Monday, December 19, 2022

Asian Student Union at Eastern Technical High School celebrates diversity and culture

According to Eastern Technical High School seniors Henry Vo and Faiza Ashar, the school’s many identity-based groups reflect the school’s appreciation for diversity and inclusion. Eastern Tech is home to an African Student Association, Muslim Student Association, and more – including the 150-member Asian Student Union of which Henry is co-president and Faiza is vice president. 



Henry, who is Vietnamese, and Faiza, who is Indonesian, were both born in the United States to parents who are immigrants. Henry sees the Asian Student Union as an opportunity for students to “celebrate their own culture and to connect with historic and cultural traditions.”

A new blog post details the Asian Student Union's activities, including its participation in the Maryland Asian-American Pacific Islander South Asian Conference. The blog post also explores Henry and Faiza's other interests and plans.

Henry Vo, ASU co-president

Faiza Ashar, ASU vice president

A joyful performance at Bedford Elementary's winter concert has gone viral

Kevin "Knox" Johnson gets "All I Want for Christmas," and then some, thanks to a new and very special fan

Jennifer White-Johnson posted on Twitter a video of her son Kevin "Knox" Johnson singing "All I Want for Christmas Is You," at Bedford Elementary School's winter concert featuring students in Grades 4 and 5. She tagged Mariah Carey in hopes that the superstar would see Knox singing one of her hit songs.

And then the miracle happened. Even though she’s currently on tour, Carey did see White-Johnson’s tweet, and Knox’s performance, and expressed her enthusiastic appreciation. Carey reposted Knox's performance, and the story was shared by Billboard Magazine.

The winter concert clip has officially gone viral on social media, with 240,000 views and counting!

A new blog post explores the story in greater depth.

6th Annual BCPS HBCU Fair attracts large crowd, earns rave reviews

Nearly 1,900 BCPS high school students registered for the Sixth Annual BCPS HBCU College Fair. At the event, held on December 10 at New Town High School, students and their families met with representatives from more than 30 Historically Black Colleges and Universities and attended workshops on college admissions, financial aid, college life, and more.

Landen Harley, a junior at Parkville High School, attended with his mom, Queneia Harley.

"The HBCU fair was fun," says Landen. "My mom has taken us to visit some HBCUs in Georgia where my aunt lives, and I visited some other HBCUs with Upward Bound."

 Landen and Lyndsey Harley, juniors at Parkville High School

"We can't get to them all," he continues, "so, it was kind of a big deal for us to come to the fair to see as many as we could see and get as much information as we could get. My twin sister and I definitely plan on attending an HBCU after high school.

Queneia Harley adds: "HBCUs are so important to elevating equity and empowering the next generation of positive leaders. I really enjoyed the fair. It was a wonderful showcase of the quality education and top tier experience students will get attending an HBCU. Many of the recruiters asked my son what he wanted to get involved in outside of the classroom, and, to me, that is an important question to consider as he seeks opportunities to make his college experience more meaningful. I hope my twins also take advantage of the study abroad opportunities."

More photos can be found on Flickr and a BCPS-TV video about the event can be found on Vimeo.

"Televisión BCPS," a new Spanish talk show, launches debut episode

"Televisión BCPS," is a new monthly program on BCPS-TV hosted by Gevene de Harden, BCPS bilingual senior communications officer. The show will feature in-depth interviews in Spanish with Team BCPS staff exploring topics of interest to BCPS Spanish-speaking families.

Local professionals sought to assist at regional Future Business Leaders of America conference

Local professionals are sought to serve as volunteer judges during the Maryland FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) Region 2 Leadership Conference. The event will be held on Tuesday, January 3, from 3:30-6 p.m. at Eastern Technical High School. Volunteers will use guidelines and a scoring rubric to evaluate 5-minute business presentations created by students. Volunteers do not need prior knowledge of the topics. 

For more information or to volunteer, please contact Nidhi Patel, Region 2 vice president, at Nidhi.patel@mdfbla.org. 

Mark your calendar: "Math Homework Helpers LIVE" returns on Wednesday, January 11

On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., for the second time this school year, “Math Homework Helpers LIVE” will air on BCPS-TV Fios channel 34 / Comcast channel 73 and stream live on the BCPS website and the BCPS YouTube channel.

BCPS-TV "Math Homework Helpers Shorts" are also available on the Vimeo and YouTube. These vignettes are short math lessons aligned with the math curriculum for students in Kindergarten through Grade 5.

Get ready to ring in the "blue" year!

Team BCPS Day will be celebrated on Thursday, January 12, 2023!

The entire Team BCPS community is invited to wear blue to participate in this annual celebration of the progress, promise, impact, and unity of the schools, students, staff, and supporters of BCPS. Participants are asked to post photos on social media using hashtag #BCPSblue. See photos from last year on Flickr.

Treat your family to a Towson University basketball game – with discounted tickets

On Saturday, December 31, at 12 noon, the Towson men's basketball team will take on the College of Charleston. For this "Noon Year's Eve" event, Towson University would like as many BCPS students in attendance as possible! Discounted tickets are available for $8 each, and the event will include "2023" themed giveaways. This link automatically applies the promo code and allows buyers to select as many tickets as desired! This gives parents an option to do something with their children on New Year's Eve without staying up so late!

"Domino Sugar," by Brandon Nicklas, visual arts educator, Lansdowne High School, in the 2022 Teachers as Artists Exhibition

mission moment

from The Education Foundation of BCPS

Honoring a Mindful Moment Ambassador:

Oak Contracting, LLC

Recognizing the importance of partnerships, The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc., has dedicated a portion of its meetings to recognize and celebrate partners that go above and beyond, naming them Mindful Moment Ambassadors.

Recently, the foundation extended gratitude to Oak Contracting, LLC.

Doug Eder, CEO of Oak, is past president of the foundation's board. Under his leadership, Oak has sponsored several foundation events, and its employees are frequent foundation volunteers.

Eder says, "The foundation has been a shining part of my career, and there is nothing that gives me more pleasure than knowing I have helped a child improve their potential.”

A new Mission Moment blog post tells more of the story.

A Word from Dr. Williams, Superintendent

December 19, 2022

Dear Team BCPS,

Our winter break begins this Thursday afternoon, December 22.

I wish all BCPS students, teachers, staff members, and their families a wonderful winter break. Whether you will be celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's, Japanese New Year, and/or simply enjoying the time off with family and friends, I wish you joy and peace.

Our diversity makes our learning community a richer place in which to teach, learn, and work, and I thank you for being a member of this community.

We look forward to welcoming students back in our buildings on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

Sincerely, 

Darryl L. Williams, Ed.D.

Superintendent

The newsletter will return on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.