Some Good News

MCPS Bulletin Posted On May 20, 2020

An MCPS teacher and principal were named finalists in the 2020 The Washington Post Teacher and Principal of the Year contest.

Congratulations to Kearney Blandamer, teacher at Thomas S. Wootton High School, and Damon Monteleone, principal of Richard Montgomery High School. Read more here.

Ridgeview Principal Wins MCCPTA Award

Ridgeview Middle School Principal Daniel Garcia is being honored with this year’s MCCPTA Principal of the Year award. Garcia is recognized for his accomplishments as an educator, his dedication as an administrator, and his concern for the academic and social-emotional well-being of students.

Four Students Recognized by the Princeton Club of Washington

Four MCPS students have been recognized by the Princeton Club of Washington with the Princeton Prize on Race Relations. They were four of 13 students honored in the Washington-Maryland-Virginia area.

The Princeton Prize in Race Relations was awarded to Srihari Ravi, a high school senior at Albert Einstein High School.

Certificates of Accomplishment were awarded to:

Betel Tenna, a senior at Col. Zadok Magruder High School (also a Superintendent’s Leadership Academy student)
Daniel Williams, a senior at Richard Montgomery High School (also a Minority Scholars Program student)
Nick Asante, a junior at Richard Montgomery High School (also a Montgomery County Region of the Maryland Association of Student Councils’ student and current candidate for Student Member of the Board of Education)

Forest Knolls Creating, Distributing Food Kits to Families

The Forest Knolls Elementary School staff and PTA have more than $11,000 to create Mustang Essential Kits. Volunteers deliver the kits to families in need. The kits include items such as food, cleaning supplies, paper goods, protective masks, medicine and information about long-term food support within the community. The purpose of the kit is to provide items of immediate need while families are trying to connect to a food bank and other resources. Volunteers work with the families to help get registered with Manna Food’s Food for Families program, an initiative that supplies Montgomery County families with a monthly box of produce, frozen meat and shelf-stable pantry items. The school has also partnered with the Department of Food and Nutrition Services and Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church to deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to families. The Northwood Civic Association, Yad Yehuda of Greater Washington, Ben Yehuda Cafe and Pizzeria, Shalom Kosher Grocery, The Four Corners Pub and Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church have supported the school’s efforts through financial and in-kind contributions.

Gaithersburg Book Festival Announces High School Poetry Contest Finalists

Seven MCPS students are among 10 finalists selected in the Gaithersburg Book Festival’s second annual poetry contest for high school students. The first-, second-, and third-place poetry contest winners and the fan favorite will be announced Wednesday, May 20 in an online video with poetry critic Elizabeth Lund.

The MCPS finalists are:

Gabriella Allen – Quince Orchard High School
Solange Campos – Poolesville High School
Darshini Babu Ganesh – Poolesville High School
Kiran Krishnan – Winston Churchill High School
Sabrina Mei – Richard Montgomery High School
Sarah Patch – Poolesville High School
Lucy Shen – Richard Montgomery High School

The 10 finalist poems have been posted to the festival website so visitors can read the entries and vote for their favorite. Fan favorite voting will close on Friday, May 8, at 11 p.m.