The Wicomico County Board of Education Recognitions Night

Students, Teachers, Schools Honored at the Jan. 20 Wicomico County Board of Education Awards & Recognitions Night

The Wicomico County Board of Education held its second Awards and Recognitions Night of the 2008-09 school year Tuesday, Jan. 20, at Prince Street Elementary School. The following students, teachers and schools were recognized:

“Tobacco-Free! It’s the Way to Be” Tobacco Prevention Poster Contest

The Tobacco Prevention Poster Contests have been successful campaigns both for the Wicomico County Health Department’s CRF Tobacco Program and for health education in the classroom. Earlier this school year, a poster contest was held for students in grades 6 through 12 who were enrolled in health education classes. The two overall winning designs -- one for middle school, one for high school -- will be displayed on large advertising signs in the Centre at Salisbury. The Board of Education, in cooperation with Sara Seitz, community health educator for the Wicomico County Health Department, was pleased to present certificates of recognition to students whose artwork was chosen for the 2008-09 “Tobacco Free! It’s the Way to Be!” Poster Contest:

School winners:

Sherrie Shatney, Wicomico Middle School
Marcus Milligan, Salisbury Middle School
Brandi Scott, Wicomico High School
Marcus Morrison, James M. Bennett High School

Overall winners:

Luke Bae, Parkside High School
Emma Mathes, Bennett Middle School

Wicomico County Schools’ Eagle Scouts

Last June, the Board of Education recognized three young women for earning the Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouts, and now the Board is recognizing the young men in Wicomico County Schools who have capped their years in the Boy Scouts by attaining the highest rank of Eagle Scout. Less than 5 percent of the boys who join a Boy Scout Troop earn the Eagle Award. The award represents leadership, service, mastery of outdoor skills, and completion of a service project that benefits and engages the community. The Board of Education proudly recognized these current Wicomico County students who have attained the rank of Eagle Scout since 2006:

James Robert Cook, Wicomico High School
William Paul Curtis, Jr., James M. Bennett High School
Brandon Gleason Hildreth, Parkside High School
Jonathan Robert Holloway, James M. Bennett High School
Ryan MacKay Lewis, Wicomico High School
James Edward Moyers, III, James M. Bennett High School
Kyle Madison Vestal, Mardela High School
Cody Ryan Whitelock, James M. Bennett High School

2008 Board of Education Holiday Card Designers

Every year, art teachers across the county ask their students to design a card to be submitted for selection for the annual Board of Education holiday card, sent to businesses, public officials and other educational agencies. The designs must be original and the winning design or designs are chosen by the superintendent of schools. This year, the superintendent of schools selected three winning designs by:

Jessica A. Silbert, 10th grade student from Wicomico High School, Teacher Julia Kohut;

Cindy D. Garcia, 9th grade student from Parkside High School, teacher Stephanie McCoy;

Erin O. Lee, 9th grade student from James M. Bennett High School, Teacher Heather Riser.

2008 All-State Music Ensembles Recognition

The seven students recognized as All-State Musicians qualified for 2009 Maryland All State Musical Performing Groups through an audition procedure that included thousands of candidates. The performances will be held during the Maryland Music Educators Conference in late February in Baltimore.

2009 Maryland All-State Junior Chorus: Daniel W. Bishop, tenor, Salisbury Middle School (Toni Cropper, Director); and Paul D. Gray, tenor, Pittsville Middle School (Janice Davis, Director).

2009 Maryland All-State Junior Band: Molly E. Potvin, clarinet (alternate), James M. Bennett High School (Douglas Miles, Director).

2009 All-State Senior Mixed Chorus: Leah M. Carpenter, alto, and Melissa K. Craft, alto, James M. Bennett High School (Charles Reavis, Director); and

2009 All-State Senior Women’s Chorus: Emily F. Morris, soprano, James M. Bennett High School (Charles Reavis, Director) and Taylor L. Brady, alto, Parkside High School (Sarah McCabe, Director).

2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament of Bands

The Atlantic Coast conference Tournament of Bands Competition is a prestigious annual competition in Allentown, Pa., that comprises the top 25 bands in each competition group based on band size. This includes bands from Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Ohio, Delaware, Virginia and North Carolina. Two Wicomico County School bands earned the right to compete this year, as one of the best in their respective Tournament of Bands Chapter.

Band Director Douglas Miles and the James M. Bennett Marching Band
Band Director Kevin Zaczkiewicz and the Parkside High School Marching Band

Eastern Shore High School Mathematics Competition

The Eastern Shore High School Mathematics Competition is sponsored by Delmarva Power and Salisbury University’s Department of Mathematics & Computer Science. The competition is designed to test math and problem-solving skills of students in grades nine through twelve. This year a Wicomico student tied for third place in that competition.

Derek Wu, James M. Bennett High School

President’s Volunteer Service Award

The President's Volunteer Service Award was created by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. The Council brings together leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, sports, education, government, nonprofits, and the media to focus on volunteer service. This Council created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. Three Wicomico students who attend James M. Bennett High School have been honored with this award.

Marcella Morris
Austin Wigley
Derek Wu

Wendy’s High School Heisman Award

In conjunction with the collegiate Heisman, the Wendy's High School Heisman Award celebrates the achievements of the nation’s top high school seniors both in and out of the classroom. The Wendy’s High School Heisman Award encourages future leadership by recognizing well-balanced lifestyles at an early age. To be eligible for this award, students must display academic aptitude, athletic talent and exceptional commitment to their communities. Four Wicomico County seniors were recognized in this year's Wendy's High School Heisman Award program.

School Winner: Claire Gianelle, Parkside High School

State Finalists: Ashley Benson, James M. Bennett High School; Seth Illian, Parkside High School

For each state, a male and a female winner are selected to compete at the national level. The Maryland Male Winner was:

Austin Wigley, James M. Bennett High School

High School Scholar Awards

The National Hispanic Recognition Program was initiated in 1983 to identify outstanding Hispanic/ Latino high school students and to share information about those students with interested colleges and universities. In order to be eligible, students must be at least one-quarter Hispanic/Latino as defined by the program, meet the minimum PSAT/NMSQT cutoff score for the state, and achieve a minimum grade point average requirement. Each year the program identifies nearly 5,000 of the highest-scoring students from about 200,000 students in the United States and U. S. Territories. A Wicomico County student has received this national recognition.

Krystal Arroyo-Flores, Parkside High School

The National Merit Scholarship Award Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Of the 1.5 million students who take the PSAT/NMSQT in a given year, 50,000 qualify for recognition through the National Merit Scholarship Program. A number of Wicomico County students have earned this recognition.

Commended Students:

Sakib Adnan, James M. Bennett High School
Courtney Burton, Wicomico High School
Micah J. Colston, Parkside High School
Steven Hearne, James M. Bennett High School
Cathleen Jones, James M. Bennett High School
Joseph Raffa, James M. Bennett High School
Ann Reading, James M. Bennett High School
Kevin Smith, James M. Bennett High School
Austin Wigley, James M. Bennett High School
Derek Wu, James M. Bennett High School

Semifinalists are the highest-scoring entrants in each state and are eligible to advance to the competition for the National Merit Scholarships.

National Merit Scholarship—Semi-Finalist: Joseph Tilghman, James M. Bennett High School

Maryland Distinguished Scholar Program

The Maryland Distinguished Scholar Program is sponsored by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and students may enter this statewide program in their junior year. Eligible students must earn a minimum cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.7 and must submit either PSAT or SAT scores and an application. Students may receive recognition at several levels of the Distinguished Scholar Award and may vie for associated scholarships.

Maryland Distinguished Scholar Semi-finalist: Ann Reading, James M. Bennett High School

Maryland Distinguished Scholar Finalists: Kevin Smith, James M. Bennett High School; Joseph Tilghman, James M. Bennett High School

Students may also earn Maryland Distinguished Scholar recognition in the area of visual art, instrumental music, vocal music, dance or drama. Selected students must appear in front of a panel of professional judges. For both his musical prowess and his academic performance, the Maryland Distinguished Scholar Program has recognized as a finalist:

Derek Wu, James M. Bennett High School

AP Scholars

These students have taken challenging college-level AP or Advanced Placement Courses. At the end of each AP course, students have the option to take an exam on which high marks may earn them college credit. The AP Program recognizes students for outstanding success on these exams.

These students are recognized as AP Scholars for receiving grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams:

Dev Basumallik, James M. Bennett High School
Rafiq Gharbi, Parkside High School
Daphne Heflin, James M. Bennett High School
Laura Heller, Parkside High School
Kelsey Miller, Parkside High School
Marcella Morris, James M. Bennett High School
Laura Payne, James M. Bennett High School
David Perry, James M. Bennett High School
Ann Reading, James M. Bennett High School

AP Scholars with Honor, with an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams, are:

Sakib Adnan, James M. Bennett High School
Krystal Arroyo-Flores, Parkside High School
David Casavant, James M. Bennett High School
Rachel Hall, James M. Bennett High School
Steven Hearne, James M. Bennett High School
Nathan Hetzler, James M. Bennett High School
Abigail Johnson, James M. Bennett High School
Cathleen Jones, James M. Bennett High School
Erin Kennedy, James M. Bennett High School
Amit Patel, James M. Bennett High School

AP Scholars with Distinction, recognized for receiving an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams, are:

Ashley Benson, James M. Bennett High School
Zachary Dorman, James M. Bennett High School
Abdulrehman Siddiqui, James M. Bennett High School
Wesley Skeeter, James M. Bennett High School
Kevin Smith, James M. Bennett High School
Joseph Tilghman, James M. Bennett High School
Austin Wigley, James M. Bennett High School
Derek Wu, James M. Bennett High School

WMDT’S “Teachers Who Make A Difference”

Local TV station WMDT selects a monthly WMDT Teacher Who Makes a Difference based upon nominations. In September 2008, a student nominated this teacher as the ‘best gym teacher I ever had in the 7 years of my life.” He has taught at Delmar for 8 years, enjoys teaching and working with young students, is pursuing administration certification in order to become a future elementary administrator, has a master in post secondary education, has taught a physical internship class at Salisbury University and continues to work with SU students as a mentor. The September WMDT Teacher Who Makes a Difference was:

Mark Thomas, physical education teacher, Delmar Elementary School

2008-09 Maryland Elementary School Counselor of the Year

In October at the Maryland School Counselors Association Conference, a Wicomico school counselor was recognized as Maryland Elementary School Counselor of the Year. This honor was a reflection of her personal and professional commitment to her students, staff and community. The Maryland Elementary School Counselor of the Year is:

Tana Ellis, guidance counselor, Prince Street Elementary School

Fruitland Walmart Teacher of the Year

During this year's American Education Week, the Fruitland Walmart announced as its Teacher of the Year a teacher who had received "a huge amount of nominations in her honor." The 2008-09 Fruitland Walmart Teacher of the Year received $1000 for the school to use for the students, a $100 gift card for her to use for her class, and a framed certificate. The Fruitland Walmart Teacher of the Year is:

Susan S. Jones, Fruitland Primary School

2008 National Board Certified Teachers

National Board Certification is a symbol of professional teaching excellence. Achieving this distinction attests to the fact that a teacher has been judged by his or her peers as one who is accomplished in a chosen field. It is a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize and reward great teacher and make them even greater. National Board Certified Teachers have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills, and practices and certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete. This year seven Wicomico County teachers achieved National Certification, one of the largest groups ever to achieve national board certification from the district in one year.

Melinda Demaris, Pemberton Elementary School
Julie Dill, Pemberton Elementary School
Vicki Ewalt, Willards Elementary School
Marc Garlock, James M. Bennett High School
Jane Long, Salisbury Middle School
Elaine Tilghman, Prince Street Elementary School
Nicole Twilley, Pemberton Elementary School

Giant Teachers of the Month

The management of the Salisbury Giant Food Store initiated a program last year to recognize Wicomico teachers who exemplify the characteristics found in the Developmental Assets, exhibit a caring relationship towards students, and go above and beyond to meet the needs of students. Winners from the 2008-09 school year so far are:

October: Connie Boccia, Beaver Run Elementary School
November: Beth Cox, Glen Avenue Elementary School
December: Sharon Rash, Wicomico Middle School

Mary Gay Calcott Award of Excellence in Education

This award is given through the Mary Gay Calcott Memorial Fund at the Community Foundation. Ms. Calcott was a professor of English at Salisbury University for 30 years. She embodied in her life and her teaching the ideals of liberal education: teaching students to think to express themselves with clarity and to care about the world they live in. This year's Mary Gay Calcott Award of Excellence in Education Award went to:

North Salisbury Elementary School

National Promising Practices Award Recipient

The National Promising Practices Award is given for a unique and specific character education strategy that addresses one or more of the Character Education partnership’s Eleven Principles of Character Education. The purpose of the award is to recognize exemplary practices and to spread the word about effective character education strategies. The Bobcat Bunch won a National Promising Practices Award for Principle 11: Assessment and Action. The Bobcat Bunch achieved its exemplary status because of its demonstrated effectiveness. The winner of a National Promising Practices Award was:

Delmar Elementary School, for the Bobcat Bunch

Facility Awards

The Department of Facility Services has been recognized with a Governor's Citation for Superior Maintenance of Schools for superior state maintenance inspections of Pemberton Elementary, Willards Elementary and Westside Primary.

The Board of Education and the Department of Facility Services were also recognized by the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce with the Fred P. Adkins Award for Architectural Enhancement for the Prince Street Elementary School renovation project.

2008-09 First Quarter Paper Recycling Contest Winner

As part of an effort to encourage good stewardship of community resources and to promote environmental awareness, a quarterly recycling contest initiative is sponsored by the Walmart Super Center in North Salisbury, in partnership with the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Facility Services. A $1000 quarterly reward is offered to the Wicomico County School recycling team with the best school paper recycling effort. The school with the best effort for the First Quarter of the 2008-09 school year was:

Glen Avenue Elementary School, with 6.675 pounds of recycled paper per student