KIPP students to get club membership
All 107 children leaving the recently closed Knowledge Is Power Program, or KIPP, Harbor Academy will receive free one-year memberships to the area Boys and Girl Clubs and their parents will be able to take free parenting workshops at the community college, County Executive John R. Leopold said this week.
The effort, Leopold said, will allow the students to get extra help with homework and mentoring as they transition back into the public school system.
Through the county's existing partnership with Anne Arundel Community College's Parenting Center, parents can receive help at the community college through courses like Parenting Adolescents for Success and Financial Planning.
"It is important that they have our support as they transition back into the traditional public school system," Leopold said.
The charter school closed last week after struggling to find a larger space than the one it was renting at Sojourner-Douglass College in Edgewater.
Most of the school's staff left amid uncertainty over a new space and KIPP officials' vacillation over whether to stay open, forcing the school's board to close it July 12.
Harbor Academy students will have the opportunity to join any Anne Arundel County Boys and Girls Clubs location including Freetown, Meade Village and Annapolis.
Glen Burnie boy to throw first pitch
An 8-year-old boy from Glen Burnie has been selected to throw out the first pitch at the Baltimore Orioles game against the New York Yankees on July 28, which is Salvation Army Day at Camden Yards.
Brandon Lima, a member of the Salvation Army Glen Burnie Boys and Girls Club, says he is a big Orioles fan. He was selected for next weekend's honor for his school performance, attendance at club activities, and positive attitude.
Although he admits to being nervous about standing in front of the crowd, Brandon says the skills he's gained participating on the Club's T-ball, soccer, basketball and flag football teams have prepared him to accomplish his main goal for his pitch: "making it go over the plate."
The Salvation Army of Greater Baltimore intends to raise money during the game through Brandon's first pitch, a brief description of its services by the PA announcer, and the use of its red kettle for the first time outside of the Christmas season.
A game against the Yankees, said Maj. Gary Haupt, the Salvation Army's Greater Baltimore area commander, is "a big event, which will bring a big crowd who hope will open their hearts to give generously in support of programs like the one Brandon attends."