Good News
Sherwood High School rising senior Conor Pugh was recognized by county health officials and MCPS for his efforts to produce and distribute diabetes kits for students recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2020, Pugh has packaged tools, including glucose tablets, an insulin cooler, a medical ID bracelet, water bottle, pocket calculator and needle disposal container for storing used needles into a kit to help students adjust to a diabetes diagnosis. He put the kits together as part of his Eagle Scout service project. He is a Life Scout of Scouts of America Troop 264 of Olney. The kits are being distributed through Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Service's (DHHS) school health nurses. He hopes to make life a little easier for other students learning to live with diabetes. Read a recent WTOP story about Conor.
Eleven Students Honored for Completing Apprenticeship Maryland Program
Eleven graduating seniors who completed apprenticeship programs within MCPS were awarded certificates and cords during a ceremony last month. Representatives with the Maryland Department of Labor presented students with the Apprenticeship Maryland program certificates and cords for graduation. The students and the programs they completed were:
- Nehemiah Beeks, MCPS Transitions, MCPS Department of Materials Management
- Jayden Richmond, Damascus High School, Power Design
- Max Schaupp, Col. Zadok Magruder High School, Altimate Electric
- Grant Scott, Wheaton High School, MCPS Department of Materials Management
- Paul Webster, Sherwood High School, W.L. Gary
- Diomar Zapata, James Hubert Blake High School, Altimate Electric
- Malachi Martins, Gaithersburg High School, M.R. Electricians
- Jason Mejia, Paint Branch High School, M.R. Electricians
- Daniil Nikitin, Thomas S. Wootton High School, Ernest Maier
- Johan Prandy, Northwest High School, MCPS Department of Materials Management
- Jacob Jenkins, Poolesville High School, Power Design
Stone Mill Safety Patrols Honored for Heroism and Leadership
Two fifth grade students serving as safety patrols at Stone Mill Elementary School have been recognized by AAA Mid-Atlantic for their efforts to help a classmate who fell from a second story banister during dismissal earlier this year.
The students, Matina Naum and Alex Rossoshek, were at their safety patrol posts by a stairwell in the school. During dismissal, a fellow student fell from a banister to the cement floor two stories below. The girls remained calm, cleared the stairwell, navigated students away and got immediate adult help. Despite their emotions and their friendship with the boy, they were able to answer many questions from emergency personnel.
They “were truly impressive and beautifully demonstrated the AAA Safety Patrol promise to provide school-aged children an extra sense of safety and security when going to and from school,” said Dr. Kimberly Williams Cascio, Stone Mill principal. “I truly appreciate the opportunity to recognize these girls for their heroism, leadership and professionalism.”
Springbrook Students Get Career Day Visit from Salesforce Execs
Representatives from Salesforce, a cloud-based software company headquartered in San Francisco, visited Springbrook High School on June 9 in a career day presentation. The Salesforce executives, which included engineers, account managers and sales leaders, talked with about 300 students in 9th through 12th grades. Students asked questions about work/life balance, networking, the e-commerce business and how executives landed positions with the company.
Rock Creek Forest, B-CC Cluster Host Community Job Fair
With the support of the Rock Creek Forest Elementary School administration, the parent community coordinators and pupil personnel workers in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School cluster held a community job and resource fair on June 3 to connect job seekers in the community with employment opportunities and other supports. Folks of all ages, including students, attended.
WorkSource Montgomery brought its Mobile Job Center, equipped with multiple computers and bilingual support specialists. MCPS and Montgomery County Recreation were actively recruiting workers, along with Montgomery College and the Maryland Department of Labor's Apprenticeship program, which were available for those looking to expand their skills. Interfaith Works, Manna Food Center, and the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center were offering support to families in need.
Field Day Closes Out the School Year at Wood Middle
Sixth and seventh grade students at Earle B. Wood Middle School held Field Day to celebrate the end of the school year. They participated in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities, including soccer, basketball, kickball, tag football and musical chairs.
Two Former MCPS Students Earn Prestigious Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship
Normand Bayigamba and Luiz Mata Lopez are two of the high-achieving Montgomery College students selected to receive the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The highly competitive national scholarship aims for Cooke Scholars to complete their undergraduate educations with as little debt as possible. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide Bayigamba and Mata Lopez with as much as $55,000 a year to complete a bachelor’s degree.
Bayigamba, a graduate of Thomas S. Wootton High School, and Mata Lopez, a Col. Zadok Magruder High School graduate, both took part in the college’s commencement last month. Bayigamba earned an associate of arts degree in general studies, with a concentration in social sciences, administration and health. Mata Lopez earned an associate of arts degree in computer science.
Along with financial support, new Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars receive comprehensive educational advising to guide them through the process of transitioning to a four-year college and preparing for their careers. Both will decide on their transfer institutions in the coming weeks.