- Page 1
- Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5 - Page 6 - Page 7 - Page 8 - Page 9 - Page 10 - Page 11 - Page 12 - Page 13 - Page 14 - Page 15 - Page 16 - Page 17 - Page 18 - Page 19 - Page 20 - Page 21 - Page 22 - Page 23 - Page 24 - Page 25 - Page 26 - Page 27 - Page 28 - Page 29 - Page 30 - Page 31 - Page 32 - Page 33 - Page 34 - Page 35 - Page 36 - Page 37 - Page 38 - Page 39 - Page 40 - Page 41 - Page 42 - Page 43 - Page 44 - Page 45 - Page 46 - Page 47 - Page 48 - Page 49 - Page 50 - Page 51 - Page 52 - Page 53 - Page 54 - Page 55 - Page 56 - Page 57 - Page 58 - Page 59 - Page 60 - Page 61 - Page 62 - Page 63 - Page 64 - Page 65 - Page 66 - Page 67 - Page 68 - Page 69 - Page 70 - Page 71 - Page 72 - Page 73 - Page 74 - Page 75 - Page 76 - Page 77 - Page 78 - Page 79 - Page 80 - Flash version © UniFlip.com |
October 4, 2013
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
County Gets $300K For After-School Programs
By TRAVIS BROWN
STAFF WRITER
SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Public School (WCPS) system is one of 22 programs in the state to get a portion of $6.8 million in after school grants from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Worcester’s slice of the pie amounts to $300,000, which educators said will be used to bolster student programs at Snow Hill Middle School (SHMS) and Pocomoke Middle School (PMS). The $300,000 isn’t coming completely out of the blue but was far from guaranteed, according to Tamara Mills, coordinator of instruction for after school academies. “We had applied back in the spring. Of course, the grant process is becoming much more rigorous so it was a pleasant surprise when we found out that we were awarded one of the grants,” she said. There’s an uncertainty going into every year with state grants. WCPS had to scramble last year to make up funding for some of their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) after-school programs when anticipated grants were discontinued without explanation. Worcester was able to keep the programs afloat through inter-department budget transfers as well
as requesting additional monies from the Worcester County Commission. The programs are in good shape so far this year, though, with the confirmation of the MSDE grant this week. “This grant will allow us to keep from having to limit any of our programs and allow us some flexibility to move forward with some of our STEM initiatives,” said Mills. The kind of programs that WCPS will be focusing on this year include a Science Olympiad where students will have a chance to explore the county’s new generation science standards. “They’re given projects and challenges and then they’ll compete in solving those problems,” Mills said, “so that’s a really fun activity that we’re excited about and that we can use this grant money for.” There will also be a continuation of the Sea Perch underwater robotics program, which is in conjuncture with the Naval Academy, and a new emphasis on understanding alternative energy, specifically with wind power, which Mills said will be a pillar of after school academies this year and will spill over into summer STEM programs. “We’re very excited about the possibilities of seeing what the kids can do in that arena,” said Mills. The $300,000 will be applied to
SHMS and PMS after-school programs for grades six to eight. There are similar programs at Stephen Decatur Middle School (SDMS) that won’t be affected by the grant, but Mills said that they already have healthy funding. “We’ve been fortunate that our community has been a big support,” she said. The funding is coming from MSDE through the federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Program (CCLC). The grants are directed toward schools that are either high poverty or identified for improvement. One indicator looked at to gauge poverty level is the ratio of students on FARMS (Free and Reduced Meals) which is above average at both SHMS and PMS. The goal of the funding across the state is to better tie-in what’s being learned in the classroom with what is being offered after schools, according to a release from MDE. “The purpose of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is to create centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities that support what is learned in the classroom,” it read. After school academies at WCPS meet Monday through Thursday 24 weeks out of the year, with a connected four-week summer program.
✚✡’❜✡¤ ✌✑✎✔’ ✍✗✽
We Got Ourselves A Smoker!
Our Chefs Are Smokin’ Everything!
CHECK IT OUT!
Page 15
SMOKED PRIME RIB
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
SMOKED BIG PORKY
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦ ✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
SMOKED TUNA
SMOKED SCALLOPS
54
OPEN DAILY AT 11:30 A.M.
FENWICK ISLAND
302-436-2305
www.Twiningsshanty.com
|