School Officials

For Erica Hamlett-Nicholson's 11-year-old son, Shawn Nowlin was his most trusted confidant when the Hazelwood Elementary/Middle School fifth-grader suffered from depression caused by his parents' separation. For Duanelle Woodard's nephew, he was the guidance counselor who helped him secure placement in a high school of his choice. And for Antoine Jackson, Nowlin was the heavy-handed administrator who suspended his son for the first time in his academic career. But Nowlin was a hall monitor, not a child and family therapist as he claimed, according to Harford County prosecutors and Baltimore City school officials.

Armed with a plan for protests and petitions, phone banks and pep rallies, the Northwestern High School Alumni Association has set "Operation Hands-Off Northwestern" in motion. The association's leadership met Tuesday with parents and community activists to map out what they say will be a fight to the bitter end to save the large Baltimore City high school from closing - from a pep rally Friday to a legal injunction and civil rights lawsuit when the school board takes its final vote on the recommendation in the 2015-2016 school year.

As Baltimore City education and political leaders prepare to present a $2.4 billion facilities plan in Annapolis next legislative session, officials in Baltimore County said they are eyeing a similar approach to repair their school infrastructure. County schools officials are in the process of studying each of the system's 174 buildings to determine how they might fit into a long-term plan to upgrade the system's infrastructure, estimated to cost at least $1.7 billion. The city decided this week on a 10-year plan that would close 26 buildings, end or relocate 29 programs, and renovate or rebuild 136 facilities.

Lawmakers across Maryland lauded the Baltimore school system's ambitious $2.4 billion blueprint to shed underused school buildings and upgrade the most dilapidated ones — calling the plan a critical first step in securing financial backing from the state. But they said Wednesday that the plan still will face hurdles — including some sentiment that the city should contribute more funding — when educators, politicians and advocates begin their lobbying for the 2013 General Assembly session.

A Edmondson High School senior was stabbed in his left side on his way to school this morning, according to school officials. In a statement, the school system said the boy arrived at the building, where school administrators called police and medics about 8:30 a.m. He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, accompanied by his mother. City police are investigating, officials said, because the incident may have spilled over from a neighborhood spat. erica.green@baltsun.com twitter.com/EricaLG

The George Washington Carver Center for the Arts and Technology showed off its sophisticated building, stellar amenities and talented students during its official dedication Tuesday. The $88 million green building opened this school year in Towson for more than 800 students, who come from across Baltimore County to study in its numerous magnet programs. "I love the new building," said senior Ciara Hall of Owings Mills, who is studying dance. "It's big, cool and so pretty and we will have the best prom ever right here.

An Anne Arundel County high school teacher and basketball coach has been reassigned amid an investigation that school officials have described as a matter involving student safety. School officials said Friday that English teacher and girls basketball coach Erin Thorne has been reassigned from the school and relieved of her duties as coach while the investigation is underway. On Thursday the school system sent a letter from Broadneck Principal David Smith to parents. "I fully realize that any number of rumors are likely to begin swirling about this matter, and I urge you as parents to talk with your child and do everything you can to allow this investigation to proceed as quickly, efficiently, and thoroughly as possible," Smith said in the letter.

The most recent data on high school graduation and dropout rates from the Maryland State Department of Education suggest that while Baltimore City still lags behind other jurisdictions, it is making solid progress in its school reform effort. Graduation rates have risen and dropout rates have fallen. Baltimore isn't out of the woods yet, but the numbers suggest that the reforms put into place by city schools CEO Andrés Alonso starting in 2007 are beginning to show results. The latest data are the first produced under the state's new method of calculating graduation and dropout rates, which tracks the academic progress of individual students in greater detail than ever before.

Tensions between Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold and the school system over funding have been well documented, but Leopold's recent comments at a meeting with residents appear to have further strained the already contentious relationship. Leopold met with residents of the Green Haven community in Pasadena after two teens were charged in the fatal shooting Oct. 13 of a 21-year-old man outside a house party in the area. According to Patch.com, Leopold spoke about increasing police presence in Green Haven as well as other parts of the county.

Police presence was in evidence at five Harford County high schools Wednesday morning; however, no unusual incidents were reported in the wake of an earlier threat that a bomb had been planted in one of the schools. According to one principal, the threat said a bomb would go off at 10:30 — which did not happen. The schools the threats were made against were C. Milton Wright High School and Patterson Mill High School, both in Bel Air, Aberdeen High School and Edgewood High School and the private John Carroll School in Bel Air, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.