May 12, 2020
Media Contact:
Scott Peterson, Director of Communications, Office of Public Information, 202-277-9412
Coronavirus Updates: Hospital Appreciation Caravan, Town Hall Tomorrow, Virtual Graduations
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – County Executive Calvin Ball led a hospital appreciation caravan today through Howard County General Hospital’s campus. Staff from the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, Police, Recreation & Parks, Office of Emergency Management, the Sheriff’s Office, and hospital volunteers joined the caravan. Photos can be found here.
“This National Hospital Week we want our nurses, doctors, technicians, and everyone that makes our hospital run smoothly to know how much we deeply appreciate their work and dedication through this crisis,” said Ball. “The incredible team at Howard County General Hospital has been working tirelessly over the past two months to combat COVID-19 and still serve residents in need. They are central to our community and their work should not go unnoticed.”
Additionally, Ball will host his second Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, May 13th at 6:30 pm to answer questions and concerns from Howard County residents about COVID-19 and the local response and recovery. Residents can register online to participate via WebEx or stream live on Facebook. Questions can be asked live, but residents are encouraged to email questions ahead of time to townhall@howardcountymd.gov. The following panelists will join the Town Hall and be available for questions:
- Kelly Cimino, Director, Department of Housing and Community Development
- Raul Delerme, Director, Recreation & Parks
- Mike Hinson, Director, Office of Emergency Management
- Dr. Michael Martirano, HCPSS Superintendent
- Dr. Maura Rossman, Health Officer
- Jackie Scott, Director, Community Resources and Services
- Dr. Ralph Semmel, Director of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- Steve Snelgrove, President Howard County General Hospital
- Larry Twele, CEO, Economic Development Authority
- James Zoller, Program Manager, Roving Radish
“As we are about to end our second month of responding and reacting to the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on the health and economy of Howard County, we find ourselves in a period of transition,” said Ball. “Even as restrictions for outdoor recreation are eased, we must continue to practice physical distancing by maintaining six feet distance from any persons not from the same household. I also urge residents to wear masks while in public places, especially where they cannot physically distance. We look forward to engaging with our community and updating residents on how we will navigate the new normal together."
Virtual Graduations
Beginning Thursday, June 4, 2020, every Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) high school and the Cedar Lane School will hold a virtual graduation. Understanding that no celebration can replicate a traditional, in-person celebration, HCPSS and high school principals wanted to find a way to recognize and celebrate each one of our 2020 graduating seniors. In-person celebrations will be planned by schools at a later date.
Virtual graduations will be pre-recorded but closely aligned to the programs that were already planned to include student speeches, student performances, commencement remarks by the County Executive, recognition of the graduates by the Superintendent, awarding of diplomas by a Board member, and the turning of tassels. Virtual graduations will be pre-recorded due to concerns with online connection stability, to prevent unwelcome interruptions by people looking to digitally interrupt the special celebration, and to eliminate the risk of inappropriate words or actions being broadcast live.
To highlight individual graduates during the awarding of the diplomas segment of the program, each senior is encouraged to create a short video (5-10 seconds) and submit it based on instructions that will be provided by schools. Students should wear their caps and gowns during this recording. If a student does not provide a video, their graduation picture will be shown instead. Each student's video (no audio) or picture will be featured on the screen as their name is announced by a staff member.
Virtual graduations will be streamed on a staggered schedule during the graduation window of June 4-9 so that students, families, and community members can view multiple ceremonies as they are presented if they wish to do so while also taking into consideration that there are families with seniors in more than one school. Additionally, graduations will be able to be viewed on the HCPSS television channels (Verizon 42 & Comcast 95 in Howard County) based on a schedule that will be provided closer to the graduation dates.
Information and dates for virtual graduations can be found online.