May 12, 2009

Dear MSD Community,

I wish to share with each of you several highlights at MSD.

** Our three snow days on January 27 and 28, 2009 and March 2, 2009 will be made up on June 8, 9, and 10, 2009.  Friday, June 5, 2009 will become a full day; and MSD’s last day of classes will be on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 which will be a half day.

** Thirty-four graduating seniors will participate in MSD Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 30, 2009.  Four seniors pending completion of their course work will receive an MSD diploma.  Twenty-seven seniors are also candidates for the Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) Maryland High School Diploma, pending completion of their course work.  Three seniors will receive a certificate of attendance.

Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz has graciously agreed to be the Commencement Speaker during our graduation exercises.  He is currently the president of the National Technical Institute of the Deaf and vice president of the Rochester Institute of Technology.

** The 2009 Maryland General Assembly has approved MSD's Fiscal Year 2010 School Budget of $30,571,000, including reimbursable funds for the Enhanced Program of Services.  This represents a $109,400 or 0.36% decrease over MSD’s total Fiscal Year 2009 budget.  I believe MSD received much support from Governor Martin O’Malley and Maryland legislators during our difficult economic times.

The General Assembly also approved MSD's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) request of $5,284,000 for the construction of a new cafeteria at the Frederick Campus, $1,487,000 for the construction of a new athletic field and large parking lot at the Columbia Campus, and $205,000 in design monies for a new bus loop and parking lot at the Frederick Campus off South Carroll Street behind the Bjorlee Museum.

**  The construction of the new Frederick Campus Elementary School/Student Support Services/Family Education/Early Intervention Building Complex is now complete.  A large shipment of new classroom furniture and equipment as well as kitchen equipment will arrive in the next few months.  We anticipate opening this complex on August 31, 2009, our first day of class this fall.

** This summer, a parent survey will be mailed out to all parents and guardians of MSD students to collect information on how each parent/guardian learned of MSD’s educational programs and services.  This will help us develop our strategies in disseminating MSD information to all parents of deaf and hard of hearing students in Maryland.

** For both Columbia and Frederick students, there will be a summer day camp at the Frederick Campus.  The adventure camp is open to students who will be in the fourth through ninth grade as of fall of 2009, and the basketball and cheerleading camp will be open to students who will be in the sixth through ninth grade as of fall of 2009.  Session 1 (adventure, girls basketball, and cheerleading) is scheduled for June 15-19, 2009, and Session 2 (adventure and boys basketball) is June 22-26, 2009.  Shuttle transportation will be provided from Columbia Campus to Frederick Campus and back for students living near Columbia.  For more details and copies of camp registration brochures, please contact Scott Morrison, Sports Camp Director, at scott.morrison@msd.edu or at the “10 digit number” for videophone call or relay call: 240.575.3850. 

** Congratulations are also in order for the MSD Academic Bowl team (senior Nick Harrington, sophomores Todd Bonheyo and Christy Hediger, freshmen Andrew Biskupiak and Katie Millios, and coaches Patrick Rosenberg and Chris Kaftan) who went undefeated in all nine matches and captured the Mid-Atlantic Academic Bowl at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf on March 13 and 14, 2009.  The team advanced to the National High School Academic Bowl at Gallaudet University on April 26 and 27, 2009, and competed against fifteen other schools and programs for deaf and hard of hearing students.  After going undefeated in seven games in pool play, MSD lost to the eventual champions University High School (CA) in the semifinals by “one question.”  MSD captured third place by defeating the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind.  For full details, please go to http://ab.gallaudet.edu.

As always, you are welcome to contact me at 301.360.2005 or at james.tucker@msd.edu if you have questions or comments about this letter.

Sincerely,

James E. Tucker
Superintendent