Wicomico County Public Schools and the Wicomico County Board of Education recognized outstanding students, staff, programs, schools and community partners at an Awards & Recognitions Night held on Jan. 11, 2024 in the Wicomico High Auditorium.
“Great things happen every day in Wicomico Schools, where our students are learning today so they can lead tomorrow,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Micah Stauffer said. “We’re delighted to celebrate the achievements of our students, staff, schools and community partners during this Awards & Recognitions Night.”
Dr. Stauffer, Board Chairman Gene Malone, and Board members Dr. Bonnie Ennis and Kristin Hazel congratulated all of the honorees and joined them for pictures. The photos are now posted on the Wicomico County Public Schools Facebook page. They are also available to view and download full size here: https://wicomicoschools.smugmug.com/January-11-2024-Awards-Recognitions-Night
Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow Student Award
This honor reflects the new logo and tagline for Wicomico County Public Schools, as unveiled at the start of this school year. The actual award is still in production, so honorees received certificates and stickers at the ceremony. Students will receive their Student Awards at their schools later. Congratulations to the first five Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow honorees.
Raymond “RJ” Myers: Raymond (RJ) is a leader at Northwestern Elementary. He holds a position as a safety patrol student, helping others find their classrooms in the morning quickly and safely and ensuring students follow the school rules. RJ also goes above and beyond each day. He volunteers his time to set up the school store without being asked or told. If he sees a need, as a safety patrol student, he steps in to help. RJ is truly a leader and his school is very proud of him.
Abhirup Bhoumik: Abhirup is a 7th-Grade student at Salisbury Middle School in the NexGen STEM Academy. He assists NexGen STEM teachers as the Student NeXus Lab Manager, volunteering his time after school and between classes to help manage the 3-D printing queue, organize filament, take inventory and assist with 3-D printer maintenance. Managing a state-of-the-art innovation hub and maker space like this lab requires a significant amount of time behind the scenes, and it’s thanks to Abhirup’s efforts that the lab flows smoothly. His teachers, program and school are thankful for his outstanding leadership.
Ashton Sweeney: Ashton is student with a passion for graphic design. Over the past couple of years Ashton has created work for the county, school, and the CTE Interactive Media program. There are many Interactive Media students doing pretty incredible things, but Ashton stands out as the one student who eagerly takes on work for others, well beyond class assignments or pieces for the portfolio. They are very prolific in their work and they never ever stop creating. They create many graphics for Wicomico High, develop logos for a number of Wicomico Schools, and provide graphic support for county-level programs including Teacher of the Year and Battle of the Books. Ashton is learning and doing today and is sure to be a leader tomorrow.
Eden Hirsch and Jasmine Tribeck: Parkside CTE Horticulture students recently completed the Certification in Professional Horticulture Exam administered by the Maryland Nursery Landscape Greenhouse Association. The CPH exam is a rigorous test of Green Industry knowledge and plant identification that demonstrates preparation to work in the Green Industry.
Some 200 people from Maryland Public Schools, universities and the industry completed the exam. All Parkside Horticulture Level Two students passed after preparation throughout last school year and over the summer. But that’s not all. The two highest scores in all of Maryland were attained by Parkside Horticulture students Eden Hirsch and Jasmine Tribeck. We congratulate them on this outstanding achievement.
Unified Tennis State Invitational Gold Medal Winning Team & State Champions
Wicomico Schools is proud to partner with Special Olympics Maryland to offer Unified Sports seasons in its high schools. Students with and without disabilities join to have fun and master the skills of a sport as they compete in tennis in the fall, strength and conditioning in the winter, and bocce in the spring. They learn teamwork, acceptance, communication, and new skills that they will use throughout their lives.
The Mardela High Unified Tennis team had an absolutely awesome season. Everyone practiced hard and gave each other constructive criticism and lots of encouragement. Match play was exciting throughout the season with several matches going to tie breakers on numerous occasions. In the district tournament several matches were again decided by tie breakers. Mardela High’s Warriors persevered and brought home gold medals and tickets to the state invitational tournament at College Park on November 7th. There, this small team played some of its best tennis of the year with more heart-pounding finishes. The team came home with gold medals and the title of 2023 State Champions for Mardela High Unified Tennis.
Certificates of achievement for these gold medal-winning team members and coaches from Mardela High Unified Tennis:
Johnny Jamrok, Cecilia (Maverick) Kotra, Simon Kotra, Sophia Mannices, Meaghan Shockley, Trenton Williamson, Sarah Wright, Warner (Nick) Wright
Coaches: Denise Skeen and Aaron Foreman
Special Olympics Maryland National Unified Champions School
Mardela Middle and High School was the only Eastern Shore school recognized as a Class of 2023 National Unified Champions Banner School. A Special Olympics Unified Champion School has an inclusive school climate and exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement and respect for all members of the student body and staff. A Unified Champion School receiving national banner recognition is one that has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence.
This recognition came thanks to the dedication of many Mardela students and staff members and the leadership of Principal Liza Hastings and Dean of Students Joseph Hallman, with Mr. Hallman taking the lead on the challenging application.
The primary activities within these standards include: Special Olympics Unified Sports (where students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates), Inclusive Youth Leadership and Whole-School Engagement. The expectation for this national recognition is that the 10 standards are continuously met, year after year. To ensure this, schools reapply for banner status every four years.
Thanks to a culture of inclusivity at Mardela Middle & High School, the school has been recognized as a National Unified Champion School. Students with disabilities represent the school in Unified Sports, but also in clubs, music, performing arts, and more. All Mardela students are appreciated and celebrated for their abilities.
Borlaug Scholar and Delegate to 2023 World Food Prize Global Youth Institute
Certificate of achievement for Tamia Tull-Waters for representing the Parkside CTE Horticulture Program and Wicomico County Public Schools as a Borlaug Scholar and a delegate to the 2023 World Food Prize Global Youth Institute. This opportunity coincided with the awarding of the World Food Prize and the Borlaug Dialogue, the premier international symposium on global food security.
Tamia engaged with students and food security experts from more than 65 countries. During the Global Youth Institute, she presented her research on the realities and solutions to conflict in South Sudan, earning Borlaug Scholar status. Tamia’s was one of 200 research projects selected from more than 10,000 entries.
2024 All State Instrumentalist and Vocalists
Certificates of achievement for students who were chosen for the 2024 Maryland All State musical performing groups, which will perform at the Maryland Music Educators Association conference in the spring. These vocalists and instrumentalists have proven themselves to be among the best in the state, as selected by audition from among thousands of candidates. Congratulations to all the 2024 All State performers!
Selected for All State Junior Mixed Chorus:
Gavin Luffman, Tenor, Parkside, choral director Toni Daniel
Selected for All State Senior Orchestra:
Briana Truitt, French horn. Briana plays in Parkside’s band, under Director Spencer Koppenol, and Parkside’s orchestra, under Director Sarah Burton
Selected for All State Senior Treble Chorus:
Annabel Matava, Alto 2
Sarah Miller, Soprano 2
Dayna Tyler, Soprano 1
Annabel, Sarah and Dayna are James M. Bennett High students, choral director Laura LeBlanc
Lauren Doyle, Alto 2, Parkside, choral director Toni Daniel
Selected for All State Senior Mixed Chorus:
Joseph Odetayo, Bass 1, JMB, choral director Laura LeBlanc
Ava Baer, Soprano 1
Karlyle Lewis, Soprano 1
Darcy Manes, Soprano 2
Ava, Karlyle and Darcy are Mardela High students, choral director John Wixted
Patricia Louis-Jacques, Alto 1
Banyu Arilaha, Tenor 1
Wesley Bailey, Bass 2
Patricia, Banyu and Wesley are Parkside students, choral director Toni Daniel
Mary Gay Calcott Award of Excellence in Education from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore
Lower Shore schools were fortunate to receive $116,144 in grant funding through the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore’s 2023 Education Grants Program. Grantees from Wicomico County Public Schools received $59,431 for 19 projects. We thank the Community Foundation for investing this grant money in the education and development of our students.
An additional $1,500 was awarded to one project selected as this year’s recipient of the Mary Gay Calcott Award of Excellence in Education. This award is named for the late Mary Gay Calcott, a professor of English at Salisbury University whose life embodied her ideals of teaching students to think, to express themselves with clarity and to care about the world they live in.
Jessica Hanes, an ESOL teacher at North Salisbury Elementary, for a project designed to build “Conversational Confidence” in students who are new to the country. >span class="2phjq">
Tech4Learning Innovative Educator Award
Certificate of recognition for Nicole Williams for receiving the Tech4Learning Innovative Educator (TIE) Award. The organization Tech4Learning awarded its Innovative Educator (TIE) Award to Williams, a Westside Primary educator and media specialist. The TIE award recognizes educators who work passionately to utilize technology as a way for students to creatively demonstrate their content knowledge and understanding. Ms. Williams was one of the top Wixie-using teachers in all of Wicomico Schools last school year.
American Heart Association Leadership Legacy Award
Certificate of recognition for Marianne Noelte, Westside Primary Physical Education and Health teacher, for receiving the American Heart Association Leadership Legacy Award. Mrs. Noelte won the Legacy Award for the amazing work she does not only for the Kids Heart Challenge, but for everything she does to go above and beyond for the students at Westside Primary School. Joining Wicomico Schools for this recognition of Ms. Noelte was Kim Moore, Development Director, School Engagement Eastern States for the American Heart Association.
USBands IIIA National Champion Band & Awards
Certificate of Achievement presented to the Parkside High Marching Rams and Band Director Spencer Koppenol for being the USBands 2023 IIIA National Champions with a score of 95.4 wins for Overall Effect and Visual.
The Parkside High Marching Rams began working on their 2023 field show during hot summer days on the band’s practice field, and the band continued to practice and perfect its “Echoes of the Sea” show throughout the fall in wind, rain, and occasionally nicer weather. By late October the field show was looking and sounding great, and Parkside placed 1st out of three Group IIIA bands in the USBands Maryland/Virginia State Championships at Stevenson University.
The Marching Rams were excited and optimistic as the band’s buses headed to Allentown, Pennsylvania for the USBands A Class National Championships held Nov. 5. Thirteen bands from throughout a multistate region competed in Group IIIA that day, and at the end of the competition the winning IIIA band was announced as Parkside High School, with a score of 95.4. Parkside also won awards for Overall Effect and Visual. Parkside’s band returned to the school that night with medals, a trophy, and the right to call themselves national champions.
Maryland AARP Andrus Award for Community Service
Certificate of recognition for Allen C. Brown Sr. for receiving the 2023 Maryland Andrus Award for Community Service from AARP Maryland. This award honors a Marylander 50 years or older who puts their experience, talent and skills to good use to enrich the lives of people in their community. AARP seeks to shine a spotlight on Marylanders who are using what they’ve learned in life to make a difference in the lives of those around them, and to inspire others to do the same. Nominees were evaluated by AARP Maryland based on how the volunteer’s work has improved the community, reflected AARP’s vision and mission, and inspired other volunteers.
Mr. Brown serves as Vice Chairman of the Wicomico County Board of Education, and is a retiree after a long career as an educator and administrator for Wicomico County Public Schools. He is very active in serving his community in a variety of ways, and we appreciate his contributions to our community and our school system every day.
Percussion Award, Maryland Marching Band Association State Championships
Certificate of recognition for the JMB Marching Band Percussion section, which did such a great job at the State Championships that JMB Percussion earned the Specialty Award for Best Percussion in Open Small Competition. JMB Percussion’s score was the highest percussion score in Maryland.
The Maryland Marching Band Association State Championships were held at Towson University on Nov. 4. The James M. Bennett High School Marching Band, under the direction of Douglas Miles, presented the field show “This Just In.” The JMB Band had its best season ever in 2023, and placed 3rd in the State Championships with a season-best score of 93.85 in Open Small Competition.
JMB Marching Band Percussion section:
Battery Percussion: Paige Beetler (Percussion Captain), Nathan Jho, Urjit Chakraborty, Chase Horsman, Jack Niblett, Beckett Stone, Bella Thompsen
Front Ensemble: Emma Bailey, Miles Devine, Jacob Griffin (Section Leader), Brooke Shockley, Eden Debebe, Quincy Devine, Vivian Dang
Mr. Douglas Miles, Band Director
Mr. Josh Holland, Percussion Caption Head
Ms. Caroline Gilmore, Assistant Percussion Caption Head
Mr. Kelly McNeil, Percussion Caption Head Emeritus
SHAPE Maryland Simon A. McNeely Awards
Recipients of this SHAPE award must demonstrate outstanding teaching and service in their content area, and show innovation. They must be actively engaged in advancing the content area through connections with colleagues and professional organizations, and actively involved in school and community affairs.
Certificate of recognition for each of these Simon A. McNeely Award winners, and our thanks for what they do for their students, families and schools:
Dominick Flora, Physical Education teacher, Wicomico High
Lacey Leo, Health Education teacher, Bennett Middle
Participants in Cup Stacking World Record
Back in mid-November, three of our elementary schools engaged students in active learning by participating in the World Sport Stacking Association’s attempt to set a new world record. The goal was to exceed last year’s record of 737,863 cups stacked for the “Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations.”
Thanks to the efforts of our students and other stackers in 12 countries, a new record of 746,698 cups stacked was set. That means that physical education and health teachers and their students at Delmar Elementary, West Salisbury Elementary and Prince Street Elementary helped set a world record.
Certificates of recognition for all three schools for this cup stacking world record:
Delmar Elementary: PE/Health Teachers Megan Block, Juli Bradford and Kyle Brown
Prince Street Elementary: PE/Health Teachers Dustin Thomas, Kara Jensen and Mary Higgins
West Salisbury Elementary: PE/Health Teachers Dr. Harlan Eagle and Brandi Nordlie
National Merit Scholarship Program Recognitions
We recognize and applaud two high school students whose achievements in academics has earned them recognition in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Certificate of achievement for Wicomico County’s National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist Taejun Son, from Wicomico High.
Each year, from among the 1.3 million PSAT takers, more than 16,000 students are selected as semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Program. The nationwide pool
of semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered in the spring. About 95 percent of semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of those finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship and earn the Merit Scholar title.
Certificate of achievement for Wicomico County’s National Merit Scholarship Commended Student Siddharth Ghosh, from James M. Bennett High.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as juniors. Of the 1.3 million students who take the test in a given year, only 34,000 are honored as Commended Students.
Maryland Center for School Safety: Safe Schools Maryland Silver School
Certificate of recognition for Fruitland Primary, which has met the requirements for recognition as a Maryland Center for School Safety Safe Schools Maryland Silver School. Congratulations on this recognition to Fruitland Primary Principal Lisa Forbush and Assistant Principal Christina Murray.
The Maryland Center for School Safety provides invaluable resources and training through Safe Schools Maryland to support schools in being safe and welcoming places for students, staff and visitors. To encourage school building leaders to educate their community members about Safe Schools Maryland, the Maryland Center for School Safety recognizes Maryland public and nonpublic schools as Safe Schools Maryland Gold, Silver, or Bronze Schools when they meet certain criteria over the course of a single school year.
National Board Certification
Recognitions for Wicomico educators who are either newly certified through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, or who have successfully maintained their national certification, a process that now takes place every five years.
Maintained as Nationally Certified teachers:
Christy Briggs, 3rd-Grade teacher at North Salisbury Elementary
Ashley Simon, teacher of the visually impaired, serving students at Salisbury Middle and Prince Street and Beaver Run elementary schools
Newly Nationally Certified teachers:
Lisa Blagus, Salisbury Middle math professional development coach
Courtney Dize, 3rd-Grade teacher at North Salisbury Elementary
Jodi Moore, Pinehurst Elementary reading intervention teacher
Keleigh Sann, Fruitland Primary Kindergarten teacher
Linda Stanley, Fruitland Primary Kindergarten teacher
Erika Taylor, James M. Bennett High English teacher
We appreciate teachers who go above and beyond in their own education to ensure that they have as much knowledge as possible to enhance learning opportunities for their students. One very important way that educators can do this is by pursuing certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. This nationwide certification program recognizes accomplished teachers and helps generate ongoing improvement in schools. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future emphasizes the importance of attracting and retaining National Board Certified Teachers throughout the state, because quality educators are key to student success.
Eligible candidates must demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills, and practice in their individual certificate area. It’s a rigorous process that yields professional rewards for the teacher and the students the teacher serves. National board certification also qualifies those actively teaching in Maryland Public Schools classrooms for a $10,000 boost in salary.
We are thankful for all of Wicomico’s current nationally certified teachers. We welcome others who have national certification to begin teaching here, and encourage those already on our teaching staff who want to begin pursuing national certification to do so.
AP Scholar Awards
We now recognize students whose achievement in academics at a college level earned them AP Scholar Awards in the 2023 administration of the AP or Advanced Placement tests. At the end of each AP course, students have the option to take an exam on which high marks may earn them college credit and AP Scholar recognition. Congratulations to all of Wicomico’s AP Scholars, many of whom graduated in 2023. At the Awards & Recognitions Night certificates were presented to AP Scholars at various levels who are current Wicomico County students.
AP Scholars with Distinction are recognized with a certificate of achievement 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.
James M. Bennett High: Derek Cooper, Siddharth Ghosh, Christopher Howard, Feroze Khan
Wicomico High School: Taejun Son
AP Scholars with Honor are recognized with a certificate of achievement for receiving 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.
James M. Bennett High School: Dawood Qaiser, Shafay Qaiser, Amy Stiegler, Noha Yousif
Parkside High School: Evelyn Watkins
Certificates of recognition for these Wicomico County students who are AP Scholars, receiving grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams:
James M. Bennett High School: Ellie Anderson, Aidan Bautista, Paige Beetler, Zoe Boyd, Lelia Cavaleri, Urjit Chakraborty, Benjamin Cooledge, Olivia Emge, Omar Esoud, Jacob Griffin, Andrew Illa, Cedrick Jung, Isabella Kirby, Emily Kirchner, Gabrielle Konlian, Austin Loar, Jacob Lucas, Aarna Lulla, Annabel Matava, Julia Ortiz, Brigid Reilly, Abraham Thomas, Maya Thompsen, Genevieve Weaver, Kevin Xu
Mardela High School: Ethan Holland
Parkside High School: Abhiram Gaddam, Dasha Krueger
Wicomico High School: Minaal Khwaja