Towson High School Newsletter

Dear Towson High School Community,

Next week we will celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week! Each day, our teachers work tirelessly to “level up” teaching and learning, pouring their passion, dedication, and care into every lesson and student. Let us take a moment to recognize the profound impact our teachers have on nurturing the potential of each student. Please consider filling out this form by Wednesday May 7 to share an accolade or message of appreciation for a teacher who has impacted your student(s) this year.

Together, let's honor our teachers’ unwavering commitment to our vision of fostering a thriving learning community at Towson High School. Thank you to our incredible teachers for all they do to inspire, guide, and empower our students.

In partnership,

Dr. Kim Culbertson

Students are recognized for being 5-STAR Towson Generals. Staff and Parents are recognized for demonstrating heart-work that helps our THS learning community to thrive.

• Landon Sax for placing 2nd in the Chess Tournament.

• Harrison Kahn for his careful analysis of Greek nouns appearing in Latin passages for the AP Latin Curriculum Excelsior!

• Jack Fields, Hunter Parsons, Bronte Morton, & Cole Weihs for earning the first ever Penn Relays “wheel” for winning their heat of the 4x400m relay in a new school record time of 3 minutes 23.66 seconds.

• Tributary Club & Environmental Club for hosting Earth Day Advisory lessons, including an annual Earth Day Campus Cleanup!

• Daphne Gardner (1st place), Olivia Bianco (2nd place), & Olatobi Adekoya (3rd place) for their winning essays in the annual Baltimore County Bar Association's Law Day Essay Contest!

• Skyler Haldens for singing the Star Spangled Banner at the Baltimore County Bar Association's Law Day ceremony.

• All Performing Arts Students for delighting us with 5-star performances in this year's Spring Concert series.

• THS Peer Tutors who visited future Generals at Dumbarton Middle School for Peer Tutoring!

• Harrison Kahn, Jack Dobrosielski, Jeff Tobian, and Hibiki Yamada for running the coat check at the Junior Prom.

• Vivian Siatkowski (4th place) and Julia Deise (5th place) for their respective research posters at HOSA state conference.
• Carly Culli 5th place in Medical Law and Ethics HOSA state conference.
• Kavyaa Lamichhane for ranking 2nd in the state for Epidemiology at HOSA state conference and is going on to represent THS in the National Conference over the summer.
• AP Seminar students for delivering informed, academic presentations as part of their College Board AP exams!
• Junior Class Officers and Steering Committee for planning and implementing a safe and fun Junior Prom!

• Sophomore Class Officers for their service and leadership during coat check and the cleanup of Junior Prom!

• Jess Wood and Ellie Annis, AP Seminar TA's for their constant feedback and support of the AP Seminar students this year!
• SGA Exec board for running student government elections.
• Abi Garrigan, Torin Palm, Journey Altheimer and Kyla Wise for completing all assignments so far this quarter!
• Jordan Salkeld, Ava Mulligan, Benjamin Kasofsky, Michael Atika, and Sophie Vijayan for winning the Baltimore County National History Day Competition and advancing to the State Level of the Competition
• Fiona Derti, Laney Sullivan, and Patrick Eyink for being the first THS students to qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy in Latin via the ALIRA test!
• Kavon John-Campbell, Owen Runner, Addison Guevara, Samantha Dimeo, Chevi Shishler, Imani Jones, Duchess Davis, Simon To'oto'o, Marley Molinario for going above and beyond during showcase set up and breakdown and staying later to help other art students.
• LPP Student Exec Board leaders for all their work in preparing for the Law Day celebrations.

• Ms. Brotzman for taking the extra time out of her day to participate in a parent conference and support a struggling student.
• Mr. Sun for serving as the Class of 2026 Class Advisor and sponsoring the Junior Prom.
• Ms. Keller, Ms. Mathews, Ms. Saintsing, and Ms. M. Smtih for being 5-star Administrative Professionals! Happy Administrative Professionals Week (4/21-25)!
• The THS Food Services Team for serving students breakfast & lunch each school day! Happy School Lunch Hero Day (5/2)!
• Mx. Contreras & Ms. Miller for organizing the annual THS Art Show!
• Ms. Kromsky for organizing the annual THS Law Day Celebration!
• Mr. Brooks, Mr. Jackson, & Mr. Olin for leading a 5-star Spring Concert series!
• Ms. Rogers for being there for our FALS students!
• Ms. Merrifield, PPW on her retirement! Congratulations!

• The Dunkin' Cruiser for celebrating students with 5-Star MP3 Report Cards! Students and staff enjoyed trying the new non-caffeinated refresher!
• TAPA for supporting the annual THS Art Show!
• The THS Band Boosters for supporting the Spring Music Concerts!
• Delegate Cathy Forbes for being a keynote speaker at the LPP Law Day Celebration.

This year, BCPS high school students enrolled in non-CTE courses awarding 1.0 credit will now earn 0.5 credit after successfully passing Semester 1 (Marking Periods 1 and 2) and an additional 0.5 credit after passing Semester 2 (Marking Periods 3, 4, and the final exam). Grades for Semester 1 and Semester 2 will appear separately on students' transcripts, and will each count towards students' GPAs/QPAs. Students must earn a full 1.0 credit in graduation-required courses in order to satisfy the associated graduation requirement. The chart below provides a breakdown of how grades are determined in Semester 2.

As a reminder, Fall Sports Eligibility is determined by students' Marking Period 4 grades. To be eligible to participate in Fall Sports, students must earn at least a 2.0 GPA for MP4 and have no more than 1 E or U on their MP4 report card.

• May 16 - Schools & Offices Close 3-Hours Early

• May 26 - Schools & Offices Closed for Memorial Day

• May 29 - Asynchronous Virtual Learning Day -All 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students will participate in asynchronous virtual learning on this day due to Graduation Day for the Class of 2025. Students will not report to school on this date and will access learning materials and activities asynchronously at home.

• June 4 - Athletics Open House - 6:30 pm in the THS Cafeteria (see below for more info)

• June 9-16 - Underclass Final Exams (see schedule below)

• May 2 - Senior MP4 Interims - Check Schoology for Senior MP4 Interim grades.
• May 12-23 – Senior Final Exams (see schedule below)
• May 22 - Senior Awards Night - The evening senior awards ceremony will be on Thursday, May 22nd at 6:30 PM in the THS Auditorium. This event is by invitation only and families are invited to attend with their student.
• May 23 (*update*) – Senior Daytime Awards Assembly - The daytime senior awards ceremony will be on Friday, May 23rd at 1:30 PM in the THS Auditorium. This event is open to ALL seniors and is for students only. Students will dismiss to the Senior Picnic at the conclusion of this awards presentation.
• May 23 – Senior Picnic - At 2:30 pm, the PTSA will host the annual Senior Picnic on the practice field.
• May 23 – Seniors’ Last Day of Class
• May 27 – Mandatory Graduation Rehearsal (Seniors are dismissed after rehearsal)
• May 28 - Mandatory Graduation Rehearsal (Seniors are dismissed after rehearsal)
• May 29 – Graduation! – 6:00 pm @ TU Arena

• MCAP ELA 10 - April 24 - May 5 - All 10th grade students and any 11th/12th grade students who have not yet taken this assessment.
• MCAP Government – April 29 - May 7 - All students that are currently taking American Government and any 10th/11th/12th grade students who have not yet taken this assessment.
• MCAP Science (MISA) - May 6 - May 15 - All students that are currently taking Living Systems and any 10th/11th/12th grade students who have not yet taken this assessment
• MCAP Math - May 15 - May 27 - All 9th grade students that are currently taking Algebra 1, Geometry, or Algebra 2, and any 10th/11th/12th grade students who have not yet taken a MCAP Math assessment in high school.

• AP Testing - May 5 - 23 - All students who are registered for AP exams will take their exams following the College Board's schedule.

For multi-part exams, part 1 may be administered during the week of May 12 and the remaining parts will be administered during the week of May 19. For exams with only 1 part, the exam will be administered during the week of May 19.

• May 12 – A2 & A4 – No exam or Part 1 only
• May 13 – B2 & B4– No exam or Part 1 only
• May 14 – A1 & A3– No exam or Part 1 only
• May 15 – B1 & B3– No exam or Part 1 only
• May 16 – No exams; A-day; half-day

• May 19 – B2 & B4 – Entire exam or Part 2 only
• May 20 – A2 & A4 – Entire exam or Part 2 only
• May 21 – B1 & B3 – Entire exam or Part 2 only
• May 22 - A1 & A3 – Entire exam or Part 2 only
• May 23 – Makeup Final Exams

• June 9 – B2 & B4 Exams

• June 10 – A2 & A4 Exams
• June 11 – B1 & B3 Exams
• June 12 – A1 & A3 Exams
• June 13 – Makeup Final Exams
• June 16 – Makeup Final Exams

Attention 9th – 11th graders interested in running for a Class Officer position next school year! Please see the attached timeline and make note of important deadlines. The positions available to run for are President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Please reach out to your class advisor (names and emails are included in the timeline) with questions.

I. Self-Nomination

1. Self-Nominations will be submitted through a google form. The google form will be shared through the Schoology school counseling groups for each grade level on Monday, May 12th. The form will close on Friday, May 16th at 2:30 PM.

II. Mandatory Election Meeting

1. An election meeting will be held after school in the library on Wednesday, May 21st at 2:30 PM. This meeting is MANDATORY for any student that submitted the self-nomination form. Additionally, students are not allowed to attend the meeting if they did not complete the self-nomination form.

III. Speeches Due

1. All speech scripts must be emailed to their class advisor for approval by the end of the school day on Monday, May 26th.

• Class of 2028: Ms. Weir (nweir@bcps.org)
• Class of 2027: Ms. Cerenzo (kcerenzo@bcps.org)
• Class of 2026: Mr. Sun (ksun@bcps.org)

IV. Speech Recording Due

1. You will be responsible for filming and submitting your own speech and must adhere to the guidelines that are shared at the May 21st election meeting.
2. The speech should be uploaded to a shared folder by Friday, May 30th at 11:59 PM. Each class advisor will provide the link to the shared folder.

V. Campaigning time

1. You will have from the end of the Meeting on May 21st until the end of the school day June 5th when elections conclude the campaign.
2. This can consist of 1 poster hung in the cafeteria. All posters must be approved by the class advisors.
3. You are NOT allowed to hand out stickers. Additionally, you may NOT bribe people or spend money to make anything such as pencils, bracelets, pins, etc.

VI. Elections

1. Elections will be held on June 4th and June 5th in advisory.

VII. Results

1. Results will be displayed at 3:00 on Friday, June 6th through the Schoology school counseling grade level groups.

Questions about the process should be directed towards your specific class advisor.

Parent University Dine & Learn Workshop: “An Introduction to Education Savings with the Maryland College Investment Plan”

• Wednesday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m.
• A representative from the State Treasurer's Office will give a presentation on the Maryland 529 Program/Maryland College Investment Plan. Registration required.

Parent University Lunch & Learn Workshop: “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren”

• Thursday, May 8, at 12:30 p.m.
• Nearly 3 million children in the U.S. are being raised by grandparents. In this virtual workshop, learn about the challenges faced by grandparents raising grandchildren, discuss strategies for building a home-school partnership, and access resources to support learning at home. Registration required.

Parent University Lunch & Learn Workshop: “Easy Productivity Tips, Tricks & Techniques”

• Friday, May 9, at 12:30 p.m.
• This virtual workshop, presented by the Center for Family Success, will teach a variety of ways to approach prioritization and increase productivity without increasing stress. Registration required.

We look forward to celebrating the Towson High School Class of 2025 Graduates this spring! Attending prom and participating in the graduation ceremony are privileges. Inappropriate behavior can lead to prom and graduation privileges being revoked. We greatly appreciate your partnership in emphasizing responsible decision-making with your student so that we can ensure that all Senior activities are safe, enjoyable, and memorable.

• May 12-23 – Senior Final Exams (see schedule above)
• May 22 - Senior Awards Night - The evening senior awards ceremony will be on Thursday, May 22nd at 6:30 PM in the THS Auditorium. This event is by invitation only and families are invited to attend with their student.
• May 23 (*update*) – Senior Daytime Awards Assembly - The daytime senior awards ceremony will be on Friday, May 23rd at 1:30 PM in the THS Auditorium. This event is open to ALL seniors and is for students only. Students will dismiss to the Senior Picnic at the conclusion of this awards presentation.
• May 23 – Senior Picnic - At 2:30 pm, the PTSA will host the annual Senior Picnic on the practice field.
• May 23 – Seniors’ Last Day of Class
• May 27 – Mandatory Graduation Rehearsal (Seniors are dismissed after rehearsal)
• May 28 - Mandatory Graduation Rehearsal (Seniors are dismissed after rehearsal)
• May 29 – Graduation! – 6:00 pm @ TU Arena

Senior Prom General Information:

• Date/Time/Place: May 17th at M&T Bank Stadium from 7:00 – 10:00 pm.
• Doors open at 6:30 pm. Students cannot enter after 8:00 pm and cannot leave the dance until after 9:00 pm.
• Students must have a purchased Senior Prom ticket and photo ID in order to enter.
• Prom Parking: Lot O of Ravens Stadium will be available to all students for free parking. Students will enter the building from Lot O through Gate F. You will then be directed up the escalator and into North Club.
• After-Prom Party: 11:00 PM – 1:00 AM, Bowlero in Timonium (This is a FREE event!)
• All Seniors are receiving a free Senior T-Shirt and invitation to the after Prom Party! Pick up the free T-shirt, after Prom Party Info - and the purchased Senior Prom tickets in the cafeteria, during all lunch shifts, on Thursday May 8th & Friday May 9th.

Senior Prom Tickets:

• Sales: Ticket sales will be open from April 28th – May 2nd. Any student eligible to purchase a ticket will be able to pick up an individual access code during all four lunch shifts from April 28th – May 2nd.

Questions?

• Please reach out to Senior Class Advisors Ms. Kromsky (jkromsky@bcps.org) or Ms. Hancock (ehancock@bcps.org).

• Date/Time/Place: Thursday, May 29th, 6:00 PM at TU Arena
• Tickets: Each graduate who has fulfilled their academic and financial obligations will be given 8 tickets for graduation. THS graduating seniors do NOT need a ticket to attend. All guests attending graduation, including infants and children, must have a ticket. If more or less tickets are needed, there will be a form to complete in May to state such requests. We will use the information provided on the form to try to better support individual family needs.
• Caps and Gowns: Caps and Gowns will be shipped directly to Towson High School. Students will pick up their Cap and Gown at Graduation Rehearsal.
• Decorating Graduation Caps: Graduation caps can be decorated under the guidelines stated below. Please note that failure to follow this information will result in the removal of the cap before the commencement ceremony and the senior being provided with a blank cap for the ceremony. The ONLY decorations that may be on your graduation cap are:

  • Thank a parent/guardian, grandparent, family member, teacher, friend

  • Recognize the university you will be attending

  • Recognize the career path you are pursuing

  • Your graduation year

  Towson High School Administration reserves the right to disallow anything that is not considered appropriate for the commencement ceremony. In the instance that a student’s cap does not meet these requirements, the student will be provided with a blank graduation cap.

  Graduation cap decorations:

  • Cannot contain any advertisement, endorsement, symbols, abbreviations, slogans, patches, numbers other than the graduation year or pictures.

  • Cannot denote activity that is disruptive, violent, or references drugs/alcohol.

  • Cannot cause a disruption to the graduation ceremony.

  • Cannot make noise.

  • Only the flat, top area of the cap may be decorated. There may be nothing hanging down from any of the sides of the cap. There may be no items that protrude vertically from the cap.

  Rehearsal: Two mandatory graduation rehearsals will be held on Tuesday, May 27th and Wednesday, May 28th starting at 7:35 AM. More information about these mandatory graduation rehearsals will be shared in the school newsletter on May 2nd.

• Graduate Arrival Time: Graduates need to arrive at Towson University for graduation ONE HOUR prior to the ceremony. The graduation ceremony is on Thursday, May 29th is at 6:00 PM. Students must arrive at 5:00 PM and MUST be on time. Doors will open to guests at 5:00 PM as well. Graduating students enter through Towson Center gate.
• Parking Information: Parking is available to families attending graduation at TU. Please review this information (SUBJECT TO CHANGE – This is the most up-to-date information that has been provided to us):
• Parking for Students, Families, Guests will begin in Lot 8.
• When Lot 8 fills, parking will expand to Lots 4, 5, and 6.
• TU will have parking staff on site to direct traffic/answer questions.
• No pre-registration or payment is necessary.
• Walking or waiting at a Shuttle Stop are options for getting from parked vehicle to Arena. (There will be one Shuttle for all lots.)
• Families and Guests enter through Gate 2 (main gate) or Gate 1.
• Graduating students enter through Towson Center gate.

Graduating Seniors must return all BCPS materials and pay all obligations in order to receive their Graduation tickets. Please see the image below for more information on Senior Device Collection. All devices and charges must be turned in to Ms. Fluharty or Mr. Marx in the Library.

• Senior Portrait FAQ & Senior Portrait Costs
• Seniors Banners

• Class dues are $40 per senior and are payable via the Online School Payment system (OSP).

• Ms. Hancock (ehancock@bcps.org) and Ms. Kromsky (jkromsky@bcps.org).

This is a friendly reminder to pay your $25 class dues. This will help fund our class activities and is required in order to attend Junior Prom. You can pay them on OSP.

The School Counseling Department would like to invite you and your student to meet with school staff to review your student’s College & Career Readiness (CCR) status and post-secondary plans. During the meeting we will explore options for the future and discuss what you can be doing now to prepare for Senior year. The conferences will be held through June 2025 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am-1.30pm. Please call Ms. Williams or Ms. Weinstock at 443-809-3613 to schedule your conference.

Please reach out to Mr. Sun, Junior Class advisor, with questions (ksun@bcps.org)

Support the class of 2027 and enjoy some delicious pizza from Mod Pizza on May 28th. Use the digital ordering code, flier, or mention you are supporting THS Class of 2027 when ordering. The Class of 2027 will receive 25% of your order that day. Thank you so much for your support!!

Questions? Please contact Ms. Cerenzo, Class Advisor, at kcerenzo@bcps.org

Fall Sports Eligibility is determined by students' Marking Period 4 grades. To be eligible to participate in Fall Sports, students must earn at least a 2.0 GPA for MP4 and have no more than 1 E or U on their MP4 report card.

Students can receive extra support afterschool via Coach Class and Peer Tutoring. Coach Class is offered by each teacher, each week. Free Peer Tutoring is offered throughout the week by students and advisors of our national honor societies. All supports begin next week unless otherwise noted. BCPS also offers all high school students with free teen therapy through Talkspace.

We encourage all students to be actively involved in clubs and organizations throughout the year. Please check out the club list below. Students that are interested in starting a new club should contact Ms. Smith at lsmith21@bcps.org.

For the latest updates on the Towson High School Renovation/Addition Project, please click here. We are currently in Phase 0 - Temporary Modular Classrooms.

Research has shown that attendance is a leading predictor of academic achievement and adult success. Students who find attending school important are more likely to attain goals like attending trade school, college, or getting a job. By showing up to school every day, students develop a positive work ethic and prepare for future success by developing healthy and productive habits.

Our attendance goals this year are for students to maintain at least a 94% attendance rate and to reduce chronic absenteeism. A student that misses 10% or more of school days in chronically absent. By missing just 2 days a month, a student will be chronically absent. Use the "Attendance Tracker" and "Parent Tips" below to support your student in maintaining satisfactory attendance. Additionally, we will send parents/guardians a "Weekly Attendance Report" each Friday afternoon so you can track your student's daily and period attendance.

Absent notes must be turned in within 5 days from the student returning to school. Please review the Towson High School 2024-2025 Operating Procedures document ("Attendance" section) for information on Absent notes, including how to submit them on FOCUS. Teachers are not required to provide makeup work for unexcused absences.

Exciting news- You can now use digital payments at concessions! The Towson High School Sports Boosters meetings are the 1st Tuesday of the month. Please consider joining to support our student athletes!

If you are not receiving text messages from the school and would like to, please text “Y” or "Yes" to 67587.

May 16 - Schools & Offices Close 3-Hours Early

May 23 - Last Day for Seniors

Mary 26 - Schools & Offices Closed

May 29 - Asynchronous Virtual Learning Day & Class of 2025 Graduation

June 13 & 16 - Schools Close 3-Hours Early for Students

June 16 - Last Day of School