Comcast and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) are sponsoring the sixth annual Comcast Parent Involvement Matters Award (PIMA) program. The annual award recognizes parents and guardians whose contributions have led to improvements in Maryland public schools.
The program was created to highlight the positive impact parents have on public schools and to encourage parent involvement. Parents and guardians can be nominated for demonstrating significant, positive impact on public education in their communities.
Nominees must be a parent/legal guardian of a child in a Maryland public school, and a consistent advocate of public education. Nominees must have also demonstrated involvement in one of the five following areas within the last 24 months: communicating; volunteering; learning; decision marking; and community collaboration.
Nominations must include three letters of recommendation, a two-page narrative essay describing the nominee’s contribution to public education and completed nomination forms. Judges will select 24 semifinalists – one from each Maryland county, and one from Baltimore City. A second group of judges will select five finalists for the statewide award. All semifinalists and finalists will be recognized in a ceremony later this spring, and the statewide winner will be announced at the ceremony.
As part of the program, semifinalists, finalists and the state winner have opportunities to promote parent involvement that include speaking at educational events and conferences; appearing at Maryland State Board of Education and/or local Board of Education meetings; participating on educational task forces or committees; and participating in a best practices publication and/or website that serves to inspire parents as well as give them practical advice.
Nomination forms are available on MSDE’s website at http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/pima. Nomination packets must be postmarked by Thursday, Jan. 31, and should be sent to: Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Academic Policy, 7th Floor, Attention: PIMA, 200 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201. Incomplete applications will not be considered and submissions will not be accepted online or by e-mail.
Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
