About

As a community, we provide high-quality learning and social/emotional development in a safe and welcoming environment. 

Meaningful Learning

Safe Environment

Future Focused

John W. Courtney, Principal Our principal, Dr. John Courtney, has served in the Carroll County Public School System since 2017 and has been an educator since 2009.  He was a substitute teacher in the Washington County School System, and a 3rd & 4th grade teacher in the Waynesboro Area School District before serving as assistant principal at Mechanicsville Elementary School & Taneytown Elementary School.  In 2024, Dr. Courtney was appointed to Principal of Mount Airy Elementary.

Jena Howarth, Assistant Principal Mrs. Jena Howarth has been a part of the MAES staff since 2023.  She has her Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literacy Acquisition with a focus in Elementary Education from McDaniel College. She also has a  Master's degrees in Literacy Leadership as well as a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in School Administration from McDaniel College. Mrs. Howarth was the 2020-2021 CCPS Teacher of the Year. Before coming to MAES, Mrs. Howarth worked in many other schools including Linton Springs Elementary as a classroom teacher and Winfield Elementary as a reading specialist, acting assistant principal, and assistant principal.

PBIS at MAES

Our PBIS Team mission is to serve the MAES students, staff, and community by fostering a positive learning environment in which expected behaviors are taught, modeled, and reinforced. We will create a safe and supportive environment in which both students and staff can grow as respectful, responsible, and resilient citizens of their global community.

​PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.  It is a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to educate all children by developing research-based, school wide, and classroom discipline systems. The process focuses on improving a school’s ability to teach and support positive behavior for all students. Rather than a prescribed program, PBIS provides systems for schools to design, implement, and evaluate effective school-wide, classroom, non-classroom, and student specific discipline plans. PBIS includes school-wide procedures and processes intended for: ALL students, ALL staff and in ALL settings.

​ PBIS is NOT a program or a curriculum. It IS a team-based process for systemic problem solving, planning, and evaluation. It is an approach to creating an environment within which school-based teams of educators are trained:

• Systems change
• Effective behavior management principles and practices; and
• Applications of research-validated instruction and management practices.

​The foundation of PBIS is teaching expected behaviors. The expected behaviors emphasized at Mt. Airy Elementary School are the 3 Rs: Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience. Students are expected to demonstrate these behaviors at all locations throughout the school. In order to illustrate these behaviors, matrices are utilized to describe specifically how to show the expected behavior.  Teachers will have weekly class meetings to teach and reinforce school-wide expectations.

Students demonstrating the 3 Rs: Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience will earn Cardinal Cash.  School staff members will distribute the cash to acknowledge an individual student's positive behavior.  Cash can be saved and used to redeem incentives through each classroom reward menus.  Cash will also be used to allow students to enter school-wide drawings.  The Cardinal Cash will change color each quarter so that all tickets must be collected, redeemed, and accounted for prior to color change.

Staff members may also choose to recognize exceptional student behavior by submitting a Positive Office Referral.
 

Our Building

Built and occupied in 1935, Mount Airy Elementary School has had rooms and additions added through the years.  In the mid-80's, the school received major renovations that are reflected in its current appearance both inside and out.  The school maintains the charm of its history and incorporates modern technology to enhance the learning environment, including a natural gas-fired heating system, school-wide air conditioning, and Internet access from the classrooms and computer lab. Currently we house approximately 470 students in grades 3, 4, and 5. 

The original building, built in 1935, was destroyed by fire.

At one time, our school was Mount Airy High School.