Tuesday, May 26, 2026

21 films by students from 7 schools honored in 2026 Film Expo

Additional awards presented by The Sheffield Institute for the Recording Arts

Baltimore County Public Schools hosted its 2026 Film Expo on May 21 at Pikesville High School.



An enthusiastic audience of students, educators, and family and community members viewed finalist films created by BCPS middle and high school students.

The first-place films selected by the judges are:

Film Expo honorees

The names of all honored films can be found in the event program available online. More photos from the Film Expo can be found on Flickr.

Jeff Otradovec presenting awards from Sheffield

New to the Film Expo this year, The Sheffield Institute for the Recording Arts honored the makers of four films with a VIP portfolio review and mentorship session at its studios. The awards were presented to:

• Des (Emma) Hershfield, Hereford High School – “Pete”
• Chinye Eximako, Eastern Technical High School – “The Misunderstood Immigrant”
• Hannah Hong, Eastern Technical High School – “The Needing Seed”
• Ryan Chen, Noah Gray, and Owen Gray, Western School of Technology – “Flout’s Fluyts 3”

School Resource Officers of the Year announced

Officer Joaquin Prudent,

Edmondson Heights Elementary School

Officer Aundre (Smitty) Smith (retired),

Holabird Middle School

Officer Hector Pamales,

Parkville High School

BCPS celebrated its 2026 School Resource Officers (SROs) of the Year during surprise ceremonies held on May 18-20. The honorees are Officer Joaquin Prudent, Elementary School Resource Officer of the Year; Officer Aundre (Smitty) Smith, Middle School Resource Officer of the Year; and Officer Hector Pamales, High School Resource Officer of the Year.

More information about the honored SROs can be found in a recent news release. Photos from the awards ceremonies for Officer Prudent, Officer Smith, and Officer Pamales can be found on Flickr.

Mildred Murray Scholar-Athlete and Allied Sports scholarships awarded

School system leaders and families gathered at Baltimore County Public Schools administrative offices on May 20 for a special ceremony to honor the two newest recipients of the Mildred Murray All-Academic Scholar-Athlete Award and Scholarship and five recipients of Allied Sports scholarships. The honored students are:

Mary Murphy, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology – Mildred Murray All-Academic Scholar-Athlete Award and Scholarship

Arvin Singh, Eastern Technical High School

– Mildred Murray All-Academic Scholar-Athlete Award and Scholarship

Angel Campbell, Towson High School – Brittney Reese Allied Sports Scholarship

Gregory Holsey, Lansdowne High School – Chase Kalisz Allied Sports Scholarship

 Cory Bradford, Parkville High School – Tradepoint Atlantic Allied Sports Scholarship

Campbell Feltman, Dulaney High School - League of Dreams Allied Sports Scholarship

Seonne-Jaiden San Pedro, Kenwood High School – The O’Meara Family Allied Sports Scholarship

More photos from the award ceremony are available on Flickr.

BCPS Spring Intern Conference held on May 20

More than 100 college students interning in BCPS participated in a Spring Intern Conference on May 20 that offered professional learning opportunities and served as a recruitment event for BCPS.

42 BCPS high school students showcase their work in an Independent Research Symposium

BCPS students from Franklin, Hereford, and Parkville high schools and Milford Mill Academy.are showcasing months of original research in the annual online Independent Research Symposium, a culminating event for students enrolled in the Independent Research Seminar course.

Guided by their library media specialists (Christie Rigilano of Franklin High, Jen Houseknecht of Hereford High, Melyssa Kenney of Parkville High, and Stephanie Lawrence of Milford Mill), along with faculty advisors and mentors, students engaged in a rigorous research process.

This year's students explored a wide range of topics, including the educational divide in American politics, reducing knee injuries in female collegiate sports, the link between media consumption and crime policy, the impact of changing body ideals on female athletes, how social media affects architecture, the prevalence of myth in modern culture, the gut-brain axis, the lasting ramifications of COVID-19, music therapy for dementia patients, whether assault weapon bans decrease mass shootings, and the effect of cell phone usage during the school day.

The "greening" of Catonsville High School

How two friends, with the support of their principal and school community, shepherded Catonsville to Green School status

The story of how Catonsville High School became a Maryland Green School is a story of student leadership, of friendship, and of a school principal empowering his students to act.

As soon as Catonsville High’s Green School status was announced in April, Principal Matt Ames reached out to say that after the school’s Green Club faded away due to changes, two juniors – Alexandra Bulley and Imani Rogers – stepped up to create the EcoKind Club.

Imani Rogers and Alexandra Bulley

“They took all the things we were already doing as a school, met with me about their goals for the club, organized meetings with faculty and our PTSA, and initiated the Maryland Green School application,” says Ames. “They did all of this in four months!"

In a new blog post, Alexandra and Imani discuss what EcoKind has achieved and what's ahead for the club as well as their friendship and other interests.

High school graduations continue through June 6

More than 7,000 students will graduate from BCPS this spring. All graduations will be held at Towson University’s SECU Arena, unless otherwise noted. The graduation schedule is available online.

While in-person seating will be limited, all BCPS graduations at SECU Arena can be viewed live on the BCPS-TV YouTube Live channel, on BCPS-TV (Comcast Channel 1073 and Verizon Channel 34), and on the BCPS website.

In addition, BCPS invites students, families, and staff to submit their favorite 2026 high school commencement snapshots. By submitting a photo, the sender agrees to its use by BCPS. Many of the pictures received will be shared by BCPS on its social media accounts and/or posted online in a BCPS Flickr album. To contribute a photo via email, individuals are asked to send the photo as a jpeg file (no larger than 4 MB) and email it to communications@bcps.org – including the school name. 

Team BCPS celebrates...

On the last Friday of each May, BCPS pauses to recognize its custodians, groundskeepers, maintenance personnel, and logistics personnel for their commitment to excellence and many contributions to creating and maintaining environments that support productivity and academic success. Please join us in showing appreciation.

Below is a video highlighting Ray Sponaugle, foreman of the grounds department at Eastern Technical High School, who is just one of the many personnel to be celebrated on Friday, May 29,

recent honors

Grace Berquist of Hereford High and Cayden Wilson of Eastern Tech each named 2026 Baltimore County Young Woman of the Year

Grace Berquist,

Hereford High School 

Cayden Wilson,

Eastern Technical High School 

Seniors Grace Berquist of Hereford High School and Cayden Wilson of Eastern Technical High School have each been named Baltimore County's Young Woman of the Year by the Baltimore County Commission for Women. They were honored at a ceremony on May 21.  

Both Berquist and Wilson are scholar-athletes who participated in Towson University's Outstanding Young Women Leaders program. In the fall, Berquist will attend High Point University and play Division I lacrosse while Wilson is committed to play Division II lacrosse at Davis and Elkins College.

English language development teacher Stacey Addy honored by statewide organization

Maryland Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) has honored Stacey Addy with its ESOL Teacher of the Year Award. Addy is an English language development teacher at Deer Park, Hernwood, and Scotts Branch elementary schools.

The annual award, presented on May 15 at the Maryland TESOL Spring Dinner, honors a K-12 ESOL educator in Maryland who goes above and beyond their job duties, distinguishing themselves through exceptional service both inside and outside of the ESOL classroom.

Annual CTE Student Recognition Ceremony available for online viewing

BCPS premiered a virtual 52nd Annual Career and Technical Education (CTE) Student Recognition Ceremony on May 13. During the ceremony, 158 seniors – one student from each CTE program at each high school – were recognized as exemplary students. 

'Tis the season for PreKindergarten and Kindergarten registration

It is time to register children for PreKindergarten and Kindergarten ahead of the 2026-2027 school year.

Parents/guardians who wish to register their child for enrollment in a PreKindergarten 3 or PreKindergarten 4 class should contact their home school. 

Kindergarten is required for all students living in Maryland. Parents/guardians should contact their neighborhood elementary school to register their child for Kindergarten.

Families may also call the Department of Early Childhood Programs at 443-809-4313 for more information.

for parents/caregivers

from BCPS Parent University

The May episode of the Parent University show now available for viewing

The May episode of the Parent University show features stories about a cursive writing pilot in 24 elementary schools and a partnership with The Hippodrome Foundation and Local 913 that challenges students from George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology to design costumes for characters in the musical "SUFFS." The episode ends with a FACES of BCPS profile of Laurie Phillips Friend, a human resources analyst whose role includes organizing job fairs.

Visit the BCPS Parent University "When School is Out" webpage

As summer approaches, families are invited to explore the BCPS Parent University When School Is Out webpage, which features a variety of community resources and learning activities. This includes details on summer camps, academic support through National PTA Parent Guides and math and reading digital resources, family day trip ideas, reading programs from the Baltimore County Public Library, and links to community support such as the BCPS Summer Meals programs. Visit the "When School Is Out" page today to ensure your family enjoys a fun, active, and enriching summer.

for your viewing pleasure

"Satchmo," by Monae Trent, Grade 12, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. This multimedia painting is featured in the 2026 High School Juried Art Show on display at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture through February 28, 2027. The show includes 15 artworks by Carver Center students.

mission moment

from The Education Foundation of BCPS

Announcing the winners of the 2026 American Design Associates Alternative Learning Space Grants

American Design Associates has expanded its Alternative Learning Space Grant. In 2026, the company has partnered with VS America and WB Manufacturing to provide two schools with Alternative Learning Spaces for their libraries. The spaces will be custom-designed for teaching, tutoring, group projects, presentations, and more.

Congratulations to the 2026 winners!

A new Mission Moment blog post tells more of the story.

(Pictured above, the alternative learning space at Hawthorne Elementary School, a 2025 grant recipient)

The full meeting can be viewed online.

a word from Dr. Rogers

May 26, 2026

Dear Reader:

Baltimore County Public Schools, in partnership with the Baltimore County Police Department, is deeply committed to ensuring the safety of all students and staff across our schools and offices. To protect our community, the school system employs a layered approach to security that includes clear student expectations, student safety assistants, safety managers, School Resource Officers (SROs), cameras, security vestibules, Open Gate and Omnilert weapons detection systems, and comprehensive training.

Last week, we had the honor of recognizing three extraordinary professionals as our 2026 SROs of the Year: Officer Joaquin Prudent of Edmondson Heights Elementary School, Officer Aundre (Smitty) Smith of Holabird Middle School, and Officer Hector Pamales of Parkville High School.

BCPS SROs serve as effective and compassionate peace officers, but they do so much more for our schools, staff, and students. Working side by side with our teachers and administrators each day, they are integral to providing a safe and welcoming learning space for our students. As mentors, models, and counselors, they are valuable resources for both staff and students.

We are fortunate to have such talented, dedicated, and caring SROs in our schools.

Regards,

Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Upcoming Board and community meetings

All are welcome to attend

Southeast Area Education Advisory Council meeting

Monday, June 1, at 7 p.m.

Meeting details

Topic: Planning for 2026-2027

PTA Council of Baltimore County: Leadership Training Session and Scholarship/Reflections/Service-Learning Award Presentations

Monday, June 8, at 7 p.m.

West Towson Elementary School, 6914 N. Charles St., 21204

Board of Education meeting

Tuesday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m.

BCPS headquarters/Greenwood, 6901 N. Charles St., Building E, Towson 21204