Howard County Schools

An employee at Longfellow Elementary School was charged with three drug offenses last month after Howard County police discovered what appeared to be cocaine and marijuana paraphernalia in her Columbia home. Police were executing a search warrant at the home of Longfellow media specialist Michelle N. Feldmesser as part of an investigation into potentially misappropriated book vouchers, according to a statement of charges. Feldmesser, 30, was charged with one count of drug possession and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

TC Shara BoonshaftSchool: Centennial High SchoolHometown: ColumbiaAge: 17Shara serves as the school's Student Government Association president this year and has been a class board member since her freshman year. She belongs to the National Honor Society and the Human Relations Club.She played varsity soccer for four years, varsity basketball her sophomore year and varsity lacrosse her junior year.Aside from her school activities and her nearly perfect grade point average that places her in the top 5 percent of her class, she's trying to develop a women's studies program for Howard County schools.

For a week next month, Howard County Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin will be visiting schools not in Columbia but in China. As part of a cultural-exchange trip from April 4 through 12, Cousin and school administrator Rick Marquart will be sharing information about Howard County schools, its programs and curriculum while learning about China's education system. Howard school officials want to establish sister-school as well as professional relationships with their counterparts in China.

A Howard County pupil will not be allowed to wear an African-style head-wrap to school any time soon: She failed to win a temporary restraining order from a U.S. District Court judge in Baltimore yesterday.The pupil, 14-year-old Shermia Isaacs, says her right to freely express her Jamaican heritage is violated by a no-hats policy at Columbia's Harper's Choice Middle School -- a policy that school officials interpreted to include her cloth head covering.But Judge J. Frederick Motz indicated that the policy is content-neutral and reasonably related to an educational purpose, according to Patti Caplan, a spokeswoman for Howard County schools.

Regardless of the Maryland Stadium Authority's decision ("Scarce funding imperils tennis center," July 21), the county should not spend precious taxpayer dollars on yet another unnecessary sports stadium. Time and time again proponents of these structures promise revenue and jobs. Inevitably, the project comes in over budget and predicted financial benefits and job growth never happen. Both academic and mainstream literature abounds with studies and stories proving these projects only drain money from public treasuries while they line the pockets of the wealthy.

In a meeting with the editorial board of The Baltimore Sun , the next Baltimore County schools chief, S. Dallas Dance, said he supports the controversial decision to build a new school in Mays Chapel. The school, he said, is needed to relieve overcrowding.  He said he will never shy away from making unpopular decisions, but that no matter how difficult the decision "it does not give you the right not to listen to people. "   Dance will take over on July 1, but he plans to visit the county several times between now and then.

Responding to a series of shootings at schools nationwide, the Howard County School system has formed an "action team" on violence to reach students who are in crisis and help schools respond appropriately if violence does erupt.The initiative follows a national movement after fatal shootings in Oregon, Pennsylvania and Arkansas."In all of the cases of these shootings, somebody knew about it in advance and they didn't take it seriously or they didn't know what to do," Howard County schools Superintendent Michael E. Hickey said.

The county Board of Education agreed Thursday to spend about $100,000 to initiate a three-year program to combat racism and prejudice in Howard County schools.The plan, with a total price tag of nearly $200,000, was recommended by a 21-member task force appointed in June by Superintendent Michael E. Hickey."We have a personal commitment to not reduce, but eliminate racism in our schools," said Sandra Erickson, co-chairwoman of the task force and curriculum coordinator of staff development programs.

Howard County school officials plan to expel at least three students suspended for brutally beating a senior at Columbia's Long Reach High School.The expulsions were not officially confirmed as of late yesterday because it was unclear if the students' parents had been contacted, school system spokeswoman Patti Caplan said."

Four days after emerging as one of two finalists to run Howard County schools, New York state native John R. O'Rourke met last night with about 50 parents, school board candidates and community leaders. O'Rourke -- 55, who is superintendent of the Pittsford Central School District near Rochester, N.Y. -- told them that he would focus on classroom instruction, partnerships with the community and improving student achievement if he is named schools superintendent. The Pittsford district, in one of Rochester's wealthiest suburbs, has an enrollment of 5,800 and a reputation for high academic achievement.