Friends of Janie Monier Updates

     Yesterday at the Home Show Expo, I had the opportunity to meet with Keith Dodson from the Blue Collar Project, Samantha Lawson form Frederick County Women in the Trades, and Tracey Hicks from CTC. It was enlightening to learn about the various initiatives aimed at providing opportunities for students interested in the trades.      The Blue Collar Project offers scholarships for trade school, which is a fantastic opportunity for students interested in pursuing these fields. However, there is still a financial gap for many students, as the cost of enrollment can be prohibitive even with the help off this scholarship. Similarly, the Career and Technology Center (CTC) faces challenges due to its current infrastructure limitations. While the current infrastructure works well for technical classes like CAD, it lacks the classroom flexibility needed for programs such as automotive or welding which require more expansive spaces.      There was d...

       Whenever I have been asked who has inspired me the most as a student, the first person I will name is Truth Thomas. He was an artist in residence at Howard Community College when I took his class in Poetry. Our class was filled with students from many backgrounds, academic goals, and personalities.       For each class, we were expected to read a poem, out loud and in the center of the room, to craft our own poetry, and give constructive feedback with grace. Truth was able to teach each of us how to become better public speakers, to be more confident in our voice, and give feedback that was honest and constructive. At the same time, pull out of each student their unique voice. Each moment done with care to the needs of the student in that moment.  By the end of our class, I saw how each of us had become more confident in our speech, more instructive with our criticism, and more inspired to express the importance of the small moments wh...

     As young people, we often questioned how our lessons related to real-life scenarios. When I worked as an archaeology technician at Monocacy National Battlefield in Urbana, the fields of history, geometry, and technology converged. Specifically, I worked alongside another archaeology technician on the L'Hermitage site, a French-Caribbean plantation in Urbana, Maryland. Starting as a volunteer, I eventually joined the National Park Service to complete the season's tasks. Throughout my tenure with NPS, I guided visitors through the site's features, shedding light on its significance in Frederick County history, the lives of the enslaved individuals, and the culture of the family who owned them.      This experience emphasized the distinction between memorizing facts and the art of applying our education to practical situations. This is one example of many for why I support policies and funding that encourage students to apply their knowledge critically to...

                 As a registered nurse, I have advocated compassionately for my patients and I have had to make quick decisions in high stress situations. I bring these skills and traits to advocate for our students, schools, and communities. As a PTA President after a pandemic, I brought families and communities together celebrating holidays, participating in charitable activities, volunteering in the school, showing our appreciation for the educators, support staff, and administrators that supports learning and a positive workplace.      Schools are centers for community engagement: whether it is a 5K run, a town hall meeting with county leadership, or the football game bringing out all the alumni to cheer. As such it is important for voters, with or without children, to see our schools succeed -- to know that the graduating classes are not only academically ready, but also prepared to enter the world knowing how collabo...