Wicomico Board Of Education Celebrates Many Students, Staff And Other Honorees At June 5 Awards

The Wicomico County Board of Education recognized many outstanding students, teachers, staff members, parents and community partners during its June 5 Awards & Recognitions Night at the Wicomico High School Auditorium. Details of the many recognitions is provided below.

Association of School Business Officials Award

Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting Award presented to Gary Green, Accounting Manager, for Green, Comptroller E. Bruce Ford and Business Support Services. Last year, Business Support Services earned the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association for the school system’s first Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), and the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting Award for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2010, from the Association of School Business Officials. This year, the staff again earned the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting Award, for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011.

2012 Parent Involvement Matters Award Winner

Recognition of Lauralyn Geiser, a Fruitland Primary School parent volunteer and a founding member of the advocacy group Parents in Action, for being Wicomico’s semi-finalist and a state finalist for the 2012 Parent Involvement Matters Award for the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). MSDE recognizes a parent from each local school system in Maryland as a semi-finalist for the Parent Involvement Matters Award, or PIMA, the only parent award program of its kind in the nation. PIMA recognizes parents and guardians for exceptional support of public education.

In addition to chairing the Parent Advisory Committee at Fruitland Primary, this honoree has served her child’s school as chair of the 2011 Scholastic Book Fair, PTA Treasurer, Instructional Leadership Team representative, and parent volunteer. The principal said she is a true example of a parent who has had a huge impact on public schools. Her interest in public education and its importance to the community extends far beyond her own family and school, however. Last fall, after learning about significant funding challenges facing Wicomico Schools, she became active in researching the issue and speaking out on the importance of preserving funding for education. She joined with three parents who had similar concerns and formed Parents in Action, an independent parent advocacy group whose goal is to bring people together to enhance the quality of life in Wicomico County.

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