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January 21, 2026

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

7 Ed Notes

St. Michaels High School Students are Admitted to National Honor Society

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The Tidewater Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) held a ceremony last month to induct new members from St. Michaels High School.

NHS is a national organization established in 1921, which serves to recognize students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Eligibility is open to juniors and seniors with a 3.2 GPA and 75 service learning hours completed.  Those students receive an application to submit, which goes before a Staff Review Committee comprised of teachers, club advisors, and coaches to review and select students.  Selection is based on the 4 NHS Principles: Character, Leadership, Service, and Scholarship. The induction included a reading of the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling by chapter members Nickk Grassini, Anna Mauwong, Kyle Miller, and Jessi Watts.

The Tidewater Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) held a ceremony last month to induct new members from St. Michaels High School for 2023.

Mr. JR Burkhardt, Guidance Counselor serves as St. Michaels High School’s National Honor Society Faculty Advisor. The 2022-2023 Chapter Officers were Mackenzie Fox, President; JT Lisewski, Vice President; Ethan Morrison, Secretary; and Sean Gunshenan, Treasurer.

The 2023 St. Michaels High School NHS inductees are as follows:

Grace Adkins, Jacob Bealefeld, Cole Bieber, Will Bridges, Brianna Crow, Rebecca Dean, Blake Foy, Mathew Goeller, Nathan Henckel, Henry Mullikin, and Madi White.

“I am extremely proud of these students for their work both in and out of the classroom, and for the example they set for their peers as student leaders,” said Mrs. Theresa Vener, Principal. “I know they will continue to set the bar high for their school community and beyond.  Congratulations to the students and their families.”

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Easton Middle School Students Inducted Into National Junior Honor Society

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The Easton Middle School Chapter of The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) held a ceremony to induct new members for the 2022-2023 school year. NJHS recognizes outstanding middle school students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) officially established NJHS in 1929, eight years after it founded National Honor Society for high school students.

Students who qualify must submit an application and essay, and are selected based on the five criteria. Chapter membership not only recognizes students for their accomplishments, but challenges them to develop further through active involvement in school activities and community service.

The Officers of the Easton Middle School Chapter of NJHS for 2022-2023 are Sterling Washington, President; Jordan Wilson-Colbert, Vice President; Abigail Jobeck, Secretary; Miles Chaney, Treasurer; Heaven Murray, Historian. Mrs. Lindsay Matthews, Social Studies Teacher, serves as Advisor for the club. “We are delighted to honor these 65 scholars for their dedication and hard work in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship, and character,” Mrs. Matthews said. “We look to them to set the example of what it means to be an EMS Panther and are excited for what they will do for our community as members of our chapter.”

The Easton Middle School Chapter of The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) held a ceremony to induct new members for the 2022-2023 school year.

The 2022-2023 inductees are as follows:

8th Grade
Ryder Cario, Gisell Diaz-Chavero, Emmett Ellis, Carter Fronk, Zachary Hatch, Mae Jennings, Ryan LaCorte, Kayleigh Nancarrow, Rileigh Neely, Alexa Salguero, Naomi Sanchez-Sandoval, Leah Smith, Touryn Smith, Carolyn Turner, Diego Zacarias-Verdugo

7th Grade
Maia Bailey, Kenton Baynard, Madeleine Biringer, Michaela Bollerman, Alexis Bonsu, Sanai Boulden, McKenna Brach, Jonas Burkhardt, Neely Byrnes, Reagen Cain, Evan Caldwell, Anna Callahan, Maddison Combs, Jamier Copper, Caroline Cordeiro, Tessa Diefenderfer, Betsy Dongarra, Calista Freeman, Jose Garcia Arrivillaga, Alden Gibbons-Neff, Elizabeth Golt, Rahman Gondal, Macy Graves, Ryleigh Groce, Sariah Hamsher, Estelle Howard, Eliza Kimball, Jordan Langrell, Alexander Lister, Cecilia Manley, Violet Masone, Zachary Morris, Lily Nebab, Paige Neville, Tyler Newton, Khadija Popal, Erica Pryor, Brady Rauch, Addison Schindler, Trenton Short, Braden Streaker, Jillian Tate, Dylan Tawney, Max Vaccari, Jacqueline Velasquez Gonzalez, Olivia Wade, Liliana Walstrum, Jillian Washington, Yeva Willey, Brittany Zheng

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

112th Gunston School Commencement: Class of 2023 Earns $10M in College Scholarships

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The Gunston School celebrated its 112th commencement this past Saturday, June 10, honoring the Class of 2023 with a waterfront ceremony overlooking the Corsica River, as family and friends looked on. The procession began with Bagpiper Robert Wallace, followed by school faculty and staff, and then the graduating seniors. 

Head of School John Lewis introduced the commencement speaker, John A. “Johnny” O’Brien, the President Emeritus of the Milton Hershey School, Trustee Emeritus of Princeton University, and the founder of Renaissance Leadership, Inc. Additionally, he is the author of “Semisweet: An Orphan’s Journey through the School the Hersheys Built.” He has been a keynote speaker, seminar leader, and high performance coach for more than 50,000 managers and executives. He did this for over 25 years, until he was called back to save the orphanage which had saved his life. 

“I discovered that adversity is an advantage when well processed with advocates,” said O’Brien. “You know what they look like, they have surrounded you in this amazing Gunston family for years! Your teachers, your coaches, your advisors and administrators. They won’t leave your heart but they must leave your side and it’ll be your essential job to replicate them.” 

Mr. Lewis and Gunston’s Chair of the Board Patrick Shoemaker ’03 then presented each graduate with their diploma, individually handcrafted by faculty member Michael Kaylor on an antique letterpress. This year’s senior class had a successful college admission season and worked hard to earn $10 million dollars in merit scholarships. 

This year’s valedictorian honor (also called the Samuel A. Middleton Award) was bestowed upon Zacharia (Zach) Mozher of Middletown, Del. “[Zach] has a mathematically perfect final GPA, having taken the most rigorous course load in the class, including 8 honors courses, and 11 AP courses, where he has already earned recognition as an AP Scholar with Distinction, [as well as being] named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. […] In his free time, he anchored our ESIAC championship cross-country team and our State Champion triathlon team, and he’s a stalwart member of our Model UN and Mock Trial teams. In the fall, he’s off to Princeton University, where we know he will represent himself, and Gunston, with distinction,” said Mr. Lewis.

Mr. Mozher had this parting wisdom for classmates, “Work hard for the future, yes, save up money for the future, but never put off your happiness for the future, because I promise you, that sacrifice is not worth it. Chase your dreams but don’t put your life on hold for them. Life starts now. So enjoy the journey, enjoy college. Fill your days with as many experiences and relationships as you can. Make the most of what little time we have on this Earth.”

Presented by Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis, the prestigious Gunston Award, which began in 1969 and is “unique in that it’s chosen by the vote of the entire school community,” was presented to Damian René of Easton, Md. 

“The State of Maryland requires independent school graduates to have a minimum of 21 credits and Gunston requires 24. This student is finishing high school with a total of 30 credits including nine honors, 11 AP’s, three advanced online college programs, two internal year-long independent studies, multiple club memberships, numerous awards and honors for character, leadership and service, all reflect this student’s high level of responsibility and awareness and appreciation of differences,” said Ms. Grabis. 

The graduates are listed here with the honors presented to them the day before on Friday, June 9 during the school’s Green & White Awards ceremony, which featured the valedictorian address. 

Graduating Seniors & Recognitions:
Nicholas “Nick” Abell (Crownsville) Math Award, National Merit Commended Scholar; Zachary “Zack” Adams (Centreville); Madilyn “Maddie” Algier (Easton); Olivia Amygdalos (Wyoming, Del.) Sciences Award; Kelby Booth (Denton) Bobi Kendall Memorial Scholarship; McKinsey Brown (Centreville); Julia Buchanan (Centreville) The Faculty Award; Katelyn “Kate” Campbell (Centreville) 12 Star Award; Nicasio “Nick” Ceruolo (Annapolis); Sadie Cloud (Easton); Thomas “Tom” de los Reyes (Annapolis) History Award; Céline Denat (Switzerland) Immersion Award; Charles Evans (Chester); Grace Evans (Chester); Olivia Faff (Easton); Xuanyao “Henry” Feng (Centreville); Jenna Frederick (Grasonville); Alanna Grace (Centreville); Catherine Hansen (Cambridge); Natalie Henry (Centreville); Cooper Hightower (Stevensville); Sarah “Eli” Ireland (Centreville) Environmental Stewardship Award; Nicolás “Nico” Izquierdo (Spain); Thomas “Cy” Johnston (Severna Park); Paget Kellogg (Oxford); Ian Kissel (Annapolis); Tess Kontarinis (Wittman) Fine Art Award; Katherine “Kate” Kroncke (Grasonville) 12 Star Award; Paige Kroncke (Grasonville) 12 Star Award; Aiden Lafferty (Chestertown); Garrett Lang (Trappe); Jennie LaTorre (Chester); YaXin “Angelina” Lin (Middletown, Del.) Diversity Leadership Award, Literature Award; Virginia “Ella” MacGlashan (Centreville); Julia McClary (Warwick) The Anita Gruss Athletic Award, 12 Star Award; Calla McCluskey (Centreville) Theater Award; Ava Melvin (Ridgely); Zacharia “Zach” Mozher (Middletown, Del.) Valedictorian (Middleton) Award, Spanish Award, 12 Star Award, National Merit Finalist; Christopher “Bates” Nittle (Easton) Music Award; Elizabeth “Lane” Parkhurst (Centreville) Leadership Award; Grace Anne Phillips (Stevensville); Miranda Pope (Port Tobacco); Nathan Porter (Centreville); Julia Reed (Chestertown); Damian René (Easton) The Gunston Award, Engineering Award, National Merit Commended Scholar; Andrew Rich (Annapolis), Mekonnen Sahle-Selassie (Easton) The Anita Gruss Athletic Award, 12 Star Award, NROTC Award; Aaron Sanderson (Annapolis) 12 Star Award, Merchant Marine Academy Award; MacKenzie Smith (Stevensville) English Award, Senior Paradigm Winner; William Stuart (Oxford); Finnegan “Finn” Theeke (Easton) Music Award; Liam Thomas (Arnold); Aidan Trautman (Centreville) Moore Award for Improvement; Brielle Tyler (Denton); Isabelle Wagner (Chestertown) Community Service Award, 12 Star Award; Autumn Watson, (Centreville) Computer Science Award, 12 Star Award; Yining Wei (China); Oliver White (Easton) 12 Star Award, NROTC Award; Jiacheng “Jason” Ye (China); and Linze “Alfred” Zhao (China).

Founded in 1911, The Gunston School is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory high school located on 75 waterfront acres in Centreville, Maryland. Visit gunston.org for more information. 

Pictured standing left (l-r) is commencement speaker Johnny O’Brien, Head of School John Lewis, and pictured standing right (l-r) is Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis and Gunston’s Chair of the Board Patrick Shoemaker ’03. Not pictured is Nicolás “Nico” Izquierdo (Spain).

Students (l-r)
Front Row: MacKenzie Smith (Stevensville), Autumn Watson, (Centreville), Olivia Faff (Easton), Ava Melvin (Ridgely), Julia McClary (Warwick), Virginia “Ella” MacGlashan (Centreville), Alanna Grace (Centreville); Katelyn “Kate” Campbell (Centreville),  Jenna Frederick (Grasonville), Calla McCluskey (Centreville), Katherine “Kate” Kroncke (Grasonville), Jennie LaTorre (Chester), and Olivia Amygdalos (Wyoming, Del.). 

Second Row: Natalie Henry (Centreville), Grace Anne Phillips (Stevensville), YaXin “Angelina” Lin (Middletown, Del.), Sarah “Eli” Ireland (Centreville), Catherine Hansen (Cambridge), Julia Reed (Chestertown), Céline Denat (Switzerland), Sadie Cloud (Easton), Madilyn “Maddie” Algier (Easton), Elizabeth “Lane” Parkhurst (Centreville), Brielle Tyler (Denton), Paige Kroncke (Grasonville), and Miranda Pope (Port Tobacco). 

Third Row: Julia Buchanan (Centreville), Tess Kontarinis (Wittman), Grace Evans (Chester), Xuanyao “Henry” Feng (Centreville), Jiacheng “Jason” Ye (China), Aaron Sanderson (Annapolis), Paget Kellogg (Oxford), Zachary “Zack” Adams (Centreville), Kelby Booth (Denton), McKinsey Brown (Centreville), and Isabelle Wagner (Chestertown).

Fourth Row: Yining Wei (China), Linze “Alfred” Zhao (China), Finnegan “Finn” Theeke (Easton), Aiden Lafferty (Chestertown), William Stuart (Oxford), Ian Kissel (Annapolis), Nathan Porter (Centreville), Thomas “Tom” de los Reyes (Annapolis), Nicasio “Nick” Ceruolo (Annapolis), Aidan Trautman (Centreville), and Thomas “Cy” Johnston (Severna Park). 

Fifth Row: Liam Thomas (Arnold), Nicholas “Nick” Abell (Crownsville), Andrew Rich (Annapolis), Garrett Lang (Trappe), Christopher “Bates” Nittle (Easton), Mekonnen Sahle-Selassie (Easton), Damian René (Easton), Oliver White (Easton), Charles Evans (Chester), Cooper Hightower (Stevensville), and Zacharia “Zach” Mozher (Middletown, Del.).

This year’s valedictorian honor (also called the Samuel A. Middleton Award) was bestowed upon Zacharia (Zach) Mozher of Middletown, Del. (pictured right) with Gunston Head of School John Lewis.

Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis presents the The Gunson Award to Damian René of Easton, Md., pictured left with Mrs. Grabis.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Benedictine’s Chrome City Fundraiser To Take Place on July 30th

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Marking its 21st year, the Benedictine Foundation Chrome City Fundraiser will take place on Sunday, July 30th. Known as one of the largest rides in Maryland, this annual event draws more than a 1,000 riders and brings together over 2000 people to Benedictine’s Ridgely campus in support of its mission.

“Chrome City has always been an event that our students and adults look forward to every year. But what makes this event more special is that it gives the community, that extends well beyond our Eastern Shore region, the opportunity to join us on campus to support our mission,” stated Benedictine Executive Director Scott Evans.

Motorcycles, hot rods, classic and custom cars are all invited to participate. Everyone that registers will receive an official Chrome City t-shirt, lunch from Famous Dave’s and a day of fun and entertainment with door prizes, car contests, live music and more. Don’t have a classic car or motorcycle – you can still join the festivities.

Chrome City Fundraiser will take place on Sunday, July 30 that Benedictine’s school campus in Ridgely. Motorcycles, hot rods, classic and custom cars are all welcome.

Please note that this will not be an escorted ride this year. We encourage friends and families to gather together to ride to Benedictine. Day-of registration locations this year will be at the Outback Steakhouse in Annapolis (9-10am) and at the Benedictine campus in Ridgely (9:30-11am). Participates are encouraged to register online prior to the event for a discounted fee of $35. You can register online HERE or call 410.634.2292. Event takes place on the Benedictine campus from 10-2pm.

If you are interested in sponsoring Chrome City, please contact Benedictine by July 14th to ensure that your name/logo is on the official Chrome City t-shirt. Sponsorships can be found HERE or contact Ashley Downes at [email protected] or call 410. 634.2292. Visit Benedictine at www.benschool.org.

About Benedictine:

Benedictine is a non-sectarian nonprofit service provider supporting close to 200 children and adults living with developmental disabilities and autism. Benedictine’s mission is to help the individuals they support achieve their greatest potential and highest level of independence.

The year-round educational program is one of only 22 nationwide to earn a four-year accreditation from the National Commission for Accreditation of Special Education Services (NCASES). This program includes home-like living and learning options on the Ridgely, Maryland campus, for children ages 5 to 21 who come from Maryland and surrounding states. Benedictine also has 4 student group homes located in Caroline and Talbot Counties. 

Benedictine’s Adult Services program offers Meaningful Day and job training services for transitional youth and adults, ages 22 to 70+, who live in the community, and in 18 Benedictine adult group homes in Caroline, Talbot, and Anne Arundel Counties.

Benedictine’s Easton Community Services & Training Center prepares the adults it serves to enter the workforce. Benedictine also collaborates with the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) to provide training programs and job search services for students in the Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Caroline and Dorchester County public schools and adults living in the surrounding community.

Benedictine serves individuals from all over the state and Mid-Atlantic region and is one of the Eastern Shore’s largest nonprofit employers with 350 employees. For more information, visit www.benschool.org.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

MidShore Community Foundation Announces the Blue & Red Fund Scholarship Winners

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Bailey Blades of St. Michaels High School, with Ed Forte (left), and Richard Holman (right), both Founders and Board Members of the Blue & Red Fund.

The Mid-Shore Community Foundation-Blue & Red Fund is pleased to announce the fiscal 2022-2023 winners of their First Responder Scholarship Program.  The winners are Bailey Blades of Saint Michael’s High School and Grant Kirby of Easton High School.  Bailey and Grant each will be granted a $1500 scholarship to pursue their first responder careers.  Bailey is a senior and concurrently a member of the St. Michael’s Volunteer Fire Department.  Grant is also a senior and concurrent member of the Easton Volunteer Fire Department.  Congratulations from the MidShore community to Bailey and Grant!

The MidShore Blue & Red Fund’s primary objective is to provide a source of funds for law enforcement, first responders (Fire and Rescue), and EMS servants of Talbot County who encounter injury, loss of life, or other causality loss in the line of duty.  The Fund can be made available to those who experience significant hardships, including assistance for individuals as well as their families.  The intent is to fundraise across Talbot County year-round in order to grow the fund and make a significant resource available to those who incur unexpected loss and hardships.

A related objective is to make available funds for training and education of future and existing law enforcement, first responders, and EMS public servants.  The Fund is pleased to grant scholarships to Bailey and Grant, both who plan to pursue EMT/Paramedic training and certificates, and future careers as first responders on the Eastern Shore.

The Blue & Red Fund would like to thank the founding sponsors, Blue Point Hospitality and the Easton Rotary Club for significant donations which have enabled our annual Blue & Red Scholarships Program. For information on making donations to the Blue & Red Fund please contact the Mid-Shore Community Foundation at www.mscf.org/donate-online, or call  (410) 820-8175.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Garden Club Scholarship Award Winner Announced

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The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore (GCES) awards an annual merit-based scholarship to a graduating senior who attends school in Talbot County or who is home schooled. The award is given to a senior who expects to major in horticulture, landscape architecture or design, botany, environmental science, agriculture or a related field in college. Outstanding academic achievement along with volunteer or work experience, which shows a strong work ethic and a commitment to excellence, are considered.

The scholarship committee received 11 applications this year and, after interviewing 5 outstanding students, is happy to announce that the winner of a $6,000 scholarship is Easton High School graduating senior Allyson Mueller. Allyson was interviewed by four of the scholarship committee members and they were struck by her focus and dedication to studying marine life, especially with concerns in protecting sharks.

According to her former Agriscience teacher, Ernest Burns, “Ally is the consummate student. She settles for nothing but top grades and works tirelessly to achieve them. She posses the entire package of brains, hard work, and character that we all admire.”

Photo: GCES members Lin Clineburg (left) and Maury Schneider were excited to present the $6,000 merit scholarship to Easton High School graduate Allyson Mueller, who will be studying Marine Biology at UNCW in the fall.

Ally will be attending the University of North Carolina, Wilmington in the fall as part of the Marine Biology program. She mentions that growing up on the Eastern Shore in a family involved in agriculture, she has always been interested in the Chesapeake Bay and the environment. Ally hopes to find new and effective ways for the fishing industry to continue their practices while removing the damaging effects on sharks and many marine species. Her end goal is to obtain a master’s degree and work on a research boat tracking shark populations, migration patterns, and behavior.

Allyson has been an intern at Phillips Wharf Environmental Center and will continue to work there this summer as an employee studying the growth of oyster spat in different locations on the Bay, and she will assist in the running of the Fishmobile Program taking the bus to many locations in the area and sharing information about marine life. Ally says, “A big goal of mine is to be able to speak on an episode of Shark Week!”

The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore feels certain that Allyson will achieve all of her goals and is pleased to award this year’s scholarship to her.

For more information or to make a contribution to the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore scholarship fund, write to GCES, P.O. Box 1924, Easton, MD, 21601.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Sultana Education Foundation Students Gain Unique Wetlands Access Thanks to New Boardwalk

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Prior to the construction of a 400 LF pile-supported timber boardwalk and low-profile timber pond access platforms built by Stevensville’s Dissen & Juhn Company, accessing the Lawrence Wetlands Preserve in Chestertown, Md., an urban nature center owned and operated by the Sultana Education Foundation (SEF), meant sporting boots and gingerly wading through the environmentally sensitive area.

If visitors weren’t comfortable with this “up close and personal” way of exploring or were in a wheelchair or used a walker, it curtailed the potential to truly experience this unique, non-tidal wetlands education resource.

But all that changed thanks to a recently opened pedestrian boardwalk. For the first time visitors can explore parts of the property previously out of reach. “The boardwalk and platforms enable visitors to completely immerse themselves. This location was largely hidden to most people,” says John Mann, Lawrence Wetlands Preserve Manager.

Aerial view of the 400 LF pile-supported timber boardwalk and low-profile timber pond access platforms built by Stevensville’s Dissen & Juhn Company. Photo supplied by Sultana Education Foundation and Dissen & Juhn Company.

The project entailed furnishing and installing a 400’L x 6’ wide ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) timber boardwalk that elevated wetlands enthusiasts a full 3’ off the water. The boardwalk features a full-length timber handrail and several extra-wide viewing areas, or “teaching nodes”, for student groups to observe the diversity of plants and wildlife that inhabit the area including deer, a variety of small mammals, and birds.

The two 32’L x 6’W pond access platforms, which are accessed from the site’s circular trail network, were constructed close to the pond’s surface to enable close-up observation of aquatic plants, and pond creatures such as fish, frogs, turtles, and insects.

The project positioned perfectly in Dissen & Juhn’s wheelhouse. “Over our 50 year history Dissen & Juhn has had the pleasure of working with a variety of communities and organizations to build infrastructure that continues to impact the area,” says Gil Dissen, President of Dissen & Juhn Company. “These types of projects provide an opportunity for us to be good stewards to the environment we work in. The fact that this project is enabling future generations to explore and learn about non-tidal wetlands and swamps and their important roles is particularly gratifying,” Dissen adds.

“There’s always a fine balance when you build infrastructure in nature, but the construction methods Dissen & Juhn used allowed us to offer the outdoor educational experience in the least obtrusive way possible,” he adds.

Not surprising building the boardwalk required the use of heavy equipment in an environmentally sensitive area. To protect the environmentally sensitive soils and plants, Dissen & Juhn Company constructed a temporary service road of inert ground protection mats. These rigid structures made of engineered plastic keep heavy construction equipment from damaging the ecosystem without imparting contaminants into the soil.

“That was one of the things we were looking for in a contractor,” says Mann. “It was reassuring to go with a firm that has experience in working in critical areas. The project worked out better than we even imagined though. In fact calling the final construction a boardwalk sells it short. The aesthetics and attention to detail are amazing. Dissen & Juhn not only met all our requests, but also exceeded our expectations,” he adds.

For Sultana Education Foundation President and Founder Drew McMullen, it was Dissen & Juhn Company’s creative problem solving skills that made them the best contractor for the project. “Dissen & Juhn did a phenomenal job. The boardwalk and platforms are beautiful and will play a huge role in our ability to get kids and groups to areas we couldn’t take them previously,” says McMullen.

Rock Hall Elementary School third graders explore Pond Ecology 101 from the low-profile timber pond access platform. Photo supplied by Sultana Education Foundation and Dissen & Juhn Company.

“It really took a lot of outside of the box thinking to build what we had envisioned, and they weren’t the least bit intimidated. Dissen & Juhn are not only pros, but also everyone was considerate and very communicative. We couldn’t have hoped for a nicer company to work with,” he adds.

The Sultana Education Foundation team is gearing up for summer programming at their new “living classroom.” The boardwalk and platform construction are part of a larger plan, which includes the construction of the 1,200-square-foot Harwood Nature Center, which is expected to begin this summer. The structure is founded on timber piles installed by Dissen & Juhn.

The Nature Center will feature a multi-purpose space for classroom instruction, lectures, social gatherings, and a variety of other hands-on activities. It will also feature a multi-level, covered outdoor deck with bench seating for outdoor use. The anticipated opening of the Harwood Nature Center is 2024.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Godfrey’s Farm Blueberry Boogie 5K Walk/Run to Benefit Benedictine

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Godfrey’s Farm 3rd annual Blueberry Boogie 5K Walk/Run, to take place on Saturday, June 17th, will once again benefit Benedictine. Last year’s event raised over $15,000 which included a matching gift from a generous donor that has pledged to match the funds raised again at this year’s race.

“The excitement from last year’s race was amazing!” commented Lisa Godfrey.“Working with Benedictine just feels right, because we can visibly see the impact each dollar raised has right here, locally. Students from Benedictine have been visiting our farm for many years. We love to see the excitement they bring and the kindness of their caregivers. This made our choice to support Benedictine an easy one!”

Last year, a generous Benedictine supporter pledged a matching gift and has once again pledged to match the funds raised in this year’s race. “We have supported Benedictine for many years and thought this was a wonderful way to give and bring recognition to both Benedictine and the partnership with Godfrey’s Farm,” commented Denise Kaczmarczyk.“We are so happy that Benedictine has been selected again as the beneficiary of the race and we look forward to seeing the results!”

Godfrey’s Farm Blueberry Boogie 2022 participates pose with their metals. More than $15,000 was raised and Benedictine has been chosen again this year to be the beneficiary of the event taking place on June 17th.

Festivities at the event will include live music by Red Sammy, an American Folk Rock band, plus Godfrey’s homemade apple cider donuts and blueberry scones at the finish line, prizes and more. All race participants will receive an event shirt.

Registration starts at 8AM. Race begins at 9AM. Rain or Shine. Healthy Kids Run (10 and under) begins at 8:55AM.

Godfrey’s Farm is located in Sudlersville, Maryland. To register, please go to https://runsignup.com/Race/MD/Sudlersville/BlueberryBoogie5KRunWalk. Registration is $30 until June 1st and then $35 after and on the day of the event. Sign up as a team of 5 or more and get a discount on all the registrations.

For more information about Godfrey’s Farm, please visit www.godfreysfarm.com.

Benedictine is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization helping children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities and autism achieve their greatest potential. For more information on Benedictine and how you can support their mission, please contact Claudia Cunningham, Chief Advancement Officer at 410 634 2292 or [email protected].

About Benedictine:

Benedictine is a non-sectarian nonprofit organization supporting close to 200 children and adults with developmental disabilities and autism achieve their greatest potential and highest level of independence. Benedictine’s year-round educational program is one of only 26 nationwide to earn a two-year accreditation from the National Commission for Accreditation of Special Education Services (NCASES). This program includes home-like living and learning options on the Ridgely, Maryland campus, for children ages 5 to 21 who come from Maryland and surrounding states. Benedictine’s Adult Services program offers employment and vocational services for transitional youth and adults, ages 22 to 70+, in the community and those who live in Benedictine’s group homes in Caroline, Talbot, and Anne Arundel Counties. Benedictine’s Easton Community Services & Training Center prepares the adults it serves to enter the workforce and collaborates with the collaborates with the Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Caroline and Dorchester County public schools to provide services to their students through the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) Program. Benedictine is one of the Eastern Shore’s largest employers with over 350 employees. For more information, visit www.benschool.org.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

CBMM’s Rising Tide Program Celebrates St. Michaels Scow Launch

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With a collective push, a group of middle school students from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Rising Tide after-school program trundled the St. Michaels sailing scow they’ve spent the spring constructing onto the water for the first time on Monday evening.

The 12-foot wooden boat, dubbed Pickle by a consensus vote of the builders, launched into Fogg’s Cove to spirited cheers from the assembled group of family, friends and program supporters.

“It’s fun because you get to see all the stuff that you worked on, and then it’s finally done,” said seventh-grader Sofia Mercado, after taking her turn to get a short ride in the boat. “It’s fun to make something and see it turn out well.”

Monday’s launch event, including an awards presentation and pickle juice toast, was a well-deserved celebration of months of hard work on the project.

Meeting on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, a total of 19 middle school students logged a combined 630 hours toward the project this spring, following Shipwright Apprentice Megan Mitchell’s project plan with support from CBMM education staff and volunteers.

The scow build capped a busy and productive school year for Rising Tide, a free, donor-funded after-school program that has been teaching students in grades 6-9 basic boatbuilding and woodworking skills in a welcoming, relaxed environment since 2015.

“It’s been an incredible experience to see the Rising Tide participants take ownership of this project over the last few months,” CBMM Education Programs Manager Kendall Wallace said. “I hope this project will help to reinforce the ideas that anything is possible if you’re willing to try, and that patience and commitment can result in something to be incredibly proud of.

“I’m constantly inspired by the work they’ve put into this boat, which they can forever point to and say, ‘I built that.’”

Beginning in January, the Rising Tide students contributed to nearly every step in the process to bring the boat to life in the program workshop.

The project started by studying original plans in CBMM’s collection, drafted in 1929 for the Miles River Yacht Club by George Krill, to draw information about the boat’s shape and size and making a building plan for the molds to set the vessel’s structure.

Once construction commenced, the task list included assisting with milling lumber, scarfing planks, and transferring patterns from the lofting to the building stock. They were involved with the gluing up and shaping the mast and boom, crafting and installing all of the components, and painting the vessel, as well.

Each day brought new lessons for the students, ranging from wood species selection to proper use of block planes to the fine art of varnishing. One memorable February afternoon brought a field trip to the newly renovated Norman & Ellen Plummer Center for Museum Collections to examine a sail in the CBMM collection that was originally built for a St. Michaels scow.

The result was Pickle, which sparkled in the evening sun on Monday with its bright-white hull and green trim. It was the first boat built by the program since launching a pair of Chesapeake crab skiffs, Mary and Susan, in 2018.

Eighth-grader Mac Hudson said his favorite parts were learning the history of the boat and using a hand plane to shape it, while his brother Oskar, a sixth grader, liked getting to visit CBMM’s working Shipyard and the teamwork necessary to get the boat completed.

“We all worked together,” Mac Hudson said. “It’s cool that we got to help make it, and now it’s an actual boat that we can take on the water.”

For Mitchell, the build served as a capstone project of sorts in her final year of CBMM’s Shipwright Apprentice Program. She agreed to take on the project in December and quickly found it a mix of fun and challenging.

“We’ve learned a lot from the project about what is necessary to complete a project like this with a build philosophy that the kids are helping in a meaningful way,” Mitchell said. “That’s so important. We want them to be involved. If they’re just occasionally rubbing sandpaper on the boat, that’s not meaningful and that’s not building skills for them.”

Beyond the chance to teach her craft to the next generation, Mitchell found it meaningful to take a step back in time to complete a classic design with a distinctly local history.

True to its name, the scow is a St. Michaels original, serving as the racing class of the Miles River Yacht Club in the 1920s and ’30s. One of the few surviving examples is in CBMM’s collection and will be featured in the new watercraft heritage exhibition in the new Welcome Center.

This is likely the first one to be built in town in decades.

“It has been very a cool project to be a part of,” Mitchell said. “The Chesapeake produces a lot of very strange styles of boat that are easily replaced by mass-produced, more-generalized designs, but sometimes having this specific design for this very specific place is an extremely valuable thing.”

“It’s one of the things I love most about CBMM and its programs. Here, we don’t shy away from that specificity.”

Monday’s launch marked the end of spring programming but certainly not the workshop fun for the students involved. Many of them will take part in CBMM’s Summer Camp in the coming weeks, and Rising Tide will resume in the fall with a new, yet-to-be-determined project to tackle.

Wallace is eager to make sure it’s something that will allow the students to build on the hands-on skills that they’ve practiced this spring and the camaraderie the group developed along the way.

“I don’t want you to forget the less technical skills that we practiced every day,” Wallace told the assembled group Monday. “We worked as a team, we practiced patience and understanding, we faced our mistakes when we made them, and we figured out how to do something that I don’t think any of us had ever done before.”

For more information on CBMM’s Rising Tide program, visit cbmm.org/youtheducation or email [email protected].

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Ethan Morrison and William Fachet Named Constitution Alliance Scholarship Winners

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The Constitution Alliance Fund has named Ethan Morrison of St. Michaels and William Fachet of Kent Island the recipients of their inaugural scholarship program.  Each student received a $1,000 scholarship to be used at the college of their choice.

Fachet is a graduate of Kent Island High School and Morrison is a St. Michaels High School graduate. The students were chosen for leadership and service in the community, exceptional academic performance, and outstanding personal essays on the meaning of the constitution. The Constitution Alliance Fund scholarship program recognizes academic achievement and dedication to the principles of the Constitution and supports future careers in civic leadership.

The Constitution Alliance, in partnership with the Washington College Institute for Religion, Politics & Culture and Operation Frederick Douglass on the Hill, works to promote civic engagement through education and a commitment to uphold constitutional values and the founding principles of freedom.

For more information, contact Michelle Ewing at [email protected], 410-200-5571 or Julie Quick, [email protected] or 410-924-0904.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.