On Thursday, May 2, 2013 various professionals in the television and film industries gathered for a social event to raise funds and offer sound advice to talented young professionals in the Wide Angle Youth Media after-school program.

Founded in 2000, the nonprofit organization provides media education and training to students in Baltimore City. Executive Director Sue Malone says, “Our goal at Wide Angle is to provide students with media training, but also expose students to career exploration as well as opportunities that involve public speaking. We serve over 300 Baltimore City Public School students per year with training in areas such as photography, graphic design and video production. These kids are the social leaders of tomorrow so we want to provide them with a platform to tell their story of the world around them, as they know it. The goal of each project is about social change, giving back and setting an example as a leader in the community.”

“On The Set” was the first annual event, which provided an opportunity for students to showcase their projects as well as interact with seasoned professionals. Gina Davis who serves on the board for the organization says, “The board wanted to plan an event that would allow our students to showcase their work, interact as well as build potential relationships with film and television professionals who have done well within their line of work.”

Though this was only the first year for the event, the turnout was both rewarding and enjoyable for the students as well as experts who attended. In addition to the showcase, there was a silent auction where attendees signed up to bid for a very exceptional item- a photograph taken specifically by one of the participating Wide Angle Youth media students. Special guests in attendance were Pat Moran-Casting Director; Ken Arnold-Actor; Lisa Dietrich-Set Dresser; Dan Franko- Actor; Jack Gerbes-MD Film Office; David Noble-Key Grip; Nina K. Noble-Producer; Matt Porterfield-Director and Bill Zori-Writer. Ticket purchases were available to the public and all proceeds went to support the organization.

Arianna Clatterbuck, a junior at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute High School says, “This is my second year in the program and the experience has really changed me. I can get together with young people, talk and share life experiences. It’s amazing to meet and connect with other students who share the same passions. You can meet lifetime friends being a part of this program.”

The program has a very positive impact on countless students who participate in Wide Angle Youth Media. Oliver

Mahoro moved to Baltimore from South Africa and entered the program through an internship at the Academy for College and Career Exploration (ACCE) High School. Oliver says, “My school told me about Wide Angle Youth Media and said it would be a good experience for me. It turned out to be just the right connection because I learned how to properly use the camera and all the different aspects of photography. I can express my feelings through photography and it allows me to tell my story. I am truly happy to be a part of this program. It has changed my life and my outlook on Baltimore.”

Wide Angle Youth Media is changing young lives in Baltimore City one lens at a time. To learn more about the program or to make a donation to support the organization, visit: http://wideanglemedia.org/

“If I were mayor, I would remodel schools. I would do this because some schools in Baltimore City are not very nice. Some of them do not have any security cameras, desks, bookshelves, and no computers. If schools had these things, the students would receive a better education. I would also build more malls. This will make it easier for people to go shopping because cars and sedans are expensive. If they were able to walk, it wouldn’t cost people anything. I would put in more street cameras. Then the streets would be safer for everybody. Finally, I would plant more green for the environment. This is what I would do if I were mayor.” —An excerpt from Winning Essay by 4th grader Kiyia Johnson

Kiyia Johnson is interested in one-day becoming mayor. The fourth-grade Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School student has clear and simple ideas of what she would do if she sat in the city’s highest elected position.

Those ideas, which included having citizens sign petitions, remodeling schools, raising taxes, planting to promote a greener environment, and installing street cameras, resulted in her selection as one of the regional winners of the Maryland Municipal League’s 2013 “If I were Mayor, I would…” statewide essay contest.

Kiyia, along with the other winners were recognized by Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown, received a Governor’s Citation, an award plaque and $100 cash in a private ceremony on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at the Maryland State House. Following the ceremony, the students along with their parents and teachers enjoyed a boat ride on the Harbor Queen.

“I just thought about what would be best and better for Baltimore City,” said Kiyia. “It took me about a week to write it.”

The essay contest challenges fourth graders across Maryland to think like a mayor and share their vision for the future of their local municipal government. The contest was open to any Maryland student enrolled in the fourth grade during the 2012-2013 school year. 

“I was surprised that I won,” said Kiyia. “At first, I thought I had gotten into trouble.”

The contest was sponsored by the Maryland Municipal League in partnership with the Maryland Mayors’ Association; the Injured Worker’s Insurance Fund and the Local Government Insurance Trust.

Essays were judged on: essay relation to contest topic; displayed knowledge about municipal government and the role of a mayor; creativity; and proper use of grammar.

“When I was writing the essay, I was thinking about [how] long it takes to take a cab or sedan to the mall because it’s so far and my parents don’t have a car,” said Kiyia. “That’s why I said I would build more malls in the city. There’s also not as much green in the city as there is in the county. That’s why I would plant more grass and plants. It would make the city look much better.”

Megan Jacobson is Kiyia’s social studies teacher. “This was our first time entering a contest,” said Jacobson who also teaches English and language arts. “Kiyia’s win has created a sense of encouragement in the classroom. All of the kids are now extremely interested in participating in writing contests in the future. I wanted the students to walk away with sense of community and the city.”

Jacobson continued, “They don’t have as many malls and supermarkets as you see in the county. Kiyia got deeper into meaning and importance of community and city. Everything she put in the essay she applied to her own life, and why it was important to her.”

The Maryland Municipal League is a voluntary, non-profit, nonpartisan association that works to strengthen and support municipal government through advocacy and the development of effective leadership.

Scott A. Hancock, who is the executive director of the Maryland Municipal League said, “This contest challenges students to creatively share their thoughts on being mayor and engages them in civic duty from a young age, which is incredibly important as we look toward the future of our cities and towns.” 

Baltimore— Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) professor Kathleen Kennedy Norris has been included in a list of the “Top 25 Women Professors in Maryland” by StateStats.org and its partner website: OnlineSchoolsMaryland.com.

The list, complete with short bios and images of each of the professors, represents what the groups consider the top college professors in Maryland honored for their excellence. As part of the selection process, an editorial and executive committee from StateStats set out to find 20 to 25 professors in Maryland in specific disciplines, who have excelled in the classroom, on campus and in the community during 2012. In addition to the top 25 women professors, the top professors in education, psychology, medicine and nursing were also identified.

To ensure all honorees truly represented the top of their profession in Maryland, the group looked for recent awards, publications, and recognitions. The committee was comprised of a former K-12 educator, a doctor of English instructor and a former education and writing instructor.

As a longtime professor of biotechnology and director and founder of the BCCC Life Sciences Institute (LSI) at the University of Maryland BioPark,

Dr. Norris has led BCCC's innovative, model partnership between a community college and a major research university to create educational pathways from high school all the way to the doctoral degree, and secure paying jobs and internships for Baltimore students in biotechnology companies, which have located at the BioPark.

In Dr. Norris's classrooms, students master laboratory-ready skills in biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics.

Dr. Norris received the 2012 Northeast Region Faculty Member Award from the Association of Community College Trustees, one of only five in the nation to be so honored. She has helped to obtain successful grant awards from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Saverna Park, Md.— According to the Campaign to End Child Homelessness one out of every 45— or approximately 1.6 million American children go to sleep without a home of their own each year.

Armed with this alarming statistics Shannen Bunoski and Maeve Donohue, two seniors at Severna Park Senior High School, decided to reach out to Anne Arundel County’s homeless children.

For their senior projects they went to Sarah’s House, a supportive housing program, offering emergency and transitional housing for homeless families in Anne Arundel County.

Bunoski and Donohue began their project in April and went to Sarah's House every Tuesday of the month with their group members, made up of underclassmen, who are a part of the Leadership Institute. They tutored the children, ages five to 13, in core subjects such as science, math, and English. They also engaged the children in outdoor play and sports such as basketball, frisbee, and soccer. The children’s positive attitudes inspired Bunkoski and Donohue to be grateful, no matter what the circumstance may be.

Bunoski stated, “The best possible way to see how lucky you are is to help others in need."