New elementary school naming committee selects three
The Charles County Public Schools 2016 Elementar y School Naming Advisor y Committee will make recommendations to the board of education for the name of the next new elementary school. The committee was scheduled to present to the board at its Dec. 13 monthly meeting.
The eight-member committee is composed of individuals selected by board members, including a student representative. Naming committee members are Mary Pat Berry, Kimberly Clements, Marvin Harris, Colleen Longhi, Austun Reid, Lourdes Sagun, Cecelia Spinks and Tina Wilson. The group elected Longhi to serve as its chairman.
The committee accepted naming nominations from the community as well as solicited ideas. The group considered 26 names for the new elementary school, which will be built off Billingsley Road in White Plains. Construction will begin early next year and the school will open at the start of the 2018-19 school year.
Board policy requires that schools be named for either deceased persons or places of significance to Charles County. The committee will offer three recommendations. The recommendations, in alphabetical order, are:
Charles E. Carrington Elementar y School
Ronald G. Cunningham Elementar y School
Margaret Jamieson Thornton Elementary School
The committee’s full report, including background information on each name recommendation, is posted on BoardDocs. A link to BoardDocs, which includes all Board of Education agendas, report items, policies and minutes, is posted on the school system website at www.ccboe.com.
The school board will vote on a name at its Jan. 10 meeting.
Warming centers available during the winter season
The public buildings listed below are available as warming centers during regular business hours for frigid temperatures during the 2016- 2017 winter season:
Capital Clubhouse, 3033 Waldorf Market Place, Waldorf: Open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
Charles County Public Library, all branches: La Plata Branch, 2 Garrett Avenue., La Plata; P.D. Brown Memorial Branch, 50 Village Street., Waldorf; Potomac Branch, 3225 Ruth B. Swan Drive, Indian Head; Waldorf West, 10405 O’Donnell Place, Waldorf. All library branches are open: Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m.-8 p.m, Friday: 1 p.m.-5 p.m., Saturday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Department of Community Services, 8190 Port Tobacco Road, Port Tobacco; Lobby hours: Monday-Friday: 8 a.m.4:30 p.m.
Nanjemoy Community Center, 4375 Port Tobacco Road, Nanjemoy, Mon- day-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Richard R. Clark Senior Center, 1210 Charles Street, La Plata, Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Those who require a warming shelter or know of someone in need of shelter after hours, contact the Charles County Sheriff’s Office at 301-932-2222.
Severe weather notices are posted on the Charles County Government website, on Facebook and on Twitter. Weather updates are also aired on CCGTV, which broadcasts on Comcast channel 95 and Verizon channel 10. Sign up for the Citizen Notification System (CNS) to receive inclement weather and traffic alerts by text message, email, or phone. For information on power outages, view the SMECO outage map. Call 877-7476326 to report a power outage. Call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency.
Planning comm. hearing for ZTA 16-144 rescheduled
The Planning Commission agenda item, Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 16-144 public hearing scheduled for Monday, Dec. 12 is rescheduled for Monday, Jan. 23 in the Commissioners’ meeting room at the Charles County Government Building, 200 Baltimore Street, La Plata.
To learn more about the Planning Commission or to view Planning Commission Meeting agendas go to www. CharlesCountyMD.gov/ commissioners/boards/ planning-commission.
For more information, contact Clerk to the Planning Commission, Theresa Pickeral, at 301638-2409 or PickerTh@ CharlesCountyMD.gov. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.
Health department reminds residents to vaccinate pets against rabies
The Charles County Department of Health announced on Dec. 8 a skunk recovered in the Town of Indian Head tested positive for rabies. Although rabies is common to the area, it is important for residents to be aware of the problem and ensure their pets are vaccinated against rabies.
Rabies is a disease of animals and people, and the virus is spread through the saliva of a rabid animal. Usually this occurs when a rabid animal bites or scratches another animal or person, but secondary exposure can occur from saliva off of the coat or fur of an animal that was exposed to a rabid animal. The virus may get into the body through open cuts or wounds, or through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Domesticated animals like dogs, cats, and ferrets can get rabies from wild animals such as raccoons, foxes, skunks, bats and opossums.
To help deter the spread of rabies, stay away from wild or unfamiliar animals, keep pets away from wild animals and get pets vaccinated. For more information, log on to www.CharlesCountyHealth.org. For questions concerning rabies, call the Division of Environmental Health at 301-609-6751. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.
CSM to offer course in small unmanned aircraft systems
A new class being offered for the first time next month at the College of Southern Maryland could help you be among the first pilots in Southern Maryland certified to use drones commercially. Students will come away from the course with their own drone and the necessary software, along with the skills to use it.
CSM’s two-week, 18hour “Introduction to Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)” course (AVN-5000) instructs both hobbyists and professionals how to fly drones safely and legally, prepare for the FAA certification test and access new opportunities. As of August 2016, FAA pilot certification is required of anyone operat- ing a drone for business purposes.
The first course will be offered at the La Plata Campus beginning Jan. 31. A future offering is being scheduled at the Leonardtown Campus later in the spring.
While many may consider sUAS or drones as merely the newest in remote control airplanes and a cool tool for aerial videos, this course will show that drones pose the biggest opportunity for commercial use. Industries like agriculture, construction, insurance, public safety as well as small and entrepreneurial businesses will realize tremendous economic benefit from using this new technology.
Topics covered in the course will include flying multi-rotor and fixedwing drones, indoor flight training, diverse flight systems, maintenance, registration and certification requirements, safety, insurance, industry applications, featured systems (DJI, 3DRobotics, etc.), emerging technologies and the latest FAA policies. The course includes a workbook, a quadcopter with camera and computer flight simulator with radio controller. Each student will participate in a Top Gun piloting competition and receive a training certificate upon completion of the course.
The course was developed by CSM in partnership with SkyOps, a technology transfer company that creates training experiences that prepare the American workforce for new jobs and business models created by emerging technology. This partnership between the college and SkyOps allows CSM to lead innovation in the region by offering a nationally recognized curriculum, according to Mosser.
For more information, go to http://www.csmd.edu/programs-courses/ non-credit/career-development/transportation/ drone-certification. For additional assistance, email conedops@csmd. edu or call 301-539-4760.