Last month, high school students from Kent, Caroline, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, and Dorchester counties gathered at Chesapeake College for ShoreRivers’ third annual Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit. This was the organization’s largest Summit yet, with 150 students and 14 teachers in attendance from eight different schools. 

Minneapolis, MN— Rain Diederichs, a senior at Kent Island High School (KIHS), has been honored with the 2024 National Rising Star Award by the National Art Education Association (NAEA). Presented at the NAEA 2024 National Convention in Minneapolis, this prestigious award recognizes outstanding student excellence and service within National Art Honor Society (NAHS) chapters nationwide.

Chesapeake Music’s 39th annual Chamber Music Festival will present six extraordinary concerts, June 7th through June 15th, at the historic Ebenezer Theater, 17 South Washington Street in Easton, Maryland. Built around the theme of “Festival Firsts,” the program will delight string, wind, and piano music lovers alike and will feature an inaugural performance by the winners of the 2024 Chesapeake Music International Chamber Music Competition Lerman Gold Prize. The famous Aizuri Quartet will headline the Festival’s first week, performing Franz Schubert’s late masterwork, the “Death and the Maiden” string quartet, and Richard Strauss’ beautiful string sextet from Capriccio, among other works. Returning Festival favorite performers will include cellist Marcy Rosen, violinist/violists Catherine Cho, Daniel and Todd Phillips, pianists Ieva Jokubaviciute and Robert MacDonald, flutist Tara Helen O’Connor, and clarinetist J. Lawrie Bloom.

University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH), a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System, observes National Donate Life Month in April, honoring organ donors and bringing awareness to saving or enhancing lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.

Talbot County Department of Social Services recently held an in-person training for resource parents on car seat safety and infant massage. The training was provided by Rachael Crawford, RN, Maternal Child Health at the Talbot County Health Department, and Stephanie Blades, RN, Clinical Educator in Women and Children’s Health at the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health. The training was part of ongoing training for resource parents throughout the year which has included trainings on protecting children online, being a nurturing parent, discipline training through the Child Welfare Academy, and administering Narcan and EpiPens. Child care is provided to the resource parents during the training and a dinner is provided.

The Talbot County Council awarded graduation certificates to 15 participants in the inaugural Talbot Works Business Academy on Tuesday, April 9, at their regular meeting. The cohort of business owners recently completed an 8-week entrepreneurship course that was sponsored by the Talbot County Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

The days are definitely getting longer, and the chance of snow is getting less. It must be SPRING
in DelMarVa. Queen Anne’s Chorale, accompanied by a string quintet, presents a program of
choral masterworks with selections by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Handel, Haydn, Mozart,
Mendelssohn and more!

As the fiscal year 2025 approaches, Queen Anne’s County Government gears up for the annual budgetary process. The County Administrator’s budget was presented to the County Commissioners during their meeting on March 26.

Jay Zimmerman, a senior at Kent Island High (KIHS), has taken nearly every art course the school has to offer, in both 2-D and 3-D. Currently enrolled in AP® 2-D Art & Design with Mrs. Andrea Schulte and Honors Level Studio Art 3: 3-D with Ms. Laquel Nenno, Jay is producing outstanding work in both arenas.