“Annapolis: Spreading the Love…of Education”
As we continue to celebrate education, and as we are “Spreading the Love…of Education” here in February, I am honored to reflect upon Ms. Rhonda Pindell Charles. I have served in a variety of capacities within Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS), as a Teacher, Assistant Principal (including at the Wiley H. Bates Middle School among others), Principal and Administrator. I recently retired (Fall 2024) after over 25 years of service to AACPS. And I am a life-long resident of Anne Arundel County (my family church is First Baptist in Annapolis).
From the time that Ms. Pindell Charles arrived at AACPS’ Frank Hebron-Harman Elementary School (FH-HES) in Hanover (West County), Maryland, from June 2012 until December 2019, she served as our school-based School and Community Relations/Outreach/Liaison Specialist, where her performance was nothing less than outstanding. We had over 800 students from an extremely wide demographic area, from “poverty to plenty”, as well as Ft. Meade families that
were required to move on a very consistent basis and at a moment’s notice. We had 90 staff members. She worked on a variety of projects and in many capacities. She capitalized on her experiences with community interaction to increase opportunities for students and families, as well as staff. And her experiences in her previous professions, as well as her networking and
knowledge of Anne Arundel County services and support were vital to the successes at our school.
Also, upon Ms. Pindell Charles’ arrival, she had an opportunity to select her own office in the school. She asked to be housed and to share office space with our Learning Lab Technician [the LLT provides assistance to students who may be experiencing a “bad day” at school due to a variety of reasons]. Oftentimes, this was a very difficult situation to work in. However, as a result, she enjoyed mentoring students who were receiving these additional services in the
Learning Lab.
And from the beginning, Ms. Pindell Charles successfully integrated herself into the school setting, as well as building and maintaining partnerships with area businesses and community leaders. She immediately sought out County-wide guest speakers, mentors, materials, and volunteers at the request of classroom teachers and other staff.
Ms. Pindell Charles worked very closely with our School Counselor to support initiatives, and student services; and she also responded to and guided parent requests to assist. For example, she assisted the School Counselor and the PTA in planning and securing speakers for our Career Fairs.
Ms. Pindell Charles also worked with Staff Mentors and our Mentoring Groups.
Ms. Pindell Charles supported grade level PYP [Primary Years Program, which leads to the IB, International Baccalaureate program in high school] projects and International Night for Vietnamese families. She provided real world access for IB and PYP units of study across the grade levels.
Ms. Pindell Charles very diligently attended the monthly meetings of the County’s Local Development Council (LDC) in the Harmans Room at the Arundel Mills Mall. This hybrid County governmental organization selects community nonprofits (within a 5-mile radius of the Mall) to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for community projects as a result of the funds received by Maryland Live! (the Casino). Every year that Ms. Pindell Charles was based at FH-HES, our PTA received a substantial grant that supported our school, students,
families, and community endeavors. For example, she was vital to the planning and implementation of the 4th grade STEM field trip to the National Electronics Museum in Linthicum, MD, which was funded through the LDC grant funds, right down to securing several buses to transport the students, teachers and chaperones, and especially where one student needed a very specialized and expensive accessible bus in order to fully participate in the museum’s offerings.
Ms. Pindell Charles also very diligently attended and participated in the monthly meetings of the Harman Civic Association that were held at our school and on behalf of and in support of our school.
With her networking and diligence, Ms. Pindell Charles earnestly and thoughtfully built community partnerships for the benefit of our students, families and staff. She successfully maintained our partnerships with a variety of groups and organizations on several levels. And it provided our students with access to both needed goods and services. Just to name a few: Heritage Church; St. Mark United Methodist Church; Ft. Meade Military, and Soldiers; many
stores at the Arundel Mills Mall and the surrounding areas; Baltimore Washington Medical Center; Boys and Girls Club; 4H; Holiday Inn Express (3 rd Grade Secret Santa, Money Unit); FH-HES’ PTA; Anne Arundel County Health Department’s Strengthening Families program (she coordinated this program at our school); WASP (Western Anne Arundel Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, which supports initiatives and programs that address substance misuse); Meade Village Parent Center (she assisted in organizing community service hours for parents);
secured volunteer judges for the STEM/Science Fair, working collaboratively with the Science Lead Teacher; provided support through letters and picking up items from community partners (Dunkin’ Donuts, Bagels ‘n Grinds, Arundel Mills Mall Stores, Ledo Pizza, California Pizza, Today’s Pizza, Papa John’s Pizza, etc.); Sign Language Interpreter; Veterans; Beekeepers organization (from Annapolis); City of Annapolis’ Office of Emergency Management accompanied by a Midshipman Intern in full dress uniform; health professionals and attorneys from Baltimore and the State Health Department; Meade High School’s Homeland Security
Program; and many other partnerships and opportunities.
Also, our school was represented by over 30 countries within our student body, and Ms. Pindell Charles was able and capable of communicating with these students and families.
Ms. Pindell Charles also organized and implemented the AACPS’ Central Office’s Senior-Senior Program that was piloted at FH-HES. Meade High School seniors and “seasoned” seniors, along with the Anne Arundel County Western District Police Officers, assisted 2nd graders with increasing their proficiency in reading and in turn, the students formed positive bonds with the officers. This cohort also included a group of retired and ranking law enforcement officers, now
working for Anne Arundel County, including a retired Captain from the Annapolis Police Department.
Also, Ms. Pindell Charles has continued to maintain her relationships and/or follow up on several of the projects that she started at FH-HES even though she left over 5 years ago: The building and Grand Opening of the Severn Center (she remains on that Task Force/Work Group and the History Subcommittee, now as a Queen Family Member). And she worked with our County’s Department of Transportation to ensure that the residents of the Meade Village community had
an improved bus service for shopping especially for more affordable groceries (from the Quarterfield Wal-Mart to a better shopping experience at the Arundel Mills area grocery stores). Also, she still maintains her Membership in the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Western District (in Odenton), Police Community Relations Council (PCRC).
Ms. Pindell Charles maintained very detailed records of her activities, and interactions with members of the school community, which were shared and reviewed during weekly debriefing meetings. She capitalized on emails, visits, phone calls and letters to ensure that key members continued to stay connected to and supported our school. Her experiences in community relations, building and maintaining connections, and office managerial skills supported her
efficiency in the position in which she served. Her expertise in seeking and supporting the stakeholders in our school was the key to our success. And she was able to support the growing requests from our PTA and community partners to support our school.
Additionally, on behalf of the administration and school, Ms. Pindell Charles provided written and electronic “thanks” to those individuals and groups who had provided support to our school.
Ms. Pindell Charles’ effectiveness can be attributed to her organization, through communication and follow through, and her continued contact with all individuals. It was through her attention to detail, and personal attention to our partners, and that support continued at a high level for our school, including the implementation of the IB and PYP instructional program. She exhibited
excellent time management and scheduling skills; was consistent with follow-up and requests for feedback, as well as recordkeeping and detailed work summaries. And she was a meticulous self-manager who took great care in accurate record keeping and communication. Her responsibilities and assignments were always well-planned.
Ms. Pindell Charles always ensured that the relationships that she built were positive, and she consistently recognized her role as a representative for our school and our school system, always going above and beyond in the work that she did. And her pleasant demeanor and consistent follow-up were characteristics that our school, community, civic and school-based partners
appreciated. And she had the unique ability to support our entire staff. She continued to be a great asset to our school and to our entire Anne Arundel County Public Schools community.
I have followed Ms. Pindell Charles’ career especially since she left our school. It is very obvious that she has indeed been a great benefit to Annapolis, Anne Arundel County and Maryland.
Rebecca Blasingame-White, now retired (Fall, 2024), Principal, Frank Hebron-Harman Elementary School, Anne Arundel County Public Schools