Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) has used three traditional inclement weather days, as required by the State. Virtual Learning Days could not be used until this occurred. Since we met this criterion, GCPS is preparing for the possibility of a Virtual Learning Day on Monday, January 26, 2026. All necessary learning materials will be sent home with students today, Friday, January 23, 2026. No decision has been made at this time. A message will be sent through our regular media outlets and school system alerts no later than 6:00 a.m. on Monday, January 26, 2026, regarding whether a virtual learning day will be implemented.
As established on the Approved 2025-26 GCPS Calendar, a three-hour early dismissal is planned for Monday, January 26, 2026. This Professional Day provides an opportunity for teachers to bring closure to the first semester/2nd grading term. This day no longer floats as it did in prior years. If GCPS shifts to a virtual learning day on Monday, the three-hour early dismissal will occur, and students should follow the schedule provided by their school.
Due to the potential impact of this system, plans are in place to utilize additional Virtual Learning Days, if needed. Full details of the 2025-26 GCPS Virtual Learning Plan are available on the homepage of our website, www.gcps.net.
Southern Garrett High School Class Selected as Hickory's Finest for December 2025
Each month, staff at the Hickory Environmental Education Center proudly recognize Hickory’s Finest! 🌟
One outstanding class is selected for demonstrating positive behavior, excellent listening skills, and strong teamwork with classmates. Students receive a certificate to celebrate their achievement, and the teacher is awarded a Hickory shirt.
For December 2025, students from Mr. Camden Nichols' class at Southern Garrett High School were chosen by Hickory staff. Congratulations to these students for being selected as the December Hickory’s Finest! 👏🍃
Pictured:
Back row, left to right - Mr. Nichols, Lukas Maracini, Ty Getson, Andrew Coddington, Rebecca Sislo, Sadie Turner, Lindsey Miller, and Paislee Spink.
Front row, left to right - Daniel Savage, Jaxson Getson, Jayden Weaver, Lily Zimmerman, and Abi Teets.
Not pictured: Alicia Council
𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝟏/𝟐𝟐/𝟐𝟔
Garrett County Public Schools will open two (2) hours late today, Thursday, January 22, 2026.
There are more influences on good health and well-being than biology and genetics alone. A wide range of factors can influence an individual’s health, many of which they may not control. Known as the social determinants of health, these factors play a significant role in a person’s ability to access necessary care.
What Are Social Determinants of Health?
Social determinants of health are defined as the environmental conditions in which people are born, live, play, and work, that can ultimately affect their physical health, emotional well-being, and quality of life. Often referred to as SDOH, these factors can be grouped into five categories:
- Economic Stability
- Educational Access and Quality
- Health Care Access and Quality
- Neighborhood and Built Environment
- Social and Community
Research has shown that social factors and other non-medical factors play a significant role in the disparities in healthcare seen today. For example, people who lack access to grocery stores with healthy foods are less likely to have adequate nutrition. That raises their risk of health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity — and even lowers life expectancy relative to people who do have access to healthy foods.
More information about SDOH can be found by visiting the World Health Organization website at https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health.
𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝟏/𝟐𝟎/𝟐𝟔
Garrett County Public Schools will open three (3) hours late on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐉𝐫. 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟏/𝟏𝟗/𝟐𝟔
Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) will be closed on Monday, January 19, 2026, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Both schools and offices will be closed. GCPS is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. For full calendar details, please visit www.gcps.net/calendars.
𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝟏/𝟏𝟔/𝟐𝟔
Garrett County Public Schools will open two (2) hours late today, Friday, January 16, 2026.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡!
Mark your calendars! The sixth annual Cool Schools Dunk returns to Deep Creek Lake on Thursday, February 19, 2026. This annual event brings our schools and community together to support Unified Sports in Garrett County, promoting inclusion, teamwork, and school spirit—all with a little cold-water courage.
The event will be held at Uno Deep Creek. Students from Broad Ford (6th grade only), Northern Middle, Northern High, and Southern High Schools are able to dunk by making a donation or raising funds. All funds raised stay in Garrett County!
Mark your calendars now! To donate, please contact your favorite student or school and become a sponsor. Additional information, including donation links, may be found at https://support.somd.org/event/2026-cool-schools-dunk/e685293.
All afternoon and evening activities for Garrett County Public Schools are canceled for today, Thursday, January 15, 2026.
Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) has received approval from the State Superintendent to waive student attendance at Broad Ford School on Friday, April 17th, and Monday, April 20th, 2026. GCPS Superintendent Dr. Brenda McCartney requested the waiver following a recommendation from the Broad Ford School Transition Committee and after receiving the support of the Garrett County Board of Education.
This waiver will allow staff dedicated time to move into the newly renovated school and prepare classrooms and instructional spaces to ensure a smooth transition for students. All other Garrett County Public Schools will follow the GCPS Operational Calendar on these days.
Broad Ford students will start classes in the new building on April 21, 2026.
UPDATE 1/15/26 7:35 a.m.:
Garrett County Public Schools will now be closed today, Thursday, January 15, 2026.
Garrett County Public Schools will open three (3) hours late today, Thursday, January 15, 2026.
𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐂𝐏𝐒 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔-𝟐𝟕 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫
During the January 13, 2026, Board Meeting, the proposed Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) 2026-27 school calendar, developed by the GCPS Calendar Committee, was approved. It is now available on the Public Relations page of our website: www.gcps.net/public-relations, under the GCPS Calendars tab. The Calendar Committee, which consisted of parents, staff, administrators, and a Board member, met in November & December 2025, and January 2026.
The approved calendar features a pre-Labor Day start, with students returning to school on August 31, 2026, and the school tentatively concluding on June 3, 2027. Professional development days are scheduled throughout the year. The 91st day of school is scheduled for January 28, 2027. Students will be dismissed three hours early on this day. The day will NOT move (or “float”) as it has in the past.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held once, on February 1, 2027, tentatively planned to occur from 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. All major holidays are also school holidays. Additional holidays include October 9, 2026 (Autumn Glory Friday), November 3, 2026 (Election Day), November 30, 2026 (Thanksgiving Monday), and March 29, 2027 (Easter Monday).
Three make-up days are scheduled during the school year to account for potential inclement weather: February 15, March 29, and June 4, 2027. These make-up dates are marked with snowflakes on the calendar and will be used in numerical order as possible make-up days. Since it's impossible to predict inclement weather days or emergency system-wide closings, it is recommended that vacations not be scheduled until at least after June 11th to avoid any scheduling conflicts. If additional days are needed, the school year will be extended to meet the state requirement of 180 days.
𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
The Garrett County Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at Northern Middle School in the cafeteria. The meeting is open to the public and will be live-streamed for public review via https://youtube.com/live/-D1xh20nLBY?feature=share%5C%5C.
Public comment for the January 13, 2026, Board Meeting will begin at 3:00 p.m., after which time the Board will go into executive session in the Community Room until 5:30 p.m. to discuss personnel matters and a negotiations topic. The Board of Education will reconvene for the public session from 6:00 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. in the cafeteria. Time is set aside during the public session for the hearing of constituents at approximately 7:00 p.m. Please note that this time is approximate, and public comment may be adjusted based on the timing of the presentations.
Topics excluded from Public Comment include:
• Individual personnel issues
• Comments identifying individual students or staff members
• Matters that are on appeal or may be appealed or have been appealed.
• Topics for which the Board schedules formal public hearings
• Advertising or solicitation for products and/or services
The agenda for the Public Session can be accessed at BoardDocs - https://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/garrett/Board.nsf/Public. The agenda is not considered final until the Board takes action to accept it at the start of each meeting.
Part or all of the meeting may be closed pursuant to the General Provision §3-305 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐂𝐏𝐒 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 - 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝
GCPS Students and Families, please see the following information from our partners at the Garrett County Health Department:
The Allegany County and Garrett County Local Behavioral Health Authorities (ACLBHA and GCLBHA) are partnering to collectively operate as the Hub under the Community Health Resource Commission (CHRC) Coordinated Community Supports Partnership, which aims to expand behavioral health supports within the public school system. The Hub would like to hear from students and their families in the Garrett County Public Schools about behavioral health services, strengths, and needs!
This survey is completely confidential and anonymous. Your name will not be linked to your answers. The survey should take approximately 5–10 minutes to complete. The survey may be found at https://forms.gle/5skudm4Aja7czzfZ6.
Pictured:
Back row left to right (NGHS): Lilah Rikhye, Lula Faulkner, Mary Thrush, Kirstin Ellis, Georgia Blocher, August Cain, and Rowan Rikhye.
Front row (SGHS): Amelia Roth, Kathryn Sweitzer, Ella Recker, and Emily Sweitzer.
𝐆𝐂𝐏𝐒 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬’ 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐃 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦
Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) proudly celebrates the selection of Ms. Cadence Natividad, a senior at Southern Garrett High School, as a student page for the prestigious Maryland General Assembly’s Page Program during the upcoming 2026 Legislative Session. This exciting opportunity allows students from across the state to represent their schools and counties in Annapolis, Maryland.
As part of the program, Ms. Natividad will join 105 fellow pages and 36 alternate pages, serving two nonconsecutive weeks during the thirteen-week session from January to early April 2026. The program is an enriching experience designed for seniors at least 16 years old who attend public and nonpublic high schools in Maryland.
Throughout the session, Ms. Natividad will have the opportunity to work closely with state legislators, learn about the inner workings of government, and engage in the democratic process. While serving in Annapolis, pages are required to be present whenever their chamber is in session, providing them with invaluable firsthand experiences. Mr. Shane Sisler was chosen as the alternate for the program, who will serve if Ms. Natividad is unable to fulfill any duties.
Students are encouraged to contact their school counselor for more information about the Page Program.
𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
The Garrett County Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at Northern Middle School in the cafeteria. The meeting is open to the public and will be live-streamed for public review.
Public comment for the January 13, 2026, Board Meeting will begin at 3:00 p.m., after which time the Board will go into executive session in the Community Room until 5:30 p.m. to discuss personnel matters and a negotiations topic. The Board of Education will reconvene for the public session from 6:00 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. in the cafeteria. Time is set aside during the public session for the hearing of constituents at approximately 7:00 p.m. Please note that this time is approximate, and public comment may be adjusted based on the timing of the presentations.
Topics excluded from Public Comment include:
• Individual personnel issues
• Comments identifying individual students or staff members
• Matters that are on appeal or may be appealed or have been appealed.
• Topics for which the Board schedules formal public hearings
• Advertising or solicitation for products and/or services
The agenda for the Public Session can be accessed at BoardDocs - https://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/garrett/Board.nsf/Public. The agenda is not considered final until the Board takes action to accept it at the start of each meeting.
Part or all of the meeting may be closed pursuant to the General Provision §3-305 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐂𝐏𝐒 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) is proud to recognize four additional teachers who have earned National Board Certification. This distinguished achievement represents one of the highest professional honors in education and reflects a deep commitment to instructional excellence and student success.
The National Board Certification process is both rigorous and reflective, requiring educators to demonstrate advanced knowledge, effective teaching practices, and a strong impact on student learning. Teachers who achieve this certification continually refine their practice and actively contribute to professional learning communities.
GCPS celebrates these dedicated educators whose accomplishments underscore our commitment to high academic standards, continuous professional growth, and inspiring learning environments for all students:
• Annalea Burgess – Broad Ford School and Southern Garrett High
• April Fleming – Northern Garrett High
• Melissa Pyle – Southern Garrett High
• Leah Shaw – Broad Ford School
This brings the total number of NBC Teachers within GCPS to 37. To learn more about GCPS National Board Certifications, please visit https://www.gcps.net/page/gcps-national-board-certified-teachers.
