Breaking the Code: Creating a Welcoming Environment for Girls of Color in STEM

In celebration of Black History Month MCPS will host a special event, Breaking the Code: Creating a Welcoming Environment for Girls of Color in STEM, on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The panel discussion will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the auditorium at John F. Kennedy High School, located at 1901 Randolph Road in Silver Spring.

The conversation will focus on how MCPS can ensure that girls of color are welcomed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes and programs. Opportunities in STEM-related fields continue to grow and offer women economic opportunities often not found in other fields. However, women of color remain significantly underrepresented in STEM fields. Panelists will address some of the barriers in STEM for girls of color and highlight steps the district, businesses and community organizations are taking to overcome those barriers. The event is free and open to the public.

RSVP

Also…

Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) will celebrate Black History Month with a series of special programs. The free events will take place at the following branches:

February 21 at 6 p.m.
Thurgood Marshall: A Trail-Blazing Civil Rights Victory in Montgomery County
Civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall delivered an early blow to school segregation right here in Montgomery County—Gaining equal pay for the County’s African American teachers in 1937. This illustrated talk details this remarkable local story and its national significance.
Olney, 3500 Olney-Laytonsville Road

February 24 at 2 p.m.
Black History Month Family Movie Afternoon – Akeelah and the Bee
The inspirational story of Akeelah Anderson, who is an eleven-year old girl with a gift for words and her participation in a national spelling competition.
Marilyn J. Praisner, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville

February 24 at 2 p.m.
Black History Month Family Movie – Remember the Titans
After leading his team to 15 winning seasons, football coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone, who is tough, opinionated and very different from the beloved Yoast. How these two men overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions plays out in a remarkable and winning story. A film based on real-life events at T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, VA. After the film learn more about Black History using the virtual reality Google Expedition Kits.
Chevy Chase, 8005 Connecticut Avenue

February 24 at 3 p.m.
MCPL Expeditions – An Adventure Awaits You: Selma to Montgomery
Take a virtual trip from Selma to Montgomery using the Google Expedition Kit to “travel” to the locations and memorials that bear witness to the civil rights struggle in Selma and the road to Montgomery. Virtual reality viewers provide opportunities to explore new locations and learn about some of the men and women involved with the campaign and to provide an understanding of why the March was so important. Following the expedition, there will be a showing of Selma.
Maggie Nightingale, 19633 Fisher Avenue, Poolesville

February 26 at 5 p.m.
Black History Month Film Screening – Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures tells the story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.
Silver Spring, 900 Wayne Avenue

For more information, contact Mary Ellen Icaza at 240-777-0006.