EAGLE NEWS

September 1, 2023

 

It was a fantastic opening week for our students and staff! I love getting to know all of the students and am inspired by their energy and kindness. All week long, I have felt such a warm welcome from students who walked up to me to introduce themselves or who smiled when they passed me in the hallways. And the students were so happy to see their friends, too!

Have you heard the news? Centennial High School is #1 in Howard County and #6 in Maryland in the US News & World Report 2023-24 High School Rankings. How awesome are our students and staff! We are so proud!

Thanks for sending us your students every day! Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

Dr. Miller

 

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

Calling all Sophomores in the Class of 2026! 

Our annual donation campaign is up and running. Families received a letter home in the mail last week. This year we will be in charge of securing a Prom location and beginning the early planning process for next year's Prom. We can't do this without your support! Read more

 

2nd Annual Emily Scott Memorial Walk

Please join us for the 2nd Annual Emily Scott Memorial Walk on Saturday, September 30th at 10 AM right here at CHS! Bring your friends and family to help honor the legacy of 2018 graduate, Emily Scott, who tragically passed away in May of 2022. For more information on registration please visit here. Registration will close on Thursday, September 7th at midnight. Last year, we were able to award two Centennial Seniors a scholarship in the amount of $2,500. If you have any questions, please reach out to emilyscottmemorialscholarship@gmail.com. We look forward to walking with you in September!

 

Centennial Class Shirts—Order yours today!

Show your school spirit and rep your class--CHS Class Shirts & Sweatshirts have been part of the CHS tradition for almost 20 years! Get yours in time for Homecoming 2023!

Use the link below to order your Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior shirt/sweatshirt--hurry because our online store closes on Sunday, September 17th at 11:59pm. All shirts will be delivered to CHS during spirit week.

Link to order: CHS ONLINE STORE

Questions: rebecca_clark@hcpss.org

NOTE: This is not the same shirt that is given out when you make a donation to your graduating class! This item can only be purchased using the link above.

 

Student Technology Supports

Students, please remember to bring your chromebook fully charged to school every day.  We have a limited number of loaner chromebooks reserved only for students with broken chromebooks.  If your chromebook is not working, please bring it to the media center.

 

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Update Your Family File

All families must update their emergency contact information annually. We’d like Centennial to be the first high school to have 100% of the Family File information to be fully updated, so visit HCPSS Connect today and click submit on the final screen! Read more.

 

Apply for Financial Aide

The HCPSS participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. Students from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals.

Parents/guardians must submit a new application every school year to maintain their student’s eligibility.

 

Get to School Safely

The official school hours for Centennial High School for the 2023-2024 school year, as set by the HCPSS Board of Education, will be 8:00 AM to 2:45 PM.

Students are driven to school are to be dropped off from the sidewalk next to Burleigh Manor, along the tennis courts, and to the auditorium entrance at the side of the building following the established traffic pattern. Drivers are NOT to use the parking aisles to drop off students. 

Students may NOT be dropped off along Centennial Lane. Parents are to refrain from making U-turns on Centennial Lane as it impedes traffic and contributes to unsafe conditions for students and drivers.

Students who are driving themselves to school are encouraged to arrive early to avoid being tardy. Traffic jams occur daily during the morning rush along Centennial Lane. We very much appreciate your partnership to ensure our commitment to student safety.

Students who arrive at/after 8:00 AM are considered tardy and may receive disciplinary consequences. 

Students can arrive as early as 7:00 AM, as our cafeteria is open. Between 7:00 AM and 7:40 AM, students are permitted to  wait outside or go to the cafeteria. Students enter through the main doors in the bus loop area (they have to walk on the sidewalk at the auditorium entrance to the front) that lead directly into the cafeteria. Students may NOT go to classrooms before 7:40 AM unless they have a pass from a teacher. 

 

Student Meal Payments

New this year, HCPSS will use LINQ Connect, a secure, online portal that allows families to make payments to their child’s meal account, monitor their child’s account, schedule automatic recurring payments, set up low balance alerts, submit a Free and Reduced Meals program application, and more. More information, including how to set up your account, is available online.

 

Lockers

Lockers are available to all students throughout the school year. Students may come to the front office before the school day begins, during their lunch shifts, or during Eagle Time to request a locker assignment.

 

Parking Permits

Permission for students to drive and park vehicles on school system property is a privilege. Parking spaces for students at Centennial High School are limited. Accordingly, in order to be granted this privilege, applications for parking permits will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis in priority order: 1) Seniors; 2) Students enrolled in Work Study/Intern Mentor Programs; and, 3) Juniors.

Permits will be issued in this order through the end of the third week of school. Beginning September 18th, remaining permits will be issued in the order applications are received. Permits will not be reserved for students who do not yet have a valid Maryland Driver's License. Students ARE NOT required by the school system to attend a ‘Safe Driving’ presentation this school year.

To apply for your permit:

• Login to HCPSS.me.

• Complete the application packet and save as a pdf.

• Take a photo of your driver’s license.

• Follow this link to submit the online application. The information collected through the online application is required by HCPSS.

• Your submission will be reviewed, and you will be notified via email once it is accepted.

For questions about applying for a parking permit at CHS please contact Kristen Forman at Kristen_forman@hcpss.org.

 

Attendance

Please follow these procedures to report an absence:

Absence notes and tardy notes for excused absences are to be emailed to CHSabsence@hcpss.org. Students who bring in physical notes may drop them off in the front office before the start of the school day. 

Discretionary absence requests must be completed and attached through email in advance of the absence. The last possible day of school for the 23/24 SY is June 18th. If there are any make-up days added to the end of the year, we need you to be available to take exams on any day from June 7-18. Any requests for Discretionary Absences during that window of time will not be approved. Likewise, Discretionary Absences will not be granted during the week of January 16th, mid-term exam week. For questions about attendance, please reach out to our Attendance Secretary, Diane Howse at diane_howse@hcpss.org.

 

 Support the Groups Who Support Us

The CHS PTSA offers programs, services, and supports to enhance the high school experience for all students, teachers, and parents. Join the PTSA now by logging into the  CHS PTSA website. 

The CHS Boosters serve all student extracurricular activities, including sports teams, school clubs, and student organizations. Join the Boosters now by logging into the CHS Boosters website.

Friends of Music supports vocal and instrumental music at CHS to guarantee the sustainability of these programs and to provide vital support to our music directors. Help our talented musicians thrive by joining us today through the FOM website: http://www.centennialmusic.org/.

It is important to support organizations that do so much for us and our students. We are a community!

 

Stay Connected

•  Centennial High School’s website is a great source of information at https://chs.hcpss.org.

• On Twitter @hcpss_CHS and Instagram @CentennialHS.

•  CHS PTSA https://www.chs-ptsa.org/and  CHS Boosters https://www.centennialboostersonline.com/.

• CHS Friends of Music http://www.centennialmusic.org/

•   Register to receive school system updates and alerts at https://www.hcpss.org/hcpss-news/, click on Subscribe and select Centennial High School.

  

 UPCOMING EVENTS

Date	Time	Event
September 4		Schools closed for Labor Day
September 7 & 8		Underclass picture days
September 15		Schools closed for Rosh Hashanah
September 23		Eagle’s Class Golf Tournament - registration is open now!
September 25		Schools closed for Yom Kippur
September 30		Emily Scott Memorial Walk at 10:00 AM
October 4		PSAT - Grade 10
October 9		Schools closed for students
October 11		PSAT - Grade 11
October 13- 14		Homecoming Weekend (Pancake breakfast, parade, game, and dance)
October 18		Senior Tropical Night
October 20		Schools closed for students
October 25		Flu Vaccination Clinic
October 31		3-hour early dismissal; end of first marking period ASVAB Fall administration
June 11		Last scheduled day of school  Last inclement weather day weather day June 18

 

CELEBRATIONS

Congratulations to Cecelia Newton, grade 12, who has qualified for the Global Chinese Bridge Competition, a competition for foreign students on their mastery of the Chinese language. The competition will be held in China in October.

 

Congratulations to the following students who have been awarded National Recognition from the College Board for attaining the academic honor of a GPA of 3.5 or higher and outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT®, PSAT™ 10, and/or AP® Exams:

• Abisola Olukoya: NAARA
• Akhil Shastry: NRSTA
• Aman Sabnis: NRSTA
• Aneesh Potluri: NRSTA
• Angela Aguilar: NHRA
• Anlan Lin: NRSTA
• Arushi Acharya: NRSTA
• Avyukth Ramreddy: NRSTA
• Cecelia Newton: NRSTA
• Christine Liu: NRSTA
• Cindy Zhan: NRSTA
• Clara Pan: NRSTA
• Clarice de Melo: NHRA
• Dongyoon Yoo: NRSTA
• Emily Recksiek: NRSTA
• Garrett Young: NRSTA
• Jackson Rollins: NHRA
• James Hawkins: NRSTA
• Justin Yu: NRSTA
• Kristine Won: NRSTA
• Lanting Zhu: NRSTA
• Malcolm Hendricks: NAARA
• Matias Caceres: NHRA, NRSTA
• Max Balakirsky: NRSTA
• Maya Hart: NRSTA
• Natalie Baynes: NAARA
• Neeraj Pawar: NRSTA
• Nicholas Cui: NRSTA
• Nigel Smith: NHRA
• Nina Lin: NRSTA
• Nithya Sai Parepally: NRSTA
• Oliver Snydal: NRSTA
• Oyujin Damdinsuren: NRSTA
• Patrick Zhang: NRSTA
• Raiyan Zaman: NRSTA
• Ramita Wiriyacoonkasem: NRSTA
• Ramy Kaddouri: NRSTA
• Reagan Hubbard: NRSTA
• Renee Wu: NRSTA
• Riya Shah: NRSTA
• Rohan Vyas: NRSTA
• Seonyoung Lee: NRSTA
• Srikar Kodali: NRSTA
• Sumedha Shastry: NRSTA
• Surabhi Shastry: NRSTA
• Vikas Lokesh: NRSTA
• Walter Pearson: NAARA
• Yeseo Lim: NRSTA

Award Key:
National African American Recognition Award (NAARA)
National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA)
National Rural and Small Town Award (NRSTA)
National Indigenous Award (NIA)

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

SAT Prep

C2 Ellicott City will proctor a mock SAT test on Saturday, September 9th at 9:00AM in the CHS Media Center, then discuss results on Monday, September 11th in the Cafeteria.

After receiving results, students can continue with custom-tailored tutoring with C2 if they choose.  The cost for the test and results is $75.  To register: https://forms.gle/QqaREc6YzJcj3oP8A

The Answer Book is teaching a two-day SAT prep class in the CHS Media Center on Saturday, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st from 9:00AM to 1:00PM.