Dear Friend:

During the legislative session the Ways and Means Committee, of which I am a member, reviewed many bills covering education. Since the session ended I have had an opportunity to visit several of our Charles County schools and participate in various school activities. The dedication of school officials and teachers and the eagerness of the children strengthen my resolve to learn as much about the Maryland and Charles County educational system as possible.

In April I was invited by Carrie Wedding-Batchelor to visit the Gale-Bailey Elementary School and participate in their Career Day. I went with the anticipation of telling them about my role as a Delegate. Instead, I was interviewed by several teams of third to fifth grade students who came prepared to ask specific questions about my job. They were very businesslike and direct and took notes on the interview. This was a serious school project for them and left me with admiration for all who participated.

In May the third grade class at St. Mary’s School shared their “Rain Forest” with me. Their teacher Peggy Garner had coordinated the building of a rain forest in the classroom and various organizations and businesses had contributed to both the building and the refreshments on the demonstration day. This was a wonderful project and shows the cooperation and caring of the whole community to make these special learning experiences available to our children.

Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer School celebrated their 20th anniversary in May. During those twenty years they have served the needs of our children and have given them guidance for the future. This continuation of commitment to education goes from generation to generation. Congratulations to the new principal, Thadine Wright; we wish her the best!

Charles County schools also got attention from State Officials. In April State Treasurer Nancy Kopp came to the North Point High School. If you have not been to North Point, be prepared to be impressed when you go. This is a state of the art school and one of the finest facilities in the State. In May we had a visit from Comptroller Peter Franchot to the William Diggs Elementary School. This is another state-of-the-art school where we got a chance to interact with the children using some of the new technology..

The Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy fourth grade class came to Annapolis to see the State House and meet with me to discuss legislation and government. While they approved of some of the legislation we passed last session, they also had specific ideas for future improvements. It was very rewarding to talk to teacher Bob Sondheimer and see how he is making citizenship come alive for his students.

As you may know each high school has an annual awards night for seniors to celebrate their accomplishments and to recognize their achievements. I attended three of those award nights at La Plata, Lackey, and Thomas Stone High Schools. You get a good feeling about today’s youth just by reading the program. There are so many awards for so many different areas of accomplishment and you can see the pride on each graduate’s face when they are recognized. My office was represented at each school and each scholarship recipient received an award certificate.

One of my purposes of attending the award nights was to present my 2007 Delegate Scholarship Awards for high school seniors. All applications for the scholarships were reviewed by a committee made up of people who do not live in Charles County. This was an effort to eliminate any favoritism from the selection process. The applications were reviewed for the criteria of need, scholarship, community involvement, and leadership. Our applicants ranged from seniors entering college to those pursuing graduate studies. All of the applicants live in District 28.

I pledged at least one $1,000 scholarship for each high school and asked the committee to pay special attention to graduates who intended to continue their education in the arts. Next year, we will select another specific area for attention. We distributed eight $1,000 scholarships and eighty-one additional awards ranging from $250 to $750, for a total of nearly $38,000 to Charles County students.

As we start into summer, I will look forward to seeing many of you at various festivals and outdoor functions. Charles County has much to offer and I hope you will take advantage of the many wonderful parks and recreational areas throughout the county. In any event, if you wish to contact me, please call 301-858-3247 or send an e-mail to peter.murphy@house.state.md.us. Also, if you did not receive the previous two newsletters and would like to read them, please log onto my web site www.delegatepetermurphy.com.

With Warmest regards,

Delegate Peter F. Murphy
Charles County, District 28