TOWSON, MD—Education Support Professionals of Baltimore County (ESPBC) has named Meghan Anderson of Parkville Middle School as its Paraeducator of the Year and Towanda Stokes of Hebbville Elementary School as its Office Professional of the Year.

Both Anderson and Stokes were surprised on the job this week with award presentations from an entourage including Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers, Chief of Staff Mildred Charley-Greene, ESPBC President Jeannette Young, and their respective principals, Micah Wiggins of Parkville Middle and Jordan Filderman of Hebbville Elementary.

Anderson has served as a paraeducator in the Regional Social-Emotional Learning Program at Parkville Middle School since 2019, where she also works as a tennis and badminton coach and co-sponsors the S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions) club. Before her current role, Anderson worked at Parkville Middle as an additional assistant and at Pine Grove Elementary School as an Applied Behavior Analysis specialist.

In his nomination of Anderson, Tyler Hagan, a math special education teacher at Parkville Middle, praised her rapport with students and ability to help them avoid crises, her collaboration with teachers, and her involvement in schoolwide activities. Anderson is working toward a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and special education at Bowie State University, as a member of BCPS’s Grow Our Own cohort. She maintains a 4.0 grade point average and will begin student-teaching in the fall.

Anderson served as a member of the BCPS Safe and Supportive Environments Advisory Group. She is a member of ESPBC’s Communications and Professional Development committees and is the ESPBC building representative at Parkville Middle.

Brianna Brinkley, an English language arts special education teacher at Parkville Middle, wrote of Anderson: “In a program where students have more than just your basic educational needs, where they come into the classroom with their own trauma and adverse experiences, Ms. Meghan welcomes them, respects them, accepts them, and treats them as if they were her own family. She holds them accountable, offers support, and does her best to ensure that they leave middle school better than when they came to us – providing them with a foundation for a successful future.”

Stokes is the administrative office secretary III at Hebbville Elementary, where she has worked since 2002. Prior to that, she worked at Old Court Middle School (now Northwest Academy of Health Sciences). Her own children all attended Hebbville Elementary so she has the perspective of both a front office staff member and a parent.

In nominating her, Hebbville Elementary speech language pathologist Shareyfah Gray and special education paraeducator Orlando Felton describe her as a “trusted colleague and friend to many” and as
the school’s “right hand woman.” They note her expertise in managing multiple budgets and payrolls; maintaining strong connections with offices and colleagues across BCPS; communications and collaboration; and skill in handling stressful situations.

Stokes also serves as a mentor and coach to other office professionals, co-leads Hebbville’s Social Committee, and assists with making props and decorations for schoolwide events.

Gray and Felton write that since Stokes joined the Hebbville staff: “Her dedication to the Hebbville community has since been unmatched and goes above and beyond the job description of administrative assistant. . . . She is clever, thoughtful, and detail oriented. She is a collaborative team-player and easy to work with through the good, bad, and ugly situations we face on a daily basis.”

Photo: Meghan Anderson of Parkville Middle School via BCPS