Monday, June 9, 2025

Student artists honored at 2025 High School Art Exhibition

Show features artwork from 28 schools, centers, and programs

“Reverie” by Reese Keating, Eastern Technical High School – Best in Show winner, James B. Laubheimer & Henry Jones BCPS Scholarship Awards

Many of BCPS' best student artists were honored during a June 5 reception and awards ceremony for BCPS’ 36th Annual High School Art Exhibition.

Multiple awards (listed in a recent news release) were presented by BCPS and its community partners, including the Baltimore Watercolor Society; Azrael, Franz, Schwab, Lipowitz & Solter law firm; and Sheffield Institute. The winners of the Superintendent's Awards, Teachers' Choice Awards, and People's Choice Awards will be announced later.

For the reception and awards ceremony, Hannah’s Café donated refreshments, and Plaza Artist Materials provided award bundles. The exhibition, which will be open through Monday, June 30, is sponsored by the BCPS Office of Visual Arts and Towson University.

The juried exhibition, on display at the StarTUp at Towson University (307 Washington Ave, Towson 21204), features the work of 112 student artists from across the county. All 24 comprehensive high schools are represented as well as the Online Learning Program and the separate public day schools (Battle Monument, Maiden Choice, and Ridge Ruxton).

Join us for the All-County Honors Dance Ensemble Gala this evening, June 9, at Carver Center

The BCPS Middle and High School All-County Dance Ensembles are under the direction of Stephanie Powell, dance teacher at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, and Madison Bonaparte-Logan, dance teacher at Middle River Middle School.

The gala concert will showcase pieces that were performed at the BCPS Dance Festivals in March 2025 and new pieces choreographed by the directors and guest artist Raja Greene.

The BCPS All-County Honors Dance Ensemble is comprised of students from across the county who are a part of either their school’s dance program or have been involved in BCPS dance enrichment programs. The middle schools represented in the ensemble are Catonsville, Deer Park Middle Magnet, Dundalk, Franklin, Lansdowne, Middle River, Pikesville, Pine Grove, Ridgely, Sudbrook Magnet, and Windsor Mill. The high schools represented in the ensemble are Carver Center, Lansdowne, Milford Mill Academy, New Town, Owings Mills, Parkville, Patapsco Center for the Arts, and Pikesville.

New online haiku book celebrates student writing inspired by student artwork

The judges’ favorite 153 entries to the 2025 Team BCPS Haiku Contest have been compiled into a new online book. Print copies of the book are being distributed to all BCPS school libraries.

Student writers and artists featured in the book represent 47 schools, centers, and programs from across the county.

Summer Food Service Program begins Monday, June 23

To reach as many children (ages 2-18) as possible, the Summer Food Service program, managed by the BCPS Office of Food and Nutrition Services, offers several ways to access free summer meals Monday, June 23 – Friday, August 15.

Summer Meals TO-GO: Families can register to pick up summer meals at Carroll Manor or Kingsville elementary schools or Hereford High School. Each week, registered families can pick up boxes containing five breakfast meals and five lunches per child.

Organized program sites: Summer programs (including camps, day cares, sports teams, and religious groups) can register to have free breakfast and/or lunch meals delivered to their sites in Baltimore County. Last year more than 300 programs participated. Registration is required, and participating programs must serve at least 25 children per day.

Baltimore County Public Library branches: Sixteen branches of Baltimore County Public Library will serve free lunches each weekday. These meals must be eaten on site. The list of participating branches and their mealtimes is listed online.

BCPS Summer School: All students attending summer school will receive free breakfast and lunch each day. No registration is required for these meals. Summer school will take place from July 7-31, Monday through Thursday.

Wishing the Class of 2025 well on their next endeavors

BCPS has gained more than 7,000 new alumni this year! Learn more about them by reading our graduating senior profiles and the words of wisdom graduates shared with current students. Commencement ceremonies can be viewed on the BCPS YouTube channel and photos from the graduations can be found on Flickr. In addition, photos submitted by graduates and their families can be found online. See a highlights video below.

Everyone belongs in Team BCPS!

Recent honors

Kenwood High Community School Facilitator Andrew Goldbeck selected as 2025 Ravens / M&T Bank Touchdown for Teachers winner

Andrew Goldbeck, Kenwood High School’s busy community school facilitator, was honored as the 2025 Ravens / M&T Bank Touchdown for Teachers award recipient during a surprise ceremony. The award, which recognizes dedication to students and community, was presented by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith.

Goldbeck was honored for a year’s worth of creative, relentless advocacy for Kenwood and its students, including the establishment of a thrift shop at the school, marshaling community support for homeless students, and other initiatives.

He received a personalized Ravens jersey from Smith and a $5,000 grant for Kenwood High from M&T Bank officials.

Three 2025 BCPS graduates earn college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships

Three 2025 BCPS graduates are among the more than 2,900 distinguished high school seniors from across the nation who have earned college-sponsored National Merit® Scholarships. Dulaney High graduate Henry Tang received a scholarship from the University of Maryland. Towson High graduate Mika Thiessen and Catonsville High graduate Natalie Wallace were awarded scholarships from the University of Georgia.

Henry Tang

Mika Thiessen

Natalie Wallace

Carver Center graduate Monica Ikegwu earns prestigious 2025 Baker Artist Award

Monica Ikegwu, a 2016 graduate of George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, is one of six recipients of a 2025 Baker Artist Award from the William G. Baker Jr. Memorial Fund and the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.

In addition to receiving a $10,000 prize, her work will be showcased in a future exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

All six 2025 Awardees were selected through a two-tiered juried process from over 800 Baltimore-region artists who created a free, online Baker Artist Portfolio.

Before the school year comes to an end, please help us spread the word about opportunities for middle and high school students to participate in the fall interscholastic athletics season! New athletic registration information is available on the BCPS website. Questions? Call the Office of Athletics at 443-809-2328.

Northwest Academy of Health Sciences celebrates International Night

In a new blog post, Precious Uguru, a Grade 8 student, writes about the annual International Night at her school, Northwest Academy of Health Sciences.

The event featured student performances, presentations of student research projects, and dinner. Representatives of the Randallstown Library and Sankofa Children's Museum of Africa were among the special guests.

An evening highlight was a performance of the Singing Sensation Youth Choir of Baltimore, a group that has graced stages across the nation.

Precious is on the left in the back row (wearing a flowered dress)

Every summer since 2018, BCPS has invited its students, teachers, and staff to share stories about their summer activities and adventures on the BCPS blog. The invitation to contribute to the Summer Stories series is extended again this year. 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!

for parents

from BCPS Parent University

Still making summer plans with your children? Here are a few options!

JA Entrepreneurship Accelerator

The JA Entrepreneurship Accelerator is a free daylong event open to those ages 16-24 who are interested in starting or elevating their own businesses. The event, on Thursday, July 17, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at JA offices in Halethorpe, will include workshops, networking, refreshments, panel discussions, and a venture fair. Participants will gain real-world insights from experienced entrepreneurs, mentors, and industry leaders. Space is limited. The Registration deadline is Friday, June 27.

Summer Reading Challenge

Baltimore County Public Library invites children of all ages to participate in this year's Summer Reading Challenge, “Color Our World,” through Saturday, August 30. Go online or visit any branch to find out more, register, and learn about exciting prizes.

BCPS music and dance camps

Registration for BCPS dance and instrumental music camps continues. Both camps will be held at Nottingham Middle School from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., on Wednesday, June 25, Thursday, June 26, and Monday, June 30, through Thursday, July 3.

New this year, all camps will feature a focus on introducing students to creative careers; a new counselor-in-training option for students entering Grades 11-12 next school year; and limited funding to support camp costs for students who attend Community Schools. All camps will cost $182 per student.

Bus transportation is available. Fee waivers are available for students who do not have permanent or adequate housing.

Summer Music Camp

Summer Dance Intensive

for your viewing pleasure

"Charlie" by Cecelia Borsh, Catonsville High School, is featured in the 37th Annual High School Art Exhibition, on display at the StarTUp at Towson University through Monday, June 30. This artwork earned 2nd place in the James B. Laubheimer & Henry Jones BCPS Scholarship Awards and was a finalist in the awards sponsored by Azreal, Franz, Schwab, Lipowitz & Solter, LLC.

Artist statement:

Ever since my brother Charlie passed away, I've wanted to honor him through a painting I can share with those who were close to him, and during the process, I could feel his presence in my spaces again. This reference portrays the kind and gentle soul he was. In the moment, nothing mattered but his Toy Story figures and his cowboy costume; the simplicity of it seemed so peaceful. This piece is meaningful to me because I enjoyed painting my brother who I can only see through photos.

mission moment

from The Education Foundation of BCPS

The inaugural Let's Play Pickleball fundraiser – a resounding success

The Education Foundation of BCPS held its inaugural Let’s Play Pickleball FUNdraiser on May 29, at Copper Union in Mount Washington. All proceeds from the event will support the mission-driven work of the foundation. Eighteen Pickleball teams of two played in a round-robin tournament for trophies and bragging rights. The tournament was divided into beginner and experienced divisions.

A new Mission Moment blog post recounts the day, recognizes sponsors, volunteers, and event planners, and celebrates tournament and raffle prize winners.

Division One Winners:

Emily Noel and

Bethany Wheeler

Division One 2nd Place:

Joe Mondell and

Brandon Hoffman

Division One 3rd Place: Patricia Collingwood and Dave Hynson

Division Two Winners:

Chris Rose and

Andrew O’Grady

Division Two 2nd Place:

Flo Falatko and

Pam Gilmour

Division Two 3rd Place: Scott Rodgville and

Matt Cellini

A word from Dr. Rogers

June 9, 2025

Dear Reader:

The spring commencement season has ended, and more than 7,000 new BCPS graduates are off to succeed in their next endeavors.

It was my great honor to speak at several commencements this year and to shake the hands of so many impressive young people.

With our peerless educators and administrators offering inspiration, instruction, and support, the Class of 2025 has already achieved so much in our schools and far beyond our schools. Through our magnet and career and technical education programs, many graduates have developed strong industry-specific skills and certifications as well as work experiences. Across the county, many graduates found professional mentors through paid apprenticeships. Our sports coaches have supported young people in learning valuable life lessons about practice and teamwork. Through student government, clubs, Model United Nations and more, these new graduates gained leadership experience at the school, local, state, and national level. They created award-winning art and successfully competed in a various skills competitions. They launched businesses. They championed the causes most important to them. Through our partnerships, they have earned college credits, performed onstage with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and learned valuable financial literacy and workplace readiness skills.

We are proud that we could provide so many opportunities to support the growth of these outstanding young people. We are proud of their intellectual curiosity, creativity, practicality, and dedication. Many thanks to their parents for being their first teachers and most important role models.

I ended my commencement addresses by reminding our new graduates that while they may be leaving our classrooms, they will always remain a part of BCPS. We will be cheering them on and happy to lend a helping hand if they reach back.

Regards,

Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.

Superintendent