Graduating seniors offer parting words to BCPS and younger students -- This Week in BCPS

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Graduating seniors offer parting words to BCPS and younger students

Over the next several days, more than 7,000 BCPS high school seniors will become high school graduates. As they leave us, we asked them to briefly share some of their favorite memories of their time in our schools or offer advice to younger students.

Many of their messages can be found in a blog post or on social media.

Graduating high school seniors interested in sharing their messages (in no more than two sentences, 35 words total) can send their messages and a photo of themselves to communications@bcps.org. Please note that messages must be accompanied by photos of the students. The student should be the only person in the photo. And messages will be edited for length and clarity if needed. Seniors, please include your first and last name and the name of the high school from which you are graduating.

How Dundalk Middle School students initiated changes to the BCPS lunch menu

At a Community School Committee meeting at Dundalk Middle School last fall, Grade 8 student Anais Martinez asked, "What if we made the lunch menu more diverse?" As the committee discussed Anais' question, Community School Facilitator Billye Cooper learned that many students felt that the "American-style" menu BCPS offered was not entirely reflective of their cultural backgrounds. In hopes of finding their "one piece of home" in school, the students sought to curate new menu items that would represent their diverse heritages.

The BCPS Office of Food and Nutrition Services eagerly joined in the conversation and worked with students to taste-test possible menu additions. Now, thanks to Dundalk Middle students speaking up, Indian dish tikka masala with rice and naan and Mexican dish chicken tinga with rice will be added to the school lunch menu rotation systemwide beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.

A new blog post researched and written by Habiba Lam, Chesapeake High School senior and BCPS Communications apprentice, tells more of the story.

Jaime Hetzler, BCPS director of Food and Nutrition services, talking with Dundalk Middle School students at a taste testing event.

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.

Team BCPS members share reasons why BCPS is a great place to work

There are so many reasons to work for BCPS: competitive salaries and benefits, job security, the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students and communities, diversity, professional growth, and more. In a new video, Team BCPS members share some of the reasons why they chose to be a part of this school system.

Enjoy films by the BCPS Film Expo finalists!

A list of Film Expo winners and honorable mentions can be found in a recent news release.

High school commencement exercises continue this week

Over the next few weeks, more than 7,000 students will become 2024 BCPS graduates. All graduations will be held at Towson University’s TU Arena, unless otherwise noted. While in-person seating will be limited, friends, extended family, and community members are invited to witness these milestone events via livestream. The graduation schedule webpage includes links to the livestreams.

Arts educators earn statewide, districtwide honors

Four BCPS educators have earned statewide honors from the Maryland Art Education Association. In addition, the BCPS Office of Visual Arts has selected nine district-level award winners.

The BCPS statewide award winners are:

Maryland Elementary Art Educator of the Year

Antoinette Hagerich, Chatsworth School

Maryland Secondary Art Educator of the Year

Pam Ehrenreich, Chesapeake High School

Maryland Outstanding National Art Honor Society Sponsor of the Year

Erica Hamilton, Western School of Technology

Linda Popp Leadership Award

Raine Valentine, Ridgely Middle School

The BCPS district-level award winners are:

BCPS Educator as Practicing Artist Award

Lara Grace, Ridgely Middle School

BCPS Outstanding National Art Honor Society Sponsor

Lindsay Miller, Towson High School

BCPS Emeritus Elementary Art Educator

Jen Mesaros, Office of Visual Arts

BCPS Novice Elementary Art Educator

Courtney Payne, Elmwood Elementary School

BCPS Career Elementary Art Educator

Stephanie Pickron, Dundalk Elementary School

BCPS Novice Middle Level Art Educator

Jenn Widmayer, Perry Hall Middle School

BCPS Career Middle Level Art Educator

Kathryn Knight, Parkville Middle School

BCPS Novice Secondary Art Educator

Kari Gillman, Parkville High School

BCPS Career Secondary Art Educator

Leigh Caputo, Woodlawn High School

More information can be found in a news release.

Two Perry Hall seniors to participate in prestigious National Institutes of Health Summer Internship Program

Perry Hall High School graduating seniors Aisha Batista and Mahlet Nigussu have been selected to participate in the National Institute on Aging Summer Training in Aging Research Program. Batista and Nigussu are among only nine students selected from the more than 1,400 students who applied to the program.

Through the Summer Training in Aging Research Program, which is part of the wider National Institutes of Health Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research, talented students are offered eight- to 10-week paid internships at the National Institute on Aging’s Intramural Research Program in Baltimore.

Aisha Batista

Mahlet Nigussu

Celebrating the Class of 2024 with graduating senior profiles

In honor of the Class of 2024, BCPS profiled one senior from each high school. These profiles highlight the strengths of our seniors and their diversity. Last week, the series concluded with a focus on these three students.

Sofia Makarashvili, Owings Mills High School

A young woman with diverse interests, Sofia plans to study physics and acting at Bennington College but also wants to explore literature and philosophy. She is writing a novel and will soon publish a book of poems.

Emely Alejandra Rivas, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts

While in high school, Emely performed with BCPS' best student musicians and even alongside the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. An aspiring clinical psychologist, she will attend the University of Maryland, College Park as a Banneker/Key Scholar.

Chau'Nyia Ellison, Pikesville High School

An aspiring actor, Chau'Nyia is proud of earning straight A's for the past two years and for being the first in her family to go to college. At Pikesville High, she served as manager of the girls basketball team.

for parents

from BCPS Parent University

Things to consider about posting online and children's privacy

In a new NPR "Life Kit" post, Leah Plunkett, a Harvard Law School faculty member and author of "Sharenthood: Why We Should Think Before We Talk About Our Kids Online," discusses the potential dangers about oversharing information about children on social media.

Looking for more guidance? The PBS News Hour shared tips from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.

Looking for more ideas and information? Please sign up for the Parent University newsletter! It is designed specifically for parents and caregivers and offers ideas, information, resources, and opportunities.

for your viewing pleasure

"Heritage" by Makhai Swann, Grade 12, Randallstown High School. Work featured in The Superintendent's Gallery: West Zone School Exhibition.

Artist's Statement:

This digital work explores the intricate tapestry of cultural identity [and] heritage, and reflects on marks of history. This portrait is of a figure clothed in traditional attire and whose face is a mosaic of textures, symbols and fragments of paper. The layers are meant to symbolize the stories, beliefs, artifacts, and historical events that are often left for us to sort through to understand our ancestry and identity. The feathers appear to float around the figure creating a sense of motion and freedom, while illustrating the importance of nature and spirituality. The fragments of the figure's face are meant to be seen as a larger narrative between individual and collective memory. Through my own research of family history and heritage, I have found that these pieces of history and memories are passed through generations to serve and preserve our cultural and self-identities.

To see more artwork by BCPS students, teachers, and other members of the BCPS community, please visit the Office of Visual Arts gallery webpage.

mission moment

from The Education Foundation of BCPS

Grant opportunities for schools and offices open on Saturday, June 1

Providing innovative grant opportunities centered on increasing achievement for all students, enhancing the experiences of the school community, and providing a variety of pathways to prepare students for college and careers is just one way The Education Foundation fulfills its mission.

Want to increase access to diverse books? Apply beginning on Saturday, June 1, for a fall 2024 Little Free Library Grant.
Want to support the social-emotional well-being of your colleagues and students? Apply beginning on Saturday, June 1, for the new Yoga for SEL grant.
Do you have another passion you’d like to explore with your school community? Apply beginning on Saturday, June 1, for a 21st Century Instructional Initiative grant or a Putting Students First grant.

Find more information in a new Mission Moment blog post or on the foundation’s website .

The list of administrative appointments and a video of the meeting are available online.

Superintendent addresses several topics during monthly press conference

BCPS Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers held a media availability on May 23, to share updates and information on the Fiscal Year 2025 operating budget, Omnilert weapons detection system, recruitment and staffing, and end-of-school-year reminders for Team BCPS. Dr. Rogers welcomed several special guests to the press conference, including Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Baltimore County Council Chair Izzy Patoka and Council Member Pat Young. Dr. Rogers also answered questions from the media.

Highlights from the press conference can be found in English and Spanish on the BCPS website. In addition, the event can be viewed on YouTube.

A word from Dr. Rogers

May 28, 2024

Dear Reader:

Last Thursday, the Baltimore County Council approved in full the Fiscal Year 2025 operating budget for BCPS. The new $2.6 billion budget provides $41 million above state-required Maintenance of Effort funding.

We deeply appreciate the Council’s partnership with BCPS. Through their support, Council Chairman Izzy Patoka and the Council members recognize that every dollar invested in our school system is a direct investment in the future of Baltimore County. The Fiscal Year 2025 funding will help BCPS prioritize resources in the areas of greatest need and fast-track the critical work needed to build a higher-performing school system.

Our most sincere thanks to County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Chairman Patoka, and the County Council for making public education a top priority in the budget process. I have assured them and can assure the community that BCPS will spend every dollar wisely to deliver the best possible education to our more than 110,000 students.

Regards,

Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.

Superintendent