St. Mary's Co. Public Schools News Briefs

Dedication of Spring Ridge Middle School

On Tuesday, September 20, a dedication ceremony was held at Spring Ridge Middle School to celebrate the successful completion of a multi-year limited renovation and addition project at the school. The limited renovation included five major building systems: heating and cooling system, roof, fire sprinkler, lighting and security, as well as the addition of a 5,000 square foot classroom area to house all STEM classrooms. Existing classrooms were enclosed to eliminate all open floor plan classrooms, or "pod" areas. With the completion of this project, all open "pod" classrooms in St. Mary's County have been eliminated. The project also permitted architectural enhancements such as those in the cafeteria, media center, the administrative suite and the entrance canopy. Superintendent J. Scott Smith offered remarks at the dedication ceremony, saying "Spring Ridge Middle School is a testament to what can be built when all hands come together with a common vision."

Ethics Panel To Meet

The St. Mary's County Public Schools' Ethics Panel will be holding a meeting on Thursday, October 13, 2016, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., in the Division of Supporting Services' Training Room, located at 27190 Point Lookout Road, Loveville, Maryland 20656.

For more information, call 301-475-4256, ext. 34136.

Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week

St. Mary's County Public Schools (SMCPS) celebrated Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week during the week of September 19-23, 2016. To continue the celebration, Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary School will be hosting a visit from Cornelia and many other fun activities on Thursday, September 29, 2016. We will be featuring local produce during all lunch periods.

The Cornelia program (sponsored by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission) includes coloring books, animated videos, live videos and two life-size, mascot characters (Cornelia and Couch Potato), and teaches children about the importance of an active, healthy lifestyle in an effort to combat childhood obesity and enhance the role farms play in healthy eating and exercise.

Maryland Home Grown School Lunch Week aims to bring more Maryland-grown products to school lunch rooms and to help educate students about where their food comes from, how it is produced, and the benefits of a healthy diet.

More information about Maryland's Farm to School initiative is available at: mda.maryland.gov/farm_to_school/Pages/farm_to_school.aspx