Washington College To Offer Scholarships To Eastern Shore Students Seeking A Career In Teaching
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Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown
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From artificial intelligence to renewable energy and landscaping with native plants, the Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning’s Spring semester promises to offer something for everyone, according to Shane Brill, the program’s coordinator. Other highlights include courses on near-death experiences, the museums of Kent County, emergency preparedness, and various aspects of U.S. and international history.
The Spring curriculum will be unveiled at a free Showcase event scheduled for 3:00 to 5:00 pm on Friday, December 15 in Hynson Lounge on the College campus. The event is an opportunity for prospective students to hear directly from instructors about the courses they will be teaching and to socialize over hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Course registration is open from December 15 to January 14.
“In addition to the nearly 40 courses our members can enroll in for a single fee of $85, we’ll be continuing our popular series of Learn@Lunch talks open to both members and non-members for an additional fee that includes a delicious lunch buffet,” Brill said. Several trips and a summer “minimester” of programs featuring a weekend health and wellness retreat are also in the planning stages.
Founded in 1992 by community members committed to bringing the joy of lifelong learning to the mid-shore region, WC-ALL is led by volunteers who work closely with the staff of Washington College. Most WC-ALL courses are held in classrooms on the main campus, though a few, like those offered by the Sultana Education Foundation, make use of other locations. Some courses each semester are also delivered virtually using Zoom technology.
Jeff Coomer, Chair of the volunteer Council that oversees the program, noted that “WC-ALL continues to be a great way for members of the community to make new friends and explore all that Washington College has to offer.”
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Kent County Middle School students participating in mentoring program boarded a bus bound for Baltimore in early November for a special museum trip.
On Thursday, Nov. 9, participants in the Achieving Academic Excellence and Equity for Black Boys (AAEEBB) program visited the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum.
More than 30 students were joined on the field trip by the AAEEBB Program Coordinator Tyray Johnson and fellow middle school teachers and staff members Chanelle Copper, Desmond Hasty, Sara Moore and Delia Shoge.
The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum was the first of its kind when it opened its doors 40 years ago.
Visitors learn about “the rich history of African Americans across the continents and time, from Ancient Africa, the Middle Passage and Slavery, through civil rights and today,” according to the museum’s website.
“Exposure to the Museum and its programs ensures that youth and adult patrons learn more about their American heritage and gain deeper insights into significant contributions to civilization by people of African descent,” the museum website states.
The middle school students’ journey through time at the museum gave them an opportunity to learn about figures from an antiquity like Hannibal to Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. to present day leaders such as former President Barack Obama.
They got to see visual representations of what it was like for freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad and they had the opportunity to tour a replica slave ship.
“Students got to experience the museum and learn about its African American history and culture,” Johnson said. “It was an all-around great day for our boys.”
The AAEEBB program launched several years ago at Kent County Middle School and Kent County High School with funding and guidance from the Maryland State Department of Education.
The AAEEBB program seeks to improve the outlook for adolescent Black boys who, reports show, tend to face more frequent and stringent disciplinary actions than their peers.
Through the program, students receive mentoring, participate in group activities at school and go on field trips to museums and colleges, all with the goal of ensuring their success in school and in life.
Johnson came on board at the program’s launch as a mentor. Last year, he was named the AAEEBB program coordinator for the middle school.
“The AAEEBB program gives our young men a place where they get to feel comfortable to build a bond amongst each other, to have a voice to feel heard and to connect with other like-minded individuals striving for academic excellence,” Johnson said.
Learn more about Kent County Middle School at www.kent.k12.md.us/KCMS.aspx.
Museum Trip1: This exhibit at the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore offers visitors a glimpse into what it was like for enslaved people seeking freedom along the Underground Railroad.
Museum Trip2: Iconic figures like former President Barack Obama and civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are on display in the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, where Kent County Middle School students took a field trip Thursday, Nov. 9.
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Community volunteers, students and staff have transformed H.H. Garnet Elementary School while learning about gardening and nature. Starting around four years ago, the school began collaborating with community members to launch the Good Seeds Garden.
The effort sought to enhance the elementary school in Chestertown by creating curb appeal through additional landscaping.Members of the Chestertown Garden Club and parents worked together to map out the garden project.
South Fork Studio Landscape Architecture formally prepared a garden plan, with the Garden Club initially looking at a phased construction timeline.
The community raised money through grants and donations and received support from the Kent County Board of Education, the municipal and county government and local businesses.
Garden Club member Carolyn Grotsky said the fundraising and grant writing went so well they were able to plant the Good Seeds Garden around the entire school in one year.
“It’s beautiful,” Grotsky said of the garden. “I love seeing this here.”
And the community engagement continues to grow.
Grotsky spoke about donations of mulch and labor and how local business owners have given their time and expertise to the project on aspects like the garden’s irrigation system.
“It shows the community involvement in the project,” Grotsky said.
Garnet Elementary School is a state-designated Community School, providing families in need with access to resources.
Garnet Community School Coordinator Florence Terrill said that the partnerships formed through the Good Seeds Garden project fall in line with the Community School program and grant funding.
The Good Seeds Garden provides more than curb appeal to the historic school building.
It also features an outdoor learning space for students. The outdoor classroom annex includes tables and raised gardens in the back of the building.
“Many of the projects the Garden Club has done with our students are enrichment and extension activities to provide more hands-on learning for our children,” Terrill said. “Our partnership with the Garden Club has grown over the last couple years and the kids enjoy their time with the ‘Garden Ladies’ and the new outdoor classroom.”
Garden Club member Susan Flanigan spearheaded the outdoor classroom project in remembrance of her son Conor McDowell, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corp who died in a training accident in 2019.
Flanigan said the outdoor classroom space and raised gardens, in which students can plant their own seeds, adds a sense of ownership for the children.
“We want the students to feel this is their garden,” Flanigan said. “The students have just responded beautifully. They’re so excited any time they get an opportunity to be outdoors.”
And last spring, a metal sculpture of a butterfly by Ghanian artist Constance Swaniker was installed last spring in the garden from the collection of Eastern Shore residents Peter and Hanna Woike.
That outdoor classroom annex now features a mural of the school’s namesake, famed abolitionist Henry Highland Garnet.
The garden has served as the host for Community School events, such as the annual Arts in Garden showcase in each spring.
“We look forward to another successful Arts in the Garden in May, celebrating community partnerships and all the artwork of our kids and our wonderful art teacher, Mrs. Aimee Boumiea, and our amazing music teacher, Mrs. Jodi Bortz, who has worked so hard with our students,” Terrill said.
Flanigan credited Terrill with getting the grant that made the outdoor classroom space possible.
“She literally opened all the doors for us,” Flanigan said.
As club members continue meeting every Wednesday to prune, plant and rake, the garden has helped strengthen the connection between the school and the community.
The volunteers are also continuing to raise money to maintain the garden. They need help every year with larger projects like mulching.
“More and more Garden Club members are getting involved,” Grotsky said. “Our main goal is to continue supporting the space and the project through possibly more grants and in-kind donations.”
Garnet Principal Brenda Rose said having good partners, like the Garden Club, is an integral part of the success of a Community School.
“This has been a good experience for our students. They have enjoyed working with the Garden Club volunteers,” Rose said of the garden project.
Lead photo: Joanne Coveney, a retired H.H. Garnet Elementary Schools teacher, talks to students about pumpkins in Garnet’s outdoor classroom space.
Email [email protected] for more information.
Learn more about H.H. Garnet Elementary School in Chestertown at www.kent.k12.md.us/Garnet.aspx.
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Center for Environment & Society (CES) and the Digital Scholarship in Museum Partnerships (DSMP) project are proud to invite local and regional visitors to virtually “tour” the collections from several regional museums, all in one place. Housed in the community space at 210 South Cross Street in downtown Chestertown, the exhibit includes interactive exhibit banners from the DSMP’s collaborations with Kent County museums over the last six years, including Betterton Heritage Museum, the Worton Point Schoolhouse, the Waterman’s Museum, the Kent Museum, and Sumner Hall.
With the goal of preserving and providing greater access to the local histories of our community, the exhibit offers digitized looks into each museum viewable through virtual reality with 360-degree virtual tours of the museums, a look at digitized collections from each site, oral history interviews, and more. The exhibit also features a new curved projection theatre which creates an immersive environment in which to experience the virtual tours.
The panels were created by Washington College students participating in the DSMP project and serve as a continuation of their work which was curated under the guidance of Sara Clarke-De Reza, Associate Professor of Education and Director of the Museum, Community & Field Education Minor; Julie Markin, Professor of Anthropology and Director of Archaeology; and Raven Bishop, Assistant Director of Educational Technology and Lead of the Virtual/Augmented Reality Digital Imaging Studio at the Millier Library. After a successful one-day pop-up showcase of the project last fall, an opportunity to put the work on display for a longer period, and for a wider public audience, emerged at the Cross Street space.
“Working with these museums affords our students the opportunity to apply concepts and best practices learned in the classroom to a project that makes a real impact for the local community,” said Bishop. “Students and community stakeholders are immediately able to see the real-world impact of this work as it improves access to the history and culture of Kent County within and beyond our community.”
Bishop added that community partners often report that their organizations feel reinvigorated by the energy and enthusiasm that DSMP students bring to the project. The reciprocal relationship advances the common purpose of providing greater access to the important cultural heritage of the Eastern Shore that is held in so many small, rural community museums.
“It would be easy to say that the technology is the most interesting part of this project,” said Bishop. “But what is most exciting about this project is the way students are able to authentically contribute to a community-engaged digital scholarship project with real-world impact. Bringing students off of the Washington College campus and into meaningful partnership with community members is one of the most important goals of our work. Students benefit from feeling a stronger connection to place and feel-good knowing that they can contribute to Kent County in a small way.”
The exhibit is located at 210 South Cross Street and is open to the public through January on the First Fridays of each month from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., as well as every Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. The collections may also be viewed by appointment. Scanning the QR codes on the exhibit’s exterior windows will allow access to digital versions of the exhibit even when the space is closed. Cultural Heritage organizations are encouraged to reserve time in the space to hold meetings.
More information about the Digital Scholarship in Museum Partnerships Project can be found here:
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
Kent County Public Schools families and staff, as well as members of the broader community, have an advocate in the Citizen Advisory Committee.
The committee serves a channel for public concerns, advice and communication for the Kent County Board of Education.
“The Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) is a structured group that meets about specific issues impacting educational policy, activities and programs,” the policy governing the committee states. “The CAC may also respond to requests from the Board for research and recommendations on specific educational issues.”
The committee’s membership comprises two representatives for each of the five public schools here, two at-large members and a student member.
The committee chair and vice chair are, respectively, Board of Education member Trish McGee and Vice President Francoise Sullivan.
The committee is required to meet four times a year, though it often meets more frequently.
Meeting discussions generally focus on informing members and the public about programs in Kent County Public Schools.
The committee may make recommendations, as requested, to the Board of Education on topics and issues impacting the education programs and activities of Kent County Public Schools, with the exception of personnel matters.
“All committee recommendations are advisory and nonbinding and the Board of Education has the right to accept or reject all recommendations,” as the CAC policy states.
The CAC and the Board of Education advise families that any concerns should first be brought up with teachers and administrators at the school level.
The Citizens Advisory Committee in its current incarnation was enshrined in policy by the Board of Education in fall 2021.
Committee members are appointed to two-year terms. The application period for new members opens Feb. 1, with terms officially beginning July 1.
The student member is appointed for a one-year term.
Board of Education members are selected for one year and begin their terms Jan. 1.
Families and community members can reach out to CAC members by submitting an online Community Feedback Form.
The form and additional information about the CAC is available online at www.kent.k12.md.us/CitizensAdvisoryCommittee.aspx.
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Maryland lawmakers should provide more guidance and flexibility to county governments as they work to find space in tight budgets for far-reaching public education reforms, a leading advocacy group said.
The Maryland Association of Counties made a series of recommendations to ease pressures on the effort to implement the 10-year Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan in a recent letter addressed to Gov. Wes Moore (D) and the legislature’s presiding officers.
“The Blueprint applies a one-size-fits-all approach to education investment and implementation that does not account for our state’s diverse local government capacities, processes, and abilities,” according to the letter signed by MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball (D), president of the organization. “As we move deeper into implementation, the diverse systems, constraints, and structures counties must work within become more apparent, especially financially.”
Sanderson said in an interview Monday that the goal is not to go back and legislate the Blueprint law, but to inform lawmakers and the public of the continuing challenges to funding the Blueprint on a local level.
One proposal, Sanderson said, is for the legislature to provide a more comprehensive cost analysis detailing how much Blueprint funding is mandated in local budgets. In addition, that analysis should take into account fluctuating school enrollments, he said.
Some counties received notice about how much money would be needed for Blueprint reforms in the next year just a week before budgets were approved last spring, Sanderson said. Most county officials release preliminary budgets between December and February. The General Assembly’s 90-day session is set to begin Jan. 10.
“What we tried to do was harvest the things we’ve been hearing at the local level,” he said. “The idea of more clarity in the funding projections and estimates and having that in a more timely and clear way [helps] everybody…as they go through their budgeting process.”
The Blueprint plan continues to be implemented based on its priorities: expanding early childhood education, hiring and retaining high-quality and diverse teachers, preparing students for college and technical careers and providing additional resources for students in need.
The Blueprint Accountability and Implement Board, an independent body established by the legislature to oversee the initiative approved some updates this summer. One of the board’s duties is providing recommendations to the General Assembly and the governor on proposed changes to the Blueprint law. The panel is set to meet next on Thursday.
The Blueprint law states that schools must implement a $10,000 salary increase for teachers who are designated as National Board Certified, and an additional $7,000 salary increase for certified teachers who work in low-performing schools.
MACo proposes those salary figures should be switched: $7,000 for all teachers certified, and an additional $10,000 for certified teachers in low-performing schools.
Brianna January, associate director of policy for MACo, said there still remains “a universal concern” about a requirement for school systems to raise minimum annual teacher salaries to $60,000, which must be done by July 1, 2026, according to the law.
January said county leaders are concerned the salary increase “will kind of pinch all the other staff positions into an upward trajection for their starting salaries.”
Carter Elliott, a spokesperson for Moore, said in an email Monday that “county leaders are important partners and [the governor] appreciates them stepping up to share their thoughts about the Blueprint and how to ensure its success going forward. The Moore-Miller Administration is looking forward to engaging in further conversation to ensure that all of Maryland’s children have access to a world class education.”
‘More flexibility’
Some of the other MACo recommendations for state leaders are:
“To best ensure successful implementation of the Blueprint, county governments are seeking a more comprehensive cost analysis and investment from our State partners,” Ball said in an emailed statement. “County governments are funding partners for our local Boards of Education and have minimal oversight on how taxpayer dollars are spent. By having local costs required by the Blueprint clearly defined by the State, and transparently shared with the public, we can all have smoother budget processes and increased collaboration during our annual local budget cycles.”
Some Blueprint supporters, such as Michelle Corkadel, president of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, said equity must remain a focal point in the plan.
The state Board of Education continues to review a possible revision to the “college and career readiness,” or CCR, standards that are part of the Blueprint plan. Current law states that students “meet or exceed” the standard based on standardized test scores. Under the proposal, students could pass the standard if their grade-point average is 3.0 or higher by the end of 10th grade.
Corkadel said there should be a more holistic approach to aide students who have a focus on career programs.
“It seems to me that we should be including more flexibility in the arena of those students who have chosen a career path. We know that the state does not allow you to sit for your cosmetology license, which would be the ultimate in verifying that your college and career ready. It cannot occur until you’re 18 years old,” said Corkadel, a member of the school board in Anne Arundel County, where schools provide cosmetology training. “I do think that closing our opportunity gaps is one of the desired outcomes of Blueprint and we need to make sure that we are mindful of that. We are hopeful that the decisions we make are going to include the perspectives of all of us.”
By William J. Ford
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The last time the Spy chatted with Lorelly Solano a few years ago, she had just begun her work at the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center. And her focus in 2019 was to help the organization train interpreters to help offer bilingual services on the Mid-Shore to various businesses and nonprofit institutions.
One of the schools that Lorelly worked closely with at the time was Chesapeake College, so it was not a surprise to find her almost five years later working with that institution as the new director of its Cambridge Center. As the Mid-Shore continues to grow with a diversity of cultures and languages, Dr. Solano was immediately attracted to the challenge and opportunity of making the Cambridge campus a regional leader in adult education for high school equivalency, English language acquisition for immigrants, and non-credit courses like skilled trades.
In her new role, Solano has made it a goal to mirror the community’s diversity within the Center, ensuring that when people visit, they see themselves represented.
Last month the Spy came by the Cambridge Center to learn more about Dr. Lorelly’s plans.
This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about Chesapeake College and its Cambridge Center, please go here.
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On Thursday, November 16, at 5:00 p.m., the Louis L. Goldstein Program in Public Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Washington College are proud to sponsor a talk by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) founder and president, Robert P. Jones, to discuss findings from his new book, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future. Jones’ latest work tracks the story of white supremacy in America back to 1493 and examines contemporary communities in Mississippi, Minnesota, and Oklahoma for models of racial repair to help chart a new course toward a genuinely pluralistic democracy. 50 copies of the book will be available to the first 50 attendees, one per couple. A reception sponsored by the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience will follow the talk.
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