Board of Education Recognizes Staff

DENTON – This week marks Staff Appreciation Week across Caroline County Public Schools, during which the county celebrates the hard work and dedication of all CCPS staff members. That spirit of celebration and academic focus was highlighted in the May 5 Caroline County Board of Education meeting, where several measures were taken to recognize the excellence of CCPS family members – past and present.

Aspiring Teacher Scholarship Award Winners Named

The meeting opened with recognition of the CCPS Aspiring Teacher Scholarship recipients. The Board said they want to “identify, support, and invest in graduates who aspire to enter the field of education” through this scholarship.

Dr. Nicole VonDenBosch said this year’s selection committee faced a particularly competitive pool of candidates. Winners were Kayla Jenkins of Colonel Richardson High School, and North Caroline High School’s Layla Phoebe Cunningham, Brooklyn Spencer, and Logan Moody.

Board President Michele Wayman told the students she is excited to “have future teachers who are interested in coming back to Caroline County.” She encouraged them “do well” in college, “then come on back.”

Student Board Members Kadeen Belle and Jeffery Lin Recognized

The Board also formally recognized its two current Student Board Members, Kadeen Belle and Jeffery Lin, thanking them for a year of consistent engagement and thoughtful reporting from their respective school areas. Belle, who has served as a Student Board Member for two years now, regularly reports on Northern Caroline County elementary, middle, and high schools, while Lin focuses on the Southern schools.

The Board presented each student with an iPad as a token of appreciation. Lin said he is headed to the University of Maryland for engineering, while Belle said she will also be attending the University of Maryland, but for family health, with the goal of earning a master’s in social work.

“We’ll miss you… and all the spirit that you put into your reports,” Superintendent Dr. Derek Simmons said.

Nationally Certified School Nurses Honored

In conjunction with Staff Appreciation Week and National School Nurses Day, the Board spotlighted the work of CCPS school health professionals by recognizing two nurses who have earned National Board Certification in School Nursing: Laura Brittingham, school nurse at Colonel Richardson Middle School, and Jennifer Yost, CCPS’ Supervisor of Health Services.

Student Services Director Kirk Howie explained that National Board Certification “validates advanced knowledge and expertise in school nursing” and “indicates that they have demonstrated that advanced clinical knowledge for school‑age populations [and] expertise in managing the school health needs within educational settings”, as well as “the ability to support student success by removing health‑related barriers.”

Brittany Baker Appointed K–12 Math Supervisor

The Board approved the appointment of Brittney Baker as the new K–12 Math Supervisor for CCPS, following the promotion of former Math Supervisor Dr. VonDenBosch. Dr. VonDenBosch made the official recommendation to the Board, noting that Baker brings “a strong combination of classroom coaching and district leadership experience.”

Baker’s impressive resume includes service as a secondary math teacher, work as a math coach, five years of experience as a K–12 Math Supervisor in another district, an Administrator I and II certification, certification in secondary mathematics, and a master’s degree in instructional design and technology.

Dr. VondenBosch also said that Baker has “a deep understanding of MSDE initiatives, as well as the new math policy.” She has served as a Blueprint Pillar 3 chair for College and Career Readiness, and leads an Eastern Shore math collaborative team.

The motion to accept Baker as the new CCPS Supervisor of Instruction for math passed unanimously.

‘The Business of You’, Co-Authored by Former CCPS Teacher, Adopted for Required Financial Literacy Course

The board voted to adopt The Business of You by Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio as a core text for the required financial literacy course taken by all CCPS students. One of the co‑authors, Dr. Marnie Stockman, is a former educator from Caroline County.

Lindsey McCormick, Director of College and Career Readiness at CCPS, said the book as a tool that “allows a reader to learn and understand truly how to be the CEO of themselves.” The text focuses on running one’s own “business” as a metaphor for their personal lives, including how to “run their own decisions, invest their time, who they surround themselves with, [and] how they communicate their value.”

Staff showed that the book aligns with existing standards and learning targets, including helping students make “choices regarding student education and career paths.” A pilot was conducted this fall, with surveys showing over 80% of students said their understanding of college and career readiness changed after engaging with lessons from the book, and 84% said the book made them think differently about their next steps.

The Board ultimately approved a motion “to accept [the] recommendation to… adopt The Business of You as part of our financial literacy curriculum.”

New Data Science Course Pilot Approved

The Board also received a detailed presentation on a new state‑approved Data Science course, which CCPS plans to pilot at both high schools before seeking full catalog adoption. The course is intended as a third‑ or fourth‑year math option for students who have successfully completed Algebra I and II.

The Maryland State Department of Education defines the course as one that “will introduce students to the main ideas and tools of data science.” The course is project‑based and designed to build student skill in: organizing, displaying, and analyzing data, as well as using probability and modeling to make predictions and arguments.

Anticipating questions from community members about the necessity of the course in an age of artificial intelligence, Dr. VonDenBosch emphasized that AI does not remove the need for human judgment; rather, it “only increases the need for people who can understand the data” and interpret results. 80% of surveyed parents said they would consider enrolling their child in data science, and 100% of surveyed students said they would consider enrolling.

CCPS will run a spring‑semester pilot at both high schools, collecting performance and feedback data for consideration of full adoption.