• Westlake High School hosted a Jazz at the Lake event on Friday, Feb. 3 The event featured students from six Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) jazz ensembles for a night of music, camaraderie and instruction. After performing for the audience, ensembles worked with various members of the Washington, D.C.,-based group Jazz Update to hone their skills and pick up some tricks of the trade. The annual event is sponsored in part by the Westlake High School Music Boosters.
• Eva Turner Elementary School held a school spirit event to recognize Red Ribbon Week earlier this school year. Red Ribbon Week is usually held in October and focuses on the prevention of drug use and awareness. Turner’s Red Ribbon Week motto was “Let’s Go Crazy to Stomp Out Drugs.” As part of the school spirit week, students and staff had a crazy hair day in which several colored locks and hairstyles were on display.
• William A. Diggs Elementary School third grader Lily Colon, and her brother Vincent, a Diggs kindergartner, were surprised by their father, Alexander, during a school lunch shift in January. Mr. Colon is a member of the U.S. Air Force and had been deployed to the Middle East. The children’s mother, Charlene, worked with Diggs Principal Debra Calvert and Lily’s teacher, Stephanie Mooneyham, to plan the surprise. The Colon children were happy to see their Dad and excited that he surprised them at school.
• Earlier this school year, Eva Turner Elementary School first-grade teacher Natalie Potts was selected to model lessons for new CCPS teachers. Potts and her students have modeled lessons for teachers new to the school system since the start of the school year. Potts has modeled lessons for up to three new teachers at a time.
• Eva Turner Elementary School has an All-Star Parent program in which parents volunteer to assist at the school. The group meets regularly and parents in the program help to greet students, direct traffic during the morning drop off and afternoon dismissal, walk students to class and more. This year’s program includes more than 13 parent volunteers.
• Earlier this school year, Eva Turner Elementary School hosted a spirt day event to bring awareness to bullying and prevention. Some students dressed in their pajamas, while others wore items that represented their favorite sports teams. The theme was Laying Bullying to Rest and teachers worked with classes to reflect and talk about the effects of bullying.
• Eva Turner Elementary School hosts a Storybook Parade annually in which students and staff dress up to represent characters found in their favorite books. Popular choices during the parade held this past fall included Pete the Cat, Disney princesses and Sesame Street characters. The kindergarten team of teacher Latrice Chase and her assistant, Margaret Monroe, dressed as the popular Sesame Street characters Elmo and Cookie Monster. Parent volunteers also helped to coordinate the event.
