Video: On Weast's Last Day, A Crowning Achievement

On June 30, 2011 school administrators, PTA officials, and board President Christopher S. Barclay gathered in Rockville at a ceremony (see the video on RockvillePatch.com) to recognize Jerry D. Weast’s last day as superintendent of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), a 2010 Malcolm Baldrige Award recipient (profile in PDF).  During the ceremony the Baldrige Award crystal was unveiled, noting a crowning achievement to Weast's 12 years at the helm of the county school system. MCPS is the largest school district in the state of Maryland and the 16th-largest school district in the nation. Located in suburban Washington, D.C., MCPS serves an extremely diverse community, with its more than 144,000 students coming from 164 countries and speaking 184 languages.  Weast launched the use of the Baldrige Education Criteria for MCPS shortly after taking the reins as superintendent in August 1999.  At the event, Weast spoke about the school system’s journey towards performance excellence.