As part of a celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month, coaches from the Washington Wizards and mascot G-Wiz visited Watkins Mill Elementary School in Montgomery Village on Oct. 13. The Wizards hosted a basketball clinic for about 50 third graders in the school gym. The students were given Wizards T-shirts, and students and staff received two tickets to a game of their choice.
Saluting Our Outstanding Transportation Staff
As part of National School Bus Safety Week, MCPS thanks our bus operators and attendants for providing safe, equitable access to education for more than 100,000 students across the county. Here are a couple examples of terrific Department of Transportation employees.
Barbara Busby
Barbara Busby, a bus attendant at the Shady Grove South Depot for over six years, always goes above and beyond for her students. “Safety and building relationships are the most important thing while taking care of my kids,” she said.
Bertha Reyes
Bertha Reyes, a bus route supervisor at the West Farm Depot, was driving students home in June when a student had a medical emergency. Her quick, calm response enabled the student to receive help promptly.
Jose Lopez
Fleet maintenance staff perform service in five shops on more than 1,300 school buses. Preventative maintenance and around-the-clock shifts allow buses to run safely. Jose Lopez, auto mechanic II, began 22 years ago as a bus operator and is now a shift supervisor.
Six Named National PTA Schools of Excellence
Six MCPS schools have been named National PTA Schools of Excellence, which recognizes their work as national leaders in developing strong family-school partnerships. For the 2020–2022 years, the schools being recognized are: North Chevy Chase, Piney Branch and Rock Creek Forest elementary schools, and Parkland Middle School. East Silver Spring Elementary School and Wheaton High School are being honored for 2021–2023. The program provides the structure and tools to evaluate a school PTA, identify areas for improvement, develop a plan of action and celebrate successes.
Hundreds Attend Hispanic College Fair
Hundreds of students in 8th through 12th grades attended the National Hispanic College Fair at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg on Oct. 13. A virtual career panel included speakers from all walks of life, who shared insights about their responsibilities, education and experiences to acquaint students with different career opportunities.
Clopper Mill Awarded Mini-Grant to Help with Food Insecurity
Clopper Mill Elementary School in Germantown has won a mini-grant for reducing food insecurity in its community. Nine Montgomery County nonprofit organizations involved in food recovery and security work were awarded more than $65,000 to help with these efforts. Clopper Mill was awarded $2,000.
The school maintains a fresh pantry, and distributes nutritious food to families in the community, which works to eliminate food insecurity throughout the school year.
Manna Food Center, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and the Montgomery County Food Council, in collaboration with the Greater Washington Community Foundation awarded the mini-grants.
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