Student-Grown, Fresh Produce at the 32nd Street Farmers Market!

Every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., City Schools students are selling the fresh produce they’ve harvested at Great Kids Farm. Drop by their stand at the 32nd Street Farmers Market, and take home some delicious, fresh vegetables and herbs for your table. The 32nd Street Farmers Market (also known as Waverly Farmers Market) is located at the intersection of Barclay and 32nd Street in north Baltimore.

Summer Reading at City Schools

This summer, find great books old and new with City Schools' summer reading list. It's broken down by grade level and includes fiction, non-fiction, personal memior and more. Click here for the list—and get lost in books all summer long.

Calling all High School Students! Help City Schools Update its History

Put on your investigator's hat and help Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) update part of its history. Open to all high school students, this opportunity calls upon students to examine primary and secondary sources relating to John Nelson McJilton, who served as City Schools' first superintendent from 1866 to 1868—but was "removed" from office, according to several historical sources, and was all but left out of City Schools' history. Recently, McJilton's great-great grandson, Thomas Upson, wrote a letter to City Schools asking that its history be updated to reflect the more than 30 years of service McJilton provided as a teacher, treasurer of the school board, co-author of three textbooks and superintendent. So we're asking you, the high school students of City Schools, to reclaim McJilton's place in history. Here's what you need to do:

• Read this letter written by Thomas Upson, the great-great grandson of McJilton, to City Schools.
  
  
• Read the early history of Baltimore City Public Schools, provided in the documents below. These pages focus on the 19th century and mention John Nelson McJilton briefly. Also provided is a list of superintendents, on which McJilton's name is not included. These are the documents we're asking you to update.
  
  The Development of Public Education in the City of Baltimore
  
  Further Expansion of Baltimore City Public Schools
  
  List of Superintendents from Past to Present
  
  
• Read the 1987 article, "John Nelson McJilton: Humorist, Devine Educator," from Maryland Historical Magazine.
  
  
• Continue to research John Nelson McJilton, and investigate the context (Baltimore during and just after the Civil War) in which McJilton lived and worked. Use the Internet, and for more resources, visit the Maryland Historical Society, Enoch Pratt Free Library (the central branch) and the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, all of which offer extensive resources on Baltimore in the 19th century and have put together materials for this project. For help or guidance, contact Dustin Meeker (dmeeker@mdhs.org, 410-685-3750, ext. 346) at the Maryland Historical Society, Jeff Korman (jkorman@prattlibrary.org, 410-396-5468) at the Enoch Pratt Free Library and Mary Klein at the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland (archives@episcopalmaryland.org, 410-467-1399).
  
  As you research, ask yourself these questions:
  
  Who was John Nelson McJilton? And how did he help City Schools?
  Why might he have been removed from office?
  What evidence do I have to support my ideas, and how can I learn more?
  
  
  
• When your research is complete, write your own updated history of John Nelson McJilton at City Schools. Use information from your research (from web sites, articles, books, etc.) to support your claims. Challenge yourself to speculate why McJilton was removed from office, but remember to back up your ideas with support.
  
  
• Submit your updated history to Great Kids Up Close (www.greatkidsupclose.org). To do so, simply click the Your Turn-Submit Stories link at the bottom of the page and select Stories. Enter your name, school, grade level and contact information into the submission form, and also include this information on your paper.  

 What do you get in return?

• City Schools will select and publish the top three stories on its main web site (www.baltimorecityschools.org) and Great Kids Up Close (www.greatkidsupclose.org).
  
  
• You could be listed as a co-author of the updated history of City Schools. 

So take the plunge—and start uncovering Baltimore 150 years ago. Talk to your teachers about the project, and take this chance to try out your detective skills and become a published history writer. Questions? Contact us.   

200-Plus College Scholarships

Don't miss this list of more than 200 college scholarships. Some apply only to students in Baltimore City Public Schools, and others are open to students nationwide. Start browsing now to find the right fit for you.

Great New Resources for Learning at Home

Because we know that education doesn’t just take place in school, City Schools is adding new resources to its online Parent Portal to help families help their children succeed. Under the Families section of the web site, you’ll find new "Learning at Home" pages with City Schools’ curricula divided by grade and subject; suggestions for fun activities that reinforce these classroom lessons; and online resources to help your children with nightly homework assignments, book reports and special projects—lots of material to keep reinforcing basic, but important, learning skills. There is even a special Orioles math and science curriculum with an all-baseball theme. Learning at Home is a great tool for keeping our kids sharp year-round. So please visit www.baltimorecityschools.org, click on Learning at Home under the Families tab and have fun with your kids!