Research shows that stu-

dents lose academic skills

when they don’t partici-

pate in summer educational

activities, and low-income

students experience the

greatest losses. According

to the Johns Hopkins Uni-

versity Center for Summer

Learning, teachers spend

an average of 4 to 6 weeks

re-teaching material that

students forgot over the

summer. How can we sup-

port student learning over

the summer break?

▪Develop activities involv-

ing low-cost local sites

such as the Rural Heritage

Museum, Antietam Battle-

field, Washington County

Museum of Fine Arts,

Hager House, Round House

Museum, or the C&O Canal.

▪Assign creative interdis-

ciplinary projects similar

to the ones developed by

magnet teachers.

▪Offer alternative pro-

jects linking geography or

history research to family

vacations.

▪Encourage students to

attend WCPS summer en-

richment camps and sum-

mer school.

▪Share summer reading

and math review recom-

mendations with parents.

▪Suggest day trips to one

of the eight 4-year col-

leges located less than 50

miles from Hagerstown.

Summer enrichment oppor-

tunities can reduce the

achievement gap and en-

courage all students to

become lifelong learners.

Website of the Month

Students can begin their

college research on eCam-

pusTours.com, which of-

fers 360 degree views of

over 1,200 college cam-

puses and is searchable

by state or college name.

Articles on college plan-

ning, financial aid, career

exploration, and campus

life are also available.

Students can create an

online portfolio to save

their favorite tours and

can link directly to college

websites and admissions

offices. Viewers are re-

quired to create a free

account. Check it out!

Summer Learning

College of the Month University of Maryland,

Baltimore County is an hon-

ors university that com-

bines a strong liberal arts

foundation with the re-

sources of a major re-

search facility. UMBC of-

fers 42 majors and 41 mi-

nors in physical and biologi-

cal sciences, social and

behavioral sciences, engi-

neering, math, information

technology, humanities, and

the arts. U.S. News and World Report recognized

UMBC as the top “Up-and-

Coming National Univer-

sity” for two consecutive

years, while both Princeton Review and Kiplinger’s have

named it a best value pub-

lic university.

The College

Connection May/June 2011

Volume 1, Issue 9

UMBC 2010

Freshman Facts

Enrollment

1,499 freshmen

Average SAT

(M+CR)

1204

GPA

3.6

Male-Female Ratio

60% Male

40% Female

Living On Campus

75%

Source: www.umbc.edu

Office of

Advanced

Programs

Summer Learning 1

Website of the Month 1

College of the Month 1

School Spotlights 2-3

Inside this issue:

Creating a College-Going

Culture in WCPS

School Spotlight: BMS Boonsboro Middle School’s ISS Coordinator, Susan Fisher, created a college bulletin

board that is receiving lots of attention from BMS students. A table with pamphlets

from colleges throughout the tri-state area is also set up as part of the College Cor-

ner. Thanks to Ms. Fisher for submitting the photos below and at left.

The College

Connection

Spotlight: WHS AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determi-

nation) students at Williamsport High

School visited several colleges this year,

including the University of Maryland and

Shepherd University. Students also re-

searched colleges and created their own

pennants for display. All teachers have

classroom signs posted with their educational

histories, and AVID teachers are identified

with the AVID logo on their signs. Thanks to

WHS AVID team member Nicole Ciccarelli

for submitting the photos below.

School Spotlight: Bester Leah Pongratz’s fifth grade class at Bester Elementary School researched colleges

online, selected their first choice school, and picked a major. Students also com-

pleted mock college applications and wrote personal essays explaining why that col-

lege should admit them. Student applications, research, and photos were then dis-

played on a bulletin board. Thanks to Ms. Pongratz for sharing the photo below.

Board of Education

of Washington County

Wayne D. Ridenour, President

W. Edward Forrest, Vice President

Members

Paul W. Bailey

Donna L. Brightman

Jacqueline Fischer

Karen Harshman

Justin M. Hartings, Ph.D.

The Board of Education of Washington County does not

discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, na-

tional origin, religion, disability, or sexual orientation in

matters affecting employment or in providing access to

programs to Washington County Public School System

students.

Supervisor of Advanced Programs

Jessica Reinhard

301-766-2922

College Readiness Specialist Lori Parks-Murphy

301-766-8721

www.wcboe.k12.md.us

of Advanced Programs

Providing world class educational

opportunities for all students

Interim Superintendent

Stan Schaub

Deputy Superintendent

Boyd Michael

Assistant Superintendent for

Curriculum, School Administration

and Improvement

Donna Hanlin

Assistant Superintendent for

Student and Staff Support

Michael Markoe, Ed.D.

Director for Curriculum

and Instruction

Clyde Harrell, Ed.D.

Director for Secondary Education

David Reeder, Ed.D.

Director for Elementary Education

Jill Burkhart

The College

Connection

This is the last issue of The College Connection for the 2010-2011 school

year. Thank you to all of the schools

that submitted photographs and ac-

tivities.

Office of

Advanced

Programs