School System Hosting Input Meeting on Towson Area Schools

The meeting will focus on overcrowding issues.

Baltimore County Public Schools is holding an input meeting May 16 related to overcrowding issues at Towson area schools. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology at 938 York Road, according to an email from Councilman David Marks. Overcrowded schools has long been an issue along the York Road corridor. The school board recently approved plans to construct an elementary school at Mays Chapel, and county funds has also been allocated for additions at Hampton and Stoneleigh elementary schools. "Still, there are decisions that need to be made to accommodate both the current and future enrollment levels at schools in the Towson area," Marks wrote in the email.

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Towson Area Students Display Art At Walters

For National Youth Art Month, student artwork is on display through April 7.

In celebration of National Youth Art Month, a number of Towson area schools are displaying student artwork at the Walters Art Museum through April 7. In total, 78 Baltimore County Public Schools elementary and middle schools are exhibiting more than 400 pieces of artwork, according to a news release from Baltimore County Public Schools. Student artwork from the following Towson area schools is on display: Student artists who were selected to have their work displayed were invited to attend a reception from 1-3 p.m. Mar. 24. where they will have an opportunity to participate in studio activities. All student artwork will be displayed through April 7; the Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles Street, is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sun. and …

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Six Inducted Into Calvert Hall Alumni Hall of Fame

Inductees include an ESPN Commentator, the CEO of an insurance and payroll firm and a professor at King's College in London.

Six Calvert Hall College High School alumni will be honored when they are inducted to the school's Hall of Fame this weekend. The six honorees will be recognized at a gala held at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront on Mar. 23, according to a news release from school president Brother Thomas Zoppo. 2013 inductees include a commentator for ESPN, a professor at King's College in London and the CEO of an insurance and payroll firm. The inductees, according to the news release, are: For more information about the Calvert Hall Hall of Fame Gala, visit the event's website.

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Towson Area Students Named Carson Scholars

A student from Towson High school has earned the scholarship for the first time for academic achievement and humanitarian work.

One Towson High student earned a first-time Carson Scholarship for his academic and volunteer works. Carson Scholarships are awarded to "high-achieving students in grades 4-11 who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and humanitarian qualities," said a news release from Baltimore County Public Schools. The new scholar—among 14 in BCPS—is: These students are among 425 students from throughout the country to be named 2013 Carson Scholars. An additional six students renewed their Carson Scholarships: 714 students have renewed their Carson Scholar status as previous winners. The scholars from the Mid-Atlantic will be honored at an awards banquet April 7 at Martin's West in Woodlawn. The event is open to the public. Newscaster Sam …

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POLL: Should School Start Later In Towson?

The House of Delegates will take up House Bill 1462, which would establish a task force on school start times, later this week.

Are early school start times preventing kids from getting enough sleep? That's the question on a lot minds as the Maryland House of Delegates prepares to take up House Bill 1462 later this week. The bill, which seeks to establish a task force to study whether or not school should start later in the day, will be up for a hearing at 1 p.m. Mar. 15 in Annapolis. Recently, a group that supports earlier school start times posted a blog on Patch asking for experts to testify before the legislature. Discuss school start times with your neighbors on the Towson Patch Facebook page. The Start School Later campaign in Maryland is part of a national initiative to move school start times—according to a petition posted on their website, Maryland high …

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Dumbarton Middle PTA Combats Bullying

The school is participating in Rachel's Challenge, an anti-bullying program inspired by the first Columbine shooting victim.

Following recent gun incidents that have plagued the county school system, the Dumbarton Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association is taking a proactive approach against bullying through a new campaign. On Nov. 7, the association is presenting the Rachel's Challenge, which focuses on anti-bullying and creating an atmosphere of kindness, during a daytime school assembly, said Ann Shenasky, a vice president of the group. Dumbarton parents are invited to learn more about the the initiative during an evening program at the school auditorium, which starts at 7 p.m. the same day. The program is based on the writings of Rachel Scott, the first victim of the Columbine High School shooting. "It's about treating everyone with respect and …

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Your Photos: Back-To-School

Upload photos from your child's first day of school to Patch's gallery.

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Carver Center Announces Partnership with BSO

The school will host the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra starting this fall.

When it opens this fall, the new building for the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology will be an artistic hub for more than just its own students. Baltimore County Public Schools announced Friday that the school will be the new home of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra. The orchestra, an initiative of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, will continue the work of the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra, which is set to cease operations at the end of the month. “Having the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras housed at Carver Center will provide opportunities and outreach to our students with musical enrichment activities,” Karen E. H. Steele, Carver's principal, said in a statement. “It will allow Carver Center students …

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County to Plant Trees Around Towson Schools

Loch Raven High School and Loch Raven Academy set to get 31 trees in total this summer.

As part of a countywide program announced Tuesday, 31 trees will be planted outside two Towson schools. The trees will be split between Loch Raven High School (19 trees) and Loch Raven Academy (12 trees), according to data released by the county Wednesday. They're among nearly 1,000 trees the county plans to plant around public buildings this summer. The $500,000 program was funded with an Energy Efficiency Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Bryan P. Sears contributed to this report.

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Carver Students Win At National Arts and Science Competition

Three students took home gold medals in last weekend's competition.

Well ahead of the Olympics, three Carver Center students are taking home gold medals of their own. Recent graduates Kevin Cobb of Overlea and Dylan Guest of Woodlawn and junior Kylia Jackson of Owings Mills won the national gold medals in the NAACP's Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, held last weekend in Houston. Cobb won in painting, Guest won in sculpture and Jackson won in photography. Cobb and Guest plan to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art in the fall, according to a Baltimore County Public Schools press release. All three won an iPad and $3,000 cash as part of the honor. The three were among 700 participants in 26 categories in the arts, sciences, humanities and business. Two other Carver …

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