Blair students win Mark Curtis Awards

The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) presented four Blair students, along with other Montgomery County high school students and Montgomery College students, with Mark Curtis Awards at James Hubert Blake High School on Oct. 27.

The winners from Blair this year were senior Kamilia Butler-Peres and juniors Karla Berberich, Terence McPherson and Danielle Peck. Every year, the AHCMC chooses one senior and three juniors from every MCPS high school. At this year's awards, there were 22 seniors, who received $100 each, and 60 juniors, who each received a certificate of excellence. Twenty-two MCPS high schools were represented at the awards and three Montgomery College students were awarded $500 scholarships towards their further education at that school.

Michelle Norris, National Public Radio personality and Jody Leleck, Associate Superintendent of Schools, were the guest speakers for the night's ceremonies. The master of ceremonies was WRC-TV newscaster Joe Krebs.

This year marks the tenth year of the Annual Mark Curtis Awards, which are the only awards specifically for Montgomery County students that recognize achievement in humanities. These awards were created in honor of Mark Hubert Curtis, an accomplished historian and educator. Curtis was the president of the American Association of Colleges and University Presidents and for 16 years served as chairman of the Montgomery County Commission on the Humanities, which joined the Arts Council of Montgomery County in 2000 to form AHCMC.

Since AHCMC began giving these awards in 1995, they have recognized 900 students. The AHCMC has also presented students with cash awards totaling $19,000 since 2001.