Due to inclement weather, there is a code two today, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009, for Charles County Public Schools employees. Liberal leave is in effect.

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 Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School recently raised more than $1,250 for the March of Dimes by participating in a book-reading fundraiser.

More than 65 students participated in the fundraiser, and medals were awarded to students who read the highest number of books. Bronze medals were awarded to 21 students who read 10 books or less; ten silver medals were awarded to students who read between 10 and 19 books; and gold medals were awarded to 36 students who read 20 books or more.

Mathew Lehman, a fifth-grade student, also received a trophy in recognition of $155, the highest amount for the fundraiser. Students at Mitchell participate in the fundraiser each year to support the March of Dimes efforts.

The mission of the March of Dimes, a non-profit organization, is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

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 Maurice J. McDonough High School Divine Ladies Organization donated more than 150 toys earlier this month to the Waldorf Jaycees. The toys were collected through a schoolwide toys for tots drive, and were distributed to children in Charles County for Christmas.
• Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School held a schoolwide holiday card event this month to benefit men and women overseas in the military. The event was organized by Higdon fourth grader Julianne Moore, who delivered the cards to the American Red Cross, and sent cards to both Fort Hood and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
• La Plata High School is hosting its 18th annual antique show and sale on Feb. 13-14. The event benefits the La Plata High School band, and will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Feb. 13, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Feb. 14. Door prizes and refreshments will be available. Call 301-259-2411 for additional information.
• C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School celebrated the holidays during their annual holiday program held Dec. 3 at the school. The program, titled "Sing We Now of Christmas!," included student performances of holiday songs from different cultures. The program was organized by Sandy Dippold, Barnhart's music teacher.
• Kindergartners at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School recently celebrated family ties during visits with grandparents. Students led their family members on a tour of the school and made family trees to represent their relatives. Musical performances were also included in 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.

There is a code two for Charles County Public Schools' employees scheduled to work Tuesday, Dec. 22. All activities for Dec. 22 and Dec. 23 have been canceled.

Additionally, school for non-public placement students has also been canceled for Dec. 22 and Dec. 23.

As a reminder, winter break for students and teachers begins Dec. 21. Schools reopen on Monday, Jan. 4.

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.

There is a code two for Charles County Public Schools' employees scheduled to work Monday, Dec. 21. All activities for Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 have been canceled.

Additionally, school for non-public placement students has also been canceled for Dec. 21 and Dec. 22.

As a reminder, winter break for students and teachers begins Dec. 21. Schools reopen on Monday, Jan. 4.

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.

Charles County Public Schools has canceled all weekend events and activities for Saturday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20, due to inclement weather forecasts. All evening activities scheduled for today, Friday, Dec. 18, are proceeding as planned.

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 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. 9 at the College of Southern Maryland.

The three-member team of Captain Tyler Fini, Rachel Clark and Alex Smith scored 590 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 Blake and Wakefield high schools on Jan. 23, which will be aired on WRC TV (NBC 4) March 20. Each year, secondary schools from the Washington D.C. metropolitan area participate in the televised It's Academic program.

Melissa Reen is the La Plata team's alternate and Veronica Bohne, Tyler Cox, Rexford Holmes, Bhaskar Joshi, Molly Monaghan, Colin Qualters, Ayla Padgett, Matthew Paesch and John Sackman are also members of the La Plata team. Principal is Evelyn Arnold and team coach is Corinne Fox, a science teacher at La Plata.

Placing second in the competition was the North Point High School team with 570 points, followed by the Maurice J. McDonough High School team in third place with 500 points. Teams from Henry E. Lackey, Thomas Stone and Westlake high schools also competed. Each of these schools was presented with a $250 scholarship from the Jaycees.

As the second place winner, the North Point team will also earn a chance to compete in a televised competition on NBC 4 next fall.

The five other high school three-member teams were: Lackey - Captain Elizabeth "E.R." Forstner, Jacob Vahle and Tyler Langley; McDonough - Captain Ross Gardiner, Deanna Huntt and Jessey Hunt; North Point - Captain Gaston Lopez, Erin Chapman and Ryan Friedrich; Thomas Stone - Captain Sean Ward, Emily Le and Alaric Powell; and Westlake - Captain John Buntz, Ronnie Ibrahim and Misha Stone.

Darryle Smith is the Lackey team's alternate and Jennilyn Gabor, Hazel Afroilan, Sylvia Kim, Chynna Keys, Alex Reese, Gershawn Mason and Sarah Gotzmer are also members of Lackey's team. Principal is James Short and team coach is Don Browder, a social studies teacher at Lackey.

Melissa Bortner is the McDonough team's alternate. Principal is Jervie Petty and team coach is Daniel Brady, a science teacher at McDonough.

Karen Eaton is the North Point team's alternate and Kenjeray Bernett, Samuel Brown, Cayley Dymond, Thomas Keim and Nick Teleky are also members of the North Point team. Principal is Kim Hill and Peggy DeVeny, a literacy instructional assistant, and Deen Stewart, a foreign language teacher at North Point, are the team's coaches.

Jessica Wiley is the Stone team's alternate and Chase Arnold, Emmanuel Bakare, Lemuel Carpenter, John Carr, Jorge Alamo-Guzman, Erik Kang, Breana McIver, Steven Messmer, Jasper Raguindin, Darryl Smith, Joey Trefry and William Trusnovic are also members of the Stone team. Principal is L.C. Martin and Nancy Jeffrey and Claire Gritzinger, foreign language teachers at Stone, are the team's coaches.

Misha Stone is the Westlake team's alternate and Leo Pierce, Mariama Souley Dounda and Amelia Tarlton are also members of the Westlake team. Stone competed in the event in the place of team member Ross McCool. Principal is Chrystal Benson and team coach is James Ressler, an English teacher at Westlake.

The Dec. 9 competition will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, the school system's educational television station, and Verizon Fios Channel 12 later this month. Check the programming schedule at http://www2.ccboe.com/publicinfo/channel96.schedule.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.

Charles County Public Schools hosted its third annual Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp (JROTC) Joint Services Military Ball on Friday, Dec. 4 at North Point High School.

This is the third consecutive year CCPS has sponsored a joint ball for high school senior cadets. In previous years, each school organized its own ball to celebrate traditions of the JROTC programs.

The ball included ceremonial military traditions, such as the Presentation of Colors by the Joint JROTC Color Guard. Students and guests also participated in toasting to honor military personnel, leaders and ball guests. These toasts included references to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, to the JROTC instructors and to the CCPS cadets in attendance.

Westlake High School senior cadet Rachael Price served as mistress of ceremonies, and Col. Donald M. Wade, chairman of the Board of Education of Charles County, welcomed ball guests. Wade played a key role in bringing the JROTC program to CCPS and helped establish the first program at Henry E. Lackey High School in 1998.

More than 150 cadets attended the ball and were presented with certificates of participation by their JROTC instructors. After certificates were presented to all cadets, students and guests participated in two other military ball traditions: cake cutting and the presentation of a military court.

The military court consists of a king and queen, both of whom are selected from students who have participated in their school's JROTC program each year in high school. Westlake senior Isaiah Fountain was selected as king, and Henry E. Lackey High School senior Paris Marbury was named queen.

All six county high schools have JROTC programs, which teach students skills, values and good citizenship to the community. Participation in JROTC also provides students with leadership opportunities and advanced rank for those who enter the military after high school.

More than 800 CCPS students are enrolled in county JROTC programs. These students also participate in a county drill meet, held annually in March, and co-curricular activities such as Color Guards, Armed and Unarmed drill teams, Armed and Unarmed exhibition drill teams, academic and field event competitions.

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 honored four students on Tuesday, Dec. 8, for their accomplishments in academic achievement, career readiness and personal responsibility, which are the focus areas of the school system's master plan.

Honored were James Nichols, fifth-grade student, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School; Merwan Mourtaj, fifth-grade student, Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School; Harrison Palmer, eighth-grade student, John Hanson Middle School; and Jacob Veazey, senior, Henry E. Lackey High School.

Nichols was honored in the area of academic achievement. He has earned and maintained honor roll grades since he began school at Barnhart and always receives Principal's honor roll status. Nichols is studying pre-algebra, a course generally offered in middle school, and is a member of the school Safety Patrol and the Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) team. He also assisted the school in earning second place in the Charles County Public Schools elementary math competition and demonstrates leadership and team work.

Mourtaj was honored in the area of academic achievement. He has maintained honor roll grades for the past four school years and actively seeks learning challenges. He is a focused student and serves as a role model for other students. Mourtaj is a member of the school chorus and band, as well as the Just Say No club. He also participates in Destination Imagination and MESA.

Palmer was honored in the area of career readiness. He is a positive and focused student and is well respected among staff and his peers. He is treasurer of the National Junior Honor Society, and is a member of the school's math team and band. Palmer also serves as a role model for students and demonstrates good behavior and positive morals.

Veazey was honored in the area of personal responsibility. He demonstrates an optimistic demeanor and is a pleasant student. He is a student producer in the drama department and is vice president of the drama club. He assists in all areas of drama production, from working with stage lighting to performing sound checks. Veazey is well respected among his peers and staff, and often volunteers much of his free time to assist with school productions.

The Board of Education 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 Board of Education honored four exemplary Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) employees at its monthly meeting Dec. 8. Honored were Janis McGeehan, Rebecca Irwin, Tina Francis and John Lush. McGeehan is a reading resource teacher at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School. She was nominated for recognition by the instructional leadership team, as well as Principal Kimberly Hairston for demonstration of leadership skills, for her rapport with staff and students and for her helpful and knowledgeable demeanor. McGeehan has assisted in expanding the reading program at Barnhart and works with teachers to implement reading strategies in the classroom. She attends all team planning sessions and regularly shares instructional ideas with all staff. McGeehan also attends professional development workshops to learn additional strategies to share in the classroom and demonstrates a high level of interpersonal skills. "She is a talented professional who recognizes that reading is crucial to students' learning and McGeehan continuously initiates activities for a sound instructional program for all students and teachers in our school," Hairston said in an award nomination letter.

Irwin is a second-grade teacher at Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School. She was nominated for recognition by Principal Marvin Jones for her devotion and genuine concern for children, for going above and beyond her regular classroom duties to benefit the school and for her school support. Irwin has taught at Dr. Brown for more than 29 years and has received excellent and outstanding evaluations from several administrators. She is the second-grade team leader, serves as a new teacher mentor and stands out as a leader among school staff. Irwin is sought out by other teachers for her knowledge of classroom instruction and behavior management techniques. She is also heavily involved in the school's United Way Campaign and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, as well as the Parent-Teacher Organization and the Relay for Life team. "Irwin is well respected and highly revered by students, colleagues and members of the parent community. She prides herself on growing professionally and takes a hands-on/can-do approach to all that she tries to accomplish," Jones said in an award nomination letter.

Francis is a seventh-grade math teacher at John Hanson Middle School. She was nominated for recognition by Principal Deborah Hile for her dedication to helping children succeed, for her commitment to professional growth and for her ability to make learning interactive and fun for her students. Francis is the seventh grade team leader and uses technology daily as a means of reinforcing skills and understanding student assessments. She recently attended training for the new Algebraic Thinking program and has created lesson plans to incorporate what she learned into ideas for her students. "Her students are excited about learning math, which directly results from her enthusiasm for the content and her sincerity regarding student achievement. Tina is a wonderful asset to the John Hanson staff," Hile said in an award nomination letter. Francis also recently finished her master's program in administration and interned at Hanson over the summer.

Lush is an English teacher at Henry E. Lackey High School. He was nominated for recognition by the Lackey administration and staff for demonstrating leadership qualities, for his dedication to students and for going above and beyond his regular duties as a teacher to help his students succeed. Lush is a fifth-year teacher and has earned the reputation among staff as being one of the most dedicated, committed and hard working teachers at the school. He is involved in planning for and presenting instructional strategies as part of the school's literacy focus, and has worked with other to identify strategies to increase the pass rate on the English High School Assessment (HSA). He also volunteers to work with students during extra-curricular activities, such as school's Charger Time and Saturday School events. Additionally, Lush's commitment to excellence extends to all aspects of teaching, from planning highly engaging lessons to collaborating with other teachers. "The time, energy and resources that he invests are extraordinary. He is sincerely grateful for the opportunity he has to serve his students, their families and our community. It is, to him, simply part of being a teacher," Principal James Short said in an award nomination letter.

The Board honors several employees each month for outstanding contributions to the school system and children of Charles County.

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.