Blog

Baltimore’s Fight Against Segregation

The fight against segregation in Maryland was the theme of a virtual field trip we had with the Maryland Center for History and Culture. It was led by Tyler Osborne, Digital Learning Manager at the museum. The students learned about heroic local figures like Lillie May Jackson, Juanita Jackson Mitchell and a young Thurgood Marshall. The students have learned a lot about the civil rights struggle during their time in the school, but this enhanced their learning with this focus on Baltimore’s role.

We appreciate Tyler and the Maryland Center for History and Culture for sharing this important part of our history with us and for the great work they do.

Conversation with Dr. Susama Agarwala

It was a pleasure to have Dr. Susama Agarwala back at the school today for a Conversation. Susama was an active volunteer at the school in 2009 and 2010 when she was a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. She went on to work in academia both here and in Europe before entering into other parts of the private sector including her current work in AI.

The Conversation started as a followup to the documentary Social Dilemma that the students watched several months ago. It focused on the development of social media platforms and the algorithms used to both entice and increase the amount of time people spend on those platforms. Susama explained how the algorithms work and walked the students through several exercises to analyze them and their use. This way the students can be more aware of how to use social media wisely. Susama also shared about the challenges that women of color experience in the tech industry. It was a very informative Conversation and we are eager to have her return for Part II.

Thank you Susama! Wonderful to have you back at TCS!

All About Taxes – Financial Literacy Seminar

Taxes – sales tax, payroll taxes, capital gains, all this and more were on the table at this month’s Financial Literacy Seminar. Our thanks to Berman McAleer for this long running seminar and to Kathleen Gower who plans and facilitates all of the sessions. At this seminar BMc Partner and Financial Advisor Susan Mitchell. The session added so much to the students’ understanding of finances that they will face in the future. This seminar adds to the vital life skills that every student needs to be prepared for adulthood.

Thank you Kathleen, Susan and all of our friends at Berman McAleer.

Rhys & Quinn Win Awards from Dream Big at the Lyric

Every year The Lyric holds an event to lift up the creativity and ideas of young people through the Dream Big contest. This year’s prompt was: “What is the one thing you would change to make the world a better place?” This year 12th grade student Rhys Guilfoyle won in the Dreamers category. His essay was on the need for action on climate change and his concern that not enough is being done about it with the younger generation having to take action. Quinn Guilfoyle won in the Strivers category with a poem about the importance of everyone in society being appreciated and having a voice.

Winners were honored on stage at The Lyric tonight in a culture-filled program including music by Antonio Eyez, two amazing dance performances, and a lively youth Brass Band from the BSO.

The program included footage on the big screen of The Lyric program at TCS with interviews of our students.

Congratulations to Rhys and Quinn and to all those honored at tonight’s event and a special thanks to Denise Gantt, Ebony Evans and our friends at The Lyric for celebrating and amplifying youth voices.

Conversation with Dr. Alan Scott

Bird flu, US AID, measles, NIH, vaccinations are all terms we hear about a lot in the news these days.  They were on the minds of students in questions they asked today to Dr. Al Scott, our “Conversation with…”. guest. Dr. Scott has been a regular speaker at our school over many years.  He is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Each of the students had prepared a list of questions both from their studies and the news.  Dr. Scott answered each question with details that enabled everyone to understand and ask followup questions. Some of the deepest concerns had to do with the impact of diseases like measles returning.  It is one of the most contagious diseases with each infected person infecting 18 people on average, mostly in the days before any symptoms occur.  We also learned that the measles virus can live and stay in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the room.

We appreciate Dr. Scott taking time from his busy schedule at the University to share time with us.