QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY – (Dec. 7, 2018)—In response to the growing problem of vaping among students in the school district, and Maryland’s new law regarding ecigarettes, QACPS Superintendent Andrea M. Kane, Ph.D. sent a letter to parents and caretakers detailing the steps the school district is taking to address the issue, and consequences associated with nicotine/vaping infractions.  The letter also outlined resources and support available to students who vape or use other nicotine products.

The letter addressed Maryland’s new law, passed on October 1, which makes the sale and possession of ecigarettes illegal for anyone under the age of 18 (Md. Code Ann., Crim. Law § 10-108(c) 2018).   

As a result of this law, QACPS has revised its Student Discipline Code. QACPS will work closely with law enforcement when a student violates the QACPS Student Discipline policy regarding use and possession of tobacco products, cigarette rolling paper, or an electronic nicotine delivery system (vape/JUUL).  Infractions to this policy will include imposing a school consequence, which will include a mandated school based nicotine education program.  School administration will also make an immediate report to the School Resource Officer (SRO) who will then issue a civil citation to the student in accordance with the new law.  The amount of the citation is $50.  For continuous non-compliance, the school may impose a more serious consequence.

QACPS will impose consequences and involve law enforcement (SRO) when students are found to be in possession or use of a vape/JUUL. QACPS acknowledges that some students may have developed a dependence on nicotine. A goal of the nicotine education program is to help students learn healthy habits; free from dependence on nicotine.

Through a grant from the Local Management Board, QACPS has hired Katherine Wright as a full-time Substance Use Counselor to meet with students in need of assistance. Wright has years of expertise in the area of substance use and addiction.

“The issue of vaping among students under the age of 18 years old in QACPS is problematic,” said Dr. Kane.  “Our goal is to support our students in making positive decisions now about their health and well-being, with the hopes these good choices serve them well into adulthood.  We are grateful for the support of families and the community in supporting our efforts.”

Once more the community of Queen Anne’s County has shone a bright light of loving kindness.

From the invitation to participate in small and large ways…..school food drives, church and business Turkey Tag Displays, Choosing Tags to make a family a Thanksgiving Box of Food with Turkey, to volunteering before, during and after “Work Week” each gave their best for the sake of another!

FEED A FAMILY’s Community Food Program organized receipt and delivery to 460 families, approximately 1670 people, from Kent Island thru Centreville.  Additionally, with the Food Drive Donations, another 2 Thanksgiving Programs, 3 Back Pack Programs, 5 local Food Pantries and a head start on 2 Christmas Food Programs were helped!  Thru a generous donor, large families also received an extra bag of household items!  Hundreds of families helped hundreds of their neighbors!  Thank you so much!

A special mention goes to our community business support!  FEED A FAMILY Central space @ The Kent Narrows Outlets is loaned to us for a couple of weeks by Douglas Development, Victory Packaging  supplies us with delivery boxes as needed, Ebb Tide Tent and Party Rental loans tables, RJH Air and Refrigeration loans the Freezer Trailers.  Fresh Potatoes and Onions, split up and bagged for families are donated by Lowery’s Fresh Produce and Farmer John’s.  The Women’s Auxiliary of The Kent Island Fire Department purchases 300 loaves of bread!  And, Thanksgiving Day, several Hot Meals are given from The Narrows Restaurant to be delivered to a few who have no means to cook.

While missing some of our regular volunteers on The FEED A FAMILY TEAM due to illnesses, sport nights, college visits and funerals….the show went on as planned with wonderful new volunteers and friends filling in!  What happens each year is a gift to each of us, and, in many ways it is what happens on Thanksgiving Day at many of our homes.  It is about Family, Friends, Food and Grateful Hearts!              We wish you a Merry Christmas and an Blessed New Year!

For more info on FEED A FAMILY: Community Food Program, contact Bobbie Bell: www.bellbloomcoach@yahoo.com

Students in Little School at Kent School supported by their teachers recently completed a community service project to benefit the Kent County Humane Society. After spending time teaching and learning about kindness and ways children can be kind outside of home and school, the children decided to collect items for the Humane Society. Members of the entire school community contributed cat food, litter, blankets and towels. The donations were made complete with homemade cat toys that the children made at school.

The Little School at Kent School serves three and four-year-old children. A child’s joyful educational journey begins in Little School where students learn through play in a bright, engaging environment with nurturing, supportive teachers. There is dedicated space for three-year-old students and four-year-old students with corresponding curriculum, activities and materials for both age groups.

Kent School is hosting a Preschool Preview on Friday December 7 from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. for families who are interested in learning more about Little School. Call 410-778-4100 ext. 110 or visit www.kentschool.org for more information.

Kent School serves children from Preschool through Grade Eight in an unparalleled environment for learning on its scenic campus on the bank of the Chester River in historic Chestertown.

Deborah Ruzicka has joined the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum as its new Advancement Administrative Assistant. 

Ruzicka grew up in Newcomb, Md., and has spent the past 30 years as a resident of St. Michaels, Md. She attended Chesapeake College and has training from the Maryland Judiciary Training Center, and comes to CBMM following a 12-year career with the Talbot County Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Office.

At CBMM, Ruzicka will provide administrative support for the advancement department by facilitating the membership process, coordinating monthly Member Nights, and managing data entry, in addition to other responsibilities.

“We’re thrilled to have Debbie join our team,” said Liz LaCorte, CBMM’s Vice President of Advancement. “Her skills will be a tremendous asset as we head into the holiday season and continue our efforts to achieve our year-end Annual Fund goals. With a cost of $10K per day to operate CBMM, we rely on tax deductible contributions to achieve CBMM’s mission. The Annual Fund supports everything from hands-on education and boatbuilding programs and seasonal festivals that celebrate the way of life on the Bay, to restoration projects, interactive exhibitions, and more than 60,000 irreplaceable objects in our collection.”

A member of the St. Michaels Fire Department and former volunteer at Easton’s Waterfowl Festival, Ruzicka says she’s grown up around the Chesapeake Bay and developed a true love of its beauty.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and making this resource available to all.

Every aspect of fulfilling this mission is driven by CBMM’s values of relevancy, authenticity, and stewardship, along with a commitment to providing engaging guest experiences and transformative educational programming, all while serving as a vital community partner. For more information, visit cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916. To support CBMM’s Annual Fund, visit cbmm.org/donate.

OXFORD, MD – During the morning hours of November 17^th, Captain Paul Callahan, who is an Oxford Fire Department Lieutenant, took his sister Susan Callahan Aistrup, son Mike Callahan and friend Mark Ledford out for a fishing expedition in his boat Deven Marie II, only to be alerted by a call from fellow Oxford Volunteer Fireman, Matt Hall checking their location. Matt heard on the emergency radio that three brothers were in the water as their boat capsized, near the location of Paul’s fishing destination.

Paul confirmed that they were only about two miles from the location of the capsized boat. They immediately winded up their rods and set target for Nelson’s Point. As Mark describes it, “Paul hammered down full throttle towards the area of the incident as we all scanned the waters hoping to find the boat.” As they approached they realized it was them. Two men on top of the flipped boat, and one overboard clinging to the side. Mark continued, ”Mike Callahan miraculously spotted the brothers as Paul was doing everything possible to get us coordinated to bring them aboard safely.” Paul added, “it was a team effort.”

The three men in the water were brothers Jon, Dave and Daryl Calloway. Eastern shore men out duck hunting. Their boat started taking on water and suddenly capsized throwing all three into the frigid water. Daryl and Jon were pulled from the sinking hull of the overturned boat, into Paul’s Deven Marie II, but Dave was weighed down with his gear and the freezing water temperature pushing his body into hypothermia. 

Paul captained the boat alongside while Mark and Mike held Dave up. Dave had lost his eye sight and had no strength to help himself aboard. He kept saying, “I can’t see you but I can hear you. Don’t let go. I can’t see!” His arms stiff from shock, the men held steadfast until the Tilghman Island Volunteer Fire Company Rescue boat arrived on the scene. The Deven Marie II crew transferred Dave to the safety of the Tilghman Island Rescue boat. Captain Paul followed the Tilghman Island Rescue boat swiftly with brothers Jon and Daryl onboard.  They rushed to meet the ambulance waiting for them at Nelson Point near Bozman, MD. All three brothers survived and Dave’s health has returned and all is well for the Calloway family. Thanks goes to the efforts of well-trained Talbot County firefighters. This is a true Eastern Shore Thanksgiving story. 

On Wednesday, December 12 from 4 to 7 pm, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. is inviting the public to celebrate the holidays with an open house that includes libations, light refreshments, caroling, store discounts, free gift wrapping, door prizes for CBMM members, and more.

During the event, shoppers will receive a one-day-only, 25% total discount on their total Museum Store purchases. Members will also have the opportunity to purchase half-priced gift memberships for new members to the museum, excluding life memberships.

Each year, CBMM’s historic structures, exhibition buildings, and boats are decorated in holiday greenery, created by CBMM volunteers and staff. CBMM also lights the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, and a small tree set atop the mast of the 1909 seven-log crab dredger, Old Point.

Over the winter, CBMM is restoring the 1912 river tug Delaware, and building a new, five-log canoe, named Caroline. All work is being done in full public view in the Shipyard.

The December 12 event is free and open to the public, with ample parking and no need for reservations. For more information, visit cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.

On Thurs., Oct. 25, 2018, Maryland Secretary of Commerce Michael Gill, along with other State representatives, visited the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md.

Along with Gill and CBMM representatives, the meeting was attended by Maryland Department of Commerce Managing Director and Special Advisor Brady Walker; Maryland Department of Commerce Agribusiness and Energy Program Manager Paul Spies; Maryland Department of Commerce Business Retention & Expansion Representative Nancy LaJoice; Office of Governor Larry Hogan Eastern Shore Intergovernmental Affairs Ryan Snow; and Talbot County Director of Economic Development and Tourism Cassandra Vanhooser.

The meeting focused on CBMM’s economic impact on Maryland, Talbot County and local municipalities, and included a briefing on CBMM’s Master Plan and a tour of the Shipyard, where shipwrights and their apprentices build and restore wooden boats.

CBMM’s Shipwright Apprentice Program recently received certification as a registered, four-year apprenticeship program by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation. Along with recent boatbuilding school graduates, high school graduates participating in CBMM’s Rising Tide boatbuilding program will be eligible to enroll in the program. Rising Tide offers students in grades six to twelve free boatbuilding classes and related skill training, workshops, camps, and events throughout the school year and summer, and is funded by philanthropic support.

CBMM’s Master Plan was publicly announced in 2017, with expansion plans for the non-profit including a new Education & Library building as Phase I of the project. Three phases make up the Master Plan, with the scope and timeline expected to be six to eight years, contingent upon funding. Funding sources are planned to come from individual donations and naming opportunities, grants, and operations. Phases II and III will focus on further expanding CBMM’s education and Shipyard capabilities. For more information, visit cbmm.org/masterplan.

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Each summer the Talbot Chamber of Commerce hosts the Talbot Chamber Golf Tournament and selects one non-profit to benefit from the proceeds raised. This year, the tournament was held at the Talbot Country Club and the Chamber is pleased to announce Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers were chosen as the non-profit beneficiary.

Thanks to tournament sponsors RAUCH, Inc. Koons Toyota, Willow Construction, LLC and Bluepoint Hospitality Group, a check for $5,000 was presented to Cristy Morrell, Critchlow Adkins Children’s Center’s Executive Director.

Pictured left to right are Frank Bonsu, Critchlow Adkins Children’s Center (CACC) Board member; Cristy Morrell, Executive Director, CACC; James Redman, CACC Board member; Lex Kramer, President, CACC Board of Directors; Dane Schriver, CACC Board member and Talbot Chamber Board member; Kathy Canzoniero, Treasurer, CACC Board of Directors; Al Silverstein, Talbot Chamber President/CEO & Easton Town Councilman; JT Thompson, Koons Easton Toyota; Natalie Dent, Bluepoint Hospitality Group; Joe Buckley, Willow Construction, LLC; Julie Crocker, Vice President, CACC Board of Directors; Casey Rauch & Sue Waite, of RAUCH, Inc.; and several children from CACC’s 4 year old program.

Media Contact: Amy Kreiner akreiner@talbotchamber.org 410-822-465

Two local community leaders, Robert D. Rauch, P.E., of Easton and Samuel T. Shoge, of Chestertown, have recently been appointed to the Board of Directors of University of Maryland Shore Regional Health.

Talbot County native Robert D. Rauch has spent his career in professional engineering, construction management and commercial real estate. Presently, he is owner and president of A/E Consultant, Robert D. Rauch and Associates, RDR Commercial, LLC, RDR Environmental, LLC and Rauch Investments, LLC.

Rauch’s professional accomplishments and contributions to his community include serving as the first coordinator for Maryland’s Flood Insurance Program and as consultant to the World Bank for Critical Path Scheduling and Project Management Training to International Engineers. He has been honored as recipient of the Sussex, Delaware Conservation District Governor’s Conservation Award, the Talbot County Small Business of the Year Award (2016) and the Talbot County Businessman of the Year Award (2017).

A graduate of University of Maryland, College Park with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Rauch pursued continuing education in Finite Element Modeling Advance Training at Princeton University.

In addition to his membership on UM Shore Regional Health’s Board of Directors, Rauch serves on the University Systems of Maryland Board of Regents, the University of Maryland Medical Systems Board of Directors, the University of Maryland College of Civil and Environmental Engineering Board of Visitors and the University of Maryland School of Architecture Colvin Institute Board of Advisors. Previously, he served on the boards of the Harry Hughes Center of Agro-Ecology, the Talbot County Historical Society, Friends of Northeast Sports Park, St. Mark’s Methodist Church and the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce.

Samuel T. Shoge, a native and current resident of Kent County, is the economic development coordinator for Talbot County’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Previously, he was   admissions counselor and Assistant Director in the Admissions Office at Washington College in Chestertown.

Shoge is a graduate of Elon University in Elon, N.C., where he pursued environmental studies, public administration, political science and geographic information systems.

Shoge is involved in Kent County community affairs, serving as firefighter with the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company and as an elected member of the Chestertown Town Council, Chestertown Main Street and Arts and Entertainment District Advisory Board, Chestertown Marketing Committee, Kent School Marketing Committee, and Horizons of Kent and Queen Anne’s. He also is a co-founder of the Kent County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals and has helped lead its growth to include up to 250 members.

Speaking on behalf of the UM SRH Board, John Dillon, chairman, stated, “We are very pleased to have Bob Rauch and Sam Shoge join us in ensuring that University of Maryland Shore Regional Health will successfully navigate the changing landscape of health care. Their strong personal commitment to the communities we serve, as well as their outstanding professional expertise and accomplishments, make them valuable assets to our efforts going forward.”

In addition to Robert A. Chrencik, CEO, University of Maryland Medical System, and Kenneth Kozel, president and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health, current UM SRH Board members are: John W. Ashworth, Charles Capute, Art Cecil, Joseph J. Ciotola, Kathleen Deoudes, John Dillon, Marlene Feldman, Wayne L. Gardner, Sr., Wayne Howard, Richard Loeffler, Charles B. MacLeod, Keith McMahan,  David Milligan, Charles B. Noll, Geoffrey F. Oxnam, Robert D. Rauch,  Stephen Satchell, Samuel T. Shoge, Thomas Stauch, MD and Glenn L. Wilson.

“Our board members live and work in our communities“, says Kozel. “I believe their diverse knowledge and perspectives position us well to achieve our vision of being the region’s leader in patient centered health care,” says Kozel.

(CHESTERTOWN, MD) – Radcliffe Creek School is pleased to announce that it has received a

generous $75,000 gift from Barbara Thomas and family members of her deceased brother,

John Lane. The gift was used to help students who might otherwise have not been able to

attend Radcliffe Creek School and as seed money to generate additional donations and

revenue to help supplement the 2018-2019 operating budget, including a challenge to Radcliffe

Creek’s donors to double the donation for the school’s Annual Fund.

“The gift from Barbara Thomas and the Lane Family will have an immediate impact on Radcliffe

families as it enabled several families to send their children for the 2018-2019 school year,” said

Radcliffe Creek’s Head of School, Meg Bamford, who began the position on July 1. “The ability

to tell these families that their children would be able to come because of this gift was truly an

honor. Our desire is to help as many students as we can. However, our difficulty lies in providing

a small student to teacher ratio to provide targeted instruction and our families’ ability to pay our

tuition. Often, parents come to Radcliffe not because they intended to enroll their children in

private school, but because they are looking for an environment that can celebrate their child’s

strengths while actively remediating their areas of weakness. Radcliffe embraces the whole

child. Radcliffe Creek School believes that everyone learns differently and can thrive with

structured, multisensory, personalized programming. Students with learning disabilities, apraxia,

high functioning autism, and ADHD continue to blossom in this setting alongside their peers who

do not have a disability.”

Radcliffe Creek School continues to thrive and the need for the program is greater now than

ever before, which is why the support of Barbara Thomas and the Lane Family is so vital. For

the 2018-2019 school year alone, the school committed more than $400,000 in financial aid to

its 84 kindergarten through eighth grade students.

“Over the last three years, and guided by our Strategic Plan, Radcliffe Creek School has

focused on developing relationships toward advancing financial aid for Radcliffe students, which

remains a critical need for the school. Currently, more than 60 percent of the students at

Radcliffe Creek receive financial aid and the school is unable to meet the demands from many

other families seeking to address their child’s needs,” said Radcliffe’s Board President, Susan

Newton-Rhodes. “Financial resources are critical to reaching these children and families which

require specialized support for their learning differences. This very generous and timely gift to

Radcliffe will enable the school to offer opportunities to many families to attend this special

school. We are deeply grateful to their generosity and acknowledge their understanding of the

needs of these children to receive the type of support that Radcliffe offers.”

-more“

My wife Gay and I were motivated to make this gift because of Barbara Thomas (my aunt) and

John Lane (my late father and her brother). They both cared greatly about education and

believed that a good education for someone was a benefit for everyone. Along with my three

siblings, Bob, Judy, and Ginger, and their spouses, we share this belief,” said Doug Lane.

Radcliffe Creek School is an independent day school with the mission of empowering children in

a dynamic environment that celebrates unique learning. At the heart of The Radcliffe Way is the

notion of personalized learning in a caring community that sets high expectations, but provides

support for all students to excel. For more information about Radcliffe Creek or Little Creek, the

school’s preschool, which includes programs for children from infancy through pre-kindergarten,

please call 410-778-8150 or visit www.radcliffecreekschool.org.