Leaders
Dianne O’Grady-Cunniff Westlake High School, Charles CountyYears Teaching: 20+
Years Teaching CS: 20+
Favorite Course to Teach: Designing Technology Solutions
What inspires you about teaching? The “aha” moments are like treasures where a student suddenly arrives at an answer themselves. It’s also great to hear from former students who have continued on to do impressive things with technology in research and their work.
What do you like most about teaching CS? Being a facilitator for learning where students are interacting with the computer and each other to create genuine, lasting learning about things that are useful and relevant in the 21st century is very satisfying.
Joseph Greenawalt North Point High School, Charles CountyYears Teaching: 35
Years Teaching CS: 25
Favorite Course to Teach: Web Design and Development II
What inspires you about teaching? Challenging students to see the world and themselves differently is a way to write into the future – the future that we all will share.
What do you like most about teaching CS? Motivating students to be creators of technology rather than consumers.
Chris Morris Catonsville High School, Baltimore CountyYears Teaching: 12
Years Teaching CS: 9
Favorite Course to Teach: Web Design/HTML/JavaScript
What inspires you about teaching? I like the questioning minds of young students and the challenge of addressing their quest for learning new things.
What do you like most about teaching CS? Seeing the students get excited about what they are learning and their mastery of new skills.
Master Teachers
Nik Baltatzis Parkville High School, Baltimore County
Years Teaching: 11
Years Teaching CS: 9
Favorite Course to Teach: AP Computer Science A
What inspires you about teaching? I am inspired when I see a student make a breakthrough in the way they understand a challenging concept.
What do you like most about teaching CS? I enjoy the problem solving process that we use in CS, taking something from an idea all the way to a working program. Some of my favorite topics are algorithms and computational thinking.
Nora Blasko Great Mills High School, St. Mary’s County
Years Teaching: 16
Years Teaching CS: 5
Favorite Course to Teach: AP Computer Science
What inspires you about teaching? My students inspire me!
What do you like most about teaching CS? Teaching computer science is very interactive and is easy to differentiate. Mostly I enjoy learning new things from my students!
Janet Bondelid North Point High School, Charles County
Years Teaching: 15
Years Teaching CS: 15
Favorite Course to Teach: Designing Technology Solutions
What inspires you about teaching? When students are completely engaged in their work and the “ah ha” moments light up their eyes I know we are on the right track. Those moments keep me inspired.
What do you like most about teaching CS? I love the “real world” connections students make when they understand that computing is not just “coding.” CS is an ever-changing field. I’ll never be bored.
Madeline Burton Columbia Heights Education Campus, District of Columbia Public Schools
Years Teaching: 2
Years Teaching CS: 2
Favorite Course to Teach: Computer Science
What inspires you about teaching? I love working with students who are having trouble getting through a problem. With a little perseverance and often some outside-the-box thinking, they are able to surpass all original obstacles.
What do you like most about teaching CS? I like to think of Computer Science as building with legos; there are a finite number of ‘blocks’ that exist and can be put together to build something new. I start by giving students instructions (like working on a lego set to create the final product that is pictured on the outside of a box), but the most beautiful moments come when they realize they are able to build anything they want using those blocks, and chose to do so.
Holly Eckard Glenelg High School, Howard County
Years Teaching: 11
Years Teaching CS: 11
Favorite Course to Teach: AP Computer Science A and Advanced Data Structures
What inspires you about teaching? The enthusiasm of the students that want to show me apps they’ve created on their own and the students who ask a lot of questions because they want to learn how to do it all inspire me to want to keep teaching.
What do you like most about teaching CS? The thing that I like most about teaching computer science is inspiring my students to want to pursue computer science at the college level and with a desire to develop new technologies.
Jennifer Hoffmann Digital Harbor High School, Baltimore City
Years Teaching: 14
Years Teaching CS: 14
Favorite Course to Teach: AP Computer Science
What inspires you about teaching? I enjoy teaching students how to love learning.
What do you like most about teaching CS? Everything!
Sharon Kramer Instructional Facilitator, Howard County
Years Teaching: 21
Years Teaching CS: 21
Richard (Bill) W. MacDonald Roland Park Country School, Independent – Baltimore All Girls
Years Teaching: 13+
Years Teaching CS: 7
Favorite Course to Teach: Robotics
What inspires you about teaching? Having students develop insights into the material.
What do you like most about teaching CS? Working with the students on algorithms.
Dawn Raszewski South River High School, Anne Arundel County
Years Teaching: 36
Years Teaching CS: 32
Favorite Course to Teach: AP Computer Science A
What inspires you about teaching? I love to see students get excited about learning and seeing that light bulb go on!
What do you like most about teaching CS? Teaching computer science is all about problem solving and puzzling through solutions. The problems and scenarios are relevant and fun so students enjoy it!
Terry Roberts South River High School, Anne Arundel County
Years Teaching: 15
Years Teaching CS: 10
Favorite Course to Teach: Intro to Computer Science
What inspires you about teaching? Problem solving and computational thinking crosses all curricula and is important for having a better understanding and appreciation of the present day world and the world that is around the corner..
What do you like most about teaching CS? I like to see the light bulb light up when a student really understands and can relate a concept for the first time. I like the humor.
Stephen Sell Clarksburg High School, Montgomery County
Years Teaching: 21
Years Teaching CS: 6
Favorite Course to Teach: Computer Programming
What inspires you about teaching? Watching the development of my students over the 3-4 years I work with them and/or see them in the school.
What do you like most about teaching CS? Opening door(s) for students to opportunities and/or ideas of how to use technology in ways they never knew existed before.
Richard E. Williams La Plata High School, Charles County
Years Teaching: 34
Years Teaching CS: 28
Favorite Course to Teach: Java Programming
What inspires you about teaching? The joys of seeing students realize that they have had success in thinking their way through a problem.
What do you like most about teaching CS? Programming with the students and looking for solutions to a variety of problems.
Melanie Wiscount McKinley Technology High School/MS School, District of Columbia Public Schools
Years Teaching: 12
Years Teaching CS: 7
Favorite Course to Teach: Cybersecurity and Introduction to Programming
What inspires you about teaching? My hopes are to provide students interesting content that sparks inquiry and interest. Through CS classroom experiences, they develop their individual expertise. This expertise creates confidence and confidence creates tomorrow’s change-makers. Everyday my goal is to equip tomorrow’s change-makers with what they need to innovate and inspire!
What do you like most about teaching CS? As a computer science teacher, teaching and inspiring students to be technology creators rather than just technology consumers is fulfilling. I believe I am investing in the future through my students’ imagination and innovation!