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Justin Holbrook, Baltimore City Teacher of the Year, recieves his Teacher of the Year Certificate.
Maryland's 2017-2018 Local Teachers of the Year were our guests of honor in May! The Teachers,who were accompanied by their local
superintendents and board members, principals, and family members, came to the
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) from all 24 school systems
in Maryland and were applauded by the Maryland State Board of Education.
Maryland has celebrated its Teachers of the
Year Program and participated in the National Teacher of the Year Program for over
27 years. In the last 11 years, Maryland
has had five national finalists with three of them going on to become National
Teachers of the Year. The National Program is sponsored by the Council of Chief
State School Officers. The Maryland program is sponsored by MSDE along with its
Presenting Sponsors: Comcast, the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association,
McDonalds Family of Greater Baltimore and Northrup Grumman; along with Platinum
Sponsors: BGE, Lockheed Martin, NTA Life and Whiting Turning Contracting.
Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors
and our Teachers of the Year! We are so proud of all the accomplishments
of our Teachers of the Year who represent thousands of teachers across the
State.
For more information on our Teacher of the
Year program contact Dr. Darla Strouse, Program Director, at darla.strouse@maryland.gov.
To see a highlight video of this year's ceremony click the link below.
Michele Gay, Executive Director of Safe and Sound Schools, gives a parent's perspective on lessons learned from the Newton, CT massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
MSDE last month sponsored the 2017 Directors of Student Services
and School Safety/ Security Directors Retreat. The two-day event focused on
partnering for school safety and featured various presentations and seminars. One
speaker that stood out was Michele Gay. Michele Gay is the Executive
Director of Safe and Sound Schools, an organization whose mission is to empower
communities to improve school safety.
For Michele this mission has a very personal meaning; her daughter,
Josephine, was one of the 20 children lost during the tragic attack on Sandy
Hook Elementary School.
On December 14, 2012, 26 adults and children were lost
during a devastating mass shooting attack on the Newtown, CT Elementary School.
While most would understandably crumble from the weight of this catastrophe,
Michele and her team at Safe and Sound Schools have used this event to launch an
organization and turn it into something that reaches far past the boarders of
Newtown, CT., it has turned into a nationwide movement to unite school safety
efforts across the country.
Instead of dwelling on the unfortunate and horrific details
of the Newtown massacre Michele Gay has used the events of this tragedy as an
example of lessons learned and steps that can be taken to strengthen school
crisis responses. During her presentation
she chose to view the events of the day from a policy standpoint and used it as
a call to action for schools to re-think what they teach their students about
safety.
In Michele’s opinion the simplest things can drastically
change a situation in a crisis. Whether it be taking an alternate and safer
route when evacuating a building or having an AED Machine on site—the smallest
preparations could mean the difference between life and death. Taking these small
steps to prepare for a crisis ties into Michele’s idea that no one is exempt
from a tragedy. Often entire towns and school systems fall into the “it can’t
happen here” mentality, which can end up being detrimental. According to Michele, everyone becomes an
emergency responder in a crisis situation, and with so many groups and
individuals affected it is important to develop a widespread support system. This is key to rebuilding after a tragedy in her opinion.
Although almost five years have passed since the events occurred at Sandy Hook the tragedy still greatly affects the people of Newtown, CT. With the help and growth of movements like Safe and Sound
Schools, the path to healing is clearer. To learn more about Michele Gay and her
team at Safe and Sound Schools click below.
A beautiful view of Sandy Point National Park during our 8th Annual Maryland Green Schools Youth Summit.
The Maryland Association for Environmental
& Outdoor Education (MAEOE) and the Maryland State Department of Education
teamed up to host the 8th Annual Maryland Green Schools Youth
Summit. The event was held at the gorgeous Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis and honored Maryland Schools that have gone above and beyond in order to make their schools,
staff and students more environmentally conscious. Approximately 3000+ parents,
students and teachers attended the event for a day full of learning and
celebration.
In addition to the
beautiful landscape Sandy Point offered, participants also enjoyed hands on
learning activities hosted by various Maryland based environmental groups and heard from representatives from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Department of the Environment. Additionally, MSDE’s Dr. Carol Williamson, Chief Academic Officer, was there to honor Maryland’s Green Ribbon Schools; William
Tyler Page Elementary School and John Poole Middle School. Both schools are
located in Montgomery County.
To close out the event the Youth Summit featured two student
keynote speakers, Claire Wayner and Mercedes Thompson, who have created a
youth-led initiative called Baltimore Beyond Plastic. The mission of their
organization is to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in Baltimore City,
with a focus on city schools where Styrofoam trays are used on a daily basis.
The 8th Annual Maryland Green Schools Summit
clearly highlighted some of the most innovative and environmentally friendly
members of the Maryland school system. We are so proud of our green schools and
the steps they take toward environmental advocacy. Well done green schools and
congratulations to our Maryland Green Ribbon Schools!
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