Brooklyn Park Middle

Ten Anne Arundel County middle schools will get partial funding that will help them with computer and cable hookups as part of the largest state funding package in 20 years. Also included is money for the Chesapeake Center for the Creative Arts at Brooklyn Park Middle School."We are delighted with this," said Ralph Luther, director ofcounty school facilities management. "Now the county has to come up with the rest of the money."George Fox Middle, Old Mill Middle South, Annapolis Middle, Chesapeake Bay Middle, Corkran Middle, Severn River Middle, Bates Middle, Severna Park Middle, Magothy River Middle and Arundel Middle are older schools built before computers and Internet technology became widespread.

Tuesday's county executive election may boil down to this essential question: Has John G. Gary been a friend or a foe to Anne Arundel County's public schools?It's a simple question with no simple answer.AnalysisGary's tough talk and his allegations against the eight-member school board and school Superintendent Carol S. Parham have overshadowed his accomplishments. Beyond budget-writing, Gary has little power to shape education policy. That job belongs to the superintendent and school board.

DUMBFOUNDED IS the word I've heard most in the last week as north county residents tried to comprehend the news that the County Council has placed money for the renovation of Brooklyn Park Middle School in a contingency fund, rather than appropriate directly to the project.Members of the North County Coalition, fearful that the money might be used for something else, have drafted an open letter to County Executive John G. Gary to show support for the project and are asking residents to copy it, sign it and send it to him.The letter has the endorsement of two north county community associations, the Olde Brooklyn Park Improvement Association and the Linthicum Shipley Improvement Association.

The county school board will vote Wednesday whether to construct a new building or renovate the old area high school building for a proposed 725-student Brooklyn Park Middle School.The board will choose from five options, ranging from renovation of the former Brooklyn Park High School for $16.3 million to a complete overhaul of the building for $22.4 million. Building a new school would cost $20.6 million.The middle school is expected to open in fall 2000.The board also will decide among options for expanding Southern Middle School, at 5235 Solomon Island Road in Lothian.

Architects are advising county school officials to build middle schools in Brooklyn Park and Lothian instead of trying to renovate or expand existing structures.The cost of two new buildings would be near $47 million, not adjusted for inflation.School board members will review the proposal by consultants Grimm and Parker Architects at their Wednesday night meeting and will vote in February on how -- or whether -- they want either project to move forward. Both schools could open as early as 2000, depending on money and politics.

The Anne Arundel County school board approved a design yesterday that will turn the old Brooklyn Park High School into the only facility in the area where children will be taught under the same roof where other community services are housed.North Arundel residents have strongly supported the remodeling and full use of the old building. Other counties with vacant buildings have been studying the idea.Stephen Parker of Grimm and Parker Architects of Calverton presented to the school board a plan that would see the old building reborn in 2000 as a revamped Brooklyn Park Middle School -- "a new modernized middle school" -- with a senior center, creative arts space with a 1,000-seat auditorium, and offices for county agencies.

LINDALE/BROOKLYN Park Middle School has its work cut out for it even before the new school year begins.The school has been designated an Alert School, which means it will be closely monitored by local and state school officials, and additional assistance will be provided when it appears that students' performance could fall below state standards.The three major goals of the school improvement plan center on attendance, behavior and Maryland Performance Assessment Program test scores.The school staff and administrators from central office will be available to answer questions at a community meeting in the school auditorium at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Anne Arundel County budget officials say the rebuilding of two elementary schools in the crowded Pasadena corridor should be delayed from next year to 1998.They also recommended yesterday delaying the construction of seven schools and that no county money be spent on school construction planning next year, angering school officials and legislators from the northern part of the county.School board President Joseph H. Foster called the proposals "just unacceptable.""It shows a total lack of understanding of what is really needed," he said.

The stakes just went up for Brooklyn Park Middle School.Not only does County Executive John G. Gary want a definitive plan and price tag before he commits money to the project, but he also wants to know which North County elementaries will be shut to make way for it.His ultimatum comes just as the school board tries to pry loose some of the $250,000 Gary set aside for a Brooklyn Park Middle School assessment. The money is in the budget that starts Monday.Decade-old plans called for Andover High School and Brooklyn Park Junior-Senior High to become 900-student schools for grades six, seven and eight.

Janet Bury, the popular choice of last year's Anne Arundel County School Board Nominating Convention, was appointed yesterday to fill the unexpired term on the board of a man she ran against last spring.Gov. Parris N. Glendening chose the Brooklyn Park resident and teacher to replace Thomas R. Twombly of Pasadena as the representative of District 31. Twombly quit the board in June, one year into his second five-year term, citing personal frustrations.In a statement announcing Bury's appointment, Glendening praised her commitment to education and "clear vision of the future of education" in the county.

Nicole Fuller's story on the Maryland State Department of Education's differentiated accountability model for school improvement in your Aug. 28 edition provided an accurate look at how the model can assist a school like Brooklyn Park Middle School to increase the achievement for all its students. The headline accompanying the story, however, furthered the very perception that differentiated accountability sets out to eradicate. Brooklyn Park Middle School, in fact, did not "miss the mark" in meeting Adequate Yearly Progress targets for the most recent school year, as the headline implies.

CLARIFICATION - A headline for an article in Thursday's Anne Arundel County section on Brooklyn Park Middle School's varying results in attempting to meet federal "adequate yearly progress" requirements may have left the impression that the school failed to meet the standard in the past school year. The school met adequate yearly progress requirements the last school year. Losing a game or failing a test by just one or two points has always had a particular sting. Brooklyn Park Middle School has felt a similar pain.

CLARIFICATION A graphic in Friday's Anne Arundel section may have left a misleading impression about when Brooklyn Park Middle School failed to meet the state's annual benchmarks for student progress. Special education students didn't meet reading benchmarks in the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school years. Though those students reached those goals in 2004-2005, black students fell short that year. The school made adequate progress in all areas last year, before falling behind again in two categories this year.

THE FACULTY and staff of Brooklyn Park Middle School are dedicated to giving their pupils everything they need to be successful. Pupils are held to high standards, and are rewarded when the standards are met. One of the ways that the pupils are rewarded is by being chosen pupil of the month. Each month one sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grader is singled out for academic achievement, pupil involvement, school spirit and consideration for others. The Brooklyn Park Middle School pupils of the month for September through this month are: Shantel Pumphrey, Tabitha Boone, Destiny Cheeves, Lindsey Hall, Mary Pham, Steven Noonan, Katie Green, Matthew Deitz, Mackenzi Gawthrop, Sammy Shepley, James Delph and David Kincaid.

IS BROOKLYN Park destined to become the educational hub of Anne Arundel County? First a new middle school opened. Next came the Chesapeake Arts Center and its offerings in art, drama, technical theater and just about everything else involving the arts. Then North County Recreation Center began holding classes in crafts and physical fitness. Last but not least, North County Senior Center has offered classes on subjects ranging from computer science to organic gardening. Anne Arundel Community College is the latest educational institution to cross over the Beltway.

IT ISN'T OFTEN that reunions are held for an entire school. It's difficult enough to organize a reunion for a single class. But the Brooklyn Park High School Alumni Association has risen to the occasion. The association's Second Annual Brooklyn Park High School All Class Reunion will be held from 8 p.m. to midnight Nov. 2 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie. Brooklyn Park High School closed in 1990 to make way for a community middle school and North County High. The building on Hammonds Lane was renovated for multipurpose use. It now is the home of the Chesapeake Arts Center, the North County Recreation Center, the Brooklyn Park Senior Center, the County Police Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education offices and Brooklyn Park Middle School.

TALENT ABOUNDS among the pupils at Brooklyn Park Middle School, where six pupils have been honored for their achievements in the arts and sciences. Matthew Dietz won first place in the multimedia contest sponsored by the Maryland Instructional Computers Coordinators Association. Matthew used his knowledge of biology and computer science to create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation called "The Journey of a Chocolate Chip Cookie Through the Digestive Tract." In recognition of his work, he received a certificate and a MICCA bag. He also earned $300 worth of software for Brooklyn Park Middle.

LOOKING FORWARD to St. Patrick's Day? "Dancin' to Dublin," a celebration of Irish dance and music, will give you a preview of the holiday's festivities. Dancers from the Broesler School of Dance will take the stage Saturday at Chesapeake Center for the Creative Arts to perform a series of Irish step dances. Step dances, which originated in Ireland in the late 18th century, emphasize set movements and foot percussion. The footwork and movements tell a story, such as a courtship or annual celebration.

BROOKLYN PARK Middle School recently honored 100 pupils who achieved success through its PRIDE program. PRIDE stands for "Punctuality + Respect + Integrity + Determination = Excellence." Rebecca Mitch, chairwoman of the school's guidance department, said the program recognizes students who meet or exceed academic standards. "At Brooklyn Park Middle School we want to recognize the students who are excelling and improve over each marking period," she said. "The program also encourages more students to achieve these goals."

THE VERY THOUGHT of being a parent overwhelms me. When I am around a child who begins to cry or otherwise let the world know that all is not well, I panic. "If the baby isn't wet, sick, hungry and nothing is hurting them, why are they screaming?" I once asked a friend. Her reply was simple: "If they aren't wet, sick, hungry and nothing is hurting them, they usually don't scream." Despite her years of experience, I didn't believe a word of it. There had to be something more there. Next month, The Family Tree and Brooklyn Park Middle School will offer programs designed to enhance the skills that parents need to see their offspring successfully go from kindergarten to college.