Administrative Appointments Announced
Interim Superintendent of Schools, Mr. J. Scott Smith, announced the administrative appointments made by the Board of Education at its meeting of May 26, 2015.
The Board of Education has accepted a request by Mr. Jeffrey DiRenzo for an alternative placement for the 2016 school year, vacating his position as Principal of Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary.
Ms. Beth Ramsey has been appointed Acting Principal of Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary. Ms. Ramsey is currently serving as Principal of White Marsh Elementary School. Prior to being named principal of White Marsh Elementary in 2012, Ms. Ramsey had also served as an Assistant Principal at Banneker Elementary and George Washington Carver Elementary and an elementary teacher in Charles County Public Schools. She earned her Master's degree from Towson University and her Bachelor's degree from St. Mary's College of Maryland.
The Board also appointed Ms. Jamie Jameson as the Assistant Principal at Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary School. Ms. Jameson is currently serving as Assistant Principal at Leonardtown Elementary. She has also served as Assistant Principal at Dynard Elementary, Instructional Resource Teacher at Banneker Elementary and George Washington Carver Elementary and elementary teacher at Banneker Elementary. She earned her Master's degree from University of Pittsburgh and her Bachelor's degree from James Madison University.
These appointments become effective July 1, 2015.
Minds in Motion Scholar-Athlete Scholarship
Ms. Hannah Simmerman, a senior at Great Mills High School, was recently named as one of twelve senior high school athletes from across the state to receive a 2015 Minds in Motion Scholar-Athlete Scholarship provided by the Allstate Corporation. Ms. Simmerman will receive a check for $1,000.00 at a luncheon held at the M&T Bank Stadium on May 28, 2015.
The Minds in Motion scholarship program is a highly competitive program which this year received over 500 applications. Awards of $1,000.00 are presented to a select group of senior student athletes who attend a Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) School and participate in MPSSAA recognized sports. To be considered, applicants must have a minimum 3.25 unweighted overall GPA and have participated in interscholastic athletic activities sponsored by MPSSAA during their high school careers.
Ms. Simmerman participated in field hockey, lacrosse, and swimming during all four years of high school. During her field hockey career she was recognized as a player to watch, Most Improved Player, and All-County First Team Mid-Fielder. She was team captain during her senior year. In swimming she was again recognized as a player to watch, named to an All-County team and made Southern Maryland Athletic Conference All-Conference 1st Team in the 200 meter freestyle relay. She captained the team during her junior and senior years. In lacrosse she received the Junior Varsity Most Valuable Player Award in 2012 and an Academic All-American Award in 2014.
Ms. Simmerman has excelled academically while participating in 12 consecutive sports seasons. She is a member of the National Honor Society and completed her high school studies with a weighted grade point average of 4.58. This Scholar-Athlete Award is just one of several awards that Ms. Simmerman has received. Among the others are the Cornell University McMullen Engineering Dean's Scholarship; the Cornell University McMullen Engineering Scholarship; and the Cornell University Meinig Family National Scholars Program.
Next year Ms. Simmerman plans to attend Cornell University where she will be studying Biological Engineering.
Textbooks Available for Review
St. Mary's County Public Schools is in the process of renewing its textbook materials for Social Studies in Grades 8 and 9, and adopting a new textbook for use in Spanish, levels 1-3. The following textbooks will be available for review from May 20 through June 2, 2015 in the Charlotte Hall, Leonardtown, and Lexington Park Libraries:
-- U.S. History: Beginnings to 1914 (2012) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
-- The Americans: Reconstruction through the 20th Century (2012) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
-- Qué Chévere (2016) EMC Publishing.