HistoryConexiones was established in 2000 in response to the needs of Hispanic children in the Howard County Public School System. The 2000 census reported that nationally 44% of high school Hispanic students were dropping out of school. In the Howard County Public Schools, Hispanic students were the lowest academic ethnic group annually since the middle 1990s. At the time, Hispanic student enrollment was under 1.5% and the number of Hispanic faculty and staff in the school system was negligible. At the time, the growing Hispanic student and family population was not represented. Dr. Murray Simon and Reverend Walter Rodríguez were co-founders of Conexiones to bring attention to the unique needs and talents of Hispanic students. Dr. Simon is a retired educator who spent 14 years of his career in five Latin American countries. He served as a resident advisor to the Ministries of Education of Colombia, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Conexiones was incorporated as a non-profit in the State of Maryland in early 2001. It became an educational partner of the school system in January 2003. In the year 2005, the Internal Revenue Service approved Conexiones as a charitable trust and as a non-profit organization. The organization was established with the support of the then Howard County Public School System Superintendent, John O'Rourke. The next Superintendent, Dr. Sidney Cousin, was a staunch supporter of Conexiones and its objectives during his tenure. Conexiones builds on this tradition and on October 9, 2012, met for the first time with Dr. Renee A. Foose, the new Superintendent of Schools. The Howard County Board of Education meets with the Board of Conexiones twice a year to discuss Hispanic student graduation and dropout rates and academic achievement. Meetings with school officials and participation in the Equity Council, District Planning Team, Operating Budget Review Committee and other policy and advisory boards occur throughout the year. The first two employees selected to work with Hispanic families were assigned to Running Brook Elementary School in the late 1990s, before Conexiones was organized, under the supervision of Deborah Espitia, Chair of the system's Foreign (now World) Language Department. As a result of advocacy by Conexiones, recognition of the growth in Hispanic enrollment, and support from the elected Board of Education, the school system became the first in the State of Maryland to establish a Hispanic Achievement Specialist. The position was approved by the Board of Education in 2006 and Mrs. Elisa Montalvo appointed as the Hispanic Achievement Liaison in 2007. Thanks to her leadership and extraordinary commitment, along with the support of the administration and Board of Education, there are currently Hispanic Achievement Liaisons in several schools with a high percentage of Hispanic students. Appropriate staffing, commensurate with the academic achievement and income need of Hispanic families, continues to be a critical need for the Howard County School System and a goal of Conexiones. Hispanic representation in positions across all areas of school and central office staffing continues to be a challenge for the school system and a source of concern for Conexiones. To meet the educational needs of Hispanic students at all levels, Conexiones helped initiate a number of programs to provide assistance and support to encourage students to complete high school, to consider higher education opportunities, and to be successful in their career choices. Conexiones has been an advocate for changes in the policies, practices, and personnel of the Howard County Public School System, for the purpose of improving the performance and the educational outcomes for Hispanic students. Dr. Murray Simon served as its first president from its inception in 2000 until 2007. From 2007 through 2014, Feli Solá-Carter served as president of Conexiones. Xiomara Calderón-Colón and Maryann Perez Maher currently serve as co-presidents of Conexiones. Below are some highlights in Conexiones history: The first Conexiones Convocation took place in Kahler Hall in May 2002. Eleven Hispanic students were recognized and honored. All members of the Board of Education and Superintendent John O'Rourke were present. Parents of honorees and members of the community attended. The event was embellished with Spanish poetry, music, and dance. Between the years 2002 and 2018, Conexiones recognized and honored over 772 Hispanic high school seniors in the various high schools in the County. Convocations were held in various high schools. The numerical range of honorees was from eleven to 85. CONVOCATION guest speakers and entertainers have enriched each annual program. Among the guest speakers were Dr. Nancy Grasmick, State Superintendent of Department of Education in Maryland; neurosurgeon Surgeon Dr. Alfredo Quiñones; Luis Borunda, founder of United States Hispanic Youth Entrepreneurial Education; Dr. Rodolfo Fernández, a local physician; Rogelio Gómez, Associate Commissioner for International Policy at the Social Security Administration; Dr. Roberto Blanco, a physician and son of Virgilio Blanco; and, in 2008, Y. Maria Welch, Chair of the Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs, Carlos Lopez, President of the Maryland Society of Hispanic Engineers, Ernesto Garcia, Senior Public Affairs Officer, Social Security Administration; Jose A. Sanchez, Battalion Chief, Howard County Fire
Conexiones continuously monitors data released by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). A “Report Card” containing data about each HCPSS school is provided to meet the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA was signed into law in 2015, succeeding the No Child Left Behind Act. For FY 2019, Hispanic/Latino students represented 11.3% of the total student population in the Howard County Public School System. The current goals for Conexiones are:
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Serving Hispanic Students in Howard County, Maryland
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