THUMBS UP: As Carroll Community College and McDaniel College each look for creative ways to attract students to attend their institutions, we think each school helped itself and did a service to young Carroll countians interested in becoming teachers, with the signing of a recent agreement to make the pathway from Carroll to McDaniel “seamless.” According to the agreement, students who have completed an associate’s degree at Carroll Community College in elementary education or elementary special education and have a 3.0 GPA will be guaranteed admission to McDaniel College to pursue a bachelor’s degree in elementary education or a minor in secondary education or preK-12 education. Students are also eligible to receive at least a $16,000 per year transfer scholarship. The agreement goes into effect for the fall 2019 semester at McDaniel. It gives future teachers a chance to save money by starting at community college and then the ability to earn a bachelor’s degree in just four semesters. This is only the second transfer agreement established by the two Westminster colleges, according to a news release, having previously reached an agreement allowing exercise science students at Carroll a pathway to the kinesiology bachelor’s at McDaniel. Both colleges should be helped by the agreements and it seems to us they should pursue a few more.
THUMBS UP: The Taneytown History Museum is trying to make sure no one forgets their local history, particularly as it pertains to World War II. Kudos to them for their featured exhibit that opens as they begin their spring/summer season at 1 p.m. on Sunday: “World War II Impacts Hometown.” Members of an exhibit committee, as part of the Taneytown Heritage and Museum Association, the sponsoring organization for the Taneytown museum, spent the offseason collecting, cataloging and setting displays with myriad World War II artifacts and memorabilia. The war has been over for nearly 75 years and, as Nancy Eyler, exhibit committee chair, told us, “memories are fading.” Different aspects of hometown life during wartime are portrayed. One of the pieces of memorabilia on display tells when students at Taneytown High School shop classes were awarded a government contract to produce wooden shell cases. Another item shows how letters from home were handled. Another part of the exhibit displays local newspaper headlines announcing the end to the war. There will also be an oral history featuring Taneytown residents reflecting on their memories of life during World War II. The Taneytown History Museum is at 340 E. Baltimore St. Beginning Sunday, it is open Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.
THUMBS UP: Too often, long-serving municipal employees who are critical to making sure everything runs properly so citizens can go about their daily lives, are not recognized nearly enough during their careers or on the occasion of their retirement. So we’re glad we met Larry Bloom, the superintendent of Westminster’s Street Department before his retirement at the end of March. The Westminster High School graduate started out with Public Works in 1983, went into the Air Force in 1986 and then began working at the wastewater treatment plant in 1990. He became superintendent of the Street Department in 1998. Bulk trash, maintenance of every county vehicle besides the police patrol cars, street sweeping, snow plowing, grass mowing, and preparation for special events all fall under the department’s domain. Crews also go out to disasters alongside other first-responders. Part of the job, Bloom said, is working behind the scenes where the only time the public notices what you do is when something goes wrong. “It’s just tough when you get beat down all the time. And you just have to finally say, ‘We gotta take pride in what we do,’” he told us. We’re glad he did, for so many years, and we wish him the best as he begins a new career with the Bureau of Utilities.