Cambridge Moves Forward on Rebuilding Trenton Street Pumping Station
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Cambridge Time Machine: Riding the Rails
The Dorchester & Delaware Railroad laid a line connecting Cambridge to Seaford in 1869. The D&D went bankrupt in 1883, and the Pennsylvania Railroad gained control of the peninsular railroad system in 1891, renaming it the Cambridge & Seaford.
The railroad provided easy market access for Dorchester County’s seafood and farm produce. Due in part to that, Cambridge saw rapid population, industrial, and commercial growth in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.
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State ‘Report Card’ Shows Dorchester Schools Are Improving
Dorchester County Public Schools, long near the bottom of Maryland’s education rankings, are showing real signs of progress, with two schools receiving four of five stars, and a countywide performance moving upward, according to the Maryland State Department of Education’s latest Maryland School Report Card, released Tuesday.
A year ago, Superintendent Dr. Jymil Thompson launched a districtwide improvement drive called “23 No More,” a reference to Dorchester’s standing as the second-to-last of Maryland’s 24 school systems.
In the district’s 2024 Strategic Plan, Thompson set a bold goal of moving Dorchester from 23rd to at least 15th statewide. The new 2025 data show the district moving in that direction.
While Maryland no longer issues official numerical rankings for its 24 school systems, Dorchester’s performance has improved from the 23rd position identified in its earlier internal analysis. The district’s overall score continues to rise, reflecting steady progress toward the goals outlined in its strategic improvement plan.
“We are incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication demonstrated by our students, teachers, and staff,” Thompson told The Spy. “These improvements reflect our ongoing commitment to providing high-quality education and supporting every student’s growth.”
Thompson added, “We have made great strides, but still have a lot of work to do,” and that the system “remains focused on continuous improvement and the implementation of our strategic plan to continue these positive trends.”
Progress on the Ground
The 2025 results highlight encouraging gains across nearly every school:
- Cambridge–South Dorchester High School – Increased to a three-star rating, up from two stars last year, with total points rising from 41.65 to 45.20. This improvement reflects continued academic recovery and stronger graduation outcomes, despite ongoing attendance challenges.
- Choptank Elementary – Maintained a two-star rating, yet saw one of the largest single-year point gains, rising over 10 points (from 32.22 to 43.12), putting it within two points of achieving a three-star rating.
- Hurlock Elementary – Sustained its three-star rating, holding steady with 52.11 total points, demonstrating consistent student growth.
- Maple Elementary – Increased over 10 points (46.70 to 58.52), maintaining its three-star rating and coming within two points of earning a four-star distinction.
- North Dorchester High School – Maintained its three-star rating, with gradual gains from 48.74 to 50.54 points, and improved graduation and growth measures.
- North Dorchester Middle School – Rose from a two-star to three-star with notable gains, improving nearly eight points (50.47 to 58.23) and now within two points of a four-star rating.
- Sandy Hill Elementary – Increased from two to three stars, improving from 40.36 to 47.91 points, with better attendance and reading performance.
- South Dorchester School – Maintained a four-star rating, continuing as one of the district’s strongest performers with consistently high achievement and engagement measures.
- Vienna Elementary – Improved from three to four stars, with more than a 10-point increase (51.88 to 63.98), reflecting strong reading growth and steady attendance.
- Warwick Elementary – Maintained a three-star rating, though total points dipped slightly, suggesting areas for renewed focus.
- Mace’s Lane Middle School – Remained a two-star school, with only a slight increase (33.53 to 33.75 points), continuing to face challenges in math and attendance.
Overall, 75 percent of Dorchester schools (9 of 12) now hold three or more stars, a clear signal of improvement from prior years.
Countywide Trends
Across all schools, Dorchester’s average score climbed to roughly 52 points out of 100, up from about 49 a year earlier, according to the data. The state average stands near 57. No Dorchester School earned just one star, three schools increased their number of stars, and three more schools are within two points of moving to the next star level.
The county’s reading performance continues to outpace its math performance. Attendance improved significantly: roughly three-quarters of students now attend regularly, compared with barely half during the first post-pandemic year. That gain, education officials note, is the foundation for every other improvement.
What it Means
For a district once burdened with being next-to-last in the state, the 2025 results represent a first step in the right direction. The four-star schools show what sustained effort can yield, and the cluster of three-star schools suggests that growth is spreading across the system.
Mathematics and middle-school attendance remain stubborn weaknesses, but the district’s recent investment in structured literacy, multi-tiered support systems, and teacher coaching appears to be paying off in reading and engagement.
If the system can sustain its current pace of improvement, Dorchester could reach the top 15 within the next few years. For now, the 2025 report card shows something that once seemed distant: measurable progress and a path forward.
* * *
Dorchester County Public Schools
2025 Report Card – At a Glance
Overall Performance
- Districtwide average: ≈52 points (up from 49 in 2024)
- 75 percent of schools now hold three stars or higher
- No schools rated at one star
- Attendance: about 75 percent of students attend regularly (up sharply since 2022)
Top-Performing Schools
- Four-Star: South Dorchester School, Vienna Elementary
- Three-Star Schools Near Four-Star Threshold: Maple Elementary, North Dorchester Middle, Sandy Hill Elementary, North Dorchester High
Academic Highlights
- Most schools met state “improvement flags” for multiple domains, including academic achievement, progress, and attendance.
- Reading performance continues to outpace math.
- Graduation rate: nearly 94 percent districtwide
Key Focus Areas
- Strengthening math outcomes and middle school attendance
- Sustaining gains through the “23 No More” strategic plan
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One Mission Cambridge Faces Record Demand After SNAP Lapse
One Mission Cambridge is asking for the community’s help as demand for food assistance and essential services rises in the wake of the federal government shutdown and the lapse in SNAP benefits.
Executive Director Krista Pettit said both food and monetary donations are urgently needed to keep the mission’s programs running.
Pettit said Monday, November 3, was the mission center’s busiest day ever since it opened in 2022, with 75 people coming through its doors between 1 and 5 p.m. That four-hour surge represents several hundred household members receiving food and assistance.
“We have seen need skyrocket in our community, and we are asking everyone who can donate funds to please do so,” Pettit said. “Every contribution, regardless of size, truly matters. The need is urgent and growing.”
The center is open three days a week, and each day this week has averaged five first-time visitors. Pettit noted that this increase has continued steadily for the past several days, not just since the shutdown began.
Pettit said that while donations of nonperishable food remain valuable, monetary contributions are now the organization’s most urgent need.
“Financial support helps us keep the electricity on, pay for heating and cooling, and fund the case management services that help people apply for jobs or benefits,” she said. The center also serves as a warming and cooling site for residents and hosts a free lunch each Thursday.
Since opening, One Mission Cambridge has served more than 1,889 individuals, reaching an estimated 4,100 household members through food programs, case management, and other forms of assistance.
The call for support comes as food banks across the country brace for increased demand due to disruptions in federal nutrition benefits. Some states have announced stopgap measures to continue payments, but advocates warn that any delay or uncertainty in SNAP funding can quickly strain local food programs.
Volunteers are also essential to the mission’s operations. Pettit said volunteers assist with the food pantry’s “shopping” program, helping clients select groceries, carrying bags to cars, and building relationships with neighbors. “The number one thing we do is relationship building,” she said. “When volunteers come back, they often see the same people they’ve helped before, and real connections are made.”
Pettit added that the mission’s board is in active discussions with local and state officials to plan for the possibility that the shutdown and its effects on benefits may continue.
“We realize this is a trend that could continue,” she said. “We’re working on how to sustain the income needed to keep this going.”
How to Donate: Community members can donate online or send contributions by mail to One Mission Cambridge, 614 Race Street, Cambridge, MD 21613. The center is open for services from 1 to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
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‘Vanishing Landscapes’ Captures the Loss of our Chesapeake Shores
Vanishing Landscapes curator Lillie Pennypacker adjusts a piece called “The Gift” by Madeline Shinn ahead of the exhibition’s opening reception on Saturday.
A deer stands in a flooded warehouse, staring at a forest on a television screen, as water rises slowly against second-floor windows. Nearby, a black-and-white aerial photo shows farmland overwhelmed by a sea of windowless data centers. Intricate bundles of marsh twigs and driftwood form a geometric grid on another wall.
In Vanishing Landscapes, the environment looks back at us. This new exhibition, hosted by the Dorchester Center for the Arts in Cambridge and curated by Visual Arts Coordinator Lillie Pennypacker, features 29 mostly local artists who work in painting, photography, sculpture, and fiber.
The show kicks off with a reception on November 8 at the Arts Center’s High Street gallery, with live music, light fare, and artists in attendance. It will run for eight weeks, followed by a closing reception on December 13. Both will run from 5 to 7 p.m.
Pennypacker, who grew up in Cambridge and studied art in New York, Boston, and Rome started at the Dorchester Center for the Arts in January of 2025.
“I inherited the title and theme of the exhibition, and the Executive Director encouraged me to develop it from my perspective,” she told The Spy. “The throughline for the exhibition is our emotional, physical, and cultural connection to the environment. It’s not just documenting what’s been lost but exploring how we feel about it in our psyche and our bodies.”
Painter Patti Aaronson of Cambridge brings a personal view to the exhibit with her surreal scene of a deer gazing at a television glowing with an image of the woods as water builds up outside.
“The deer looking at the woods on the screen represents a sense of loss, of longing for the natural world,” she said. “It’s the sadness of looking at what’s been lost, realizing what’s gone.”
Aaronson painted the piece in two weeks after seeing the call for submissions. “I had this concept in mind, which I thought was perfect for Vanishing Landscapes,” she said. Stylistically, the painting is an uncanny blend of realism, surrealism, and minimalism.
“Art is a way to tell the truth emotionally. Facts speak to the mind, but art speaks to the heart. It shows that climate change is here, not something in the future.”
Artist Patti Aaronson with her painting “This Sadness” at her home studio in Cambridge.
Photographer Andrew Cohen of Montgomery County gives us a perspective from on high. His black-and-white aerial photograph, “Ashburn, Virginia,” shows a vast agglomeration of data centers spreading over what was once farmland in Loudoun County.
“I wanted to show how industrial land was being repurposed for these massive buildings,” he said. At first, he rode his bike around the sites but felt the need for height to capture the scale. Cohen contacted SouthWings, a nonprofit that pairs photographers with pilots who took me up in a small plane to get the shot.
He opted to convert the image to black and white. “The color wasn’t changing anything,” he said. “Black and white reveals the geometry of the buildings and the scars on the landscape.”
Cohen sees a paradox of development in the scene. “They’re a mixed blessing,” he said. “These centers store our medical records and photos, but they also consume land and energy. They’re useful, but they’re big, ugly boxes that hold our digital lives but erase the physical ones that came before.”
Andrew Cohen’s photograph “Ashburn, Virginia” depicts the incursion of data centers into the once-rural fields of Loudoun County.
Sculptor Marcia Wolfson Ray of Baltimore builds her work from materials gathered on site. Her wall-mounted piece, “Terrain,” assembles twenty clusters of sticks, bark, and driftwood from the marsh near Toddville, below the Blackwater Refuge.
“The materials came from the landscape, and they came from the landscape pretty locally,” she said. “The forms are arranged in a shifting grid, their rough shapes echoing the marsh. The land is sinking and the tide is rising. My work comes from that landscape, so in a way it’s both of it and about it.”
Ray says her style is influenced without being necessarily realistic, but more about “form and structure and how natural materials can speak for themselves.” Each section of her three-dimensional work is labeled and holds a specific place in the tableau. “You worry about how to make things stay in space. There’s a physicality that two-dimensional work doesn’t have.”
“Down in southern Dorchester County, the land is sinking and the tide’s coming in,” she said. “You can see it. You can feel it,” she said. “In the future, a lot of that land won’t be habitable any longer.”
Terrain,” by sculptor Marcia Wolfson Ray, depicts a geometric pattern of natural materials gathered from the marshlands of southern Dorchester County.
Pennypacker received many submissions to her call for artists and had to make tough decisions about which works made the cut.
“Not being selected doesn’t mean an artist isn’t good,” she said. “I choose pieces that make me feel something. Whatever emotion, as long as it’s genuine.”
The show mixes seasoned and emerging voices, with approaches from data-driven to heartfelt. Dorchester County fits the theme naturally. Recurring floods and higher tides affect roads and homes. The exhibition offers space to reflect without solutions.
At the end of the day, Vanishing Landscapes holds a mirror to the Eastern Shore and places like it, representing loss through eyes that know the water’s rise, and speak from experience.
Pennypacker sums it up aptly. “It’s a show about connection as much as loss. The pieces invite viewers to feel the link between the two.”
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Eastern Shore Dance Academy Story & Dance Event Nov. 15
Join Eastern Shore Dance Academy in Cambridge on Saturday, November 15 at 9 a.m. for a Story Time and Nutcracker craft with author Amy Insley. The event is open to all.
Meet the ESDA Nutcracker characters, learn a dance with ESDA, and enjoy snacks to complete the festive experience.
The $20 ticket includes story time, craft, a meeting with the Nutcracker characters, dance time, and snack. The $30 ticket includes all of that PLUS a signed paperback book. Sign up by paying at the ESDA front desk or by texting 443-521-2602.
ESDA is located at 3123 Aireys Spur Rd in Cambridge.
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Dorchester Educational Foundation Takes Off
Dorchester County’s public schools face some of the most serious educational challenges in Maryland, but a new community-led effort is working to change that trajectory. The newly formed Dorchester Education Foundation is focused on supporting teachers, inspiring students, and fostering innovative programs that strengthen local schools and the community as a whole.
In this video, Foundation President Donna Newcomer and Board Member Chris Wheedleton talk about how the organization was created and why this moment is so important for Dorchester County. They share how the Foundation plans to provide educators with resources, encourage collaboration among local leaders, and create new opportunities for students to thrive.
The discussion comes ahead of the Foundation’s first major event, a fall fundraiser on November 8, which will bring together educators, business leaders, and community partners to invest in the future of education in Dorchester County.
The video is 6:44 long.
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Cambridge Time Machine: Haunting High Street
High Street is known as the most haunted street on the Eastern Shore, possibly even in all of Maryland. Fourteen buildings there have haunted stories, legends, and folklore attached to them. Some of the stories date back to the 1700s while others are as recent as present day.
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They Came for the Crabs, but Stayed for the Kids
PEP Executive Director Kathy Hedge (left) and Dorchester Engagement Coordinator Tenishia Tillery (right) confer with groups in the evening’s breakout session.
They came for the crabs, but stayed for the kids.
More than 50 parents, grandparents, and caregivers gathered last Wednesday at the Mace’s Lane Middle School in Cambridge for an introduction to the Parent Encouragement Program (PEP).
Above a steady whap-whap-whap of mallets on shells, participants were soon considering a more profound lesson in making connections with their children that last a lifetime.
Remarks by PEP Executive Director Kathy Hedge, City Commissioner Shay Lewis-Sisco, Dorchester Engagement Coordinator Tenishia Tillery, and longtime participant La’Dajia White were both personal and practical. Through them all, one message recurred: parenting is hard, but help is available, and it works.
‘Break the Curse’
La’Dajia White, known as an “OG” – a participant from the first session in Dorchester back in 2023 – set the tone with a message that drew applause.
“We need to break the curse,” she said. “Let’s not just think about breaking the curse and talking about it. Let’s come together so we can change things.”
That curse, White told The Spy afterward, is the cycle that continues when people who were not well-parented struggle to raise their own children. She said PEP is helping families break that pattern by providing guidance and community.
“It wasn’t just parents in the room tonight,” White said. “It was grandmothers, uncles, anyone who has responsibility for raising a kid. Whoever is responsible, parenthood should be a positive experience.”
City Commissioner Shay Lewis-Sisco (center) a Dorchester schools career coach, confers with PEP participants during the breakout. ‘OG’ participant La’Dajia White is on the right.
From Crabs to Conversation
What began as a tasty meal quickly pivoted to meaningful conversations. After dinner, participants watched a short video delineating various styles of parenting. Later, participants broke into small groups to discuss which of the techniques were familiar to them, and whether they worked in keeping the peace at home.
City Commissioner Shay Lewis-Sisco, a Dorchester schools career coach representing Cambridge’s Second Ward and who helped introduce PEP to local families, said programs like this make a difference.
“As you heard tonight, parenting does not come with a manual,” Lewis-Sisco said. “The program offers the tools parents need to engage their children better, helping them succeed not just in school, but also in their community and in life.”
She said the lessons parents learn extend beyond the home. “As parents, when we invest in ourselves, we invest in our children,” she said. “They are the future. The better we show up for them, the better our children are going to be.”
Building PEP in Dorchester
PEP has been around since 1982, mainly serving areas near its Montgomery County base. It arrived on the Shore in late 2022, thanks to Dorchester County native and philanthropist Kevin Beverly, who encouraged the group to expand eastward.
Through the nonprofit Moving Dorchester Forward, the program soon took root, and within months, the first eight-week course was underway in the evenings at local schools.
“Parenting is the toughest job on the planet,” Hedge told attendees. “You train for almost every other job, and yet we don’t train for parenting. Every parent faces frustrations and challenges because every child is different. That means you have to keep adapting.”
She added that PEP’s message is simple. “There’s a stigma around parenting classes that makes people think it means you’re a bad parent. What we want parents to know is that everyone needs support.”
Moms Lameisha Bradley (left) and Laquisha Knockett (right) say they’ll be back for the full eight-week course.
A Parent’s Journey
No one embodies that message better than Tillery, who began as a participant in January 2023 and now serves as the Dorchester Engagement Coordinator.
“I wish I had received this information years ago,” she said. “I understood the value it brought to parents, and I just wanted to help get it to everybody I could. I believed in the program, the tools, and the resources it provides.”
Tillery said she was struck by how involved parents were during the session. “I was pleasantly surprised by the engagement,” she said. “They seemed to genuinely like the conversations. Parenting can be difficult, but here people realize they aren’t alone.”
After attending as a parent, she became a facilitator while continuing to take classes. “I saw the value it brought to parents and wanted to share it with as many people as I could.”
First Impressions
Among the new faces at the session was Lameisha Bradley, a mother of three. She admitted she came for the dinner but stayed for the message.
“Tonight’s session really gives me a different perspective,” Bradley said. “There’s no question that raising children isn’t easy. And I want my kids to grow up to be the best adults they can be. I think I’ll sign up for the full course.”
That kind of reaction is what PEP hopes for, according to Hedge. The introductory sessions are designed to let parents sample the program in a welcoming environment that includes free meals, childcare, and open discussion. “One presentation isn’t enough to change longstanding patterns of behavior,” she said. “But it can start a conversation that leads to lasting change.”
The food was good and the conversation important at the recent PEP introductory gathering ahead of the start of a new course in Dorchester.
Blueprint for the Future
In March 2024, PEP received a grant from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission through the Consortium for Coordinated Community Supports. The funding is part of the state’s Blueprint for the Future education legislation, which invests in programs that strengthen student mental health.
Hedge said that makes sense, because helping parents ultimately helps students. “If parents lack support and tools, they can’t help their kids,” she said. “We share strategies so parents can better support their children’s emotional health. We want to help raise kids who are confident and capable.”
PEP now works closely with Dorchester County Public Schools, offering multiple sessions each year in both English and Spanish. The organization trains local parents as facilitators and promoters, ensuring that families hear about the program from trusted voices in the community.
Results That Matter
PEP has partnered with the University of Chicago’s NORC Research Center to measure the program’s impact. Over three years of evaluation, participants have reported significant improvements in parent-child communication, reduced home stress, and increased confidence.
Attendance in Dorchester has been strong, Tillery said. “People showed real engagement. The discussions were lively and meaningful, and I think everyone felt that it was helpful and even enjoyable,” she said.
Hedge, who joined PEP 12 years ago as a struggling parent herself, said she has seen those results firsthand. “I came to PEP as a desperate parent,” she said. “I don’t think my now 25-year-old would be where he is today if it weren’t for this program. It really works.”
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Richardson Maritime Volunteer Docent Coffee & Doughnuts Meetup Nov. 8
Would you like to show your love of maritime history with others? The Richardson Maritime Museum (103 Hayward St., Cambridge) is looking for docents to spend a few hours a week, or even a month, to allow visitors to explore its many maritime artifacts.
Come to the Coffee & Doughnuts Meetup on Saturday, November 8 at 9am. To RSVP, email [email protected] or call 410-221-1871.
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