Dr. J. Stephen O’Brien, director of Recognition Programs for the U.S. Department of Education, has scheduled a visit to Viers Mill Elementary School on Tuesday, September 20, from 10:20 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. Dr. O’Brien will address students and staff at an assembly and visit several mathematics and reading classrooms. He will conclude his visit by having lunch with Grade 5 students.

Viers Mill Elementary School has been named a 2005 Maryland State Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and is a finalist for the national award.

Last year, Viers Mill met Maryland School Assessment (MSA) overall achievement and subgroup improvement goals for Adequate Yearly Progress set by the Maryland State Department of Education. The MSA tests are used to meet assessment requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act. Approximately 68 percent of Viers Mill students receive free and reduced-price meals—a measure of poverty—, and about 33 percent of students are in the English for Speakers of Other Languages program.