Nearly 2,252 students are expected to graduate from Charles County Public Schools in June, and Charles County's six high schools are already planning graduation ceremonies. Ceremonies for Henry E. Lackey, La Plata, Maurice J. McDonough, Thomas Stone and Westlake high schools will be held at the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro on June 4 and 5. North Point High School will host graduation ceremonies in the school's gymnasium on June 5. The following is the graduation schedule for Monday, June 4:

• Westlake, 9 a.m.;
• Thomas Stone, 2 p.m.; and
• Maurice J. McDonough, 7 p.m.

The following is the graduation schedule for Tuesday, June 5:

• Lackey, 9 a.m.;
• La Plata, 2 p.m.; and
• North Point, 7 p.m.

School schedules during graduation ceremonies are as follows:

• Westlake will be closed for students on Monday, June 4;
• Thomas Stone will be closed on Monday, June 4;
• McDonough will have a two-hour early dismissal on Monday, June 4;
• La Plata will be closed for students on Tuesday, June 5;
• Lackey will be closed for students on Tuesday, June 5; and
• North Point will be closed for students on Tuesday, June 5.

The Robert D. Stethem Educational Center will be closed on Monday, June 4 for those students who access transportation to Stethem from McDonough, Westlake and Thomas Stone high schools. Stethem will be open June 4 for students who access transportation to Stethem from La Plata, Lackey and North Point high schools. Stethem will be closed on Tuesday, June 5 for students who access transportation to Stethem from La Plata, Lackey and North Point high schools. Stethem will be open for students who access transportation to Stethem from McDonough, Westlake and Thomas Stone high schools. School times adjusted, set for next school year

Charles County Public Schools is changing the start and end times for five schools. Times for Dr. Thomas L. Higdon, Mary B. Neal, J.C. Parks and Eva Turner elementary schools, and Matthew Henson Middle School are being adjusted for the 2012-13 school year. Changes take effect on August 27, 2012.

The following are the time changes for the next school year:

• Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School start and end times change to 9:10 a.m. to 3:40 p.m., which is a 10-minute change from this year.
• The new times for Mary B. Neal Elementary School are 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., which is a 15-minute change from this year.
• Hours for J.C. Parks Elementary School change to 9:05 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. This is a 20-minute change from this school year.
• Eva Turner Elementary School will start at 8:45 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m., which is a 25-minute change.
• Matthew Henson Middle School will start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. This is a 15-minute change from this year.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Casey Rollins, a senior at La Plata High School, was recently named the Charles County recipient of the $10,000 engineering scholarship from Northrop Grumman's Engineering Scholars program.

She is one of 24 students in Maryland to receive the award. The funds are used for books, tuition, lodging and/or meals at the college of the recipient's choice. Award winners are chosen by the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems Scholarship Committee.

Rollins plans to attend the University of Virginia in the fall to study engineering.

Applicants for the award must be a Maryland and U.S. citizen, a graduating senior of a public or accredited private high school in Maryland, plan to attend a college or university as a full-time student in an approved engineering program, must have a minimum composite SAT score of 1700 and must have a minimum grade point average of 3.5.

Applicants must also submit a 500-word essay and three letters of recommendation. The scholarship program was established to support students with a background interest in math and science to study engineering. Recipients are also required to accept summer internship opportunities, if positions are available. For more information, visit Northrop Grumman's website at http://www.es.northropgrumman.com/community/engscholars/index.html.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

A team of students from La Plata High School earned third place in the University of Maryland's 22nd Annual High School Programming Contest held April 21 at the College Park campus. The event tests student's knowledge of computer programming skills and problem solving abilities and requires teams to solve challenges.

The team is composed of freshman Cody McGinnis, juniors Alex Smith and Alexandria BenDebba and senior Andrew McCormick. The coach of the team is Richard Williams, a computer teacher at La Plata. Teams from North Point and Thomas Stone high schools also competed at the event, along with other high schools in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The three-hour competition required student teams consisting of four members each to attempt to solve several programming challenges in Java, which is a computer programming language that can be run across the Internet and a number of computer systems. Teams submitted their problems electronically to judges who tested the challenges for accuracy and completion.

As the third-place winners, the La Plata team received an $800 prize. The event is held annually and was sponsored by the University of Maryland's Department of Science, Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, and Papa John's. For more information, visit http://www.cs.umd.edu/Outreach/hsContest12/.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Keona Daniels and Kayla Reynolds of North Point High School were named as the Career Research and Development (CRD) Students of the Year for 2012 at the annual employer/employee breakfast. It is the first time two first-place winners have been named.

Allentown Fitness and Splash Park employed Reynolds and Daniels worked for Lakeside Childcare Center in Waldorf. Both were selected following three levels of competition both at the school and county levels. Committees composed of staff members, community members and business representatives interviewed students. Daniels and Reynolds tied at both the school system and community interview levels.

"I have enjoyed my time in the CRD II/Work-based Learning program (WBL). I have gained transferable skills, learned to network and create resumes. I have had a wonderful experience in this course, and the knowledge I've gained will be carried with me throughout my future endeavors," Daniels said.

Reynolds said she would recommend the program to other students. "The work-based learning program has been such a learning experience for me. I've learned numerous skills such as building a resume, cover letter, preparing for an interview, how to read my W-2, how to dress for success, and much more. I will be able to use these skills not only for my future career endeavors, but also in college as well. I would highly recommend this program for any student who is interested in preparing for their future in college or the work force," Reynolds said.

Other award finalists are Krista Clower, La Plata High School; Melissa Core, Henry E. Lackey High School; Dionna Coppock, Maurice J. McDonough High School; Khadijah Dorsey. Thomas Stone High School; and Destini Baldwin, Westlake High School.

Alicia Pierce, North Point CRD teacher, said having two student winners made the completion of her first year as a CRD/WBL teacher special. "Being that this is my first year as a CRD/WBL Teacher, it was extra exciting to have two students named CRD Students of the Year, versus the usual one. Both students are excellent and I have enjoyed having some level of influence on their lives," Pierce said.

Employers and student employees gathered at the Greater Waldorf Jaycees Community Center on April 26 for the annual Charles County Public Schools Career Research and Development Employer-Employee Breakfast. CRD was formerly known as the Cooperative Education program. The CRD program provides a bridge from school to work and provides classroom instruction along with work experience and on-the-job training related to a student's career goals.

Started in 1971 at La Plata and Lackey high schools, cooperative education expanded to Thomas Stone in 1972, and to McDonough in 1979. Westlake started offering the program in 1998. North Point launched the program in 2009 with its first senior class.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Student members of the Charles County Association of Student Councils (CCASC) recently elected new officers for the 2012-13 school year.

The new CCASC officers are:

• Dion Anderson, president, junior, Westlake High School;
• Ciara Albrittain, first vice president, freshman, La Plata High School;
• Taylor Ivy, second vice president, eighth grader, John Hanson Middle School/rising freshman at North Point High School;
• Dasia Spriggs, secretary, junior, Westlake; and
• Joseph Perriello, middle school representative, seventh grade, Mattawoman Middle School.

The CCASC is an organization consisting of student leaders from the county's six high schools and eight middle schools. These students meet throughout the year to discuss issues and concerns, as well as provide input to school system leaders on programs and policies.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Fifteen North Point High School students advance to the national Skills USA competition after winning first place at the state event held May 5 at the Center of Applied Technology North, located in Anne Arundel County. They will represent Charles County Public Schools at the national event scheduled for June 25-26 in Kansas City, Mo.

The first-place winners are:

• Brandon Morrison, senior, Criminal Justice;
• Elizabeth Prinkey, senior, Culinary Arts;
• Stephanie Agbe-Davies, senior, Health Occupations Professional Portfolio;
• Kha-Ai Tran, junior, Medical Math;
• Majesta Kitts, senior, Medical Terminology;
• Alexander Corbin, junior; Alphonso Lopez, junior; Noah Gibson, sophomore; Ashlynn Stanley, sophomore; Joel Rogers, freshman; Alyssa Moffat, junior; and Breanna Spangler, junior; Quiz Bowl; and
• Margaret Campbell, Julia Sutherland and Kiersten Rawson, juniors, Tech Prep-Health Science.

The following North Point students also placed at the state event:

• Jacqueline Veasey and Alexandra Garner, seniors, American Spirit, second place;
• Sarah Younan, senior, Health Occupations Professional Portfolio, second place;
• Lauren Brown, senior, Medical Assisting, second place;
• Bria Butler, senior, Medical Terminology, second place;
• Katie Doran, senior, Nurse Assisting, second place;
• Jacqueline James, senior, Preschool Teaching Assistant, third place;
• Aaliyah Bailey, senior, Customer Service, third place; and
Rosemary Crowl, Valen Gordon, Brooke Hayes and Alauna Martinez, seniors, Health Knowledge Bowl, third place.

Students from the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center also competed at the state level. The following students earned awards:

• Abram Brooks and Isaiah Perez, juniors, Web design, fourth place;
• Kelly Dingess, James Graves, Alyson Hughes and Tashara Mitchell, juniors, Broadcast news, seventh place; and
• Garrett Moreland, junior, Photography, ninth place.

The Skills USA/VICA regional competition is a showcase event for career and technology students in the tri-county area. The students compete locally and continue through the state and national levels. The philosophy of the competition is to reward students for excellence, to involve industry in directly evaluating student performance and to train students for employer needs.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

The Board of Education of Charles County's work session scheduled for Monday, May 21, has been canceled. Their next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 12, at 1 p.m. in the Board room at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building.

All Board of Education meetings are aired live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, as well as streamed live on the school system website at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Hundreds of books lined the hallways of William B. Wade Elementary School on April 27 as part of a schoolwide book swap and ice cream social held for parents and students. The event was held to promote literacy and family involvement in the school community.

More than 300 community members attended the event, which featured a book swap in which participants could trade in a gently used book for a new item. Students created bookmarks to sell and proceeds were collected to help purchase new books for the Wade library. The event also allowed for student involvement in creating, buying and selling bookmarks which provided hands-on learning experiences with the exchange of money and economical concepts.

Other activities at the event included an ice cream social where participants were able to interact with one another while participating in a raffle for door prizes, sessions on reading strategies and digital resources, the General Educational Development (GED) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs. Members of the Charles County Public Libraries were also at the event and provided guests with materials to sign up for a library card and information on the new library in the Waldorf community.

The event was coordinated by Mary Beth Long, a third-grade teacher at Wade who was assisted by the book swap committee, staff, the Wade Parent-Teacher-Organization (PTO), Principal Virginia McGraw and Vice Principal Nancy Seifert.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Teams from Dr. Thomas L. Higdon, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd and Indian Head elementary schools, as well as Mattawoman Middle School, placed in the 2012 Save the Bay Robotics Challenge held May 5 at North Point High School. The event was sponsored by the U.S. Navy and National Defense Education Program and is part of the 2011-12 Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) In-School Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program.

The "Purple Robots" team from Higdon was named the overall winner at the elementary school level. Team members are fifth graders Caleb Griffith, Taylor Gascon, Abigail Mattingly, Sydney Maddox and McKenna Simpson. Their team also received first place in the robotics and research proposal categories. In the robotics category, students complete eight challenges with their robots on a constructed challenge board. In the research proposal category, teams are judged on research conducted on aspects of the Chesapeake Bay. The team was required to present their research during a 10-minute interview.

The "MMOTT Bot" team from Mattawoman was named the overall winner in the middle school division of the competition. Team members are seventh graders Madison Hutson, Tanner Nau, Makaila Sanders and Timothy Staudmyer. The team also won first place in the robotics challenge at the middle school level, second place in the research category and third place in the teamwork event. In this category, students are interviewed and judged on their ability to work together as a team.

The "Plasma Robots" team from Higdon was named the second overall winner at the elementary level. Team members include fifth graders Jarett Mulloy, Dillon Clancy, Carly Rodgers, Shelby Latimer and Katelynn Gordon. The team also received second place in the robotics category.

The "Bay Kids" team from Indian Head received first place in the technical interview category. In this category, students are judged on the construction and programming of their robot and must provide a demonstration. Team members are fifth graders Jenna Clark, Kathryn O'Clare, Ariel Smith and Nicolette Smith.

Higdon's "Robo Blasters" team won second place in the teamwork category. Members include fifth graders Katie Czysz, Alyssa Simpson, William Stanley, Ryan Summy and Emily Wise.

Indian Head's "Bay Sharks" team won second place in the technical interview category. Members include fourth graders Zakri Asiala, Josiah Fenwick, Brendan Outland and Tiger Tu.

The "Bay Rockers" team from Indian Head received third place in the teamwork and technical interview categories. Team members are fifth graders Perzya Addison, Jordan Banks, Briana Hicks, Sydnei Huff, Azanaa Hutchinson and Brianna Springs.

Dr. Mudd's "Earth Protectors" team was named fourth overall at the elementary school level and received third place in the robotics category. Team members are fourth graders Shannon Austria, Daniel Berry, Sammaria Felton, Adriana Imes, Joseph Mahoney and Shannell Matthews.

The event featured two levels of competition: one for elementary school teams and one for middle school teams. Teams were required to complete challenges with their robots, including cleaning up a power plant, delivering oysters to the bay, preventing land erosion, scanning water for crab populations, dredging a river and searching for pollutants. Teams also participated in teamwork and technical interviews, and were judged on their research projects. Students Theodore G. Davis, Matthew Henson and Piccowaxen middle schools, as well as schools from St. Mary's and Montgomery counties, also competed in the event.

The top two teams in each category receive a four-day trip to Smith Island, located on the Eastern shore of Maryland, next month. During the trip, students will work with volunteer engineers from NSWC to learn about wildlife, conditions of the Chesapeake Bay and camping in the outdoors.

The program was launched at the competing Charles County schools earlier this school year. Over a period of 16 weeks, engineers from the Indian Head and Bethesda-based Carderock Naval Surface Warfare Centers, and technical students from the College of Southern Maryland serve as mentors to help students work with robotics, engineering challenges and scientific investigations studying the Chesapeake Bay. Each mentor spent at least two hours of class time with the students at each school per week.

At the elementary school level, student teams worked to build and program robots capable of performing up to eight different robotics challenges within a period of three minutes. Teams also selected one of the eight challenges for their research proposal.

At the middle school level, student teams worked to build and program robots capable of performing up to six challenges. Teams also selected one of the six challenges for their research proposal.

The program also requires students to conduct scientific investigation on different issues within the Chesapeake Bay. Expert lecturers visited each school once a month to speak to teams about water and marine life in the Chesapeake Bay.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Students and staff at Berry Elementary School celebrated career readiness throughout the month of April and established a theme – Discovering your Dreams – to highlight the importance of personal responsibility, academic success and the pursuit of higher education. During April, the school held several activities, ranging from a college gear day in which teachers wore clothing to represent the colleges and universities where they studied, to a student activity showcased in the school lobby in which students identified regalia from specific schools.

Staff also coordinated information about their specific college or university and created a display for students to learn about the range of college experiences. In addition to the school display, staff developed special daily morning announcements to showcase information about different careers.

The month-long celebration culminated in the schoolwide Career Day titled "Dressed for Success," which was held April 27. Principal Marvin Jones held a special ceremony in which students were asked to stand and share their career aspirations, and more than 90 presenters were invited to the school to discuss different career opportunities available to students.

Career choices highlighted as part of Career Day included nursing, mechanical engineer, dog training, fitness coach, event design, sports writer, dentist, college professor, real estate agent and police officer. Presenters included were parents, business owners and community members.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.