Conference Focuses on Engaging Secondary Students and Their Communities

About 650 school and community leaders with a stake in charting the future for Montgomery County middle and high schools will gather June 17 at Northwest High School for the Fourth Annual Partners for Rigor through Relevancy Conference.

The conference, with the theme of “Engaging Secondary School Students and Their Communities,” is sponsored by Montgomery County Public Schools, in partnership with Montgomery College and the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education. The event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

JD Hoye, president of the National Academy Foundation, will deliver the keynote address, “Generation Now: Connecting Schools and Businesses to Keep America Competitive in a Global Economy.” Featured presenters include Bob Wise, former governor of West Virginia and president of The Alliance for Excellent Education; Dr. Brad Sachs, psychologist, and author of the Good Enough Teenager: How to Raise Adolescents with Love and Acceptance (Despite How Impossible They Can Be); and John McCarthy, State’s Attorney for Montgomery County, who will address youth safety.

Twenty-seven breakout sessions will focus on four conference strands—Engaging Diverse Communities to Lead Change; Promoting Rigor, Relevance and Relationships to Engage 21st Century Learners; Navigating Transitions through Secondary Education to College and Careers; and Balancing Work, School, and Life. Presenters include a range of experts from across the nation in addition to those representing Montgomery County Public Schools and local postsecondary institutions.

Northwest High School is located at 13501 Richter Farm Road, Germantown, MD 20874. For additional information, contact Shelley Johnson, director, MCPS Division of Career and Technology Education, at 240-375-6281, e-mail Shelley_A_Johnson@mcpsmd.org or Laura Grace at 240-632-6937, e-mail Laura_R_Grace@mcpsmd.org.