Parents have expressed concern over the number of students in the kindergarten classroom at Rock Hall Elementary School — 27 students, which brings up questions of student/teacher ratio in all of our county’s classrooms. Some have said there is a ‘legal’ limit, a mandated student:teacher ratio.   The Spy hunted and found none, and Dr. Wheeler confirmed that there is no mandated student/teacher ratio.

The Maryland Teacher Shortage Task Force Recommendations Jan 8, 08 from the Maryland State Teachers Association says that:

“…the research shows that learning increases as class size is reduced, especially in the early grades. NEA/MSTA considers 15 students to be the optimum class size, especially in kindergarten and first grade. Studies show that students in smaller classes continue to reap academic benefits through middle and high school, especially minority and low-income students.

Reducing class sizes has a positive impact on maximizing student learning and closing achievement gaps. Simply stated — when qualified teachers teach smaller classes in modern schools, students learn more.”

A Board of Education meeting this evening at the Board of Education building on Washington Avenue will begin with a closed session at 5:30 followed by an open session at 6:30 PM during which time parents may express concerns and ask questions.

Having had a hiatus from a position on the Kent County Board of Education, Brian Kirby of the Kent County Sheriff’s Department has come back to seek another term. Kirby’s law enforcement experience has taught him that discipline in the schools is the first requirement to creating a learning atmosphere. Kirby sat down with WCTR’s Keith Thompson and Chestertown Spy’s Nancy Robson to talk about the reasons he has chosen to run for another term on the board of ed and what he thinks are the most important considerations for Kent County Schools.

Listen Here: [audio:kirby election profile.mp3]

William Pickrum is running for his third term as Kent County Commissioner in November. Mr. Pickrum, a Coast Guard veteran, has served on several volunteer boards since returning to the county after 22 years of active service. In this interview, the candidate reviews with WCTR’s Keith Thompson and the Spy’s Dave Wheelan budget cuts, Kent County Public Library management and the need to bring new businesses to the area.

Listen now: [audio:pickram election.mp3]

Second-ranked Swarthmore College defeated host Washington College, 1-0, in a Centennial Conference men’s soccer game tonight on Kibler Field at Roy Kirby, Jr. Stadium.

Swarthmore (9-0, 3-0 Centennial) held a 17-2 advantage in shots in the first half, including 16 in the last 24 minutes of the half.  The Garnet found the back of the net at 34:01 when Micah Rose blasted in a goal off a pass back from Morgan Langley.  Washington junior goalkeeper Chris Phipps (Newark, DE/St. Mark’s)made five saves in the first half, including a diving save to his left on a header from two yards out by Rose at 23:04.

Phipps made eight more saves in the second half to keep the Shoremen within one goal.  Washington’s last shot of the game came off the foot of sophomore midfielder/defender Brandon George (Baltimore, MD/Calvert Hall) and went wide at 88:33.

Swarthmore held a 35-7 advantage in shots in the game and an 8-2 edge in corner kicks.

The Shoremen (3-5-1, 0-2-1) return to action Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. Centennial Conference home game against McDaniel.

Eleanor Collyer, mother of two Kent County Middle Schoolers, seeks her first term on the Board of Education.  Collyer, comptroller at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club and a former financial administrator at Echo Hill Outdoor School, believes the most important issues facing the board right now have to do with the Race To the Top Grant.”We need to make sure we’re treating our teachers fairly, giving them to tools they need to succeed, making sure this money benefits the students directly and making sure we get our share in the county,”  she says.  Listen to the whole interview with WCTR’s Keith Thompson and the Spy’s Nancy Robson.

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Listen Here: [audio:collyer election profile.mp3]

The non-ambulatory deer hunt at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge will be held on Wednesday, October 6, 2010. For more information and to obtain an application, please contact Allen Johnston, Hunt Coordinator, at 410-228-5018.

Please be advised that the refuge will be closed to visitors other than permitted hunters during all hunts. Access to Bogels Wharf will still be allowed.

This coming First Friday, Robert Ortiz will host a party at his Chestertown studio workshop for the CD release of “Our Stories, Our Songs” produced and directed by Karen Somerville, director of the African American Heritage Council. The CD brings together story tellers, artists, musicians and farmers from all of the communities in Kent County to tell stories of their lives, share music and help preserve the legacy of Maryland’s  Eastern Shore.

October 1, 6 until 9 PM

Robert Ortiz Studios

207 So. Cross Street, Chestertown, Md.

410-810-1400   www.ortizstudios.com

Through a program organized by Sultana Projects in partnership with the Town of Chestertown and funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, more than 150 fourth-grade students from Kent County Public Schools will be working this week to help maintain Chestertown’s new “Living Shoreline” at Wilmer Park.  The Living Shoreline was installed last fall by a partnership of the Town of Chestertown, the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Students from H.H. Garnett Elementary School, Millington Elementary School, Rock Hall Elementary School, and Worton Elementary School will each spend a full day on the Chestertown Waterfront with Sultana Projects’ educational staff.  Students will split their time between a 2.5-hour environmental educational program on the schooner SULTANA and a 2.5-hour wetlands-restoration program in Wilmer Park.  The work performed by the Kent County fourth grade at Wilmer Park will consist primarily of removing invasive and undesired species of plants from over 4,000 square feet of marsh grasses planted last fall.  The students will also work on a new “Rain Garden” that is being installed by the Town of Chestertown at Wilmer Park this we

“Sultana Projects has provided under-sail environmental education programs onboard the schooner SULTANA for every fourth-grade student in Kent County since 2001,” commented Sultana Vice President Chris Cerino.   “This year’s wetlands restoration programs at Wilmer Park mark a meaningful expansion of this relationship – one that we hope to see ongoing for many years to come.”

For additional information, please contact Sultana Projects at 410-778-5954 or [email protected].

Willie Gale, owner of Langford Construction in Chestertown, is attempting again to win a seat as a Kent County Commissioner come November. The GOP candidate spoke with WCTR’s Keith Thompson and Spy publisher Dave Wheelan and outlined his ideas on how the County can continue to thrive during a though economic climate.

Listen now: [audio:willie gale.mp3]