Academic Achievement

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has announced he will sign an executive order on Monday in Annapolis to create the Governor's Commission on Quality Education in Maryland. He said he plans to appoint Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele to chair the panel. The purpose of the commission is to examine issues critical to the academic achievement for all students in Maryland, the governor's office said. The commission's inaugural meeting is planned after the signing of the executive order.

Joan Munn , Eastern Technical High School; Andre Keyser , Overlea High School; Kathleen Crane , Parkville High School and Kristen O'Gorman , Perry Hall High School recieved college scholarships of $3,000 each from First Financial Federal Credit Union. Scholarship winners were selected based on their academic achievement and commitment to school and community. The following students earned medals at the Baltimore County NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO)

Sean Paul's catchy dancehall-reggae hit "Temperature" rocked the Long Reach High School auditorium yesterday, as two purple spotlights cut through the dimmed room and cheerleaders tossed each other in the air. The student crowd -- many in the school colors of purple and black -- chanted, cheered and screamed. But this was no typical pep rally. The hoopla was in honor of academic achievement and all those present -- 675 of the school's 1,411 -- had earned at least a 3.0 grade point average or improved their grade point average by a half a point in the previous semester.

The Maryland Department of Education is about to make a very big mistake. Under the Education and Secondary Education Act (better known as No Child Left Behind), low-income families whose children attend low-performing schools are eligible to receive supplemental educational services outside of the regular school day. These services include after school tutorial services. The Supplemental Educational Services Program is federally funded through Title I. Tutorial services can be provided by private companies that are preferred providers approved by the MSDE.

It's supposed to be math time in Mr. Demeritte's third-grade class, but an altogether unplanned lesson needs to be taught first. The kids at Furman L. Templeton Elementary had pushed and shoved and nearly trampled each other to get to some Juicy Twists that their new teacher has brought in. So Edmund Demeritte asks them to describe on paper what they did wrong and contrast it with a situation in which they behaved better. Some struggle with the exercise. David, 8, writes a single word - "jump" - and seems satisfied.

GLEN BURNIE High School celebrated the accomplishments and the potential of the Class of 1998 at the annual senior awards assembly last week. Students were honored for academic achievements, athletic prowess and commitment to the school and the community.Principal David Hill said Glen Burnie seniors received more than $885,000 in scholarship money and more than $107,385 in grants to continue their education.Here is a list of the students and their awards.Phillip Anderson: second place for Web page design from the Anne Arundel County Media Festival.

St. Vincent Pallotti student Joseph Vellanikren, of Laurel, is the 2011 recipient of the St. Michael's College Book Award for Academic Achievement with a Social Conscience. The award is given to high school juniors who are members of the National Honor Society, or their school's equivalent honors organization, and who take leadership roles in school or community service activities. St. Michael's College is a Catholic college in Burlington, Vt.

The power of friends is so great that even parents who have stressed academic achievement can have their lessons undone if their children are not associating with like-minded friends, according to a new study."

The following high school students were awarded the 2011 St. Michael's College Book Award for Academic Achievement with a Social Conscience: Joseph Vellanikren, of Laurel, a student at St. Vincent Pallotti High School; Rebecca Dean, of Ellicott City, a student at Archbishop Spalding High School; Richard Wismer, of Ellicott City, a student at Mount St. Joseph High School; and Alexandra Cook, of Glenelg, a...

Catherine Pech, daughter of Gerald and Linda Pech of Columbia, has received a Meritorious Achievement Award to attend Frostburg State University. She plans to study environmental science.Ms. Pech is a senior at Howard High School, where she is a member of the National Honor Society, a Red Cross volunteer and recipient of a Bausch and Lomb Science Award. She is also a Maryland Distinguished Scholar semifinalist.Funding for the Meritorious Achievement Award is provided by the University of Maryland System and administered by the Frostburg State scholarship committee.

Year after year this "Free State" becomes more and more excessive in what it takes from the working citizens. Each year the state legislature and governor conjure up new ways to wear away the patience of taxpayers. There is a point when our backs have been broken. Too bad for us that we do not consider throwing the rascals out of office. The school system in Maryland reeks of waste, and it begins with the school administrations. Too many administrators, and too much levied on students because of educators wanting more and more and working less and less.

Winters Mill senior Hannah Oneda has been named the Gatorade Maryland Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Also the All-Metro Runner of the Year, Oneda won every local race she ran this fall, including a record-setting performance (18:26.6) in the Class 2A state championship. She finished 33rd at the Foot Locker Nationals meet. Oneda is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced in January. The award recognizes not only athletic excellence, but also academic achievement.  Oneda has maintained a 4.0 GPA, is a member of the National Honor Society, has volunteered as a peer tutor and was chosen to attend the HOBY Youth Leadership seminar in 2010.

A federally mandated tutoring program targeting thousands of students who attend Baltimore City's worst performing schools is shelling out millions of dollars annually to organizations that are operating in the district with little oversight and virtually no academic accountability measures, according to a report released Tuesday by the Abell Foundation. In the report, titled "Sending out an S.O.S. for the SES (Supplemental Educational Services)," researcher Joan Jacobson - whose complaints against her son's special education tutoring service resulted in the provider facing fraud charges and jail time - found that Baltimore is a burgeoning marketplace for the tutoring companies because it holds the bulk of the state's underperforming schools and low-income populations.

The following students graduated or made president's list or dean's list during the spring 2011 semester at James Madison University, in Harrisonburg, Va. Spring 2011 graduates: Jenna Norris, of Baldwin; Alexandra Robertson, of Glen Arm; Madeline Hawkins, of Monkton; and, Charles Eskridge, of Parkton. Spring 2011 president's list: Jillian Jaffa, of Parkton. Spring 2011 dean's list: Jessica Kuhn, of Baldwin; Jenna Norris, of Baldwin; Courtney Neubauer, of Glen Arm; Victoria Avara, of Parkton; and, George Cox, of Phoenix.

The following students were named to Bucknell University's dean's list for spring 2011 semester: Eve Carlson, of Towson, daughter of Peter and Robin Carlson, and a 2008 graduate of Towson High School. Hugh Shepard, of Towson, son of Michael and Jennifer Shepard, and a 2007 graduate of Loyola Blakefield High School. Michael Douglas Meyer Jr., a 2007 graduate of Calvert Hall, graduated magna cum laude with University Honors, Honors in biology, with a major in marine biology and minor in oceanography from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Jennifer Frank, of Reisterstown, daughter of Timothy and Jamie Frank, and a graduate of Garrison Forest School, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Bucknell University. Stephen Wilkes, a 13-year-old eighth-grade student at Old Court Middle School, was one of only 10 students nationally to be awarded an HMH Arts Scholarship from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the HMH Foundation. The scholarship, worth nearly $7,000, allows Stephen to attend the Buck's Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp, in New Milford, Conn., from July 24 through Aug. 20. Top scholars at McDonogh School were recently inducted into the school's chapter of the Cum Laude Society, a national honor society recognizing academic achievement.

The following students graduated or made president's list or dean's list during the spring 2011 semester at James Madison University, in Harrisonburg, Va. Spring 2011 graduates: Jenna Norris, of Baldwin; Alexandra Robertson, of Glen Arm; Madeline Hawkins, of Monkton; and, Charles Eskridge, of Parkton. Spring 2011 president's list: Jillian Jaffa, of Parkton. Spring 2011 dean's list: Jessica Kuhn, of Baldwin; Jenna Norris, of Baldwin; Courtney Neubauer, of Glen Arm; Victoria Avara, of Parkton; and, George Cox, of Phoenix.

SOPHIE ALTMAN, 95 Creator of TV's 'It's Academic' Television producer Sophie Altman, who created the long-running quiz show It's Academic, pitting teams of high school students against each other, died of heart disease Saturday at Georgetown University Medical Center, said her daughter, Nancy Altman of Bethesda. Altman was a seasoned TV producer in 1961 when she started It's Academic in the Washington area. The quiz show is entering its 48th season in Washington, and there are local versions in Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and several other cities; at one point more than 20 cities had their own versions.

The following students from Laurel graduated from Frostburg State University: Gabrieline Amankwaa , Bachelor of Fine Arts in art and design; Christopher Lanier , Bachelor of Science in business administration; Michael Fulson-Woytek , Bachelor of Science in biology; and Robert Kiel , Bachelor of Science in law and society. The following Laurel students were named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Frostburg State University: Abena Abu , Ruth LaCourse , Gabrieline Amankwaa , Amy Carr and Meische Cox , all with a 4.0 grade point average; and Courtney Branch , Caitlin Lovend , Adesumbo Odunlami ; Michael Fulson-Woytek and Robert Kiel . Matthew Donohue , of Laurel, was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Widener University School of Law inHarrisburg, Pa. Emily Parker , of Laurel, graduated from Tufts University, in Medford, Mass., with a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Eastern studies, summa cum laude, and Arabic.

The following high school students were awarded the 2011 St. Michael's College Book Award for Academic Achievement with a Social Conscience: Joseph Vellanikren, of Laurel, a student at St. Vincent Pallotti High School; Rebecca Dean, of Ellicott City, a student at Archbishop Spalding High School; Richard Wismer, of Ellicott City, a student at Mount St. Joseph High School; and Alexandra Cook, of Glenelg, a...