The Board of Education of Charles County recognizes exemplary students each month for academic achievement, personal responsibility and career readiness.
At its Oct. 14 meeting, the Board honored fifth graders:
Ethan Kapombe of Indian Head, Tristan Parrish of Billingsley, and Zane Todd of Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy elementary schools.
Along with eighth-grade student Tony Brazelton of Theodore G. Davis Middle School and Denzel Peter-Thomas, a Westlake High School senior.
Kapombe was recognized for personal responsibility. He has been a student at Indian Head since he was a first grader, consistently earning all 3s on his report card in personal responsibility. “He comes to school each day ready to learn and always demonstrates courage, persistence and integrity,” Indian Head Principal Shane Blandford said. “He is eager to learn and always puts forth his best effort with all of his assignments.” Kapombe exemplifies Indian Head’s three Rs — respectful, responsible and ready to learn — and sets a positive example for his peers. He enjoys playing tennis, football and basketball in his spare time.
Parrish has been a straight A student since he began earning letter grades in third grade at Billingsley, paving the way for recognition in academic achievement. He receives gifted education services in reading and math and recently earned Billingsley top i-Ready reading score. While he’s in fifth grade, Parrish is on a seventh-grade level in reading and comprehension. He is part of a small cluster of fifth-grade students who take 6A math, learning along with sixth graders through the virtual academy at the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center. Parrish was a member of the fourth-grade math team last year and expects to be on the fifth-grade team this year.
Outside of the classroom, Parrish takes part in sports and music. “He is naturally a perfectionist and takes great pride in being accurate and efficient in all aspects of life,” Jasmine Law, a Billingsley assistant principal, said. “He is a safety patrol by morning, and he does the announcements in the afternoons. He is a role model for his peers and sets the bar high for other Billingsley Bobcats to emulate.”
At Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy it’s already apparent that Todd has a bright future ahead of him which led to him being honored for career readiness. He is an honor roll student who is taking sixth-grade math. He plays the trumpet and is a soccer player for Team Liverpool. Todd also has unique interest for a fifth grader.
“What truly sets Zane apart is his passion for cooking and baking,” Mt. Hope Principal Louis D’Ambrosio said. “He’s known for his chocolate chip cookies, brownies and especially his signature pancakes with sprinkles — AKA ‘birthday pancakes.’” His family appreciates Todd’s culinary hobby, regularly benefiting from his time in the kitchen with his brother often requesting specialty pancakes. Todd’s career goal is to become a head chef and eventually open his own restaurant. He’s inspired by chefs Nick DiGiovanni and Gordon Ramsay.
Todd is working on his “chef’s hands” to move faster in the kitchen. He dreams of competing on “Hell’s Kitchen” and is already thinking about college — setting his sights on attending Harvard University or The Ohio State University. “With his creativity, discipline and love for learning, Zane is a shining example of career readiness,” D’Ambrosio said.
Brazelton has posted all A’s and B’s on his report cards at Davis since he was in sixth grade. Now an eighth-grade student, Brazelton was recognized for academic achievement. He is enrolled in the Introduction to Engineering Design and is taking Algebra and a foreign language class, which will allow him to begin ninth grade with three high school credits under his belt. Brazelton is considered a leader among his peers and is a member of the school’s Student-2-Student Organization and the National Junior Honor Society.
In his spare time, he plays soccer and video games. He also enjoys coding. Brazelton is set to attend North Point High School next fall. He plans to attend college and has an interest in working in cyber security.
Peter-Thomas splits his day between school and work. Due to the successful balancing act, he was honored for personal responsibility. A member of the Apprenticeship Maryland Program (AMP), Peter-Thomas works for Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) in the instructional technology office. “By pursuing an instructional technology apprenticeship with CCPS while still in high school, he has shown initiative, responsibility and a clear vision for his professional path,” Westlake Principal Dana Fenwick said. Peter-Thomas still carves out time to stay involved at Westlake, including serving in the Student Government Association (SGA). “His dedication to both his education and leadership roles highlights his determination to succeed and his willingness to put in the effort required to build a strong foundation for his future,” Fenwick said.
To view the recognition portion of the Oct. 14 Board meeting, visit the CCPS YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ccpsmd.
