Board of Education: Grambo Elected President

The Harford County Board of Education elected Rick Grambo as president and Nancy Reynolds as vice president during Monday's meeting in Bel Air.

Grambo, vice president earlier this year, has served as interim president since board president Dr. Leonard Wheeler died in September.

Reynolds, who was a board member before her appointment Monday night, thanked fellow board members and colleagues for their support. 

“I want to make sure that all the parents, students and staff of Harford County Public Schools know that I will continue to support to provide quality education to all our students,” Reynolds said.

James Murdza was inducted into the HCPS Educators Hall of Fame Monday evening. The board recognized Murdza, who retired in 1989, for his outstanding 30-year service to Harford County Public Schools. Murdza made countless contributions to the county's music program by creating several new courses and programs.

Board members also acknowledged Ring Factory Elementary School as one of only 10 elementary schools in Maryland to be named a 2012 National Blue Ribbon School. The school was recognized for its academic success as the students scored in the top ten percent on state tests for reading and math.

Several contract awards were also approved Monday evening. The board adopted the $16 million energy performance capital project. The planned improvements are expected to have a payback in energy savings within the next fifteen years.

The capital improvements would improve issues such as the uneven temperatures in school buildings, and provide for the addition of other energy saving devices.

Changes were made to the schools' gang activity policy, which was presented by legal counsel Patrick Spicer. The changes include a report to be filled out by faculty to aid in gang-related incidents.

Edgewood High School Principal Larissa Santos along with faculty members and students presented a music video created by the school during the superintendent's report. The message of the video was to demonstrate the school’s unified front and also show the high school's strong sense of school pride.

The 15-minute video incorporated some 1,300 students and 120 faculty members as they danced to “It’s Always A Good Time” performed by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen as well as Katy Perry's “Firework.” The video ended with all students and faculty dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in the school's gymnasium.