent five students as part of the Baltimore County delegation to the National Catholic Forensics League Tournament held in Milwaukee. Michael F., Michael S., and Elizabeth V. took part in the Student Congress competition and comprised half of the six Baltimore area students in that category. Jennifer D. and Alex L. were two of six Baltimore area students competing in the area of Duo Interpretation.

For the fourth time in six years, Prettyboy Elementary School received a trophy for having the highest percentage of students in the public school system’s central area to participate in the Baltimore County Library’s summer reading program.

Glyndon Elementary School is the among the 10 latest schools in Maryland to be named a Green School, in honor of its excellence in environmental education.

The Arts

For the second time in three years, Patapsco has sponsored more vocal students for the All-State Chorus than any other high school in Maryland. The 16 Patapsco students accepted into the 2004-2005 All-State Chorus included seniors Meghan M., Joel G., Rich J., Andrea E., and Briana M., juniors Dorothy D. and Barbara R., sophomores Lauren A., Ali H., Andrew P., Andrew S., William S., and Jordan T., and ninth-graders Akil G., Frank J., and Chelsie L.

Other

Bear Creek Elementary and Woodbridge Elementary schools were recognized for outstanding character education by the Maryland Center for Character Education for 2004.

Pinewood Elementary School students participated in the National Jump Rope for the Heart Campaign, and raised more than $18,000 for the American Heart Association. This accomplishment placed the school in the top ten list for contributions in the Maryland and Washington D.C. area. Pinewood was also recognized as having the highest dollars per capita for the Jump Rope Campaign.

Pikesville High School’s Chess Team and advisor Joel Hain (a social studies teacher) won first place in the Baltimore County chess championship. Team members included: Eugene S., Eric B., Joseph S., Trip G., Aaron S., Kirill T., Phil G., Igor S., Alex K., and Mike B.

The Baltimore County Public Schools Office of Communications is always eager to hear about and promote good news about the system, schools, students, teachers, and staff. Please share achievements and good news by e-mailing communications@bcps.org. Every year, we celebrate BCPS achievements through Board of Education Recognition ceremonies (November, February, and April), Maryland State Department of Education School Achievement Celebration (January/February), Teacher of the Year (May), and the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce Awards for Excellence in Education (May). Information about nominating individuals for 2005-2006 school year awards will soon be available online.