County students named Carson Scholars
Four Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students were recently named 2015 Carson Scholars, a national distinction that recognizes academic achievement and humanitarian qualities as well as provides a $1,000 college scholarship. Selected are Eileen Browning, fifth grade, Dr. James Craik Elementary School; Tananda Haulley, fifth grade, Malcolm Elementary School; Madelyn Mudd, seventh grade, Piccowaxen Middle School; and Hunter Stempin, junior, Maurice J. McDonough High School. They are among 526 students selected from nationwide schools for the Carson Scholars Fund this year.
Eighteen previous Carson Scholars received a scholarship renewal this year. They are: Carla Arquero, sophomore, North Point High School; Owen Butler, seventh grade, Piccowaxen; Sarah Chen, sophomore, McDonough; Brett Culhane, sophomore, Henry E. Lackey High School; Tyler Dixon, sophomore, La Plata High School; Christian Fisher, junior, North Point; Alyssa Gerhart, sixth grade, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School; Autumn Gray, eighth grade, Theodore G. Davis Middle School; Jessica Green, senior, North Point; Aryanna Ilamni, freshman, North Point; Nicole Lusk, senior, La Plata; Alyssa Norris, sixth grade, John Hanson Middle School; Caitie O’Donnell, senior, North Point; Gabrielle Sandy, junior, Lackey; Connor Smith, sophomore, North Point; Connor Wagner, senior, Lackey; and Dennis Whitley, IV, junior, North Point.
Scholars who are recognized through a renewed scholarship status are recognized for maintaining high academic standards and a strong commitment to their communities. More than 760 scholars were renewed this year.
Each year, the Carson Scholars Fund awards $1,000 college scholarships to a select group of high achieving students in grades four through 11 who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and humanitarian qualities. Students must have a minimum 3.75 grade-point average to be considered. The scholarships are invested for the students’ college education.
The Maryland recipients will be honored at an awards banquet on April 19. Each recipient will receive a medal and framed certificate of achievement and their school will receive a trophy recognizing the scholar’s accomplishment.
The Carson Scholars Fund was founded in 1994 by world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon Benjamin S. Carson and his wife, Candy, to motivate and reward academic excellence in young people. To date, the Carson Scholars Fund has awarded more than 6,700 scholarships and has scholars in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
For more information, visit the Carson Scholars website at www.carsonscholars.org.
Students advance to state Destination Imagination competition
More than 800 Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students competed in the regional Destination Imagination competition held Saturday, March 14, at North Point High School. Forty-eight teams advance to the state-level competition, scheduled for April 18 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
More than 150 teams from Charles County public elementary, middle and high schools, and regional private schools, competed to solve one of six problems in the long-term academic event that challenges students to work together to apply creativity, critical thinking skills and unique talents. Challenges are separated into three levels of competition: elementary, middle and high. Teams that place at the regional event advance to the state tournament.
The following Charles County teams placed in the top four spots at the regional Destination Imagination tournament.
Winners in the Creature Feature challenge are:
-- Elementary: Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School, Extreme Bulldogs team, first place; Southern Maryland Christian Academy, third-grade team B, second place; Mitchell, Awesome & Amazing Creature Creators team, third place; and Eva Turner Elementary School, GAP team, fourth place.
-- Middle: St. Mary’s Bryantown, the Bacon Bam team, first place.
-- High: North Point High School/Westlake High School, Umm What?!? team, first place.
The Umm What?!? team competed at the high-school level together because the team includes students from both schools.
Winners in the Making Waves challenge are:
-- Elementary: Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School, Science Surfers team, first place; Dr. James Craik Elementary School, Sound Queens team, second place; St. Peter’s School, Dazzling Divas team, third place; and Malcolm Elementary School, Mixed Up Mustaches team, fourth place.
-- Middle: Theodore G. Davis Middle School, D.I. Namic Avengers team, first place; and Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, ImproVisers team, second place.
-- High: La Plata High School, Lil Ppl Hate Science team, first place.
Winners in the Feary Tales challenge are:
-- Elementary: Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School, DI Live team, first place; Mary H. Matula Elementary School, Nuclear Rainbow Crush team, second place; William A. Diggs Elementary School, TBFPSP team, third place; and Turner, Once Upon a Fearyland team, fourth place.
-- Middle: Davis/Matthew Henson Middle School, Lazy Leeches team, first place; Milton M. Somers Middle School, D.I. Vengers team, second place; and General Smallwood Middle School, Roy-G-Bivians team, third place.
-- High: North Point, Converse_Krew team, first place; and St. Charles High School, Phobia Tamers team, second place.
The Lazy Leeches team competed at the middle-school level together because the team is comprised of students from both schools.
Winners in the Improv Games challenge are:
-- Elementary: Mary B. Neal Elementary School, Super Stars team, first place; T.C. Martin Elementary School, Neon Improv-ers team, second place; William B. Wade Elementary School, the Four Amigos team, third place; and Indian Head Elementary School, Randomizers team, fourth place.
-- Middle: Henson, Weirdziez team, first place; Somers, DIvas and DIablos team, second place; and Somers, DIstrict 5 team, third place.
-- High: North Point, North Point of No Return team, first place; North Point, NP.MD.LC. DI’NCEPTION team, second place; North Point, Broken Fingers team, third place; and La Plata, B.R.E.D. team, fourth place.
Winners in the Lose to Win challenge are:
-- Elementary: Southern Maryland Christian Academy, fourth-grade tornados team, first place; Craik, Awesome Saucers team, second place; Mitchell, Delta Force team, third place; and St. Peter’s, Engineers team, fourth place.
-- Middle: St. Peter’s, Dynamic Imaginators team, first place.
-- High: North Point, 2 Electric Boogaloo team, first place.
Winners in the Project Outreach: Brand Aid challenge are:
-- Elementary: St. Peter’s, Lightning Bolts team, first place; Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School, DI Food Birds team, second place; Craik, Smileys team, tie for third place; and J.P. Ryon Elementary School, Brand Aid Buccaneers team, tie for third place.
-- Middle: St. Mary’s Bryantown, Glue Sticks team, first place; and Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School/Mattawoman Middle School, Hairflip Emojis team, second place.
-- High: North Point, North Point of No Return team, first place; Henry E. Lackey High School, DI Team, second place; and North Point, Power Puff Girls team, third place.
The Hairflip Emojis team competed at the middle-school level because the team includes students from both Jenifer Elementary and Mattawoman Middle schools.
Additionally, the following teams earned special awards:
-- Spirit of DI Award – for exceptional spirit, teamwork, volunteerism and sportsmanship – Matula Animal Mish Mash Scouts team, St. Peter’s Engineers team, and Stoddert’s Chromatophobiacs team.
-- The Renaissance Award – for exceptional skill in the areas of design, engineering or performance – North Point’s 2 Electric Boogaloo team and Smallwood’s Little Rascals team.
-- DaVinci Award – for exceptional creativity, a unique approach to the problem and/or risk taking – Berry Elementary School Ninja Explorers team.
-- Torch Bearer Award – for teams whose solutions have had an extraordinary impact in and beyond their local communities – Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy’s DI Food Birds team.
The event is sponsored by Charles County Public Schools. Destination ImagiNation is an international program dedicated to enhancing the learning skills, creative problem solving skills, team skills, sportsmanship and knowledge of all students. Visit http://www.destinationimagination.org/ for more information.
J.C. Parks nominated for national Green Ribbon School award
J.C. Parks Elementary School was recently named one of only two Maryland schools nominated for the U.S. Department of Education’s 2015 Green Ribbon Schools (GRS) Award. Parks was chosen by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) as a national nominee. To be considered for the award, Parks staff had to complete and submit a lengthy application that documented how the school performed in three award areas of consideration: reducing environmental impacts and costs; improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and providing effective environmental and sustainability education, incorporating science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, civic skills and green career pathways.
Some of Parks’ accomplishments in the area of environmental education include their status as a Maryland Green School, which was awarded to the school in 2010 by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE). Parks completed the Maryland Green School recertification process last year, which recognizes schools that use their sites to help students understand and act on environmental challenges, and model environmental practices in building and landscape design, and operation and maintenance. Green Schools are also recognized for building and maintaining partnerships with their local community to enhance environmental learning and to design programs to result in a healthier environment.
In May 2014, Parks was awarded the National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA Green Flag Award. The award recognizes schools that demonstrate sustainability initiatives, monitor energy efficiency, waste disposal and other environmental impact areas, and support a commitment to incorporating environmental education in to the classroom. Schools must reapply for this designation every two years, and are a permanent Eco-School once it has gained its fourth Green Flag.
Additionally, Parks received $100,000 in grant funding from the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation for Education in Nature to support two outdoor classroom locations at the school. Some of the grant was used to restore and cleanup the wetlands outside the school building. The rest of the grant is being used on an outdoor classroom that includes benches, a paved walkway to the outdoor classroom lined with trees, plants indigenous to Maryland and concrete tables for students to use during classroom activities. A variety of learning opportunities are incorporated into the design of each accessible, sustainable and environmentally friendly space.
Parks’ science teacher, Deanna Wheeler, coordinated the application for the school. Applications for U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools were evaluated by a committee comprised of staff from state and national government agencies, state and regional environmental agencies, and private businesses.
In addition to Parks, MSDE nominated Northwest High School in Montgomery County for a school-based award and Howard County Public Schools for the district-level award. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will announce the award recipients on Earth Day, which is April 22.
For more information on the GRS program, visit http://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/ .
Students advance to state History Day competition
Charles County Public Schools hosted the 2015 History Day competition on March 21 at Westlake High School. First- and second-place category winners advance to the state competition on May 2 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
The following students placed at the Charles County History Day competition.
Winners in the Historical Paper, junior division, are
-- Nakhyla Ligonde, first place, eighth grade, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, A Woman's Work: The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act - Leadership and Legacy and the Fight for Equal Pay;
-- Nyla Jeanpiere, second place, seventh grade, Milton M. Somers Middle School, Malala Yousafzai and the Fight for Education Equality; and
-- Sara Jarboe, third place, sixth grade, Piccowaxen Middle School, The Seeing Eye: The Legacy of Dorothy Eustis.
Winners in the Historical Paper, senior division, are
-- Shelby Lawanson, first place, junior, Westlake High School, Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady;
-- Andrew Williams, second place, senior, Westlake, Destroyer of Society Norms: Susan B. Anthony; and
-- D'Avian Thomas, third place, sophomore, Westlake, The Wonderful World of Walt Disney.
Winners in the Individual Performance, junior division, are
-- Julia Jones, first place, eighth grade, Piccowaxen, If You Don't Use Your Head, You Might Lose It;
-- Finnley Brakke, second place, sixth grade, General Smallwood Middle School, Lincoln Lives On; and
-- Brynna Bode, third place, sixth grade, Smallwood, Margaret Brent: Colonial Leader.
Winner in the Individual Performance, senior division, is
-- Cheyenne Scott, first place, junior, North Point High School, Charles Bonaparte: The Real Man Behind the FBI.
Winners in the Group Performance, junior division, are
-- Haley Arnold, Kadyn Carter-Moore and Leigha Danielson, first place, seventh graders, Piccowaxen, Lewis Hine: A Fight Against Child Labor.
Winners in the Individual Documentary, junior division, are
-- Jordan Homan, first place, seventh grade, Piccowaxen, Walt Disney: A Leader in Animation;
-- Cole Smith, second place, eighth grade, Matthew Henson Middle School, Walt Disney; and
-- Carl Wachowski, third place, eighth grade, Stoddert, Catherine the Great.
Winners in the Individual Documentary, senior division, are
-- Jordan Queen, first place, junior, Westlake, Legacy and Leadership of Frank Land;
-- Will Moten, second place, sophomore, Westlake, Tuskegee Airmen: Flying from the Storm into the Light; and
-- Inioluwa Ogunsemowo, third place, sophomore, Westlake, Pocahontas: Powhatan Peacemaker.
Winners in the Group Documentary, junior division, are
-- Jake Burgess and Conor Vienneau, first place, seventh graders, Piccowaxen, To The Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis;
-- Adam Cullen, Amara Gammon and Daniel Gonzales, second place, eighth graders, Theodore G. Davis Middle School, Steve Jobs and the Technological Revolution; and
-- Karina Robinson and Alyssa Simpson, third place, eighth graders, Piccowaxen, Theodor "Seuss" Geisel: Imagination and Enchanted Words that Changed the World.
Winners in the Group Documentary, senior division, are
-- Jamie Waugh and Sophia Blouin, first place, sophomores, La Plata High School, Eugene Schueller.
Winners in the Individual Website, junior division, are
-- Pierre Dela Cruz, first place, eighth grade, Stoddert, Shigeru Miyamoto: The Father of Modern Gaming;
-- Elizabeth Daniel, second place, seventh grade, John Hanson Middle School, Nelson Mandela; and
-- Trinia Blackmon, third place, eighth grade, Henson, Biography of Janet Collins and the Impact She Left on African American Ballet Dancers.
Winners in the Individual Website, senior division, are
-- Matthew Johnson, first place, junior, St. Charles High School, Steve Jobs: Bringing Technology to the World;
-- Marcus Marbray, second place, sophomore, Westlake, Moving the Masses: Leadership and Legacy of George Whitefield; and
-- Rebecca Bragg, third place, senior, Westlake, The Man Behind Classical Music.
Winners in the Group Website, junior division, are
-- Katie Czysz and Sydney Maddox, first place, eighth graders, Piccowaxen, Marie Curie Discovers Radium.
Winners in the Group Website, senior division, are
-- Monique Ford and Te'a Moreno, first place, sophomores, Westlake, Frederick Douglass;
-- Kennedy Smith and Jekko Syquia, sophomores, and Leslie Thompson, junior, second place, St. Charles, The Women's Suffrage Movement; and
-- Kyler Wingfield and Colby Bommer, third place, sophomores, Phillis Wheatley: The Matriarch of Black Literature.
Winners in the Individual Exhibit, junior division, are
-- Madison Furman, first place, seventh grade, Smallwood, Our 40th President: Ronald W. Reagan;
-- Tyler Bergling, second place, seventh grade, Hanson, The Legacy of Albert Einstein; and
-- Kritchanan Yampai, third place, seventh grade, Hanson, Queen Victoria.
Winners in the Individual Exhibit, senior division, are
-- Efeohe Suleman, first place, junior, Westlake, Desmond Tutu: The Legacy That Sets a Country Anew;
-- Jasmine Andrade, second place, junior, Westlake, Leadership and Legacy of Pedro Pires and the PAICV African Party of the Independence of Cabo Verde; and
-- Zhuri Winfree-Givens, third place, sophomore, Westlake, Maya Angelou: The Heroic Poet.
Winners in the Group Exhibit, junior division, are
-- Heath Brocato and Mark Stubbs, first place, sixth graders, Hanson, Abraham Lincoln: The Emancipation Proclamation;
-- Teana Maloney and Lashauna Barbour, second place, eighth graders, Henson, Gandhi: A Man Who Lived and Breathed Freedom; and
-- Jordyn Cooks and Eyana Dixon, third place, seventh graders, Somers, Wilt the Stilt.
Winners in the Group Exhibit, senior division, are
-- Caroline Dinh and Nicole Buccelli, first place, juniors, La Plata, The Eve of Destruction;
-- Peyton Boelke and Breanne Sawall, second place, sophomores, Thomas Stone High School, William Taft and Dollar Diplomacy; and
-- Alexander Opiyo, third place, sophomore, Westlake, Sweetness: The Original Leader.
The following students received special awards:
-- Eris Wiggs and Kyielle Thomas, eighth graders, Henson, Leadership and Legacy: Frederick Douglass, award from the African American Heritage Society of Charles County;
-- Sara Jarboe, sixth grade, Piccowaxen, The Seeing Eye: The Legacy of Dorothy Eustis, award from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Nu Zeta Omega Chapter;
-- Jack Koch, eighth grade, Piccowaxen, Leadership and Legacy: Arthur Wilson and the Disabled American Veterans, award from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Nu Zeta Omega Chapter;
-- Julia Jones, eighth grade, Piccowaxen, Marie Antoinette: If You Don't Use Your Head, You Might Lose It!, award from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Sigma Alpha Lambda Chapter;
-- Cheyenne Scott, junior, North Point, Charles Bonaparte: The Real Face Behind the FBI, award from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Sigma Alpha Lambda Chapter;
-- Christopher Morse, eighth grade, Henson, Steve Jobs, award from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Sigma Alpha Lambda Chapter;
-- Will Moten, sophomore, Westlake, Tuskegee Airmen: Flying Through the Storm into the Light, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Omicron Delta Sigma Chapter;
-- Ciarra Grady, sixth grade, Stoddert, Julia Lowe and the Girl Scouts, award from the Charles County Antique Arts Association;
-- Trinia Blackmon, eighth grade, Henson, Biography of Janet Collins and the Impact She Left on African American Ballet Dancers, award from the Charles County Antique Arts Association;
-- Owen Butler, seventh grade, Piccowaxen, Robert Crain and His Road to a Legacy, award from the Charles County Archaeological Society of Maryland;
-- Amber Faasen, sixth grade, Piccowaxen, Thomas Stone: Leader of Charles County and Legacy to the Nation, award from The Charles County Genealogical Society;
-- Monique Ford and Te'a Moreno, sophomores, Westlake, Frederick Douglass, award from The Charles County Heritage Commission;
-- Ethan Olmsted, eighth grade, Somers, Theodore Roosevelt: Conservation Pioneer, award from the Charles County Historic Trust;
-- Abigail Rogalski, sixth grade, Piccowaxen, William Wilberforce: Breaking the Chains, award from The Friendship House Foundation;
-- Alexandra Channing, seventh grade, Henson, The Emancipation Proclamation, award from The Friendship House Foundation;
-- Madison Furman, seventh grade, Smallwood, Our 40th President: Ronald W. Reagan, award from The Friendship House Foundation;
-- Chloe Cooke, eighth grader, Hanson, Susan B. Anthony, award from the United States Daughters of 1812, Ella Virginia Houck Holloway Chapter;
-- Kayla Jurew, sophomore, Westlake, The Wright Way to Fly, award from the Duriel R. Holley Scholarship Fund;
-- Lilly Bull, seventh grader, St. Mary's Bryantown School, Daisy: A Leader from the Start with a Legacy that Touches Everyone's Heart, award from the Daughters of the American Revolution, Port Tobacco Chapter;
-- Jordan Homan, seventh grade, Piccowaxen, Walt Disney: A Leader in Animation; award from The Port Tobacco Players;
-- Finnley Brakke, sixth grade, Smallwood, Lincoln Lives On, award from The Port Tobacco Players;
-- Daniel Jones, eighth grade, Hanson, Governor William Stone Initiated a Legacy of Religious Tolerance in the United States, award from The Historical Society of Charles County;
-- Cole Smith, eighth grade, Henson, Walt Disney, award from The Historical Society of Charles County;
-- Kyler Wingfield and Colby Bommer, sophomores, Westlake, Phillis Wheatley: The Matriarch of Black Literature, award from The Historical Society of Charles County;
-- Heath Brocato and Mark Stubbs, sixth graders, Hanson, Abraham Lincoln: The Emancipation Proclamation, award from The Historical Society of Charles County;
-- Jordan Queen, junior, Westlake, The Legacy and Leadership of Frank S. Land, award from Sons of the American Revolution, Thomas Stone Chapter;
-- Kritchanan Yampai, seventh grade, Hanson, Queen Victoria, award from the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco;
-- Brynna Bode, sixth grade, Smallwood, Margaret Brent: Colonial Leader, award from the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century, Lady Jane Sewell Chapter; and
-- Deion Woods, sophomore, Westlake, Home Run to Equality: Jackie Robinson, award from the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Eta Omicron Sigma Chapter.