Baltimore County school system holds partnership fair 2 years after pandemic halted plans

Mildred Charley-Greene took the stage at Mays Chapel Elementary School’s gymnasium in Timonium and looked out at a couple hundred people chatting at round tables.

“Raise your hand if you made some new connections,” the Baltimore County Public Schools chief of staff asked the gathering Wednesday morning.

Dozens of people raised their hands. Making connections was one of the goals for the system’s first partnership fair — an event for organizations in the community to partner with the school system and with one another.

The idea for the fair came about in 2019, but it was halted because of the pandemic, said Superintendent Darryl Williams.

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School leaders were there to connect with the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) community. Aspiring partners spoke with the system’s program specialist and existing ones had the opportunity to chat with Williams.

A couple hundred gather at Mays Chapel Elementary School's gymnasium for Baltimore County Public Schools first partnership fair on Wednesday. (Kristen Griffith)

Charley-Greene said there are about 600 partners listed in the system’s database. The fair drew some 55 established partners, 23 aspiring partner organizations and 140 school leaders. The parking lot was flooded and the line of cars parked along the side of Roundwood Road stretched at least a half-mile past the entrance to the campus.

Williams said at the start of the fair that not all of the partners know about one another. They wanted a space to bring people together.

“The beauty about today is we invited all current partners and aspiring partners to meet each other,” he said. “What happens now is networking.”

Partnerships are part of the system’s strategic plan. And although the system has access to resources and school staff who are willing to help, they can’t do it all.

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The attendees ranged from nonprofit leaders to church members and vendors. One of the existing partners is Deborah Phelps, the mother of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and the executive director of the Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools. She said they make sure that students and educators have what they need. And she was promoting The Exchangeree — two brick-and-mortars that allow teachers to shop for donated school supplies for free.

“So partnerships? High-five. They’re needed because … our families cannot supply everything a child needs to go to school,” Phelps said. “A simple pencil can make a difference in a child’s life.”

She and Williams attended a breakout session for existing partners in one of the classrooms. About a dozen joined. Williams encouraged them to let the school board know about coming events that they have and what the schools can do to help.

“I have a boss, it’s the board,” he said. “The board needs to know what you’re doing.”

He said they can write the board or speak at its meetings. “I want that to be shared,” he added. “We can’t do this work all by ourselves.”

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Williams also mentioned the district has money for a student activities coordinator but has not hired one yet.

Participants at the session asked about fairs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and about volunteers helping with reading.

Monique Cephas, president of the Baltimore County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., said her goal for the fair was to extend the partnership that she already has with the school system. Her group’s goal is to serve young people all around the county. She spoke with principals and representatives from Johns Hopkins about possible collaborations.

Another attendee was Darryl Perry, the new community school facilitator at Scotts Branch Elementary School in Windsor Mill.

Perry is big on community engagement and he likes how his new employer is pushing for it because it “amplifies the student experience and overall school experience.”

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Charley-Greene said having the partnerships is “doubly important” given the last two years, which has included a pandemic that forced many students to take classes remotely. Partners didn’t know they could come back to school buildings to offer their services. The number of people who attended was more than administrators expected. Next time, she said, they will pick a big high school to host the fair.

“I see it as an annual thing,” she said. “My hope is that we’ll outgrow our largest high school.”

kristen.griffith@thebaltimorebanner.com

Kristen Griffith

kristen.griffith@thebaltimorebanner.com