Page 45 - Garrett County 2022/2023 Visitors Guide

Public Schools at a Glance (Table 1)
Education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a high priority for GCPS. The school system has collaborated with non-profit GEARS, Inc. to encourage achievement in robotics and other STEM pursuits.
Student Enrollment (2021)
Cost/Pupil (2021):
Attendance Rate (All Grades) (2021):
Drop-out Rate (Grades 9-12) (2021):
4-Year Cohort Graduation Rate (2021):
Percent of High School Graduates Enrolled in College Within 16 Months of Graduation (2021)
Source: Garrett County Public Schools
Parents who prefer different choices for school enrollment have several faith- based options at their disposal. GCPS provides testing services, curriculum reviews and other support to parents who choose to home-school their children.
Education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a high priority for GCPS. The school system has collaborated with non-profit GEARS, Inc. to encourage achievement in robotics and other STEM pursuits. Garrett County’s youth robotics teams have won more
than 50 state, national and world robotics competitions.
Northern and Southern Garrett High Schools field a joint team in the international FIRST Robotics Competition. After the pandemic halted in-classroom instruction, GEARS and GCPS continued to hold virtual coding and design competitions. In 2021, the team resumed some in-person activities, such as building STEM-themed walk-through mazes for the 2021 Autumn Glory Festival.
Other robotics initiatives include GCPS’ Summer Technology Camps, which teach students in first grade and up the skills
to build working machines out of LEGO components and use computers to control them. After going virtual in 2020, the camps resumed in-person instruction in 2021.
Work readiness is an important focus for GCPS. In 2020, GCPS, the Garrett County
Garrett County
3,497 $8,270.68 92.8% NA 93.84% 68.0%
MD
909,414 $14,960 93.5% 8.25% 86.75% 68.3%
Department of Economic Development and the Chamber of Commerce launched virtualjobshadow.com, an online platform for students and teachers at both the county’s high schools. The site provides access to hundreds of day-in-the-life videos that show people performing different jobs, giving students valuable insight into potential career options.
In addition, students can access a
resume builder, goal-setting tools and listings of area jobs, internships and apprenticeships. The platform also contains lesson builders and sample lesson plans for teachers.
Another career program established
in partnership with the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce is the Work Ethic Diploma Program, which began in the 2018-19 school year and has graduated a total of 146 students.
Students participating in the program must earn points in a number of categories prized by employers: discipline, attendance, work experience, community service, overall grade point average, teamwork and more. Students who earn
a Work Ethic Diploma are guaranteed job interviews and higher wages at the 36 participating employers. For more information, go to visitdeepcreek.com/ pages/workethicdiploma.
Another important component of GCPS’ work-readiness focus is the career and technical education (CTE) elective curriculum. It is intended to prepare
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