HCPSSHCPSS Staff, Students and School System Recognized at September Board of Education Meetings
October 5th, 2015
Superintendent Renee A. Foose recognized the following school, student and staff achievements at the Board of Education meetings on September 3 and September 17, 2015:
Schools:
Running Brook and Talbott Springs elementary schools recently received School of the Year awards from the Maryland Center for Character Education at Stevenson University. The award honors schools throughout Maryland that have instituted, developed and are continuing comprehensive character education initiatives in their school communities.
Students:
For the third consecutive year, the average SAT score for Howard County students exceeded 1650, which is the HCPSS college readiness benchmark. The SAT scores for the Class of 2015 significantly outpace both the Maryland and national averages.
Hammond High School senior Nathan Palmer and River Hill High School senior Julia D’zmura earned perfect scores on the ACT test. Just one-tenth of one percent of students who took the test achieved a perfect score. The ACT tests students in English, math, reading and science, and is an indicator of college readiness.
Northfield Elementary School third grader Braxton Young was the Maryland state winner of the 2015 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. The nationwide recipe contest for kids ages 8–12 promotes cooking and healthy eating, and received almost 1,000 entries. Young’s recipe for quinoa crusted spinach tofu pie was selected for its healthfulness, taste, originality, affordability and for following USDA’s MyPlate recommendations. Young’s winning recipe also earned him a seat at the 2015 Kids State Dinner at the White House.
Staff:
Laurel Woods Elementary School kindergarten teacher Stephanie Geddie was named one of seven finalists for the Maryland State Department of Education 2015–2016 Teacher of the Year. The state winner will be announced October 9. This past spring, Geddie was named the Howard County Public School System Teacher of the Year.
Organization:
HCPSS has been selected as a member of the Government Finance Officers Association’s Alliance for Excellence in School Budgeting. HCPSS is one of just 35 school districts across the country and the only Maryland school district selected to be part of the Alliance. The Alliance for Excellence in School Budgeting is an assembly of school districts working with GFOA to implement best practices in school budgeting.
