Tyra Saverson.
Tyra Saverson, a senior at North Point High School, was named the Career Research and Development (CRD) Student of the Year for 2015 at the annual employer/employee breakfast held April 17. Saverson has worked in the print shop at North Point since August 2014. In her positions, she is tasked with several responsibilities including ordering parts and supplies for equipment, handling print requests and scheduling maintenance and repairs for machines in the print shop.
Saverson was selected for the award following three levels of competition both at the school and county levels. Committees composed of staff members, community members and business representatives interviewed students. Sandra Carr is the print technician at North Point and Saverson’s supervisor. Carr submitted a letter of recommendation for Saverson and said not only is her work ethic outstanding, but she also demonstrates a level of maturity well beyond her age.
“She goes above and beyond every day. Never does she express a negative word about anyone. Tyra’s maturity is well beyond her years. She takes ownership and full control of the print shop. In addition to her accomplishments, she has always impressed me as a fine person of flawless character. She won my respect on many occasions,” Carr wrote in her nomination letter.
Saverson is enrolled in several Advanced Placement (AP) and honors-level courses and maintains a 3.65 grade-point average. She is also a member of the school’s Key Club and Proud Club and plans to study international business after she graduates. Joe Burton is a mathematics teacher at North Point and Saverson is enrolled in his honors advanced algebra with trigonometry course. He wrote a college recommendation letter for Saverson and said she is one of the brightest students he has worked with.
“Tyra is just the type of natural leader and well-rounded student who would be a welcome addition to any university. During the time I have known her, Tyra has grown into one of the brightest, most mature, and determined students I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” Burton wrote in his letter.
Student finalists for the overall award were selected from each high school, with the exception of St. Charles High School. The CRD program is for seniors only and will be launched at St. Charles in the 2015-16 school year. In addition to Saverson from North Point, these students were chosen as finalists: Sydney Smith, Henry E. Lackey High School; Crystal Stewart, La Plata High School; Kathleen McDowall, Maurice J. McDonough High School; Taylor Rice, North Point; Alexis Holman, Thomas Stone High School; and Jamir Queen, Westlake High School.
Employers and student employees gathered at the Greater Waldorf Jaycees Community Center on April 17 for the annual breakfast. More than 140 students participated in the 2014-15 school year program and about 90 different employers supervised the students. The CRD program was formerly known as the Cooperative Education Program, and provides a bridge from school to work, classroom instruction, work experience and on-the-job training related to a student’s career goals.
The Cooperative Education Program was launched in 1971 at La Plata and Lackey high schools, expanded to Thomas Stone in 1972 and then to McDonough in 1979. Westlake started offering the program in 1998. North Point launched the program in 2009 with its first senior class. High school students interested in the program can contact the CRD coordinator at their school.
St. Charles High School displays AIDS quilt
Members of the St. Charles High School JROTC presented the quilt blocks for the AIDS Memorial Quilt at the St. Charles High School Gymnasium during an opening ceremony on Monday. The JROTC spread blocks across the gym floor for public viewing this week.
Linda Fenlon, program coordinator at the Charles County Department of Health, told the audience the AIDS quilt is an educational tool to inform about the lives lost to AIDS and the growing problem of HIV. She said there are 34 million people living with HIV and AIDS, which have no cure. “It’s a visual reminder of the AIDS pandemic,” she said.
Several HIV-positive speakers talked about living with HIV and students read letters written by those who created quilt panels in memory of a family member or friend. The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a handmade tapestry containing more than 150 panels in memorial to more than 94,000 individuals lost to AIDS. Each panel is testimony to someone who has lost their lives to AIDS and panels come from every state in the nation and from around the globe.
The quilt is available for public viewing at St. Charles High School Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22, from 3 to 8 p.m.
The Charles County Department of Health HIV Program, Charles County Public Schools, St. Charles High School and G.S. Proctor Associates are sponsoring the project. For more information, visit http://www.charlescountyhealth.org/.
Six county DI teams advance to global tournament next month
Six Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Destination Imagination teams advance to the global finals tournament, scheduled for May 19-24 in Knoxville, Tenn., after winning first, second or third place at the state competition held April 18 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. The following teams earned a spot to compete in the global tournament as a first-, second- or third-place winner at the state level:
The Improv Games challenge:
-- T.C. Martin Elementary School, The Neon Improv-ers team, first place at the elementary level. Student members are Sarah Thacker, fifth grade, and third graders Kincade Burroughs, Autumn Forsythe, Peyton Lauterborn, Madelyn Wilson and Lillie Wright.
-- North Point High School, North Point of No Return team, first place at the secondary level. Team members include seniors Katie Polk and Matt Rohrbaugh, and juniors Sydney Gates, Paul Morrissey, Caitlyn Murphy, Jordan Prince and Allison Swegle.
Lose to Win challenge:
-- North Point, North Point 2 Electric Boogaloo team, second place at the secondary level. Members of the team include seniors Arianna Clark, Erin Green, Kylie Green, Joel Rogers and Andre Winkfield, and juniors Dennis Whitley and Morgan Kline.
Creature Feature challenge:
-- North Point and Westlake High School, NPHS/WHS UmmWhat?!? team, third place at the secondary level. Team members include Alex Patton, junior at Westlake, North Point juniors Matthew Essing, Luke Gibson and Thomas Walz, and North Point sophomores Charlotte Nottingham and Madison Stanley.
Making Waves challenge:
-- Theodore G. Davis Middle School, Davis D.I.Namic Avengers team, third place at the middle school level. Team members include sixth graders Mia Clark, Karly Iriarte, Takiyah Roberts and Erica Rodriguez, seventh graders Zekiyah Jacobs and Aliyah Malazarte and eighth grader Mary Ardita.
-- La Plata High School, Lil Ppl Hate Science team, third place at the secondary level. Team members include senior Matthew McElhaney, and sophomores Justin Cortez, Jennifer Curtis, Tyler Dixon, Sarah McElhaney and Hayden Wright.
Special awards were also presented to two individual students at the competition. North Point seniors Erin Green and Caitie O’Donnell both received a $500 DI college scholarship.
Six other CCPS teams were recognized for placing in the top five in their challenge area. They are:
-- La Plata,, B.R.E.D. team, fourth place, The Improv Games challenge;
-- North Point and Westlake, DITWACA team, fourth place, The Improv Games challenge;
-- Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School, Extreme Bulldog’s team, fifth place, Creature Feature challenge;
-- Davis and Matthew Henson Middle School, Lazy Leeches team, fifth place, Feary Tales challenge;
-- Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School, DI Food Birds team, fifth place, Brand Aid challenge; and
-- North Point, North Point of No Return team, fifth place, Brand Aid challenge.
Destination Imagination is a creative problem solving program for students in grades kindergarten through college and is active in 50 states and more than 40 countries. Teams of up to seven members work to solve different challenges and present their solutions to a panel of judges. Students compete at the regional, state and global levels. For more information on Destination Imagination, visit http://www.idodi.org/.
System offering summer enrichment opportunities for students
Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is sponsoring several summer enrichment opportunities for elementary and middle school students. Twelve classes are available, and most will meet for five days from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Transportation and food are not provided. The only exception is the course held at the Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center which meets all day and includes transportation.
Space is limited per course, and classes will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Registration opens on Monday, May 4, and closes May 22. Registration is available on the Charles County Public Schools website at http://www.ccboe.com/summerenrichment2015/. The system will not allow any registrations before May 4. The cost differs per course, and payment is due at the time of registration.
Checks should be mailed to the attention of Renee Eubanks, Charles County Public Schools, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Md., 20646. Please include a copy of the registration paperwork with the check. All payments must be received within one week of registration; registrations will be confirmed by email within one week of receipt of payment.
A minimum number of participants must be enrolled for each class. Any class that does not fill will be canceled after registration closes on May 22, and registration fees will be refunded. All courses will be taught by CCPS teachers.
The following is session information that includes dates, locations and grade level per class.
-- Camp Edu-STEM – July 6-10 at Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School – This course is open to students currently in grades kindergarten through second and features an introduction to computer programming. Students will learn about coding algorithms, graphic design and basic code for gaming. Students will also learn how to create and program a working model using the Lego WeDo kit. Cost is $55.
-- Camp Edu-STEM – July 20-24 at Mitchell – This course is open to students currently in grades three through five and features an introduction to computer programming. Students will learn about coding algorithms, graphic design and basic code for gaming. Students will also learn how to create and program a working model using the Lego WeDo kit. Cost is $55.
-- Introduction to Lego Robotics and History of Robots – July 6-10 at North Point High School; or July 13-17 at North Point (two sessions available) – This course is open to students currently in grades three through five and features an introduction to robotics and computer programming. Students will learn how to design, construct and program twelve theme-based robots using the Lego WeDo kit. Students will also learn about the history of robotics and participate in a group competition at the end of the course. Participants will create their own robot hand to take home. Cost is $55.
-- SCRATCH Programming – July 6-10 at North Point; or July 13-17 at North Point (two sessions available) – This course is open to students currently in grades three through five and features the computer programming language SCRATCH, developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Students will learn programming basics to create games, images and songs. Cost is $55.
-- Band Camp – July 13-17 at North Point – This course is open to students currently enrolled in band in fifth and sixth grades. Participants bring their instrument to learn tips on playing their instrument and working with other musicians. All students will perform in a concert at the end of the session. Students will also learn about visual arts and create works for an art exhibit. Cost is $80.
-- Chesapeake Bay Adventure Camp – June 22-26 at the Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center – This course is open to students currently in grades five through seven and runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bus transportation is included; the bus departs from the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata at 8:15 a.m., and returns at 3:45 p.m. Students will participate in outdoor activities designed to promote team work, problem solving and self-confidence. Activities include canoeing, fishing, bird watching, astronomy and nature-themed crafts. Cost is $185.
-- Introduction to Energy and Robotics – July 6-10 at North Point; or July 13-17 at Milton M. Somers Middle School (two available sessions) – This course is designed for students currently in grades five through seven and includes an introduction to the Lego Mindstorm robotics system. Students will learn how to use the system to build and program robots to complete challenges. Cost is $55.
-- Musical Theatre – July 13-17 at Somers – This course is designed for students currently in grades six through eight and explores choreography, improvisation, singing techniques and playwriting strategies. Participants will learn how to use these topics to create a performance at the end of the session. Cost is $55.
-- Digital Storytelling and Coding – July 6-10 at North Point; or July 13-17 at Somers (two available sessions) – This course is for current middle school students and explores computer coding and how it can be used to create a story, game or mobile application. Cost is $55.
-- Visual Arts – July 6-10 at North Point – This session is designed for current middle school students. Participants will learn about textile designs, sun prints, oil pastels and working with three-dimensional objects. Each participant will need to bring one white t-shirt. Cost is $55.
-- Playwriting – July 13-17 at Somers; or July 20-24 at North Point (two sessions available) – This course is designed for current middle school students interested in learning about the playwriting process, examining artistic choices and will feature a staged reading at the end of the session. Cost is $55.
-- Choir Camp – July 20-24 at North Point –This course is for current middle school students and covers singing basics such as breathing, diction and tone. Participants will also host a free concert at the end of the course. Cost is $55.