Teachers

Name of business: Miller's Music Instruction Owner: Mike Miller Address: 107 Saint Paul St., Boonsboro Opening date: April 1, 2012 Services: I provide instrumental instruction on piano, guitar, voice, and all band and orchestral instruments. Target area: Children How did you get into your business, and what motivated you to start it? I am a retired music teacher from Frederick County (Md.) Schools and I have a passion for music, so I wanted to start instrumental music instruction in my home to children of Washington County.

Name: Roger P. Engle Age: 64 City in which you reside: Martinsburg, W.Va. Day job: Retired after 30 years of teaching at South Hagerstown High School Book title: "Stories From A Small Town: Remembering My Childhood In Hedgesville, West Virginia" Genre: Memoir Quick synopsis of book: "Stories from a Small Town" is a memoir set in Hedgesville between 1948 and 1964, following a boy's adventures around his...

At the start of the school year, Western Heights Middle School sixth-grader Andrea Makle said she was asking her ancient-history teacher a lot of questions because, sitting in the back of the class, she had difficulty hearing him. Next door in Laurie Atwell's geography class, seventh-grader Nadia Metz was having similar problems hearing Atwell even though Nadia sat in the front of the class. These days teachers often walk around their classrooms while speaking, and for these two classrooms any hearing issues are compounded during lunch.

Shepherd University is hosting an autism workshop "Creating Inclusion in the Classroom" featuring Amy Bryan-Chapman, autism coordinator and behavior specialist for Berkeley County Schools, Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Erma Ora Byrd Hall on campus. The workshop will have two sessions.  The first is an overview of autism spectrum disorders, and the second will cover strategies for easing transition, change, and scheduling for students with autism. Areas to be discussed during the workshop include identifying behaviors, developing strategies and lesson plans for scheduling and transitions, discovering the impact of autism on developmental skills, and learning how autism affects the ability to learn.

The Greater Chambersburg Chamber Foundation recently awarded grants totaling nearly $18,000 to four teachers who use technology in innovative ways in their classrooms. The teachers received the grants at the foundation's annual luncheon at The Orchards restaurant. Recipients are Linda Singley, Greencastle-Antrim High School, $4,832; Laura Oslik, Greencastle-Antrim High School, $4,715; Mathren Mellott, Fannett-Metal High School, $4,889; and James Olson, Franklin County Career and Technology Center, $3,390.

Student performance on standardized tests will continue to be incorporated into Waynesboro Area School District teacher evaluations as the district eyes changed state requirements. At Tuesday's school board meeting, Assistant Superintendent Wendy Royer explained how the 2012-13 evaluations will be conducted in all Waynesboro schools. She said the newer evaluations mirror work already started locally. Waynesboro Area School District has been participating in a pilot program for the evaluations as part of $37,500 received in Race to the Top funding, Royer said.

Kaplan University-Hagerstown and Washington County Public Schools recently signed an alliance agreement offering a 30 percent tuition reduction on graduate certificates and master's degree programs in education, including Master of Science in Education and Master of Science in Education in Instructional Technology. Eligible teachers pursuing degrees unrelated to education will receive a 10 percent tuition reduction, according to a news release from Kaplan. “We are excited to partner with Washington County Public Schools to provide a flexible option for classroom teachers looking to further their education and advance their careers, while providing face-to-face, locally based support services,” Chris Motz, president of Kaplan University-Hagerstown, said in the release.

Rhonda Holmes-Blankenship, of Cecil County, was named Maryland's Teacher of the Year Friday night during a dinner at Martin's West in Baltimore. She is an English teacher at Rising Sun High School in Rising Sun, Md. Christina Hammer-Atkins, Washington County's 2012-13 Teacher of the Year, was one of the seven finalists for Teacher of the Year. Hammer-Atkins is a second-grade magnet teacher at Boonsboro Elementary School, which is a magnet school for global awareness and world languages.

The Waynesboro Area School Board on Tuesday adopted a new dress code for teachers and continued the process to soon adopt one for administrators and support staff. For teachers, prohibited items include denim jeans, tank tops, flip-flops, athletic shoes and sweat pants. The policy, which passed unanimously, also addresses grooming. High school teacher Natasha Bloom addressed the school board, saying she understands the school board's motives, but feels her facial piercing does not affect her abilities in the classroom.

I remember one time when I was in sixth grade at the old Dargan School, I had a major role in a school program. I decided to play hooky on that day because I had not remembered my lines, so I told my grandmother I was sick.  She told me to stay in bed. It wasn't too long after our conversation that there was a knock at the door. Principal Middlecamp had come down to my house to tell my grandmother that I had a major part in the school program and I was needed at school. The rest of the story is history.