Communications Office

One of the primary roles of the Communications Office is to encourage and facilitate communication between the school system and the community. The office serves as a resource for parents/guardians, community members, businesses, and other individuals interested in the school system by providing information, answering questions, and addressing concerns.

The office is involved in numerous other activities, including SchoolMessenger, the school system website, social media, publications, and the Teacher of the Year Program. In addition, Carroll Educational Television Channel 21 is part of the Communications Office. The office also is responsible for inclement weather and emergency notifications and providing special accommodations to community members.

If you have questions about the school system or need additional information, please use the contact information provided.

Informational Calendar/Handbook

Annual Report

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The Carroll County Public School System uses SchoolMessenger to provide parents with information from their child’s school and the school system. This service enhances the ability of the schools to communicate with parents and members of the school community. It delivers both e-mail and phone alerts at no charge to parents. Parents may also opt in to receive text messages.

There is no need to sign up for this service. All information is taken from the emergency procedure cards. Parents/guardians are automatically enrolled in the system. If at any time you need to update your contact information, please call your child’s school office.

Messages and announcements sent through SchoolMessenger may include: 

• closings due to inclement weather or other emergencies
• information from the Superintendent and Board of Education
• school newsletters
• attendance calls
• report card reminders
• parent organization updates
• notices of upcoming events
• cancellation notices
• calendar reminders

SchoolMessenger Guardian Guide

SchoolMessenger Text Notifications

SchoolMessenger InfoCenter Info

The Communications Office manages Carroll County Public Schools social media channels and monitors all school system-affiliated accounts.Please review our social media guidelines if you manage or are considering creating a social media account to represent your school, program, or classroom.

The goal of Carroll County Public Schools social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) is to share news, photos, and videos about our school system, students, schools, staff, and upcoming events and to engage with our community in an open and respectful dialogue. We invite staff, students, families, and the community to join the conversation by liking and sharing the CCPS news and photos on any of our pages.

The Community Advisory Council was established May 13, 2009 under Board Policy BDF: Advisory Committees to the Board of Education of Carroll County.

MEETING DATES - 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR:

Monday, September 23, 2024
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Tuesday, May 6, 2025

All meetings will be held in the Board Room at the Board of Education offices at 7:00 p.m.

CARROLL COUNTY TEACHER OF THE YEAR
BRIAN THOMPSON

Carroll County has always been my home, and it has been an honor to give back to my home as a CCPS teacher for 19 years. Through my roles at Westminster Elementary School as the voice on the morning announcements, DJ at our Play Day and Fun Run, MC at many of our assemblies, or my actual job as a music teacher, it is a privilege to do what I do every day. – Brian Thompson

Brian Thompson, an Instrumental Music and Vocal/General Music teacher at Westminster Elementary School, was named the Carroll County 2024 Teacher of the Year during the Carroll County Public Schools Employee Recognition Ceremony on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

Thompson received a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Music Education from Towson University and a Master’s of Science Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College. In addition, he holds  a School Administration I Certificate from McDaniel College.

Thompson has a total of nineteen years of teaching experience, all of which have been in Carroll County Public Schools. He began teaching in Carroll County at Northwest Middle School in 2005 and moved to Westminster Elementary School in 2006. From 2012-2015, he also served as the Assistant Marching Band Director at Westminster High School which represented the state of Maryland in the 2013 Pearl Harbor Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Thompson currently is a member of the Adjunct Music Department faculty at Stevenson University where he serves as a Marching Band Instructor and Concert Band Woodwind and Brass Coordinator. He was also a member of the Adjunct Education Department faculty at McDaniel College where he taught Elementary Music Methods.

Through the years, Thompson has assumed many leadership positions including serving as the coordinator of the CCPS/MMEA District 8 Solo and Ensemble Festival and the CCPS All County Ensemble auditions. He has presented at the Maryland Music Educators Association Annual Conference as well as serving as a judge for their All-State auditions. Thompson has served as a mentor teacher for new CCPS elementary music teachers as well as a student in the Westminster High School Teacher Academy of Maryland. In addition, he has been a mentor teacher for student teachers and teaching interns from McDaniel College.

Thompson has also authored articles for the Maryland Music Educator Journal and the magazine Teaching Music.

Building the music program and helping students achieve their highest potential have been among Thompson’s top priorities. For the past ten years, he has had his students participate in Music in the Parks at Hershey Park, where they have won fifteen 1^st place awards and two 2^nd place awards, as well as four Esprit de Corps awards for displaying exemplary social and musical behavior in their performances.

Thompson goes far beyond his role in the classroom and leads and participates in many activities in the school, the school system, and the community. He has served as the Special Areas Team Leader and PBIS representative at Westminster Elementary School and is currently a member of the Critical Incident Response Team.

Thompson also is the county coordinator for the State Solo and Ensemble Festival and the All-County Ensemble auditions. He currently serves as the music arranger for the Liberty High School Marching Band. He also plays a significant role in coordinating the Side by Side concert which allows students in elementary, middle, and high school to perform together. In addition to these activities, Thompson has served as Guest Conductor for the All-County Elementary Band in St. Mary’s County.

Establishing relationships in the community and providing students with opportunities to perform in public is very important to Thompson. He has arranged student performances at Carroll Hospital Center, TownMall of Westminster, Downtown Westminster, and the Carroll County Holiday Tree Lighting. He establishes relationships with feeder schools by creating opportunities for high school students to work with and perform for elementary schools.

According to principal Whitney Warner who has worked with Thompson for 10 years, “All students and staff benefit from Mr. Thompson’s sincere dedication to our school and community. He has increased our instrumental music participation rate from 50% to 70%. I am extremely impressed with his professionalism and dedication to his profession. He is truly deserving of the honor of Carroll County Teacher of the Year.”

The Carroll County Teacher of the Year Award is presented annually to an individual who represents Carroll County teachers in the Maryland Teacher of the Year Program, and possibly the National Teacher of the Year Program. Working in collaboration with the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, this year’s finalists for Teacher of the Year were selected by the Chamber of Commerce as winners of the Chamber’s Outstanding Teacher Awards.