The 2018 Charles County Fair Guide cover will feature the artwork of a Maurice J. McDonough High School rising sophomore. Haley Lindsay, a student of Susan Stazetski, submitted a drawing featuring a cow in the foreground, with a midway and Ferris wheel in the background. Along with her work front and center on the guide distributed throughout the county, Lindsay will receive $100 and Stazetski will get $200 to use toward the purchase of classroom supplies. The cover contest finalists from each grade will receive $50. The finalists include: Zachary Strybing, kindergarten, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School, student of Read more…

The Gold Valor Award is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a JROTC or ROTC cadet, and on June 28, Henry E. Lackey High School graduate Kayla Bowman received one. Bowman, who graduated on June 1, came to the aid of an injured driver following a car accident that injured Bowman, her younger brother and mother in March.  March 13 was shaping up to be an epic one for Bowman. Earlier that day, as a member of Lackey’s elite girls track team, Bowman and her teammates were honored by the Board of Education and the Charles County Commissioners Read more…

The inaugural Charles County Public Schools Be the Difference awards to honor volunteers was held June 25 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata. The program was launched this year to recognize the many ways volunteers enhance teaching and learning. The five award categories are elementary school parent volunteer, middle school parent volunteer, high school parent volunteer, Charles County business volunteer and community organization volunteer. “Parent involvement is crucial to student success and having the support of community organizations is truly beneficial to making our schools stronger,” said Board member Victoria Kelly, who was a member of Read more…

The Board of Education recently honored 101 employees who have retired during the past school year or who had notified Superintendent Kimberly Hill before June 7 that they plan to retire at the end of this school year. Retirees are listed by their name, last position and last location where they served. Sodsri Ansell, food service worker, Theodore G. Davis Middle School; Evelyn Arnold, principal of alternative programs, Robert D. Stethem Educational Center; Robert Babiak, vice principal, North Point High School; Connie Bannister, secretary – 11 month, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School; Jean Beierle, Spanish teacher, Thomas Stone High School; Jean Read more…

The Charles County Board of Education on June 12 unanimously adopted a $369.6 million operating budget for fiscal year 2019. The budget represents an overall $17.4 million increase over the current fiscal year. State funding is increasing $11.7 million and the county increase is $6.6 million. Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) will use most of the spending increase, about $9.6 million, for employee compensation. The increase allows CCPS to create a more competitive salary scale for teachers through implementation of a salary scale conversion, a starting teacher salary boost and a cost-of-living adjustment for administrative and support staff. Funding also Read more…

The Board of Education of Charles County is holding a public work session at 6 p.m. Monday, June 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 3000 series update Goals committee update Adjournment About CCPS Charles County Public Schools provides 26,900 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is piloting a program this summer for students entering grades 9-12 at the start of the 2018-19 school year to complete the Fit for Life/Health course for original credit. Students would complete the course during the Summer School program held at Thomas Stone High School or the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center. Space is limited to 300 students. Parents who are interested in signing up their child to complete the course this summer must complete an interest survey. The survey is available at https://tinyurl.com/ycspvqvq. CCPS will use the survey results to randomly select students for Read more…

Lunch on Us is a free lunch program for all children and youth 18 and younger who live in Charles County. Lunches are served Monday through Friday at various times and locations from June 25 to Aug. 17. Lunches must be eaten on site, and no lunches will be served on July 4. For more information, go to http://www.ccboe.com/ss/summer-meals/. Hot lunches will be served at the following locations: Westlake High School: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Henry E. Lackey High School: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. J.P. Ryon Elementary School: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School: noon to Read more…

Milton M. Somers Middle School recently celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. May is the nationally designated month to honor Asians and Pacific Islanders, but the students’ schedules weren’t freed up until June. The students who participated spoke of their family roots in India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines. A student also presented a PowerPoint on his parents’ home country of Iran. Students visited the media center to learn about the various cultures of their peers. “Some people are not aware of different cultures,” said eighth grader Leah Kwak, whose family is from South Korea. “It’s Read more…

Benjamin Harrington has been named Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Outstanding Vice Principal of the Year for 2018. Harrington served as the vice principal of Dr. James Craik Elementary School from 2014 to 2018. He will be the principal of Arthur Middleton Elementary School starting in September. “He is a bright, personable, energetic and mature person with a concrete, ongoing, well-rooted interest in teaching and learning,” Craik Principal Michelle Beckwith said. “Mr. Harrington is a consummate professional who is dedicated to our parents, students and staff, and goes above and beyond his job description.” Harrington graduated from Canisius College in Read more…