2006-07 Annual Report - Harford County Public Schools

Transcription

Annual Report
Building on Success
2007
Harford County Public Schools
HCPS A.A. Roberty Building n 102 S. Hickory Avenue n Bel Air, MD 21014
410-838-7300 n 1-888-588-4963
Inside this issue:
Financial Respon
Responsibility
sibility
Hiring Success
Hall of Fame Honors 18
Test Scores Shine
Teacher of Year Named
Pgs. 4 - 5
Pgs. 8-9
Pgs. 10 -11
Pgs. 12 - 13
Pg. 24
www.hcps.org
Published by the Harford County Public Schools in partnership
with Homestead Publishing Marketing Department and
HAR-CO Maryland Federal Credit Union.
2 HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS - ANNUAL REPORT THE AEGIS / DECEMBER 12, 2007 · THE RECORD / DECEMBER 12, 2007
62813
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THE AEGIS / DECEMBER 12, 2007 · THE RECORD / DECEMBER 12, 2007
Mission
The mission of the Harford County
Public Schools is to foster a quality
educational system that challenges
students to develop knowledge and
skills, and to inspire them to become
life-long learners and good citizens.
Vision
Harford County is a community of
learners where educating everyone
takes everyone. We empower all students to contribute to a diverse, democratic, and change-oriented society.
Our public schools, parents, public
officials, businesses, community organizations, and citizens actively
commit to educate all students to become caring, respectful, and responsible citizens.
HCPS Board of Education
Thomas L. Fidler, Jr., President
Salina M. Williams, Vice President
Mark M. Wolkow, Past President
Patrick L. Hess
Lee Merrell
R. Robin Rich
John L. Smilko
Jacqueline C. Haas, Ed.D.,
Secretary/Treasurer/Superintendent
Chase J. Jackson,
Student Representative
On the Cover:
Bel Air High School 2007 Senior
Griffy Tanenbaum was one of art
teacher Karen Ballard's students
who took part in a "Memory Project," painting pictures of Ugandan
orphans created by the 20-year civil
war there. The paintings were sent
to the orphans through an international relief agency.
Don Morrison, Editor
Teri Kranefeld, Publication Design
The Harford County Public School System does not discriminate on the
basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability in matters affecting employment or in providing access
to programs. Inquiries related to policies of the Board of Education of
Harford County should be directed to the Director of Public Information, 410-588-5203.
HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS - ANNUAL REPORT 3
From the Superintendent's Pen...
Having a role in shaping the life of a child is the closest any of us
will get to being immortal. Each day, parents and the community entrust to
us – the more than 5,000 people who are employed with the Harford County
Public School System – that sacred responsibility. It’s a role that I, as your
Superintendent of Schools, take very seriously and one you can rest assured
each bus driver, custodian, para-educator, secretary, teacher, administrator and
those in all the job classifications within the school system is made aware of
every day by the young people we serve.
I was reminded by a speaker recently that, being in public education
gives those who have chosen this as their life’s vocation, the possibility not
only to strive for greatness, but to achieve immortality as we pass on the spark
of learning and good citizenship to those who enter the schoolhouse doors
each day. This, then, is the story of the Harford County Public Schools – your
schools, paid for through your tax dollars and accountable to you.
In this year’s Harford County Public Schools Annual Report you will
have the opportunity to share some of the ways those who have dedicated their
professional lives to the education of young people have gone about that pursuit.
I was particularly impressed with the theme chosen for this year’s Annual
Report – “Building on Success.” You will read about capital projects – the
modernization of North Harford High School, the beginning of the replacement
of Bel Air High School, plans for a new Edgewood High School, and the
opening of Patterson Mill Middle-High School. That, certainly, is one aspect of
“Building on Success.”
But, you will also read about the academic success of our students, the
excellence of our staff, the solid nature of our financial operation, and some of the
achievements of our staff. This is building on the legacy we have been handed
by those who went before us in the Harford County Public Schools. You’ll
get to read samples of that legacy in the short biographies of the nine former
HCPS teachers/administrators who were inducted by the Board of Education of
Harford County into the HCPS Educator Hall of Fame last year.
You’ll read about HCPS teachers who won national awards, the
school system’s Transportation Operation which has been judged among the
best in the nation, a Social Studies teacher and administrator named best in the
state, student service programs honored for their excellence, and instructional
initiatives that have been ranked among the very best nationwide. You will note
that our finance and budget offices have been lauded for their excellence yet
again, the HCPS teaching corps continues to be cited as among the best prepared
and most stable in the state, and – most importantly – student achievement in the
Harford County Public Schools once again outpaces state and national norms.
Certainly, we recognize there are
challenges facing the Harford County
Public Schools as we strive to fulfill the
vision and mission laid out for us by our
Board of Education in the school system’s
Strategic Plan. Each year, in this space, I
have pledged on behalf of the employees,
volunteers, and all those who support the
school system that we will be dedicated
more than ever to providing the best
possible education for every child we
serve. I renew that pledge and invite you,
our stakeholders, to join us in this most
worthwhile journey.
Jacqueline C. Haas, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
2006 - 2011
Strategic Plan
Goal #1: Every student graduates
ready to succeed.
Focus areas:
v Promote opportunities for
skilled trades and advanced
career choices.
v Use business partnerships to identify
and respond to emerging market
trends.
v Enable students to live in and
contribute to a contemporary
world.
Goal #2: Every student achieves
personal and academic growth.
Focus areas:
v Find and build on every student's
motivation.
v Develop and deliver high quality
instruction that elevates each
student.
v Support the emotional, social and
physical growth of every student.
Goal #3: Every student connects with
great employees.
Focus areas:
v Recruit and retain a high quality,
diverse workforce.
v Direct utilization of resources
responsively to meet individual
student needs.
v Encourage employee knowledge
and creativity to advance
learning.
Goal #4: Every student benefits from
accountable adults.
Focus areas:
v Obtain and optimize use of
adequate resources.
v Improve operational and
instructional efficiency and
effectiveness.
v Earn credibility with education
stakeholders and respect of
colleagues.
v Define parent involvement; reach
out to parents to explain
involvement opportunities.
Goal #5: Every student feels
comfortable going to school.
Focus areas:
v Maintain safe, secure, comfortable
schools that meet student needs.
v Expect personal responsibility
and respect in positive learning
environments.
v Explore use of uniforms to promote
social equality and focus on
learning.
FY 2008
Financial Info
Harford County Public Schools has once again won
prestigious national awards for the way in which it accounts
for the public money placed in its trust by the taxpayers. Both
the Budget Office and the Finance Office are perennial award
winners for the way they do business and their responsiveness
to the public (see related stories on this and the facing page).
The school system takes seriously its fiduciary responsibility
to use tax dollars in the most efficient way possible for student
achievement. Maximizing each dollar, making sure funds are
used appropriately under the guidelines of funding authorities,
and keeping in mind the Board of Education’s strategic plan
focus of increasing student achievement is an everyday target
of the financial operation at HCPS.
The school system spent more than a half billion dollars
to operate the 54 public schools in the county and to build or
improve school buildings. Seven of every ten dollars spent
on the operation of the schools was devoted to salaries for the
more than 5,000 people who work in the school system – the
lion’s share of that amount going to those directly related to
classroom instruction. While the most recent figures available
(FY 2006) show Harford County’s Public Schools continue to
be funded last per pupil among the state’s 24 sub-divisions,
the school system has been able to maximize the money it
receives in providing essential educational services
Budget Award
For the fifth consecutive year, the Harford County Public
School Budget Office has received the coveted Distinguished
Budget Award from the Government Financial Officers
Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA)
organization. The award signifies the 2006-07 HCPS budget
document was prepared and produced under the most stringent
guidelines as a public policy document.
The Board of Education of Harford County honored
Budget Director Jim Jewell, along with Senior Budget Analyst
Jeannine Ravenscraft, Budget Analyst Mary Edmunds, and
Budget Analyst Michele Sledge during a Board meeting
last year. Board President for 2006-07 Mark M. Wolkow
presented the HCPS Budget Office officials with certificates
of recognition.
Financial Award
The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in
Financial Reporting for 2006-07 was awarded to the Harford
County Public Schools by the Government Finance Officers
Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for the
local school office’s comprehensive annual financial report
(CAFR). It was the fourth consecutive year HCPS has received
the award. The Certificate is the highest form of recognition in
the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting,
and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment
by a government and its management, a GFOA spokesman
said.
An Award of Financial Reporting Achievement was
presented to HCPS Finance Office Director Jay Staab by
GFOAand the honor was recognized by the Board of Education
of Harford County during a Board meeting last year. Board
President at the time, Mark Wolkow, presented the award.
The CAFR was judged by an impartial panel to meet
the high standards of the program including demonstrating a
constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate
its financial story and motivate potential user groups to read
the financial report.
HCPS Chief Financial Officer John M. Markowski
oversees the operation of the Budget and Finance offices.
FY 2007 Actual Expenditures
Food Services
$13,517,554
School Construction and
3%
Capital Outlay
$48,394,811
10%
Special State and Federal
Programs $24,834,676
5%
Administrative Services
$9,905,580
2%
Mid Level Administrative
Services
$23,591,560
5%
Instructional Salaries
$158,370,918
34%
Community Services
$455,147
0%
Fixed Charges
$88,247,174
19%
Maintenance of Plant and
Equipment
$10,096,119
2%
Operation of Plant
$26,036,270
Pupil Transportation Services
5%
$22,616,592
5%
Special Education
$31,751,336
7%
Health Services
$3,046,895
1%
Instructional Textbooks and
Supplies
$9,884,741
2%
Other Instructional Costs
$2,102,767
0%
Student Personnel Services
$1,524,441
0%
SOURCE: HCPS Budget Office/Public Information Office
FY 2007 Actual Expenditures
Earnings on investments
1,530,222
0%
Charges for services
8,132,053
2%
Federal sources
5,177,012
1%
Miscellaneous revenues
7,270,926
2%
Special state and federal
programs
24,834,676
5%
Local sources $228,929,744
47%
State sources 205,345,339
43%
FY 2008 HCPS Capital Improvement Program
HCPS Operating Statement
Financial Data Year Ended June 30, 2007
Current
Expense Fund
REVENUES
Local Sources
State Sources
Special state and federal programs
Federal Sources
Earnings on Investments
Charges for services
Miscellaneous revenues
TOTAL REVENUES
EXPENDITURES - Current
Administrative Services
Mid-level Administration
Instructional Salaries
Instructional Textbooks and Supplies
Other Instructional Costs
Special Education
Student Personnel Services
Health Services
Pupil Transportation Services
Operation of Plant
Maintenance of Plant and Equipment
Fixed Charges
Community Services
Special state and federal programs
Cost of operation - food services
Capital outlay
TOTAL EXPENDITURES
Excess (deficit) of Revenues over
expenditures
Other Financing Sources (uses)
Capital lease
Operating transfers
Net change in fund balances
Reserve for Inventory
Fund balance - beginning July 2006
Decrease reserve for inventory U.S.D.A.
Fund Balance at June 30, 2007
Food
Service
Fund
Project Description
Capital
Projects
Fund
TOTAL
Governmental
Funds
189,414,800
197,404,076
24,834,676
442,908
1,370,562
6,491,101
419,958,123
292,986
4,734,104
155,497
8,132,053
4,373
13,319,013
39,514,944
7,648,277
4,163
775,452
47,942,836
228.929,744
205,345,339
24,834,676
5,177,012
1,530,222
8,132,053
7,270,926
481,219,972
9,905,580
23,591,560
158,370,918
9,884,741
2,102,767
31,751,336
1,524,441
3,046,895
22,616,592
26,036,270
10,096,119
88,247,174
455,147
24,834,676
325,124
412,789,340
13,517,554
13,517,554
48,069,687
48,069,687
9,905,580
23,591,560
158,370,918
9,884,741
2,102,767
31,751,336
1,524,441
3,046,895
22,616,592
26,036,270
10,096,119
88,247,174
455,147
24,834,676
13,517,554
48,394,811
474,376,581
7,168,783
(198,541)
(126,851)
6,843,391
(120,000)
7,048,783
(198,541)
31,851
120,000
25,000
31,851
6,875,242
20,417,645
2,976,197
-
23,393,842
-
(78,756)
-
(78,756)
27,466,428
2,698,900
25,000
30,190,328
Aberdeen High School Addition
ADA Improvements and Survey
Athletic Fields Repair/Renovations
Backflow Prevention
Bel Air High School Replacement
Bus Acquisition
Deerfield ES Modernization/Addition
Edgewood High School
Environmental Compliance
Equipment and Furniture Replacement
Fire Alarm & ER Communications
Harford Tech Field Improvements
Homestead/Wakefield ES Modernization
HVAC Replacement - Wm. S. James Elem.
John Archer School Modernization
Joppatowne ES Modernization/Addition
Joppatowne High School Gym Addition
Locker Replacement - Edgewood Middle
Milestone Project
Musical Instrument Refresh
New Elementary Capacity
North Harford High School Band Uniforms
Patterson Mill M-HS Start-up Costs
Paving - New Parking Areas
Paving - Overlay and Maintenance
Planetaria Refresh
Playground Equipment
Relocatable Classrooms
Roofing Replacements
Security Cameras
Storm Water Management
Technology Education Lab Refresh
Technology Infrastructure
Textbook Refresh
Vehicle/Operations Equipment Acquisition
Vocationa/Technical Equipment Refresh
WP/OPR ES Modernization
Youth's Benefit ES Modernization
TOTAL CAPITAL FUND - FY 2008
State
Approved
Local
Approved
$0
$5,684,945
$0
$50,000
$0
$45,000
$0
$50,000
$0 $33,508,200
$0
$800,000
$0
$2,572,130
$0
$3,500,000
$0
$50,000
$0
$0
$0
$100,000
$0
$3,000,000
$0
$100,000
$0
$0
$0
$995,000
$1,449,875 $10,283,725
$0
$3,110,000
$0
$0
$0
$4,552,500
$0
$0
$0
$4,716,900
$0
$0
$14,788,000 ($11,388,000)
$0
$100,000
$0
$50,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$376,000
$0
$1,634,850
$0
$225,000
$0
$0
$0
$300,000
$0
$645,000
$0
$1,000,000
$0
$310,000
$0
$100,000
$0
$100,000
$0
$1,625,600
$16,237,875
SOURCE: HCPS Budget Office/Public Information Office
$68,196,850
Other
Sources
Total
Capital
Funding
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$0
$0
$200,000
$0
$0
$0
$100,000
$0
$50,000
$0
$50,000
$0
$0
$0
$300,000
$1,450,000
$0
$0
$0
$50,000
$0
$135,255
$0
$656,000
$0
$0
$0
$5,684,945
$50,000
$45,000
$50,000
$33,508,200
$800,000
$2,572,130
$3,500,000
$100,000
$100,000
$250,000
$3,000,000
$100,000
$200,000
$995,000
$11,733,600
$3,110,000
$100,000
$4,552,500
$50,000
$4,716,900
$50,000
$3,400,000
$100,000
$50,000
$300,000
$1,450,000
$376,000
$1,634,850
$225,000
$50,000
$300,000
$780,255
$1,000,000
$966,000
$100,000
$100,000
$1,625,600
$3,291,255
$87,725,980
Capital
Improvements
62519
Children’s Museum
New elementary schools at Vale Road, near Bel Air, (2010) and Schucks
Road, near Churchville, (2011) are also due to open to relieve overcapacity
conditions at five schools in the area north and east of Bel Air.
Patterson Mill
Middle - High School
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STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) learning programs
and activities correlate to MD Voluntary State Curriculum. For school visitor
information, call 410.864.2664.
61764
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Vale Road Site - Elem.
School construction projects totaling almost $1 billion have been identified as being
needed over the next decade and a half to meet expected growing enrollments and the
demands of a 21st century state-of-the-art education for Harford County Public School
students.
Chief among the projects nearing completion, entering construction, or in the short
term planning stages are modernizations of two elementary schools, the replacement of
two 50-year-old high schools, and the construction of two new elementary schools. In
addition, North Harford High School, a three-year modernization project, is in the final
stages of a total makeover that has seen the 54-year-old building increased in capacity to
more than 1600 and new infrastructure that will enable it to provide world-class facilities
for its students while maintaining the traditional look of the building which has been
a landmark in the Pylesville community for generations. Some of those projects have
been pictorally highlighted on this page and the following.
Also, Joppatowne Elementary is due to be modernized by the start of the 2009
school year and Deerfield Elementary will be demolished after a replacement building
is constructed at the Edgewood site in time for the 2010 school year.
A 12-classroom addition is planned for Aberdeen High School (2008) – which was
opened as a replacement building in 2004.
Other projects such as a new gymnasium/addition at Prospect Mill Elementary
School (2008), Joppatowne High School gymnasium/addition (2008), Youth’s Benefit
Elementary School replacement (2011) and John Archer School replacement (2011) are
listed as projects planned for the near future.
Patterson Mill Middle-High School opened for students on August 27, 2007 as the
county’s first new secondary school in 27 years (excluding replacement buildings).
The 270,000 square foot building is the largest in Harford County. It currently
serves students in grades six through ten with grades 11 and 12 to be phased in
over the next two years.
Bel Air High School
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Elevations
East Elevation
North Elevation
Edgewood High School Schematic Design
Harford County Public Schools
Edgewood High School
Now under construction is a replacement Bel Air High School. The $82 million project,
expected to be completed for the beginning of the 2009 school year, is being constructed
alongside the current school, opened in 1950. Students will move from the existing
building to the new, three-story structure when it is completed.
Grimm + Parker Architects
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62600
North Harford
High School
Edgewood High School’s building, opened in 1954, will be demolished after a new
building is constructed on what is the current stadium field. The new $86 million
Edgewood High is due to open in time for the beginning of the 2010 school year. A
similar arrangement to the transition for students at Bel Air High will be employed
for the Edgewood school.
62577
North Harford High School, a three-year modernization project, is in the final stages of
a total makeover that has seen the 54-year-old building increased in capacity to more
than 1600 and new infrastructure that will enable it to provide world-class facilities
for its students while maintaining the traditional look of the building which has been a
landmark in the Pylesville community for generations.
HCPS At a Glance
The School System:
• 32 Elementary Schools
• 9 Middle Schools
• 9 High Schools
• 1 Special
• 1 Vocational/Technical High School
• 1 Alternative Education Center
• 1 Public Charter School
TOTAL: 54 Schools
Student Population: 39,175
Personnel:
5,298.35
Certificated - 3,454.1
Support
- 1,844.25
Food Services (2006-2007):
• 390 staff members
• 847,799 breakfasts served per year (students)
• 3,651,405 lunches served per year (students)
• $13 million per year business
• $3,684,153 in a la carte sales (includes adult purchases)
Transportation (2006-2007):
• 34,968 students transported
• 458 buses
• 386,607 miles traveled daily
• 6,958,926 miles traveled annually
• 2,601 hours of daily driver time
• 46,818 hours of annual driver time
Facilities (2007-2008):
• 77.32 acres of parking lots
• 24.6 miles of driveway
• 909,038 sq. ft. of carpeting
• 5,944,294 sq. ft. - total building footage
• School buildings - 5,651,088 sq. ft.
• Other buildings - 205,894 sq. ft.
• Relocatables (105) - 87,312 sq. ft.
• 2,342 classrooms
• 188 buildings (including relocatables)
• 32 wells
• 128 main boilers
• 1,631 acres of land
• $768,074,920 - Property Value (as of 7/1/06)
• 334 custodians
How do Harford County Public Schools compare to the other 23
Maryland school system in terms of funding?
• FY05 Cost per Pupil - $7,821.38 - ranked 24 out of 24
* Latest figures available
Facts:
• Approx. 60% of the teaching staff has completed
advanced degrees, i.e. five or more years of college work
• About 50% of the teaching staff has ten + yrs. exp
• Approx. 95% of students have never been involved in
violations of school or systemwide rules
• School system has over 2,500 business partnerships
• Approx. 85% of students plan to recieve post-secondary
education
• 2007 Harford seniors were offered over $32 million in
scholarships
Harford
teaching force
among state’s
best
Recruiting efforts aimed at maintaining excellence in
the classroom
The Harford County Public Schools is privileged to have a highly motivated
and well prepared cadre of teachers and other professionals to provide direct
instruction to its almost 40,000 students. Meeting the challenge of replacing those
teachers who leave the system due to retirement or natural attrition is a growing
challenge – especially in the “critical areas” of mathematics, special education,
family and consumer science, technology education, and certain areas of science
and continues to require the school system to sharpen its recruiting efforts.
During the 12 months ending September 30, 2007, the Harford County Public
Schools hired 355 teachers to replenish the 3,100 person teaching force that has
among the greatest percentage of highly qualified teachers and reflects one of the
lowest turnover rates in Maryland.
Teacher applications – now able to be completed and submitted on line – were
up by 29 percent compared to the previous year. Almost half – 43 percent – of
the newly hired teachers graduated from non-Maryland colleges and universities.
While recruitment efforts continue to focus in Maryland, because of the highly
competitive need for teachers who meet the federal definition of “highly qualified”
under the Federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, it is necessary for the local
effort to extend beyond the borders of its home state. NCLB requires that teachers
must be fully certified in the grade level or subject area in which they teach.
The 2006-07 recruitment schedule included attendance at 84 college/university job fairs/consortiums and school visits in 12 states other than Maryland. Some
65 HCPS employees took part in the recruitment program.
Recruiting and employing minority teachers continues to be highly competitive within the state and across the nation. Twenty-nine minority teachers were
employed during the past year’s hiring season, representing teacher candidates
from 22 separate colleges and universities.
Of the 355 teachers hired, more than half were 27 years of age or older and
45 percent had one or more years experience before beginning their careers in
Harford County Public School classrooms. Teacher hires continue to be dominated by women – with 79 percent of those employed during the past year being
female – including 91 percent at the elementary level.
Eight percent of the new teachers hired are minority.
During the past year, 295 teachers, counselors and other specialists left
employment with the Harford County Public Schools – more than a third (100)
due to retirement. Harford’s retention rate of 90.7 percent ranks the school system third only to Howard (90.8 percent) and Frederick (93.1 percent) among the
Baltimore metropolitan counties (and Cecil County) in the percentage of teachers
who remained on the job last year in their home sub-division.
Overall, 31 percent of the Harford County Public School teaching force has 15
or more years experience with almost three in five (58.4 percent) having earned a
master’s degree or higher. On the other end of the scale, more than one in four of
the teaching staff (25.8 percent) has four or less year’s experience.
For the first time in the four years the Maryland State Department of
Education has been keeping figures on the numbers of teachers who meet the
“highly qualified” definition, Harford County did not show progress in decreasing the number of instructors listed as not highly qualified. The 88.2 percent of
teachers in Harford listed as highly qualified ranks the local system 13th among
Maryland’s sub-divisions, after having been in the top quartile for the first three
years of the report.
355
Teachers
Hired
BONUS – One hundred teachers new to the Harford County Public Schools in the 2007-08 school year, who teach subjects
described as ‘critical areas,’ were each given $1,000 bonus checks by the County government during a ceremony in the
County Council Chambers November 14th. Superintendent Jackie Haas and County Executive David Craig, seated, second
row, left and right, respectively, handed out the checks to the new teachers. It was the seventh consecutive year the County
had provided bonuses to new teachers in critical areas.
90.7%
retention rate
Characteristics of New Teachers' Education
31.0%
0.3%
68.7%
HCPS Ranks among the
highest in the
metropolitan region.
SOURCE: HCPS Human Resources Office/Public Information Office
62598
HCPS Educator Hall of Fame
T
o honor those who have given their professional lives building a school system
which consistently ranks in the top 25 percent in student achievement among Maryland
school districts, "Harford Schools," in cooperation with the Harford County Retired
School Personnel Association (HCRSPA), began the HCPS Educator Hall of Fame in
October 2000. The retired educators are chosen by HCRSPA in recognition of their
outstanding contributions to the system to be enshrined in the "Hall of Fame." The
men and women chosen will also have their plaque noting his/her accomplsihments.
Several crtieria have been established to guide the HCRSPA in its selection process:
the educator may be living or deceased, but must be retired as an educator; the educator
should have devoted the majority of his/her career to teaching and/or being a school or
central office administrator in the Harford County Public Schools; the nominee must
have been an educator in the HCPS system for at least 20 years; and, the educator does
not have to be a member of the HCRSPA.
2006
September
Henry E. “Pete”
Riecks
Mr. Riecks was a teacher and administrator in the Harford
County Public Schools for 34 years, beginning as an English
teacher at Aberdeen High in 1958. He also served as an
Assistant Principal; Building Supervisor; and Supervisor of
Business, Computer Education, and Gifted and Talented.
Mr. Riecks was one of the pioneers in introducing computer
education and other technology into the Harford County Public
Schools. He worked tirelessly to provide staff development to
teachers in the use of instructional technology and
worked with businesses and other organizations to
obtain equipment for the initiative. Mr. Riecks’
career was marked by good humor and quiet
determination. Those teachers who worked
under his leadership appreciated his supportive
and non-threatening demeanor. The Forest Hill
resident retired in 1992.
2006
November
Susan Ann Ringgold Tucker spent 29 years in
the Harford County Public School System as an
elementary teacher, counselor, and assistant
principal, spreading her special brand of
nurturing mixed with a measure of tough love
that benefited all who came under her influence.
The native Harford Countian spent her
elementary years in the all-black
Central Consolidated School prior to
the total integration of the Harford
County Public Schools. She entered
Aberdeen Junior/Senior High School
as a seventh grader, overcoming the
advice of a high school counselor
that she could not aspire to more than
a community college degree to earn
her teaching credentials and begin her
career as an educator in 1974 at Havre de
Grace Elementary School. Earning her
masters in counseling at Johns Hopkins,
she served in that role at three Harford elementary schools. After securing her
administrator’s certificate from Loyola College, she served as an assistant principal at
Hillsdale, Hall’s Cross Roads, and Meadowvale elementary schools, retiring in 2003
due to advancing health problems that took her life a year later. Despite diabetes,
heart problems, and several minor strokes during the final decade of her career, she
provided love, support, and friendship to students and colleagues alike, earning the
respect of all with whom she made contact.
2006
December
2006
October
Shirley C. Kuenzler
Shirley Carol Kuenzler spent 30 years as a first and second
grade teacher in the Harford County Public Schools, starting
at William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary in 1961, and
moving to the newly integrated Hickory Elementary in
1965 where she served a two-year stint as teaching assistant
principal before returning to the classroom fulltime.
Called a “diminutive powerhouse” by her final principal
at Hickory, Patrick McCarty, Ms. Kuenzler combined a
dedicated and demanding presence in the classroom with a
love for children that made her an outstanding educator.
The Florida native went to work with an insurance
agency out of high school before enrolling, first as
a theological student, and then as a candidate to
be an elementary teacher. Influenced by Alden
Halsey, who would eventually rise to be Deputy
Superintendent in the local school system, to
come to Harford from her Carson Newman
(Tennessee) college, Ms. Kuenzler made
significant contributions throughout her 30 years
as an educator, including serving as first grade chair at Hickory for
17 years. She retired in 1991 when her hearing difficulties make it
hard for her to understand her students. She returned to Hickory as a
volunteer for ten additional years.
Susan A. Tucker
Richard A. Dezes
Mr. Dezes taught a total of 31
years, 27 of them in Harford
County as a second, third, and
fourth grade instructor. Renowned
for his sense of humor and off-beat
methods that included dressing in an
Albert Einstein lab coat and wig, Mr.
Dezes was a favorite of both students
and colleagues. The Baltimore
native taught at Havre de Grace,
Riverside, and William S.
James elementary schools.
At Riverside, where he
was teacher-in-charge, he
was encouraged to become
a school administrator,
but, after giving it serious
consideration, decided to
stay in the classroom where he connected with each of his
students on a personal basis. Mr. Dezes created associations
with his students that have lasted the test of time, building
friendships with families. Teaching was never a job for Rick
Dezes – it was his passion.
Class of 2006 - 2007
January
April2007
2007
Margaret L. Daughton
Richard M. Perrine
Mr. Perrine taught math for 33 years, all at Bel Air
High School. The Garrett County native aspired
to be a forest ranger or journalist, but turned to
math and teaching in college because money was
an issue in the family where he was the oldest of a
rural postmaster’s five children. He found his calling
as a teacher, coming with his wife, Linda Hunter
Perrine, to Harford where she had a 21 year
career as a Spanish teacher. Mr. Perrine was
an exceptionally organized and child-centered
teacher who became math department chair
from 1986 through his retirement in 2001. He
served on many county committees, making
contributions that continue to shape the HCPS
math program. Mr. Perrine taught math courses
from basic to advanced, concentrating on
geometry while allowing others to exercise
their passion for calculus, emphasizing his
team approach to education. A man of faith,
he overcame cancer late in his career to continue his drive to benefit students
and staff with his dedication to service.
2007
February
George L. Connolly, Jr.
George L. Connolly, Jr. was born and raised in Aberdeen
where he was a five-sport star as a high school student there.
He returned to his alma mater five years later to begin an
outstanding 32-year career as a Physical Education/Health
teacher, coach of many sports, and Athletic Director. Mr.
Connolly taught for a semester in Alleghany County after
having graduated from Frostburg State College at midyear in 1964 before coming to Aberdeen the following
year. He retired from there in 1996 after having
been named the Region’s top Athletic Director
in 1994. Mr. Connolly’s 1978 Aberdeen High
baseball team, which had Calvin Ripken, Jr. as
its star pitcher/shortstop, won the state title. The
lifelong educator was known as a meticulous
planner who supported his colleagues by making
sure the material they needed to do their jobs
was always there. He was intent on teaching students lessons not only about lifelong
sports but the importance of fair play and using athletics as a means toward becoming
better human beings. Mr. Connolly continues to serve as a regional representative for
an athletic equipment reconditioning company.
March
2007
Margaret L. ‘Peg” Daughton grew up during the
Great Depression in Jarrettsville, the daughter of a
shop keeper. Influenced by a high school English
teacher, she aspired to emulate her role model, a goal
she more than achieved, teaching for 35 outstanding
years, first at Old Post Road beginning in 1944 when
it included a high school, and then at the “brand new”
Bel Air High School from 1949 until she retired in
1979. Ms. Daughton was Department Chair at Bel
Air High, exerting her quiet brand of leadership
on two generations of teachers and countless
thousands of students. A no-nonsense instructor,
Ms. Daughton made sure her students – mostly
ninth graders – were drilled in the basics of the
English language. Many educators who later rose
to prominent levels in the Harford County Public
School System – and many of them who preceded
Ms. Daughton into the HCPS Educator Hall of
Fame – credit her example of high expectations
and gentle support in helping them reach their potential. Ms. Daughton has been
retired for almost 30 years, but retired and current educators as well as former
students – many of them now grandparents – look back with respect on the
contributions made by the outstanding teacher.
2007
May
Douglas R. Johnson
Doug Johnson, a current resident of Oracle,
Arizona, spent 30 years teaching Social Studies
– mostly Geography – all at Edgewood High
School. He is known as the “father of Geography”
in the school system, helping to design a number
of electives that became standard not only at
Edgewood High but throughout the county. The
native of Warren, Ohio was Department
Chair at his school for many years and
also served as intramural director,
sponsor of the junior and senior
classes, Honor Society advisor,
Academic Team sponsor, and Varsity
Club at various times in his career. He
was described as a student-centered teacher who was meticulously prepared.
Mr. Johnson demanded excellence from his students and rewarded them
with an entertaining and dynamic teaching style. Mr. Johnson began his
career in 1968 and retired in 1998. Mr. Johnson continues his work as an
instructor, serving as a tour guide in the BioSphere II near his home.
Olga Mapp Stansbury
Olga Mapp Stansbury, a first generation American whose parents were born in the West Indies, grew
up in New Haven, Connecticut in an integrated neighborhood attending integrated schools. She was
attracted to music early on through her parents who were both musically talented. She graduated
from Hartt College in Hartford, Connecticut with a music degree and decided to accept the invitation
of a friend who was a principal in Wilmington, Delaware to teach in an all-black school there. Two
years later, after meeting and marrying a Harford Countian, Ms. Stansbury moved here and took a job
teaching at Central Consolidated School (now Hickory Elementary) in 1958. When total integration was
achieved in Harford in 1965, Ms. Stansbury was transferred to Bakerfield Elementary School as a vocal
music teacher where she remained through her retirement in 1988. She was known as a task master who
made sure her students had the opportunity to appreciate all types of music and to perform to the best
of their ability. Her choruses were so well respected that they were often asked to perform for groups
all over the community. Ms. Stansbury was an accomplished pianist and organist, playing regularly
for her church. She continues as a substitute organist.
Harford students show solid
progress on MSA/HSA tests
Local students outpace counterparts in state standardized tests
Harford County Public School students showed solid gains in most standardized
tests during the spring of 2007, continuing an upward trend that has seen local young
people outpace their counterparts in the state standardized tests.
Test results – released in late spring and in late August – show Harford students
exceeding or matching last year’s results in the Maryland School Assessments (MSA)
in 11 of the 12 areas tested; and exceeding the performance of Maryland students
in each of the 12 categories. The MSA tests – along with two of the High School
Assessments (HSA) – are used as a part of the Federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
accountability program. MSA tests, taken by third through eighth graders in Reading
and Math, require students to achieve at a proficient or advanced level in order for
them to be considered meeting standards.
More than 80 percent of Harford County Public elementary school students
met standards in the 2007 tests, topped by the 90.6 percent who scored proficient or
advanced in the fourth grade reading exam.
Meanwhile, in the HSA tests – given when a student completes courses in Algebra
I, English II, Government, and Biology – more than three-fourths of Harford’s Class
of 2009 students (current juniors) passed each of the end of course exams. The Class
of 2009 had been designated as the first group of students required to pass each of
the tests in order to earn a Maryland diploma. (The Maryland State Department of
Education has provided alternate pathways for students who do not pass one or more
of the tests to graduate.)
In the Government exam, taken by most students following the ninth grade
course, 86.8 percent of Harford’s public school Class of 2009 achieved a passing
score, compared to 71.2 percent statewide. In the Algebra I/Data Analysis test,
81.8 percent of Harford’s Class of 2009 had passed at the release of the scores in
August, compared to 77.3 in the state. The Algebra I/Data Analysis course is taken
by Harford students in varying grades from seven through 12 and the test is given
when the student successfully completes the course.
In English II, normally a tenth grade course, 77.7 percent of Harford’s Class of
2009 was successful on the test late last spring, compared to 68.2 statewide. And, in
the Biology test, normally taken by sophomores, 79.5 of Harford’s 2009 prospective
graduates passed, compared to 62.1 percent of Maryland Class of 2009 students
overall.
Only in the Scholastic Assessment Tests (SATs), taken on a voluntary basis
largely by college bound students, did Harford County Public School students fail
to show improvement, matching a similar downward trend by their counterparts in
Maryland and nationwide. In Critical Reading, Harford’s Class of 2007 who took
the test, scored an average of 502 (out of 800) compared to an average of 500 for
state students, and an average of 502 for students in the country.
On the Math portion of the exam, Harford’s graduating seniors recorded an
average 515 score, compared to 502 for Maryland and 515 for the nation.
Harford’s Critical Reading 2007 average score was seven points below the 2006
average result; and the Math average score for last year’s seniors was eight points below
the previous year’s average. State and national Critical Reading scores declined by three
and one point, respectively; and Math scores fell by seven and three points for the state
and country, respectively.
While an analysis of the SAT scores has just begun, local education officials point
to the increased number of Harford students – 1,633 for the Class of 2007 compared to
1,510 the previous year – may have something to do with the declining average scores.
They say many of the additional test takers may have been less well prepared to take
the college entrance exams.
“We are pleased with the progress shown by our students in these critical state
assessments,” said Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas of the MSA and HSA results. “The
credit goes to our teachers and students along with the intentional way our instructional
leaders are aligning the curriculum with the outcomes measured on the tests.”
Noting that NCLB requires every student to be scoring at least at the proficient level
by the 2013-14 school year, Dr. Haas said the school system has its work cut out for it
in ensuring that all students have the opportunity to meet standards. She pointed to the
vast improvement made during the four years of MSA testing as an indication the school
system is on the right track.
State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick, during the release of the 2007
HSA results, said the Maryland State Department of Education is working on a “Bridge
Plan” designed to move those students still having difficulty with the assessments
toward graduation. The plan will involve locally administered projects developed for
the relatively small number of students who may not have passed all the tests by their
senior year. She said that approximately 51,000 members of last year’s sophomore class
(Class of 2009) – the first class needing to pass the HSAs to receive a diploma – have
now passed the Algebra assessment. Meanwhile, the vast majority of students in that
Class have passed the other three assessments, she said.
“We know from these results that the vast majority of Maryland students are finding
that they can pass these assessments and will be well on their way to graduation in 2009,”
said the State Superintendent. “But, we believe a few students will be well served with
a Bridge Plan that allows students to meet their testing requirement for graduation under
alternative means.”
Dr. Grasmick said the Bridge Plan – being developed in collaboration with local
administrators, school-level officials, and teachers – is aimed at bringing those students
who do not pass one or more of the assessments closer to their dreams of a high school
diploma without decreasing standards. Students who have special difficulty on one
or more of the HSAs after several attempts at passing them, and who have received
remediation, will have several options to add to their scores. These include grade point
average, attendance figures, and other individual academic validation activities.
2007 MSA Scores
90
85
80
Maryland
Harford
75
70
65
60
Grade 3
SOURCE: MSDE
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Math
Reading
Math
Reading
Math
Reading
Math
Reading
Math
Reading
Math
50
Reading
55
Grade 8
2007 HSA
HSA Scores
Scores
2007
90
85
80
65
Harford
70
Harford
Harford
Harford
75
Maryland
Harford
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September 2006
Ruth Eisenhour named Maryland science finalist – Nineteen-year Harford County
Public School elementary teacher and current Teacher-in-Charge at the Harford Glen
Environmental Education Center was named as one of three Maryland elementary
science teachers to be a finalist in the 2006-07 Presidential Science/Math awards program. Mrs. Eisenhour was to be honored during a fall reception and, if she is selected
as Maryland’s winner, would be part of a week-long ceremony in Washington, D.C.
where state winners take part in seminars with government and business leaders.
Governor/State Superintendent visit Harford -- Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas,
World Champion Figure Skater and Fallston High Senior Kimmie Meissner, and
Harford Teacher of the Year and North Bend fourth grade teacher Susan Healy were
among those to receive Governor’s Citations from Gov. Robert Ehrlich during his visit
to Harford County as part of the Governor’s Cabinet meeting held at the Bel Armory
on June 5th.
Naomi Knight is state’s top Ag teacher -- Naomi Knight, Agri-Business teacher
at Harford Technical High School, was named the Maryland Agriculture Teachers
Association’s Outstanding Agriculture Teacher for 2005-06. The award was presented
during MATA’s annual convention held in July in Aberdeen.
Four Harford elementary schools earn ‘Green School’ status -- Four Harford
County public schools were among the 24 statewide that were added to the list of
“Green Schools” during ceremonies held in May. The 2006 inductees were Fountain
Green, Hickory, Riverside, and Youth’s Benefit elementary schools. They join Bel Air,
C. Milton Wright, Harford Technical, Joppatowne, and North Harford high schools;
Havre de Grace and North Harford middle schools; and Forest Hill, Forest Lakes,
North Bend, and William S. James elementary schools as Harford Green Schools. The
program recognizes Maryland’s model environmental education efforts. There are
now 136 green schools statewide.
Sofia Tassano is national essay contest
winner -- Fourteen-year-old C. Milton
Wright sophomore Sofia Tassano won a
national essay contest as an eighth grader
at Southampton Middle School based on
her writings advocating the preservation
of Civil War battle sites. The award was
sponsored by the Civil War Preservation
Trust.
October 2006
Diana Kolego named ‘American Star of Teaching’ – Diana Kolego, Hickory
Elementary fourth grade teacher, was named Maryland’s ‘American Start of Teaching’
for 2006. The ten-year veteran became one of just 51 teachers in the nation to be so
honored in the program administered by the U.S. Department of Education in connection with the Federal ‘No Child Left Behind’ program. Winners demonstrated a dedication to making sure every one of the children in their classrooms received the kind of
attention and instruction that moves them to the next level in their education.
Aberdeen Science/Math students in national obesity study – Four students from the
Aberdeen High School Science/Math Academy – Michelle Guignet, Joanna Catalano,
Vidur Tangri, and Alex Jakobsson – joined 44 others from around the nation specially
selected to examine the issue of child nutrition and obesity. The group spent a week
during June in Keystone, Colorado as part of the ‘Child Adolescent Nutrition in
America’s Schools’ study that resulted in publication of a report with specific recommendations aimed at make improvements in what is called one of America’s most
serious youth problems.
James Williams’ musical star shines brightly – Joppatowne High School senior
James Williams was selected as a finalist for the Maryland Distinguished Honor
Program in the Talent in the Arts category. The student-musician who is his school
band’s drum major was seated first chair in the Harford County All County Band, and
third chair in Maryland’s Senior All-State Band.
NHMS Traveling Company honored by Governor Ehrlich – The North Harford
Middle School Traveling Company, winner of the 2006 Harford County Human
Relations Commission’s Good Neighbor Award, was honored recently by Maryland
Governor Robert Ehrlich during a visit by the troupe to Annapolis. The Company,
under the direction of Integrated Language Arts teacher Jane Travis, provides dramatic
interpretations of challenging situations to teen-age groups, offering lessons in how to
conquer issues such as teen drinking, depression, etc. The seventh and eighth graders
write the scripts and perform the skits.
Building o
Kelly Slentz named 2006 Unger award winner – Havre de Grace High School 17year-old senior Kelly Slentz has been named winner of the Sherry Unger award, one
of the Maryland State Department of Education’s most prestigious service honors
for high school students. The founder and prime mover behind the Forton-Lee
Scholarship Softball game was presented the award in Baltimore on October 30th.
The two-sport Warrior star began the softball game two years ago to honor the
memories of Ashley Forton and Willie Lee, two former classmates who died in
automobile accidents during or shortly after the 2003-04 school year. The effort
has raised more than $20,000 for scholarships in two years and is intended to bring
attention to countering reckless teenage driving.
Bill Ekey is state secondary principal group’s leader – William M. Ekey, principal at C. Milton Wright High School, is president of the Maryland Association of
Secondary School Principals (MAASP), a group with more than 600 members who
plays a significant role in a number of issues impacting
secondary education in the state. Mr. Ekey, 55, is a
34-year veteran Harford County Public School educator who served for a time as Director of Harford’s
secondary schools.
Emanuel Taylor is rising boxing star – Edgewood
High School 15-year-old sophomore Emanuel Taylor
won the 132-pound National Police Athletic League
(PAL) Boxing Championship in Oxnard, California,
qualifying him for the international event in Washington,
D.C. – which he also won. The young boxer, known
as “command Sergeant Major,” has won more than 175
of his almost 200 amateur fights, 35 of them by knockouts. It marked the third straight year he has won the
National PAL title at his age and weight bracket.
Stephanie Guzman overcomes reading phobia to
become author – Magnolia Elementary second grade
teacher Stephanie Guzman has recently published her
first book, The Adventures of Oliver the Clownfish, the first of a planned-five-book series about
fitting in, bullying, and peer pressures. The 26-year-old sixth year teacher is a 1997 graduate of
Edgewood High School. She formed her own publishing company to bring the book to press.
HCPS nets LEED Gold Certification for Admin. Bldg. – The Harford County Public School
System’s new administration building has been awarded the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC) “LEED Gold” rating in recognition of energy savings efforts built into the building,
located at 102 S. Hickory Avenue in Bel Air, and occupied January 3, 2006. The building replaced
the 122-year-old former central office structure and is being purchased by the school system
through a lease/purchase arrangement.
HCPS Transportation Office wins national safety
award – The Harford County Public School System’s
Transportation Office has been recognized as the nation’s
top driver training/safety operation. The local operation
was presented the national IC Driver Training/Safety
Award during a ceremony held in Kansas City, Missouri
on November 6. School systems are judged based on their
applications on how effective their drivers training programs are in limiting the number of preventable accidents
in a school year and in how their efforts contribute to the
overall safety of the bus operation. In the 2005-06 school
year, HCPS school buses were involved in just 19 preventable accidents.
(Continued on page 15)
Highlights & Accomplishments
on Success
December 2006
Nicole Praglowski’s ‘tie’ to aid cancer kids – Joppatowne
Elementary School fourth grader Nicole Praglowski
designed a tie during a hospital stay at Johns Hopkins
Hospital while a third grader the previous spring that was
used as the design for a tie that was sold to benefit children with cancer. Nicole had suffered a head injury
and, while recovering, designed the tie. Two other
Harford students – Erica Nicole Swiger of Fallston
and Lauren Alexis Franks from Bel Air – were
among the eight young people whose designs were
selected as models for the 2006 ties.
‘Lifelong servant’ Charlie Riley service
awards presented -- Hope Greenleaf, a senior
at Aberdeen High School, was chosen as the first
student recipient of a Charlie Riley Memorial
Scholarship. Ms. Greenleaf was one of seven
senior students nominated for the award which honors Mr. Riley, a longtime volunteer fire
service and community leader who passed away a year and a half before. Ms. Greenleaf, who
received the top $1,000 student scholarship, was an Aberdeen High varsity volleyball team
member, a member of the school’s marking band where she was assistant drum major and section leader, and a member of the National, Spanish, and Tri-M honor societies. Other student
winners (who received $150 scholarships) included Brian Cohagan of the John Carroll School,
Sara Hinkle of North Harford high, Heather Kurtzman of Bel Air High, Arielle Orem of the
Harford Christian School, Eric Potter of Edgewood High, and Colleen Raymonda of C. Milton
Wright High.
Six Harford seniors will be Annapolis pages – Six Harford County high school seniors
– two each from John Carroll and C. Milton Wright high schools; and one each from Havre
de Grace and Fallston high schools – will represent the county as legislative pages during the
2007 General Assembly in Annapolis. The students were nominated by their schools and were
selected by a blue ribbon panel of students and adults to serve two, non-consecutive weeks as
aides to legislators during the January through April session. Students from C. Milton Wright
are Parthesh Karna and Melanie Weyant; students from John Carroll are Giuliana E. Kunkel and
Kyle P. Hanratty; the Havre de Grace High page is Caroline P. Coates; and the Fallston High
student is Michelle M. Kenner.
Emily Smilko helps state finish fourth in ‘Horse Bowl’ – Joppatowne High School sophomore Emily Smilko was one of four members of the Maryland Horse Bowl team which finished
fourth in the nation in the 2006 Eastern National Roundup 4-H competition held in Louisville,
Kentucky on November 4th. Emily, who apires to be a veterinarian, is believed to be the youngest player ever to have competed at the national ‘Horse Bowl’ level, having qualified by one
day for the minimum age.
January 2007
North Harford A Cappella Choir/Choral Arts Society
in joint performance – The evening of December 2nd
was the culmination of a musical journey for the students
in the North Harford High School A Cappella choir as they
performed J.S. Bach’s Magnificat under the direction of
Tom Hall, Director of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society.
The North Harford students joined voices with members
of the Maryland Conservatory Chorale, accompanied by
exceptional instrumentalists from the greater Baltimore
area. Martha Banghart is Director of the North Harford
choral program.
Bel Air Middle Knowledge Master team is second best
in state – The Bel Air Middle School Knowledge Master
Open team finished second in Maryland during the 47th
KMO academic competition held December 6th. The
14-member team – chosen in a competitive test at the beginning of the school year – got
182 out of 200 questions right in the computer-based program that asks teams to provide
information on a variety of topics in a timed contest.
Honored building – The Harford county Public Schools Administration Building at 102
S. Hickory Avenue in Bel Air has been recognized as a LEED Gold-rated building based
on the built-in energy savings in the structure which celebrated its first anniversary as
headquarters of the school system January 3rd.
Edgewood Middle community reads for 75 days – Edgewood Middle School students,
staff, and the community read for an uninterrupted almost 75 days – all in 33 minutes on
December 8th – as the school took part in the annual ‘read for 2007’. The program calls
for participants to lay aside other work and read a book of their choosing for 2007 seconds
– or about 33 minutes. This year’s effort at the school, in which 61 of the school’s teachers
signed their classes up to participate, resulted in students, staff, and the community reading
for a combined 6,406,433 seconds, translating to 1,779.54 hours, or 74.15 days.
February 2007
Fallston High “Ring” to honor
school legacy – Fallston High
School has established a “Ring of
Honor” at the head of the school’s
front (student) parking lot. The
stone block outdoor facility was
built by a committee of school,
parent, and business leaders in
the community and will provide a
place on which brass plaques will
be displayed honoring those who
have made significant contributions to the school. Candidates
will be nominated by the public
and reviewed by a committee at the school with the first honorees scheduled to have been
announced in June 2007.
Chase Jackson will represent students on Harford Board – Chase J. Jackson, Harford
Technical High School junior, was nominated by the Harford County Regional Association
of Student Councils and confirmed by the Board of Education to be the twentieth Student
Representative on the Board of Education of Harford County. Mr. Jackson, 16-years-old
at the time of his election, is an Edgewood resident enrolled in Tech’s computer Aided
Design (CADD) program. He is a 3.3 GPA student, interscholastic athlete, and former
president of the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter. He was
to have assumed his role as representative for the 40,000 HCPS students on the Board on
July 1st.
National Board Certified teachers demonstrate expertise – Three Harford County Public
School teachers – Terri C. Broemm, Harford Technical High School Health Occupations
teacher; Keith A. Endsley, Fallston High School Science teacher; and Rebecca W. Spencer,
Hall’s Cross Road’s Elementary Teacher Mentor – achieved the status of National Board
Certified teachers by satisfying a rigorous set of requirements. The personal staff development, year-long effort required the teachers to compile four sets of portfolios including two
video-taped lessons; and satisfy a three-hour assessment.
Dr. Haas receives state music award/Superintendent nets Boy Scouts’ top service to
youth award – Harford County Public School Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas was
selected to receive the most prestigious honor available to a school administrator from the
Maryland Music Educators Association. The 1100 member association awarded MMEA’a
Administrative Award during the group’s annual convention on February 23rd. Dr. Haas
was honored for her unwavering support of music in the Harford public schools. The
Superintendent was also awarded the Boy Scouts’ ‘Silver Beaver Award,’ emblematic of
exceptional service to youth.
Fallston Dance Team wins state title – The Fallston High School Dance Team won the
state championship at the First Mariner Arena in Baltimore during a competition against 32
other teams from the state. The group, which performs as a club for many home football
and basketball games during the year, won both the Jazz and Pom divisions at the January
7th competition to emerge as senior champions at the event.
March 2007
Dr. Haas reappointed for four more years as HCPS Superintendent – Jacqueline C.
Haas was reappointed by the Board of Education of Harford County at its February 26th
Highlights &
meeting to service four more years as Harford County Public School Superintendent. The
36-year veteran educator has served two full terms and a total of nine years as chief operating officer of the school system. Her new contract begins on July 1, 2007 and extends the Maryland State Department of Education’s Achievement Initiative for Maryland’s
Minority Students (AIMMS) Educator Excellence Award. Ms. Idokogi will receive the
through June 30, 2011.
group’s $1,000 scholarship. Delta Sigma Theta will net the organization’s Community
Tom and Jimmy Rufenacht going for bass fishing gold – The father and son combination Excellence award. All the awards will be presented during the AIMMS’ annual awards
of Tom and Jimmy Rufenacht have qualified for the national Fishers of Men bass fishing ceremony on April 20th in Baltimore City.
championship to be held on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina May 10th through
12th. Tom, HCPS Vehicle Maintenance Crew Chief, and Jimmy, a senior at Fallston High Love of reading brings rewards to Hickory first grader – Maria Kropkowski, a six-yearSchool, qualified by virtue of their performance at the East Regional championships held old first grader at Hickory Elementary School, was chosen by the Maryland State Teachers
Association to receive one of the group’s 12 “Win to Scoot” prizes for demonstrating her
on Lake Erie in October.
reading prowess in a contest where she read five books and answered questions about each.
Kimmie Meissner highlights relaunch of ‘Maryland Pride’ – Fallston High School 17- She was the youngest of the state’s winners and received a Razor Scooter for herself, a $50
year-old senior Kimmie Meissner, the reigning national and world champion ladies figure gift certificate for her teacher, Lisa Scott, and a pizza party for her class.
skater, highlighted the relaunch of the “Maryland Pride in Education” initiative at Ms.
Meissner’s school on February 22nd. State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick kicked off
the campaign which will feature Public Service Announcements on five students, former
students, school administrators, and parents. The PSA’s will be shown on regional television over the Comcast network which is funding the program designed to show the good Junior females honored by AAUW for science/math excellence – The Harford Branch
things that are happening in Maryland schools. Ms. Meissner is the only current student of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) conducted its 21st annual
Judith Resnik award luncheon at Harford Community College on March 31st, honoring 12
to have been chosen to be part of the program.
high school juniors – one from each of the county’s nine public high schools, along with
Monument to fallen heroes due at school central office – The Harford County Public the Science Math Academy at Aberdeen High and two private schools – identified by their
School System and the Harford County Veterans Commission are partnering in efforts schools as their most outstanding female math/science students at that grade level. Those
to place a 4’ x 12’ black granite monument at the entrance of the school system’s new honored were Kara Wieczynski of Aberdeen High, Michelle Guignet of the Science Math
administration building off Courtland Street in Bel Air. The monument will be inscribed Academy, Dana Gardner of C. Milton Wright High, Brook McKeown of Fallston High,
– “Dedicated to former Harford County Public School students who made the ultimate Emily Morgan Tyler of Harford Technical High, Emily Hall of Havre de Grace High, Katie
sacrifice for our country.” The partners are planning a May 24th dedication of the memo- McCreesh of James Run Christian Academy, Christine Lebron of John Carroll School,
Ashley Massey of Joppatowne High, Rebecca Miller of North Harford High, Stephanie
rial to be held at the site.
Espeland of Bel Air High, and Symone Jennings of Edgewood High.
Ricky Poole named Facilities top 2006 employee – Ricky L. Poole, building trades
mechanic with the HCPS Facilities Management Department, has been named 2006 Edie Buckler takes AP center stage – Edith F. ‘Edie’ Buckler has been named Maryland’s
Employee of the Year in that organization. Mr. Poole, a seven-year employee with the top Elementary School Assistant Principal by the Maryland Association of Elementary
school system, was chosen by a vote of his more than 100 co-workers and a recognition School Principals. Mrs. Buckler, a 29-year educator – 11 of those years as an assistant
committee in the department. The 47-year old Havre de Grace native joined Employees principal – is currently assigned in that role at Emmorton Elementary School. She
of the Month Joe Birkmire, David Walter, Ricky Harris, Roger Dalton, and Don Welch as was honored for her behind-the-scenes efforts at supporting faculty, staff, students, and
parents.
2006 honorees by the Facilities Management Department.
April 2007
Edgewood Middle young men open
hearts to fire victims – The 350-member ‘Boys i1 Men’ Club at Edgewood
Middle School collected almost $300
to be donated to Shaunette Shropshire
and her surviving daughter Iyana
Horne, a first grader at William Paca/
Old Post Road Elementary School.
Ms. Shropshire lost three of her children and her parents in a tragic fire
earlier this year. The ‘Boys i1 Men’
group, under the direction of brothers
Rev. and Michael Reeves, teaches
young men responsibility, respect,
and civility.
Aberdeen High inducts three into its ‘Hall of Fame’ – Aberdeen High School inducted a
second set of graduates who have gone on to accomplish great things in their chosen fields
during ceremonies at the school on April 2nd. Inducted in the second group of honorees
was Charlotte Garretson Cronin (Class of 1942), who has made her name in real estate,
newspaper publishing, and historical work; A. Dwight Pettit (Class of 1963), a pioneer as
a student in helping to integrate Aberdeen High School and a groundbreaking attorney with
a national reputation since; and Major General Mitchell H. Stevenson (Class of 1970), who
has climbed the ladder from a 2nd Lt. to his current post as commanding general of the U.S.
Army Combined Arms Support Command in Fort Lee, Virginia.
Dr. Haas presented with statewide music award – Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas
was presented with the Maryland Music Educators Association’s 2007 Outstanding
Administrator Award, recognizing the HCPS chief officer for her contributions toward
furthering the cause of music education in the schools. The award was presented February
23rd at MMEA’s 2007 convention in Baltimore City.
Teacher of the Year finalists named – The ten finalists for the title of Harford County
Public School Teacher of the Year for 2007-08 have been identified. The ten will compete
for the HCPS Teacher of the Year title which will be announced at the 13th annual Teacher
of the Year banquet/program on April 26th at the Bayou Restaurant in Havre de Grace.
Finalists include Sondra O. Cawthorne, English/Reading, Alternative Education Center;
Jeana C. Essery, Science, Fallston Middle School; Kathleen A. Garafola, Second Grade,
North Bend Elementary School; Brian J. Gunter, Math, C. Milton Wright High School;
Sharalyn R. Heinly, Math, North Harford Middle School; Angela S. Jones, Music/Chorus,
North Harford Middle School; Lisa L. Keller, Fourth Grade, Fountain Green Elementary
School; Rebekah R. McCord, English, Joppatowne High School; Christine C. Roland,
Forensic Science/Biology, Edgewood High School; and Andrea F. Yeager, Kindergarten,
Abingdon Elementary School.
Bel Air Middle’s ‘Hoops for Heart’ breaks all records – Bel Air Middle School’s 2007
‘Hoops for Heart’ effort raised $40,127.93 for the American Heart Association, easily
breaking the previous high for money raised in the program that is now ten years old and
which as contributed more than $205,000 during that period to research on heart disease.
What was to have been a week-long event in physical education classes was reduced to
a one-day, three-point shootout as assemblies where held for each of the grade levels at
the school. Former Aberdeen High football/basketball star Erin Henderson and former
Joppatowne High football standout and two-time wrestling champion Jeremy Navarre
– both current University of Maryland football starters – were among the celebrities attending the event. Bel Air Middle ranked second in the nation last year in money raised in the
‘Hoops for Heart’ effort.
Joe Cooney art gallery due dedication by Board – The Board of Education of Harford
County officially dedicated the hallway off the entrance of the Harford County Public
School Administration in Bel Air to Joseph C. Cooney, Jr., who was the county school
system’s first Art Supervisor. The gallery displays student and faculty art work year round
for public view during regular office working hours.
Twenty HCPS teams qualify for state DI tournament – Twenty teams from the Harford
County Public Schools qualified to compete in the Maryland Destination Imagination (DI)
Tournament to be held at Towson University on April 21st, by virtue of their performance
at the DI East Central Region Tournament held at Bel Air Middle School on March 10th.
Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary School will send three teams, Southampton Middle, North
Excellence for Minority Achievement Awards presented to three in Harford County Bend and Fountain Green Elementary will send two, and teams from Youth’s Benefit
– Edgewood High School Assistant Principal Larissa Santos, Havre de Grace High School Elementary, Bel Air Middle, Churchville Elementary, Bel Air Elementary, Bel Air Middle,
senior Jennifer Idokogi, and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority are the three Harford County Ring Factory Elementary, William S. James Elementary, and Edgewood Elementary will
winners of Excellence for Minority Achievement awards for 2007. Ms. Santos won
Accomplishments
send teams to the State tourney in the contest where groups of students provide improvised
and creative solutions to problems through drama, song, and other ways. Qualifiers from
the State tourney earn placement in the Global tournament in June.
The
Aberdeen
Dance
Team
earned
three
national titles on
March 16th, taking first in Hiphop, Jazz, and
Open International
CANAM National
Dance
Team
Championships
held at Myrtle
Beach,
South
Carolina. The team
is coached by Amy
Ferrigno.
Michael Cooper was Don Rembold’s ‘guardian angel’ – On December 18th, Fountain
Green Elementary kindergarten student Michael Cooper’s quick thinking and appropriate
actions helped save the life of his neighbor Don Rembold. Mr. Rembold fell off a ladder
and sustained a serious head injury. Michael was playing outside, saw Mr. Rembold’s
life-threatening condition, and rushed to his home to have his mother call 9-1-1. Michael
was honored by the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company, the County’s Emergency Operations
Center, and the County government at his school on April 20th.
Aberdeen pair excel in classroom/service – Richard Latham, Jr. and Ashley Funai,
sophomores at Aberdeen High School’s Science/Math Academy, were named Harford’s
‘Service Stars’ for 2006-07, recognizing their role in the formation of the ‘Green Team’
environmental group at their school, reviving a dormant recycling effort and performing
other ecologically friendly projects at Aberdeen High. Both are ‘A’ students who spend
six to ten hours a week working on their variety of environmental projects including the
creation of a garden of native species which were in the area when it was first explored
by Europeans in 1608.
Prospect Mill ‘Jump’ hits heights, again – On April 23rd, Prospect Mill Elementary
School staged its annual ‘Jump Rope for Heart,’ raising more than $45,000 for the
American Heart Association and again finishing as the county’s top elementary school
fundraiser. In the 2006 ‘Jump,’ Prospect Mill was the eighth top fundraising school in
the country.
North
Harford
High choir in
Carnegie Hall performance – The North Harford High School A Cappella Choir performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 27th at the invitation of MidAmerica
Production. The Choir, which is directed by Martha Banghart, performed with the Bel Air
Maryland Conservatory Chorale under the direction of guest conductor Drew Collins.
Lance Lotharp repeats as County’s best speller – Lance Lotharp repeated as the County’s
Middle School Spelling Bee Champion when he bested 30 champion spellers from Harford
County’s eight public middle schools and several private schools in the Bee held at Harford
Community College on March 29th. Lance, an eighth grader at Edgewood Middle School,
will compete in the National Scripps-Howard Spelling Bee over the Memorial Day weekend. Fallston Middle School seventh grader Alexandra Stewart finished second, and Erica
Jones, a seventh grader at Aberdeen Middle School, was third.
Harford students cop honors at state FBLA tourney – Two seniors from C. Milton
Wright High School, Michael Stark and Asif Jamil; Kerri Wilhelm and Marissa Horsey,
both juniors, and senior and Nicole Herbert, all of North Harford High School have qualified for the National Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competition by virture of
their performance at the March 22-24 FBLA State Leadership Conference in Hagerstown.
May 2007
Christine Roland is HCPS 2007-08 Teacher of the Year – Christine C. Roland, Edgewood
High School Biology/CSI teacher, was named the 2007-08 Harford County Public School
Techer of the Year at the conclusion of the 13th annual HCPS Teacher of the Year Banquet
on April 27th at the Bayou Restaurant in Havre de Grace. Mrs. Roland, 42, is completing
her fifth year as a teacher after having been an advertising executive in her native Zurich,
Switzerland and a SCUBA instructor in Egypt and Honduras before deciding to become a
teacher where she combines an exceptional talent with an innovative spirit. She will now
compete for the Maryland Teacher of the Year title against similar local winners from the
state’s 23 other sub-divisions.
Ofek Cohen reigns supreme in
County Chess Tourney – Bel
Air High School sophomore Ofek
Cohen won the County’s first
High School Chess Tournament
held at Aberdeen High School on
April 28th. Ofek, 16, confined
to a wheelchair since birth due
to a condition known as Spinal
Muscular Atrophy, overcame an
early loss to take the title.
Cameron Moore is national recipe finalist – Prospect Mill second
grader Cameron Moore, a second grader, took part in the Giant Foods Kitch ‘N Kids
Recipe Contest, being named one of five finalists selected out of more than 1,000 recipes
submitted in the contest. Cameron’s ‘Tuna Stars’ recipe resulted in the local student taking
part in the national cookoff at Strasburg University in Falls Church, Virginia.
Seven win MICCA Awards – Bridgett Newell of William Paca/Old Post Road
Elementary School; and six Roye-Williams Elementary School students – Carolyn
Mason, Billy Kilmon, Alexandra Shuman, Justin Colon, Samantha Satterfield, and Sonny
Corey won 2007 awards at the Maryland Instruction Computer Coordinators Association
(MICCA) contest, making presentations at the group’s annual event held at the Baltimore
Convention Center on April 25th.
Mary Murray is ‘Great Books’ award winner – Prospect Mill Elementary School
Gifted/Talented teacher Mary Murray was one of 20 educators nationwide to be named a
Great Books Foundation ‘Great Books/Great Teachers’ award winner based on her use of
the Junior Great Books series with her students. Mrs. Murray attended a national convention on May 4/5 to meet with other ‘Great Books/Great Teachers’ winners.
June 2007
Cindy Heath is Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year – Thirty year Special Education teacher,
assigned to North Bend Elementary School since its opening in 1992, was named the
regional Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year based on her work with students with special
needs at the school. Mrs. Heath was honored at the school with a $100 shopping spree
certificate at her Shrewsberry (Pennsylvania) Wal-Mart and $1,000 for the school to
spend on educational materials at the store.
Memorial to former student war dead dedicated – On May 24th, a memorial to former
Harford County Public School students who lost their lives in combat while a member
of the U.S. armed forces, was dedicated at the school system’s Administration Building.
The two-and-one-half combined three stones – made of black granite – was put in place
a week earlier on the face of the handicapped ramp on the Courtland Street, Bel Air, main
entrance of the building. The memorial was unveiled by Michael Adle and Pamela Watts,
parents of Cpl.
Patrick
Adle,
who was killed
in combat in Iraq
in June of 2004.
The
$17,500
funds to pay for
the
memorial
are being raised
by the Veterans
Commission of
Harford County
which consulted
with the school
system on the
creation of the
monument.
Adam Bortner one of ten in country to net AFS grant – Graduating Joppatowne High
School senior Adam Bortner is one of ten students in the country to have been awarded
an American Field Service (AFS) grant to study abroad for a summer. More than 1,200
students were nominated for the merit-based program.
(Continued from page 17)
Highlights & Accomplishments
Mike McAvoy is nation’s American History Teacher of the Year – Bel Air High
School Social Studies teacher Michael J. “Mike” McAvoy has been named National
Society Daughters of Colonial Wars Outstanding Teacher of American History for 2007.
Mr. McAvoy had won state and regional awards en route to being named the group’s
top national teacher among the 37 states which have a chapter of the organization. A
recognized American Revolutionary War re-enactor, Mr. McAvoy received the award at
a local ceremony on May 15th. He is a 32-year veteran teacher in the Harford County
Public School System.
North Harford triumphs in county’s first inter-high school ‘Slam’ – North Harford
High School’s five-person ‘Slam Poetry’ team won the Harford County Public School’s
first inter-school Poetry Slam tournament on May 19th at Bel Air High School. Two
other local schools – Bel Air and Edgewood highs – took part in the tournament which
has participants express themselves in free-verse format either individually or in
groups.
11 honored for 40 years
of HCPS service – 11
Harford County Public
School employees were
honored for their 40
years of service to the
school system during the
annual Employee Service
Recognition program held
at the Richlin Ballroom in
Edgewood on May 8th.
The employees – Charles
Hardegen, Ellen Harris,
Ronald Hill, Linda James,
Terry LaPorte, Stephen
Marcin, Glenn Porter, Richard Post, William Zimmerman, Linda Caudill, and Laurie
Neeper, were joined by 57 others who reached their 30 year milestone in service to the
Harford County Public Schools this year.
Jonathan Grant/Anna Erickson are top Al Cesky
winners – Graduating seniors Jonathan Grant of
Harford Christian School and Anna Erickson of
Fallston High School were named the top $5,000
winners in the annual Al Cesky Scholarship program. The awards were made at the conclusion
of the 22nd annual banquet, held at the Richlin
Ballroom in Edgewood, on May 16th. Twenty other
student-athletes – a male and female from each of the
county’s 11 public and private high schools (including Mr. Grant and Ms. Erickson) – were honored, the
20 finalists receiving $2,000 scholarships. Al Cesky
was a pioneering coach and county athletic director
during his 30 years of service to the Harford County
Public Schools who passed away in 1985.
Erica Hitshew is top Environmental Scholarship
winner – Erica Hitshew, graduating senior at Bel Air High School, was named the top
Environmental Scholarship winner for 2007, receiving her award during a ceremony at
the Liriodendron in Bel Air on May 9th. Ms. Hitshew received a $3,000 scholarship
while Majella Kaufman of C. Milton Wright High, Kyle Munley of Edgewood high,
Caren Wiley of Fallston High, Alison Kochenderfer of Havre de Grace High, Bernard
Schuler of Joppatowne High, and Gwendolyn Rathbun of North Harford High received
$1,000 scholarships in the annual program.
Carolyn Kustanbauter is named Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction – Edgewood
high School Academy of Finance teacher Carolyn Kustanbauter has been selected as a
Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars
(NSHSS). The award recognizes teachers who have made a lasting difference in their
classrooms by encouraging students to strive for excellence. Formed in 2002 by Claes
Nobel, a senior member of the family which established the Nobel Prizes, the NSHSS
recognizes academic excellence at the high school level and has 300,000 members representing 15,000 high schools in 22 countries. Ms. Kustanbauter was nominated by her
student Amanda Seigley.
66523
Edie Buckler takes AP center stage
‘Behind the scenes’ school leader is state’s top elementary assistant principal
TOP AP – Edie Buckler’s recent selection as Maryland’s top elementary assistant principal
has both gratified and humbled the career educator who much prefers operating behind the
scenes in providing educational opportunities for teachers and students. Mrs. Buckler, in her
29th year as an educator, currently serves as Emmorton Elementary Assistant Principal.
Emmorton Elementary School Assistant
Principal Edith F. ‘Edie’ Buckler is a behind
the scenes kind of person – much preferring to
let others shine through her work than seek the
spotlight.
These days, though, as the newly named
Maryland Association of Elementary School
Principal’s (MAESP) Assistant Principal of the
Year, the Harford native farm girl is being forced
to take some well deserved bows.
“I was very surprised, very gratified,
and very humbled,” said Mrs. Buckler of
the announcement made during the MAESP
Assistant Principals Conference held in
Baltimore on March 1. “The plaque I received
and all the nice things that were said about me
by my peers was very nice, but even better has
been the people here at Emmorton saying ‘thank
you’.”
During her four years at Emmorton and the
seven previous years at William S. James as an
assistant principal, as well as the more than 20
years she has spent in the classroom, it has been
Edie Buckler who has been known for the thank
you notes and the pats on the back.
Under Mrs. Buckler’s leadership, teachers
are given ‘eagle grams’ to pass on to students
who demonstrate the qualities of respect,
honesty, and responsibility resulting in their
names being read over the school’s public
address system on morning announcements.
Teachers are given ‘Toby’ awards for a job
well done. She sponsors a parent academy
on bullying. She develops spreadsheets
capturing the performance of students on math
assessments, entering the data for teachers
and then giving them the results to help map
instruction strategies for their students.
Then, there are the unexpected handwritten
notes to students, teachers, volunteers, and
others who serve the Emmorton school
community – all penned by the 53-year-old,
29-year veteran educator.
“Edie is well respected by the teachers at
Emmorton who seek her advice on a variety
of issues,” said Peggy Kirk, the school’s
principal who nominated Mrs. Buckler for
the prestigious award. “She has supported
teachers in developing behavior plans,
including students with special needs in their
classrooms, collaborating on a new lesson they
are implementing, conferencing with parents,
sharing resources for a Professional Learning
Community topic, trouble shooting and
cheerleading use of technology in the classroom,
and much more.”
Second grade teacher Sue Parker and
Special Educator Angela Manning said Mrs.
Buckler is the ideal person to be selected as the
state’s top elementary assistant principal for
2007. “As teachers and parents ourselves, we
know how time-consuming it can be to manage
a very demanding job while raising a family and
doing so in an effective way,” the educators wrote
in a recommendation for Mrs. Buckler. “Edie
is always pleasant, willing to listen, and when
seeking her support, she always makes us feel
that we are her only concern.”
Edie Buckler came by her work ethic
and her team oriented approach honestly as
the youngest of James and Ann Fielder’s
four children, growing up on a Churchvillearea dairy farm. Mr. Fielder, a World War
II Marine, and Ann, a longtime teacher at
Churchville Elementary School, taught each
of their children the value of contributing
to their community. Ed Fielder, a former
County Councilman, now teaches government
at Harford Technical High. Jim, the former
Maryland Secretary of Labor and Licensing
in the Ehrlich administration, now works in
private industry. And, Grace is a landscape
architect in Silver Spring.
Having earned her masters of education
in 1980 from Towson University and
subsequent school management certifications
in Texas and Maryland, Mrs. Buckler said the
decision to move from the classroom to school
administration was a difficult but natural one.
She said, in her role as assistant principal, she
has the opportunity to impact more students
and more teachers through providing them
with the resources and guidance to make the
classroom climate more positive for student
learning.
“I’d like to continue as a school-based
administrator where I can directly support the
learning of students, staff and the community,”
said Mrs. Buckler of her desire to stay close
to students. “The love of kids is what it’s all
about.”
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62719
Jackie Haas named Maryland Superintendent of Year
Ten-year Harford school head acclaimed by peers as ‘exemplary’ leader
Harford Public School Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas has been named Maryland
Superintendent of the Year for 2008 by the American Association of School Administrators
(AASA). Dr. Haas, in her tenth year as chief executive officer of the local school system,
was announced as the state’s top superintendent during the Maryland Negotiating Service
(MNS) annual banquet held at the Princess Royale Hotel in Ocean City, October 25th.
“She truly deserves this award – she is a wonderful education leader for Harford
County and throughout the state,” said State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, who
was present for the announcement made by James Lupis, Executive Director of the Public
School Superintendents Association of Maryland (PSSAM). “Her leadership is marked by
an enthusiasm that is contagious to all those with whom she becomes involved.”
Dr. Haas was nominated by the entire leadership of the Harford County Public
Schools, including the two associations representing school administrators, the Board of
Education of Harford County, and the Senior Staff. Her nomination packet also included
letters of endorsement from County Executive David R. Craig and Harford Community
College President James LaCalle.
Those superintendents nominated had their packets judged by the six active school
chief operating officers in the state who had been previously chosen as superintendents
of the year, including Carl Roberts of Cecil County and Jon Andes of Worchester County
– both former administrators in the Harford County Public Schools.
A contingent of school leaders from Harford County attended the MNS banquet in
a demonstration of support for the nomination of Dr. Haas. “I think it is significant that
all the school leadership was involved in making the nomination,” said HCPS Assistant
Superintendent for Human Resources Jonathan O’Neal.
Former Board President R. Robin Rich, now in her sixth year on the Board, said she
and all members of the Board were “delighted” at Dr. Haas’ selection. “She puts students
first in all situations and that helps us focus on what is important,” Ms. Rich said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Haas said she was “humbled” by her selection as the state’s top superintendent. “This is such an honor to be mentioned among those superintendents who have
been chosen before,” she told the group of about 100 from all the state’s school systems
who attended the banquet. “I’m blessed that we have a Board who keeps its eye on the
prize – this will be a positive memory for me forever.”
Dr. Haas will receive a “traveling” plaque with her name engraved along with the
others who had previously been honored as state superintendents of the year.
The United States Superintendent of the Year will be announced during AASA’s
February convention to be held in Tampa, Florida.
SUPERINTENDENT OF YEAR – Jacqueline C. Haas, third from left, front, was
named Maryland’s Superintendent of the Year on October 25th at the Maryland
Negotiating Service’s annual convention. Dr. Haas will now compete for the title
of National Superintendent of the Year to be announced in February. A contingent
of HCPS leaders were present for the announcement, including, from left, front,
Executive Director of Elementary Education Patricia Skebeck, Human Resources
Senior Manager Pam Murphy, Board Member Robin Rich, Executive Director of
Secondary Education David Volrath, and Human Resources Senior Manager Jeff
Fradel; and, back, Director of Special Education Ann-Marie Spakowski, Board
Member Patrick Hess, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Gerald
Scarborough, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Jonathon O'Neal, Bel Air
High School Principal Joe Voskuhl, Board Past President Mark Wolkow, and Acting
Chief of Administration Joseph Licata.
Recycle for a Cleaner Environment.
Recycle to Save Natural Resources.
Recycle for the Future.
Make the responsible choice. If you have curbside trash collection,
you also have recycling collection.
Harford County Office
of Recycling
to get started, call
410-638-3417
410-638-3417
Preserving Harford’s Past; Promoting Harford’s Future.
David R. Craig, Harford County Executive
62718
Memorial to former student war dead dedicated
More than 350 people
attended the May 24th dedication
ceremonies for the memorial to
former Harford County Public
School students who lost their
lives in combat while in defense of
their country. The late afternoon
ceremony, held at the HCPS
Administration Building in Bel
Air, featured the unveiling of
the two-and-a-half ton, 4’ x 12’
jet black granite stone located at
the entrance to the school system
headquarters.
The stone – with the
insignias of the five United States
Armed Services and the words,
“Dedicated to Former Harford
County Public School Students
Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice
for Our Country” – represents
the fulfillment of a promise
made by the school system that
an appropriate memorial to all
FAMILY AFFAIR – Steve Hughes and his daughter, former HCPS students who died in
Shelby, prepare epoxy to seal the memorial in place. The U.S. wars would be erected at the
almost two-year old school central
stone was delivered and put in place on May 16th.
office.
The memorial was unveiled by Michael Adle and Pamela Watts, parents of Marine
Lance Corporal Patrick Adle, who was killed in combat in Iraq in June, 2004. Other “Gold
Star Parents” whose sons or daughters had been killed in combat assisted in the unveiling
which took place early in the 75 minute ceremony. The dedication also featured addresses
by Board President Mark M. Wolkow and Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas, along with
County Executive David Craig, Aberdeen Proving Ground Garrison Commander Colonel
John T. Wright, Harford Veterans Commission Chair and retired Navy Lieutenant Edward
T. Kreiner, Sr. and outgoing Maryland Veterans Commission Chair George Owings.
A portion of Courtland Street in front of the HCPS Administration Building was shut
down by Bel Air Police for the memorial with chairs set up in the street for the audience,
ringing the memorial.
Members of the C. Milton Wright High School Band under the direction of Felicia Martin,
Aberdeen Middle School eighth grader Amanda Willard, and North Harford High School
sophomore Amy Young and senior Andrew Isaki performed patriotic songs. A combined
veterans color guard accompanied by the Young Marines contingent from Jarrettsville
presented and retired the colors while APG’s 389th Army Band bugler Sergeant Sean-David
McGoran concluded the ceremony with ‘Taps.’
“It was truly a very moving and most appropriate ceremony that officially dedicated this
lasting memorial to those who went to school here and then went off to war, laying down
their lives so that we could enjoy the freedoms that we sometimes, unfortunately, take for
granted,” said Dr. Haas. “We know that the memorial, located where it is at the point that
our staff and visitors enter every day, will serve as a lasting reminder of their sacrifices.”
Superintendent Haas noted that the school system had worked closely with Mr. Kreiner
and members of the Harford Veterans Commission in designing the memorial to honor those
former students since the founding of the school system in 1865 and into the future who made
or will make the ultimate sacrifice in combat.
“There are no individual names on the stone and that is by design,” said Mr. Kreiner
who served in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. “But, it is here to honor all
those whose lives were cut short in defense of our country.”
Mr. Kreiner and the Veterans Commission conducted a fundraising effort that raised the
$17,500 to pay for the memorial.
Stephen
Hughes of
H u g h e s
Memorials in
Bel Air took the
design suggested
by the Veterans
Commission and
the school system,
commissioned
the creation of
the three 4’ x 4’ x
6” stones which
are permanently
linked together,
and oversaw the
placement of the
memorial against
the handicapped
ramp wall at
t h e b u i l d i n g ’s BUGLER – Sergeant Sean-David McGoran of the 389th AMC Band
entrance. Mr. plays ‘Taps’ from an upstairs level of the Bel Air Parking garage near
Hughes donated the end of the dedication ceremony.
his labor to the
project.
Harford Cable Network and representatives of all the major Baltimore television
networks along with print media were present for the dedication. HCN produced a half-hour
documentary shown as an episode of the “Your Public Schools” program. Call 410-836-3899
to order a copy of the program.
Fallston High ‘Ring’ to honor school legacy
RING OF HONOR -- Fallston High School staged the Inaugural Ring of Honor Induction
Ceremony at the school on June 5th, inducting six members into the Ring whose names have
been inscribed on stones that make up a portion of the Ring adjacent to the student parking
lot at the school. Inducted were Lance Corporal Patrick R. Adle, 2001 FHS graduate and
Marine who died in Iraq in June 2004; Sonny Lauer, past Cougar Boosters President; Corporal
Jennifer M. Parcell, Fallston High graduate and Marine who died in Iraq; Wilson 'Skip' Strong,
Fallston High graduate and Bel Air Fire Company leader who died enroute to Louisiana two
years ago to help Hurricane Katrina victims; Frank A. Stultz, founding principal of Fallston
High; and David Wren, Fallston graduate and Volunteer of the Decade.
The Fallston High School motto is, “A Proud Tradition of Excellence.”
Now, current members of the school’s administration, faculty, and PTA are making
sure those who had a role in building that outstanding reputation through the almost 30
years of the school’s existence are appropriately recognized. To that purpose, a committee
at the school conceived and created a “Ring of Honor” at the head of the front parking lot
where those stalwarts of Fallston High can be recognized as long as the school exists.
“It has been a labor of love,” said recently retired Fallston High Cooperative Work
Experience teacher Jim O’Toole led the committee working on the project for the better
part of the past two years. “We wanted to come up with a way to honor those people
– living or deceased, former students, former staff members, and those in the community
– who have meant so much to the development of the school.”
The genesis of the idea came following the death of Marine Corporal Patrick Adle,
who died from wounds suffered in the Iraq war two-and-a-half years ago. Corporal Adle
had been a student-athlete at the school and one proposal was to name the Fallston High
football field for him.
Weather-resistant brass plaques with the names and other information of those
nominated and selected are installed in the “Ring of Honor” on the multi-colored blocks
that make up part of the ring.
Mary Murray is
‘Great Books’ award winner
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66525
ESFILL
GREAT BOOKS – Here,
Mary Murray enjoys a
lighter moment with some of
her second grade students,
from left, first row, Natalie
Clawson, Shayne Moulsdale,
Elysia Woody, and Sarah
Chalmin; second row, Amelia
Battaglia, Deena Silton, and
Leddy Burdiss; and, third row,
Makenna Salsbury and Jack
Bowen.
Mary Murray is almost embarrassed sometimes at how much fun she has at her job.
Now, the Gifted and Talented teacher at Prospect Mill Elementary School has another reason
to celebrate as one of 20 teachers nationwide to be chosen by the Great Books Foundation to
receive a ‘Great Books Great Teachers’ (GBGT) Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding
use of the Junior Great Books program with students.
Mrs. Murray, 53, spent two days – May 4 and 5 – in Chicago, Illinois attending an
expenses paid series of seminars put on by the Great Books Foundation for the teachers chosen
as exemplars in the program. Along with her fellow educators, she took part in discussions
on some of the world’s recognized literary masterpieces as well as attending opera and ballet
performances, as well as an architectural tour of the city.
“I was very honored and humbled by the award – as a matter of a fact I was flabbergasted
when the notice came by UPS (in early March) since I didn’t know I had been nominated,” said
Mrs. Murray who had been entered for the award by retired Prospect Mill teacher Lyn Lang.
“I am very passionate about the use of the Great Books series because they are very rich with
multi-cultural themes from the greatest writers in the world.”
Mrs. Murray explained that many of the 200 students she teaches in pull-out sessions each
week take part in “shared inquiry” discussions centered around the books they have read which
are included in the Junior Great Books series. “The students bring their own interpretations
into open-ended, high level, critical evaluations,” she said. “The discussions are very deep and
meaningful and it is amazing how the discussions continue even after they’ve left my room
and are headed back to their classes.”
The Junior Great Books program is an outgrowth of the Great Books curriculum originally
developed for use in college by the University of Chicago and, in 1962, adapted for use in high
school (Great Books) and in kindergarten through eighth grade (Junior Great Books).
For Mrs. Murray, a graduate of Villanova University with a degree in English, her journey
to the classroom was indirect. Married to Greg Murray, an insurance broker, the couple has three
grown sons – Peter, 29, responsible for the content of the American Psychology Association
publication; Neil, 28, an architect; and David, 24, a trombonist with the Curtis Institute of
Music.
Each of her sons attended Prospect Mill in their elementary years and Mrs. Murray served
as room mother and substitute there for years before deciding to go to Towson University and
earn her teaching certificate. When a fifth grade teaching position opened at Prospect Mill,
she was hired to her “dream job” in 1994, teaching there through 2000 when, after securing
a master’s in Gifted Education from Towson, she was assigned in that role at Riverside and
North Harford elementary schools before returning to Prospect Mill this year as that school’s
Gifted/Talented teacher.
“Peter was a gifted child who taught himself to read by the time he was two, but I came
to see that gifted children are challenged because people don’t understand how they learn,”
Mrs. Murray said. “Sometimes they just don’t fit in – he was my inspiration to get into Gifted
education – gifted students need differentiated instruction as much or more than any other
children in our school system.”
Having been honored by the Maryland Agriculture Foundation with its top award in a
past school year, Mrs. Murray should be accustomed to being singled out as an outstanding
educator, but she says it is her students and her colleagues that mean the most to her. “I do have
the best job in the school system – I get so much more from my students than I give them,”
she said. “We bond in a very strong way and we establish such wonderful friendships.”
Mrs. Murray said her selection as one of the Great Book Foundations outstanding educators
is a tribute to all teachers who use the series to challenge their students to reach greater depths
of understanding of the world around them through classic literature.
Teachers and administrators are awarded the GBGT Lifetime Achievement award based
on recommendations from educators with whom they work. In order to be eligible for the
award, they must have scheduled the Great Books Foundation’s professional development for
teachers in their districts, encouraged and supported Junior Great Books program, and be an
integral part of the learning community in their districts. The Great Books Foundation initiated
the ‘Great Books Great Teachers’ Award in April 2003, recognizing that great teachers should
be recognized for their work and commitment to the young people whose lives they impact.
Junior Great Books is used by a total of more than one million students in all 50 states
and in countries around the world.
Bridget Newell
wins MICCA multimedia award
Bridget K. Newell can’t decide if she’d like to be a horse breeder or a scientist.
Of course, when you’re a ten-year-old, fifth grader with the kind of vivid imagination that
wins a top state multimedia award, the world offers those and many more options.
The William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School student was one of six to win first
place awards in the 2007 Maryland Instruction Computer Coordinators Association (MICCA)
contest (see related story this month for other winners). The daughter of Joe and Tracy Newell
of Edgewood took first place in the grades 3 to 5 category of the organization’s Multimedia
contest which invites students to submit their work using multimedia software such as KidPix,
HyperStudio, and PowerPoint.
Bridget’s winning project, an 11-minute personal narrative using the PhotoStory software
to tell the story from the author’s point of view of a baby hippo orphaned during the 2004
tsunami disaster in southeast Asia. Adapted from the book Owen and Mzee: The True Story of
a Remarkable Friendship, Bridget’s work described Owen’s account of being taken to a rescue
center where he is befriended by a 130-year-old tortoise name Mzee.
“I thought it would be cool to make a personal narrative
version of the story,” said Bridget, who worked from November
through January one classroom period a week on the project
under the guidance of now retired Paca/Old Post Road Gifted/
Talented teacher Margene Versace. “I enjoyed telling the story
of Owen from ‘his’ point of view (and) I think it will convince
others that animals from two totally different species can form
a bond and help each other – I know it convinced me.”
The avid reader and writer who has earned straight ‘A’s’
in school throughout her years at Paca/Old Post Road, went online to find many of the pictures she used to illustrate her story.
She recorded her voice as narrator of the story and
arranged her pictures to form the flow of the story.
PROUD – Bridget Newell is
Bridget presented her work at the April 25th completing her elementary years
MICCA Conference held in the Baltimore Convention at William Paca/Old Post Road
Center. She received software for home and school
Elementary School with a flourish,
as a reward for her creation having won a first place
having won a first place multimedia
award.
Six Roye-Williams
students are
MICCA award winners
Six Roye-Williams Elementary
School student won state awards for their computer
generated projects in the annual Maryland
Instructional Computer Coordinators Association
(MICCA) program. The students, Roye-Williams
Enrichment teacher Joan Cable, and the students’
parents attended the April 25th MICCA convention
at the Baltimore Convention Center where the
students received their awards.
Second grader Billy Kilmon and fourth
grader Justin Colon won multi-media awards in the
contest which invites students from all over the state RWES WINNERS – Six Roye-Williams
to make submissions. Billy created a PowerPoint Elementary School students won
presentation entitled “Telescopes.” In his work, awards for their work in the annual
he explained the history of the telescope, showed MICCA competition. Student winners
various types of telescopes, and compared various included Carolyn Mason, Billy Kilmon,
types of lenses in his animated show. Billy won Alexandria Shuman, Justin Colon,
first place in the kindergarten through second grade Samantha Satterfield, and Sonny
category.
Corey.
Justin also created a multi-media award
winning PowerPoint. His presentation was entitled
“Matter,” and included movies, digital photos, and intricate animation. Justin’s project described
the physical and chemical properties of matter giving examples of each. His PowerPoint was
awarded first place in the grades three to five multi-media category.
Sonny Corey, a fifth grader, and Alexandria Shuman, a third grader, won first and third
places in the Desktop Writing category. Sonny wrote and illustrated an original poem entitled
“Custer’s Last Stand,” a narrative poem about the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Alexandria
morphed an old fairy tale, “Goldilocks,” into an Australian version entitled “Jullilocks and the
Three Koalas.”
Fifth grader Samantha Satterfield won second place in the Graphic Arts category. She
created a poster illustrating the major life events of Sacagawea.
award in the MICCA annual contest.
63541
Christine Roland is
Harford’s 2007-08 Teacher of the Year
Edgewood High Biology teacher follows circuitous
path to classroom excellence
TEAM - Alan Roland beams with pride moments after his
wife was named 2007-08 HCPS Teacher of the Year.
It was late August, 2002 – just several days
before the beginning of the 2002-03 school year
– and Edgewood High School Principal Joseph
A. Schmitz was desperate. He had a Biology
teaching position open and only one candidate
available whose credentials were not particularly
impressive.
Christine C. Roland, then 37 years old, had
never taught and it had been six years since she
completed her marine biology bachelor’s degree at Towson University. Mrs. Roland, mother
of three and former advertising executive in her native Zurich, Switzerland, wasn’t really sure
she wanted to teach – it had been her husband Alan’s idea for her to give up her thoughts of
becoming a research biologist in favor of entering the classroom.
THE MOMENT – Christine Roland, center,
It was anything but an auspicious beginning.
is cheered by those in the audience of the
“He hired me because I was his only choice – and, I thought I’d give it a year,” said Mrs.
2007-08 Teacher of the Year banquet/
Roland between hugs of congratulations from students and colleagues early on the morning
program following the announcement that
of April 27th, barely eight sleepless hours after having been named the 2007-08 Harford
she is the county’s honored teacher for the
County Public School Teacher of the Year.
THE KEYS - Jones Nissan Sales Manager
coming year. Her nominator, Amy Woolf,
“If you had told me then I’d be teacher of the year, I would have laughed in your face,”
Jim Smith hands the keys of a new Nissan
second from left, and student introducer
said the extraordinarily talented and innovative fifth year teacher. “It surprised me that I
Altima to Christine Roland.
Lizzie Byer, left, join in the celebration.
liked teaching so much more than I thought I would.”
Mrs. Roland was announced as Harford’s Teacher of the Year for the coming school year
at the conclusion of the 13th Annual HCPS Teacher of the Year banquet held at the Bayou
Restaurant in Havre de Grace. She had been one of ten Finalists selected by a review committee
from those nominated for the honor by students, colleagues, parents, or administrators. Each
of the Finalists was honored by the 180 in attendance at the banquet supplied free of charge
by Lou Ward, owner of the Bayou, as one of their current or former students told why they
were an outstanding educator while video clips of the teachers in action in their classrooms
was shown.
AVAILABILITY:
In the speech her nominator, one of last year’s Teacher of the Year Finalists and fellow
• Infants – 1 Space
Edgewood High Biology teacher Amy Woolf, forced her to write “just in case,” Mrs. Roland
• Toddler & 2 yr. olds – 2 spaces
credited her husband and her fellow teachers for their unwavering support. And, she said
Mr. Schmitz has been a tower of strength for her, allowing her to undertake unconventional
• 3 & 4 yr. olds – 1 space
projects in turning her students on to science. The energetic teacher has initiated a Forensic
• After school – call for waiting list
Science course in which her advanced students explore the world of DNA, the building block
(Youth Benefit Elementary Only!)
of life.
Among her innovations was a video recorded last year, “Dancing Nucleotides,” that
combined the talents of 150 students in demonstrating the functions of DNA. Drama students
SWEET PEA SOCIETY
took part in the program that had students dressed in various colored t-shirts, moving swiftly
LEARNING CENTERS
in a choreographed ballet on the football field as the cameras rolled for the 15-minute video
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(Rt.1 same bldg. as Fallston Pharmacy)
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“magnificent.”
Mrs. Roland has impacted the lives of virtually every student who walks through the
door of a former traditional classroom that she helped convert into a science laboratory by
purchasing and painting slabs of plywood to be placed on converted library tables to be used
for biology whiteboards. A Chesapeake Bay Trust grant was used to build a classroom pond
containing aquatic animals. Snakes are in a terrarium where students can observe their life
cycles. A recent lesson on the pulmonary system had students blowing on tubes to power
liquids through a network of lines simulating how the bodily system works.
The path for the tri-lingual (French, German, English) middle child of retired upper
management businessman Hanseter Fruttiger and homemaker Hedy Fruttiger from a lucrative
career in advertising to Harford Teacher of the Year is as unlikely as it is compelling.
“It was hip – it was fun,” says Mrs. Roland of her career in advertising that gave way
CONGRATULATIONS ON ANOTHER
to another of her passions – SCUBA diving where she spent time as an instructor first in
Egypt’s Red Sea and then in Honduras. It was her time in the Central American country that
SUCCESSFUL YEAR!
set in motion the circumstances that led to her meeting her future husband and, eventually,
finding her way to Harford County.
Mrs. Roland was selected as one of seven Maryland Teachers of the Year to be a finalist
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Mike McAvoy is nation’s
American History Teacher of the Year
Top award presented by the Daughters of Colonial Wars Society
Bel Air High School Social Studies teacher Michael J. “Mike” McAvoy has been named
National Society Daughters of Colonial Wars Outstanding Teacher of American History for
2007. The 32 year veteran of Harford classrooms received his award – appropriately dressed
in full Scottish battalion uniform – during a May 15th ceremony with the local Daughters of
Colonial Wars chapter at the Tower Restaurant.
Mr. McAvoy, 56, won the Maryland and Region 1 (Connecticut, Delaware, District of
Columbia, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New York, Ohio, and Vermont) leading up to his national award comprising the 37 states that
have active Daughters of Colonial Wars chapters.
“Mr. McAvoy stood out as an outstanding person, meeting the criteria as outlined and
a great candidate for the award,” said Dorothy Dodson Meyer, Chairman of the Maryland
Outstanding Teacher of American History program for the Society. “His resume and related
materials were excellent and I am sure had much to do with his selection.
“We were not disappointed – we were thrilled to have our candidate win at all three levels,”
Mrs. Meyer said. “He is much deserving of this award.”
Mr. McAvoy received a $100 award as the state winner, a $250 for winning the region, and
$500 as the Daughters of Colonial Wars National Outstanding American History Teacher.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Mr. McAvoy told the group of about 15 Society members who
gathered for the luncheon award. “I’ve been involved (as an American Revolution re-enactor)
since the (1976) Bi-Centennial, and this award is a culmination of all that I have tried to do.”
Kathy McAvoy, a second grade teacher at North Bend Elementary School, was on hand to
watch her husband receive his national award at the May 15th ceremony. The couple has two
children, Michelle, a 1993 graduate of Bel Air High; and Patrick, a 1999 Bel Air High graduate.
The McAvoys also have two grandchildren.
Mr. McAvoy is a Baltimore County native who did his undergraduate work at Mt. St.
Mary’s College. He taught at Edgewood High School before transferring to Bel Air High.
He was nominated for the local award through recommendations received from the local
education community, the Historical Society of Harford County, and the Bel Air History Club
based on the Society’s criteria of “outstanding service by the exemplification and encouragement
of patriotism and interest in American History and American Heritage.”
TRUZZOLINO IS TOP MD SOCIAL
STUDIES ELEMENTARY TEACHER
NATIONAL WINNER – Bel Air High School Social Studies teacher Mike McAvoy
has been named the Society Daughters of Colonial Wars’ ‘Outstanding Teacher of
American History’ for 2007. The organization has 37 state chapters. Mr. McAvoy
is presented the national certificate by Dorothy Meyer, chairman of the program in
Maryland during a ceremony at the Tower Restaurant in Bel Air on May 15th.
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Janice D. ‘Jan’ Truzzolino was named Maryland’s top elementary school Social
Studies teacher for 2007 by the Maryland Council for the Social Studies (MDCSS).
Mrs. Truzzolino, currently the Gifted/Talented teacher at Youth’s Benefit Elementary
School, had for the previous seven years taught fifth grade at the school where she
emphasized lessons using primary source material inspired by her personal cache
of antiques and by the ‘Teaching American History’ grant. Mrs. Truzzolino was the
only elementary teacher among the 12 honored by the MDCSS with a “Distinguished
Educator’ award, presented during the organization’s fall conference held at
Patterson Mill Middle/High School. Here, Mrs. Truzzolino receives a certificate
from Board of Education of Harford County President Thomas L. Fidler, Jr. during
a recent Board meeting.
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Carolyn Kustanbauter is named
Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction
State tabs Toepfer as best
social studies leader
Edgewood High School teacher was nominated by one
of her students
The Maryland Council for the Social Studies (MDCSS) named George J. Toepfer,
Social Studies Supervisor for the Harford County Public Schools, as its honored
administrator for 2007. Mr. Toepfer was cited by the organization as the only
administrator in Maryland to receive its prestigious ‘Distinguished Educator’
award for the past school year. Mr. Toepfer, a former Edgewood High School Social
Studies teacher and department chair, was credited for his outstanding leadership
of the program in the local schools, in particular being honored for his guidance in
obtaining and administering the ‘Teaching American History’grant which emphasizes
the use of primary source materials. Here, Mr. Toepfer, second from left, is honored
by Board of Education of Harford County President Thomas L. Fidler, Jr. at a recent
Board meeting as Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas, left, and Mr. Toepfer’s wife,
Jo-Anne look on with pride.
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Edgewood High School teacher Carolyn
Kustanbauter was selected as a Claes Nobel
Educator of Distinction by the National Society
of High School Scholars (NSHSS) in 2007.
A role model to students, Ms. Kustanbauter
was nominated by student Amanda Seigley
for outstanding dedication and commitment to
excellence in teaching.
The Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction
award recognizes teachers who have made a lasting
difference in their classrooms by encouraging
students to strive for excellence.
Student members of NSHSS have the
opportunity to nominate the one educator who
has made the most significant contribution to
their academic career. The award, bestowed by
the Society on recommendation of a member,
allows the students, themselves, to recognize the
commitments, strengths, and gifts of their teachers
– providing an opportunity for them to recognize
and thank their academic mentors.
“Dedicated educators who exhibit a HONORED – Carolyn Kustanbauter and
commitment to excellence deserve our highest her student nominee Amanda Seigley
praise and appreciation,” said NSHSS Chair show off the certificate the Edgewood
Claes Nobel. We’re excited to provide an ongoing High School Academy of Finance
means to do so – and we encourage our members teacher earned for her Claes Nobel
to nominate teachers who have been pivotal to award.
their academic success.”
Ms. Kustanbauter began her teaching career
at Bel Air High School in 1973 before moving back to her Pennsylvania hometown and
teaching a year at her alma mater, Bald Eagle Area High School. She worked for a CPA
firm in Baltimore from 1981 through 1984 before returning to Edgewood High School as
a business teacher from 1984 through 1988.
A cut in staffing saw her move to Havre de Grace High School for the next four years
where she was coordinator of that school’s anti-dropout “Maryland’s Tomorrow” program.
She returned to being a business teacher there before being transferred back to Edgewood
High in 1998 where she helped begin the Academy of Finance (AOF) as lead teacher.
Former Edgewood High Principal Joseph A. Schmitz said Ms. Kustanbauter is “the glue
that holds the Finance Academy together,” adding the program has made all the difference
in the lives of many students at the school since its inception nine years ago.
The business partners meet at the school once a month to provide guidance and input
to the program, and they provide job shadowing each year for each of the students in the
Academy.
“The paid internships are unprecedented at the high school level – even most college
students are not paid for their internships,” said Ms. Kustanbauter. “We have also
partnered with Harford Community College to offer these Academy of Finance students
the opportunity to take HCC’s Introduction to Business course during their senior year at
EHS.”
“Students who had no idea when they entered high school what they would do with their
lives or may never have considered college have been provided an amazing opportunity,”
she said. “They can be well ahead of other students when they enter college with a
business/finance major – they have on-site knowledge of how a business office functions
through three years of job shadowing.”
Ms. Kustanbauter added that AOF grads are prepared to enter college having already
been exposed to much of the curriculum that will be required or are ready to enter the world
of business well above entry level to work and help pay for their college education. “The
business community also realizes the benefit of this program and partnership because we
are training young people to be knowledgeable about the world of business and interested
in pursuing careers in this area,” she added. “I believe all educators hope they have the
opportunity to see the difference they can make in young people’s lives (and) through this
program – the Academy of Finance – teachers do see that happen.”
Formed in 2002 by Claes Nobel, a senior member of the family which established the
Nobel Prizes, the National Society of High School Scholars recognizes academic excellence
at the high school level and encourages members of the organization to apply their talents,
vision, and potential for the betterment of themselves and the world. The organization has
300,000 members representing 15,000 high schools in 22 countries. It is home-based in
Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Haas receives
state music award
Harford County Public School Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas has been
selected to receive the most prestigious honor available to a school administrator
from the Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA). Dr. Haas will be awarded
the MMEA Administrators Award during the 1100 member association’s annual
convention in the Baltimore Convention Center, Friday, February 23rd.
“The criteria for this award is that the recipient must be a comprehensive
supporter of music in the schools,” said Mary Ellen Cohn, Executive Director of
the 75-year-old organization that represents music teachers in public, private, and
parochial schools in the state. “We were impressed with Dr. Haas’ support of the
belief that reading and music are connected – that instrumental music supports
reading excellence.”
HCPS Music Supervisor Jim Boord, who nominated Dr. Haas for the
honor, said Harford’s Superintendent, now in her tenth year as leader of
the 40,000 student system, has been “steadfast in her support of all fine arts
programs in our schools.”
“She not only supports the music and art programs through the
budget, but even more so by attending our student performances,
encouraging students and meeting our guest conductors, and
listening to what the needs of the program are,” Mr. Boord said.
“She is outspoken in her support of our music programs.”
Ms. Cohn said Harford is one of only four counties in the
state which supports string specialists in its schools, enhancing
the learning of skills by local students. “Dr. Haas actively
supports the research that shows the close correlation between
music and student achievement,” she said. “This award gives
music teachers the opportunity to recognize such outstanding
contributions.
Superintendent nets Boy
Scouts’ top service
to youth award
Superintendent of Harford County Public Schools Jacqueline C. Haas was among
16 to receive the Baltimore Area Council Boy Scouts of America’s top service to
youth award for 2007 during the organization’s annual ceremony held at Martin’s
West on January 25th. Dr. Haas was one of only two citizens not directly connected
to Boy Scouts to receive the Silver Beaver Award this year, emblematic of exceptional
“service to youth.”
C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger, third term Congressmen from Maryland’s Second
District – and former Baltimore City Councilman where he twice served as chair; and
eight-year Baltimore County Executive – joined Dr. Haas as the only “civilians”
receiving Boy Scouting’s coveted service award from the Baltimore Council
for 2007.
The National Court of Honor, in recognition of exceptional and
noteworthy service to male youth, conferred the honors. “Their service
to youth and the wide range of their professional and civic responsibilities
have fulfilled Scouting’s aim of providing responsible, mature adults as good
models for youth,” the award program stated.
As Superintendent in Harford since April, 1998, Dr. Haas has
represented the Public School Superintendent’s Association of
Maryland (PSSAM) in areas involving Boy Scouting. She has
served for the past several years as School Night Chair for the Cub
membership program.
She was described by the awards committee as “an ardent
supporter of the Baltimore Area Council and the Boy Scouts.”
KEEP HARFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS STRONG
40 DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS
that help children grow up healthy, caring and responsible
EXTERNAL ASSETS
INTERNAL ASSETS
Support
Boundaries and Expectations
Commitment to Learning
Social Competencies
1. Family Support
11. Family boundaries
21. Achievement motivation
32. Planning and decision making
2. Positive family communication
12. School boundaries
22. Learning engagement
33. Interpersonal competence
3. Other adult relationships
13. Neighborhood boundaries
23. Homework
34. Cultural competence
4. Caring neighborhood
14. Adult role models
24. Bonding to adults at school
35. Resistance skills
5. Caring school climate
15. Positive peer influence
25. Reading for pleasure
36. Peaceful conflict resolution
6. Parent involvement in schooling
16. High expectations
Positive Values
Positive Identity
Empowerment
Constructive Use of Time
26. Caring
37. Personal power
7. Community values children
17. Creative activities
27. Equality and social justice
38. Self-esteem
8. Children as resources
18. Child programs
28. Integrity
39. Sense of purpose
9. Service to others
19. Religious community
29. Honesty
40. Positive view of personal future
10. Safety
20. Time at home
30. Responsibility
31. Healthy Lifestyle
Office of Drug Control Policy • David R. Craig, Harford County Executive
Preserving Harford’s past, promoting Harford’s future
66524
Serving the Education Community, Students and Their Families
Bel Air
Abingdon
Aberdeen
410-838-9090 • 410-879-3762 • harcocu.org
Scholarships
Scholarships to Harford County High School Seniors
~ 21 years
Harford County Public Schools Teacher of the Year Sponsor
~ 13 years
Harford County Public Schools Teacher of the Year Award Sponsor
Bel Air 4th of July Fireworks Premier Sponsor
~ 12 years
Harford Business Roundtable for Education Founding Member
~ 11 years
Southampton Middle School Annual Student Banquet with Miss Maryland
Harford County Farm Fair Kids Day Sponsor & Vendor
~ 10 years
Southampton Middle School Award Winning Business Partnership
~ 10 years
National Academy of Finance Founding Member & Sponsor
~ 9 years
School Partnership
Financial Literacy Program & Looney Tunes Savings Club
~ 7 years
Homework 411 Sponsor - Award Winning Interactive Television Tutoring
for Harford County Students
~ 6 years
Harford County Public Library Summer Reading Program Sponsor
~ 5 years
State Youth Financial Education Award
Harford County Public Schools Board of Education Televised Meetings
~ Premier Sponsor
HCPS Calendar
61821

2006-07 Annual Report - Harford County Public Schools

Transcription

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