Nearly 3,000 students representing schools from throughout the United States, surrounding territories and countries around the world gathered at the University of Maryland, College Park from June 11-15 to compete in the 2017 Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Competition. Three students from Calvert County Public Schools earned top awards.
Abigail Setzfand of Northern Middle School was honored with the silver medal in the Junior Individual Website category for her project "Lewis Hine: Focusing the Lens on Child Labor."
Tyler Cassidy and Edward Williams of Plum Point Middle School won the Outstanding State Entry Award for their exhibit entitled, "Brown v. Board of Education of Calvert County: Taking a Stand for African-American Teachers." They finished fourth in the Junior Exhibit Category.
Dr. Daniel D. Curry, Superintendent, said, "Thanks to Abigail, Tyler and Edward for representing us so well at Nationals. We are proud of their performance."
According to a press release from Maryland Humanities, the National History Day program allows students to explore an annual theme through research using primary and secondary sources and to create a final product to display their work. The 2017 competition encouraged students to contemplate "Taking a Stand in History" and select a project in one of the following five categories: exhibit, performance, website, paper or documentary. Maryland students competed in school and county competitions, as well as the statewide contest Maryland History Day, which is coordinated by Maryland Humanities, before advancing to the national competition in College Park.
Maryland Humanities is a statewide, educational nonprofit organization that creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly and enrich their communities.
SECAC Honors Educators
The Calvert County Special Education Citizens' Advisory Committee (SECAC) recently hosted its First Annual Teacher and Staff Awards Program. The recipients, chosen from nominations made by parents and guardians, make a significant difference in the daily lives of children receiving special education services.
Christy Harris, Director of Special Education, said, "The first annual Calvert SECAC Staff Appreciation Awards Ceremony was an amazing success. It was great that parents of children with disabilities had the opportunity to nominate staff who positively impact the lives of their children each day. There are so many amazing and dedicated staff who make a difference every day. The recognition was well deserved. I appreciate the hard work of the SECAC members who volunteered their time to make this event a success. Next year we hope to be able to recognize even more CCPS staff."
The winners are:
Related Services Staff: Calvert Country School Staff, nominated by Elizabeth Calabrese;
Support Staff: Bus driver Bernadette Wills and assistant Dawn Cranford, nominated by Katina Jones;
Child's Team: Lauryn Turner, Stasia Sobotka, Debra Coates, Dolores Roan, Sue Reedy, Sara Frederick, and Kelly Griffith from Windy Hill Elementary, nominated by Terri McKinstry; and
Individual Teacher or Aide: Katie Bolt from Huntingtown Elementary, nominated by Theresa Kuhns.
The Calvert County SECAC meets monthly to collaborate with and provide input to the Special Education Department. Membership includes parents, community members, and Calvert County Public Schools staff. For more information about SECAC, please visit www.calvertsecac.org.
Board of Education Recognizes MASC Officers
The Board of Education of Calvert County Public Schools recognized Colleen Larsen, President of the Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC), and Hunter Marsh, President of the Calvert Association of Student Councils (CASC) and Parliamentarian of MASC, for their contributions to student government at the state and local levels.
Colleen, a graduating senior from Huntingtown High, is the first Calvert County student to hold the position of President of MASC since 1994. She has held a position on the MASC Executive Board for the past three years and has been a member of Student Council for six years. Rick Weber, principal of Huntingtown High, said, "Colleen Larson has been one of the most effective student leaders I have ever had the pleasure to work with. She is mature beyond her years, with an ability to get to the heart of the matter and not get bogged down in minutia. Colleen's leadership of the Student Government Association has had a positive impact on the Huntingtown High School community and will be difficult to replace."
Hunter, a graduating senior from Patuxent High, has been an integral part of the success of both CASC and MASC. Patuxent High Principal Sabrina Bergen said, "Hunter exemplifies the characteristics of a strong leader. He is motivated by a desire to help others achieve their maximum potential, and his interest in fairness and honor is inspiring." As evidence of his commitment to enhancing the leadership skills of his peers, he has taught workshops at the school, county and state levels and is a counselor at Maryland Leadership Workshops, Maryland's premier leadership development program for middle and high school students.
BOE Recognizes Employees of the Month
The Board of Education of Calvert County Public Schools recently recognized Central Office support personnel as Employees of the Month.
The Employees of the Month for June are:
Finance: Monica Jones
Human Resources: LaCoria Contee
Information Technology: Keith Graham
Maintenance: Dennis Gibson
Special Education: Shelley McClain, Jodi Perez
Student Services: Lori Lusby
School system employees are recognized monthly at Board of Education meetings in accordance with Policy #6620. During the school year, the Board recognizes one support staff member and one professional staff member from designated schools, with each school scheduled for recognition one time per year. Central office support staff and teacher specialists are recognized in June. School and central office administrators are recognized in August.