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Three rise to the top
From 1,500 entries
Best haiku chosen
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BCPS students were challenged to write haiku in response to a piece of student artwork selected from among 10 pieces. More than 1,500 entries were received from 85 schools, centers, and programs.
A panel of student and staff judges selected the following contest winners:
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Elementary School Winner
Golden figure dreams
Black birds whisper in the night
Mountains guard his peace
Samuel Olawale, Grade 5
Lyons Mill Elementary School
Teacher: Sara McShane
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Middle School Winner
Reborn black mermaid
feeling the warmth on her face
lilypad sunrise
Payton Williams, Grade 8
Dundalk Middle School
Library media specialist: Amanda Colgan
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High School Winner
Arms severed and torn,
But I am grounded in the
beauty of my roots.
Emily Zhou, Grade 12
Dulaney High School
Teacher: Meekah Hopkins
| | Art prompt by Caleb Norton, Grade 11, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology | | Art prompt by Corryn Word, Grade 12, Milford Mill Academy | | Art prompt by Thomas Aiken, Grade 12, Kenwood High School | | Each haiku winner has received a gift bag, including a $100 Amazon gift card, from The Education Foundation of BCPS Inc. and a book selected for them from The Ivy Bookshop. The winners will also receive framed prints of their haiku and the artwork that inspired them. Learn more about the contest and its winners in a news release. Photos of the winners receiving their prizes can be found on Flickr. | | Hampton Elementary, Hereford Middle, and Hereford High school teams excel at BCPS Chess Tournament | | |
More than 125 BCPS students from 28 schools gathered to participate in the 2025 BCPS Chess Tournament. The event was held on April 5 at Ridgely Middle School. Each school sent up to five of its top players, who competed both individually and as teams.
Tournament Results
Elementary Division
- 1st Place Team: Hampton Elementary
- 2nd Place Team: Essex Elementary
- 1st Place Individual: Zachary Liu, Hampton Elementary
- 2nd Place Individual: Sebastian Romero, Essex Elementary
Middle School Division
- 1st Place Team: Hereford Middle
- 2nd Place Team: Ridgely Middle
- 1st Place Individual: Arthur Xu, Hereford Middle
- 2nd Place Individual: Rohan Agarwal, Ridgely Middle
High School Division
- 1st Place Team: Hereford High
- 2nd Place Team: Loch Raven High
- 1st Place Individual: Matthew Martin, Hereford High
- 2nd Place Individual: Landon Sax, Towson High
The tournament was organized and hosted by Ryan Brown, a technology education teacher and robotics coach at Ridgely Middle. The tournament director was Brent Layer, a chess coach with Silver Knights Chess Academy. This annual event continues to grow and welcomes a wide range of skill levels. Some of the students will also compete in the Maryland Scholastic Chess Tournament later this month.
| | 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 7-11, the series featured the following students:
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Chimnonso Awujo,
Overlea High School
A scholar-athlete, Chimnonso has participated in local and national student leadership programs. She is completing a health sciences magnet program at Overlea and plans to become a dermatologist.
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Piper Citino,
Online Learning Program
For Piper, an anatomy class reignited her commitment to a nursing career. She will be following in her grandmother's footsteps. Her grandmother worked as a nurse for more than 40 years.
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Maya King,
Catonsville High School
Maya made the challenging switch from swimming to rowing in Grade 9. In the fall, she will attend University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she will row for the school's Division 1 crew team while studying environmental science.
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Rocco Lilli,
Dundalk High School
Working toward a career as a military officer, Rocco has participated in his school's Navy JROTC and earned two varsity letters. He will earn an associate degree in engineering technology from CCBC before his high school graduation.
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Rhema Nkwocha,
Eastern Technical High School
A track athlete with state and national medals, Rhema holds several school records and one countywide record. He plans to study sports science or kinesiology in college and to become a physician assistant.
| | Recent student, staff and school honors | | Riderwood Elementary student Bindi Ray advances to Scripps National Spelling Bee | | |
Amelia “Bindi” Ray, a Grade 5 student at Riderwood Elementary School, after winning classroom, school-level, and regional spelling bees, is advancing to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will be held on May 27, 28, and 29, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, MD.
Ray began her journey toward the national competition by participating in a spelling bee club, funded by the Riderwood Elementary School PTA and hosted during Grade 5 lunch periods by teacher Jennifer Buchman.
Ray was one of two competitors from Riderwood at the Maryland Regional Bee, presented by the Maryland Sports Commission. The regional competition involved a 40-minute timed computerized spelling and vocabulary test, offered virtually. Ray won first place with a near-perfect score of 34/35 points.
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New Town, Randallstown high schools honored for diversity in Advanced Placement computer science principles classes
New Town and Randallstown high schools have earned the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for 2024 from College Board.
The award honors the schools for having 50 percent or more female test takers in the Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles course or a percentage of female test takers equaling or exceeding the percentage of females attending the school. Nationwide, 1,153 schools were honored for their 2024 achievements.
The computer science principles course is taught by Brent Hopkins and Reven Smith at New Town High and Faith Ayers at Randallstown High.
| | Perry Hall High student Edgardo Ramos-Euceda to present at national Latinx education summit | | |
Edgardo Ramos-Euceda, a Grade 11 student at Perry Hall High School, will present on the student panel "Voices in Action: Navigating Change, Honoring Identity, and Leading Solutions” at the Latinx Education Collaborative ACCIÓN Summit 2025. The free virtual conference was presented on April 12.
Ramos-Euceda is president of the "Unidos Somos Fuertes" Latino Student Union at Perry Hall. He recently presented at the BCPS Mind Over Matters Conference and at the TABCO Minority Affairs Committee Black Lives Matter at Schools Symposium.
| | Dulaney High and Eastern Tech earn gold medals at SkillsMaryland competition | | Congratulations to the BCPS career and technical education students and programs that earned medals at the SkillsMaryland competition. Dulaney High earned a bronze medal in Prepared Speech and a gold medal in T-shirt Design. Eastern Technical High School earned a gold medal in Computer Science. Both schools are headed to the national competition. The SkillsUSA Championships showcase the nation’s most highly skilled career and technical education students. | | 200+ BCPS students participate in Arts Career Day with Arts for Learning Maryland | |
April 9 was BCPS Arts Career Day with Arts for Learning Maryland. More than 200 students gathered at Sollers Point Multipurpose Center to engage with performing artists for career exploration. Students met with professional artists in dance, visual arts, spoken word, art/museum administration, music, and theater to discuss career expectations, including how to navigate trademarks and the financial aspects of being a professional artist. In addition to participating in small workshops, students attended a college fair focused on local colleges with art programs. The event was coordinated by BCPS career navigators and represented a collaboration among the BCPS Office of College, Career, and Technical Education and the BCPS Office of Fine Arts with Arts for Learning Maryland. More photos from the day can be found on Flickr.
| | Annual BCPS Dance Festival available for viewing | | Loch Raven High School PTSA hosting a free program about how nature can aid with stress relief | | |
The Loch Raven PTSA is hosting a "Green Spaces, Healthy Minds: The Link Between Nature & Stress Relief" program on Wednesday, April 30, from 6-8 p.m. at Loch Raven High School. The evening will feature a presentation by Gina Strauss, a nature-informed therapist at Chesapeake Mental Health Collaborative (and a 1988 graduate of Loch Raven High). There will also be hands-on stations where students and families can learn about mindfulness, eco-art, biophilic design, and sound healing, plus informational tables about resources at Loch Raven and in the community.
The event is free and open to the public! Register to attend or email lochravenhighschoolptsa@gmail.com with any questions.
| | BCPS educators can apply for 2025 Golden Apple Awards | | BCPS teachers, school administrators, and school support employees can submit entries for the 2025 Golden Apple Educator Awards from Freedom Federal Credit Union. Ten awards will be presented, ranging from $500-$2,000. Scoring favors submissions with the greatest impact and creativity with a strong preference for ideas/initiatives that are sustainable over multiple years. More information and the application can be found online. Applications are due by Saturday, May 31. | |
for parents
from BCPS Parent University
| | Latest edition of the Parent University show explores the role of school counselors | | A clothing and food pantry at Padonia International elementary school staffed by volunteers from Broadmead Retirement Community is also highlighted in the episode as well as the work of the school's CARE liaison. | | |
Learn more about special permission transfers
The application window is open now through Sunday, June 1.
| | for your viewing pleasure | | "Ambedo" by Reese K., Grade 12, Eastern Technical High School, was featured in the 2025 "Art is for Everyone" exhibition at The Baltimore Museum of Art. Photos from the exhibition can be found on Flickr. | | |
mission moment
from The Education Foundation of BCPS
| | Soles4Souls donates shoes and socks for children experiencing homelessness | | |
This spring, Soles4Souls once again partnered with BCPS to deliver 1,500 pairs of new athletic shoes and 1,500 pairs of new Bomba socks to children who are experiencing homelessness.
BCPS homeless liaisons and community school facilitators were invited to visit the BCPS Office of Logistics Warehouse on March 10 to select brand new shoes and socks for their students. In the days leading up to the adoption event, families experiencing homelessness were given the opportunity to submit a request for specific sizes for their children. The Friday before the adoption event, BCPS staff and a cadre of amazing volunteers organized the shoes by category and size.
A Mission Moment blog post tells the rest of the story, including the impact that new schools and socks have on the students who receive them.
| | 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.
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Board of Education Chair Jane Lichter and Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers address OIGE report
During the April 8 Board of Education meeting, Board Chair Jane Lichter and Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers addressed the inaccurate reports and news stories regarding the superintendent’s residency. Chair Lichter affirmed that Dr. Rogers has met the residency obligations as outlined in her contract and that she has maintained residency in Baltimore County since September 2024.
The Office of the Inspector General for Education’s (OIGE) report concluded without making any findings of a contract violation, let alone any wrongdoing on the part of Dr. Rogers, and it has been formally closed. The report indicated that this is a contractual matter falling within the purview of the Board and Superintendent. The report also offered three recommendations for internal consideration, which will be taken under advisement.
The residency clause in Dr. Rogers’ contract is intended to reflect the importance of community engagement. Since assuming her role, Dr. Rogers has made community involvement a priority.
In case you missed it, please read the full April 9 Community Update online.
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April 22, 2025
Dear Reader:
Welcome back!
After spring break, time seems to accelerate as we enter the season of year-end projects, final exams, spring productions and concerts, award ceremonies, and commencement exercises.
One of these award ceremonies, our Champions for Children gala celebration, takes place tomorrow, Wednesday, April 23, from 4-6 p.m. at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. The Baltimore County Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, and Assistant Principal of the Year for 2025-26 will be announced. In addition, the gala will celebrate a variety of other BCPS all-stars, including a “Rising Star” Teacher of the Year, Supervisory Leader of the Year, Supporting Services Employee of the Year, Community School Facilitator of the Year, Transportation Champion, AFSCME Employee of the Year, Volunteer Champion, and Business Partner Champion. Tune in live at 4:45 p.m. to watch the celebration. More information is available in a BCPS news release.
This is an exciting period, but also a time when students need to maintain focus on academics. I encourage students who might need additional assistance in any subject area to reach out to their teachers or school counselors. We are all working together to ensure success for every student.
Regards,
Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.
Superintendent
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Upcoming Board and community advisory group meetings
All are welcome to attend
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Southeast Area Educational Advisory Council meeting
Monday, April 28, at 7 p.m.
Mars Estates Elementary School library, 1500 E. Homberg Ave., Essex 21221
Topic: Academic programs, options, services
Board of Education meeting
Tuesday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m.
BCPS headquarters/Greenwood, 6901 N. Charles St., Building E, Towson 21204
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