The Board of Education at its Dec. 10 meeting recognized staff members for contributing to the school system and students. Those honored include Michael Brown, an in-school intervention (ISI) instructional assistant, at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School; Laura Curry, an instructional resource teacher (IRT) at Dr. James Craik Elementary School; Scott Farren, a physical education teacher at J.C. Parks Elementary School; Hannah Sendrick, a special education teacher at Malcolm Elementary School; and Jeannette Sudik, principal’s secretary at St. Charles High School.

Brown stays busy at Stoddert where he is a founding member of the school’s mentoring program for boys. The group has been active for the past five years and helps male students find their purpose and place at the school. “He serves as a role model and provides hope for what our young men could become and pushes them to see themselves this way,” Marquelle Peavy, Stoddert’s acting principal, said. Brown coaches the school’s boys basketball team, helping lead the team to the top of the county championships last year. Brown holds his players to high standards and receives weekly progress reports from their classroom teachers. He reminds players of GPA and eligibility standards in high school. “It works out perfectly that he is the ninth-grade basketball coach at St. Charles High School,” Peavy said. As ISI coordinator since 2020, Brown partners with administrators to build the GROW program, which is a therapeutic ISI program that allows students to be held accountable for behavior infractions, while learning skills to correct their performance moving forward. “He has established a beautiful balance of support and accountability. Students do not want to be placed in ISI due to poor behavior, and they seek out his approval and advice,” Peavy said. Brown aspires to become a teacher and later an administrator. He regularly attends professional learning sessions, even those he isn’t required to, as they help him gain skills to help students. He is one of the first people administrators call when they are short-handed. “There is not much Mr. Brown cannot do with excellence,” Peavy said.

At Craik, Curry is a math cheerleader — she is in her 11^th year as a math coach, her fifth at Craik. She not only coaches the school’s math team, but coaches teachers on math instruction. “She works with teachers to look at data and student work to make instructional decisions in math,” Jason Deihl, Craik’s principal, said. Curry is a team player who goes out of her way to support colleagues. She mentors new IRTs and supports the school’s reading coach. When Craik needed a fifth-grade teacher last year, Curry cleared her schedule to support the classroom. She also stepped in to take on the role of reading resource teacher during the second half of last year. She has been the Extended Learning Opportunities coordinator for several years at the school, is a member of the professional learning team and is the math ongoing assessment project (OGAP) facilitator for the county in fractions and multiplicative reasoning. Curry is pursuing her National Board Certification, attends OGAP facilities refresher sessions and continues to study how to best support multilanguage leaders in math. “She understands the importance of building relationships with staff and students in order to know how best to support them,” Deihl said. “She is open minded and asks for feedback from others to continue to grow in her practice.”

The House concept of student first, athlete second was introduced at Parks by Farren. The concept reinforces the bridge between home and school by promoting discipline, academic responsibility and socio-emotional learning support. Through House students pick their own teams and develop a sense of “family” amongst them, Farren said. Students learn about eligibility requirements and begin to grasp the importance academics play in an athlete’s chance at playing. “So often, we wait until kids are in middle school and high school to teach them about eligibility,” Farren said. “For many, that is too late. Coaches used to say, ‘The best players are sitting in the stands …’ I teach kids not to accept that and to make their athletic dreams come true by taking care of their grades and their behavior.” Farren has experience teaching PE at the elementary and high school levels and continues to coach track and tennis at Maurice J. McDonough High School. At Parks, he started the Mustangs Marathon, a program that fosters community involvement and fundraising for schoolwide initiatives. He serves as the Title IX coordinator where he “ensures an inclusive and fair environment at J.C. Parks,” Parks Principal Hughes Valmond said. Outside of school, Farren volunteers to help the Southern Maryland Sabers, a hockey team. “He dedicates his time and effort beyond school hours to coach multiple sports and volunteer in the community,” Valmond said. “He consistently is working to enrich the PE program with innovative initiatives, fostering both academic and athletic development in students.”

Sendrick has been a special education teacher at Malcolm for the past four years. During that time she has worked with students who have multiple disabilities creating a successful supportive educational environment when data may have indicated that students should be placed in an alternative setting. Her first two years at Malcolm, Sendrick was the SOAR teacher before segueing into becoming an inclusion special education teacher. She is the team lead for the school’s special education department and before that she helped train new staff members in the field. Sendrick has been an instructor in the Summer Boost and the extended school year programs and was recognized by Kiddie Kicks Tutoring for her work with students.

Sudik was unable to attend the meeting. St. Charles Principal Tammika Little, and Robert Baker, an assistant principal at the school, provided comments prior to the meeting. Sudik started her career with CCPS working in human resources at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building. In 2013, she began working at St. Charles. “She created policies and procedures from Day 1 to assist with the daily operations of the school building,” Robert Baker, an assistant principal, said. Sudik has a forward-thinking mindset that benefits administrators and staff. “Her ability to anticipate needs and prepare ahead has not only kept us running smoothly but has also inspired confidence in everyone who depends on her,” St. Charles Principal Tammika Little said. “She is never content with the status quo; she’s always looking for ways to improve processes and enhance the way we work together.”Sudik not only assists the principal, but she also helps staff vet and interview potential employees, and has a wealth of information. “Her ability to navigate complex situations with clairy and poise is something to admire.” Sudik’s skills help St. Charles run. “It’s not a single act,” Baker said of what makes Sudik a valued member of the St. Charles staff. “Ms. Sudik is dedicated and puts her heart and soul into everything she works on.”

To view the recognition portion of the meeting, click here.

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,765 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).