Photo credit Bowie State athletics
March 5—Bowie State University student-athletes read to students from Bradbury Heights Elementary School.
Bowie State Student-Athletes Read to Elementary School Students for Read Across America Week
By PRESS OFFICER
Bowie State Athletics
BOWIE, Md. (March 5, 2024)—In collaboration with Read Across America Day which is traditionally celebrated on March 2, a total of 20 Bowie State University student-athletes read to students from Bradbury Heights Elementary School Tuesday (March 5) morning.
“It was an honor to team up with Bradbury Heights Elementary to equip our local youth and possible future Bulldogs with reading to the classes,” said Karmin Powell, Athletics Program Specialist. “Not only did it provide cultural differences, racial unity, and representation in schools but the youth got the opportunity to spend time with our student-athletes and learn about Bowie State.”
Read Across America is a week-long event that takes place in honor of Dr. Seuss and all of his whimsical books. An initiative created by the National Education Association in 1998, the annual awareness day calls all children across the United States to celebrate reading, encouraging them to read wherever they are.
Many of the BSU student-athletes also used the time to inspire the kids to reach their full potential.
Read Across America Day is part of the Bowie State Department of Athletics’ broader community engagement efforts, which seeks to help the surrounding towns and community organizations while providing opportunities for student-athletes and coaches to give back to the local communities. Bowie State Athletics has been taking part of this event for nearly a decade and looks forward to continuing its tradition in years to come.
For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State Athletics and its 13 varsity sport teams, visit www.bsubulldogs.com
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Commitment to Sustainability:
Prince George’s County Libraries Lead Initiatives to Accommodate EV Charging
By ANDREA CASTILLO
PGCMLS
Largo, Md. (March 7, 2024)—The increasing popular interest in environmental awareness and impact includes the impact of gas-powered vehicles on the planet. At their core, libraries are green organizations, lowering the ecological impact of our modern communities by sharing important resources – such as books, community events, internet access and being cooling and warming centers for innumerable members of the public. For years, the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) has sought to further that spirit of environmental community consciousness by making the idea of owning and using electric vehicles (EV) a more accessible reality for commuters and residents of Prince George’s County.
That goal of creating sustainable communities now also extends even further outside the Library’s doors, with eight of 19 branches in the system providing drivers with electric vehicle charging stations, with the goal of expanding access to charging stations to all of the branches:
• Accokeek
• Beltsville
• Bladensburg
• Hyattsville
• Largo-Kettering
• Laurel
• New Carrollton
• Spauldings
Thanks to library leaders’ eye toward the future in embracing the electric vehicle charging stations, New Carrollton Branch Library hosted Rep. Anthony Brown (MD-04), U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) and other elected officials, industry leaders and advocates at a September 2021 event in order to promote electric vehicles and push for more infrastructure to fuel their growth. According to PGCMLS CEO Mark Winston, “For an organization that is committed to serving all residents with 19 locations in all regions of the county, we should make the betterment of the environment one of our highest priorities.”
Today, according to data from the Maryland Department of Transportation, there are more than 96,000 electric vehicles registered in the state of Maryland alone, with nearly one in 10 of those in Prince George’s County. Rules adopted in Maryland in 2023 require all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the state to be electric by model year 2035. That influx of new zero-emissions vehicles on the road points to the need for infrastructure to be in place to charge them – like the electric vehicle charging stations on county property, including libraries.
These library charging stations are among more than 100 public-purpose electric vehicle charging stations found on Prince George’s County government properties in partnership with local utility companies like Pepco and Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO). An effort years in the making, having the charging stations available to customers and residents positions the library and the county as a whole to work toward meeting goals set by local leaders and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions and get more zero-emission vehicles on the road in the next decade. The Biden Administration is also incentivizing drivers to go electric by offering tax credits for purchases of vehicles and charging equipment through the Inflation Reduction Act.
In recent months, PGCMLS re-opened its Bladensburg Branch Library, the system’s first LEED certified branch, equipped with solar panels on the roof, permeable pavers, electric car charging stations, energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems.
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Prince George’s County Public Schools Honored with National Award
One of Three Programs Selected as Grand Prize Winners in 2024 Magna Awards Program
By PRESS OFFICER
National School Boards Association
Alexandria, Va. (March 7, 2024)—New York’s Orleans/Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Oklahoma’s Lawton Public Schools, and Maryland’s Prince George’s County Public Schools are the Grand Prize winners in the 29th annual Magna Awards program sponsored by the National School Boards Association’s flagship magazine, American School Board Journal (ASBJ).
In addition to the three Grand Prize winners, 15 Silver Award winners were selected. This year, the Magna Awards recognize school districts and their leaders for their innovative, out-of-the-box thinking to address district challenges. Members of the NSBA Board of Directors Awards Committee selected the winners from district submissions.
“The Magna Awards spotlight innovative programs that are making a difference for students and the communities where they live,” said NSBA Executive Director and CEO Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs. “From providing incarcerated individuals with essential job readiness training and hope for the future to preparing students for the ever-evolving landscape of careers through specialized programs, each of our Grand Prize-winning programs exemplifies the transformative power of education. These award winners serve as shining examples of what can be achieved when creativity and dedication intersect in the pursuit of excellence."
Grand Prize-winning programs:
Under 5,000 enrollment: New York’s Orleans/Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Corrections Literacy and Job Skills: A Second Chance program provides incarcerated students and adults the opportunity to take classes and training to increase their chance of employment after release.
5,000 to 20,000 enrollment: Oklahoma’s Lawton Public Schools Life Ready Center partners with educational organizations and universities to provide students introductory and advanced electives that enable them to explore several career paths.
Over 20,000 enrollment: Maryland’s Prince George’s County Public Schools Specialty Program:
Aerospace Engineering and Aviation Technology guides students through the process of conducting research to solve real-world challenges and participate in aerospace engineering and aviation technology internships at local companies.
Representatives from the three Grand Prize-winning districts will be presenters at NSBA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans in April and will be featured in the 2024 Magna Awards video. All winners will be highlighted in the April issue of ASBJ, set to be published online on Tuesday, March 19, at www.nsba.org/asbj.
Silver Award-winning programs:
Under 5,000 enrollment
• Bristol Bay Regional Career and Technical Education Program, Bristol Bay Region, Alaska
• Multi-Tiered System of Supports Framework (MTSS), Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District #6, Cottonwood, Arizona
• Center for Advanced Professional Studies, Park City School District, Park City, Utah
• Roosevelt Rising! Roosevelt Union Free School District, Roosevelt, New York
• Middle Grades New School Design for Safety, Collaboration, and Innovation, West Bloomfield School District, West Bloomfield, Michigan
• Elementary STEM, Windsor Central School District, Windsor, New York
5,000 to 20,000 enrollment
• WELLcome to Bay Shore, Bay Shore Union Free School District, Bay Shore, New York
• Career and Technical Education Center of Hobbs, Hobbs Municipal Schools, Hobbs, New Mexico
• Prevention and Resources Offering Mentorship, Intervention, Support, and Education (P.R.O.M.I.S.E.), Southwest Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas
• Superintendent Student Voice Council, Yakima School District, Yakima, Washington
Over 20,000 enrollment
• The 21st Century School Buildings Program, Baltimore City Public School System, Baltimore, Maryland
• Family Support Center, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Summer Teacher Cadet Academy, Macomb Intermediate School District, Macomb County, Michigan
• Well-Being Social Work, Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, Maryland
• Youth Development, Newport News Public Schools, Newport News, Virginia
Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) purpose is to ensure each student everywhere has access to excellent and equitable public education governed by high-performing school board leaders and supported by the community. With members spread across the United States, the Virgin Islands, and Canada, NSBA is the only national organization representing school boards. Along with its member state associations and member public school districts representing locally elected school board officials serving millions of public school students, NSBA believes that public education is a civil right necessary to the dignity and freedom of the American people and that each child, regardless of their ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, identity, or citizenship, deserves equitable access to an education that maximizes their individual potential. For more information, visit nsba.org.
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Maryland Lawmakers Urge Congress to Spend More on Chesapeake Bay Restoration
By YESENIA MONTENEGRO and BRENNAN STEWART
Capital News Service
WASHINGTON (March 6, 2024)—Citing encouraging signs of improvement, five Maryland lawmakers expressed their support Wednesday for increased funding of the federally-backed Chesapeake Bay restoration program.
“We’ve made progress,” Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, said at a luncheon hosted by the Choose Clean Water Coalition. “We have the least amount of dead zones that we’ve seen since the 1980s on the bay. We have underwater grasses that are coming back in the Chesapeake Bay. We have oyster crops that we never thought we'd be able to see starting to bloom in the Chesapeake Bay. We're not at our historic levels, not even close. I understand that. But we've made progress.”
The coalition, which was started in 2009, hosted its 13th annual Chesapeake Bay Day on Wednesday with nearly 100 of its members and nine members of Congress in attendance. Made up of over 290 nonprofit organizations from the Chesapeake Bay region, the non-profit advocates maintaining or increasing spending on clean water programs.
“I think the Chesapeake delegation in Congress is just so passionate about this work, and they understand the benefits to their districts and the people that live there,” Kristin Reilly, director of the coalition, told Capital News Service.
“I think that’s also why there’s such wide bipartisan support for these programs because they can actually see the benefits in their communities,” Reilly added.
The Chesapeake Bay Program, which receives funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, was started in 1983, with its main efforts directed towards reducing pollution and restoring the bay’s ecosystem.
The program encompasses six states that surround the bay as well as the District of Columbia, and its funding needs were at the forefront of the coalition’s lobbying day. Over 70% of the
program’s funds are spent on projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including planting trees, reducing runoff from farmland and boosting the crab and oyster populations.
The coalition highlighted the recent introduction of the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act of 2024, which authorizes funding for various programs, including $93 million in funding for the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program for the 2025 fiscal year and $100 million for 2026 and beyond.
“This bill (the ACE Act) is going to get the bay on track,” Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Maryland, said. “Some of the things that these grants do, like sediment reduction, really make a difference in helping the Chesapeake Bay.”
The coalition also is backing $15 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) program, which provides grants to local organizations in the Chesapeake region that focus on restoring or protecting wildlife habitats.
The coalition recognized Ruppersberger, Cardin and Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Maryland, as “Chesapeake Champions” for their contributions to the restoration efforts throughout their careers.
Rep. David Trone, D-Maryland, who is running for the U.S. Senate, said he plans to continue working to protect the bay if he wins the seat.
Pollutants need to be kept out of the bay and the efforts towards no-till farming have not been as successful in Pennsylvania and Virginia as in Maryland, Trone said. No-till farming is a technique used to grow crops without disturbing the soil.
“The environment is top of the list,” Trone told CNS. “So the environment and the bay, that's the very very top of the list. If you don't get that right, nothing else matters.”
After the luncheon, coalition members had scheduled 44 meetings with members of Congress, presenting letters from 169 organizations that endorsed the coalition’s appropriations requests.
“We have to both maintain the momentum, but we also need to accelerate our efforts even further,” Sen. Van Hollen, D-Maryland, told CNS. “That means making sure that we protect and expand the resources that go to protect the bay from all the federal agencies.”
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