Schools to mark education week with activities
Carroll County public schools will celebrate American Education Week this week with the theme "Making Public Schools Great for Every Child."
Individual schools have scheduled student activities, educational programs, meetings with administrators and visitations for parents throughout the week.
Parents should call their child's school for information on events and schedules of visiting times and days.
School system to present parenting program
The Carroll County public school system will present a parenting program, "Back to Basics: The Top 10 List for Effective Parenting," by Tom Zirpoli.
Open to parents of children of all ages and the public, the program will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday at North Carroll Middle School, 2401 Hanover Pike, Greenmount.
Information: 410-751-3125.
U.S. social studies group honors Bruce Damasio
Bruce Damasio, a social studies teacher at Liberty High School, has been named Outstanding Secondary Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).
The council annually honors the outstanding performance of teachers, researchers, and others and encourages new social studies education projects through its award and grant programs.
Damasio was Carroll County's Teacher of the Year in 1991. Last year, he was a nominee for the Disney American Teacher Awards and the recipient of the Social Studies Educator of the Year Award from the Maryland Council for the Social Studies.
Damasio has taught social studies in Carroll County since 1977, and has been department chair since 1985. He taught at North Carroll Middle School until 1980, when he moved to Liberty.
He has been a consultant for social studies on the county, state and national levels. This past summer, he was one of 10 teachers in the United States and Canada to go to Japan for 17 days on a fellowship from NCSS and the Keizai Koho Foundation in Japan.
The award will be presented during the 82nd Annual Conference of NCSS in Phoenix, Ariz., which is to run from Friday to Nov. 24.
Maryland organization lauds Joyce Sebian of CCC
The Maryland Association for Higher Education (MAHE) has chosen Joyce Sebian of Carroll Community College as the Outstanding Advisor/Mentor for Maryland.
Sebian works primarily with students with disabilities, many with multiple handicaps that affect their physical, academic and social skills. Sebian makes herself available to these students for support and encouragement, instilling in them a belief that they are going to succeed academically.
To help her students, Sebian works with faculty and staff to educate them about students with disabilities. She is also the driving force behind Disability Awareness Month, Disability Roundtable for students and faculty, and a new club on campus, Diversity Works.
Sebian received her bachelor's degree at William Paterson University in New Jersey and her master's at Towson University. She is pursuing advanced studies at George Washington University. She lives in Finksburg.