• Student cadets from La Plata, Maurice J. McDonough and Thomas Stone high schools participated in the "Wreaths across America" event to honor veterans for their service. The event demonstrated the students' outstanding character and holiday spirit, and the cadets helped unload trucks of wreaths as well as placed them on grave sites at Arlington National Cemetery. A total of 140,000 wreaths were placed at Arlington during the event.
• Artwork created by 12 Charles County Public Schools students was recently selected for a display featured at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The artwork consists of 12 pieces from student artists at the elementary, middle and high school levels, and will be on display in MSDE's Board room until Feb. 6. The artwork was selected from a group of entries from several schools across the county. The artists include: Jasmine Ammar, Alexandra Byrd, Kayleigh Clingan, Madison Herman, Kylie Mindick and Tyler Price, La Plata High School; Sydney Ball, Mary B. Neal Elementary School; Bridget Michener, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School; Alonte Dunn, Maurice J. McDonough High School; Amara Gammon, Theodore G. Davis Middle School; Andrew Kret, Piccowaxen Middle School; and Paige Upright, Milton M. Somers Middle School.

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.

Four Charles County public high school seniors were recently selected to participate in the 2013 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Page program.

The students who will serve as student pages for the 2013 legislative session are: Azeezat Adeleke of North Point High School; Murugi Thande of North Point; and Taylor Wade of Henry E. Lackey High School. Lauren Flores of La Plata High School was selected as the Student Page Alternate.

The opportunity to serve in the legislative page program is offered annually to Charles County Public Schools seniors. Students who apply are selected through a series of interviews. Applicants must also write an essay to describe their interest to participate in the program.

These students will work with the General Assembly as Student Pages for two weeks during the spring 2013 legislative session. During the two-week period, students are assigned to work with either the Maryland Senate or House of Delegates in Annapolis. Duties include delivering messages to staff, distributing legislative materials, and working with staff committees and other legislative offices.

The program is designed to interest youth in state government and the proceedings of the legislature, increase participation in government, foster leadership skills and provide students with worthwhile experiences in state government.

For more information, visit the Maryland General Assembly's website at http://dls.state.md.us/.

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 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.

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) hosted its sixth annual Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp (JROTC) Joint Services Military Ball on Friday, Dec. 7 at North Point High School. This is the sixth 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, Coast Guard, to the JROTC instructors and to the CCPS cadets in attendance.

Maurice J. McDonough High School senior cadet Kendall Powell served as master of ceremonies, and Roberta S. Wise, chairman of the Board of Education of Charles County, welcomed ball guests. 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 who are selected from students who have participated in their school's JROTC program each year in high school. Thomas Stone High School senior Emma Peters was selected as queen, and Maurice J. McDonough High School senior Christopher Holley was named king.

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.

JROTC programs were first introduced in Charles County Public Schools in 1998 at Henry E. Lackey High School. Donald M. Wade, Board member and former longtime JROTC advisor in Prince George's County, was instrumental in launching the program.

More than 850 CCPS students are enrolled in county JROTC programs. These students also participate in a county drill meet, held annually early spring, and co-curricular activities such as Color Guards, Armed and Unarmed drill teams, Armed and Unarmed exhibition drill teams, academic and field event competitions.

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.

Charles County Public Schools recently received $17,000 in incentives for participating in the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative's (SMECO) Business Solutions program. The program provides incentives to businesses that make efficiency improvements to their facilities.

Kevin Clark, a representative from SMECO, presented the school system with a check during the Dec. 11 Board of Education meeting. The incentive was provided for the replacement of nine rooftop heating and air conditioning units with energy-efficient equipment at Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School. Incentives are funded through the Maryland Public Service Commission's approved energy efficiency charges that are applied to customer electric bills as part of the EmPower Maryland initiative.

Charles County Public Schools also received a $262,994 incentive through participation in the 2012 Demand Response Program, which is coordinated through SMECO's contract with Comverge, Inc. Comverge is an independent company that provides clean energy solutions through demand response and energy efficiency. Tripp Warner, a representative from Comverge, also presented the Board with a check at their Dec. 11 meeting.

The Demand Response Program focuses on reducing electricity use during peak demand hours, which results in energy savings. During the months of June through September, the electric usage of all schools, centers and buildings was reduced during peak demand hours on seven different occasions. Last school year, Charles County Public Schools received a $145,000 incentive for participating in the 2011 Demand Response Program and more than $26,000 in incentives for replacing old equipment with energy efficient resources.

Under EmPower Maryland, Maryland's five major utility companies developed and implemented energy efficiency and demand response programs that include electric bill rebates for energy efficiency investments, audits and services. The goal of EmPower Maryland is to reduce power consumption 15 percent by 2015.

All non-residential customers who receive SMECO service are eligible to participate in the Business Solutions program, but interested customers must apply for program participation. Additional information is located on the Business Solutions program page of the SMECO website, www.smeco.coop.

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.

Five exemplary Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) employees were honored by the Board of Education on December 11. Honored were Valarie Austin, Thomas Smallwood, Mollie McCauley, Sandra Ginyard and Juin Lai.

Austin is a Reading Recovery teacher at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School. She was honored for recognition for the work she does every day to help struggling readers learn to read and write. Austin plays a significant role in the professional development plan at Barnhart and serves as a leader among her coworkers. She is an important member of the school's student support team (SST) and provides excellent recommendations for appropriate student interventions. Barnhart Principal Amy Hollstein said that Austin is a highly valued member of the Barnhart staff. "The impact she has on the students and teachers at Barnhart is life long," Hollstein wrote in a nomination statement.

Smallwood is the building service assistant manager at Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School. He was honored for recognition for his commitment to the teachers, students and staff at Dr. Brown, as well as for his dedication to providing a safe environment for children. Smallwood works with all staff members to ensure the building is safe, clean and ready for students. He constantly surveys all classrooms and school grounds to ensure that the areas are well maintained. Smallwood is a team player and goes above and beyond to help anyone in need of assistance. Brown Principal Darryl Evans said Smallwood exudes a spirit of professionalism and genuine affection. "Smallwood contributes his love and pride for our building and it shows from the minute you walk through the doors of Dr. Brown Elementary School," Evans wrote in a nomination letter.

McCauley is a kindergarten teacher at T.C. Martin Elementary School. She was nominated for recognition for her positive attitude and kind demeanor. McCauley's classroom is always organized and well-structured, and her students are always on task. She works hard to help students with behavioral issues learn how to make better choices. McCauley also praises her students for their achievements and demonstrates a cheerful and respectful attitude. She holds high expectations for herself and for her class, and her students enjoy working hard to meet outlined goals. Martin Principal Greg Miller said that McCauley is a valuable staff member of the T.C. Martin team. "She is highly effective and dedicated to her profession. Her students work hard because they know she will acknowledge their efforts and always support them," Miller wrote in a nomination letter.

Ginyard is a secretary at John Hanson Middle School. She was nominated for recognition for demonstrating a high level of professionalism and for being helpful to the students, parents and staff members. Ginyard is often the first person that Hanson visitors come into contact with and she always greets everyone pleasantly. She is kind and respectful, and always helps those in need. She takes the time to serve as the school's United Way campaign sponsor and organizes programs to raise money for the organization. Hanson Principal Kathy Kiessling said Ginyard is a role model for her coworkers. "She displays an outstanding work ethic and takes immense pride in her work. It is a pleasure to work with her," Kiessling wrote in a nomination letter.

Lai is the library media instructional assistant at Henry E. Lackey High School. She was nominated for recognition for the help and support she gives the students and staff at Lackey. She offers extensive knowledge to her peers and students and is always willing to help where she is needed. Lai demonstrates a positive attitude and a high degree of pride in her work. Staff members at Lackey say that her work ethic sets her apart from others. Lackey Principal James Short said no challenge is too great for Lai and that she is a "go-to" staff member at the school. "Lai exemplifies the very best that our school has to offer. She is a great resource for students and staff," Short wrote in a nomination letter.

The Board honors several exemplary employees each month.

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 honored five students on 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. Honored were Jamia Hicks, fifth grade, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School; Maurice Anderson, fifth grade, Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School; Elizabeth Daniel, fifth grade, T.C. Martin Elementary School; Gabrielle Cleaveland, eighth grade, John Hanson Middle School; and Adriana Freiling, senior, Henry E. Lackey High School.

Hicks was honored in the area of personal responsibility. She is a hard worker and always displays a positive attitude in the classroom. She serves as a role model for other students and often helps her peers when they need help with assignments. Hicks is part of the school's safety patrol and works hard each morning and afternoon to make sure the younger children are safe while coming to and from school.

Anderson was honored in the area of career readiness. He excels in his academics and comes to school ready to learn. Anderson is an active participant in class and welcomes the challenge of new ideas. He is polite and always willing to help his classmates. After he finishes school, Anderson wants to pursue a career as an engineer, scientist or artist.

Daniel was honored in the area of academic achievement. She is an exemplary student and is consistently on the honor roll. She participates in several extra-curricular activities and maintains good grades. She is a member of the school Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) teams, and the student council and safety patrol.

Cleaveland was honored in the area of academic achievement. She is always willing to help others in need and is kind and courteous. She works hard to complete all assignments on time and displays a positive attitude in all that she does. Cleaveland is also a member of the all-county chorus and plays outdoor soccer.

Freiling was honored in the area of academic achievement. She is an excellent student and displays great enthusiasm for her studies. She is assertive and well prepared in the classroom. Frieling participates in honors and advancement placement (AP) classes and is a member of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program at Lackey. She plans to attend a four-year college or university after graduation.

The Board honors several students each month for their accomplishments.

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.

Na'Ty Rodgers, a senior at Maurice J. McDonough High School, was recently selected to participate in the sixth annual Under Armour All-America football game next month. Rodgers, who has played the position of offensive tackle for the past four years at McDonough, is one of only 90 student athletes nationwide selected to participate in the game, scheduled for Jan. 4.

Invited to participate in the game are the top senior high school football players from across the United States. Rodgers was formally notified of his selection to play in the game last month when The American Family Insurance Selection Tour visited McDonough to deliver the news. "I am excited to be considered to play with a group of top players from across the United States. It is an honor to represent Charles County and Maurice J. McDonough High School," he said.

Rodgers is ranked 27 out of the top 100 nationwide football players by ESPN and was part of the 2010 team that won the 2A division Maryland football state championship. The game is scheduled to take place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., and is presented by American Family Insurance. Rodgers will travel to Florida with his parents and McDonough Head Football Coach Luke Ethington will also accompany him on the trip.

Rodgers said he looks forward to playing among top athletes, and also to visiting Disney World. "To be among the best of the best; I was shocked and excited to be selected for this experience," Rodgers added. The experience will also help prepare Rodgers for his future career in college football. Several major colleges have sought out Rodgers for recruitment, including the University of Washington, the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of South Carolina.

Rodgers wants to study architectural design and plans to announce which college he will attend next year at the game. In addition to playing football for McDonough, Rodgers plays center for the Rams boys' varsity basketball team. The national Selection Tour sponsored by American Family Insurance is an expansion of the Under Armour All-America Game. As part of American Family Insurance's involvement, the events will raise awareness of teen driving safety and recognize the student athletes, as well as the coaches, families and communities who have helped make these players' dreams a reality.

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.

Charles County Public Schools today released its School Progress Index (SPI), a new state accountability system that measures how schools are progressing toward specific goals.

The School Progress Index measures each of Charles County Public Schools' 35 schools on individual goals. SPI measures progress by overall student performance, student growth, closing of achievement gaps between the highest and lowest subgroups and preparation for college and careers. The SPI replaces the accountability system known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), which measured all students and each subgroup by a single indicator. Instead, SPI has additional dimensions and uses multiple indicators including: achievement, student growth, achievement gap reduction and college and career readiness.

"This is a school competing against itself," said Superintendent of Schools James E. Richmond. "This system is more specific; SPI looks at more areas and sets a baseline for progress," he said.

Using 2011 scores on the reading, math and science Maryland School Assessments (MSA) as a baseline, each school has an individual performance target. Schools must cut in half the percentage of non-proficient students by school and subgroups by 2017. Under SPI, the annual measurable objectives are differentiated by school and by subgroup; under AYP schools had common yearly targets and were required to reach 100 percent proficiency for all students and subgroups by 2014.

"Now, a school is competing against itself and the results measure progress across a number of areas. It gathers all the key ingredients rather than basing success on one test. This measures all three MSA tests – reading, math and science – with equal weight. It also looks at closing the gap by reducing the difference in scores between the highest and lowest performing subgroups," Richmond said.

The SPI for elementary and middle schools is calculated through three indicators: achievement (MSA scores in mathematics, reading, and science), growth (student improvement on math and reading MSAs), and gap reduction (cutting the achievement gap between the low and high performing student subgroups at the school level in state assessments).

High school SPI is calculated through three indicators: achievement (High School Assessment (HSA) scores in algebra/data analysis, English, and biology); gap reduction (cutting the achievement gap between the low and high performing subgroups at the school level on the state assessments, as well as cohort graduation and dropout rates), and college- and career-readiness (cohort graduation rate and college and career preparation). College- and career-readiness is a measure of a students' success in one of the following areas: Advanced Placement (AP); career and technology education (CTE) concentrators; or enrollment in college (two-year, four-year, or technical education program.)

"We should be rewarding those underperforming schools that have started to make real progress, just as we should be taking a closer look at top schools whose progress may have stalled in some areas," State Superintendent Lillian Lowery said in an announcement about the data release. "Each school now has its own targets at which to aim, and that paves the way for continued progress in all of our classrooms."

School Progress Index information for each of Charles County's public schools is available on the Maryland Report Card website, http://mdreportcard.org/.

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.

Charles County Public Schools communications staff recently received three awards through the Chesapeake Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association's (CHESPRA) 2012 Communications Contest. Awards received include the Award of Excellence in the newsletter category for School News, the school system's semimonthly staff newsletter. The Award of Excellence is the highest award a contest entry can receive.

Additionally, the 2011-12 Charles County Public Schools Parent Handbook/Calendar received an Award of Merit, the second highest award available in the contest. A special events video highlighting the Every 15 Minutes program featured at Thomas Stone High School last school year also received an Honorable Mention award.

The awards ceremony is held at the fall CHESPRA conference every year to showcase work from school systems in the Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. This year the conference was held in Alexandria, Va., in October. The school system's communications department produced all contest entries during the 2011-12 school year.

The contest was split into three separate divisions, based on the enrollment numbers of the participating school districts. Charles County Public Schools entries were judged in the largest division, which included districts with enrollments of more than 25,000 students.

The communications department consists of Katie O'Malley-Simpson, Director of Communications; Shelley Mackey, Communications Specialist; Kyle Graves, Video Production Technician; Kara Gross, Communications Multimedia Assistant; and Julia Tate, Web Specialist.

For more information on CHESPRA, visit www.chespra.org.

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.

North Point High School's It's Academic team earned the top spot in the annual Charles County Public Schools competition held Dec. 5 at Henry E. Lackey High School. The North Point three-member team of Alphonso Gaston Lopez, Alex Corbin and Marie Sterba scored 380 points in the championship round against La Plata and Thomas Stone high schools to earn first place.

La Plata High School earned second place with a score of 300 in the championship round, followed by Stone in third place with a score of 290. Since the team from North Point competed in a regional televised competition already this school year, the second place team from La Plata will compete in an upcoming regional event against Langley and Oakton high schools set to air on March 2, 2013, on WRC TV (NBC 4).

Each year, the second place winner at the county level earns a chance to also compete in a regional match. The North Point team won second place in the 2011 county competition and won second place in a regional event against Thomas S. Wootton and George Mason high schools earlier this school year. The team will again have the opportunity to compete in a regional event next fall.

The Greater Waldorf Jaycees presented North Point with a $500 scholarship for their first-place win. Lopez is team captain; team alternate is Ashlynn Stanley and Luke Gibson, Noah Gibson, Alyssa Moffat, Joel Rogers and Dalton Steele are also members of the team. Team coaches are Maureen Stewart, a foreign language teacher at North Point, and Josh Lisi, a Spanish teacher at North Point.

As second-place winners, La Plata received a $250 scholarship from the Jaycees. Competing in the event were the three-member team of Captain Alex Smith, Bao Dinh and Matthew Kamin. Students William Coggins, Matthew Huldisch, Thomas T.C. Martin, Spencer Ramirez, Ina Reyes and Bethany Riege. Team coach is Amanda Ferncez, a science teacher at La Plata.

For their participation in the competition, all other high schools received a $250 scholarship from the Jaycees. The other high school three-member teams were: Lackey – Captain Paul Warren, Charles Campbell and Raven Sparks; McDonough – Captain Numa Robertson, Courtney Dunn and Adrianne Turner; Thomas Stone – Captain Mia Chase, Bobby Jeffrey and Ishmail Harris; and Westlake – Captain Samantha Wood, Brian Linder and Ryan Hook.

Steven Bode is the Lackey team alternate and Zakaria Abderahim, Caleb Bickerstaff, Maxim Bode, Kevin Chen and Christian Warren are also members of the Lackey team. Team coach is Don Browder, a social studies teacher at Lackey.

Misha Patel is the McDonough team alternate. Completing the team are Franklin Olmsted, Hanan Perigrino, Paige Wearmouth and Jacob Zeitler. Team coach is Courtney Abell, an English teacher at McDonough.

Kaitlyn Crook is the Stone team alternate and Rachel Pritchett and Matthew Trusnovic are also members of the team. Team coach is Nancy Jeffrey, a German teacher at Stone.

The Westlake team alternate is Alyssa Kepner and the team coach is James Ressler, an English teacher at Westlake. Matthew Howard, a social studies teacher at Westlake, also assisted the team.

The Dec. 5 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.

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.