February 2024

BCPS and R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center launch an injury prevention education initiative for health teachers and students

The Baltimore County Public Schools Office of Health and Physical Education and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center have launched an injury prevention education initiative for BCPS health teachers and students.

Staff from the BCPS offices of health education and health services and the Shock Trauma Center have developed a skills-based lesson plan that integrates components of the national Stop the Bleed® training program. Stop the Bleed® empowers individuals to take immediate action to control severe bleeding in emergency situations. The BCPS/Shock Trauma lesson will be taught by trained health educators as part of the high school health education curricular program. 

The Shock Trauma Center has secured grant funding from Baltimore County government to provide each BCPS high school with two Stop the Bleed® training kits by the start of next school year. 

Read more in a recent BCPS news release.

On February 9, staff from Shock Trauma conducted a training session at Cockeysville Middle School for approximately 100 high school health teachers. During the spring semester, staff from Shock Trauma will co-teach the BCPS lesson with trained BCPS health teachers at eight high schools in preparation for a systemwide implementation next school year.

County Executive Olszewski announces $1 million in scholarships to boost BCPS teacher diversity

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski and BCPS have announced the award of a $1 million grant to create the new Diverse Teacher Recruitment Scholarship: Growing Our Own for BCPS program.

“Every child deserves to grow up with role models and mentors who look like them,” said Baltimore County Executive Olszewski. “Diversity is our strength in Baltimore County, and the new recruitment scholarship will support students from across the county and make our school system stronger and more vibrant.”

The scholarship program, which will be implemented by The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc., will provide eligible applicants with scholarships supporting the costs of tuition, fees, and books.

The program is open to juniors and seniors at local colleges and universities,

current BCPS paraeducators, and individuals changing careers and currently studying education. To qualify, applicants must be Black, Indigenous, or people of color pursuing teaching careers in any field OR women pursuing teaching certificates in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).

Scholarship recipients must commit to completing internships in BCPS schools and commit to teaching with BCPS for three years upon graduation from an accredited teacher education program. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30. 

Parents, caregivers learned more about community partners at BCPS Special Education Resource Fair

Parents and caregivers of children receiving special education services from Baltimore County Public Schools attended the annual Special Education Resource Fair on February 7 at Colgate Elementary School. The free evening event, hosted by the BCPS Department of Special Education, connected families to each other and to additional information about services and resources offered by the school system and by community agencies and organizations.

Exhibitors included Abilities Network, The Arc Baltimore, Autism Society, Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks, Baltimore County Health Department, Office of Chronic Disease Prevention, KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now), Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities, Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities, Maryland Coalition of Families, Maryland Council for Exceptional Children, Maryland Insurance Administration, The Parents’ Place of Maryland, Pathfinders for Autism, Special Olympics, and We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym.

Engineers from the James Webb Space Telescope at Johns Hopkins University supported Hereford High students in developing award-winning project

A team of Hereford High School students has been named one of 60 teams nationwide to win the third annual NASA TechRise Student Challenge.

The honor means that the team’s winning entry – “Ferrofluid Fiesta - Investigating the Issue of Atmospheric Microplastic (MP) Pollution” – will fly on one of two NASA-sponsored suborbital flights this summer.

The all-women Hereford team -- sophomores Cecelia Curtis, Athena Zhou, Amanda Shener, Aya Elamrani-Zerifi, and Rachel Holbrook – began their project as a Hereford Society of Women Engineers activity, said technology teacher Michael Dodd-O. With development guidance from Hereford physics teacher Jeremy Smith and chemistry teacher Charles Fluharty, they also vetted the project with engineers from the James Webb Space Telescope at Johns Hopkins University.

Hereford sophomores Rachel Holbrook, Aya Elamrani-Zerifi, Cecelia Curtis, Amanda Shener, and Athena Zhou

Partnership with police department supports student development

Southwest Academy

Southwest Academy students Mohamed and Zyion were awarded new sneakers for making honor roll. They are among a group of young men being mentored by Baltimore County Police Officer and Youth Initiatives Officer K. Young. The sneakers were provided by Baltimore County Police Department Detective J. Mathis' organization Police and Sneaks.

Seven Oaks Elementary School

School Resource Officer A. Swartzendruber organized a Baltimore County Police Department visit to Seven Oaks Elementary School to celebrate the 100th day of school. First grader students enjoyed the opportunity to sit inside police vehicles, handle police equipment, and see police dogs and a helicopter in action.

Youth leaders share insights with Pikesville Middle students

Senior fellows from the Elijah Cummings Youth Program engaged in a panel discussion with Pikesville Middle School students to share insights on building relationships. The event took place on February 2.

Partners support the BCPS annual haiku contest with prizes

The Team BCPS Haiku Contest challenges Baltimore County Public Schools students to describe, in just 17 syllables, what story they see in a piece of student artwork, what the artwork makes them think and feel.

On Monday, April 17, International Haiku Poetry Day, winning haiku will be chosen at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and student winners will receive prizes.

For the past several years, The Charmery and The Ivy Bookshop have provided some of the prizes. This year, for the first time, The Maryland Writing Project at Towson University will also provide, as a prize, scholarships to participate in their asynchronous writing camp this summer.

New BCPS-TV video highlights important role of volunteers in Junior Achievement/BCPS partnership

Sandalwood Elementary School initiative continues to boost student attendance and confidence

Community volunteers sought by Kenwood and Towson high schools

Kenwood High School is seeking area professionals to participate in an upcoming career fair. Towson High School is seeking volunteers as tutors in its Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program (a college prep program).

Have you taken the 2024 BCPS Climate Survey?

Survey has fewer questions, can be completed in 3 minutes or less

The annual BCPS Climate Survey has been revised with fewer questions and a focus on school climate and engagement. Students in Grades 3–12, parents/caregivers, community members, and all staff are asked to complete the online survey, which is accessible from the BCPS home page. The survey takes three minutes or less to complete, is anonymous, and is available in multiple languages. The survey window will close on Friday, March 8.

BCPS-TV highlights the Outstanding Young Women Leaders Program offered by BCPS and the Presidential Scholar's Office of Towson University

A message from Dr. Rogers

Dear Reader:

Regularly in this newsletter, we ask businesses and community organizations to support our schools and to engage directly with our students.

I want to take this opportunity to express our deepest appreciation for the enduring and exciting partnerships we have developed and maintained with the community.

I also want to remind all potential partners and volunteers of the immense benefits of engagement. For example, across the county, schools at every level are looking for businesses and professionals to support their career and technical education programs. They are looking for career day speakers, competition judges, robotics volunteers, internship mentors, mock interviewers, and more.

By serving in any of these roles, you can help influence the next generation of professionals in your field – and be inspired by them. Our students impress us daily with their intellectual curiosity, creativity, and civic awareness and activism.

If you are interested, a list of what individual schools seek can be found online. To participate, please contact the person listed or contact Alicia Fales, career and technical education supervisor, at afales@bcps.org or 443-809-8921.

In partnership,

Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.

Superintendent

PTA Council of Baltimore County

Dear Reader:

PTA Council is excited to announce that three PTA units in Baltimore County Public Schools were awarded the National PTA’s “PTA Connected: Ready, Tech, Go! Program Grant,” a collaboration between National PTA and AT&T. The three PTA units and presidents who applied are:

• Jacksonville Elementary School PTA – Matt Price
• Reisterstown Elementary School PTA – Dawn Johnston
• Seven Oaks Elementary School PTA – Carrie Weiss-Stiles

With grant funding received and program resources provided, these units were able to host interactive programs that helped families make the best technology-readiness decisions for their households. (All families can access digital literacy, digital safety, and digital parenting information online from AT&T.

As noted by National PTA, “Parenting in the digital age can be challenging, and families are faced with many important decisions surrounding technology use and digital safety. Determining when their children may be ready for a device and establishing healthy digital habits are chief among them. The PTA Connected: Ready, Tech, Go! Program … will help families, parents, and caregivers navigate these challenges through meaningful peer-to-peer discussions about screen readiness and ways to promote healthy and responsible device use for all members of the family.”

We commend PTA leaders for taking the initiative to apply for this competitive grant!

Leslie Weber

President

Do you have a good news story regarding a partnership? Please send details to communications@bcps.org.

Opportunities to Partner