August 26, 2022
For Immediate Release
CONTACT:
Office of Communications
301-952-6001
communications@pgcps.org
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) will begin the school year on Monday, August 29, with a focus on mathematics achievement, school safety, social-emotional learning and mental health.
Chief Executive Officer Dr. Monica Goldson will start the first day with learners at the new Cherokee Lane Elementary School in Adelphi — the first public school in Maryland to use a hybrid off-site/on-site construction model. Afterward, she will visit Eleanor Roosevelt High School where new principal Dr. Portia Barnes is the first woman to lead the school. Finally, Dr. Goldson will join 2022 Teacher of the Year Evelyn Policarpio, an eighth-grade math teacher, for lunch at Benjamin Tasker Middle School.
“Each first day of school is special,” said Dr. Goldson. “This year is even more special because all of our students are returning to classrooms on the first day together for the first time since 2020. I look forward to focusing on what matters most: teaching, learning and serving our more than 131,000 students.”
The school system’s strategic goals include accelerating achievement in mathematics across all grade levels and improving school climate by addressing challenges with behavior, attendance, safety and inclusivity. Additionally, work is underway to expand mental health and wellness supports as well as social-emotional learning.
2022-23 School Year Highlights:
New Principals
Thirty-five schools are welcoming new principals. While some are first-time PGCPS administrators, most were promoted through the school system’s “growing our own” initiative, which offers leadership training and mentoring. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr., Largo, Frederick Douglass and International High School at Largo are among the high schools with new principals.
Building Faster, Smarter & Greener
Cherokee Lane Elementary is the first of 10 new schools set to open over the next four years as PGCPS modernizes school infrastructure through innovative construction and financing methods. Sustainable school buildings that reduce carbon footprint and harness clean energy are integral to the system’s new Climate Change Action Plan; Cherokee Lane attained LEED Silver certification. Schools under construction include Adelphi, Walker Mill, Drew-Freeman, Hyattsville, Kenmoor, Glenridge and William Wirt middle schools; the new Colin L. Powell K-8 Academy and Suitland High School. The second phase of schools to be built under the alternative financing model will be announced this fall.
School Boundaries
PGCPS will finalize the Comprehensive School Boundary Initiative, balancing enrollment and creating new boundaries for neighborhood schools. The project timeline was extended last spring to allow adequate time for recently-appointed Board of Education members from vacant districts to review community feedback. The Boundary Initiative started in fall 2020. It is being conducted by a consultant team led by WXY Studio, working in close partnership with PGCPS staff and the Boundary Advisory Committee. Changes will be phased in during the 2023-24 school year.
The first day of school schedule is as follows:
7 a.m. - Cherokee Lane Elementary School, 2617 Buck Lodge Road, Adelphi
Dr. Goldson will start the first day by welcoming students to their new school building.
9 a.m. - Eleanor Roosevelt High School, 7601 Hanover Parkway, Greenbelt
Dr. Goldson will visit students and staff, led by new principal Dr. Portia Barnes, the first woman to lead the two-time National Blue Ribbon School.
12:30 p.m. - Benjamin Tasker Middle School, 4901 Collington Road, Bowie
Dr. Goldson will have lunch with the 2022 Prince George’s County Teacher of the Year Evelyn Policarpio, an eighth-grade math teacher.
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