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BCP February 2017 Newsletter
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City Springs and HHA Students Excel with Exelon
Thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers from Exelon, students at City Springs Elementary/Middle and Hampstead Hill Academy are learning the fundamentals of software coding.
This month, City Springs students are participating in four software coding "Boot Camps" taught by a group of Exelon IT professionals:
Jason Haas, Sa'ad Raouf, Mark Bell, Maxwell Bradley, Christine Halcox, Kirti Patel, and Matt Pine.
The classes have been outstanding experiences for both students and teachers.
"During one session, I overheard a seventh grade girl exclaim, 'Yo! I just made a video game,'" said Abby Baldwin, Child First Authority Community School Coordinator at City Springs. "I also overheard an Exelon volunteer say, 'that boy is so gifted... I would hire him today."
In November, Hampstead Hill Academy eighth graders in Matthew Cobb's class participated in a similar boot camp taught by Exelon IT professionals Sa'ad Raouf, Mark Bell, William Bradshaw, Aaron Brown, Patrick Corkum, Jason Haas, Guy Kemo, Brann Nothcutt, Lindsay Reedy, Maxwell Bradley, Stephen Capece, Chris Miller, and Michael Rozyczk.
The Exelon volunteers used a variety of tutorials from
https://code.org/ to teach coding including "Minecraft Hour of Code," "Artist," and
"Songwriting with Parameters."
During the fourth and final session at Hampstead Hill Academy, students learned to write actual JavaScript code using the "Code Combat" platform (https://codecombat.com).
Exelon continues to expand upon this wonderful partnership:
- Several Exelon employees began running an after school robotics club at Hampstead Hill Academy in January;
- Students from Hampstead Hill Academy will be taking a field trip to Exelon in April;
- Exelon and the schools are looking into ways to start an after school tutoring program in software coding;
- Exelon is looking to expand the hour of code to additional schools; and
- They plan to run two more sessions at Hampstead Hill Academy for the remaining 8th grade sections.
BCP, City Springs and HHA would like to thank all of the Exelon volunteers for giving so generously of their time and expertise to educate our students.
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New Frederick Elementary Facility to Open in August 2017
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The fully renovated and expanded Frederick Elementary facility will open its doors in August 2017.
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When students return to Frederick Elementary next school year, they will find a fully renovated and expanded facility.
The Frederick Elementary building is undergoing a complete renovation and expansion, and will accommodate an enrollment capacity of up to 605 pre-k through 5th grade students.
Construction began in January 2016 and the renovated building is expected to open in August 2017. The new building, designed by USA Architects and constructed by Gilbane, will replace the old 1983 building. The school building and site improvements represent a $30 million investment in the community.
Frederick Elementary will be the second 21st Century Building to open in Baltimore City. Twenty-First Century building spaces are designed to support interactive learning and include areas such as makerspaces as well as community, cooperative-use, and shared recreational spaces.
These spaces provide opportunities for a variety of uses like space for school partners, school and community activities, sports, clubs and even environmental education.
The modernized school building and site will be different from the old school in many ways. Flexible and adaptable space, learning areas designed for interaction and collaboration, and technology-equipped classrooms will be featured. The facility will also include:
- A makerspace where students engage in hands-on projects using a variety of tools and technologies such as robotics and electronics,
- Media Center for research using print and digital materials,
- Art room with a kiln for firing pottery, and a
- Community Space with a food pantry, mental health suite, Recreation and Parks office, and a flexible space for community-based activities such extended learning, meetings, and indoor recreation and parks activities.
Parents and families who have toured the construction site have been thrilled.
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"Hidden Figures" Inspires Govans Elementary Students
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Govans students prepare for their trip to the Senator
Theatre to see "Hidden Figures." |
Thanks to the generous support of people from across the nation, 120 second through fifth grade girls from Govans Elementary had the opportunity to attend an exclusive showing of 'Hidden Figures' at
The Senator Theatre
on January 26, 2016.
Peter Modlin, a second-grade language teacher at Govans Elementary, conceived of the trip as a way to let the students see what can happen with hard work and discipline. He launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds to pay for
the tickets and refreshments.
"I thought I might raise a couple hundred dollars," said Mr. Modlin.
After the campaign launch, donations began to trickle in. When t
he Huffington Post
featured the campaign, things really began to take off. Within 23 days, 108 people from across the country had donated $3,080. The additional funds raised will be used for an end-of-the-year field trip to
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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Brown University Medical Students Support Trip
After learning about the crowdfunding campaign, a group of medical students from Brown University sent Mr. Modlin the following e-mail:
Hi Mr.
Modlin
,
First, I want to say Thank You for the dedication you have for your students. And for the actions you are taking to expose your students to role models who look like them. Representation is so so incredibly important and I know that your students will come away from your class more confident individuals who know they have something to offer the world by just being themselves.
To Mr.
Modlin's students:
My name is Denise Marte and my friends and I were so excited about Mr.
Modlin's fundraiser when we found out about it! As women of color we were so inspired by the movie Hidden Figures and we hope you will be too. We are all second year medical students at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. We, like the women in the film, know we have something positive to offer to the world of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and medicine. Studying the sciences is hard, but it is worth it. Just like the women in the film, we hope you embrace what makes you unique and use that to reach your goals.
We want to share a few things that have helped us along the way:
- Know that you are valuable.
- Know that you deserve to be everywhere your hard work takes you.
- Know that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.
We wish you so much success, and we hope you enjoy your field trip to see the movie!
All the best,
Denise, Michelle, Caryn, Jessica, Hiba, Carmen, Cari and Darrel.
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Medical Students from Brown University.
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Govans Elementary and the Baltimore Curriculum Project would like to thank the following people for their support:
Clyde Keaser, Pamela Bilger, Zina Richardson, Marone Brown, Kelley Lewis, Renzi Family, Sue Fothergill, Jennifer Beard, Shannon Beasley Taitt, Jolene Ivey, Downtown Baltimore-Mochas, Leonard Kopp, Marie Westhaver, Michael Sesma, Deanna Moran, Elizabeth Zogby, Nadine Walton, Michelle Dunn, Nancy Harrison, Alexis Dobbins, Shannon Robinson, Christine Zimbrich, Emily Nagel, Noelle Gailey, Tracie Ulmes, Evette Scales, Sarah Bullock, Marnie Kleinsmith-Florin, Monique Warren, Leah Akins, Deidre Michael, Kristi Kose, Deidra Reed, Alicia Bacon, Gayle Massey, Carla Jackson, Carmen Dill, Hadley Hendrick, Stephanie Harris, Casey Brown, Elizabeth Behrens, Alissa Torres, Kerry O'Brien, Beth Cummings, Krista Fiehler, Steven Cooke, Cat Oneill, Michelle Holubisky, Brittany Smith, Charles Williams, Laurence Dumortier, Paula Dixon, Tina Shackleford, Lara Allen, Shannon Henderson, Anne Voilleque, MP Paris, David Calof, Kathleen Yoshida, Mark Greenberg, Hailey Albright, Martha Dore, Linda Nolan, Wendy Weathers, Sara Sullivan, Brian Lambert, Andrew Malone, Judith Roth, Kathleen Munoz, Danie Hulett, Eric Sundquist, La'Shonda Ambrose, Denise Marte, Lincoln Daniel, Kate Blake, C Bradley, Lorann Halverson, Mary Scott-Wiecek, and Carmen Dillahunty.
About Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures is the incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)-brilliant African-American women working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
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Community Members Support "Leaders Go Places" at HHA
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BCP Board Member Victor Abiamiri (2nd from left) and HHA
LGP Chairperson and Middle School Teacher Matt Cobb (far right) at the LGP Community Circle on February 10, 2017.
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Community members play a critical role in the Leaders Go Places program at Hampstead Hill Academy.
Leaders Go Places (LGP) is a rigorous middle grades leadership program that motivates students to achieve excellence in academics, attendance, work habits, behavior and service to the community.
Eddie C. and C Sylvia Brown Family Foundation
In January, the Eddie C. and C Sylvia Brown Family Foundation awarded the Baltimore Curriculum Project at $2,500 grant to support LGP.
Eddie and Sylvia Brown are active philanthropists in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The Brown Family Foundation was established at the Baltimore Community Foundation in 1994 as a vehicle for the family to support charitable organizations addressing needs in the areas of health, the arts, and K-12 education.
Victor Abiamiri Speaks at LGP Community Circle
Baltimore Curriculum Project Board Member spoke at the monthly LGP Community Circle on February 10, 2017. Mr. Abiamiri
is a portfolio analyst at Brown Advisory. He works with the portfolio management team to help manage the balanced accounts of their private clients.
Prior to joining Brown Advisory, Victor played five seasons as Defensive End for the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team. He is a former summer intern of Brown Advisory and held additional internships at Park Lane in Los Angeles and Samuel James Limited in Baltimore.
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Video of LGP Mural unveiling. |
Mural by HHA Alumnus Ariel Goldberg
On January 20, 2017,
Hampstead Hill Academy
celebrated the unveiling of a new mural, which was designed by HHA alumnus Ariel Goldberg (Class of 2014). The mural was inspired by her desire to give back to HHA's "Leaders Go Places" program, a comprehensive leadership program that helped her prepare for the challenges she faced during the transition to high school and young adulthood.
LGP needs your help!
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WSA Hosts Community Workshops on Immigration Policy
Over the past few months, many Wolfe Street Academy (WSA) families have felt uncertain and anxious about the future of immigration policy in the U.S.
As a community school, WSA provides services that help meet the basic physical, social, emotional, and economic needs of students and their families
When the need for education and support around immigration issues arose, WSA stepped in to host a series of community workshops.
On Friday, November 11, 2017, WSA hosted a parent/guardian discussion about the presidential election, immigration policy, and positive communication with children.
On December 2, 2017, WSA hosted a discussion and information session on immigration issues. Lourdes Ortega from CASA de Maryland gave a presentation entitled "Know Your Rights."
CASA's "Know Your Rights" trainings utilize popular education materials, developed in-house, to inform community members of their rights as workers and tenants, as well as their rights if they are involved in an immigration raid.
Ms. Ortega returned to present "Know Your Rights" on December 13, 2017. During this session, participants had the opportunity to discuss the conversations they were having with children at school and at home.
On January 31, 2017, WSA hosted a meeting for parents and students about the immigrant community in Baltimore.
Speakers included Catalina Rodriguez Lima, Director of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs, Julio Cervantes, Community Liaison for Councilman Zeke Cohen, and Lourdes Ortega, Organizer with CASA of Maryland.
WSA and BCP would like to thank Lourdes Ortega, Catlina Rodriguez Lima, Julio Cervantes, The Mayor's Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs, Councilman Zeke Cohen, CASA de Maryland and many others for supporting the WSA community.The outpouring of love for our families has been truly inspirational.
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Contestants from the 2017 "Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader" Quiz Show.
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Top l to r:
Victor Abiamiri, Delegate Brooke Lierman, Alison Perkins-Cohen,
Bob Heck (MC), and FOX45's Traffic Jam Jimmy.
Bottom l to r:
Kayla,
Selene, Vivi, and Dwight.)
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Will the 5th Graders from City Springs Elementary/Middle, Govans Elementary, Hampstead Hill Academy and Wolfe Street Academy triumph over the "Baltimore Big Shots" again this year?
Find out at the the sixth annual "Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader?" Quiz Show on Thursday, April 20, 2017 from 6:15pm-8:15pm at City Springs Elementary/Middle School (100 S. Caroline Street, 21231)
Enjoy a delicious dinner donated by Mama's on the Half Shell and Nacho Mama's and a fun-filled quiz show with CareFirst's Maria Tildon, MC Bob Heck and other local celebrities. Onsite parking is available. Seating is limited.
Purchase tickets at:
Thank you to our generous sponsors:
GOLD SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
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