Chas. Co. Schools Awards: American History Essay Contest, SECAC

Students earn national honors in American history essay contest

Twenty-nine Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students were honored with national awards for their submissions in the National Junior American Citizens Contest, sponsored by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). The organization includes a Junior American Citizens Committee, which supports contests for children that promote patriotic development.

The Junior American Citizens Contest is open to students in grades prekindergarten through 12, and entries range from banners, poems and posters to short stories and stamp designs. This year's contest theme is "Celebrate America." These students advanced to the national competition after placing at the local, state and regional levels and were honored May 7 in an awards ceremony at the Maryland Veterans Memorial Museum in Glasva.

The following students placed at the national event.

• Allison Ament, first place, banner category, third grade, Mary H. Matula Elementary School;

• Kenyse Graham, first place, banner category, third grade, Matula;

• Austin Ashley, first place, banner category, third grade, Matula;

• Trinity Boyce, first place, banner category, fourth grade, Matula;

• Angela Farnham, first place, banner category, fourth grade, Matula;

• Kaitlin Candela, first place, banner category, fourth grade, Matula;

• Hanna Leszczynski, first place, banner category, fourth grade, Matula;

• Nick Quade, honorable mention, banner category, fifth grade, Matula;

• Aashiyana Brown, honorable mention, banner category, fifth grade, Matula;

• Ervin De Leon, honorable mention, banner category, fifth grade, Matula;

• Zharria Wilson, honorable mention, banner category, fifth grade, Matula;

• McKenzie Perrier, first place, photo essay category, third grade, Gale-Bailey Elementary School;

• Journey Gardner, first place, poem category, second grade, Matula;

• Allison Ament, first place, poem category, third grade, Matula;

• Faith Rothell, first place, poem category, fourth grade, Gale-Bailey;

• Morgan Vicha, second place, poem category, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School;

• Mackenzie Fox, third place, poem category, fifth grade, Dr. James Craik Elementary School;

• Rajan Venkatesh, first place, poster category, third grade, Gale-Bailey;

• Katherine Bowling, first place, poster category, fourth grade, Matula;

• Zoe Hakim, first place, poster category, fifth grade, Matula;

• Aliyah Brazile, first place, poster category, fifth grade, Matula;

• Eric Hodgson, third place, poster category, fifth grade, Matula;

• Nya Whitney, third place, poster category, second grade, Craik;

• Caleb Borst, honorable mention, poster category, fourth grade, Matula;

• Elaina Winkler, first place, short story category, fourth grade, Matula;

• Chandler Bell, first place, short story category, eighth grade, Stoddert;

• Jadyn Woolsey, first place, stamp design category, third grade, Craik;

• Ryann Tompkins, first place, stamp design category, fourth grade, Matula; and

• Eliza Freundel, third place, stamp design category, second grade, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School;

• Kendall Vermillion, honorable mention, stamp design category, fifth grade, Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School.

The local contest was sponsored by the Port Tobacco Chapter of the NSDAR. Local winners first advance to the state level. First- and second-place state winners advance to the regional and national levels. A total of 333 students from CCPS and private schools entered the local competition this school year.

For more information about contests available through the NSDAR, visit http://www.dar.org/.

School system staff receive awards, recognition from SECAC

The Charles County Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) honored more than 100 Charles County Public Schools staff and community members at its eleventh annual Teacher and Staff Appreciation Awards ceremony held May 11 at the Greater Waldorf Jaycees Community Center.

Honorees are nominated for recognition by students, parents and community members. Recognized were teachers, instructional assistants, school bus drivers, school counselors, psychologists, administrators, occupational, physical and speech therapists, and others who make a difference in the lives of children with special needs.

Award winners are nominated and selected in six categories: individual elementary; individual secondary; elementary group; secondary group; related services and support staff/administration.

April Davis, a special education teacher at Berry Elementary School, was selected as the overall award recipient in the individual elementary category. North Point High School special education teacher David Mitchell was named an award recipient in the individual secondary category. Caitlin Tarleton, a special education teacher at Westlake High School, was also honored with an award in the individual secondary category.

The award recipients in the elementary group category are from Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School. They are Roberta Bragunier, special education teacher; Todd Wonderling, Mitchell vice principal; Tiffany Mitsouras, second-grade teacher; and Craig Brooks, special education instructional assistant.

The award recipients in the secondary group category are from St. Charles High School. They are Linda Marcoux, school psychologist; and special education teachers Charlie Chapman and Jason Kiessling.

In the related services category, Scott Paterson, a school psychologist who works at Thomas Stone High School, was honored as the award recipient. In the support staff/administration category, John Hanson Middle School Vice Principal Tammika Little was honored with the award.

Other honorees nominated for recognition include:

• Nicholas Adam, vice principal, William A. Diggs Elementary School;

• Amy Adams, special education teacher, F. B. Gwynn Educational Center;

• Kelli Anderson, special education instructional assistant, Theodore G. Davis Middle School;

• Ruth Barbour, special education instructional assistant Life Skills program, Davis;

• Bernard Barnes, assistant in operations, Hanson;

• Nina Beard, fourth-grade teacher, T.C. Martin Elementary School;

• Sheri Belisle, prekindergarten teacher, Mary B. Neal Elementary School;

• Kelsey Bordwell, special education teacher, Stone;

• Eugene Bostwick, special education teacher, Eva Turner Elementary School;

• Amber Breckenridge, special education teacher, Mary H. Matula Elementary School;

• Patricia Broomfield, special education teacher, Stone;

• Joanne Brown, occupational therapist, Gwynn;

• Shamika Brown, special education instructional assistant, Dr. James Craik Elementary School;

• Jennifer Buckley, special education teacher, Mattawoman Middle School;

• Alexandria Bumb, science teacher, Milton M. Somers Middle School;

• Kathleen Burke, special education teacher, Somers;

• Christina Calacan, special education instructional assistant, Turner;

• Laura Canetti, speech pathologist, Neal;

• Christine Cappellano, behavior specialist, Neal;

• Lachelle Carroll, special education preschool instructional assistant, Neal;

• Torea Chancellor, special education teacher, Stone;

• Dawn Chavez, fourth-grade teacher, J.P. Ryon Elementary School;

• Kristin Churchill, special education teacher, Stone;

• Angel Clark, special education instructional assistant Life Skills program, Davis;

• Aubree Clay, special education instructional assistant, Hanson;

• Devin Conner, special education instructional assistant Life Skills program, Davis;

• Erin Conner, community resource liaison, Robert D. Stethem Educational Center;

• Elaine Coombs, special education teacher, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School;

• Holly Corson, occupational therapist, Neal;

• Kristin Cotner, occupational therapist, Gwynn;

• Ryan Crowley, IEP facilitator, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School;

• Virginia Cusick, physical therapist, Gwynn;

• Cheryl Davis, vice principal, North Point;

• Valerie Day, first-grade teacher, Neal;

• Jennifer DeAtley, reading resource teacher, Neal;

• Monica Derencin, language arts teacher, Somers;

• Donna Dillon, speech therapist, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School;

• Oksana Mouchyn-Dobbs, special education teacher, La Plata High School;

• Leslie Eget, school psychologist, North Point;

• Angela Ewing, Multiple Intensity Teaching/Transition Academic and Adaptive Skills program instructional assistant, Hanson;

• Carolyn Fisher, vocal music teacher, Matula;

• Charles Gammons, counselor, Stethem;

• Debbie Gilley, parent resource coordinator, Parent Center at Gwynn;

• Julie Glorioso, special education teacher, Neal;

• Marjorie Gray, special education teacher, Somers;

• Karen Grooms, substitute, Gwynn;

• Margaret Grove, science teacher, Mitchell;

• Jo Handley, special education teacher, Jenifer;

• Autumn Hoffman, French teacher, Stone;

• Gene Hopkins, social studies teacher, Somers;

• Andrew Houghton, special education teacher, Ryon;

• Sheryl Howell, art teacher, Stone;

• Richard Hood, instrumental music teacher, Somers;

• Elaina Hummel, physical education teacher, Somers;

• Shirley Jacks, instructional assistant, Gwynn;

• Erica Jackson, special education teacher, Arthur Middleton Elementary School;

• Pamela Jackson, preschool instructional assistant, Jenifer;

• Tracey Jarmon, counselor, Somers;

• Bertha Bumpers-Jenkins, school bus attendant, Gwynn;

• Anne Jennings, special education teacher, Stone;

• Tunisia Johnson, special education teacher, Stethem;

• Kimberly Jones, special education teacher, Craik;

• Kelly Kavlick, fourth-grade teacher, Gale-Bailey Elementary School;

• Matthew Kovalich, special education teacher, Davis;

• Deanna Lagana, special education preschool instructional assistant, Jenifer;

• Jane Larivee, special education teacher, Stone;

• Kaitlyn Lavin, English teacher, La Plata;

• Monica Leak, speech therapist, Mitchell;

• Terry Leighton, speech therapist, Gwynn;

• Mallory Mahalchak, special education teacher, Mattawoman;

• Marcia Maloney, third-grade teacher, Mitchell;

• Martin Margolis, Jr., physical education teacher, Mitchell;

• Samantha Marino, third-grade teacher, Jenifer;

• Heather Mehallow, special education teacher, Gwynn;

• Sonia Melton, school bus driver, Gwynn;

• Chaundra Mitchell, special education teacher, Matthew Henson Middle School;

• Kimberly Moinet, special education teacher, Stone;

• Joan Newberg, preschool instructional assistant, Neal;

• Kaitlin Norris, special education teacher, T.C. Martin Elementary School;

• Joan Parochetti, special education teacher, Hanson;

• Gwynette Piper, speech therapist, Jenifer;

• Monique Poole, literacy teacher, Maurice J. McDonough High School;

• JaNeil Pryor, special education teacher, Neal;

• Steven Roberts, vice principal, North Point;

• Rochelle Roscoe, special education instructional assistant, Mitchell;

• Jennifer Rowland, mathematics teachers, Somers;

• Bradley Snow, principal, McDonough;

• Shanita Smalls, special education teacher, Neal;

• Cara Stonestreet, Spanish teacher, Somers;

• Jennifer Summers, prekindergarten teacher, Jenifer;

• Cari Vance, instructional assistant, Berry;

• Alyssa Ware, parent resource coordinator, Parent Center at Gwynn;

• Amy Warren, special education teacher, Mattawoman;

• Nancy Watts, special education teacher, North Point;

• Richard Weis, special education teacher, Gale-Bailey;

• Lauren Wenrich, special education teacher, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy;

• Linda Woehlke, counselor, North Point; and

• Corrie Wutka, third-grade teacher, Mitchell.

The SECAC is organized to provide a forum for issues pertaining to children with special education needs. Members advocate for recommendations and advise the school system about the education budget, inclusion assessments, support services and other issues concerning children and special education, and related services.

For more information on the SECAC, visit the Parent Center website at http://www.ccboe.com/community/parents/parentscenter.php or call 301-934-7456.