Orange is the color of Unity Day, an anti-bullying initiative reminding all of us to choose kindness, acceptance, and inclusion – all the time! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS
Last night’s Fine Arts Night at North Dorchester High School was a very fine taste of instrumental, vocal, and artistic talent by students and staff! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS
The Board of Education of Dorchester County will hold a special Closed Session at 4:30 pm on Monday, October 30, 2023 at the Central Office of the Board of Education, 700 Glasgow St. in Cambridge to discuss matters of personnel.
Today we celebrate a principal who is all about community! Mace’s Lane Middle School principal Ms. Patricia Prosser, who is in her 20th year of being part of the Dorchester County Public Schools team, says, “The best part of being a principal is by far the kids and being part of the Cambridge community. I now have the children of my previous students and I love being part of their lives.” Happy National Principals Month, Ms. Prosser! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS #ThankAPrincipal
The recent blue skies have been a perfect backdrop to the good ol’ Stars and Stripes! Here are South Dorchester School 7th graders Jacob Moxey and Noah Snyder, who every morning serve their school and community by hoisting the school’s flags and every afternoon lowering them, storing them appropriately until the next day. Thank you, boys! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS
Say hello to Dr. Donald Boyd, a new face at Dorchester County Public Schools! Dr. Boyd, an experienced educator hailing from the great state of Mississippi, is our new Supervisor of Strategic Initiatives, meaning he is the point person for overseeing the implementation of the new Maryland Blueprint for Education. “I’m working on how we will make this plan specific to what we need in Dorchester County,” said Dr. Boyd, “with the end goal of student achievement.” Dr. Boyd sees himself as a voice for the community and is interested in hearing thoughts from parents as well as sharing information about the Blueprint and what it means, to interested groups in the community. Welcome aboard, Dr. Boyd! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS
National Principals Month continues with a celebration of the leadership of Vienna Elementary School principal Ms. Susie Price! Ms. Price loves her job and says, “The very best part of being a principal is getting to know ALL of the students at your school instead of just one class!” One of our most experienced educators, we thank Ms. Price for serving the children of Dorchester County for 44 years – that’s a lot of children to get to know! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS #ThankAPrincipal
Congratulations to North Dorchester High School’s Athletes of the Month for September!
Varsity Female Athlete of the Month is volleyball player Katelyn Hopkins. Coach Carol Hubbard said of 11th grader Katelyn, “She is a very consistent server and a leader on the court. She has a great attitude and always gives her best at practice and games.”
Senior Kyle Fellon’s Cross Country performances earned him the title of Varsity Male Athlete of the Month. Kyle ran 17:25 in the first meet of the year, the 4th best time in NDHS history. He finished first overall against WiHi, Crisfield, Washington, and Pocomoke High Schools, and at the recent Rumble in the Jungle placed 9th overall out of 156 runners.
Junior Varsity Athlete of the Month is Tahjere Pritchett, a sophomore soccer player. Coach Jaime Fonseca says of Tahjere, “He is always giving 100% at practices and games and always has a great attitude.”
Thank you to this month’s NDHS Athletes of the Month sponsors Metal Arc Fabricating and Cambridge/Easton Premier Cinemas. #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS
It’s been terrific weather this week for a working cruise on the Sultana, as these Vienna Elementary School 4th graders discovered! The Sultana is a full-scale reproduction of a 97-foot topsail schooner that patrolled the mid-Atlantic area of the colonies for Britain’s Royal Navy in the years leading up the American Revolution. It visits Cambridge most years to take our 4th graders on the high seas (otherwise known as the Choptank River) and give them hands-on knowledge of maritime life in the 18th century. Don’t worry if your 4th grader didn’t sail this week – the Sultana will return in the spring to say a big “ahoy” to the rest of the 4th graders. After all, it’s #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS!
He’s the Leader of the Nest! Today we salute North Dorchester High School principal Mr. Dave Stofa. When asked why he loves being a principal, Mr. Stofa said, “The best part of being a principal is the relationships you build with students. Seeing them walk in as young freshmen and watching them grow and mature as they graduate and head off to the next phase of their lives is a truly rewarding experience as an educator.” Thanks for doing your part, Mr. Stofa, to ensure the Eagles always fly high! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS #ThankAPrincipal
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It’s National School Bus Safety Week, and in a county the size of Dorchester, our buses spend a lot of time on the roads. Last year our buses traveled over 1.1 million miles, carrying 3960 students to and from schools. Our awesome school bus drivers recognize the important responsibility they have, but keeping our kids safe is a responsibility shared with the community.
When you see yellow flashing lights on a school bus, slow down and prepare to stop. When the red lights flash, stop immediately in both directions. If you are on a two-lane road, vehicles traveling in either direction must stop. If traveling on a multi-lane road, vehicles traveling in either direction must stop. If traveling on a multi-lane road with a center turn lane, vehicles traveling in either direction must stop. When on a divided highway with a dirt, grass, or barrier median, all vehicles behind the bus must stop and vehicles traveling in the opposite direction should proceed with caution.
Remember: youngsters can be unpredictable. Always use caution when traveling near a school bus or bus stop when children are present and do your part to help keep our kids safe! #AllHandsOnDeck
Don’t forget: Thursday, October 19 is an early dismissal day with Parent Conferences beginning in the afternoon. DCPS schools and offices are closed on Friday, October 20 for the annual Maryland State Education Association convention. #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS
Dr. Teresa Berry, principal of New Directions Learning Academy, is today’s star principal, as we continue to celebrate National Principals Month. Why did Dr. Berry aspire to become a principal? “As a classroom teacher, I could only help the students on my team. But as an administrator I can touch the lives of so many more students and families. I want my students to have every opportunity available to them to be able to find what they want and love to do in life and help them achieve that goal.” Thank you for your inspirational leadership, Dr. Berry. #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS #ThankAPrincipal
It was a special night for special teachers! The 33rd Annual Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala was held in Baltimore Friday evening, with Gov. Wes Moore and over 800 guests in attendance, including Sandy Hill Elementary 5th grade teacher Briana Beulah, the 2023-2024 Dorchester County Public School Teacher of the Year.
Besides Ms. Beulah, DCPS representatives included Superintendent Dave Bromwell, Director of Operations Dr. Mike Collins, Sandy Hill Principal Ms. Debbie Gibson, along with Ms. Beulah’s friend Mr. Tranel Stanford. Former DCPS Teachers of the Year Mr. Phil Albert (2022-2023) and Ms. Amy Stoops (2021-2022) were also on hand to cheer on Ms. Beulah.
Each county’s Teacher of the Year was introduced and celebrated, with the evening culminating with the Maryland State Teacher of the Year 2023-2024 being named – congratulations to Ms. Mary Kay Connerton, a PE, Health, and Wellness teacher from Annapolis High School. #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS
DCPS families, if you haven’t yet done so, now is a good time to complete the 2023-24 Alternate Household Income Form! This is the form that provides information allowing DCPS to be a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) district and serve meals to all students at no charge. But did you know this form determines eligibility to receive other benefits beyond free meals for students, such as some scholarships, and may help ensure your child’s school is eligible for additional funding? Complete it today, so you don’t forget! Here’s the link: https://form.jotform.com/221773459792166 #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS
National Principals Month continues, and today we celebrate the legendary Mr. Vaughn Evans, who has served as principal of many DCPS schools, and is now leading North Dorchester Middle School. What does Mr. Evans want most for his students? “I want my students to understand the value of a quality education, allowing them to become productive citizens in this community and others,” he says. We say thank you for your service, Mr. Evans! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS #ThankAPrincipal
The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Thursday, October 19, 2023, at the Dorchester Career and Technology Center, 2465 Cambridge Bypass in Cambridge, with the open session beginning at 6:00 pm. The agenda and related documents will be found online via Board Docs on the Dorchester County Public Schools website at www.dcps.k12.md.us. The public is welcome to attend. If you are unable to attend but would like to submit comments electronically to be included in the minutes, email them to comments@dcpsmd.org by 2:00 pm on the date of the meeting. The meeting will be livestreamed at https://townhallstreams.com/towns/dorchesterboe.
Life isn’t a straight line – it’s full of curves and bumps along the way, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get to where you want to be. That was the message that Judges of the Orphans Court George Ames, Bernie Dryden, and Rick Price delivered when they visited New Directions Learning Academy yesterday. Thank you to the Judges for sharing their own interesting journeys with students and staff, providing much food for thought. #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS
Today we salute a paws-itively super principal, the leader of the Warwick Elementary pack, Ms. Marybeth Blake! What does Ms. Blake wish to be her legacy from her years as an educator? “I want my legacy to be that I have empowered all children to have confidence to be their own advocate, to leave their seven years of elementary school having a voice to stand up for what they need to be successful in their educational career and as they navigate life. I want children to be kind, fair, and inclusive of others.” Happy National Principals Month, Ms. Blake! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS #ThankAPrincipal
