Good evening RAMFAM! This is your proud Parkside principal, Brian Briggs. We had another great week here at Parkside and here are just a few highlights:
· 2024 Parkside Rams Boys Soccer team...will always be champions in our hearts and will go down as one of the greatest soccer teams in Parkside High history. They had an undefeated season during the regular season and only lost 1-0 in the state championship game to one of the best teams in the state, regardless of classification. Coach Kollin Boog and his staff led this team to the state finals game which has only occurred 4 times in the 49 years of Parkside. This team's legacy will last forever, and we won't forget about this team anytime soon. Thank you to our seniors who played at their best when it mattered most. You will not be forgotten, and we can't wait to celebrate your graduation in May 2025. 2024 Parkside Boys Soccer team, hold those heads high...you are champions, and we love you all!
· Congratulations to Natalie Breidenbach and Brady Willey for having your artwork selected by Dr. Stauffer for the 2024 Superintendent’s Art Collection. You are both incredibly talented artists, and we are so proud of you both.
· Shoutout to the Parkside Class of 2025 for putting on a wildly successful Powderpuff Game this week. It was great seeing so many students having a great time enjoying the comradery with their peers!
· Congratulations to Deputy First Class and Parkside CTE School Resource Officer Shane Webster for being awarded an Extra Mile Award this evening from the Wicomico County Board of Education! Shane's top priority is always the safety and security of the RAMFAM, both students and staff. Shane is also a proud Parkside graduate and is always going above and beyond his duties. We are extremely fortunate to have DFC Shane Webster at Parkside CTE, and he is the perfect example of someone who goes the extra mile!
· Veterans Day provided a wonderful opportunity for the RAMFAM to celebrate veterans on staff and in the community. Our thanks to Parkside's first principal, veteran Tony Sarbanes and others who joined us in front of the school this morning for a short ceremony and flag raising. You made Veterans Day meaningful for our students.
· The Parkside LEO Club had 45 students stay after school to finalize plans for some upcoming community projects. We love seeing Parkside students give up their free time to help make this a better world! LOVE this RAMFAM!!! Thank you, LEO Club!
I am a big believer in communication and making sure that everyone knows what is happening here at Parkside, home of the RAMS. See below for important updates/reminders and dates over the next few months.
Important dates upcoming:
· November 19th – Armed Forces and First Responders Career Day
· November 27th-29th – Schools closed for Thanksgiving
· December 23rd – January 3rd – Schools closed for students for Winter Break (Parkside CTE offices will be open 12/23, 12/26-27, 12/30, and 1/2-3)
Updates/Reminders:
· 1st Marking Term Report Cards were posted Friday afternoon, November 15th. Please make sure that you take a look and talk with your student about their 1st marking term grades and how to continue to focus on your academics all school year long.
· Parkside is starting a new literacy initiative where we look to RAMp IT UP in our classrooms with increased levels of reading and writing. We will be looking for our students to ACE their assignments…they should be Answering the question, Citing evidence from the text, and Explaining their answer. This will assist our students, especially those who have a difficult time writing, so that they can become better prepared for college, career, or the military.
· Hey RAMFAM,
Check out this sneak peek of the yearbook cover!
2024-2025 Parkside Yearbook | Parkside High
Visit www.jostens.com/yearbooks to order your copy today!
Hurry! The cost is $89 until 11/22/24.
It increases to $95 on 11/23/24.
· Our Parkside Step-Up after school program continues this week and will run Monday through Thursday most weeks from 2:45 till 4:45. This program offers tutoring, enrichment activities, and attendance intervention plan make up time. Transportation is provided if needed. See your grade level Google Classroom to sign up and for more information.
· It’s Time to Nominate a Great Educator to Be the Next Wicomico Teacher of the Year!
Celebrate a great teacher with a nomination for Wicomico Teacher of the Year! Nominations are now open and will be taken through Dec. 2 for the next Wicomico Teacher of the Year. Anyone in the community may seek recognition for an educator quickly and easily using the online nomination form. Access the nomination form through the school system’s website (www.wicomicoschools.org) or by using the link or QR code.
Teacher of the Year nomination link
(https://forms.gle/5B4Boj3juBeFZk57A)
Teacher of the Year nomination form in Spanish
(https://forms.gle/ZnMyNWFZhh2UVhxr9)
Teacher of the Year nomination form in Haitian Creole
(https://forms.gle/8HQZrLChEKJ6VYG47)
The Wicomico Teacher of the Year Program provides students, families, colleagues, and others in the community the opportunity to nominate, celebrate and honor top educators from around the school system. Outstanding teachers may be nominated in each Wicomico school as well as in Wicomico’s special programs (Birth to Five program, English Language Support Center, Choices Academy and virtual learning). The online nomination form is available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. Paper forms in each language are available on request by contacting any school office or the main office of the school system.
Schools will celebrate their nominees, recognize their top three nominees as quarterfinalists, and announce the school’s Teacher of the Year and semifinalist for Wicomico Teacher of the Year in January. For Special Programs, one educator will be named each program’s Teacher of the Year, and the top-scoring teacher from the Special Programs will be a semifinalist for Wicomico Teacher of the Year.
Semifinalists will participate in the Fishbowl public speaking event in early 2025, and will submit a written prompt and interview with a blue-ribbon judging panel. Scores from these three activities will be tallied to determine the finalists and winner of Wicomico Teacher of the Year. The Wicomico Teacher of the Year Celebration will take place April 10 to celebrate all semifinalists, the Teachers of the Year for the Special Programs, and the finalists for the Rising Star Award for outstanding second-year teachers. The four finalists for Wicomico Teacher of the Year will be named that night, and the evening will end with the announcement of the 2025-2026 Wicomico Teacher of the Year.
“Great teachers affect the lives of students and families in lasting, positive ways. As a former student in our schools, I have many memories of outstanding teachers who supported me in being successful in school and being prepared for college and career,” said Dr. Micah Stauffer, Superintendent of Schools. “We have amazing teachers in Wicomico County Public Schools, and the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Recognition Program is a great way to let those teachers know just how much we appreciate them. We’re excited to find out which of the amazing teachers who is serving students in our schools right now will be named the next Wicomico Teacher of the Year.”
Wicomico Teachers of the Year model teaching excellence. Current Wicomico Teacher of the Year Debbie Reynolds was the very first Rising Star Award winner as the most outstanding new teacher. Many Wicomico Teachers of the Year have been finalists for Maryland Teacher of the Year. Wicomico is proud to have had on its staff three former Maryland Teachers of the Year: Aaron Deal (2004), then a computer education teacher at Salisbury Middle and now the Supervisor of New Teacher Induction and Educational Technology and an important member of the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Committee; April Todd, who was named both Somerset and Maryland Teacher of the Year and is now a middle school Thinking and Doing (TAD) teacher for Wicomico Schools; and Bonnie Walston (1994), then a resource teacher at Parkside High School and the Director of Special Education until her retirement.
Nominate a great teacher for Wicomico Teacher of the Year today!
Thank you again RAMFAM for all you do! I am so proud to work with so many great students, families, and staff.
Thanks,
Brian