Last year, the Key Club at Henry E. Lackey High School only had two members. Although the two students made an impact, Principal Kathy Perriello knew there were others who liked to give back to the community but just did not know how to get involved. This year, participation in the Lackey Key Club has grown from two students to an active roster of more than 20 members. Perriello took over as club sponsor this year in an effort to recruit more members. “I wanted to grow its participation with students who were looking to get involved,” she said. All Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is participating in the St. Mary’s City annual Maryland Day Celebration on March 23. Each year, a fourth-grade student is selected through an essay contest to represent the school system and Charles County at the celebration. This year, students must submit a video essay response through Twitter in response to the prompt “Why is Charles County a great place to live?” Video submissions must be 140 seconds or less, and students may only submit one entry. Students interested in submitting a video for the contest can request assistance from their class or reading resource teachers. Read more…

Due to an inclement weather forecast for this evening, all Charles County Public Schools afternoon and evening activities are canceled for today, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. Visit the school system website, ccboe.com, call the 24-hour information line at 301-934-7410 or 301-932-6656, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for inclement weather updates.

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) has extended its 2019-20 application cycle to current freshmen for the CASE: Natural Resources Pathway Career and Technology Education (CTE) program. The program is Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) and begins at Maurice J. McDonough High School in the fall. Enrollment is limited to any current CCPS freshman not already enrolled in a CTE program. Enrollment opens on Feb. 11 and closes at 3 p.m. Feb. 28. Interested students can apply online at https://www.ccboe.com/schools/mcdonough/index.php/login/cte-case-program. Enrollment is for the 2019-20 school year. The application will be live on the McDonough website Feb. 11. Transportation will Read more…

Online registration begins today for any Charles County Public Schools high school student interested in taking financial literacy for credit this spring. Financial literacy is a graduation requirement and students can take the course through the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center’s NOVEL evening school program. Online registration is new this year through the ParentVue system and ends Feb. 7. A $50 refundable deposit is required to complete enrollment and must be paid in person at the Stethem Center. Deposits are refunded at the completion of the course with a passing grade, or if the student withdraws between Feb. 11-21. The Read more…

North Point High School has extended its 2019-20 enrollment for limited career, technology and education (CTE) programs to current Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) freshmen. The enrollment is limited to any current CCPS freshman not already enrolled in a CTE program. Enrollment opens on Feb. 11 and closes at 3 p.m. Feb. 28. Interested students can enroll online at https://www.ccboe.com/schools/northpoint/index.php/cte-programs. Enrollment is for the 2019-20 school year. The application will be live on the North Point website Feb. 11. Available programs include automotive technology, collision repair, construction design and management, electrical construction, manufacturing engineering technologies and welding. Accepted students will Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) held a unique recognition ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 22 to honor a group of special teachers. Honored during the ceremony were nominees for the 2019 Washington Post Teacher of the Year and Charles County Teacher of the Year award programs. This is the first year in which a teacher was nominated from each Charles County public school and center. From among the nominees, CCPS chose five finalists to be eligible for either the Washington Post or Charles County Teacher of the Year designation. The Washington Post finalist from CCPS represents the school system in the Read more…

The Board of Education of Charles County is holding a work session 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 28 in the boardroom at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata. The meeting will be aired live on Comcast Channel 96/Verizon FiOS Channel 12 and the school system website, ccboe.com. The agenda is subject to change and is as follows: Call to order – 6 p.m. Public hearing  FY 2020 Superintendent’s proposed operating budget Work session FY 2020 Superintendent’s proposed operating budget  Adjournment About CCPS Charles County Public Schools provides 27,108 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging Read more…

Superintendent Kimberly Hill released her proposed fiscal year 2020 budget on Jan. 8. The Superintendent’s $391.6 million request prioritizes employee compensation, and also adds funds for the opening of Billingsley Elementary School, mental health supports, an alternative elementary program and school safety enhancements. Hill’s budget proposal includes a $21.9 million increase, or 5.9 percent more than fiscal year 2019. State funds are projected to increase about $5 million due in part to continued enrollment increases. The request includes a local contribution increase of $17.9 million. The official 2018-19 student enrollment is 27,108, an increase of 217 students. Last school year, Read more…

The Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Office of Safety and Security was recently awarded a grant to enhance initiatives the office has set forth this school year. The $374,576 grant from the Maryland Center for School Safety will fund several projects — the bulk of which being the expansion of an existing mental health program from two to all seven CCPS high schools. High school students may be the most at-risk student population to display unsafe behavior inside and outside of school, said Mike Blanchard, supervising school psychologist for CCPS. “It is important to note that the risk of violence Read more…