Monday, July 13, 2026

Two BCPS teachers make history as members of first female quartet to win international Barbershop Harmony Society contest

GQ, a quartet featuring two Baltimore County Public Schools teachers, became the first female quartet to win the Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Quartet Contest in the organization’s 88-year history.

The quartet’s members are Katie Gillis, lead/baritone, a professional singer, farmer, and potter; Ali Hauger, lead/baritone, a Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts graduate and Kindergarten teacher at Colgate Elementary School; Amanda Sandroni, tenor, vocal music teacher at Chapel Hill Elementary School; and Samantha Tramack, bass, a music teacher in Virginia.

Learn more about the quartet in a Summer Stories blog post and about the history-making award in a recent news release.

Beyond BCPS: Lansdowne High graduate Madison Nelson's debut novel to be published in October

In the acknowledgements of her debut novel, Lansdowne High school graduate Madison Nelson thanks Stacy Drega Swann, her AVID coordinator at Lansdowne High School, for her ongoing support.

A new Beyond BCPS blog post shares Nelson's inspiring story, from a challenging childhood to a two-book deal with a major publisher and a successful career in fashion marketing.

Join us at a Meet the Superintendent event

Share your ideas and hopes with Superintendent Dr. Bill Heiser

BCPS will host six “Meet the Superintendent” events this summer. Superintendent Dr. Bill Heiser is eager to hear directly from community members about their priorities and hopes for BCPS.

Spanish interpretation will be provided at each meeting. To request interpreting services for other languages, please call 443-809-1250 as soon as possible.

Learn more about Dr. Heiser's background and accomplishments and the selection process in a recent BCPS news release. A separate news release describes his appointment.

Photos from the Meet the Superintendent event on July 9 at Pine Grove Middle School. More images on Flickr.

Summer Stories: Catonsville High hosts camp for incoming Grade 9 students

Martha M. Bingaman, career navigator at Catonsville High School, wrote a Summer Stories blog post about the school's four-day "Oh, the Places You'll Go" camp for rising Grade 9 students.

During the camp, students experienced some of the completer programs offered at Catonsville High, such as ProStart culinary, Project Lead the Way engineering, and interactive media production, and they went on two field trips to explore career options.

What's your summer story?

To submit a blog post or suggest a story idea, please write to communications@bcps.org. We want to know about your summer jobs/internships/externships, vacations, creative projects, competitions, camps, and more!

BCPS Summer Music Camp concludes with performance for families and friends

To celebrate its final day, the BCPS Summer Music Camp held a band concert and steel pan and orchestra concert on July 1 at Perry Hall High School. The camp for students in Grades 5-12 began on June 24. More photos from the concerts can be found on Flickr.

BCPS Summer Dance Intensive concluded on July 1 with a public performance

Committee members needed for Overlea High School boundary study

Volunteers asked to express interest by Sunday, July 19

BCPS seeks two parents/caregivers each from Loch Raven, Overlea, and Parkville high schools and Cockeysville, Loch Raven Academy, Nottingham, Parkville, Pine Grove, and Ridgely middle schools to serve on a new boundary study committee.

The purpose of the study is to provide capacity relief to Overlea High by balancing enrollment among the three high schools. Those interested in participating on the study committee should complete the Committee Member Interest Form or contact their school principal. Committee members will be selected this summer and will meet up to six times between October and January 2027.

More information can be found in a news release and on the Overlea High School Capacity Relief Boundary Study webpage.

Escape the heat with a cool book

This has been one hot summer so far! A great way to stay cool is to dive into a wonderful new book. The books recommended this week by our wonderful colleagues in the Baltimore County Public Library Collection Development Department will transport you to Mexico, France, an animation summer camp, and an historically Black college.



Many thanks to our library friends for these great recommendations, and please remember to stop by your local library branch to participate in the summer reading program, have them put together a Be Surprised Bundle for you, and take part in their many activities.

Focus on Families

from BCPS Parent University

County offers guide to summer fun

Summer days can be so much fun for children – until they get bored. The Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks has come to the rescue with a program guide filled with free and low-cost activities across the county.

Here are a few examples (all free!):

Art Showcase

"Paper Fertilizer" by Ashley Denham, Perry Hall High School. At the 38th Annual BCPS High School Art Exhibition, this painting earned honorable mention honors in the Baltimore County Public Schools Awards. The exhibition is on display at The Towson University StarTUp at The Armory (307 Washington Ave, Towson 21204) through Friday, July 31.

Mission Moment

from The Education Foundation of BCPS

Media Star Promotions wins Hermes Award for The Education Foundation's Strategic Plan

Congratulations to Media Star Promotions for receiving the Hermes 2026 Gold Award for Creative Design Publications for its work on The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc.’s Strategic Plan document.

For six months, the foundation’s strategic planning committee, led by Carin Lazarus, founder and president/CEO of Media Star Promotions; Carrie O’Meara, chief marketing officer of Media Star Promotions; and Caroline Giordano, graphic designer, worked through a process to refine the foundation’s vision, mission, and strategic goals for the next five years. The Media Star Promotions team then took all the components and designed a document that exhibited brand colors, fonts, style elements, and the innovative and creative spirit of the foundation. Learn more in a new Mission Moment blog post.

BCPS Superintendent Dr. Heiser hosts first media availability on July 6

Highlights of the media availability can be read online in English and Spanish.

Highlights from Dr. Heiser

July 13, 2026

Dear Team BCPS:

Thank you for the warm welcome back to Baltimore County Public Schools. My first days as superintendent are quite full as I hold meetings with staff, visit students in summer school programs, and get reacquainted with the system and its stakeholders.

It is a great pleasure to be part of a community so dedicated to its students and schools.

Many thanks to those of you who joined us for our first Meet the Superintendent event last Thursday at Pine Grove Middle School. I appreciate that you took the time to participate and share your visions for BCPS.

There will be five more meetings in this series continuing through Thursday, August 6, including one this Thursday, July 16, from 6-7 p.m. at Randallstown High School. Please join us for a meeting if you can. I value your perspectives.

I look forward to meeting you and working with you to advance excellence together throughout BCPS.

Sincerely,

Bill Heiser, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Upcoming Board meeting

All are welcome to attend

Board of Education meeting

Tuesday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m.

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