Montgomery County Public Schools

Students from 10 MCPS high schools participated in the first-ever MCPS Business Pitch Challenge. The students were tasked with creating a business idea and pitching it to a panel of local entrepreneur judges.

The Montgomery County National College Fair will be held April 1 and 2 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. The fair will be held 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on April 1, and 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on April 2. College readiness and financial aid workshops will be held 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on April 1. The event is free and open to the public.

Two teachers have been named Rising Star Teachers of the Year by the Marian Greenblatt Education Fund. This award honors teachers with less than five years of experience whose creativity and enthusiasm encourages students to stretch themselves and achieve more.

This year’s recipients are Brendan Kelly, an instrumental music teacher at Albert Einstein High School, and Virginia Pantella, a STEM teacher at Gaithersburg Middle School.

Calling all middle school students: registration for the 2019 Career Readiness Summer Camps is now open! MCPS is sponsoring career exploration camps for all rising sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. Students will explore skilled and professional careers and match their career goals and interests with high school programs.

The Class Size Data Dashboard reports teacher-to-student ratios for elementary homeroom classrooms for Grade K-5. Dashboard data will be updated each quarter and this dashboard currently includes reporting data for three quarters.

The Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations and MCPS will be hosting a series of community conversations to discuss safety and security in schools. Topics will include enhancements made to the school buildings such as access control systems and visitor management systems to emergency procedures and mental health supports for students. Dates, times and locations are in the flyer. Note: the next Community Conversation is March 21, 7-8:30 p.m. at Northwood High School. 

Joey Jones, principal of Robert Frost Middle School, has been named the Maryland Middle School Principal of the Year by the Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP). Principal Jones is now in the running for National Principal of the Year honors. The formal announcement of that name will be made on Friday, March 29.

Summer RISE is a three-week, 60-hour program for rising MCPS juniors and seniors. Students get to participate in a career-based learning opportunity and learn about career fields, and businesses and organizations have an opportunity to explore the MCPS student talent pool.