Magic, motor oil and moxie will be featured on high school stages this season. Student actors and backstage techs are rehearsing and preparing spring plays and musicals. The following is a list of the productions, as well as ticket information for each high school. St. Charles High School’s theater program will stage “Grease” 7 p.m. March 11 and 12 and 2 p.m. March 12 and 13 at the school at 5305 Piney Church Road in Waldorf. With book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the play features the songs “Grease,” “You’re the One That I Want” and Read more…

The Board of Education of Charles County is hosting a Town Hall for Charles County Public Schools support staff at 5 p.m. tonight, Monday, Feb. 29 in the boardroom at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the Town Hall is to provide support staff with an opportunity to ask questions and discuss items about education and schools. The Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building is located at 5980 Radio Station Road, La Plata, Md., 20646. Charles County Public Schools provides 26,300 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging Read more…

A Unified Bocce team from Maurice J. McDonough High School received a third place state award at the Special Olympics Maryland 2016 State High School Indoor Bocce Tournament held Feb. 11 at Hagerstown Community College. The team received third place among eight teams competing in division three of the event. Members of the team include students Ingrid Braun, senior; Keydrea Harris, freshman; Michael Malherek, senior; Aaron Morphew, sophomore; Robert Mullins, Adult Independence Program (AIP) student; Jodie Parlett, senior; and Michael Proctor, AIP student. Coaches of the team are David Bradshaw, physical education teacher at McDonough, and Jeff Mathews, special education Read more…

Benjamin Stoddert Middle School seventh grader Alyssa Gerhart was recently selected as the 2016 top Maryland middle school youth volunteer in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. The nationwide program honors young people for outstanding volunteerism and community service. Only two students in Maryland are selected annually for this recognition – one middle school student and one high school student. Gerhart, as well as the Maryland high school youth volunteer selected from Wicomico County, is now in the running for one of five national top volunteer awards. National honorees are chosen from state level award recipients and will be Read more…

A VEX Robotics team from John Hanson Middle School, the We’re Vexy and We Know It team, advances to the 2016 VEX Worlds – VEX Robotics Competition in April after receiving a top award at the state event held Feb. 20. The team of seventh graders Yachi Madaan, Alyssa Norris, Andrew Parent and Jacob Stern received the Design Award among competing middle school teams. This award is given to a team that demonstrates an organized and professional approach to the design process, project and time management and team organization. As recipients of the Design Award, the team will compete in Read more…

Earlier this month, Charles County Public Schools held its annual volleyball tournament for middle school students. Teams from all eight middle schools competed in the event Feb. 2 and 4 at Henry E. Lackey and La Plata high schools. Students compete on grade-level teams and are separated into boys’ teams and girls’ teams. The following is a list of final results with the top four team placements. Eighth-grade boys Milton M. Somers Middle School, first place; Piccowaxen Middle School, second place; Theodore G. Davis Middle School, third place; and John Hanson Middle School, fourth place. Eighth-grade girls Somers, first place; Read more…

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Maryland Advisory Council on Gifted and Talented Education recently honored Connie Mattingly, a learning resource teacher at Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School, for her work in gifted education. She was named a recipient of a 2016 Teacher as Leader in Gifted and Talented Education Award. The Maryland State Advisory Council on Gifted and Talented Education annually honors educators and community organizations for their contributions in developing the talents of Maryland students from all populations in gifted education. Mattingly, along with several Charles County Public Schools students, will be honored at a Read more…

Eight Charles County Public Schools students were recently selected for recognition for their accomplishments in gifted education by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Maryland State Advisory Council on Gifted and Talented Education. Each student receives a Student Accomplishment in Gifted and Talented Education award. They are: Thomas Buckley, eighth grade, General Smallwood Middle School; Kincade Burroughs, fourth grade, T.C. Martin Elementary School; Rachel Chernoff, fourth grade, Dr. James Craik Elementary School; Madison Furman, eighth grade, Smallwood; Morgan Krauel, eighth grade, Smallwood; Kaelan Parkin, fifth grade, William B. Wade Elementary School; Alayna Steinmetz, fifth grade, Craik; and Read more…

The James E. Richmond Science Center will host several science summer camps from June through August for students in grades four through eight interested in keeping their STEM knowledge sharp. Three sessions are available for registration; the cost of each session is $245 per week with a one-time, nonrefundable registration fee of $40 per student. Early bird registration is $225 per week if completed by June 1. All sessions run from 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. and campers will have to bring their own lunch. Transportation will not be provided. All sessions will include a daily swim period, with activities Read more…

On Wednesday, Jan. 27, a Michigan-based law firm filed a lawsuit in federal court against Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) on behalf of John Kevin Wood and Melissa Wood who objected to their daughter completing a high school World History assignment in October 2014. In addition to filing the lawsuit, the Woods’ attorneys filed a motion for preliminary injunction with the Court on Friday, February 19, 2016, relating to the issuance of a No Trespass Order in October 2014.  The school system issued the No Trespass Order in accordance with Maryland law and in response to perceived threats of physical Read more…