Chesapeake College

Chesapeake College campuses will be closed for Spring Break on Monday, March 18, and Tuesday, March 19. Student services will resume Wednesday, March 20. Thank you for your patience with any communication delays.

Board of Education

The Board of Education of Dorchester County will conduct an open session on Thursday. 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 https://townhallstreams.com/towns/dorchesterboe.

‘Woods in Your Backyard’

Registration is now open for the spring 2024 session of “The Woods in Your Backyard” online
course. The self-directed, non-credit course runs 10 weeks from April 8 to June 17.

The course will help landowners convert lawn to natural areas and enhance stewardship of existing natural areas. The course provides strategies to landowners of small parcels of land (1-10 acres) that improve the stewardship of their property for personal enjoyment and environmental quality.

Online discussion groups will allow participants to interact with others taking the course. A certificate of completion is awarded when all assignments are completed.

The course costs $95 per person, which includes the 108-page “Woods in Your Backyard”
guide, workbook and a tree identification guide. The course is limited to 25 participants. Registration closes April 8 or when filled. Registration is through Eventbrite; go to
WIYB-Spring2024.eventbrite.com.

For more information, go to go.umd.edu/3nmoVmc, or contact Andrew Kling, University of Maryland Extension, akling1@umd.edu, 301-226-7564. 

North Dorchester Middle School

The following students were last week’s Lexia Superheroes:

Grade 6: Abrielle Rookard, James Merrill, Gy'Nilah Nash, Adalyn Truitt, Alayna Kreuger

Grade 7: Martin Sinkledam

Grade 8: Nicole Harding, Elise Moore, Alexis Willey, Phoebe Elzey

Dorchester County Public Schools

This spring, students in grades 3-12 will participate in the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program. Learn more about the assessment and access practice events by visiting support.mdassessments.com/practice-tests/. All results factor into a school’s star rating on the Maryland Report Card and can influence a student’s schedule next year. No personal electronic devices are permitted during assessment administration.

North Dorchester High School

The public is invited to attend the induction of North Dorchester High School’s first Athletic Hall of Fame class on April 6. Responses and dinner ticket purchases are requested by March 27.

The meet, greet and tour portion and the ceremony are both free and open to the public. The 5 p.m. catered buffet dinner is optional, but requires a $20 entry fee via GoFan (gofan.co/event/1431807?schoolid=MD22645)

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, 2024. 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 now 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.

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.