Mission Moment: Celebrating Excellence….. Part 1
“When I call your name, please stand up!”
We heard that phrase often at the May 10th Celebrating Excellence Breakfast at Padonia Park Club. That’s because we recognized so many people as ambassadors to The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools.
This year alone, nearly 80 grants totaling close to $140,000 were awarded to schools and offices sustaining projects and initiatives to educate our students. Grants are not just monetary awards, they are school and office based projects that require time, research and substance above and beyond the everyday classroom. Many of our grant writers and supporters spend extra hours outside their daily routine, delivering initiatives that broaden the learning experience for our students. Every grant recipient received a 21st Century Banner & Certificate to hang proudly in their school that recognizes the efforts of the grant writers and principals. Through these initiatives each school that participated provided new learning experiences that enhanced, enriched, and extended the successes of their students. For that, we thank them.
Grants cannot be made possible without our judges, who dedicate time and effort to review each grant proposal, rate them and ensure benchmarks are met through the submitted applications. These ambassadors help sustain the grant awards, year over year. Not an easy job as the grant applications we receive continue to grow. For that, we thank them too.
The Education Foundation of BCPS truly loves to celebrate our partners. This year, the Meritorious Service Award was presented in recognition of outstanding service and citizenship to the foundation, going above and beyond the call of duty, with a smile on their faces and a friendly hello. BCPS-TV was this year’s recipient. Their challenge to keep the schools system abreast of up to the minute happenings is constantly executed with a “can do” attitude that keeps the entire district in the spotlight. Congratulations BCPS-TV.
Another award that was presented was the Innovation in Education Award. There were actually two recipients to this award in recognition of their collaborative efforts to bring to fruition the Mobile Innovation Lab; an innovative station for learning on wheels. Both the BCPS Department of Innovative Learning & the BCPS Office of Transportation pooled their efforts to create a shared mobile makerspace that is available to all of the BCPS community. Congratulations to you both!!!
Celebration of this caliber could not have taken place without the support of our logistics team headed by Liz Becker and copy & print services provider, headed by Jen Drury.
It is nearly impossible to thank all those by name who support The Education Foundation of BCPS. One thing we know for sure, it takes a lot of people with various skills and experiences to make our foundation great. We are grateful for each and every ambassador who reaches out to make education a priority in Baltimore County Public Schools. For that, we are thankful.