A Milton M. Somers Middle School teacher left a lasting impression on a former student who was recently named a 2017-18 Philip Merrill Presidential Scholar at the University of Maryland. Band teacher Richard Hood is the educator who had the greatest impact on Katelyn Turner’s academic achievement, the Maurice J. McDonough High School graduate said. The Merrill scholar program recognizes academic accomplishments and the important role teachers have as mentors. To recognize the contributions of kindergarten to 12th grade teachers, the University of Maryland and the Merrill family is offering a $1,000 scholarship in Hood’s name to an incoming first-year Read more…

It was a Thursday evening on July 9, 2015, and the Accokeek Swim Team was holding a Spirit Night at the Moyaone Community Pool. More than 70 people were gathered when Ana Spruill, an adult education instructional assistant with Charles County Public Schools, heard the sound of popping and cracking coming from a centuries old pin oak tree with branches canopying over the Moyaone Commons. She called out to warn everyone, who ran to safety as the massive branch was moments away from crashing down. Ashley Gruwell, then 6, was sitting at the top of a slide and not moving. Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students can apply for the 2018 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Program, which honors middle and high school student volunteers. The annual program recognizes students for exemplary acts of volunteer service in their communities. Students receive the awards for serving their communities through volunteer activities such as helping those in need, promoting health and safety, or protecting the environment. Students in grades 5 through 12 are eligible to apply and must have participated in a volunteer activity that occurred in the past 12 months. Students can apply online at https://spirit.prudential.com/apply/2018. Applications must be complete by Read more…

The Board of Education voted on Monday to delay the opening of Billingsley Elementary School for one year due to construction delays. The Board’s vote delays the opening of the school and the accompanying redistricting of elementary school students until September 2019. Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff updated the Board on the issues complicating the opening of Billingsley, which is under construction and originally scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year. Along with the delay in opening the new elementary school, the elementary school redistricting scheduled to begin in the 2018-19 school year is postponed Read more…

Cecil Marshall, a former member of the Charles County Board of Education, passed away on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017. Marshall served as a Board member for one, four-year term from 2002 to 2006. Throughout his career on the Board and as a former Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) employee, Marshall was well known as an advocate for children, teachers, school system staff and the Charles County community. Following the end of his term on the Board, Marshall served as an instructional assistant at Maurice J. McDonough High School for three years, where he helped school administration and staff with any Read more…

More than 1,400 high school juniors and seniors from Charles County Public Schools attended the annual college fair Monday, Sept. 18, at North Point High School. Representatives of more than 130 colleges and universities, including those from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), set up shop in the gym to tout the virtues of their respective schools while fielding questions from potential students. “They ask about safety and what there is to do on campus,” said Jenna Hook, an admissions counselor for Salisbury University, her alma mater where she received a bachelor’s degree in 2014 and her master’s in 2016. Read more…

The Board of Education of Charles County is holding a public work session at 6 p.m., Monday, Sept. 25 in the boardroom at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building. The meeting will be televised live on the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) website at ccboe.com and broadcast on Comcast Channel 96/Verizon FiOS Channel 12. The following is a meeting agenda and is subject to change. Call to order – 6 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance Public Forum Work session Policy series 1000 Billingsley Elementary School update New Business Funding for the Center for Children training Adjournment About CCPS Charles County Public Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) will celebrate the success of the school breakfast program next month by offering students free meals to start their school day. Beginning Oct. 2 and ending Oct. 27, all CCPS students will get a jump-start to the day with a free healthy breakfast. Items will include milk, cereal, juice and fruit with an additional option of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for high school students. This is the second consecutive year that CCPS has celebrated the growth of the school breakfast program by providing free meals to students in October. The goal of the initiative Read more…

Maurice J. McDonough High School senior Elizabeth Saoud is working her way towards her high school graduation in June 2018, one Advanced Placement (AP) class at a time. As the current top ranking senior in the McDonough Class of 2018, Saoud has a full schedule of AP classes to keep her busy. Her passion for soccer keeps her busy outside of school, but Saoud finds the time to support her commitment to her future. “I am a hard worker and have studied very hard to get to where I am now. I set goals, reach them and enjoy pushing myself Read more…

No one was “too cool for school” Sept. 5 when students reported back to classes around Charles County. Members of Thomas Stone High School’s drumline provided a soundtrack during a Welcome Back celebration at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School. Classmates who lost track of each other over summer hugged hello or exchanged intricate handshakes. Teachers held up encouraging hand-drawn signs and posters as confetti rained down as sixth, seventh and eighth graders headed into school.   More than 26,400 students returned to school Sept. 5, seeing teachers they knew and some new faces. Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) hired nearly 300 Read more…