Photo courtesy Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition
GWRCCC Hosts 1st Annual Future Green Leaders STEM Camp in Maryland
Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition and The Code for Change hosted the 1st Annual Future Green Leaders STEM Camp on August 20, 2026, at Timbrel Centre, District Heights, Maryland. Thirty-nine (39) students from schools in Maryland and Washington, D.C. attended the event. The students learned about environmental issues, green careers, financial literacy, and technology. All participants received a backpack, certificate, a T-shirt and a $250 stipend. Guest speakers included Hon. Denise Roberts, Maryland House of Delegates, District 25 and Sheryl Ponds, President of DiaTechCorp. The training was led by Antoine M. Thompson, CEO of GWRCCC; Jade Bynum, Grant Writer and Program Coordinator at GWRCCC; and Tracey Thompson, Executive Director of The Code for Change. Thank you to the students, parents, Thriving Communities and Eaton Corporation for making this event a huge success.
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The Arc Prince George’s County Earns CARF’s Highest Accreditation, Raising the Bar for Disability Services
By PRESS OFFICER
The Arc Prince George’s County
LARGO, Md. (Aug. 24, 2026)—The Arc Prince George’s County has earned CARF Accreditation, an internationally recognized mark of excellence awarded to organizations that demonstrate the highest standards of quality, accountability, and person-centered service delivery.
The achievement follows an extensive review process that examined The Arc’s leadership, governance, service delivery, health and safety practices, outcomes, and commitment to continuous improvement. CARF accreditation represents the highest level of confidence that an organization is providing services that are measurable, accountable, and centered on the people it serves.
For The Arc Prince George’s County, this accomplishment is more than a certificate on the wall.
It is the result of months of preparation and decades of dedication by employees across every department who worked together to strengthen policies, refine processes, document outcomes, and ensure that every aspect of the organization reflects best practices in supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
“This accreditation belongs to every member of The Arc family,” said Rob Malone, President & CEO of The Arc Prince George’s County. “Behind this achievement are countless hours of collaboration, self-reflection, and hard work by employees who never lost sight of why we do this work. CARF affirmed what our community already knows—that The Arc is committed to providing services that are compassionate, accountable, and always centered on the people we support. While we’re proud of this milestone, we’re even more excited about what it means for the future as we continue raising the standard of excellence.”
CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services. Organizations voluntarily participate in the accreditation process to demonstrate that they meet internationally recognized standards and are committed to continuous quality improvement. The process includes an in-depth peer review and on-site survey conducted by experienced professionals from the human services field.
For the thousands of people and families served by The Arc Prince George’s County each year, CARF accreditation provides added confidence that services are delivered with a focus on safety, quality, individual choice, and measurable outcomes. Accreditation also demonstrates the organization’s commitment to respecting individual rights, listening to the people it serves, and continually improving programs based on best practices.
“Every policy we reviewed, every process we strengthened, and every conversation we had throughout this journey came back to one question: How can we better serve people?” said Thalia Simpson-Clement, Chief Programs Officer. “CARF accreditation validates the incredible work our teams do every day, but it also challenges us to keep improving. Excellence isn’t a destination—it’s a commitment we renew every single day for the people and families who trust us.”
Founded in 1952, The Arc Prince George’s County has spent more than 75 years empowering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live, work, and thrive in their communities. Today, the organization supports more than 5,000 children, adults, seniors, and families each year through early intervention, employment services, behavioral health, family support, benefits enrollment, transportation, advocacy, and community-based programs.
The CARF designation underscores The Arc’s promise to provide services that are not only compassionate and person-centered, but also held to internationally recognized standards of excellence.
For more than 75 years, The Arc Prince George’s County has empowered children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to achieve their highest potential and live rich, fulfilling lives. Through innovative programs, advocacy, employment supports, family services, behavioral health, and community partnerships, The Arc serves more than 5,000 people annually while building a stronger, more inclusive Prince George’s County.
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Plans for old Six Flags Site in Maryland Reignite Concerns for Belt Woods
By JEREMY COX
Chesapeake Bay Journal (bayjournal.com)
A development partnership backed by an A-list sports celebrity is looking to transform a former amusement park in Maryland into an entertainment and shopping hotbed accompanied by a broad spectrum of housing types.
“Our goal is to deliver several different uses that kind of work together in a generative way to create a real ecosystem,” said Adam Rashid of TPA Group during a community meeting about the project in June.
But what about the natural ecosystem right next door? That’s what some conservationists have been asking since Six Flags announced plans in April to sell its 515-acre property in Prince George’s County for an undisclosed amount.
The amusement park shuttered last November. It had been branded as Six Flags America since 1999 but operated under several other names as an attraction dating back to 1974.
The property shares a long border with the Belt Woods Natural Environment Area, which owes its existence to a years-long environmental battle that sparked national attention. The 624-acre state-owned preserve is home to one of the last stands of old-growth forest in the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Part of the forest has been designated a National Natural Landmark for more than five decades.
The purchase of the Six Flags parcel is a joint venture between TPA, an Atlanta-based private real estate developer, and 35V, an investment firm co-founded by NBA star and Prince George’s native son Kevin Durant. Their plans for the property are still under development, and they have partnered with the county government to seek public input.
The developers have stated no intention publicly of encroaching into Belt Woods. But environmentalists like Janet Gingold say that simply building too close to the natural area could upend its fragile balance.
“There needs to be a substantial buffer between any new development and the old-growth forest area,” said Gingold of the Prince George’s Sierra Club. “I just am very concerned about this attitude of trying to maximize the economic opportunities and the county tax revenues at the expense of other priorities, including our climate goals and the protections of these important natural places nearby.”
Representatives of TPA and 35V couldn’t be reached for comment. But at the town hall in June, hosted by County Executive Aisha Braveboy, TPA’s Rashid told the audience that about 80 acres of the site is off-limits to development due to the presence of “woodlands and wetlands.”
“We can’t truly disturb those,” he said— adding, though, that his firm might be open to developing walking trails within them as a recreational amenity.
Braveboy added, “Having green space is a huge amenity because most places you go don’t have that. You just have sidewalks, asphalt and concrete.”
She emphasized that the county is looking to get a hefty economic return from the property’s redevelopment. National Harbor, a 350-acre resort along the Potomac River in Prince George’s, regularly generates about $80 million in annual revenue for the county, she said. Meanwhile, Six Flags had only brought in up to $3.5 million a year.
Braveboy, a Democrat, attributed the amusement park’s lower proceeds to its practice of closing during cooler months and only operating on about a quarter of the property’s acreage. She will judge the development’s success, she said, by whether it is able to send more tax revenue to the county than the geographically smaller National Harbor.
“We can do a lot with [515 acres],” she said at the town hall. “There can be multiple uses. We have to give our children something positive to do … I think this is an opportunity for us to do that all year round, not just for a season.”
County spokesman Brian Fisher clarified in an interview that Braveboy wants the redevelopment to be “sensitive” to the natural area next door. “We are not going to hurt the Belt Woods nature center in any way,” he said. “Period.”
Belt Woods lies less than 20 miles east of the White House. Surrounded by leafy subdivisions, it very nearly became one itself.
Only through the foresight of its owner, a banker named Seton Belt, did the expanse of tulip trees and white oaks stay untouched as development closed in. When Belt died in 1959, he willed his beloved acreage to the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and his local parish, and he included in the document a ban on large-scale timber harvests.
The new owners, though, got a local judge to overturn the prohibition and in 1981 succeeded in cutting down about 50 acres on the north side of the property. (The National Natural Landmark designation only applied to 45 acres on the south side.)
The state purchased 109 acres of the property in 1984 for preservation, but more than 500 acres remained unprotected. When the church later proposed building 649-housing units there, it triggered a national outcry and widespread media attention. An ensuing fundraising campaign led to a $4.5 million sale of the remaining acreage in 1997, with the state taking ownership of the now-combined public parcels.
The Belt Woods ecosystem is so sensitive that no public visitation is allowed aside from occasional guided hikes and hunting to control the deer population. Maryland has designated most of the property as a wildland, the state equivalent of a federal wilderness area. It is considered important nesting habitat for neotropical songbirds.
So, Pam Cooper, who founded the Western Shore Conservancy in the 1990s to help save Belt Woods, was disappointed when one of the county’s first actions after disclosing the pending sale was to announce a naming contest.
“That’s not what’s important here,” she said. “What’s important is, how do you develop next to one of the most precious ecosystems in the county, in the state, in the country? I think there needs to be a roundtable of experts that can talk about what’s important.”
Gary Allen was the mayor of nearby Bowie in the 1990s when the rest of Belt Woods was preserved, and he helped direct some of the city’s funds toward the purchase. Many of the site’s birds rely on the forested buffer along the Six Flags property, he said. Without it, they would almost certainly leave for greener pastures.
“There’s a capacity,” Allen said. “There’s only going to be so many hooded warblers and so many wood thrushes, and then they’re going to get run off. We are marginal [in size] with the 624 acres that we’ve protected.”
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PGCC Ranks No. 1 Among Maryland’s Community Colleges
By PRESS OFFICER
Prince George’s Community College
LARGO, Md. (Aug. 14, 2026)—Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) ranks No. 1 among Maryland’s community colleges and No. 19 in the nation, according to WalletHub’s 2026 Best & Worst Community Colleges report.
WalletHub specifically highlighted PGCC’s high median salaries for graduates, strong student retention rates and the College’s offering of credit for life experiences.
“Being ranked No. 1 among Maryland’s community colleges and No. 19 nationally is a tremendous point of pride for Prince George’s Community College,” said President Falecia D. Williams, Ed.D. “This recognition reflects the excellence of our faculty and staff and our commitment to keep students at the center of every decision we make. We celebrate this achievement with gratitude for how far PGCC has come and with a clear sense of purpose for where we are going next. Our commitment to our students and our community will continue to carry us forward.”
PGCC is among the top 20 of 613 community colleges evaluated nationwide. WalletHub evaluated community colleges across 18 measures in three areas: cost and financing, education outcomes and career outcomes. Measures include in-state tuition and fees, grant and scholarship aid, student retention and graduation rates, student-faculty ratio, credentials awarded, student-loan default rates and median salary after attending.
The analysis draws on data from the National Center for Education Statistics, Campaign for Free College Tuition, U.S. Department of Education and Council for Community and Economic Research. The data were collected as of July 14, 2026.
The recognition reflects PGCC’s continued focus on creating accessible pathways to education, credentials and careers while supporting students through their college journeys.
Maryland also earned the No. 1 spot among states with the best community college systems, with all five of the state’s highest-ranked colleges placing among the top 30 nationally.
View WalletHub’s 2026 Best & Worst Community Colleges report: https://wallethub.com/edu/e/best-worst-community-colleges/15076?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance, designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security (2022–2027), Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) provides high-quality education and training for the progressive and career-oriented residents of Prince George’s County. From new high school graduates and career seekers to more seasoned professionals and senior citizens looking to enhance their skill sets, PGCC is comprised of students who represent a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and goals. Serving nearly 25,000 individuals annually, the College is the first choice for higher education for residents of Prince George’s County. Collaborative partnerships, responsive degree programs, and training programs, and a commitment to student success enable PGCC to address diverse education and workforce development demands. For more information, visit the College’s website at www.pgcc.edu. Prince George’s Community College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104; (267-284-5000); www.msche.org. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Higher Education.
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