Maria Broom to Compete in "Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader?"

Actress, Dancer and Story Teller Maria Broom will join City Schools CEO Andres Alonso as a celebrity contestant at Are You Smarter than a BCP 5th Grader? on April 25, 2013.

Get your tickets today at: http://bcp.givezooks.com/events/are-you-smarter-than-a-bcp-5th-grader-2013


Although nationally known as an actress for her recurring roles in HBO’s “The Wire” and “The Corner”, Maria is also a storyteller and dancer with more than forty years of performing and teaching in the US and across the globe. She is a Fulbright scholar and former news reporter for the ABC affiliates in Miami and Baltimore. Currently, she is on the theater faculty at the Baltimore School for the Arts.

A native of Baltimore, Maria has received many awards and honors including the Eubie Blake Award, the Sarah’s Circle Award and the 2004 Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist. In 2007, she was named, Artist of the Year by Young Audiences of Maryland, Inc.

In addition to her work as performer and educator, Maria is much requested as a speaker and presenter. With a background in yoga, meditation, Homa therapy and dance therapy, she conducts staff retreats, workshops and weekly classes that help people to release stress and feel at peace.

Formerly, the diversity coordinator for the Park School in Baltimore, she has been a consultant since 2006 for Maryland Public Television’s Campaign for Love and Forgiveness, sponsored by Fetzer Institute.

As a recipient of an Open Society Institute community fellowship grant, Maria established a unique mentoring program in the inner city schools, and beyond, called the Dance Girls of Baltimore. It is through this vehicle that she passes on the values of self-discipline and thoughtful behavior.

In 2007, Maria worked in Poland and Czechoslovakia co-directing the independent film “Soul Immortal” to be released in 2010.

Ravens Terrence Cody Provides Food for Wolfe Street Students

Wolfe Street Academy Principal Mark Gaither
and Ravens NT Terrence Cody

Thanks to Terrence Cody's Sacks 4 Kids Program and the Dreambuilders Foundation, today Wolfe Street Academy received its first delivery of 100 bags of food for students to take home for the weekend.

Terrence Cody's Hope for the Holidays Party at The Greene Turtle in Owings Mills, MD on December 10th raised $8,000 to support the food backpack program at Wolfe Street Academy.

These funds will provide 100 bags of food a week for 13 weeks. The Maryland Food Bank, which delivers the food, has offered to provide an additional 6 weeks of food in order to continue the program to the end of the school year.

Terrence Cody’s Sacks 4 Kids program provides sacks full of healthy food and snacks for kids in inner city Baltimore schools to take home on the weekends.

We would like to thank Mr. Cody for ensuring that our students and their families have healthy food to eat during the weekends.

Good luck in the Superbowl!

 

Roots&Shoots Makes Baltimore Better

By Jesenia Zavala, Student, Wolfe Street Academy

The Wolfe Street Academy Roots&Shoots Green Team is doing great projects.  The team is fourth grade students in the after school program.  The projects are about making the Earth better, helping people and helping our school.  We are glad to be volunteering.  We have been working really hard.

This month we are making food for the poor and for soldiers.  This will help people. We also made posters so people will recycle more.  We put the posters all over the school, and we make sure the classes have recycle boxes.  We hope we can plant trees in the spring.  Our school will be better because of the plants. We will do projects all year.

Why Wolfe Street Academy is the Best School in Baltimore

Lettis Kelly Zavala, 5th Grader
Wolfe Street Academy

By Lettis Kelly Zavala
5th Grade Student, Wolfe Street Academy

Wolfe Street Academy is a great school. I have learned a lot. The teachers there care about us. They want you to learn and have a great education. The science teachers is fun. She teaches you many things. I learned about the Solar System and molecules. Two hundred kids go to Wolfe Street Academy (WSA). Mr. Kauffman is the ESOL teacher for Reading and Language Arts. Inn After School, he is the teacher for chess.

Ms. Byron helps out too. She comes to classes to see how the classes are acting. She does checkouts to see how you are doing. Mr. Gaither is the principal of the school. He watches out for us. WSA is a very good school. I wish I could stay there. If there were more grades, you would learn more.

WSA is the best school in Baltimore. In After School they teach you how to play instruments, how to make robots, do projects and make weight bridges.

They have good food for lunch. They take care of the children and are happy to have them. They also give you breakfast and lunch. WSA is a very good school so take your kids. I have been there since 4th grade. I have learned a lot in 4th grade. Those were the best 2 years of school. They don't just make you do work they let you have some fun too! The principal also jokes around sometimes.

BCP Participates in Project CYCLE

(l to r)  UVA Curry School of Education Research Scientist
Sharon Deal;  BCP Academic Coach Sue Lattimore;
 and Wolfe Street Staff Developer Rosemary Byron

The Baltimore Curriculum Project is participating in Project CYCLE; a project focused on the engagement of teachers and mentors in the cycle of development through the use of innovative technology and research-based mentoring/coaching methods.

On Monday Wolfe Street Staff Developer Rosemary Byron and BCP Academic Coach Sue Lattimore met with Sharon Deal,  a Research Scientist from the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education and one of the coordinators of Project CYCLE, for their initial round of mentor/coach training.

Project CYCLE is sponsored by the Baltimore City Schools Office of Teacher Support & Development and is being implemented with the support of thereNow, PD360, and the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education.

Baltimore City Schools has procured a small number of thereNow’s LiveView cameras and the IRIS Connect online platform, which allow instructional coaches to observe teachers remotely. The iris LiveView camera enables an instructional coach to see and hear at a level of detail that even an in-person observation couldn't provide.

iris LiveView gives a remote observer full control of the camera from anywhere in the world, in real-time. That means that with only a computer and an internet connection, an instructional coach can see every corner of a room and hear high definition audio.

These tools will allow participating teachers and mentors to more fully engage in the cycle of development through video capture, review, reflection, and feedback on classroom instruction.

In concert with the thereNow’s LiveView camera and IRIS Connect online platform, participating teachers will engage in the University Of Virginia Curry School Of Education’s My Teaching Partner (MTP) coaching cycle. This component of the project will guide mentors in the use of prompts, protocols, and action plans as they provide meaningful feedback to teachers.
Finally, teachers will also have the opportunity to share their video through PD360, an online platform for sharing video with other teachers in the district.
Together these supports are designed to improve teaching and learning in the district; including, but not limited to, improved instruction, classroom management, teacher retention, mentoring, and student outcomes.

Chat n' Chew Supports Professional Learning Community

On Tuesday the Baltimore Curriculum Project and Wolfe Street Academy hosted the first after-school Chat and Chew. Melissa Anderson, Dawn Burks, Jovan Campbell, and Terry Houck participated in this opportunity to practice Direct Instruction instructional delivery, signals and corrections.

The weekly sessions are being organized by Wolfe Street Staff Developer Rosemary Byron and BCP Academic Coach Sue Lattimore. During Tuesday's session the teachers were very engaged in the discussion and practice, and shared some of the good ideas that are working in their classrooms. For example, Terry Houck showed how she uses a ring of "Equity Chips" to keep the students attentive during individual turns.

These teachers have taken an active role in their development as professional educators and plan to continue to join these sessions, which will be held every Tuesday from 3:00pm - 4:00pm, throughout the fall semester.

BWGC Supports Wolfe Street Academy

The Baltimore Women's Giving Circle (BWGC) of the Baltimore Community Foundation has awarded the Baltimore Curriculum Project a grant of $12,180 to support Wolfe Street Academy's After School Academics Program. The program serves 75 children in grades 1-5, with three classes per week in reading, math, science and social studies.

Through collective giving and collaboration, The Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle seeks to improve life for disadvantaged women and their families in the greater Baltimore area. BWGC is a fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation We would like to thank BWGC for supporting our students.

For more information visit: http://www.thebwgc.org/

MICA Community Arts Collaborative at Wolfe Street Academy

Wolfe Street Academy has been accepted into the Maryland Institute College of Art's (MICA) 2012-2013 Community Arts Collaborative (CAC). The program will place a talented community artist at Wolfe Street for a year-long residency.

Created in 2004, CAC is the only program of its kind in Maryland that links artists, communities, and institutions of higher education. Housed in the Office of Community Engagement at MICA, this program places community artists in year-long residencies with nonprofits, schools, and community centers in Baltimore City. The work of CAC member artists provides children, youth, and adults with the benefits of after-school arts-based learning experiences and strengthens neighborhoods through community art projects.

For more information visit:
http://www.mica.edu/About_MICA/Departments_and_Services/The_Center_for_Art_Education/Community_Art_Collaborative.html

WOLFEST on Saturday May 12th

Looking for something fun to do with the family today? Check out WOLFEST, Wolfe Street Academy's annual street festival from 12:00 PM until 4:00 PM on Gough Street between S. Wolfe and Washington Streets, immediately adjacent to the school.

Schedule:

• 12:00pm -1:00pm - Greetings and formal student performances
• 1:30pm - Talent Show
• 2:30pm - Performance by Native American dancers (including a WSA parent)
• 3:15pm - Cream the Principal (our students' favorite activity)

Latin American and festival food will be for sale, and there will be many crafts tables, inflatables and other activities for kids. All proceeds go to support the WSA Parent/Teacher Organization. Please join us!

Maryland Food Bank Backpack Program Feeds Wolfe Street Families

The Maryland's Food Bank's Backpack Program began two weeks ago at Wolfe Street Academy. The program provides bags full of food to children eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school. Backpacks are handed out on Fridays and children take them home to share with their families over the weekend.

Two Fridays ago, students participating in the BOOST After-School Program at Wolfe Street received bags of food. Food distributions will alternate weekly between students participating in the after-school program and students only attending the day school.

Kathy Stroup, Director of Extended Student Services, worked for two years to bring the Backpack Program to Wolfe Street Academy. The school will continue to receive weekly food distributions until the Food Bank exhausts the funding allocated for this program. Wolfe Street Academy also hosts two larger Maryland Food Bank food distributions twice a year.

The Backpack Program was initiated after Baltimore City teachers began noticing children returning to school on Monday unable to concentrate because they had not eaten all weekend. In Fiscal Year 2009, the Maryland Food Bank distributed 9,360 backpacks to children.

The Backpack Program is one of many services coordinated by the BOOST After-School Program at Wolfe Street Academy, which is funded by a grant from the Family League of Baltimore City.

Wolfe Street Academy Workforce Tutors Students

Every day last September, as we eased in the school year and started the after school program, 5th grader Mario would ask “when’s my tutor coming back?”

Mario’s tutor, Linnea Zimmerman, is a student at the The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who has been meeting with Mario on a weekly basis since he was in 3rd grade, to help him with reading and math skills.

Linnea is a member of The Wolfe Street Academy (WSA) Workforce, a volunteer program run by students at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine since 2006. The program has grown every year since then, and now includes volunteers from The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and The Johns Hopkins Department of Biomedical Engineering as well.

Mario has a strong connection with Linnea , and in the time he has been working with her he has improved academically to a point where he is ready to successfully graduate both from elementary school, and from the tutoring program.

This school year, 35 Wolfe Street Academy children are receiving individual weekly tutoring services, mostly from graduate students with the Wolfe Street Academy Workforce. Fourteen of the tutors have tutored at WSA for two years or more.

Deborah Apple, a 3rd grade teacher who is actively involved in the program, has noticed the value of having seasoned tutors returning for a second year or more.

“It is wonderful to have so many second year tutors at WSA this year. The relationships they build with students and academic support they provide are invaluable for both struggling students and their teachers,” said Ms. Apple.

Many of those second year tutors are medical students, and in a few weeks they will be moving on to the next phase in their own education – hospital rotations and studying for their Board exams!

The current group of graduate student leaders have taken action to both retain volunteers and make sure they have the skills necessary to help young tutees overcome challenges.

In spring 2011, when she assumed leadership of the program, Sara Fuhrhop began a recruitment campaign to immediately replace those second year medical students who had started their rotations.

“The second year medical students have truly enjoyed working with the students at Wolfe Street Academy," said Ms. Fuhrhop.

"As future physicians, we must be effective teachers and altruistic partners with our patients. Our experiences as tutors at WSA have reaffirmed these values and have taught us so much about how to embody these qualities in our future careers."

Recently, tutors Paul Gilbert and Julia Thorn organized a panel discussion about ADHD and education, which included WSA special educator Katrina Kickbush, a psychologist from The Baltimore Lab School and a child psychiatrist from Hopkins Hospital.

They discussed the difficulties that kids, teachers and tutors face in educating children with ADHD and other special needs.

The efforts are paying off! Last year, NWEA testing showed that children in individual tutoring, all of whom have a history of struggling academically, grew academically at an equal rate with their peers who did not have a history of difficulties.

We would like to thank the students from The Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Bioengineering for supporting our students. We will be recognizing all of our tutors with two or more years of tutoring at our Family Night on February 15th.

BCP Winter 2012 Professional Development Conference

On Thursday, January 26, 2012 BCP hosted its Winter 2012 Professional Development Conference for over 200 teachers from City Springs School, Collington Square School of the Arts, Hampstead Hill Academy, and Wolfe Street Academy.

BCP provides two professional development conferences and several day-long seminars each year. Principals determine their staff training needs and BCP customizes training to meet those needs. BCP also provides training that addresses areas identified by BCP coaches and leadership staff.

Click here to view the event program (PDF file).

A variety of workshops were offered at the Winter Conference including:

• CHAMPS: How to manage difficult kids
• Challenges in Urban Education
• Literacy Centers: Incorporating Literacy Centers into the Primary
  Classroom
• Maximizing Opportunity to Learn: Engagement Strategies
• Enrichment Activities for DI Lessons
• Effective Firm Up Procedures
• Writing Workshop
• Effective Lesson Planning for All Learning Levels

Presenters included Tara Anderson, Laura Doherty, Nora Hogan, Brenda Kahn, Marvelyn Johnson, Jeff Krick, Susan Lattimore, Jon McGill, Laura Moyers, Ed Schaefer,

Keynote Address

Journalist Shepard Barbash delivered the keynote address. Barbash has been a writer for thirty years. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, City Journal, Education Next and other publications.

He is former bureau chief of the Houston Chronicle in Mexico City and is the author of five books, including Clear Teaching, published in January by the Education Consumers Foundation.

Luncheon Speakers and City Springs Choir

Collington Square School of the Arts Resource Teacher Lauren Bevacqua and City Springs School Para Professional Antoine Lewis delivered talks during lunch. This was followed by a performance of the City Springs School Choir.

Thank you

We would like to thank Hampstead Hill Academy for hosting the 2012 Winter Professional Development Conference and the entire HHA staff for making it a success.

Thank you to Chipotle and ADP for sponsoring the conference.

Thank you to Tara Anderson for organizing the conference and to all of the BCP staff members who helped out: Tilda Johnson, Larry Schugam, and Angela Scott.

Wolfe Street Receives Lowe's Grant for Living Classroom

The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) has awarded Wolfe Street Academy a 2011-2012 Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant of $2,000 to support the school's Outdoor Living Classroom Project.

The grant will enable the school to transform an underutilized courtyard into a serene Living Classroom learning environment for students, families and the local community. The courtyard, which currently contains a container garden, will also include benches, raised flower beds, a butterfly garden, a bird bath and feeders.

Teachers will use the University of Maryland Food Supplement Nutrition Education Program's Growing Healthy Habits (GHH) curriculum to provide nutrition education through gardening.

This curriculum was developed specifically for educators in Maryland reaching low-income youth who wish to use gardening as a tool for improving nutrition-related behaviors. GHH was written by Chrissa Carlson, Hampstead Hill Academy's Food for Life Educator.

A variety of partners are supporting the project. Students from Kennedy Krieger High School have volunteered to build the raised planter beds; Master Gardeners from the University of Maryland’s Nutrition Education Program will provide technical assistance; and the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation will provide a variety of workshops for students on nutrition and gardening.

We would like to thank Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation for supporting our Living Classroom project.

About Lowe’s Toolbox for Education
Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant program is funded by the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, which has supported thousands of grassroots community and school projects in the communities where Lowe’s does business. Learn More.

Dorfman Museum Figures Donates Art Supplies

Dorfman Museum Figures, a Dundalk-based business, has donated spools and other art supplies to Wolfe Street Academy's After-School Art Program. Students used the spools to create the beautiful artwork you see in the photo above.

Myra Gnadt, Administrator for Dorfman Museum Figures, has been instrumental in coordinating the supply donations. Founded by Earl Dorfman in 1957, Dorfman Museum Figures, Inc. has added vitality and drama to museums and exhibits from the Smithsonian to Singapore.

We would like to thank Dorfman Museum Figures and Ms. Gnadt for their support.

For more information about Dorfman Museum Figures visit: http://www.museumfigures.com

To learn more about the Wolfe Street After-School Art Program contact Program Director Nancy Jagelka at njagelka@gmail.com

Travel Advantage Network Donates 2,000 Book Bags to BCP Students

MILLERSVILLE, Md., Jan. 11, 2012

Local Company's Charitable Efforts Support the Baltimore Curriculum Project

MILLERSVILLE, Md., Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Travel Advantage Network (TAN), a wholesale vacation accommodations program, donated 2,000 book bags to a network of Baltimore City schools affiliated with the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP). Wolfe Street Academy, a Baltimore City public charter school and BCP member, was able to equip its entire student population of pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students with the TAN sling book bags. The remainder of the bags went to other BCP-affiliated schools. Chief development officer and vice president of the Baltimore Curriculum Project, Larry Schugam, personally delivered the bags to the students.

"We are incredibly grateful for TAN's donation of book bags for our four neighborhood charter schools which include City Springs School, Collington Square School of the Arts, Hampstead Hill Academy and Wolfe Street Academy. Gifts like these make a big difference in the lives of our students," stated Larry Schugam, chief development officer and vice president of the Baltimore Curriculum Project.

The Baltimore Curriculum Project is a nonprofit organization that endows four neighborhood charter schools in East Baltimore. Its mission is to develop, implement, and advocate for an innovative, sustainable, and replicable education model that improves student outcomes. A vital goal of the organization is to help raise standards and opportunities for disadvantaged youth and Baltimore City schools.

TAN has been dedicated to charitable giving since its inception. Brad Callahan, TAN president, has cultivated a culture of giving at Travel Advantage Network that includes a commitment to monthly charitable events. Each month an employee chooses a charity to sponsor and donations are raised during that month through various fundraising activities such as raffles, silent auctions, pay-to-wear-jeans days, and other fun events to get TAN team members to contribute. In 2011, TAN raised more than $12,000 for various local and national charities. For information about Travel Advantage Network and its charitable efforts, please visit PlanWithTAN.com or the Travel Advantage Network Charity Blog.

Since 1992, TAN, a wholesale priced vacation accommodations program, has helped families and individuals create lifelong vacation memories. TAN is the proud recipient of the Better Business Bureau of Maryland's prestigious Torch Award for exemplifying high business standards and professional integrity, as well as the Maryland Chamber of Commerce's Philanthropy in Business Award for outstanding and innovative commitment to local and national charities. TAN is a recipient of SmartCEO Magazine's 2008 and 2009 Future 50 Award, recognizing the fastest growing companies in the greater Baltimore area. For more information, please visit PlanWithTAN.com.

Media Contact:
Shayna Iglesias
Travel Advantage Network
siglesias@planwithtan.com
Phone: 800.223.0088 x 259
www.PlanWithTAN.com

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/545593#ixzz1jA9nDfUE

TAN Donates 325 Book Bags to Wolfe Street Academy

We would like to thank Travel Advantage Network (TAN) for donating 325 book bags to Wolfe Street Academy. Wolfe Street's 190+ students will take these book bags home as a Holiday gift. The remaining book bags will be distributed to teachers at other BCP Schools.

Travel Advantage Network and the Baltimore Curriculum Project are clients of Sir Speedy in Linthicium. Sir Speedy Sales & Marketing Consultant Chris Fath connected the two organizations when he found out that TAN wanted to donate book bags to a Baltimore City school.

Thank you to Chris Fath and TAN Director of Marketing Sean Oakley for making this gift possible.

For more information on TAN visit: http://www.planwithtan.com/

For more information on Sir Speedy visit: http://www.sirspeedy.com/centers/linthicummd870/

Wolfe Street Students Perform at Fells Point Corner Theater

On Tuesday, December 13th all of the first grade students from Wolfe Street Academy performed at the Fells Point Corner Theater. They rehearsed every Tuesday after school for the event. The students performed The Rabbit, the Bear, and the Zinniga Zanniga by Dr. Seuss and a number of holiday songs.

Thank you to the Fells Point Corner Theater for hosting this and other Wolfe Street Academy events. http://www.fpct.org/

View more photos at: http://baltimorecp.shutterfly.com/

Bike Safety Rodeo at Wolfe Street Academy

Bike Maryland hosted a Bike Safety Rodeo at Wolfe Street Academy's After-School Program on Monday, December 12, 2011. They arrived at 2:30 pm with a trailer full of bikes and set up a course on the play ground for the students to ride around. Representatives from Bike Maryland discussed bike safety and the importance of wearing helmets. They talked to 50 after-school students.

Fifth grader Kathryn Jagelka won an award for an essay she wrote for the event. She was honored along with Katherine Zuniga. Both were given beautiful bicycles.

Bike Maryland recently launched its Bike Awareness Program to provide youth and adult safety awareness workshops to reduce crashes/increase safety for bicyclists in Maryland. Bike Maryland hosts free youth bike safety rodeos and free adult commuter workshops. They promote safe cycling for fun, fitness and transportation.

The Bike Ambassador program is a collaboration between the Maryland State Highway Administration and Bike Maryland. For more information about the Bike Awareness Program visit: http://bikemd.org/page.php?id=359

DBFA Adopts Wolfe Street Families

On Sunday December 11^th the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance (DBFA) held an amazing Adopt-a-Family Event at Wolfe Street Academy. Ninety-four Wolfe Street families received hundreds of dollars worth of clothing, boots, winter coats, gift cards and toys for the Holidays.

This is the fourth year that DBFA has partnered with Wolfe Street to provide gifts for families in need. DBFA also partnered with George Washington Elementary. Last year, DBFA was able to match nearly 150 families through the program.

In November participating DBFA families and businesses received wish lists from Wolfe families detailing each child’s age, gender, clothing size and a list of items the child might like. Families purchased the gifts and delivered them to the school.

“The program was originally going to provide one $40 gift for each child, but the donors go all out!” said Wolfe Street Academy Community School Coordinator Connie Phelps.

PTO Celebration

This year Wolfe Street’s PTO held a Holiday Party Fundraiser alongside the DBFA event. Volunteers sold tamales, hot dogs, hot chocolate, baked goods, and atole, a hot Mexican rice drink. The school’s Mexican Folkloric Dance Troupe performed while children took pictures with Santa Claus.

Funds raise will support field trips during the day and during Wolfe Street's after-school program, which is supported by a grant from the Family League of Baltimore City. This year the PTO initiated a grant program for teachers so that they can apply for field trip grants.

Thank You
We would like to thank Allison Pendell Jones, Michele Esch, and all of the DBFA volunteers for making this event possible. Thank you to the generous families and businesses that provided gifts for our families. Thank you to aMuse Toys offering a 15% discount on gifts purchased as part of the program. Thank you to the Wolfe Street PTO for holding the Holiday Party.

Fall 2011 Edition of BCP's Class Notes

Hampstead Hill Students Visit the White House and other news in the
Fall 2011 Edition of BCP's Class Notes

Click here to read the full Fall 2011 edition of BCP's Class Notes (PDF)

This issue features the following articles:

Around the World in Four Newsletters ...
Over the next four issues educators from around the world will share their thoughts on public education. This issue features Andrew Biemiller, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, and Ali Wannas Lafi Al-Rikabi, Head of Translation Department, University of Basrah.

False Dichotomies

By Jon McGill, BCP Chief Academic Officer

The educational world has its own version of the "nature versus nurture" conundrum. It is most often clothed in the guise of debates about whether good teaching can make up for the circumstances in which children live. Can high quality teaching provide the conditions in which children overcome poverty, racism, and difficult home circumstances? Are parental failings, poor home situations, poverty and race really destiny or can "equal opportunity" and excellent teaching, along with excellent schools, bridge the gaps?

Leading Minds Forum: The Impact of Poverty on Education

On September 22, 2011 over 450 teachers, community members, and nonprofit and business leaders attended BCP's fifth Leading Minds forum on The Impact of Poverty on Education. Co-hosted by Loyola University Maryland's School of Education and Urbanite Magazine, the forum explored why poverty has such a detrimental impact on academic achievement and what we, as a community, can do about it.
View a video of the forum and past forums at: http://bit.ly/leadingminds

BCP Receives USTA Organization of the Year Award
BCP has received the US Tennis Association/Maryland Chapter's Organization of the Year Award. Last summer BCP launched a new Pre-K through eight school tennis initiative incorporating 10 and Under Tennis. BCP has committed to bring tennis this year to nearly 1,500 students in all four of its schools through physical education, after school clubs, and an intramural tennis league planned for 2012.

From Baraka to BCP: An Interview with Antoine Lewis

Antoine Lewis' journey from the Baraka School to City Springs School began over 15 years ago. The ties between the Baraka School and the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) run deep. The Baraka School was an experimental school funded by The Abell Foundation, the organization that, under the leadership of Abell President Bob Embry, co-founded the BCP with BCP President Muriel Berkeley.

Arts Every Day at Collington

In an era when art and music are frequently sacrificed on the altar of high-stakes testing, the arts are alive and well at Collington Square School of the Arts. Collington Square is one of 44 City schools participating in Arts Every Day, a program that facilitates connections between the arts and learning for every student, every day.

Baltimore Arts Offerings at Collington

The Collington arts experience doesn't stop at the end of the school day. Students participate in visual arts and dance programs, courtesy of Elev8 Baltimore.

Hampstead Hill at White House

On October 12, 2011 more than 100 Hampstead Hill Academy students and staff participated in a physical education event at the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama hosted hundreds of area students in an attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records record for the most people doing jumping jacks for one minute in a 24-hour period.

Hampstead Hill Recess in the News

You may have seen a recent Baltimore Sun article on the importance of recess. HHA middle school students were featured in a large, front page picture. The article highlighted the importance of having recess in the school day. It also pointed out the challenges that come with staffing and supervising recess, especially middle school recess.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program at Hampstead Hill

Again this year, HHA has been selected to receive about $50,000 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Good nutrition and healthy eating are part of what make for a good day at school.

Stability Balls at Hampstead Hill

Air-filled stability balls have been shown to help students focus on their studies and relieve discomfort caused by long periods of sitting on hard chairs. HHA was recently selected to receive a grant to study the use of stability balls to replace classroom chairs.

Family League Awards BCP $100K for Wolfe Street After-Schol Program

The Family League of Baltimore City has awarded the Baltimore Curriculum Project a $100,000 BOOST (Baltimore Out of School Time) grant to run the Wolfe Street After-School Program. Kathy Stroup, Director of Extended Student Services, has managed the program for three years. Currently, 82 students are enrolled and 35 students are on at the waitlist. We would like to thank the Family League for their support.