The following is an editorial piece from Councilman David Marks…

This fall, we will celebrate the opening of the first new middle school in a half-century.

Nottingham Middle School is located at 5210 King Avenue. The $100 million school is one of the largest and most sophisticated schools in Baltimore County, designed to accommodate more than 1,400 students from throughout northeastern Baltimore County, including Rosedale, White Marsh, Fullerton, and parts of Perry Hall.

I recently toured the school with principal Bryan Thanner, Senator Kathy Klausmeier, Delegates Nick Allen and Ryan Nawrocki, and Board of Education member Julie Henn.

The school feels very much like a college campus, with open spaces and a warm feeling that should prove to be an outstanding learning environment. As a special educator in another county, I was particularly impressed by the way classrooms have been designed for students who need particular care and assistance.

The opening of Nottingham Middle School culminates a nearly nine-year effort to address overcrowding at the middle school level.

In 2015 and 2016, parents began mobilizing to address the overcrowding at Perry Hall Middle School, the largest of its kind in Baltimore County. While construction was delayed for several years due to the state’s failure to pass the Build to Learn Act, bulldozers finally began earth in 2022. With the opening of Nottingham Middle School and the expansion of Pine Grove Middle School, overcrowding has been alleviated throughout northeastern Baltimore County. That’s not just good for parents and students, but also for those trying to market their homes.

As the academic year begins, let me be among the first to wish our Nottingham Blue Crabs the best of academic success!

• Councilman David Marks

Photo via Councilman David Marks