News

The Howard County Public School System is proud to announce its 2022 awardees for Principal and Teachers of the Year:

• Principal of the Year: Dr. Jeffrey Fink of Oakland Mills High School has been named the 2022 Howard County Principal of the Year and a Washington Post Principal of the Year nominee
• Teacher of the Year: Jorden Lim of Long Reach High School has been named Howard County’s 2022 Maryland State Department of Education Teacher of the Year candidate
• Teacher of the Year: Jessica Palad of Pointers Run Elementary School has been selected as a 2022 Washington Post Teacher of the Year nominee

HCPSS Superintendent Michael Martirano surprised each of the three recipients with the news during a visit to their respective schools on April 6. They also will be recognized this spring at a reception with, and at a meeting of the Howard County Board of Education.

Learn more about these outstanding staff online.

Terry Eberhardt has always loved music, from putting on concerts as a child to later singing in school chorus and learning to play various instruments. Eberhardt pursued a dual degree in vocal performance and music education at the prestigious Peabody Institute. After teaching in Montgomery County he went back to school and got a master’s degree in opera performance. 

Having enjoyed teaching so much, though, he wanted to continue working in education and in 2005, Eberhardt became the music teacher at Marriotts Ridge High School. There, he led a number of initiatives, including the school improvement team, family and community partnerships, and Alpha Achievers.

Now, as HCPSS’ Music Coordinator, Eberhardt oversees the music curriculum, events, staff, and budget—a role he loves for a variety of reasons.

Learn more about Terry Eberhardt in this HCPSS Staff News feature.

Six years ago, Oakland Mills Middle School Library Media Specialist Jennifer Hamilton decided to try something new. Instead of purchasing books for the OMMS library, she’d have her students manage it and learn about HCPSS’ book-buying standards and rigorous approval process along the way. Since then, the “book buy project” has evolved into a multi-week activity, spanning multiple content areas and allowing students to earn service-learning hours.

Read more about Jennifer's idea and how it's being implemented at OMMS.

You can find this, and other feature articles on the HCPSS News site.

Originally gravitating toward college students, Diane Moe "fell in love working at the elementary school level" and has since been a school counselor at Jeffers Hill Elementary School for more than 20 years.

"I discovered the incredible opportunity it presented to impact students at a young age and equip them with skills that they could carry with them for a lifetime,” Moe said.

Moe also serves as the chair of JHES’ PBIS Committee, and as a trained intervenor supporting students who exhibit suicidal ideation and consults with colleagues ensuring that families are connected with appropriate resources. 

Learn more about Diane Moe, including hearing directly from Jeffers Hill families on the impact she has had on them in the latest HCPSS Staff News.

Meet Joshua Simmons, the custodian day supervisor at Mount View Middle School. Every day, he and his staff work hard to ensure students and staff have a clean, healthy environment in which to learn and work. From clearing bathrooms and sanitizing lunch tables to helping out with building maintenance requests, Simmons takes pride in all aspects of his job.

Read the latest HCPSS Staff Focus for more.

Javion Hinmon is not your ordinary bus driver. In addition to his morning and afternoon bus runs at three different schools, Javion also works as a registrar at Long Reach HS and in Student Records Management at the ARL. Through all that, Mr. Hinmon does it with enthusiasm and a smile!

For him, bus driving isn’t just about transporting students from point A to point B. It’s about building relationships with them and letting them know that no matter what else is happening in their lives, he is there for them. Read the latest HCPSS Staff Focus to learn more about Javion and all he does for HCPSS students.

HCPSS is proud to recognize Deep Run Elementary School Principal Denise Lancaster as The Washington Post’s 2021 Principal of the Year.

After recently being named the HCPSS Principal of the Year, Lancaster was chosen from among 19 finalists representing school systems in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The Washington Post Principal of the Year Award recognizes principals who demonstrate leadership, encourage creative and innovation, foster cooperation between the school and the community, promote collaboration, and contribute in a substantive way to the improvement of education in the Washington metropolitan area.

Read more about Denise on the HCPSS website.

As we adjust to working remotely, it’s important for all staff to be aware of steps you can take to create a secure home working environment.

! Call to Action: Please take some time to review the steps below and implement technology security best practices. Find detailed information about each of the below security practices on the Technology Resources community in Canvas.

1. Maintain a healthy level of suspicion to avoid falling victim to phishing or other cyber scams.
2. Ensure your home network is secure.
3. Create strong passwords.
4. Do not allow family or friends to use your work devices.
5. Make sure your devices and applications are running up-to-date software.

If you suspect an email you have received to be fraudulent, do not proceed with the directions provided in the email. Employees are encouraged to forward any suspected phishing emails to abuse@hcpss.org, and then delete the email. If assistance is still needed, contact the Technology Support at TechSupport@hcpss.org