SU partnership with China’s Anhui Province celebrated

SALISBURY – While Salisbury University students and faculty were working on last final exams of the fall semester, SU and Maryland higher education leaders took time to celebrate their strategic partnerships in Anhui Province, China, during a ceremony at the University of Maryland, College Park.

They welcomed a strong delegation from Anhui, led by Anhui Province Vice Governor Li Jinbin and leaders from 10 Anhui higher education institutions.

During the event, Dr. Brian Stiegler, SU assistant provost for international education, signed two ceremonial agreements with Professor Ming Cui, vice chair of the University Council at Anqing Normal University.

The new agreements focused on two areas. The first continues the decade-long tradition of global faculty mobility between the universities by including faculty from Anqing’s Department of Huangmei Opera as visiting scholars at SU.

Huangmei is one of five traditional opera forms in China. Anqing Normal is the only university in China that offers degree programs to train professional artists in the tradition.

The second agreement continues the vibrant student global mobility between SU and Anqing by creating opportunities for students from Anhui to study as visiting exchange students in SU’s degree programs in computer science and environmental engineering.

Maryland and Anhui Province have been partnered as sister states through the Sister Cities International Organization beginning since the years following President Richard Nixon’s historic 1972 visit to China. For more information about the partnership, visit marylandsisterstates.org.

Board of Education meeting

The Board of Education of Dorchester County will conduct an open session Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at the Dorchester Career and Technology Center. After the start of the open session, the board will meet in closed session. At the conclusion of the closed session, the board will reconvene at 6 p.m. in the open regular session.

The agenda and related documents can be accessed online via BoardDocs on the Dorchester County Public Schools website at dcps.k12.md.us.

Anyone who would like to submit public comments electronically, to be included in the minutes, can email comments@dcpsmd.org by 2 p.m. Thursday. All Board of Education meetings will be livestreamed at townhallstreams.com/towns/dorchesterboe.

Career and Tech Education Night

Bring your aspiring chef, teacher, mechanic, lab scientist or welder to Career and Technical Education Night at Dorchester Career and Technology Center to find out more about these fields plus all the others available at the school.

DCTC will be open to families from 4-6 p.m. Jan. 17, with instructors and current students on hand to answer questions. Elementary, middle and high school 9th and 10th graders all welcome.

Tubman tribute Jan. 26

Wor-Wic Community College will host “A Tribute to Harriet Tubman” on Jan. 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Guerrieri Hall at the college campus in Salisbury.

The free event is open to the public, and will feature historian Dr. Clara Small, Salisbury poet laureate Nancy Mitchell and student writers participating in a poetry contest inspired by Tubman. Visit the events section of worwic.edu for more information.

NDMS LEXIA Superheroes

On Jan. 9, North Dorchester Middle Schools honored students who are working hard to improve their reading skills. The LEXIA Superheroes of the Week were:

Grade 6 - Yahel Velasquez, WIlliam Nabb and James Merrill

Grade 7 - Christian Gallion, Elisa Harris and Everette Hinmom Jr.

Grade 8 - Dallas Collins, Diamond Newbill, Phoebe Elzey and Ayden Rains

Eagles’ Music Boosters

The North Dorchester Music Boosters released the following statement Jan. 9:

“Attention parents and friends of the Music Boosters. We are looking for help at our next fundraising opportunity, running the concessions before and during the upcoming spring musical dates and times. We need three or four volunteers for each performance, to help with fixing and selling beverages and food items.

“The Spring Musical is ‘Mean Girls’ (teen version). Performances are Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. and March 1 at 7 p.m., March 2 at noon and 7 p.m., and March 3 at 2 p.m.”

Anyone interested is asked to comment on the Boosters’ Facebook post. They will be sent a link to the Google form to sign up.

FAFSA deadline extended

The Maryland Higher Education Commission has extended the Maryland financial aid deadline to submit the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, to June 1. To support the application process, the commission launched a new webpage that will help Maryland students apply for federal and state financial aid for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year. 

Students are encouraged to visit the website to learn more about how to prepare to apply using the FAFSA form and to sign up for a FSA ID by creating a username and password at studentaid.gov.

While students will have until June 1 to file their FAFSA and qualify for Maryland scholarships, they are encouraged to file by March 1 if they want to be notified of their eligibility April 15.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the impact of the updated FAFSA projects an increase of 7,398 in Maryland Pell recipients, increasing the number of maximum Pell recipients in the state to 20,310 students. Across the U.S., the new form is expected to help 610,000 new students from need-based backgrounds receive Federal Pell Grants.

Gentlemen’s Club

The Dorchester County Gentlemen’s Club is open to the young gentlemen of North Dorchester High and Middle Schools, Cambridge-South Dorchester High and Mace’s Lane Middle School. The club meets every Wednesday afternoon from 3:15-4:15 p.m., virtually, for now. The club provides young men with cultural and leadership opportunities, activities not offered in home or classroom settings such as guest speakers, field trips, etc. and works to reinforce practical lessons taught at home and school. To find out more and the Google Meet codes for the first meeting, contact Mr. Tucker (tuckerl@dcpsmd.org) or Mr. Lovett (lovettd@dcpsmd.org).

Dorchester County Public Schools

Access documents, news updates, and emergency notifications, from your pocket with Dorchester County Public Schools’ new app. Download for Android bit.ly/3LIXLP9

Download for iPhone apple.co/3rH4Rgr.