On Jan. 17, Montgomery County released County Executive Isiah Leggett's recommended Capital Improvement Program (CIP), a budget designated for construction and maintenance projects. Leggett recommended a $1.36 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-2018 CIP for MCPS, a $134 million reduction from the budget that the Board of Education (BOE) requested.
The Montgomery County Council voted to table the youth curfew and anti-loitering proposals on Dec. 6, postponing action on both bills indefinitely, according to Councilmember Phil Andrews (D-Dist. 3).
This year, Assistant Principal Dirk Cauley and the ninth grade team began collaborating on a new series of initiatives to decrease academic ineligibility, and strengthen leadership and anger management skills in the freshmen class.
Montgomery County Councilmembers Phil Andrews (D-Dist. 3) and George Leventhal (D-at large) introduced Expedited Bill 35-11 on Oct. 25, a piece of legislation that would allow police officers to question individuals who appear to be loitering or engaging in unlawful behavior. According to Andrews, 35-11 is based on existing laws in Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin.
Takoma Park's sanctuary laws protecting the identities of undocumented criminals from the federal government will be overridden by a new federal policy, Safe Communities, which allows the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to gather data on undocumented immigrants from municipal police records.
Blair Principal Renay Johnson announced the Blazer Hotline, a phone number which Blazers and surrounding community members can call and text to anonymously report negative student activity, on Sept. 13. The Hotline is monitored by Johnson and security team leader Cedric Boatman.
The MCPS Board of Education (BOE) confirmed Renay Johnson, the current principal of Takoma Park Middle School (TPMS), as the new Blair Principal on May 23.
Joshua Starr was officially appointed the next MCPS Superintendent by the MCPS Board of Education (BOE) on May 10. Starr visited Montgomery County to sign the Superintendent's Contract on May 11. According to BOE President Christopher Barclay, Starr will begin his tenure as superintendent on July 1. Starr will replace Jerry Weast, the current MCPS Superintendent.
Beginning in July, MCPS students will have free access to Ride On and Metrobus services on weekdays between 2 and 7 p.m. The Montgomery County Council passed the Kids Ride Free program on May 26 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 after suspending it for FY 2011.
Varsity baseball (13-7) pulled off an unusual 3-2 win against the Damascus Hornets (5-11). Thanks to a catcher's interference in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Blazers earned a W in the last regular season game of coach John McDonald's career.
The Blair varsity baseball team (5-6) triumphed over the Poolesville Falcons (3-5) in a 14-2 game on Thursday night.
The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents will consider merging the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) and the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), as proposed in a bill introduced by President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-27) on March 21. The bill is currently in the Conference Committee and has been approved by both the House and Senate, according to USM Chancellor William Kirwan.
Senior co-captain Peirce Marston's talent and his approach to baseball have made him a crucial member of Blair's varsity baseball team since his freshman year.
Varsity baseball (2-1) defeated the Clarksburg Coyotes (1-2) by a score of 5-3, thanks to strong offense and a solid starting lineup. Blair kept a close score throughout the game, eventually finishing off with a double play against Clarksburg in the seventh inning.
The Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) and Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), the search firm assisting the BOE with the superintendent search, released the Leadership Profile Assessment on Feb. 17. The assessment identifies the characteristics that community members would like to see in the next MCPS superintendent, according to HYA President Hank Gmitro.
MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast recommended a $2.16 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 on Dec. 15. The budget is $60 million more than the FY 2011 budget.
Junior Larissa Sofia Taaga attended the school in her hometown of Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon, but she knew that no degree, no certificate and no qualification would secure her a bright future. Without the government connections needed to secure a job, Taaga saw few opportunities in her home country.
The Blair ice hockey team crushed a DC based team Friday night, defeating them 9-1 in a pre-season game that demonstrated Blair's finesse on the ice.
In a Sept. 28 letter to the 24 public school superintendents in Maryland, President of the Maryland State Board of Education (MSBE) James H. DeGraffenreidt Jr. requested information regarding the classroom fees, related to instructional materials, that Maryland public schools charge, jump starting an investigation into whether such fees violate the principle of a state funded, free public education.
When a fuse box explodes and sets a home on fire, a senior citizen has a stroke or an office building collapses, a hero must come to the rescue. This hero is the fire department.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) raised fares for rail services this summer to reduce a $189 million budget deficit for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, according to WMATA spokesperson Angela Gates.