SEL Awardee

Suzanne McMurtray

Homewood Center
Howard County Public School System
Ellicott City, MD
“Beyond the 21 is a way for young people at Homewood to find their purpose and create their path. The name refers to the minimum twenty-one credits required to earn a Maryland State High School Diploma. Sadly, most of our students are ill-prepared for life beyond high school, even after satisfying the twenty-one credit graduation requirements. We continue to lose students and recent graduates to under-employment, violence, incarceration and death. BT21 is, at its heart, a coaching program, incorporating community partnerships, career exploration events and life-skill building opportunities to support our students from middle school through senior year.”
Tags: Collaborative Learning, Community Engagement, Girls & Young Women of Color, High School, Housing Inequities, LGBTQI+, Mentorship, Middle School, Student Engagement, Students Affected by Suspensions, Students with Disabilities, Suburban, Teacher, Traditional Public School