Catonsville Middle School educator named Teacher of the Year -- This Week in BCPS

Monday, April 28, 2025

Catonsville Middle School educator named 2025-26 BCPS Teacher of the Year

Principal, Assistant Principal of the Year also named at Champions for Children gala

Teacher of the Year

Brittany Jakubowski

Principal of the Year

Kieran O'Connell

Assistant Principal of the Year

Angela Berry

Brittany Jakubowski, a Grades 6 and 8 English language arts and reading teacher at Catonsville Middle School, was named the 2025-26 Teacher of the Year for BCPS last week during a gala celebration of the county’s more than 9,500 classroom educators as well as its school administrators, staff, and community supporters.

Also announced during the event at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology were the 2025-26 BCPS Principal of the Year, Kieran O’Connell of Franklin High School, and 2025-26 Assistant Principal of the Year, Angela Berry of New Town High School. Learn more in a recent news release.

In addition, BCPS celebrated eight new “Champions for Children” who were selected by administrators and staff, employee union representatives, and other members of the BCPS community. Honored at the gala were:

View the event on YouTube. Photos from the event can be found on Flickr.

Students select Eastern Tech junior Foresight Ogungbe as next Student Member of the Board

Middle and high school students from across Baltimore County have selected Eastern Technical High School junior Foresight Ogungbe to serve as the student member of the Board of Education of Baltimore County (SMOB) for the 2025-26 school year.

Ogungbe is a magnet student in Eastern Tech’s Academy of Health Professions program. At her school, she is president of the Class of 2026, vice president of the African Student Association, and vice president of the Black Student Union. Her countywide activities include serving as vice president of Baltimore County Student Councils and chair of the Board of Selected Students.

At the statewide level, Ogungbe is the only student member on the School Safety Subcabinet of the Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS) and serves as a liaison between MCSS and the Maryland Association of Student Councils. In 2024, the speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates appointed Ogungbe to the 24-member Maryland Youth Advisory Council.

Seniors encouraged to share future plans on Thursday, May 1, for BCPS College & Career Decision Day

To celebrate BCPS College & Career Decision Day on Thursday, May 1, as well as the school system’s culture of promoting higher education and career preparation, all graduating seniors who have committed to a college/university or career plans are invited to share their news on social media using #BCPSdecisionday or via email to communications@bcps.org.

In addition, Team BCPS staff, students, and community members are invited to wear college gear. Submitted photos will be added to a BCPS Flickr album as we celebrate the Class of 2025!

A printable decision day template is available for download on Flickr.

Registration open for annual HZR STEM Summer Camp

Camp to be held July 14-18

Registration is open for the annual Hereford Zone Robotics (HZR) STEM Summer Camp. Students who participate in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) camp will:

Explore lifting, driving, walking, and sensor guided robots.
Design robots to complete specified tasks.
Build robots to participate in robotic competition.
Program robots to operate autonomously and remote control.

The camp is recommended for students who will be in Grades 5-8 during the 2025-26 school year. The camp will be held at Hereford Middle School, from Monday, July 14, through Friday, July 18, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. The cost for the camp is $250.

Recent student and school system honors

Hereford High student Aya Elamrani-Zerifi one of four students nationally selected for zero-gravity research opportunity

Aya Elamrani-Zerifi, a Grade 11 student at Hereford High School, is one of four high school students nationally selected to conduct their research in microgravity on the ZERO-Gravity Corporation “G-Force One Aircraft” on Sunday, May 4 (weather permitting).

Elamrani-Zerifi’s research project is titled “Thermocapillary-Induced Bubble Dynamics.”

Elamrani-Zerifi describes herself as an aspiring astrophysicist and aerospace engineer. As an intern at Johns Hopkins University, she is conducting flux and shower studies on muons (an elementary particle like the electron). Last summer, during a NASA internship at the University of Texas at Austin, she designed a hexagonal propellant management device for a cryogenic fuel tank. Last year, she and four teammates earned a spot in the nationally competitive NASA TechRise Challenge and won first place in the high school division at the AIAA Young Professionals, Students, and Educators Conference held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Six BCPS schools named Maryland Green Schools; six other schools renewed their Green School certification

Six Baltimore County public schools were named among the newest Maryland Green Schools and Centers by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education. Those schools are Carroll Manor, Hebbville, Logan, and Rossville elementary schools, and George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology and Pikesville High School. This announcement brings the total number of Maryland Green Schools in BCPS to 57.

In addition to the six schools earning their first Green School certifications, Watershed Public Charter School renewed its status; Sparrows Point High School and Sparrows Point Middle School earned the Sustainable School designation; and Pine Grove Middle School, Pinewood Elementary School, and Prettyboy Elementary School reached the Sustainable Bronze Level. Recertification takes place every four years. Schools that renew four times are granted Sustainable status. Schools that renew five times are granted Sustainable Bronze status.

Hereford High senior Athena Zhou earns National Merit® corporate-sponsored scholarship

Athena W. Zhou, a senior at Hereford High School, is among the approximately 830 distinguished high school seniors from across the nation who have earned corporate-sponsored National Merit® Scholarship awards, which are financed by about 124 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations.

Zhou, a resident of Parkton who is planning a career in computer science, earned a National Merit Bentley Systems Scholarship. Bentley Systems, Inc., is a leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure.

Ridgely Middle School students Kristina Thapa and Alita Pinsker win honors in statewide safety poster contest

Kristina Thapa, a Grade 7 student at Ridgely Middle School, earned first place in the Grades 6-8 category of the Maryland Department of Transportation's Work Zone Safety Poster Contest. Alita Pinsker, a Grade 8 student at Ridgely Middle, captured first place honors in the Computer-Aided Drawing category of the contest.

ABOVE: Alita and Thapa along with other contest winners holding customized street signs made in their honor.

LEFT: Alita Pinsker (left) and Kristina Thapa (right) with their Ridgely Middle School art teacher Raine Dawn Valentine.

The graduating senior profile series continues for the Class of 2025

In honor of the Class of 2025, BCPS is profiling one senior from each high school. A new profile will be highlighted on the website and social media each school day until Friday, May 23, the last day for seniors.

Please follow along and share your support on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) as they are posted each day.

During the week of April 22-25, the series featured the following students:

Alex Fiorilo,

Chesapeake High School STEM Academy

Alex will be attending Loyola University of Maryland and would like to become a general practice attorney.

Rihanna Graham,

Milford Mill Academy

An active member of the National Honor Society, Speech and Debate Club, and Environmental Club, Rihanna envisions a future as a corporate attorney.

Harleen Kaur,

Sparrows Point High School

A student-athlete, Harleen will attend Carnegie Mellon University in the fall and then plans for a career in business or law.

Daniel Denson,

Kenwood High School

In JROTC, Daniel served as the Corps Commander. He will study aeronautical engineering in college and seeks a career as a military pilot.

April 30 is National Apprenticeship Day

The Apprenticeship Maryland Program, designed to lead to employment opportunities and further education, offers paid working and learning opportunities to students in all BCPS high schools. There are currently 96 BCPS high school students participating in apprenticeships.

The program is focused on career clusters such as information technology, health and biomedical sciences, manufacturing, construction and development, and banking, management, and finance, and it is offered in partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education and Maryland Department of Labor.

for parents

from BCPS Parent University

Special Education Parent Involvement Survey to close on May 30

Parents and guardians encouraged to make their voices heard!

Parents or guardians of children receiving special education and related services should have received the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey in February.

Families are asked to complete the survey and return it in the postage-paid envelope by Friday, May 30. The survey may also be completed online.

Feedback from families will help guide efforts to improve special education and related services in local school systems.

Join Parent University for virtual Lunch & Learn Workshops in May

“Grandparents Raising Grandchildren”

Thursday, May 8, at 12:30 p.m.

Nearly 3 million children in the U.S. are being raised by grandparents. In this virtual workshop, learn about the challenges faced by grandparents raising grandchildren, discuss strategies for building a home-school partnership, and access resources to support learning at home. Registration required.

“Easy Productivity Tips, Tricks & Techniques”

Friday, May 9, at 12:30 p.m.

This virtual workshop, presented by the Center for Family Success, will teach a variety of ways to approach prioritization and increase productivity without increasing stress. Registration required.

Scholarships available to attend Gettysburg College's 2025 Civic Engagement Camp

The Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College is hosting a Civic Engagement Camp from Monday, July 7, through Saturday, July 12, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Applications are open through Sunday, June 1, and need-based scholarships are available!

The camp is a hands-on opportunity for students who want to make positive change in their communities and offers the opportunity to compete for a grant to fund a change-making project. In addition to learning, the camp will include an ice cream social, movie night, campfire, celebration, and a day in Washington, D.C.

for your viewing pleasure

"Refractions" by Circe Titcomb, Grade 10, Catonsville High School, was featured in the 2024 Spring Art Exhibition at the law firm of Azrael, Franz, Schwab, Lipowitz & Solter.

mission moment

from The Education Foundation of BCPS

The Education Foundation's inaugural Let's Play Pickleball fundraiser is just one month away

The Education Foundation of BCPS is pleased to present the inaugural Let’s Play Pickleball fundraiser. Community members are invited to a competitive pickleball tournament, friendly pickleball clinic, Pickle Pong, networking, and more! Please join us on Thursday, May 29, from 2-5 p.m. at Copper Union, 5700 Cottonworth Ave., Baltimore 21209. All proceeds will go toward supporting the mission-driven work of the foundation.

Sponsorships and tickets are now available. A Mission Moment blog post offers details about ways to participate in and support this event.

Community invited to annual Baltimore Music Educators Wind Symphony benefit performance on Saturday, May 3

This year marks the Baltimore Music Educators Wind Symphony’s 22nd benefit performance for Kids Helping Hopkins. The free public concert will be held on Saturday, May 3, at 5 p.m. at Perry Hall High School, 4601 Ebenezer Rd., Baltimore 21236.

The ensemble consists of current and retired BCPS educators alongside community members.

Any donations collected will directly benefit Kids Helping Hopkins, an organization that provides support to the Child Life Department at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

A word from Dr. Rogers

April 28, 2025

Dear Reader:

This week, we celebrate both National Principals Day and School Lunch Hero Day.

Our amazing principals, whom we will celebrate on Thursday, May 1, are instructional leaders, building managers, community relations specialists, and so much more. But while they handle a high level of responsibility every day, they also create welcoming environments in their school buildings and nurture both students and staff. They are essential partners in our work to move the school system forward, and we cannot thank them enough for all they do.

Our food and nutrition services staff, whom we will recognize on Friday, May 2, also make exceptional contributions to the academic success and wellbeing of our students. This talented team offers free breakfast and lunch meals to all students. I am continually impressed with their efforts to improve food quality and nutrition, their work with students to explore possible new menu items, and their initiatives to reduce food waste.

It is my pleasure to celebrate our many Team BCPS members who each contribute to student success in their own ways.

Regards,

Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.

Superintendent