Montgomery Blair High School
Principal's Newsletter
May 2021
I hope that you are well and enjoying time outside with family and friends. Thank you to our PTSA, parents, and students who sent appreciation notes and treats to our staff last week in honor of Teacher / Staff Appreciation Week. We are thankful to have a very supportive community. Click this link to see our Staff showing their school spirit last week, https://padlet.com/lavinacarrillo/qjejveo07n1a9mzj.
Our 2021 Graduation Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, June 2, at 9:00 a.m. (rain dates June 2, 6:00 p.m., and June 3, 9:00 a.m.), at our school stadium. There will no classes for students in grades 9, 10, and 11, so that staff and families can enjoy graduation.
The Honorable Kate Stewart, Mayor of Takoma Park, is our graduation speaker. Mayor Stewart is a Blair parent of a current senior, Bridget and Blair Alum Jamie '17. Mayor Stewart has met with school staff and our senior class officers to gain the spirit of the class. We are grateful for her participation in our ceremony and leadership in the community.
We are committed to doing everything we can to provide a graduation experience that truly celebrates our students' accomplishments and represents our Blazer Pride. Here is the presentation from our senior parent meeting, https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rczV6xy1Z9Z2tk8iik_7mFu_oDpcdtRwx694FtLdxQM/edit?usp=sharing. In addition, the recording of our senior parent meeting is below.
Graduation Information:
Stadium gates open at 7:30 am
Each senior will be permitted to bring 2 guests
All guests must have a ticket and be on the guest list
Portraits of each graduate taken by LifeTouch
Live Streaming with a free subscription to NFHS
Graduates will receive their diploma after the ceremony on the practice field
Please designate an area outside of the stadium to meet with your graduate after the ceremony
To watch our graduation live-streamed on June 2:
1. Go to https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/users/sign_up#
2. Type in your name, email address, and password to create your FREE NFHS Network account.
3. Search for Montgomery Blair High School in the search bar or head to https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/montgomery-blair-high-school-silver-spring-md/evt98d21c5274 for a direct link to the NFHS website.
4. Watch for free, sign in and enjoy the show!
Graduation Parking:
One Parking Pass per graduate
Parking at Blair is limited (400 spaces), so we have auxiliary lots for parents to park. A shuttle will be provided to Blair throughout the morning.
Colesville Lot opens for parking at 7 am
University Lot opens for parking at 7:30 am
Auxiliary lots with shuttle service available
- Parents can ride the school bus with their Senior to school, but the buses will not provide transportation home due to services for other schools routes.
Parking Auxiliary Lots with Bus Shuttles to Blair:
Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church (100 Spaces)
Northwood High School (100 Spaces)
Silver Spring Presbyterian Church (50 Spaces)
Mount Jezreel Baptist Church (100 Spaces)
If you have Senior Class or Graduation questions, please contact the following staff:
Senior Class Administrator: Ms. Adriana Burgos, adriana.burgos-ojeda@mcpsmd.net
Senior Class Sponsors: Ms. Roxanne Fus, Roxanne_F_Fus@mcpsmd.org and Mr. Brandon Crabtree, Brandon_Crabtree@mcpsmd.org
Thank you for your support,
Renay Johnson
Proud Principal
Volunteers, Prizes & Donations Needed for Senior Celebration Day!
Hello Blazer families! Our seniors will be on campus to celebrate each other and reaching this major milestone of high school graduation on Wednesday, May 19, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon at Blair. We need you to keep everything fun and safe!
What will you do? Organize lines for the photo booth, manage the line for the mechanical bull, check students in, pass out lunch -- we've got a job for everyone! (Your child does not have to be a senior to volunteer.) Please signup to volunteer for Senior Celebration Day: I want to volunteer!
We also need Prizes for prize drawings. These can be gift cards to restaurants and experiences (Top Golf, Go Ape, bowling, etc.) that students would enjoy, items that students would enjoy (tech toys and gadgets, books, sporting equipment, etc.), items to prepare them to enter their career or college - it's up to your imagination and generosity. Please let us know if you can donate a prize - https://blairptsa.org/contact-us/ - and drop the item off with school security at Blair's front door.
And as always - we welcome your donations to the Blair PTSA. Donations can be made to our general fund for all the activities that we do, or you can donate specifically for the Senior Celebration - just make a note when you donate. https://blairptsa.org/donate/
Thank you for your support!
For questions about volunteering and donations, please contact Frances Frost, PTSA Vice President, francesfrost4@gmail.com.
Asian American Pacific Islander Month
In our recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we will be conducting school-wide activities during the month of May that center and elevate the voices and experiences of our AAPI students.
Blair faculty will facilitate a two-day lesson in every class that features dialogue from the county's recent "Asian American Student Voice Forum” hosted by the MCPS Equity Initiatives Unit. The two-day lesson will culminate with school-wide participation in the Anti-Defamation League's "No Place for Hate" Day on May 14.
PTSA Meeting
Please join us for our final PTSA meeting of the school year. We will hold elections for next year's PTSA officers and information will be shared by the school administration.
Time: May 18, 2021 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 873 5154 5252
Passcode: BLAIRPTSA
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Meeting ID: 873 5154 5252
Passcode: 506119822
Find your local number: https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/u/kd5x7fTfGF
Counseling Department Information
The Montgomery Blair School Counseling Department has shared updates for all grade levels within the May Counseling Newsletter and the Career College Information Coordinator Blair May Newsletter.
Please also check out our video update as well.
Links are already linked in above but here they are below:
May Counseling Newsletter: http://bit.ly/CounsNewsMay
May Career College Information Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3tjjb9J
May Video update: https://www.loom.com/share/75b0f28dbbc449479df0661527357d58
For questions about this month's information, please contact Ms. Makeyda Soriano, Makeyda_A_Soriano@mcpsmd.org
Mental Health Awareness Month!
Advanced Placement Exams
Advanced Placement testing began on Monday, May 3, 2021. Student schedules are updated and posted in their College Board accounts at myap.collegeboard.org.
Please contact Leslie_V_Blaha@mcpsmd.org, if you have any questions.
If you have not yet paid for your student's exam registration, follow the appropriate link to the Online School Payment system.
· Spring AP Testing Fee ($95/exam): http://bit.ly/Spring2021AP
· Spring AP Testing Fee for students who qualify for a fee waiver ($20/exam): http://bit.ly/Spring2021APWaiver
Students who have not yet paid for their exams will be issued a school obligation.
Students taking their exams digitally should review this information by May 14.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nqTX8_Jlh-9SPziRNL96vIiDrLIHC4iFYrcmP-9uzac/edit?usp=sharing Digital exams begin May 18.
COVID-19 Pool Testing at Blair
Montgomery Blair High School will offer COVID-19 pool testing each Friday through June 11, 2021.
In an effort to minimize class disruptions, we are going to schedule the pool testing on Fridays from 7:45 – 8:50 AM and again from 11:15 – 12:15. The testing location for both of these times will be in the small gym. Staff and students may come at either of those times.
Any student or staff member who has completed the COVID 19 Pool Testing Consent form (please see the link below) may participate.
Please note, that if you have already completed the form previously, you do not need to complete it again.
Here are five important things to know about the pooled testing process:
- In-school tests will be self-administered by students
- The swab tests are simple, gentle, and collected in a single tube
- To participate in the weekly tests, families must complete the COVID 19 Pool Testing Consent Form. The consent form only needs to be completed once (not each week).
- The testing is pooled and does not identify individual results nor collect personal information.
- MCPS has developed a contact tracing and notification process to ensure safety and privacy.
For additional information, please watch the MCPS Pooled testing video .
If you have any additional questions about pooled testing, please contact Assistant Principal Joe Fanning directly via e-mail at Joseph_M_Fanning@mcpsmd.org
Covid-19 Vaccine Enrollment | Vaccines Are Free
Register here: https://massvax.maryland.gov/
Academies
Juniors that are interested in working on an Academy Capstone Project this summer should complete THIS FORM.
Capstone projects are a great way to demonstrate your passion and dedication to your chosen field of study and they look FANTASTIC on a college resume!
Tutoring Available to MCPS Students
Does your teen need help? MCPS has begun offering Tutorme, an online homework help service. Tutorme.com is a secure, online resource that will be easily accessible through MCPS student Canvas and StudentVUE accounts and will offer on-demand assistance on any subject from grade 3 through grade 12.
Blair Theatre Updates
Check out the Blair Theatre Tube channel on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtdRQcgFNghdxGP96pbfx-A/featured) to watch our Virtual Shakespeare Festival and Subscribe to be notified when our upcoming Virtual Musical Revue goes live! If you are interested in being apart of the performances please contact Director, Ms. O’Connor, at Kelly_N_O’Connor@mcpsmd.org or the student Assistant Directors at blairtheatre@gmail.com.
Visit our website, https://blairtheatre.wixsite.com/mysite, for other updates, info, videos, and to donate to Blair Theatre’s virtual productions! We appreciate the support of viewers like YOU!
Student Service Learning (SSL):
Deadline to turn in SSL forms for service completed during the summer, 1st semester, and 2nd semester is June 4th. All SSL forms can be emailed to SSLatMBHS@gmail.com or to Beth.S.Sanchez@mcpsmd.net.
If you have questions about your SSL report, then drop into the SSL office hours at 11:15 on Wednesday Check-Ins.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/84463443770?pwd=d3NWT21lalBGblBEanJjeW9jOUE0Zz09
Meeting ID: 844 6344 3770
Passcode: SSL
Congratulations Blazers
Congratulations Seniors on your college acceptances and scholarships!
Congratulations to Kundai Jongwe, Blair Junior, on being selected as the recipient of the 2021 Jones/Plasma/Greenblatt Excellence in Language Scholarship. This recognition comes with a $1,000 check and Excellence certificate.
Congratulations to Christy Ramos, Blair junior and 2021 winner of the Brenda A. Brown Passport Scholarship!
Congratulations to Isoiza Emah, Blair Junior, and Tony Mensah, Blair Teacher, on being selected as 2021 Bezos Scholars! Bezos Scholars are a cohort of 12 exceptional U.S. rising high school seniors, 12 U.S. educators, and five outstanding students and an educator from the African Leadership Academy in South Africa.
Congratulations to Ms. Celita Davis, Math Resource Teacher, and Ms. Donna Franklin, Financial Specialist on winning the inaugural Blair Alumni Stickley- Stant Faculty Service Award for their outstanding service to our school community.
Congratulations to Brigitte Bonsu for being chosen as Montgomery Serves Youth Volunteer of the Year. https://montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteercenter/awards/MSA2021HonoreeBonsu.html…
Congratulations to Asha Henry on being selected to receive a $2,500.00 Equitable Excellence Scholarship which comes with a $1000 award for Blair too.
Congratulations to Simone Keenan, Trini Szell, Josephine Panner, and Nitney Veopradith for receiving the Excellence in the Study of Peace and Non-Violence award for their website, The Legacy of the Lost Cause, at the MD State History competition this past weekend.
Congratulations to Lana Anderson, Blair Junior, for establishing a foundation to feed the community. Outstanding work! Watch her story featured on News 7 at the link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VMggyfKvJA
Congratulations to Sam Cho, Blair Senior on being named a 2021 Jack Kent Cooke Scholar. This year’s recipients were chosen from a pool of more than 5,800 applicants residing in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Marianas, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. Scholarship recipients receive up to $40,000 annually for up to four years to attend the college or university of their choice, in addition to comprehensive advising and other program support.
Congratulations to our Student-Athletes on their leadership, commitment, and participation in Blair Athletics!
The Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association (MCR) held its General Assembly meeting on Friday, April 16, 2021. At that event, the Montgomery Blair High School SGA was recognized for the MCR Award for Best Feed/Graphics for 2021. Congratulations Blazers!
Fine Arts News
Music
Congratulations to Claire Xu, violin, and Ethan Oh, cello who were selected as finalists in the U.S. Army Orchestra Young Artists Competition. Congratulations to Claire who placed third at the competition! Check out their performances here.
Congratulations to Claire Xu, violin who was accepted into the Heifetz International Music Institute, the NYO2 orchestra, the InterHarmony festival, and the MorningSide Music Bridge at the New England Conservatory.
Congratulations to Karen Cao, violin who was awarded second place (Junior Category) of the American Protege International Piano & Strings Competition 2021. Karen has been invited to perform at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall in 2022. Karen was also recognized by the Grand Prix in Music Fest Rising Talents Festival. Check out her performance here.
Visual Art
Superintendent’s All-County Fine Arts Awards Gala
The following students have been invited to the Superintendent’s All-County Fine Arts Awards Gala recognizing them for their Outstanding Achievements in Dance, Film, Music, Theatre, and Visual Art.
Choral Music – Ethan Coffin
General Music (Guitar) – Kaitlyn Nguyen
Technical Theatre – Kathryn Lalonde
Visual Art (studio art) – Shashi Arnold
2021 Virtual Student Visual Art Gallery
The 2021 Virtual Student Visual Art Gallery can be viewed at https://padlet.com/sarah_l_breeden/wuopiwyktzqy5czy Visual Art classes are still busy making art so check back throughout the rest of the year as our gallery grows with amazing works of art.
2021 Rep. Raskin's Congressional Art Competition
Congressman Raskin recognized 125 high school students from more than 30 schools who participated in this year’s 8th District competition. A virtual art gallery can be viewed here
Title: Courage — Hand Of Democracy
Artist: Raunak Banerjee of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring
Medium: Charcoal
Blair Athletics
Blazer Community,
The Spring sports season has begun! Practices began on Saturday, April 17th. Competitions start on May 7th for all teams. That day will mark 713 days since the last Blazer spring team had a competition. We had 351 students sign up for spring sports this year. The spring sports are Baseball, Softball, Coed Softball, Girls Lacrosse, Boys Lacrosse, Track & Field, Girls Tennis, Boys Tennis, Boys Volleyball, and Coed Volleyball.
The schedule of contests can be found on the Spring Sports Schedule Flyer or on the BlairBlazersAthletics.com website. Go to the website, search for the sport under the different seasons for individual teams.
Competitions now allow spectators, 2 per rostered student-athlete. All spectators must sign up for a game with the coach of that team. No walk-ins are allowed. Competitions in the main gym and stadium will be able to be live-streamed. The automated camera in the stadium and the automated camera in the gym are controlled and calibrated through the NFHS Network. To subscribe to a subscription, please see the NFHS Flyer.
Fall sports teams had very strong turnouts of student-athletes and all our teams performed very well, progressing every day. Field hockey, cross country, bocce, and girls soccer finished the season undefeated. Boys soccer, volleyball, and football had winning seasons. And cheer and poms performed exceptionally well at events! It was a highly successful fall.
Thank you to the main Blazers staff that supported the program during an especially logistically important time including Mogge, Crabtree, Pigrom, Charles, McCabe, Kelly, Johnson, West, Pastor, Scott, Kennedy, and Blanton. Appreciation to our prepared, innovative and dedicated coaches who led their individual programs and represented Blair well. The Blazer team coaches include Lusby, Balimtas, Stofa, Spire, Coyle, Boule, Haigh, Soriano, Saravia, DeFillippo, Bloom, Bosse 1, Bosse 2, Moran, Terry, Gibb, Ferguson, Nosoff, Lindsey, Carter, Hammond, Horvath Seals, Cole, Davis, Baker, Matthews, Efantis, Tucker, and Nelson.
We thank our 304 fall student-athletes for all the hard work, commitment, and perseverance. It was amazing to have the kids back on campus! Thank you to our senior student-athletes especially for all you brought to Blazers Athletics and Blair HS. It was fun to celebrate with you in person! Very proud of you!
If you should ever have questions, concerns, or comments, please reach out to Athletic Director/Specialist Rita J. Boulé at Rita_J_Boule@mcpsmd.org. Stay safe and healthy! Let’s Go Blazers!
Rita J. Boulé, CAA
Athletic Specialist
@BlairAthletics
Blair Spirit Wear!
Montgomery Blair High School Summer Programs
Registration for Blair's Summer Programs is open, CLICK HERE to learn about the wide range of original credit, credit recovery, credit extension, enrichment, and college readiness courses this summer. The deadline to register is June 4th.
MCPS Central High School Summer School Information:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/extendedhours/summerschool/
School News, Event Dates, and Information
MCPS Workforce Readiness Conference
Workforce Readiness Conference for High School Students Set for May 13
The MCPS Workforce Readiness Conference for High School Students will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 13. This event will provide key tools and information to students planning to enter the workforce after graduation.
Be Sure to Check Out the Virtual Gaithersburg Book Festival This Month
The Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF), a celebration of books, writers and literary excellence, started May 1 and continues through Friday, May 28. The event is virtual and offers live and pre-recorded programming on weekdays and weekends.
The event includes more than 30 author presentations, as well as writing workshops for adults, teens and children. More information is available here.
MCPS Seeks Summer Rise Hosts
The MCPS Partnerships Unit is seeking Montgomery County businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits to participate as hosts for the 2021 Summer RISE program. Registration is now open.
Summer RISE provides rising MCPS juniors and seniors with career-based learning experiences and helps employers to cultivate a talent pipeline. Students will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning opportunities related to their field of interest.Parent Community Coordinator(PCC) Faye Nabavian:
The Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card is for Montgomery County residents ages 5 to 18 (older if still in high school). Please email Ms. Nabavian If you like to receive one at farzaneh_nabavian@mcpsmd.org, include your name, student ID number, and a contact cell number.
If you or someone you know needs resources and seasonal items, please refer them to Kindness Corner at Blair High School. Together, we provide resources and supplies to our students and families, through Kindness Corner and county and federal resources.
Please visit the resources page at https://blairpcc.weebly.com/
Kindness Corner at Blair is grateful to many for their generous contributions and we continue to collect gift cards and other items through the kindness corner registry.
Please contact Faye Nabavian with any questions.
Cell: 240-506-8576
Email: farzaneh_nabavian@mcpsmd.org
School Meals
The #COVID19 Rent Relief Program
The #COVID19 Rent Relief Program provides short-term rental assistance to eligible households who experienced lost income due to the pandemic.
For details, and to apply ➡ buff.ly/3twwV0S
Montgomery Blair High School Information
If you do not receive log-in information for your teen, please contact Ms. Melissa Young, Latino Achievement Coordinator, Melissa_Young@mcpsmd.org, or Ms. Andrea Lamphier, Media Specialist, Andrea_Lamphier@mcpsmd.org.
Student Schedules:
Student schedules are now available in ParentVUE and StudentVUE. Parents and students will need to log in to the report using the student’s ID and password. Report Link: https://studentschedule.mcpsmd.org
Scheduling, Transcript, Social Emotional Wellness Questions, Contact Your Teen's Counselor School Counseling Department:
https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/mbhs-schoolcounseling-team/home/mbhs-school-counseling-team
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wrBBfGeYx_uZKNEAN3GR9nzmlAYmInRY/view?usp=sharing
All Things College and Career: Contact Carmen Salazar, College and Career Coordinator. Carmen_A_Salazar@mcpsmd.org
Melissa Young, is our MyMCPS/Synergy Parent Portal Staff Liaison, Melissa_Young@mcpsmd.org
Health Room: Full Time School Nurse: Anisa Harris, Anisa_Harris@mcpsmd.org
Health Room Tech: Sophia Duque, Sofia_Duque@mcpsmd.org
Principal's Administrative Secretary, Claudine Biggs, Claudine_Biggs@mcpsmd.org
Attendance Office: Roxanne Fus, Roxanne_F_Fus@mcpsmd.org
Blair Security Office: Darryl Cooper, Security Team Leader, Darryl_J_Cooper@mcpsmd.org
Financial Specialist: Donna Franklin, Donna_M_Franklin@mcpsmd.org
Parent Community Coordinator: Faye Nabavian, Farzaneh_Nabavian@mcpsmd.org
Pupil Personnel Worker: Ramona Washington, Ramona_L_Washington@mcpsmd.org
MBHS ADMINISTRATION:
Renay Johnson: Principal
Adriana Burgos-Ojeda: Grade 12 Administrator
Adriana_Burgos-Ojeda@mcpsmd.org
Joseph Fanning: Grade 11 Administrator
Dirk Cauley: Grade 10 Administrator A-L
Candace Wilkerson: Grade 10 Administrator M-Z
Candance_L_Wilkerson@mcpsmd.org
Lavina Carrillo: Grade 9 Administrator A-L
Tracy Pettis-Jones: Grade 9 Administrator M-Z
Peter Ostrander: Magnet & CAP Programs
James Funk: School Business Administrator
Montgomery Blair High School
Website: https://mbhs.edu/
Location: 51 University Boulevard East, Silver Spring, MD, USA
Phone: 301-649-2800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Montgomery-Blair-High-School/1631578030396596
Twitter: @blairprincipal