Students, staff and other members of the Mary H. Matula Elementary School community recently donated more than $6,000 to the Charles County "Kids for the Carousel Project."

Funds were collected during the past two years and containers were displayed in the school's main office and during Matula's family night events. Eagle Management System, LLC, a local family business, also donated funds to the project on behalf of the school.

Matula Principal Carol Leveillee presented the check Dec. 19 to Bob Boyce, president of the Southern Maryland Carousel Group, and to Burkey Boggs, vice president of the Southern Maryland Carousel Group.

The Southern Maryland Carousel Group was established in 2004 and plans to construct an old world style carousel at Laurel Springs Park, located off Radio Station Road in La Plata. The group plans to complete the carousel next year and will include a wood-carved dolphin on the carousel to recognize Matula for their donation.

Pictured above, from left to right, are: Southern Maryland Carousel Group Vice President Burkey Boggs, Mary H. Matula Elementary School Principal Carol Leveillee, and Southern Maryland Carousel Group President Bob Boyce. Leveillee presented the Southern Maryland Carousel Group with a check for $6,000 Dec. 19 to benefit the "Kids for the Carousel Project."

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 Just Say No Club at William A. Diggs Elementary School recently organized a schoolwide "New Toy Drive" to benefit families in need. The students collected more than 1,100 new toys, which were donated to the Charles County Children's Aid Society. Students also donated canned goods.
• Students at Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School recently participated in a "giving tree" toy and gift drive to benefit Mitchell families in need. Students decorated the tree with lights and gloves and donated gifts such as books, dolls, scarves and other toys. Mitchell has hosted the annual drive for more than 20 years. This year's event was organized by Monica Tummino, a guidance counselor at Mitchell.
• Students at Mary H. Matula Elementary School were visited by The Maryland Agricultural Foundation during the week of Nov. 26. The foundation sponsors a Maryland Ag in the Classroom program, which includes a mobile science lab for students to learn about agriculture. Students were introduced to agricultural products and how science helps farmers.
• Janel Young, a guidance counselor at Westlake High School, recently became a nationally certified counselor by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). The NBCC is the licensing organization for professional counselors. Young is the seventh CCPS nationally-certified counselor. The process includes coursework, supervised experience and the national board exam.



Pictured above is Janel Young, a guidance counselor at Westlake High School. Young recently received national certification by the National Board for Certified Counselors.
• Kristin Carter, a guidance counselor at Milton M. Somers Middle School, was recently recognized as a Service Learning Fellow by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Service learning fellows are recognized each year for coordinating service learning programs in their schools. Carter coordinated a schoolwide effort at Somers to publicize the dangers of illegal substance abuse. She will be recognized by MSDE at a May 2008 ceremony.
• Theodore G. Davis Middle School will host a play Jan. 17 at North Point High School. The play is called "Night of Theatre" and begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $3 for adults, $2 for students and children under the age of five are admitted free.

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 on Dec. 11 honored four exemplary Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) employees. Honored were Patricia Trader, Carolyn Vaughn, Brenda Vitanovec and Sandra Hamke.

Trader is a kindergarten reading instructional assistant at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School. She was honored for exhibiting a positive "can do" attitude and for leading a positive school spirit campaign. She has collected money for school-sponsored "Relay for Life" events, and has prepared "happy grams" for students to send to other students and staff. Trader also organizes Secret Santa gift exchanges and volunteers to help Barnhart students and other staff members in any way she can. Timothy Rosin, principal at Barnhart, said Trader is a team player and a school cheerleader. "She performs all other assigned duties in an outstanding manner, including recess/lunch duty and afternoon bus duty," Rosin said in a nomination letter.

Vaughn is a vocal music teacher at Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School. She was honored for leading a fine arts initiative to raise grant funds and for integrating new technology into Brown's music program. Brown Principal Marvin Jones said Vaughn goes above and beyond her duties to benefit students. "Her grant-writing initiative for our school's fine arts program deserves special acknowledgement, as it has resulted in significant additions to our music program, including specialized instruments and as well as the funding of outside musical productions. Dr. Brown Elementary School and the community has been the recipient of Vaughn's sincere and dedicated expertise for nearly 20 years," Jones said in a nomination letter.

Vitanovec is a special education teacher at John Hanson Middle School. She was honored for going "above and beyond" her required duties as a teacher and for always being a team player. She is the seventh grade team leader and helps to organize all seventh-grade activities, including honor roll and perfect attendance recognition, and field trips. Deborah Hile, principal at Hanson, said Vitanovec is more than a team player and is often the person who helps lead others. "She is determined to go the extra mile to make sure her students meet with success. She puts forth whatever is necessary to reach the potential of a student," Hile said in a nomination letter.

Hamke is a science teacher at Henry E. Lackey High School. She was honored for implementing a school wide discipline database program, for overseeing a "Writing to Learn" project and for creating a 9th grade academy program to help students transition into high school. She researched, developed and implemented the computer-based discipline database and took responsibility for customizing the program, for training staff members and for managing the program. She is active in the partnership between NASA and CCPS and has implemented fundamentals learned from this partnership into her Earth science classes. She has also developed strategies to integrate reading and writing into her science lessons. Lackey Principal Curry Werkheiser said Hamke's classroom is now more like a gallery, where student work is showcased. "She continues to develop and share innovative and engaging lessons and her classroom continues to be a gallery that showcases her students' creativity," Werkheiser said in a nomination letter.

The Board honors several exemplary employees each month.

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 Charles County Board of Education honored four students Tuesday, Dec. 11 for their accomplishments in academic achievement, career readiness and personal responsibility, which are the focus areas of the school system's master plan.

The students who were honored are: Nakira Christmas, fifth grade, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School; Mark Escanilla, fifth grade, Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School; Ciara Wade, eighth grade, John Hanson Middle School; and Larry Holmes, twelfth grade, Henry E. Lackey High School.

Christmas was honored in the area of academic achievement. She is consistently on the honor roll and takes accelerated math classes. She is a member of the math team and has participated in the school science fair. She also participates in community activities as a cheerleader for the St. Charles Bears community football teams and is an active member of the Boys and Girls' Club step team.

Escanilla was honored in the area of academic achievement. He is an enthusiastic learner and participates in classroom discussions. He also serves as a role model for other students and takes an active role in getting his classmates to work together. He has also demonstrated an outstanding academic performance in the classroom.

Wade was honored in the area of career readiness. She is an active participant in the school's Just Say No Club and the National Junior Honor Society. She is also a member of the school's Pom Pon squad. She was recently nominated to attend the National Young Scholars State Conference.

Holmes was honored in the area of personal responsibility. He has maintained a grade point average of 3.76 and is ranked 48th in a class of 403 students. He is a member of the JROTC and drill teams. He was recognized as an outstanding JROTC cadet for three years in a row and was recently promoted to group commander.

The Board honors several students each month for their accomplishments.

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 36th annual Middle School Archery Tournament was held Dec. 4 at Milton M. Somers Middle School. More than 95 students from all eight Charles County Public middle schools participated in the event. Students were divided into boy and girl teams and by grade level.

Overall boy and girl winners were chosen at each grade level. These students are:

Elizabeth Colburn, Milton M. Somers Middle School, sixth grade, 147 points;

Allen Sanford, Piccowaxen Middle School, sixth grade, 145 points;

Madison Zabiegalski, Somers, seventh grade, 127 points;

Cody Dixon, General Smallwood Middle School, seventh grade, 129 points;

Hannah Parent, Somers, eighth grade, 128 points; and

William Boone, Somers, eighth grade, 140 points.

Team winners were also chosen at each grade level. The following students were winners in their grade level.

Sixth-grade girls:

• Danielle Flickinger and Kaitlyn Sandy, Smallwood, 236 points, first place;
• Elizabeth Colburn and Sarah Newman, Somers, 229 points, second place; and
• Kayla Banks and Emily Ditoto, Matthew Henson Middle School, 137 points, third place.

Sixth-grade boys:

• Robert Stahl and Harrison Wright, Somers, 263 points, first place;
• Justin Craft and Sean Schultz, Theodore G. Davis Middle School, 251 points, second place; and
• Mickey Rice and Allen Sanford, Piccowaxen, 228 points, third place.

Seventh-grade girls:

• Jordan Ashley and Deanna Crate, Piccowaxen, 242 points, first place;
• Caitlin Derricott and Brianna Partridge, Smallwood, 178 points, second place; and
• Taylor Croson and Madison Zabiegalski, Somers, 195 points.

Seventh-grade boys:

• Steven Bode and Cody Dixon, Smallwood, 243 points, first place;
• Sean Mayhew and Robert "RJ" Stewart, Somers, 211 points, second place; and
• Thomas St. Arnold and Riley Thrutchley, John Hanson Middle School, 194 points, third place.

Eighth-grade girls:

• Christina Newman and Hannah Parent, Somers, 235 points, first place;
• Anya Bode and Jessie Kitts, Smallwood, 174 points, second place; and
• Sam Krahling and Kara Smiroldo, Piccowaxen, 139 points, third place.

Eighth-grade boys:

• Chris Boone and Logan Rottman, Somers, 247 points, first place;
• Matt Hartnett and Daniel Johnson, Smallwood, 199 points, second place; and
• Corey Bautista and Makale Graham, Davis, 154 points, third place.

Students from Davis who also participated in the tournament were: Janya Banks, Toni Burriss, Sean Celestine, Antonia Dean, Kaytlin Medley, Kendall McMillen, Jason Rowe and Misha Stone.

Students from Hanson who also participated in the tournament were: Wesley Fowler, Diamond Gabriel, Monica Garza, Valerie Garza, Kathryne Hedrick, Bradley Kilgore, Patrice Lee, Tony Lloyd, Mitchell Mills and Alaina Wall.

Students from Henson who also participated in the tournament were: Garrett Dean, Alexandra Ditoto, Micayla Ford, Smart Navarro, Rebecca D. Stone, Conner Welch, Garrett Welch and Larry Willett.

Students from Mattawoman Middle School who participated in the tournament were: Dion Anderson, Stephen Brookbank, Jasmine Carmona, Nate Corsey, Brittney Hicks, William King, Eliana Lopez, Kenny Milman, Angelina Montes, Imani Scott, Matthew White and Briana Williams.

Students from Piccowaxen who also participated in the tournament were: Jordan Ashley, Deanna Crate, Julianna Dawson, Jon Exline, Ray Hackett, Brandon Hayden, Karlie Kilinski and Tony Medina.

Students from Somers who are also participated in the tournament were: Collin Groat, Zack LeValley and Rebecca Zattau.

Students from Benjamin Stoddert Middle School who participated in the tournament were: Dionna Avant, Dylan Berrong, Taylor Blare, Heather Bortner, Chris Chaffee, Qwentin Dobbs, Isis Jones, William Rawlings, Hunter Rolfs, Shelby Roper, Josh Schroeter and Connor Young.

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 Thomas Stone High School It's Academic team will participate in the regional televised competition as the first-place winner in the annual Charles County Public Schools competition, held Dec. 12 at the College of Southern Maryland.

The three-member team of Captain William Le, Katie Hebert and Ashin Shah scored 530 points to earn the top spot. The school was presented with a $500 scholarship from the Greater Waldorf Jaycees and the team will compete against Annandale and Maret high schools on Feb. 2, 2008 which will be aired on WRC TV (NBC 4) on April 5. Each year, secondary schools from the Washington D.C. metropolitan area participate in the televised It's Academic program.

Jennifer DeMarco, Caitlin Floyd, Alaric Powell, Justin Tavares and Matthew Turner are also members of the team from Stone. Principal is Larry Martin and the team coaches are Nancy Jeffrey and Nancy Gritzinger, foreign language teachers at Stone.

Placing second in the competition was the Maurice J. McDonough High School team, followed by the team from Westlake High School. Teams from Henry E. Lackey High School, North Point High School and La Plata High School also participated in the competition. Each of these schools was presented with a $250 scholarship from the Jaycees.

The five other high school three-member teams were: Lackey - Captain Gilbert Jones, Samantha Skinger and Laura Snow; La Plata - Captain Shijie Shen, Abe Massad and Gavin Reen; McDonough - Captain Matt Grimes, Kevin McCormick and Ross Gardiner; North Point - Captain Josh Darichuk, William Pickett and Kenjeray Bennett; and Westlake - Captain Elisabeth Stevens, Tiphanie Gammon and Samantha Monk.

Elena Bode, Jordan Chapman, Cameron Cox, Josh Miller, Bruno Orazio, Irene Posey and Lorin Willett are also members of the team from Lackey. Principal is Curry Werkheiser and Don Browder, a social studies teacher at Lackey, is the team's coach.

Tyler Fini, Robert Garcia, Kendra Mabie, Jonathan Matteson, Colin Qualters, John Sackman, Edward Sinnes, Jennifer VanDeven and Tony Wolfe are also members of the La Plata team. Principal is Garth Bowling and Sharron Prairie, a science teacher at La Plata, is the team's coach.

Melanie Mitchell is also a member of the team from McDonough. Principal is Jervie Petty and Steven Grimes, a science teacher at McDonough, is the team's coach.

Derek Carey, Thomas Hill, Bhaskar Joshi, Andelle Kudzal, To-Lam Nguyen and Roxanne Sanderson are also members of the team from North Point. Principal is Kim Hill and Carrie Akins, an English teacher at North Point, and Deen Stewart, a foreign language teacher at North Point, are the team's coaches.

Harry Brown, John Buntz, Micah Coe, Kevin Gerrity, Angela Maki and Amy Rappole are also members of the team from Westlake. Principal is Chrystal Benson and James Ressler, an English teacher at Westlake, is the team's coach.

The Dec. 12 competition will broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, the school system's educational television station, this month. Check the programming schedule at http://www2.ccboe.com/publicinfo/channel96.cfm for dates and times.

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 2006 Westlake High School boys' varsity soccer team was recently recognized for academic achievement by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

The students were recognized for their exemplary classroom performance as a team during the 2006-07 academic year. They earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award by maintaining a 3.46 Grade Point Average (GPA) throughout the school year.

Westlake's team was the only Southern Maryland Athletic Conference (SMAC) team to receive this award. The team was also one of seven Maryland teams to be honored. Nationwide, 149 boys' teams were recognized for their achievement.

The following students were members of the 2006 Westlake boys' soccer team:

• Philip Bradley;
• Sean Cannon;
• Peter Cooper;
• Dean Evans;
• Cory Fruth;
• Dominic Fynn;
• James Gollem;
• Nick Gural;
• Drew Luehe;
• Shawn Mashinski;
• Pedro Ramirez;
• Zach Taggett;
• Brandon White;
• David Wilson;
• Alex Wright; and
• Mark Wysocki.

Coaches were Armand Delzcruz and Brett Gerhart. To be eligible for this award, the team GPA must be at least a 3.25 or higher for the entire school year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing by the number of players. This is the sixth time the Westlake boys' soccer team has won the award. The award will be presented Jan. 17 at the NSCAA national convention in Baltimore.

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.

More than 25 Mattawoman Middle School students participated in the "Walk to End Homelessness" held Nov. 17 in La Plata.

This is the fourth year that students from Mattawoman have participated in the walk. Members of the school's Student Council, the Future Educators Association club, the National Junior Honor Society and the Ladies of Vision club helped organize student participation.

Students were given pledge donations and created posters for the event. Proceeds from the walk went to the "Safe Nights" program, which helps provide shelter for the homeless.

Mattawoman also donated $100 to the program. Club sponsors Joanne Olsen, Barbara O'Dell, Nancy Houston and Debbie VanRoon accompanied the students during the event.

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 at Mary H. Matula Elementary School recently collected more than 890 pounds of food for the Harvest for the Hungry campaign.

Matula's character education program incorporates monthly traits for students to follow and demonstrate. The character trait for November was caring and the students collected enough food to donate Thanksgiving dinners to about 55 families through the Southern Maryland Food Bank.

This is the second year that Matula has participated in the campaign. Matula teacher Regina Williams and Katheryne West, a Matula instructional assistant, coordinated the program for the school.

The La Plata Food Lion also donated dessert pies to Matula's Harvest for the Hungary campaign. Harvest for the Hungary benefits the Maryland Food Bank, its subsidiaries, such as the Southern Maryland Food Bank, and other state organizations that help provide food for the hungry.

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 La Plata High School community gathered Nov. 30 to celebrate its history during an 80th anniversary program held at the school.

The program, titled "Excellence in Education," included presentations on the school's history, a video prepared by the school's multi-media class and a display that was coordinated by the school's 80th anniversary committee.

Past principals Cecil Short, Thomas Weirich and Donald Cooke, as well as Principal Garth Bowling, were honored at the ceremony for their service to the school.

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.