Carol Leveillee makes Mary H. Matula Elementary School a great place to work and learn. That's what her students say -- and the teachers and even the parents of the students.

That message was repeated last week as students and staff honored their outgoing principal for her selection as Maryland's National Distinguished Principal. Leveillee was chosen by the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP) from a pool of more than 900 possible candidates to represent Maryland at the national level.

Leveillee choked back tears as she entered Matula's media center filled with fifth-grade students, teachers, staff members, administrators, Board members and Debbie Drown, executive director of MAESP. It was there that Leveillee was surprised with the announcement that she was selected by the association to represent Maryland as its principal of the year.

"Mrs. Leveillee is an exceptional principal who is dedicated, hard working, caring and trustworthy," fifth grader Brandon Battle told the crowd that gathered May 1.

Leveillee says she is proud of the title. "Everything I do each and every day is for students, and this award is for all of them. I am fortunate to have an awesome staff at Matula and the support of Superintendent James Richmond, Deputy Superintendent Ronald Cunningham and others at the Starkey building. In October, when I go to Washington it will make all of my hard work over the years pay off. This national award is for Charles County, the place I've called my second home for the past 24 years," she said.

Parent volunteer Norma Flores-Kret says Leveillee helps Matula shine. "She takes to heart each scraped knee, bruised spirit, and sad face and rejoices in each and every 'kiss your brain' moment and 'knock your socks off' accomplishment. She has more than enough praise and uplifting to go around for each and every student, staff member, and even us volunteers," Flores-Kret said.

Drown, who made the announcement, told the students that Leveillee was chosen because of her hard work and many accomplishments. "She makes students her main focus. She is outside everyday, no matter the weather, to greet and say goodbye to students. She is involved in community projects such as Jump Rope for Heart, Coins for Cancer, torch run, Shiver in the River for Special Olympics, adopt a needy family, silly string for soldiers, and she still has time to come to our (MAESP) meetings on Saturdays," Drown said.

Kristin Joson, media specialist at Matula, nominated Leveillee for the award. "Mrs. Leveillee is most deserving of this award. I have had the privilege to work with her for 10 years at Matula and I have witnessed first hand her dedication. The students and staff of Matula have always come first. She goes above and beyond, putting in more hours than there are in a day," she said.

This is not the first recognition Leveillee has received during her 10 years as principal at Matula. In 2006, she was the recipient of the Washington Post Distinguished Principal Award and she is the recipient of the Hoopengardner Award, Elementary Education Award and Maryland Congress of Parents and Teachers Award.

Leveillee began her career in education in 1983 as a teacher at Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School. She transferred to William B. Wade in 1989 and became an instructional specialist in 1994. She served as vice principal at Eva Turner, James Craik and Matula elementary schools between 1995 and 1998, and was named as principal of Matula in 1999. In July, Leveillee moves to Charles County's newest school, Mary B. Neal Elementary School, as principal.

Leveillee will represent Maryland at a National Association of Elementary School Principals awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., in October. The National Distinguished Principals Program was established in 1984 as an annual event to honor exemplary elementary and middle school principals who set the pace, character, and quality of the education children receive during their early school years.

Arthur Middleton Elementary School Principal Greg Miller climbed onto the school's roof Wednesday, April 30, in the name of one promise and mathematics.

Miller, along with his vice principal Tara Moore and Meighan Hungerford, coordinator of elementary school instruction for Charles County Public Schools, promised the more than 450 students that they would spend the day on the roof of the school if the students solved 250,000 mathematics problems as part of the school's second annual "Quarter million math challenge."

Students from all grade levels competed to complete math problems in the challenge, which kicked off in October 2007. Students were required to complete grade-level problems that were not part of their math class activities or homework.

Teachers also put together packets of math problems, parents purchased workbooks for their children and other students found worksheets on instructional websites. Collection boxes were placed at the front office for students to submit their entries.

At the end of the challenge, Middleton students completed a total of 372,810 math problems, with the third-grade class solving the most problems: 110,059. Middleton kindergarten students solved 23,081 problems. The first-grade class solved 32,596 problems and students in the second grade at Middleton solved the second highest amount, with 104,167.

The fourth- and fifth-grade classes solved a total of 102,637 problems, with the fourth-graders solving 79,272 and the fifth graders solving 23,635.

Middleton third-grade teacher Cyndi Bartolomeo and her accelerated math students counted the problems and incorporated them into their class lessons.

"This exercise incorporated many different math skills as students tallied the mounds of papers and problems, compiled the data and created tables and graphs to show grade-level progress throughout the challenge," Bartolomeo said.

As the tally of math problems was kept on a grade-level basis, the challenge also became a sort of inter-grade competition. Megan Lima, Middleton's technology instructor, provided time during computer lab sessions and said the students worked hard to meet the challenge goal.

"The students actually begged to do more math problems. They were so excited and eager. How could I ever say, 'No, you can't do anymore math problems'," Lima said.

Students gathered in the school auditorium to celebrate their challenge success and to see Miller off to the roof. The student body chanted "on the roof, roof, roof" as Miller disappeared onto the stairwell leading to the roof. The entire school then went outside to the school's playground area to see Miller fulfilling his promise.

Miller and Moore sat on the roof in folding chairs during all Middleton recess periods, starting at 11:30 a.m. and ending at 2:30 p.m., and waved at the students on the playground. Miller even had a football and played a mini game of "catch" as he kicked the football down to the students on the playground.

Middleton students launched the challenge last school year after reading about a similar student challenge in the "My Weird School" book series in which the fictional principal agrees to dress as a gorilla if the students complete a math problem challenge. During the first challenge, the students completed more than 287,000 problems, and Miller, as promised, dressed in a costume and danced for his students during a post Maryland School Assessments (MSA) celebration.

Bartolomeo said the school is planning to keep the challenge going each year, in hopes that it becomes a tradition at Middleton.

Pictured above is Meighan Hungerford, coordinator of elementary instruction for Charles County Public Schools, left, and Greg Miller, principal of Arthur Middleton Elementary School, right, as they stand on top of the school's roof and wave to Middleton students. Miller, along with Hungerford and Middleton's Vice Principal Tara Moore, promised the students that they would spend an afternoon on the roof if the students solved 250,000 or more mathematics problems as part of the school's second annual "Quarter million math challenge."

Theodore G. Davis Middle School seventh-grade students are trying to attract birds back to their school while completing a Student Service Learning (SSL) project. Working with students from North Point High School, the middle schoolers have developed a plan to build and place birdhouses to entice birds back to the campus that also houses William A. Diggs Elementary School.

Davis students noticed an increase in insects and a decrease in the number of birds, which has been caused by the construction of three schools in the area, the scarcity of trees and the lack of snow last winter. To entice the birds back to the area, the students want to create habitats for the birds through the birdhouse building project.

Working with carpentry students from North Point, birdhouse templates were cut and pre-drilled for easy assembly by the middle school students. The North Point students are serving as mentors and assisting the Davis students with construction.

Once construction is complete, the Davis students plan to present the birdhouses to Diggs Principal Sandra McDuffie, Davis Principal Wendell Martin and North Point Principal Kim Hill. The students hope the principals will commit to placing the houses around the educational campus.

Davis students are incorporating the houses into an on-going research project and plan to monitor the house sites and collect data. The data will be logged on the school's web site and allow students to study the affects of the birds on the environment as well as the success the placement of houses has on creating a habitat for birds.

Service-learning education links academic learning with student service that benefits the community. Service-learning includes academic preparation, service activities and structured reflection. Students study the community, identify problems, propose solutions, implement the solution and reflect the impact of the service.

Pictured above are North Point High School Principal Kim Hill, left, and Theodore G. Davis Middle School Principal Wendell Martin, right, as they observe the student construction of birdhouses. The birdhouses will be used to entice birds back to the educational complex that contains North Point High School, Theodore G. Davis Middle School and William A. Diggs Elementary School.

More than 35 Charles County Public Schools teachers and faculty members were recognized in a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program leadership recognition ceremony held April 21 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration in La Plata.

The teachers were nominated by their principals for their support of the program, coordinating meetings and PBIS events for their schools, collecting program data and lesson plans, and for collaborating with parents to make the program successful.

Andrea Alexander, the student behavior specialist and PBIS coordinator for the Maryland State Department of Education(MSDE), attended the ceremony and thanked the teachers and principals for their strong support and implementation of the program in their schools.

The following staff members were recognized:

• Kimberly Hairston, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School;
• Jennifer Conte, Berry Elementary School;
• Jamie Daigle, Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School;
• Alicia Jones, William A. Diggs Elementary School;
• Nina Ogasawara, Gale-Bailey Elementary School;
• Megan Phantasy and Marissa Cross, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School;
• Jennifer Davis, Indian Head Elementary School;
• Melissa Fowler, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School;
• Jenifer Kelly, Malcolm Elementary School;
• Sheila Hillman, T.C. Martin Elementary School;
• Stacy Bateman, Mary H. Matula Elementary School;
• Monica Tummino, Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School;
• Amy Striker, Arthur Middleton Elementary School;
• Laura Kelly, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School;
• Lisa Morgan and Jaime Stoltz, J.C. Parks Elementary School;
• Judith Peel, J.P. Ryon Elementary School;
• Gayle Gepert, Eva Turner Elementary School;
• Karen Surratt, William B. Wade Elementary School;
• Yvonne McCann, Theodore G. Davis Middle School;
• Carol Bennett, John Hanson Middle School;
• John Tompkins and Craig Darragh, Matthew Henson Middle School;
• Jennifer Deschane, Mattawoman Middle School;
• Wendie Newcamp, Piccowaxen Middle School;
• Tameka Gaddy, General Smallwood Middle School;
• Kim King, Milton M. Somers Middle School;
• Dionne Gilmore, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School;
• Sandra Hamke, Henry E. Lackey High School;
• Betsy Gardiner and Courtney Abell, Maurice J. McDonough High School;
• Linda McLaughlin and Margaret Overbey, North Point High School; and
• April O'Leary and Anna Kozinksi, Thomas Stone High School.

Students at Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School were named winners last month of the Washington Capitals "Rock the Red" online pep rally contest. The sports organization sponsored the contest to gain support from local schools for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

More than 25 schools from Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland submitted photos of students displaying support for the team. Mitchell teacher Corey Specht submitted a photo of the entire fourth-grade class spelling out the word "Caps" on the school's playground. There were 32,000 votes submitted online for the contest and the Mitchell photo received 11,107 of those votes.

As winners, the school received a Capitals pep rally of their own on Friday, April 18, at the school. The rally was emceed by Capitals broadcaster Steve Kolbe and featured the team mascot, Slapshot the eagle. Kolbe also presented the school with a set of street hockey equipment, donated by the team, a team-signed jersey, t-shirts and goody bags.

The project was organized by Specht and Mitchell teachers Jimmy Morton, Elizabeth Loeper, Tiffany Gardner, Robert Schmidt and Janet Flaherty.

Pictured above is Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School teacher Corey Specht, left, and the Washington Capitals team mascot, Slapshot, right. Slapshot and Capitals broadcaster Steve Kolbe visited the school on April 18 as part of the team's "Rock the Red" online pep rally contest.

• The North Point High School Environment club and science classes recently worked to create a wildlife habitat in front of the school. Students have planted aquatic vegetation around a freshwater pond to attract wildlife in the area to the habitat, such as beavers, birds, fish and other animals native to southern Maryland. The habitat's progress is monitored by North Point science teachers Ellen Estevez and Emily Rhode.
• C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School held its annual Fine Arts Festival on Tuesday, April 22, at the school. The fifth-grade chorus, as well as the fifth-grade band and strings groups, performed during the festival. The school hallways were also covered in student artwork to celebrate the event and included paintings, sculptures, collages and drawings. Barnhart students studied artists such as Claude Monet and Wayne Thiebaud and incorporated some of their artistic elements into their school projects.
• William A. Diggs Elementary School recently held a week-long schoolwide "plastic grocery bag contest" to help support community awareness of Earth preservation. Students across all grade levels competed against one another to see which grade could collect the largest number of plastic grocery bags. The Diggs fourth-grade class won the contest and filled more than 14 large recycling containers. Trex Company, a manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, railing and fencing products, plans to donate a bench to the school for their recycling efforts. The company recycles over 1.3 billion grocery retail bags annually.
• A fourth-grade class at William A. Diggs Elementary School will be featured in the Young American Poetry Digest. The class-authored poem, titled "Welcoming Snow" was chosen to be featured after Tammy Barnes, a fourth-grade teacher at Diggs, submitted the poem to the publication.
• Indian Head Elementary School students completed a 30-day Maryland School Assessments (MSA) review calendar in March to prepare for the tests, held the first two weeks of April. More than 50 third- and fifth-grade students worked to complete math problems and reading assignments during the challenge, and even continued to prepare during their spring break. Indian Head faculty and staff rewarded the students for their MSA preparation efforts by hosting a sock hop for the school.
• The Thomas Stone High School JROTC "Raider" team recently competed in a regional competition held March 15 at Sussex Technical High School in Delaware. The team took third place in the overall competition and earned first place in the Rope Bridge event, second place in the Land Navigation event and third place in the First Aid event. Members of the team include Jonathan Deleon, Aerielle Jackson, LaVincent Jackson, Christina Mills, Brandon Murray, Thomas Podorski, Erika Specht and William Turgeon. The team is coached by 1st Sgt. Douglas Otten, the JROTC instructor at Stone.
• Members of the Thomas Stone High School dance team recently competed in the Big Apple Championship held March 14 in Manhattan, NY. The team was awarded first place in the Small Varsity Pom category and third place in the Small Varsity Jazz category. Team members who competed were Tabatha Blanford, Kaitlyn Burch, Alison Cheseldine, Megan Kilgore, Shayna Moreland and Sara Rzechula. The dance team sponsors are Stone art teacher Martina Zinn and Shannon Corley.
• The Advanced Placement Environmental Science students at North Point High School recently helped launch a schoolwide recycling program in honor of Earth Day. The students are working to collect plastic bottles during lunch shifts and are offering incentives to participate, such as one piece of candy per bottle. Each classroom also has a blue recycling bin for students to recycle items such as white paper, cardboard, aluminum cans and plastic bottles.

Steve Roberts, a mathematics teacher at Westlake High School, was recently named one of 99 national winners of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) for 2007 by the National Science Foundation. The award is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through grade 12 mathematics or science teacher can receive in the United States.

The award is administered on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Roberts was chosen as an award recipient from selected mathematics and science teachers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

As a national recipient, Roberts received a $10,000 grant to use over a three-year period. He also received an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C., April 29-May 3 to accept the award and participate in educational and celebratory events.

During his visit to Washington D.C., Roberts, along with the other award recipients, met with members of Congress and Administration and Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, A NASA astronaut mission specialist, to discuss the latest issues in mathematics and science teaching and to share expertise and viewpoints. The recipients also met with Vice President Dick Cheney for a group photo.

"We have had an amazing week," Roberts said. "We have been to the National Science Foundation, the State Department for dinner, the White House for a group picture with Cheney and the Capitol Hill Club. [We] even got into the Capitol Gallery and some were able to take pictures with our Senators and Congress members."

Roberts began his career with Charles County Public Schools as a mathematics teacher in 1997 at Westlake. He serves as chair of the mathematics department, serves on the school improvement team and is a member of the curriculum writing team for mathematics.

Each year, up to 108 awards are bestowed to recipients across the United States. The competition alternates each year between kindergarten through sixth-grade teachers and seventh through twelfth-grade teachers. National winners are chosen by a panel of distinguished scientists and mathematicians.

Westlake High School mathematics teacher Steven Roberts, pictured above, is one of 99 national recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for 2007. He was honored in an awards ceremony hosted by Dr. Arden Bement, director of the National Science Foundation, on Friday, May 2.

Victoria DeMarco-Logue, a history teacher at John Hanson Middle School, was named the 2008 History Day Teacher of the Year for Charles County at the Maryland State History Day event held April 26 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Additionally, two county students received special awards. Andre Burton, a seventh-grade student at Milton M. Somers Middle School, received a special prize in military history, sponsored by the Maryland Military Historical Society and the Maryland Museum of Military History, for his project, titled "The Tuskegee Airmen: A Journey to Victory."

Joanna Collier, a ninth-grade student at La Plata High School, received a special prize in women's history, sponsored by the Women's Studies department at the University of Maryland, College Park, for her project, titled "WASPs: Women in the Air Amidst Conflict and Compromise."

More than 25 other CCPS students competed in the state event after receiving a first- or second-place award at the county level.

Thirteen Charles County Public Schools teams placed in the elementary Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) competition held April 24 at North Point High School. Student teams competed in competitions that tested their abilities in mathematics and science.

Dr. James Craik Elementary School was chosen as the overall elementary school winner. Awards were given for first-, second-, and third-place teams and one overall elementary school winner was chosen. The school that earns the most points throughout the competition is chosen as the overall winner.

Teams from the county's 20 elementary schools participated in the following five competitions: Balsa Wood Bridge, Effective Communications, On-Site Mathematics: Slope/Rate of Change, Scratch Banner and Theme Park Ride.

The following teams placed at the elementary-school level:

Balsa Wood Bridge:

• Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School, first place;
• William A. Diggs Elementary School, second place; and
• Eva Turner Elementary School, third place.

• Craik, first place;
• T.C. Martin Elementary School, second place; and
• Malcolm Elementary School, third place.

• Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School, first place;
• C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School, second place; and
• Berry Elementary School, third place.

• Craik, first place;
• Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School, second place; and
• Indian Head Elementary School, third place.

• Indian Head, first place;
• J.C. Parks Elementary School, second place; and
• Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School, third place.

This is the first year Charles County Public Schools competed as a separate Maryland MESA region, due to growth of participation in the program. During the 2006-07 school year, six county elementary and six middle schools, as well as three county high schools, competed in the regional competition with Calvert and St. Mary's counties. This year, teams from all 34 county schools participated in the competition. Maryland MESA is designed to prepare students for academic and professional careers in mathematics, engineering, science, and technology. The program's goals are to increase the number of engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and related professionals at technical and management levels; and to serve as a driving force in encouraging and assisting minorities and females in achieving success in these fields.

Lauren Wathen, a junior at La Plata High School, received a $500 scholarship through the Zonta International Young Women in Pubic Affairs (YWPA) awards program at a Zonta Club of Charles County breakfast held Tuesday, April 22 at the Waldorf Jaycees Hall.

Wathen was chosen for the award for her participation in community organizations, such as the Maryland Leadership Program, and for her efforts in the "Best Buddy" program at La Plata. The "Best Buddy" program is a student- to- student program in which peers provide interaction with students with learning disabilities to help enhance social and learning opportunities. Wathen also submitted an essay as part of her application that the impact of genocide in society and used Darfur, Sudan, as an example.

Donna Clark, the president of Zonta Club of Charles County, said Wathen's essay was impressive and the judges were "blown away" by her maturity and ability to write about complex social issues.

"It humbles us to hear the things that you have done and the things that you will do with this award in the future," Clark said during the presentation of Wathen's award. The award recognizes women who participate and volunteer in their community, serve as a leader in the community and are dedicated to the advancement of women. The award is given annually to a pre-university or pre-college female student who shows commitment to leadership in the areas of public policy, government and volunteer organizations.

Wathen said she plans to study business administration at a four-year college or university in the Maryland or Virginia area. Zonta International has given more than 465 Young Women in Public Affairs awards to women from 47 countries. The worldwide service organization of executives in business professions has nearly 33,000 members. The organization seeks to provide service, and improve the legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status of women.