Celebrating Excellence: Recognition and Award Breakfast
The Recognition and Award Breakfast began a day filled with gladness by rekindling the friendships that were made months or even years ago and by making new friendships as well. The atmosphere within the venue at the Padonia Park Club on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, was that of joy and eager conversation as The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc. hosted the 3rd Annual Celebrating Excellence Recognition and Awards Breakfast. “Celebrating Excellence provides the Education Foundation an opportunity to thank, recognize, applaud and celebrate individuals who have provided their time, talent, service and treasure to support us throughout the year.” stated Deborah S. Phelps, Director, calling those in attendance our ambassadors, which includes but is certainly not limited to, our TEAM BCPS Business and Community Stakeholders, our Baltimore County Government, Baltimore County Public School Employees, throughout our entire school district – from the school house to the offices, and Foundation Board of Directors and Staff.
Celebrating Excellence also allows the Foundation the opportunity to showcase the success within TEAM BCPS throughout the year, sharing the EDFoundation’s story and the accomplishments to date from the 21st Century Instructional Initiative and TEAMBCPS Clean Green 15: Littler Challenge grants, scholarships awarded for post-secondary education, our Golf Classic, Back to School Involves you Campaign, Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year Awards, State of the Schools 2016 (our signature event), Education is a Blast Night, Baltimore County Night at Camden Yard, and the release of Building the Future, a commemorative book about Baltimore County Public Schools, 292 years, written and awarded to the Foundation by Mr. Farrell Maddox.
The Recognition and Awards Ceremony extended thanks, recognition, and awards to the following:
Thanking the Board of Directors who have provided their leadership and their time, talent, and service to the Foundation and Baltimore County Public Schools for many years:
- Mr. Donald Arnold – President, Financial Planner Spectrum Wealth Management, LLC
- Mr. George Moniodis, Coldwell Banker
- Ms. Stacy Walsh – Integrated Media Sales Executive, WMAR-TV
- Mr. David Uhlfelder, President, David Uhlfelder, PA
Congratulating the 2016 award recipients for their service, leadership, and innovation to the following:
- Meritorious Service Award – Mr. Robert Powers
- Supervisor, Distribution Center and Team, Baltimore County Public Schools Office of Logistics
- Leadership Award – Ms. Timmy Ruppersberger, Esq.
- Clapp Communications, Director of Business and Community Relations, The Education Foundation President
- Innovation in Education – Discovery Education
- Reaching 50% of the schools in the United States, with Baltimore County Public Schools being among them, they are proud to help transform schools one classroom, one educator and one child at a time. In the eye of this company, “The Future of Learning is Now”
- Outstanding Board of Director 2016 – Mr. Steve Prumo
- Merrill Lynch, Senior Portfolio Advisor, The Education Foundation Chair of the Program and Review Committee
Recognizing and awarding certificates and banners, to the 2015-2016 21st Century Instructional Initiative Grant recipients:
The schools who received grant recognition were as follows:
| Arbutus Elementary School – ACE’s Math Games |
| Arbutus Middle School – After-School STEM Club |
| Battle Grove Elementary School – The North Point Village Pollinator Garden |
| Bedford Elementary School – Bedford’s BEE Healthy Fitness Club |
| Catonsville High School – My American Identity: Fieldtrip as Argument |
| Chatsworth Elementary School – Embracing the Individual, Creating a Whole: Mosaics |
| Chesapeake High School, Deep Creek Elementary School, Deep Creek Middle School, Stemmers Run Middle School, Sandalwood Elementary School, Middleborough Elementary School, Deep Creek Elementary School and Mars Estates Elementary School – Chesapeake Arts Festival |
| Dulaney High School – Genius Hour |
| Dundalk High School – NFHS Web-based Broadcasting of DHS Sporting Events |
| Dundalk Middle School – North Bay |
| Edgemere Elementary School – Building Bluejay FIRST LEGO League Expansion |
| Essex Elementary School – Engaging Minds |
| Franklin Middle School – Student-Centered STEM Learning through Makerspace Implementation in a Library Media Center |
| General John Stricker Middle School – North Bay |
| Grange Elementary School – Family Fitness Fun Night |
| Gunpowder Elementary School – Growing Gunpowder’s Garden |
| Halstead Academy – Fostering Creative Writing Through the Arts |
| Hawthorne Elementary School – Family Fitness & Fun Night |
| Hawthorne Elementary School – Robots Rocks |
| Holabird Middle School – STEM – National Aquarium Aqua Partner’s 4th and 5th Grade |
| Lansdowne Elementary School – Lego Robotics Club |
| Lyons Mill Elementary School – Junior Achievement’s Biz Town Field Trip |
| Loch Raven Technical Academy – North Bay Adventure |
| Martin Boulevard Elementary School – STEM Fair Spectacular |
| Middleborough Elementary School – Junior Achievement Biz Town |
| Middle River Middle School – North Bay |
| Office of Visual Arts – BCPS Inaugural Film Expo 2016 |
| Orems Elementary School – Animal Adventures |
| Padonia International Elementary School – Mighty Girls and Good Guys Reading Club |
| Perry Hall Elementary School – Closing our Reading Gap |
| Pikesville Middle School – Rockin’ Out at Pikesville Middle! |
| Pleasant Plains Elementary School – Environmental Literacy at Smithsonian Environmental Research Center |
| Prettyboy Elementary School – Building Learner Centered Environments with PBL and UDL |
| Randallstown Elementary School – The Village Bully Musical |
| Randallstown High School – Unified Jazz Ensemble |
| Ridge Ruxton School – Song Writing |
| Seneca Elementary School – Makerspace: Galaxy Bot |
| Shady Spring Elementary School – Guys with Ties, Girls with Pearls |
| Southwest Academy Magnet – Get Global |
| Southwest Academy Magnet – i-Station Making Our Future |
| Southwest Academy Magnet – Woman Instructing and Nurturing Girls in STEM |
| Southwest Academy Magnet – Young Men of Honor Leadership Program |
| Sparrows Point Middle School – Building Learning to Life Series |
| Sussex Elementary School – Bucket Band |
| Sussex Elementary School – Sussex Singers |
| Warren Elementary School – One Warren, One Book |
| Westowne Elementary School – STEM Electricity Unit |
| Winand Elementary School – 2016 Family STEM Night |
| Winfield Elementary School – Winfield 30-30 Program |
| Woodbridge Elementary School – STEM Career Club |
| Woodholme Elementary School – 3D Innovations through DI |
| Woodlawn High School – Community Art Show |
| Woodlawn High School – Future Business Leaders |
All grants are scored by multiple grant judges from the community who were honored and recognized along with the grant recipients. The individuals who served as judges were as follows:
| Debbie Piper
Jennifer Miller Doug Eder Elizabeth D ’Alto Margaret Kidder Linda Popp Sue Hahn Ernie Paszkiewicz Queenstar Akrong Cappy Jackson Carol Batoff John Staley Michelle Boyle Richard Weisenhoff Jamie Bakert George Roberts Casey Banes Christine Roberts Jain Trader Stacy Barry Sharon Ochs David Robb Matt Musgrove Jeanne Imbriale Linda Meyer Jennifer Weaver Kellie Reardon Tim Hayden Christina Crawford MaatenRe Ramin Lisa Hathaway Joe Harsel Linda Marchineck Jennifer Bodensiek Janey Barranger York Bradshaw Alicia Fales Penelope Martin Michael Fort Tim Bojanowski Farrell Maddox Christine Byers Amy Cohn Josh Smith Joy Howard Ellen Kobler Fran Glick Nick Schiner Emily Gordon Linda Roszel |
Baltimore County Public Schools Office Depot/Office Max Oak Contracting Shoprite Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Gross Mendelsohn College Board Photographer Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools The Baltimore Zoo Baltimore County Public Schools Microsoft Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Macy’s Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools The Padonia Park Club Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Whitney, Bailey Cox & Magnani, LLC Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce Baltimore County Public Schools Pearson Valic Baltimore County Public Schools Junior Achievement Baltimore County Public Schools, Retired Principal Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Zest Social Media Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Loyola University of Maryland UPS Baltimore County Government Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Hot Spots Extended Care Program Baltimore County Public Schools
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The Foundation has been awarding grants to Baltimore County Public Schools since 2010-2011 for a grand total of nearly $240,000. Currently during this school year the foundation awarded $100,000 with the same amount allocated for the next fiscal year, 2016-2017.
Recognizing and awarding certificates and banners, to the 2015-2016 TEAM BCPS Clean Green 15: Litter Challenge, 21st Century Environmental Literacy Grant recipients:
- Grand Prize $3,000 – Bear Creek Elementary School, Learning Garden and Environmental Initiatives
- 1st Place Elementary School $2,000 – Charlesmont Elementary School Greening the Grounds
- 2nd Place Elementary School – Reisterstown Elementary School
- 1st Place Middle School $2,000- Sparrows Point Middle Schools, Pointers Pride Garden
- 2nd Place Middle School – Ridgeley Middle School
- 1st Place High School $2,000 – Western School of Technology, Tree Canopy Restoration
- 2nd Place High School – Chesapeake High School
During the 2013-2014 school year Baltimore County Public Schools partnered with Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability to host Team BCPS Clean Green:15 Litter Challenge. To date we have accomplished our third year of working collaboratively to keep our school community clean.
The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc. solicited the community to obtain partnerships in order to award the winning schools funding to continue their efforts. By working collaboratively thru active participation, we have made a real difference in the school community across the county by participating in this exciting hands-on project. Along with educating our students and the school community about litter and including civic and community groups, our schools have recorded their litter clean-ups. By working together we were able to bring together thousands of volunteers, participating in hundreds and hundreds of clean-ups, removing bag after bag, literally TONS of trash.
Thanks to our Environmental Ambassadors/TEAMBCPS Partners we were able to award $9,000 in 21st Century Environmental Literacy Grants, providing the Grand Prize recipient a check for $3,000.00 and the 1st place elementary, middle and high school recipients checks for $2,000.00 to the schools who had the most volunteers and bags of trash. This challenge was made possible through the generous donations of our earth friendly earth citizens. They are as follows: Sparrows Point Terminal, Inc., Maryland Environmental Service, the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability.
A special shout out to those from the county government and the BCPS Office of Science who were quite instrumental in our litter challenges. The individuals who provided assistance with reviewing the data and selected the recipients are as follows:
| Ellen Kobler
Erin W. Wisnieski Dan Fox Amelia M. Atkins Robert Hirsch Charles Herndon Natalie Allen Deborah Phelps |
Baltimore County Government
Baltimore County Government Baltimore County Government Baltimore County Government Baltimore County Government Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools, The Education Foundation |
During a collaborative dialogue with Emily Gordon, Executive Director of Hot Spots Extended Care Programs and Deborah Phelps, Director, a special announcement was made pertaining to the 2016-2017 school year. Hot Spots Extended Care Program’s passion for children doesn’t stop when the school day ends. With the vision to promote academic achievement by extending learning outside of the classroom and strengthening the school-community relationship through collaboration and partnership with educational leaders and community stakeholder, Hot Spots is partnering with the Foundation to gift ten (10) $3,000 21st Century Instructional Initiative Grants for the upcoming school year. The grants will align with 21st Century Learning Themes but have two additional components, which is collaboration and a community engagement activity.
Closing remarks for the Celebrating of Excellence Breakfast were two-fold; one in the voice of the director, Deborah Phelps, who again took the opportunity to thank, recognize, applaud and celebrate individuals who have provided their time, talent, service and treasure to support the work throughout the year, restating the vision and mission of the foundation’s work. As the audience was asked to turn to the back of the room, into the venue entered, OUR FUTURE Padonia Park Child Center, pre-school children – Katelyn Schoenwetter, Gianna DiBella, Christian Boyce, Oliver Bengermino, Luke Marshall, Kai Legenhausen, Rowan Meske, Shravya Reddy, Evie Freedman, Georgia Marshall, Greyson Welch and Gavin Heffernan led by their teachers – January Carr, Lisa Bradford and Susan Love who captured our hearts in song. They were OUR FUTURE. The FUTURE of Baltimore County Public Schools.
Oh the places THEY will go as they become OUR FUTURE!
The Foundation believes that a person’s
Attitude is Everything
Won’t YOU continue to Champion . . . our cause.
We Invite . . . you to stay actively engaged and encourage others to be an ambassador.
To continue to Invest . . . time, talent and treasure to the Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools as we continuously work towards supporting the Superintendent’s vision that BCPS will create, sustain, and invest in a culture of deliberate excellence for every student, every school, and every community, which will result in BCPS being among the highest-performing school districts in the nation.