Principal Beth Ramsey at the new Captain Walter Francis Duke E.S.
(Photo by Ron Bailey)
Leonardtown, MD — The faculty, staff and students are ready to soar. When St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) open Wed., Aug 19 with their more than 18,000 students, 591 of them will be embarking on a new journey – they will be the first students of the new Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary School in Leonardtown.
Principal Beth Ramsey and her staff were busy Monday preparing for the opening. An open house for kindergarten students and their parents was set for later that day and the open house for the rest of the grades was scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1-3 p.m.
Captain Walter Francis Duke was a local hero. He was a World War II flying ace whose P-38 was shot down on June 6, 1944. A plane with a number matching his P-38 was found in 2012 in a cleared jungle in what is now Myanmar. Duke’s family is awaiting the return of his remains for proper burial. The school cafeteria features embedded in the floor the coordinates showing when he left Leonardtown and where his plane was discovered
Memorabilia of Capt. Duke’s life are displayed at the entrance along with a large replica of a memorial coin donated by the Duke family to the town of Leonardtown last year. The entrance also features “core traits” embedded in the floors to remind everyone of the values that can be learned from Capt. Duke: “loyal, honorable, courageous and trustworthy.”
Even before entering the schools the message of the values of military service is displayed around the new school’s flagpole, with benches for each branch of service. These words are etched on the benches that describe military service: respect, courage, equality, freedom, duty, honor and commitment.
Just past the entrance hall are two TV screen kiosks. One of the kiosks will display information for the students to learn about the successes of their “green” school, including the amount of rainwater collected. The new school continues to green school design successes from Evergreen E.S. with a number of enhancements.
A new environmental feature for the school is a large recycling bin in the cafeteria that contains multiple shaped opening for different types of disposables.
The second kiosk at the entrance will include school news and a daily student-produced TV news show.
The learning experiences are also extended to the playground where a map of the United States and the Pledge of Allegiance are incorporated. When students are out playing, the door to inside the school is locked and entrance access is only allowed by teachers and aides to ensure the students’ safety. Security features are incorporated throughout the school.
This is an exciting opportunity for the school’s new principal, Beth Ramsey, who was the former principal of White Marsh E.S. “Everyone wants to be here,” she told The BayNet during a tour of the school of Monday. She added, “To me it’s a very exciting opportunity to have all of this positive energy in the school.”
An official ceremony to mark the opening of the school is planned for the end of September.
Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com
The Bay Net Photo Gallery by Photojournalist Ron Bailey
