Washington County Public Schools

Washington County Public Schools will be on a two-hour delay Wednesday, school system spokesman Richard Wright said.

Here are some of the things happening this week in Washington County Public Schools: Monday, April 1 Spring break - Schools and central office closed Tuesday, April 2 Professional Learning Day - No school for students Washington County Board of Education Meeting - 1 p.m. (broadcast live on Antietam Cable Channel 99) Wednesday, April 3 Bester Elementary - Bookmobile to visit school Greenbrier Elementary - Deputy Phil visits grades three and four Northern Middle - Eighth-grade high school scheduling Pleasant Valley Elementary - Spring student pictures Smithsburg Middle - Future Farmers of America meeting, 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4 Lincolnshire Elementary - PTA skating party, 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 5 E. Russell Hicks Middle - Grades posted to Edline; MSA reward activity Greenbrier Elementary - Fifth-grade panoramic picture

Washington County Public Schools officials presented the Board of Education's $254 million operating budget to the Washington County Commissioners on Tuesday morning. Chief Financial Officer Chris South said the school system was asking the county for $94,453,570, which is a 1.6 percent increase over the county's contribution to the school system's current operating budget. The $94 million represents 37.1 percent of revenue for the school system's operating budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, South said.

Washington County Board of Education President Wayne Ridenour said Tuesday night that an announcement concerning the next schools superintendent isn't expected this week. Asked if that meant the board was working out a contract with someone, Ridenour said: "No comment. But we are crossing the t's and dotting the i's. " Ridenour said the board was working out "incidentals necessary to make an announcement. " There are three finalists for the position, including Deputy Schools Superintendent Boyd J. Michael III. The other two finalists are Craig Fiegel and Clayton M. Wilcox.

The annual years of service dinner and recognition was held Nov. 5 at E. Russell Hicks Middle School to honor Washington County Public Schools employees who have reached five years of employment and years of service in five-year increments. Sharon Barnhart and Joanne Jackson were recognized for 45 years in the school system and five others have reached 40 years of service. A total of 459 employees reached a landmark year of service this year. Each employee received a service pin and those attending were treated to a catered dinner.

A clothing drive in Washington County Public Schools to benefit Children In Need will be conducted through April 26. Students and staff at the following schools have been asked to make and generate contributions of gently used clothing, coats, jackets and shoes in sizes 3T (toddler) to 2X (adult): Clear Spring, Conococheague, Fountain Rock, Hancock, Hickory, Lincolnshire and Williamsport elementary schools; Clear Spring and Springfield middle schools; Clear Spring and Williamsport high schools; and Hancock Middle-Senior High School.

The side-view windows can't be folded in and the windows don't need to be rolled up, but the crossing arms on the front of the school buses do need to be tied back as a precaution before the buses are driven into Washington County Public Schools' new $214,638 bus-washing system. The system is expected to pay for itself in four years as it reduces the amount of time and labor needed to wash the school system's fleet of 160 school system-owned buses, Transportation Supervisor Barbara J. Scotto said.

Here are some of the things happening this week in Washington County Public Schools:   Monday, May 20 Bester Elementary - MSO visit for grades one to three, 9:30 a.m. Clear Spring Middle - Spring chorus concert at Clear Spring High School, 7 p.m. Lincolnshire Elementary - Author visit Pleasant Valley Elementary - Volunteer tea, 1:30 p.m.   Tuesday, May 21 Washington County Board...

“People wonder what's wrong with Washington. Well, it's the people themselves, that re-elect people like this former governor from South Carolina, who cheated and lied to his wife, and also lied to the people, by thinking he was above the law, and using taxpayer funds to fly to South America to meet his lover. Even though he paid the money back, the fact that he thought he could do it means he doesn't belong in Washington, D.C. But we keep sending these kinds of people to represent us, which is what is wrong.” - Hagerstown “We as humans do things from A to Z that God does not like.

Michael “Mike” Gouker of Hagerstown has known since his early years that art would be a part of his life. “Art was the thing growing up that I could do the best. It was my interest. I told my sixth-grade teacher I wanted to teach art,” Gouker said. The retired art teacher and professional artist has been honing his craft since childhood and keeps looking for new venues for exposure. About three years ago, Gouker submitted a drawing of a sunburst to CBS “Sunday Morning” hosted by Charles Osgood.

A sheet of paper with the words “Do not move” was taped to the U-shaped receptionist desk. A similar note was taped to a large white planter nearby that contained a pot of crusty old soil and dead plant material. A few yards away was a set of double glass doors with locked chains wrapped around the handles of the exterior doors. Rock music was piped through the sound system and custodial, maintenance and technology workers occasionally were encountered in the vast office building that once was home to a Fortune 500 power company and will, possibly by the end of this year, start to house administrative offices for Washington County Public Schools.

In the year since the first Childhood Literacy Summit was held, there are more programs available in Washington County to boost children's reading skills, and the numbers show they need the help. Across Maryland, 82 percent of kindergarten students are considered “fully school ready,” but the figure is 75 percent in Washington County, said David Hanlin, chairman of the Rotary Literacy Council. The Rotary Club of Hagerstown sponsored the second annual summit Friday at Hagerstown Community College, along with the Washington County Public Schools and Washington County Free Library, with corporate sponsorship from the Volvo Group.

Brian Ansel and Kris Pearl thought they were going to spend Tuesday morning observing and helping another teacher work with her students at Bester Elementary School, but the pair was surprised when a group of people walked into the classroom with balloons. Schools Superintendent Clayton Wilcox and officials from the Washington County Public Schools Education Foundation then presented Ansel and Pearl with a large ceremonial check for $1,000. “I was amazed. I was astonished. I was overwhelmed.

The 2013 Washington County Envirothon was held April 19 at the Claud E. Kitchens Outdoor Education Center at Fairview. Fourteen teams from Boonsboro, Clear Spring, Smithsburg, and Washington County Technical High School were on hand for the competition.  Students were tested with hands-on activities in soil science, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, and “Sustainable Rangeland Management: Achieving a balance between Traditional Agricultural Uses with...

Washington County Public Schools Superintendent Clayton M. Wilcox recently announced administrative changes for the remainder of the 2012-13 school year and other transfers that will take place officially on July 1. Following are the changes listed in an emailed news release: • Beth Allshouse will transfer as principal from Greenbrier Elementary School to Lincolnshire Elementary School, effective May 6. • Jennifer Scarberry-Price will transfer...