Student Town Halls, Community Days Highlight Superintendent's 2012-2013 Outreach Events

October 11, 2012

First Student Town Hall is Monday, October 15

Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr will hold several events throughout the 2012-2013 school year to engage the students, staff and community of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). These events will be held at locations throughout the county between October and April.

“I am looking forward to meeting with the community in a variety of ways throughout the school year,” Dr. Starr said. “These events will provide an important opportunity for our students, staff, parents and community members to ask questions, share ideas and let me know what MCPS is doing well and where there is room for continued improvement.”

The first event is a Student Town Hall meeting on Monday, October 15, 2012 at Northwest High School in Germantown.

Community Days

Dr. Starr will hold six Community Days during which he will visit each one of the district’s community school clusters. The Community Days are an opportunity for Dr. Starr to spend a day meeting with staff, visiting schools, and hearing from parents. Each Community Day will culminate with a Town Hall event at 7:30 p.m., where the public can ask questions and share thoughts and ideas. Free childcare and interpretation services will be available at the Town Hall meetings.

The first Community Day is set for Monday, October 29, in the community that includes schools in the Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder and Watkins Mill clusters. The Town Hall meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Shady Grove Middle School in Gaithersburg.

The dates and Town Hall locations for the five remaining Community Days are:

- Thursday, December 13: Downcounty Consortium (Blair, Einstein, Kennedy, Northwood, Wheaton clusters); Town Hall at Albert Einstein High School
- Monday, January 14: Clarksburg, Northwest, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley clusters; Town Hall at Seneca Valley High School
- Monday, January 28: Churchill, Richard Montgomery, Poolesville, Rockville, Wootton clusters; Town Hall at Richard Montgomery High School
- Monday, March 11: Northeast Consortium (Blake, Paint Branch and Springbrook clusters) and Sherwood cluster; Town Hall at James Hubert Blake High School
- Monday, April 8: Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson, Walt Whitman clusters; Town Hall at Walter Johnson High School

Student Town Halls

Dr. Starr also will hold six Student Town Hall meetings—four in high schools, two in middle schools. The first Town Hall will be held on Monday, October 15, at Northwest High School in Germantown, from 10:55 a.m. to 11:35 a.m.

The Student Town Hall meetings are an opportunity for Dr. Starr to hear directly from students about issues that are important to them. Students from all middle and high schools can participate by submitting questions or comments in advance via Twitter using the “hashtag” #studenttownhall or by sending an email to pio@mcpsmd.org. Dr. Starr will answer questions from students in the studio audience as well as those that are submitted in advance.

The Student Town Halls will be hosted by John Mannes, the Student Member of the Board of Education. The events will be cablecast live on MCPS TV (Comcast 34, Verizon 36) and streamed live on the MCPS website at www.mcpsstudenttownhall.org. The town halls will also be archived on the MCPS website and rebroadcast on MCPS TV.

The dates and locations of the remaining Student Town Halls are:

- Wednesday, November 14, Albert Einstein High School
- Tuesday, November 27, Redland Middle School
- Tuesday, January 29, Paint Branch High School
- Tuesday, February 19, Walter Johnson High School
- Thursday, April 11, Gaithersburg Middle School

More information is available at www.MCPSstudenttownhall.org.

Other events

Dr. Starr will hold other community events throughout the school year.

On Monday November 12, Dr. Starr will deliver his first State of the Schools address at the Music Center at Strathmore. The event, which begins at 7:30 a.m., will be an opportunity for business, non-profit and educational leaders to hear Dr. Starr’s vision for the future of MCPS. The event will also highlight the outstanding achievements and talents of MCPS students. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Starr will also continue the Superintendent’s Book Club as a way to engage the MCPS community in a conversation about education and how to best serve the students of Montgomery County. The first book club will be held in early 2013.

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