The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) recently named North Point High School seniors Christain Barnes and Njuguna Thande as semifinalists in the 2015 National Achievement Program. Barnes and Thande are two of 1,600 high school students nationwide eligible for 800 achievement scholarship awards, worth more than $2.5 million, that will be announced in the spring. Students are considered for the program when they take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT) as high school juniors. Semifinalists are designated within geographic regions and are the highest-scoring program entrants in the states that make up specific regions. A total of 1,300 Read more…

The Maryland Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MAHPERD) recently named four Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) physical education teachers as 2014 Simon McNeely Award recipients. They are Jillian Genua of J.P. Ryon Elementary School; Patrick Hoiler of Malcolm Elementary School; Pomie Radcliff of Mary H. Matula Elementary School; and Melissa Williams of Milton M. Somers Middle School. The annual awards program recognizes teachers who demonstrate outstanding innovation in teaching physical education, along with active involvement in school and community affairs. The award is named for Simon McNeely, who was a special education teacher and longtime member of Read more…

The Charles County Public Schools communications department recently received five top awards in the 2014 National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) National School Communications Awards program. Department staff received two Golden Achievement Awards, which recognize exemplary work in all aspects of school public relations, communication, marketing and engagement. The awards highlight communications plans used for teacher retention efforts and developing an international language center. Recognized with awards were the communications plans used to implement the New Teacher Bus Tour held in conjunction with new teacher orientation activities, and outreach tools used with the launch of the Secondary Academy for International Read more…

Charles County Public Schools has been named to the Maryland School Breakfast Hall of Fame for achieving more than 70 percent breakfast participation systemwide during the 2013-14 school year. A total of 17 schools and centers were also recognized for high breakfast participation rates last school year. According to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Charles County Public Schools had the third highest breakfast participation rate of 71 percent across Maryland counties. Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School topped the list in Charles County with a participation rate of 104 percent. Gale-Bailey Elementary School had the second highest participation rate, with Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) has reinstated its athletic trainer program. Superintendent of Schools Kimberly Hill signed a contract with the Rehabilitation Center of Southern Maryland (RCSM) on Sept. 18 that restarted the program Sept. 22 and will gradually restore full services over the next month. The Board of Education in June eliminated athletic trainers as part of a $5.5 million budget reduction to cover funding shortfalls. “Athletic trainers were the highest priority on our list of things to restore if we were able to reallocate funds. Through cost-saving efforts, we have been able to redistribute enough funds to reinstate Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is meeting the challenge to end childhood hunger through its school breakfast program. Celebrating a more than 150 percent increase in breakfasts served over the past four years, Charles County officials joined students to share pancakes, cereal and conversation about the importance of starting each day with a healthy meal. This morning, CCPS touted its breakfast participation success at J.P. Ryon Elementary School and Henry E. Lackey High School as students and officials kicked off the state’s 2014 Maryland School Breakfast Challenge. CCPS increased by 157 percent the number of student breakfasts served from slightly Read more…

North Point High School hosted the 17th annual Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) College Fair on Sept. 17. A total of 4,000 parents, students and community members attended the fair and met with college representatives. The CCPS College Fair provided high school juniors and seniors a chance to speak with representatives from more than 135 participating colleges, universities and branches of the military. A representative from Congressman Hoyer’s office also attended the fair providing information to students about congressional appointments. Colleges provide information about tuition, scholarship opportunities and academic programs. The fair is split into two sessions – a day Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) and the Charles County Department of Health successfully worked to ensure most CCPS students were able to meet the state’s immunization requirements by Monday’s deadline. CCPS students had until today to get immunized or be excluded from school. As of this morning, 11 CCPS students had not provided proof of immunization. State law requires all students receive specific vaccinations by the 20th day of school or be excluded from school until they receive all required vaccinations. This year, the state required additional vaccinations for both kindergarten and seventh-grade students. At the beginning of September, more Read more…

The Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously voted to increase grade and attendance requirements for students participating in extracurricular activities and athletics. The new requirements take effect next school year, but students’ grades the second semester of this school year will impact their eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities in the fall of 2015. The new rules require students to maintain a 2.25 grade-point average with no failing “F” grades to participate in any extracurricular activity, including sports. Additionally, students may not be absent more than 9.5 days in the previous semester. The change raises the standards from a 2.0 Read more…

More than 200 people took a trip to the moon Saturday night at the James E. Richmond Science Center’s sold out International Observe the Moon night. Moon night was the debut community event for the Science Center, which opened in late August at St. Charles High School. Moon night observers toured the Earth’s nearest neighbor in the digital dome classroom and examined it up close on the center’s six-foot diameter Science On a Sphere. Outside the dome, children created the moon’s phases using Oreo cookies, designed space patches and launched hand-made rockets. International Observe the Moon night was the first Read more…