MASSP MEMO

The time to register is now for the best school leaders conference in Maryland! Use this link to view the agenda, keynote speakers, and other details. Register here:

Conference '24 - MAESP/MASSP Leadership Conference 2024 (cvent.com)

If you want to make your hotel reservation now, you may do so with this link:

MAESP and MASSP Annual School Leaders Conference

Team,

Greetings and happy beginning of November to each of you! I would like to thank our membership for the very warm welcome I have received as the new Executive Director and although I just officially started on October 15th I have already seen so many examples of dedication, passion and perseverance in navigating the many challenges the start of a school year can present. I am highly confident you and your teams have gotten off to a strong start and you are now into a groove as we move into the second quarter of the year. Our school communities are fortunate to have each of you leading and providing your students and staffs with the highest quality learning environments possible. Simply put-YOU ROCK!

As you know from the announcement above, the MAESP/MASSP MD UNITED Annual School Leaders Conference is being held next week. Please consider registering for this high quality professional development experience. There are outstanding keynote speakers, a number of informative sessions that align well to the work of building leaders, and many opportunities to network with colleagues from around the state. What a great chance to build our collective leadership capacity! We hope to see you there!

Next year's national conference is in Seattle, Washington on July 11-13, 2025. Consider asking your district to fund some or all of your attendance at this conference. You may also have school based discretionary accounts that could help fund your attendance as a means of supporting your own professional growth. Professional learning is critical for all of us, and we often become so busy that we neglect chances to engage in these types of valuable experiences. Collegial learning with leaders from across the country (and beyond) can open up entirely new networks for you. Please consider making your own professional growth among your most valued actions this year-when you are stronger we are stronger!

Finally, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly if you have a question or if you want to share an idea or a thought as to how we can grow and improve as a professional organization. You can also expect to see a brief survey coming out over the next few weeks. The survey will help me better understand your needs as members and how I can work to better advocate for you and support you moving forward. The roles you play are critical to our success and you are each valued and appreciated. Thank you for all you do each and every day to lead your school communities!

Sincerely,

Chris Truffer, Executive Director

cmtruffer@mdmassp.org

443-545-9988

Shout outs to our Principal of the Year, Yetunde Reeves and our Assistant Principal of the Year, Sheri Murphy and Melissa Shindel, MAESP National Distinguished Principal, who were recognized at the October 22nd MD State Board of Education meeting.

Kudos to Yetunde for being honored at the NASSP principal of the Year Gala in Washington, DC on October 18. Great examples of outstanding leaders making a difference and who represent so many other amazing leaders across our state!

We ask all of our current MASSP/NASSP members to encourage others in your professional network to join these excellent organizations. You are provided with amazing resources and liability protection for just $390 per year. As a reminder when you join MASSP you are automatically joining NASSP and reaping the benefits of vast resources and supports. You can use school based discretionary funds to support your membership and can also purchase for members of your leadership/admin team as well.

Share this link with others to join MASSP/NASSP:

www.mdmassp.org

SHOUT OUTS!

Shout outs to those districts that have added members since the beginning of the school year! Special thanks to Baltimore City, Charles County, Harford County, and Montgomery County for your efforts in increasing membership. In October alone we increased new memberships by 28 statewide! This is amazing! Every new member counts!

Way to go Christina Dougherty, Principal-South Carroll High (Carroll Co.), for winning our drawing of a $100 Amazon gift card. The drawing included all members who brought in at least one new member. Christina brought in Christy Kennedy, Assistant Principal, South Carroll High. Each new member helps make our organization stronger!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Congrats as well to Dan Kaple, Principal-North Point HS (Charles Co.), Ken Goncz, Principal-Liberty HS (Carroll Co.), Lisa Smith-Principal, Tuscarora HS (Frederick Co.) and Matt Niper, Principal-Redland MS (Montgomery Co.) for winning our Principal of the Month Amazon Gift Card Drawing!

Leadership can feel isolating at times and the power to networking can be rejuvenating! The 2025 UNITED Conference is your chance to do that—join over 4,000 school leaders like you to learn, grow, and find a community of peers who truly understand your challenges.

Co-hosted by NASSP and NAESP, this event will be held July 11–13, 2025, in Seattle. Sessions are tailored to your needs, offering insights on building leadership capacity, school culture, climate and inclusivity, and instructional leadership. You’ll gain practical strategies, engage in discussions on real-world challenges, and leave UNITED with actionable ideas to elevate your role as a school leader.

Secure your early bird discount

Register by December 31, 2024 to grab your pass for $1,131.*

To register click this link: I’m ready! Let’s do this.

Experience UNITED in 2025!

The UNITED Conference, co-hosted by NASSP and NAESP, brings school leaders together for tailored sessions, networking, and strategies to elevate leadership—making it the must-attend event for principals and assistant principals.
*Early bird pricing ends December 31, 2024. Tickets increase to $1,300 after that date.

National Association of Secondary School Principals, 1904 Association Drive , Reston, VA 20191

703-860-0200 | 800-253-7746
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Promoting Excellence in School Leadership Through Service in the areas of advocacy, communication, and professional development.

Follow us on Instagram: md_massp for current news and updates!

This is a great opportunity for current and aspiring assistant principals. Save the date-February 25th at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum!

Join principals and assistant principals from across the state for the First Annual MASSP and Special Olympics Maryland Cool Schools Plunge on January 28th at Sandy Point State Park! You will receive future messaging regarding this great event. We hope you are able to join us!

Join the American College of Education for an alumni event at Romilo's Restaurant in Severna Park on November 21!

Check out CyberTEACH!

Dear MASSP Members:

We are writing to share information about a cybersecurity professional development opportunity for middle and secondary school teachers at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC).

UMGC recently launched CyberTEACH–which stands for "Training Educators in AI and Cybersecurity Holistically”–to reach new kinds of teachers around the urgency of cybersecurity as a national priority. With funding from the Army Research Lab (ARL) in Adelphi Maryland, UMGC’s Cybersecurity Department has assembled a team of government and industry experts, higher educators, and PK-12 teachers to embark upon this innovative initiative.

More specifically, CyberTEACH is currently focused on engaging and preparing non-STEM teachers, counselors and related instructional personnel at the middle and high school levels. Recognizing that cybersecurity is everyone’s business, UMGC has conducted summer boot camps and most recently created CyberTEACH to engage PK-12 educators in such areas as social studies, language arts, the humanities, and other non-technical programs, starting with grades 6-12.

This is the link to register for CyberTEACH Training for Non-STEM Teachers. The CyberTEACH training program for teachers is part of UMGC’s continuing commitment to prepare and support PK-12 educators for a dynamic and rapidly changing educational, professional and civic landscape.

❖ There are no financial costs associated with participating in the CyberTEACH program, other than the time and devotion of those involved. Food costs are covered by participants.

❖ Participating educators who complete the five-week program on Saturdays will receive a $1,800 stipend, chrome book and certificate of completion from UMGC.

The first of nine cohorts of teachers is underway, composed of a diverse array of 29 middle and high school teachers from across Maryland and the District of Columbia. We hope you will share this information with fellow high school leaders in Maryland as well as colleagues in your feeder middle schools. The next cohort begins in February, with a total of nine cohorts running through next summer. Space is limited and registrations are filling fast. Cohorts will remain open until filled.

We encourage you to disseminate this information link to CyberTEACH Training for Non-STEM Teachers. Please let us know if you have questions or need additional information. Please direct questions and comments to michael.caruso@faculty.umgc.edu.

Sincerely,

Helen G. Barker, D.M

Chair, Cybersecurity Department and Principal Investigator of CyberTEACH

University of Maryland Global Campus

Michael G. Caruso, Ph.D.

Project Manager, CyberTEACH, UMGC

michael.caruso@faculty.umgc.edu

September 27 Meeting

Link to view the meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObA1GQK4UTE

Agenda: https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/meeting-agendas/2024/0924/2024-09-24.aspx

Minutes: https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Documents/2024/0924/9.24.24-Minutes-A.pdf

October 22 Meeting

Link to view the meeting: https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/meeting-agendas/2024/1022/2024-10-22.aspx

Agenda: https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/meeting-agendas/2024/1022/2024-10-22.aspx

Minutes for the October 22 meeting have not yet been published.

Here is the link for the October MASC Bulletin:

https://secure.smore.com/n/62kw5

Here is the link for the November MASC Bulletin:

https://mrskcrawford.wixsite.com/so/e6PAttqG7?languageTag=en&cid=e77265be-72d5-4f56-a31c-a7036de10212

Mr. Chris Truffer, Executive Director

228 Cloister Road

Arnold, MD 21012

443-545-9988

www.mdmassp.org

Below you will find the list of MASSP Officers and school district representatives. We sometimes lose board members to promotions or transfers to elementary; therefore, we have a few vacancies. Some districts choose to have co-representatives, which is just fine! If you would like to represent your county or private/independent schools, individually or with a colleague, please contact me at cmtruffer@mdmassp.org. We would love to have all school districts and independent schools represented on the MASSP Board of Directors.

Officers:

President: Michael C. Brown, Wilde Lake H.S. (Howard)

President Elect: Kris Hemstetter, Kent County H.S. (Kent)

Past President: Dr. Afie Mirshah-Nayar, Director of High Schools (Frederick)

Treasurer: Dr. Marc Cohen, retired

Secretary: Erin O'Hara, North Harford M.S. (Harford)

NASSP State Coordinator: Melissa Shindel, Glenwood M.S. (Howard)

Board Members:

Allegany - Charles Moran, Assistant Principal, Allegany High School

Anne Arundel - Linda Chandler, Principal, Old Mill Middle South

Baltimore City - Stephanie Farmer, Principal, Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy and Yetunde Reeves, Principal, Dunbar High School

Baltimore County - Kim Culbertson, Assistant Principal , Towson H.S., Kim Magginson, Assistant Principal, Ridgely M.S.

Calvert - Anthony Barone, Principal, Patuxent HS

Caroline - Yolanda Holloway, Principal, Colonel Richardson MS

Carroll - Stacy Novotny, Assistant Principal, Winters Mill High School

Cecil - Gina Pucci, Assistant Principal, Perryville HS

Charles - Doug Dolan, Principal, LaPlata HS

Dorchester - David Stofa, Principal, North Dorchester HS

Frederick - Donna Clabaugh, Principal, Urbana HS

Garrett - VACANCY

Harford - Lamark Holley, Assistant Principal, South Hampton MS

Howard - Allison McCoy, Assistant Principal, Mt. Hebron HS

Kent - Kris Hemstetter, Principal, Kent County HS

Montgomery - Ricardo Hernandez, Argyle MS/Jewel Sanders, Director, Office of School Support and Well-Being

Prince George's - Eunice Humphrey, Principal, International HS at Langley Park & Robynne Prince, Principal, Martin Luther King MS

Queen Anne's - Rob Watkins, Principal, Sudlersville MS

St. Mary's - Debbie Dennie , Principal, Leonardtown MS

Somerset - VACANCY

Talbot - VACANCY

Washington - Amanda Mulledy, Principal, Hancock Middle Senior HS

Wicomico - Liza Hastings, Principal, Mardela Middle/High School

Worcester - Jenifer Rayne, Principal, Pocomoke HS

Higher Education - Dr. Gina Massella, Professor, Loyola University

Private/Non-Public: VACANCY

Organizational Representatives:

Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC): Ms. Debbie Dennie, St. Mary's County

Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) Representative: Donna Clabaugh, Principal, Frederick County

Maryland State Board of Education: Dr. Irma E. Johnson

Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Representative: VACANCY

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Past Presidents:

Mr. Robert Motley, Director of High Schools, Howard County

Dr. Christine Handy, MCAAP / MCBOA President

Mr. William Cecil Short, Charles County & Prince George's County

MASSP thanks all of the MASSP officers, board members, and organizational representatives who volunteer their time to ensure that all members receive current information, quality resources, professional development, networking opportunities, and resources. They also work behind the scenes to advocate for school leaders! Our voices must be heard!

LIST OF MASSP MEMBERS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING AS YOUR REPRESENTATIVE ON MSDE COMMITTEES

Mr. Michael Brown (Howard) - Blueprint Special Education Workgroup

Mr. Tony Bevilaqua - (Somerset) - Data Privacy

Ms. Stephanie Farmer - (Baltimore City) - Professional Standards of Teachers of Education Board (PSTEB)

School-Based Heath Centers - VACANCY

Mr. James Allrich - (Montgomery) - MSDE Assessment & Accountability Task Force

Dr. Debbie Dennie (St. Mary's) - Maryland Association of Student Councils

MASSP is fortunate to work with the following partners throughout the year:

MASSP/MAESP Joint Partners:

Josten's

Lifetouch

MASSP Partners:

American College of Education (ACE)

Avalon

EPI

Grand Canyon University

PlayVS

IXL Learning

Maryland Non-Profit Partners:

Arts Education for Maryland Schools (AMES)

Council of Educational, Administrative, Supervisory Organizations of Maryland (CEASOM)

Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC)

Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS)