The Board of Education of Charles County and Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff celebrated school system volunteers earlier this month at the Be the Difference Awards ceremony.

Held May 13 at North Point High School, the ceremony honors the volunteer service of parents and families, community members and representatives of business and nonprofit organizations.

“We depend on our community,” Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D., superintendent of schools, said. “I want to personally thank every volunteer who has been nominated for the amount of time and work that you put in our schools. It is incredible and it is volunteers that make our school communities so much better.”

Nicole M. Kreamer, Board chairperson, said the Be the Difference Awards program has grown over the years and echoed Navarro’s remarks. “We depend on our volunteers,” she said, adding that reading over the nominations is uplifting. “It is heartwarming to hear all that [our volunteers] are pouring into our schools, our students and the staff.”

Each school and center, and the CCPS administrative offices, can put forth a volunteer who deserves recognition. Four are then selected to represent the categories of elementary, middle and high school and the administrative offices.

The Rev. Cynthia Baker, pastor of Shabach Evangelistic Ministries, was named the Elementary School Volunteer of the Year. Baker is a retired educator who was named the CCPS Vice Principal of the Year in 2004 and CCPS Principal of the Year in 2010. For the past two years, Baker has been an active volunteer at Eva Turner Elementary School holding Family Markets, a food pantry, at the school at least once a month. Baker and her team of volunteers donate turkeys for Thanksgiving baskets given out to the families of students in need, they assist with food preparation for the school’s Community Day and support events like the annual Black History Month celebration and DADvisory Men’s Conference.

Ashley Robinson-Spann, Ph.D., was named the Middle School Volunteer of the Year for her work at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School. Robinson-Spann is dedicated to education and is the senior director of higher education with The College Board. At Stoddert, Robinson-Spann played a key role in creating and sustaining the Future Focus Academy, a Saturday program that helps students build academic skills, confidence and gives them opportunities to expand their knowledge. “She has made a lasting impact on students and staff,” Stoddert Principal Marquelle Peavy said. Robinson-Spann gets bonus points from students for treating them to breakfast from Chick-fil-A during the Saturday program.

The Rev. Nelson Bowen, the pastor of iNgage Community Church, was named the High School Volunteer of the Year. Bowen and members of his church have been a community partner of Westlake High School for years. Church members have paid off students’ meal balances, led campus clean ups and recently renovated all the teacher lounges at the school. Bowen was unable to attend the awards ceremony due to a previous commitment at church.

This is the first year that CCPS administrative office could nominate volunteers who help at the county level. Felix Cummings, who has organized the twice-a-year countywide chess tournaments for students in kindergarten through Grade 12, was named the Central Office Volunteer of the Year. Cummings — with the assistance of his wife, retired CCPS teacher Hattie Cummings, and a band of volunteers — have been championing the benefits of chess for decades, working with CCPS for nearly 30 years. “He transformed a void into a thriving, character-building competitive culture that teaches students strategy, discipline, integrity and respect,” Kevin Lowdes, CCPS chief of teaching and learning, said.

Schools recognized the following volunteers for their service to CCPS students and staff.

Elementary school

• Robert Snyder, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School.
• Adeeb Parkar, Berry Elementary School.
• Junius Hanley, Billingsley Elementary School.
• Da’Net Sturdifen, Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School.
• Tiffany Goudie, Dr. James Craik Elementary School.
• Katie Tracz, William A. Diggs Elementary School.
• Lisa Anno, Gale-Bailey Elementary School.
• Sarah Teel, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School.
• Becky Chick, Indian Head Elementary School.
• Tariq Majeed, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School.
• Christopher Harrington, Malcolm Elementary School.
• Tricia Hershfeld, T.C. Martin Elementary School.
• Sandra Fykes, Mary H. Matula Elementary School.
• Amy Dailey, Arthur Middleton Elementary School.
• Adrian Tewell, Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School.
• Cathy Holden, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School.
• Joyce Fuentes and Wendy Lopez, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School.
• Sabrina Mason, Mary B. Neal Elementary School.
• Kendra Thompson, J.C. Parks Elementary School.
• Danielle Skidmore, J. P. Ryon Elementary School.
• JaNae Lester, Margaret J. Thornton Elementary School.
• The Rev. Cynthia Baker, Eva Turner Elementary School.
• The Rev. Regina Banks, William B. Wade Elementary School.

Middle school

• Cherie Levy, Theodore G. Davis Middle School.
• James Tabourne, Glymont Middle School.
• Carolyn Wooster, Matthew Henson Middle School.
• Tanja Brown and Laval Brown, Mattawoman Middle School.
• Kaprece James, Phoenix International School of the Arts
• Jessica Brueckner, Leah McConnell and Rashonda Williams, Piccowaxen Middle School.
• Heather Malkasian, Milton M. Somers Middle School.
• Ashley Robinson-Spann, Ph.D., Benjamin Stoddert Middle School.

High school

• Amber Bowman, Henry E. Lackey High School.
• Tricia Rogerson, La Plata High School.
• Kristie Jarmusz, Maurice J. McDonough High School.
• Crystal Campbell, North Point High School.
• Sarafia Washington, St. Charles High School.
• Lorraine Jamison, Thomas Stone High School.
• The Rev. Nelson Bowen, Westlake High School.
• Chris Winkler, Robert D. Stethem Educational Center.

CCPS administrative office

• Tammy Wright, Office of School Administration and Leadership.
• Felix Cummings, Office of Teaching and Learning.
• Steven Baldo, Department of Special Education.

The Board of Education in 2018 established the Be the Difference Awards program to honor volunteers who work in CCPS to enhance and strengthen home-school-community ties. The CCPS Department of Engagement and Equity oversees the awards ceremony and works with a subcommittee to review nominations and select finalists.

To volunteer with CCPS, potential volunteers must undergo training and a background check that is valid for one school year. Volunteers include — but are not limited to — mentors, tutors, non-paid coaches or club sponsors, trip chaperones, reading and math partners and parent group organization officers such as PTO members, boosters and team parents.

To learn more about volunteering with CCPS, visit https://www.ccboe.com/parents/volunteer-information.

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,904 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event. 

CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).