Charles Co. Public Schools News Briefs

North Point CTE enrollment opened to current CCPS freshmen for limited programs

North Point High School has extended its 2018-19 enrollment for limited career, technology and education (CTE) programs to current Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) freshmen.

The enrollment is Feb. 12 through Feb. 28 online at www.ccboe.com/schools/northpoint/index.php/sti and is for the 2018-19 school year. The application will be live on the North Point website on Feb. 12.

The programs include collision repair, electrical construction, welding technology, manufacturing engineering technology, construction design and management, and automotive technology.

Accepted students will attend North Point as sophomores at the start of the 2018-19 school year. Current North Point students enrolled in any other CTE program are excluded from the enrollment process.

The school is holding two information sessions next month for interested students and parents. The sessions are 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 6, and 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 7. The application review window is March 1 through March 23. Students will receive acceptance letters on March 29.

Contact Jacqueline Loux, North Point admissions counselor, at 301-753-1759 or jloux@ccboe.com for more information.

Pop into the Seven-Up Art Show Jan. 26-Feb. 11

The Seven-Up Art Show is set to open later this month. Featuring art work by high school students in Charles County Public Schools, the show is celebrating its 20th year at the Mattawoman Creek Art Center in Smallwood State Park.

Art teachers select pieces their students have created including paintings, drawings, photographs and sculpture. Prizes are given in each category to those in first-, second- and third-place, as well as honorable mention. The show offers young artists a chance to showcase their work in a professional gallery setting.

The show will run from Jan. 26 to Feb. 11 at the art center which is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. An opening reception will be 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 28 at the center. For more information, go to www.mattawomanart.org.

CCPS School News Briefs

• Students at William B. Wade Elementary School are participating in the Black-Eyed Susan Book Award program this school year. The program is coordinated by the Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL) and is a children's choice award. Students participate by reading books chosen for the program. Categories include picture books, fiction, nonfiction and graphic novels. Students who read eight or more books in one category will vote in March for the overall state winners. Wade third, fourth and fifth graders are participating in the program with the assistance of Heidi Furman, Wade's library media specialist.

• Several student artists at William B. Wade Elementary School were featured in the recent County First Bank art show. The show was held last fall at Mary B. Neal Elementary School and highlights the artistic talents of third and fourth graders. This year's theme was "At the Heart of Our Community," and 23 public and private schools participated. Wade was selected as this year's "Show Prize Winner" and received funding to help support its art department. John Haldeman, art teacher at Wade, coordinated the students' participation.

• Members of the Westlake High School Key Club volunteered last month during the Charles County Children's Aid Society's Christmas Toy Connection. Along with other volunteers and members of the Charles County Sheriff's Office, the students helped to collect and organize donations. The club includes 27 students with six officers. Five students participated in the Christmas Toy Connection event and were joined by Key Club sponsors Rebecca Conrad and Heidi Ortolano, both teachers at Westlake. The Westlake Key Club supports other community events such as Lifestyles of Maryland's Safe Nights program and the Walk to End Homelessness in Charles County. Students also support school-based activities such as coat drives and fundraisers to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and a local food pantry at Peace Lutheran Church in Waldorf.

• Charles County Public Schools students learned about computer coding last month during Computer Science Education Week. Highlighted by the school system annually in December, Computer Science Education Week activities are planned by school staff to help students learn hands-on about computer coding and programming. Students at William B. Wade Elementary School participated in the Hour of Code, an event in which students go online and learn how to code in 60 minutes. They created code through different activities from websites such as Tynker and Kodable, as well as Code.org lessons featuring popular games such as Minecraft, Monster High and Create Your Own Google Logo.

• To help spread cheer during the holiday season, the Thomas Stone High School chapter of the W.E.B. Du Bois Society helped to make cards for a church and its members. The chapter includes Stone students in all grade levels. The W. E. B. Du Bois Society is an academic and cultural enrichment program designed to engage students. Students made cards for those injured in the November 2017 shooting at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs in Texas.

• During the month of December, William B. Wade Elementary School hosts an annual Book Character House contest. Students select a favorite book and create a unique house to mirror their favorite book characters. The houses are displayed in the school's library media center and students vote on their favorite. Winners are announced at the end of the school's book fair and receive free books.