The third annual Whatever Floats Your Boat Regatta was held Tuesday, May 23 at Henry E. Lackey High School. One of the goals of the regatta is to encourage ingenuity and excitement about recycling. Students take everyday items that would otherwise be discarded and use them in novel ways to give them a second life. The challenge is to build a boat that can hold a team member. The team member has to paddle 50 meters down the pool in competition with other boats from their class. Advanced Placement (AP) environmental, AP chemistry and AP biology students were given a Read more…

The F.B. Gwynn Educational Center held a parent volunteer day earlier this year. Parents and family members visited the school and participated in hands-on activities, such as using construction paper to create animals and shapes. Students also participated in reading sessions with their peers. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School celebrated World Read Aloud Day earlier this year. Guest readers were coordinated for all classes, including several who read to students through Skype technology. Guest readers featured included children’s poet Tiffany Stone, children’s author Adam Leihardt and Charles County Commissioner Ken Robinson. Students gathered in the school’s media center to participate Read more…

William B. Wade Elementary School participated in an Earth Day event in April. Inspired by “Caine’s Arcade,” a cardboard arcade crafted by 9-year-old Caine Monroy in 2011 at his father’s used auto parts store in east Los Angeles. A short film was made about Monroy’s project. Wade second graders researched facts to write a news article about Monroy and learned how he made a positive mark on the world with his cardboard creations. Wade students participated in the school’s first cardboard “Go Green” challenge. Each second-grade student was challenged to create their own cardboard arcade game from recycled materials such Read more…

Dr. James Craik Elementary School and Milton M. Somers Middle School earned the 2017 overall Maryland Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) honors at their respective levels at the state competition held May 18. This is the second consecutive year that MESA teams from both Craik and Somers received the best overall award at the state event. The state competition was held at John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Teams chosen for the overall award are selected for earning the most points during the competition. The Craik team received first-place awards in the Balsawood Bridge, Scratch computer programming and Effective Communication Read more…

Westlake High School embarked on the learning initiative No Worksheet Wasted (NWW) for two days in March. The instructional endeavor asked teachers to step out of their professional comfort zones and try a new strategy, revisit an engaging activity, plan or reflect with a renewed cognizance, and collaborate with colleagues to create lessons that were student-led and devised with a hands-on, minds-on spirit. NWW was the first step in an effort to expand the way teachers teach and students demonstrate learning. Through meaningful, adaptive and authentic instruction, Westlake’s faculty is aiming to reinvigorate and extend love for teaching and learning. Read more…

Two high school students have their artwork placed in the Congressional Art Competition. Jekko Syquia, a senior at St. Charles High School, earned second place. North Point High School sophomore Ashley Bowman came in fourth with an honorable mention. Syquia has placed in the competition for the past four years, coming in first in his freshman and sophomore years and taking second place twice as an upperclassman. This year’s piece “Curiosity at Work” is an oil painting of his friend Kennedy Smith in science class looking through a microscope. “‘Curiosity at Work’ is a beautiful painting,” Andrew Wodzianski, a College of Read more…

More than 50 high school seniors in Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs at Robert D. Stethem Educational Center are one step closer to their futures following a May 23 recognition ceremony. CTE students at Stethem are enrolled in one of five programs — automotive technician, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, horticultural services, interactive media production and pharmacy technician. “When you made the decision to attend the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center you made the decision to invest in your future, and made the decision that will profoundly influence your postsecondary plans,” Traci Chappelear, coordinator of Career and Technology Education, Read more…

Howard Bernstein, a meteorologist on WUSA/Channel 9, visited William A. Diggs Elementary School April 25 to talk with students about weather patterns. Bernstein met with students in third and fifth grades and talked about the importance of being safe in dangerous weather. He also talked with the students about the impact of the La Plata tornado, which caused devastation to areas in Charles County in April 2002. Diggs science teacher Michael Johnson arranged the visit. Dr. James Craik Elementary School hosted a pep rally on April 28 to help students prepare for upcoming assessments in fun and creative ways. Each Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is participating in the Lunch on Us summer meals program. Starting June 26 at several locations, children and teens ages 18 years and younger who live in Charles County are eligible for a free lunch. The program runs Monday through Friday until Aug. 18. Meals must be consumed on site and are prepared by CCPS Food Nutrition Services staff. Lunches are served at various times and locations. A typical lunch may include a sandwich, fruit, vegetable and milk. All lunch sites will be closed on July 4. Hot lunches are available at the following locations: Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) held its first official graduation ceremony of the 2016-17 school year on Friday, May 19 as school system staff and families celebrated eight graduates of the Adult Independence Program (AIP). Honored were Brandon Garner, Nathaniel Gilchrist, D’Armae Griffin, Thomas McKenzie, Michael Proctor, Devonte Smith, Mariah Viray and Dennis Weeden, Jr. At the start of the ceremony, families and guests cheered for the graduates as they took their seats on the auditorium stage at North Point High School.  Several “oohs” and “ahhs” joined by applause filled the room as the ceremony began with a picture slideshow Read more…