Each month, staff at the Hickory Environmental Education Center proudly recognize Hickory’s Finest! 🌟 Yough Glades Elementary students in Ms. Friend's 4th-grade class were selected for March 2026. Congratulations to these students for being selected as the March Hickory’s Finest group! 👏🍃
Pictured are students from Ms. Friend's class.
We are proud to celebrate Jump$tart Coalition Teacher Spotlight honoree Dr. Suzanne Wilburn, of Broad Ford School! For the month of April, Dr. Wilburn was recognized for her passion and dedication to empowering students, making a meaningful impact by helping young people build essential financial literacy skills that will serve them for life. Her commitment to engaging, real-world learning is a powerful reminder of the difference educators make every day.
The full article is available at https://www.jumpstart.org/teacher-spotlight/teacher-spotlight-suzanne-wilburn/.
Congratulations, Dr. Wilburn, for receiving this recognition!
𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
The Garrett County Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at Dennett Road Education Complex in the Community Room. The meeting is open to the public and will be live-streamed for public review.
Public comment for the April 14, 2026, Board Meeting will begin at 4:00 p.m., after which time the Board will go into executive session in the Maintenance Conference 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 7:15 p.m. in the Community Room. Time is set aside during the public session for the hearing of constituents at approximately 6:30 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 April Board Meeting can be accessed at https://garrettcountyschools.community.diligentoneplatform.com/Portal/. The agendas are 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.
Students from Southern Garrett High School recently brought science to life for younger learners during a special visit to Grantsville Elementary School, where they shared their Science Fair projects and presentations.
High school students showcased a variety of creative and engaging experiments, giving elementary students the opportunity to see scientific concepts in action. This included hands-on demonstrations and interactive discussions, which sparked curiosity and excitement about science among the younger students.
The visit not only highlighted the hard work and innovation of Southern Garrett High School students, led by teacher Mr. Camden Nichols, but also provided a meaningful opportunity for them to develop communication and leadership skills by presenting their projects in an accessible and engaging way.
Garrett County Public Schools is proud to support opportunities like this that encourage collaboration, mentorship, and a lifelong love of learning.
At approximately 12:33 PM today, there was an anonymous threatening call, which appeared to be automated, made to Southern Garrett High School.
The school immediately went into a Lockdown Status, and law enforcement responded. All other Garrett County Schools were placed in a Secure Status out of an abundance of caution.
Law enforcement searched Southern Garrett High School property and declared the building safe. Law enforcement is remaining on site and is continuing the investigation.
SGHS will be in a Secure status for the remainder of the day and will follow normal dismissal procedures.
GCPS ALERT: The LOCKDOWN at Southern Garrett High School has been lifted. Out of an abundance of caution, A SECURE is now in effect at Southern Garrett High School. This means that while the school building is secured, operations continue as usual inside. Students are safe. We will keep families updated as we receive new information.
GCPS ALERT: The SECURE status at all other GCPS schools has been lifted. All operations have returned to normal. We appreciate your cooperation during this time.
UPDATE 4/2/26 1:15 PM:
𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐂𝐏𝐒 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬; 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥
GCPS ALERT: The LOCKDOWN at Southern Garrett High School has been lifted. Out of an abundance of caution, A SECURE is now in effect at Southern Garrett High School. This means that while the school building is secured, operations continue as usual inside. Students are safe. We will keep families updated as we receive new information.
GCPS ALERT: The SECURE status at all other GCPS schools has been lifted. All operations have returned to normal. We appreciate your cooperation during this time.
ORIGINAL POST:
Lockdown in Effect at Southern Garrett High School;
Secure in Effect at All GCPS Schools
GCPS EMERGENCY ALERT: A LOCKDOWN is in effect at Southern Garrett High School. All classrooms and offices are locked. Students and staff are following safety procedures, and law enforcement is on site. Please avoid coming to the school. We will provide updates as soon as we can.
GCPS EMERGENCY ALERT: Out of an abundance of caution, a SECURE is in effect at all other GCPS schools. This means that while the school building is secured, operations continue as usual inside. Students are safe. We will keep families updated as we receive new information.
𝐆𝐚𝐂𝐨 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩
Garrett County’s Public High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 1629, GaCo, competed at its second qualifier for its 2026 FRC season last weekend, March 28-29, at Severn Run High School in Severn, Maryland.
GaCo was one of thirty-five teams from across Maryland, Virginia, and DC that competed, earning a total of 38 “District” points - enough to secure their advancement to the 2026 Chesapeake District Championship. All in all, the team ended up as the captain of the 4th-seeded alliance but was eliminated in the semi-final playoffs. So far this season, GaCo’s match win-loss record is 23-9-0. The Chesapeake District Championship will be held at Virginia State University (VSU) in Petersburg, Virginia, April 9-12, 2026.
During closing ceremonies, GaCo was presented with the event’s Engineering Inspiration (EI) Award. According to FIRST, the EI Award recognizes teams that promote respect and appreciation for engineering in their community and schools. Winning the EI Award will enable the team to compete for the same award at their District Championship among all the other EI Award winners of the District's seven qualifiers for 2026. In addition, Eden Rankin, Junior at Northern Garrett High School, was selected to be one of two District FIRST Leadership Award Semi-Finalists and will compete as a finalist at the District championship.
There are approximately 120 FRC teams in the Chesapeake District, about half of which will advance to the District Championship. Each team had a chance to compete at two of the seven District qualifiers in order to earn points towards advancement. Currently, GaCo is ranked 13th in its district.
GaCo is composed of students from both Northern and Southern Garrett High Schools. Founded in 2005, this is the team's 22nd season. The team wishes to thank all for the support, allowing them to represent Garrett County and make a difference throughout the central Appalachian region. Follow the team at @gaco1629, email gaco@gcps.net, or visit stemreadykids.org.
𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟’𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐒
The Garrett County Sheriff's Office will be conducting training at Northern Garrett High School (NGHS) on Friday, April 3rd, and Monday, April 6th. Student learning will not be disrupted on Monday, April 6th. Please be advised that additional emergency vehicles may be on campus during these trainings.
Our paraprofessionals play a vital role in our mission to inspire and foster student growth. By providing individualized instruction and research-based supports for diverse learning needs, they ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed.
Please join us in thanking these essential team members for their tireless service to our students and families. 💼🤝
#GCPSMD #EducationHeroes #GCPSMDProud #GarrettCountyMD #AppreciationPost
As we move into the final stretch of the school year, please take a moment to review these important April 2026 calendar reminders and schedule updates for Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS):
• 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐 – End of the third grading period
• 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟑 – All GCPS schools & offices are closed
• 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟔 – All GCPS 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 as a make-up day
• 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟎 – Report cards released for the third grading period
• 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟕, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟎 – No school for 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 (to allow for the transition to the new building)
• 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟎 – Staff Development 3-hour early student dismissal
For up-to-date information on the 2025-26 GCPS calendar, please visit www.gcps.net/calendars.
Garrett County Sheriff Bryson Meyers and members of the Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) recently visited 10th-grade students at Northern and Southern Garrett High Schools to deliver their “Let’s Drive Safely” presentation, focused on preventing distracted driving and other leading causes of crashes.
Drawing on real-life experiences, Sheriff Meyers and School Resource Officers Parks and Rhodes shared practical advice and answered student questions about staying safe behind the wheel. The presentation highlighted the heightened risks faced by young, inexperienced drivers, particularly on rural roads, and emphasized the serious consequences of unsafe driving behaviors. Students also learned about Maryland’s laws regarding cell phone use while driving, including strict restrictions for drivers under 18.
The program was sponsored by the “Let’s Drive” driver’s education scholarship, a community initiative supported by Garrett County Community Action and the Garrett County Democratic Club. For more information on young driver safety, please visit: https://zerodeathsmd.gov/road-safety/young-driver-safety/.
Garrett County’s public high school FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 1629, 𝐆𝐚𝐂𝐨, invites our community to follow along as we compete this weekend at our second district qualifier, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟖–𝟐𝟗, at Severn Run High School in Severn, Maryland.
GaCo will compete in 𝟏𝟎 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬:
🤖𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
🤖𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲: 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
🤖𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐬: Sunday afternoon (if qualified)
🎥 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞:
The entire event will be webcast. Find the link at:
🤖www.firstchesapeake.org/event/frc/2026/mdsev
🤖stemreadykids.org
You can also track 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐬 here https://www.thebluealliance.com/event/2026mdsev.
👉 Teams are identified by number—𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟗!
A total of 𝟑𝟓 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐃𝐂, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚 will be competing.
This is GaCo’s second district event. After 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐚, the team is working to earn enough district points to advance to the 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 (𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟎–𝟏𝟐 𝐚𝐭 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲).
📧 Questions or need help following the event?
𝐄𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥: gaco@gcps.net
𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥/𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐭: 301-616-3231
Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Southern Garrett High School (SGHS) recently transformed the media center into a high-stakes boardroom for a "Shark Tank" style competition. Led by Mr. John Coffman, SGHS Media Specialist, the Gifted & Talented (GT) program challenged young entrepreneurs to identify gaps in the current market and engineer original products to fill them.
The project required students to go beyond simple ideas, developing full business pitches and prototypes for inventions not yet available to consumers. After weeks of research and design, students presented their work to a panel of "sharks," defending their business models and answering questions about production and marketability.
"The energy and innovation in the room were incredible," said Mr. Coffman. "These students didn't just come up with ideas, they learned how to look at everyday problems with new eyes and design real solutions."
Highlights from the presentations included an electric bag to carry equipment for baseball and softball equipment, a meter that shows the amount of water in the stand of a live Christmas tree, an implantable knowledge chip that improves an individual’s memory, and more. These projects showcase the critical thinking and entrepreneurial spirit of Southern Garrett’s seventh- and eighth-grade GT class.
This past week, the Garrett College campus was buzzing with ambition as our 7th graders participated in the 2026 GCPS Career Day. It was an inspiring day of career exploration, connecting students with professionals right here in our community.
Thank you to our dedicated community partners for taking time out of your day to share with our students! By sharing your time and expertise, you opened doors for our students to explore a vast array of local career paths. We are proud to work together to build a bright future for all GCPS students.
Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) will dismiss students three (3) hours early on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, for staff development in the afternoon. County-wide staff development will take place in various schools and at Garrett College. For up-to-date information on the GCPS calendar, please visit www.gcps.net/calendars.
Garrett County Public Schools' afternoon and evening activities are canceled for today, Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
Garrett County Public Schools will conduct a Virtual Learning Day (with live instruction) today, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Schools will be closed for in-person learning.
𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐲 – 𝟑/𝟏𝟕/𝟐𝟔
Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) is preparing for the possibility of a Virtual Learning Day on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. All necessary learning materials will be sent home with students today, Monday, March 16, 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 Tuesday, March 17, 2026, regarding whether a virtual learning day will be implemented.
