Weekly Newsletter
A Message from Principal Anita O'Neill
April 28, 2024
Dear Coyote Community,
I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who took the time to engage in conversations following the incident on Tuesday, during which one of our students brought an unloaded gun to school. Your feedback and insights serve as invaluable learning opportunities for me as a newcomer to the Clarksburg community. I am deeply appreciative of our community and honored to serve as the principal of such an exceptional school with supportive and engaged families.
I'd like to emphasize a few key points reiterated from the community letter sent earlier this week. Firstly, the incident is of utmost seriousness, and I urge you to discuss with your child the gravity of bringing anything to school that could be construed as a weapon. It's imperative to underscore that weapons of any nature are strictly prohibited on campus, and students who violate this policy will face severe disciplinary actions in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct, potentially including legal repercussions. Secondly, I urge you to reinforce the importance of the "See something, Say something" ethos, extending it to "Hear something, Say something" as well. Our administration and security teams are committed to proactively addressing concerns and treating all reports with the utmost seriousness.
As highlighted in previous newsletters, we are currently amidst a bustling season of events and celebrations. This week, we have the opportunity to honor our cafeteria staff, who diligently provide healthy food choices for our students every day. Friday marks School Lunch Hero Day, and it would be wonderful if students accessing our cafeteria could show their appreciation for our staff's dedication throughout the week.
Our prom is scheduled for Friday night, followed by an After-Prom celebration at Clarksburg High School. Details about ticketing can be found later in this newsletter, along with information about donations to support the After-Prom festivities. I am eagerly anticipating the evening, particularly the opportunity to see our students dressed in their finest attire.
For senior parents, please mark your calendars for the May 8 parent meeting at 7 pm in the auditorium, where we will review essential information about graduation. The senior awards ceremony will take place on May 9, and invitations have been sent to students via their school Gmail accounts, while parents have been notified through a Connect Ed message.
I encourage everyone to fully engage in our ongoing celebrations and to stay informed with the latest updates from MCPS, our PTSA, and various CHS departments featured in this week's newsletter.
Here's to a resilient and rewarding week ahead for all!
A Taste of Celebrations
Please enjoy this week's featured celebrations!
Take Your Child to Work Day
Thursday, April 25, was Take Your Child to Work Day (TYCTWD). Clarksburg staff filled our classes, hallways and conference rooms with their wonderful children who had a full day of structured learning activities throughout the building. Thank you to all staff who helped organize and plan a great day for our young scholars.
Nurturing Future Teachers
I am thrilled to announce that five remarkable CHS students have been chosen to attend the Towson University Teacher Scholars Summer Institute. This experience is a four-day, on-campus academic session, which garnered significant interest from high school students across MCPS. Over 75 applications from 11 high schools were submitted with only 25 students being chosen for the opportunity; five being our CHS students! They are:
- Briana Avalos-Posada, Grade 11
- Maya Carey, Grade 11
- Marcus Johnson, Grade 11
- Valerie Magana, Grade 11
- Laylah Talley, Grade 11
The Towson University Teacher Scholars Summer Institute is a prestigious academic program tailored for students with a passion for teaching. Participants have the privilege to learn directly from esteemed professors within the College of Education while immersing themselves in campus life.
Selected students will:
- Attend the program with all expenses covered.
- Embrace a residential experience, spending three nights living on the college campus.
- Earn both high school and university credit upon completion of the course: "Exploring Careers in Education."
- Benefit from mentorship provided by a Towson University student throughout the regular school year.
- Receive a stipend of $600 for their participation.
Please join me in congratulating these outstanding individuals! I am confident that they will make the most of this invaluable opportunity and contribute positively to the program.
Naach Showcase
National Merit Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships
Nine Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students from five high schools have been awarded National Merit corporate-sponsored scholarships financed by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The students are among 21 high school seniors in Maryland to be selected in the latest group of National Merit Scholarship Program recipients. Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year. Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) was established in 1955 to honor scholastically talented youth and encourage academic excellence at all levels of education.
I am proud to recognize Yalini Anbalagan as a recipient of this prestigious honor. She received a scholarship in the area of Medicine from Bristol Myers Squibb.
Successful Students Access Their Resources
Students who tap into available resources learn, grow and experience success at higher levels than those who do not. Our reading teachers want to shout out their students who all passed their book tests this week with an overall average of 92%. Congratulations on this achievement and keep up the great work!
Our Award-winning Yearbook
Jostens, the leading producer of yearbooks and student-created content, today announced that Clarksburg High School's yearbook program has achieved the Jostens National Yearbook Program of Excellence 2024 award at the Bronze Level. The National Yearbook Program of Excellence recognizes engaging yearbooks that reflect a broad representation of the student body while helping students to develop 21st century skills such as communication, collaboration, and information and communication technologies (ICT) literacy.
The Clarksburg High School award-winning yearbook program is led by Nicole Long, yearbook advisor, editors Kat Vallejo and Claire Liu, and over 70 contributing staff members, both freelance and enrolled in the class.
Jostens’ National Yearbook Program of Excellence Awards are presented twice a year, in spring and in fall based on the yearbook’s arrival date at the school. The award was presented to the Clarksburg High School yearbook program for achieving defined criteria in between one and three of the following categories: creating an inclusive yearbook, generating school engagement, and successfully managing the yearbook creation process.
Additionally, the Clarksburg Yearbook program was once again featured in the 2024 Jostens Look Book, making this its third appearance (2021, 2023, 2024)!
Our 2024 books are still on sale for a limited time, please feel free to check our our sneak peeks at @cburgquest on Instagram and X!
9th Graders Visit Stevenson University
A couple hundred of our 9th graders took advantage of a free learning opportunity by visiting Stevenson University with Clarksburg staff members, central office staff and members of Workforce Montgomery. This trip is part of new initiatives in MCPS through the Maryland Blueprint for Education to expose students to post high school college and career opportunities in middle school and early high school.
It was a great day for the students and Ms. Trumbull's group was lead on their tour by former Clarksburg High School student, Mary Kimberly Idriss Kanago, Class of 2022. What a small world!
Youth and Government Club
Congratulations to the Youth and Government (YAG) club that had a very successful weekend at the YMCA Youth and Government Annapolis Conference. Our delegation was the largest at the conference, 42 students, and absolutely shined the entire conference. A special shoutout to Vignish Sundaram for being elected the Maryland Youth Governor for YAG.
Superior Ratings for the CHS Orchestra
The Concert Orchestra received straight Superior ratings at the MCPS Adjudication Festival this Thursday. Congratulations to these hardworking musicians!
Connecting with International Friends
Our German language students and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet a representative of the Mayor's office from Torgau, Germany. Our students have pen pals in Torgau and it was great for them to learn more about the area from a resident. We sent our visitor back to Germany with CHS shirts for him and the Mayor!
Meet the Principals
Please join me and the principals from Rocky Hill MS, Daly ES and Fox Chapel ES on Wednesday, May 1, from 6 to 7:30 pm at the Plum Gar Community Center. We are excited to meet members of our community. Please see the flyer below for information. We hope to see you there!
Important Testing Information: Please Read
MCAP and AP Testing
Greetings Clarksburg Families,
The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) is the overarching term used for all state assessments. MSDE and CHS will administer assessments in the Spring for English Language Arts (ELA), Algebra (ALG), NSL Government (GOV) and Life Science (LS MISA). Each of these MCAP Exams are a graduation requirement; seniors who do not participate will not graduate in June.
This school year, the Measurement of Academic Progress Reading (MAP-R) assessment will be administered to ALL 9th grade students per the schedule below. Select students will take the Measurement of Academic Progress Math (MAP-M) assessment through their regularly scheduled Math courses. Questions regarding MAP-M should be directed to our Math Department RT, Mr. Randall Hostetter. The results of these assessments provide teachers, students, and families with an accurate measure of what a student knows and needs to learn in these critical subject areas and do not impact graduation status.
PLEASE NOTE: Students who are not testing, should arrive during lunch, if possible, on delayed openings only. Attendance in class after testing is MANDATORY. Bus transportation and meals will run on normal schedules on testing days below. Students who require bus transportation but are not testing will receive academic support in the cafeteria during test administration.
Student lists who are required to test will be sent in a later communication. Below is the full testing schedule for May and contact information in the full testing memo found below.
MISA Testing: IT REALLY COUNTS!
This year, MISA and NSL tests will be part of students grades. Please see the letter below regarding MISA. As soon as we have a similar letter for NSL, it will be shared.
Prom Tickets
Prom tickets are on sale on Monday, April 22nd, at 8:00 am. Only seniors can purchase tickets on Monday. Juniors can purchase tickets on Tuesday, April 23rd.
Students will need an access code (student ID number) to purchase a ticket.
Attention Seniors
Yard Signs
The Class of ’24 yard signs are now available on School Cash Online. Please see the link below. Also, please complete the Google form below if you want to purchase a personalized sign.
Google Form: https://forms.gle/4y8HT3ypRVd2UEZM6
SCO link: https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/60058/354/False/True
March 10 Senior Slideshow
Please review information in the attached Senior Slideshow. There is important information related to graduation and prom, including timelines.
Get Those SSL Hours
News from the SSL office: Mrs. Coe will be using this GOOGLE FORM to receive SSL forms electronically INSTEAD of simply emailing the form. You can attach up to 10 files to each google form. Parents and students can both access and use this form.
Upcoming dates: All senior hours are due by May 1st.
Support During Graduation
If your family requires special seating and/or language interpretation (Spanish or ASL) at graduation, please complete this form by May 15th. Please reach out to Ashleigh Coe if you have any questions.
Work-based Learning
We now have a one stop to get information about internships, apprenticeships, and CCRD opportunities. This site will be updated on a regular basis to include new opportunities and information. Students . . . check it out!
PTSA Updates
May 1: Kick-off Webinar Series on Family Engagement
Join PTA’s Center for Family Engagement and the Institute for Educational Leadership for a continuation of our webinar series that will dive into deeper topics related to strengthening family-school partnerships through the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. This year’s series will highlight systems issues related to family engagement through panel discussions with leading practitioners, researchers and policymakers who are improving family-school partnerships so that all children can reach their full potential.
The transformation of public education can’t happen without the input of the youth it serves. Join us on Wednesday, May 1 at 2 p.m. EDT to explore strategies for engaging youth as part of your family engagement efforts. Get insight into how student voice is shaping secondary schools as community groups engage families. Speakers will include Laila Bityeki, Clarksburg High School student and national substance use prevention advocate.
Registration link: https://pta.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YLaLmj-TSz2CTfmCzAvziw
Note from Clarksburg PTSA: April 28, 2024
“So if you care to find me, look to the western sky!
As someone told me lately, “Everyone deserves the chance to fly!”
To those who ground me, take a message back from me.
Tell them how I am defying gravity. I’m flying high, defying gravity!
And soon, I’ll match them in renown.
And nobody, in all of Oz, no wizard that there is or was,
is ever gonna bring me down!”
– Stephen Schwartz, “Elphaba - Defying Gravity” from “Wicked”
Dear Clarksburg High School Families:
We want to thank all of you who have supported After Prom in any way. We appreciate all of your support! As we finalize our preparations for May 3, we want to share how After Prom is more than an event. After Prom is an effort by all of us to ensure our children have a safe, substance-free environment to continue their celebrations of the end of their school year – and school chapters for our seniors. We had a substance use prevention program with our seniors on April 11 and partnered up with the high school Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Maryland Department of Transportation.
We want to ensure our children continue to reach all their aspirations and goals, defying all odds and obstacles that attempt to bring them down. Just like the quote by Stephen Schwartz stated, “Everyone deserves a chance to fly.” Please join us as we work hard to keep all of our kids safe through these upcoming crazy and hectic months of Prom and Graduation. They deserve every chance they can get to soar and shine like the amazing Coyote stars that they are.
CHS AFTER PROM – Registration
All participants of After Prom must sign up via Eventbrite. After prom is FREE.
Registration is found here: https://bit.ly/CHSPTSAAfterProm2024
More info for After Prom is here: https://chsptsaafterprom.wordpress.com/
CHS AFTER PROM – Support
Prom is only less than a week away & THE CHS PTSA DESPERATELY NEEDS YOUR HELP to make After Prom a success for our students!! Last year’s FREE event was attended by over 300 students, so PLEASE help us keep this amazing tradition alive.
ALL grade level parents’ help & support is appreciated…it takes a village to keep our teens safe! We have a lot of slots open still - please consider signing up!
How can I help, you ask?! There are THREE ways to help:
1) DONATE MONEY: Don’t have time to volunteer or buy snacks? Monetary donations are MUCH appreciated, URGENTLY NEEDED & will help pay for this fun & safe After Prom event being offered FREE to our teens! Donations can be made through:
a. Memberhub : https://bit.ly/CHSPTSA2024AfterProm
b. Paypal : https://bit.ly/ClarksburgHSPTSAPaypal
c. Check: Please make the check out to, “Clarksburg HS PTSA”, and include the Memo, “After Prom”. Please kindly drop off the check to Clarksburg HS with a note to “CHS PTSA”.
2) VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME: Join the fun & sign up to help us set up, run, or clean up at the After Prom at CHS from Friday 5/5, into the early morning hours of 5/6. Sign up to volunteer your time here:
a. https://bit.ly/CHSPTSAAfterPromVolunteer2024
3) DONATE SNACKS: Help us feed hundreds of hungry teens ready to have hours of fun! Sign up to donate food here:
a. https://bit.ly/CHSPTSAAfterPromFoodDonation2024
Our next After Prom meeting is April 28, 2024:
https://bit.ly/CHSPTSAAfterPromMeeting (need to register for each meeting session)
We really need all hands on deck to support After Prom as this is the biggest annual event for the PTSA and it helps to ensure our students are in a safe and substance-free environment.
Parents of freshman and sophomores, this is a great opportunity for you all to support and shadow a lot of the current volunteers to prepare for when your students are juniors and seniors.
Please click here to see the rest of the CHS PTSA Note for April 28, 2024:
College Essays and the Wow Factor
Clarksburg's PTSA is sponsoring a college essay writing event for juniors (others are welcome to attend). The focus of this event is developing essays that will wow readers. See the flyer below for more information.
MCPS Resources in Spanish
News from Our Bridge to Wellness Partners
News from the College and Career Center
SAT Opportunities at CHS
CHS will once again host the SAT on multiple dates during the year. The dates the SAT will be held at CHS are: 5/4 and 6/1. Registration for these dates should be made through the College Board Website.
Student Opportunities
March 11 to May 24: Girls with Impact
Exciting news! Montgomery County Public Schools has partnered with Girls With Impact to bring you a FREE Business and Leadership program for girls in Grades 9–12 and gender-expansive youth! Developed with Harvard leaders, this ‘mini-MBA’ program equips girls with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to become tomorrow's entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders. The 10-week live, online program begins the week of March 11 and ends the week of May 24. The weekly classes are one hour each and are managed by a trained coach with a master's degree in business administration providing the resources needed to get students from ideation to the launch of their venture ideas. Register your student at https://www.girlswithimpact.org/mcps.
May 4: Youth Gun Violence Conference
Join other students from across the county to partake in the Youth Gun Violence Conference focused on reducing gun violence. Students earn 8 SSL hours for attending. Lunch is provided. See the flyer below for details.
July 4: Autism Speaks Potomac 5K
Consider volunteering for this important event either prior to the event, on the day of or maybe both. See key information in the flyer below.
2024 Geospatial Technology Summer Camp at Towson University
Consider Towson University's Geospatial Technology Camp, July 10-13, 2024. This 4-day, 3-night, all-inclusive overnight camp is specifically designed for high school students who are interested in learning geospatial technologies. Students will stay in double occupancy rooms in a university dorm. Meals, lodging, and transportation are all included. Open the attached flyer to get more information and to sign up.
Apply for School Meal Benefits
This coming year all meals will incur a fee unless students have are approved for Free And/or Reduced fee Meals (FARMS). Eligible families complete the 2023-2024 FARMS application that is now available online. Here is the link: www.MySchoolApps.com.
Donations
Clothing to Cash
Did you know that you can support our school through clothing donations? See the attached flyer about the Clothing to Cash program that supports CHS.
Calendar Items
Key Dates
May 3-4 -- Prom and After-Prom
May 6-17 AP Testing
May 7-23 MCAAP Testing
May 9 -- Senior Awards Ceremony
May 24 -- Clarksburg Day Celebration
May 31 -- Graduation Rehearsal
June 3 -- Graduation
General Information for Students and Families
NFHS Network and GoFan
Dear Coyote fans,
As we kick-off the upcoming school year, we wanted to tell you that through our official partners, NFHS Network and GoFan, you can easily buy tickets for games and subscribe to watch live games online for when you can’t get there in-person.
Click this link to visit our school homepage, where you can:
- Click “Follow” to get alerts on our upcoming events.
- Click “Buy Tickets” to get tickets to upcoming events.
- Click “Subscribe” to watch live broadcasts of upcoming events (a portion of the proceeds are shared back with our school!).
CHS Website
Our CHS website has a wealth of information related to subjects like attendance, student service learning, athletics and more. Please take time to check it out so you have accurate information about policies and procedures at CHS.