So, why do
you teach?
Are you ready for a new
elementary/middle school
teaching experience?
Welcome to The Historic
Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School.
Welcome to opportunity.
Principal David Guzmán
So, why do you teach?
(Seriously. Why do you teach?)
The answer is important… to you and to us. The answer may help you decide if you are interested in considering a new opportunity… as an elementary or middle school teacher at a school on the move.
Our name is a long one: “The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School!” It reflects both the history and pride of a community that’s also on the move.
So, here’s the question… Are you on the move too?!
If you’re ready to join a team of inspirational leaders and dedicated professionals in a building recently transformed into a 21st-Century School… if you’re looking for a school that’s supported by community leaders and independent funders… if you’re ready to collaborate with colleagues and interact with parents and partners who have your back… if you’re ready to rally alongside the community to help the children of a historically disadvantaged neighborhood reach and surpass their biggest dreams, then you could be ready to start asking the questions that can lead to a brighter future.
This web page is our way of telling the story at the school level. When you’re ready, we’ll link you to the Baltimore City Public Schools System website to formally apply.
But we’d like to get to know you first!
Please have a good look around this website. We’ve tried to provide the kind of information you need to make a tough, transformational decision. And we’re happy to answer your questions before we ask you to tell us more about yourself.
WATCH:
What a difference great teachers make!
Produced by the Youth Resiliency Institute
(Fusion Partnerships, Inc) in association with Waasi Films.
WATCH:
"Ubuntu… I am because we are.”
A different way to work
What jobs are open?
Currently, there are teacher openings in grades 3 (Special Ed. and Inclusion);
4 (2 ELA positions); 6 (Special Ed. and Inclusion); and 8 (Science).
Most important, we are looking for talented, motivated teachers. If you’re truly good at what you do, we know we can find a role that may not exactly match the grades you have taught in the past. No matter what, let’s talk!
How do I apply?
First, we’d like to get to know you! Your formal application or request to transfer (for current City Schools teachers) to a new teaching position within the Baltimore City Public School System will utilize the BCPSS Human Capital system. But before you take that step, we’d want to learn more about you and your interest in working at The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School.
Here’s the best way to get started:
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Take your time to look over the information on this introductory webpage. Start gathering your questions and ideas.
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Submit your resume to cgfinkelstein@bcps.k12.md.us
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A member of our team will be in touch to set up a time to talk. This will be a very informal and completely confidential conversation, where you can ask questions about the school, about our team, and about the process of being selected to join us.
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If it seems like we might be a match, we’ll then invite you to come see us in-person! That will give you a chance to see the community (and how close we are to so many wonderful areas of the City), our spectacular new school, and meet potential colleagues and future students. So, let’s call that an interview! It will probably take a half-day. If you’re applying from outside the immediate area, we’d love to meet you in person but can arrange to meet you online if necessary. And if you’re already working in the BCPSS system, we’d like to discuss coming to observe you at work in a class!
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Then, if it still feels like a match, we’ll talk about an offer. And if you’re excited to join us, we’ll work directly with you to guide you through the formal BCPSS application process. Steps will include a 45-minute assessment and a phone interview. You’ll need U.S. citizenship/eligibility to work in the U.S., a resume, and a copy of your college transcript. Ideally, you have your Maryland teaching license but if not, you can still apply and work toward certification.
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That’s when the good stuff starts! We’ll share our orientation and onboarding process and get to work!
Do you have questions?
If you have any questions—about our school, the application process, pay and benefits, or anything else—we welcome your email or text. Just let us know your question and the best way to be in touch!
Call or text 410-929-3477
or email us at cgfinkelstein@bcps.k12.md.us
Yes, competitive pay and benefits.
Why not work
at a school where:
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I can be proud to work
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I can make a difference and my ideas are welcomed
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Teaching can be fun
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I have a community of colleagues
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My personal life is respected
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I can be successful
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I can learn
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I’m treated fairly and paid well
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I get the help I need and
have someone to talk to about work -
It’s an easy commute from a cool
place to live -
Leadership will back me up
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I work in a nice facility
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A place close to home
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I don’t have to make everything
happen on my own, with my
own money
As part of the Baltimore City Public Schools System, The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School provides standard system salaries starting at over $50,000 — one of the highest in the country—with a full portfolio of benefits. Teachers who qualify for our Model pathway through their impact on student achievement can earn more than $90,000 after just a few years in the classroom.
At CHEMS, you’ll have the opportunity to earn up to $10,000 in stipend income for special projects and responsibilities.
Of course there are health insurance choices—from Kaiser, BlueChoice, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield—plus dental coverage including a dental HMO and a buy-up plan. Vision coverage providing for services every two years is free, with an optional buy-up plan. And prescription drug coverage is available with a modest co-pay.
Depending on your position and bargaining unit, you can participate in 403(b) tax-sheltered savings plans. That’s in addition to pension plans through the State of Maryland or City of Baltimore.
Modest life and long-term disability insurance are free. Other benefits include Flexible Spending Account for childcare or healthcare expenses, an Employee Assistance Plan offering confidential counseling services, dependent child tuition waiver (for employees who live outside the city but want to enroll their children in City Schools), and higher education tuition reimbursement.
Career Pathways in Baltimore City Public Schools
We offer four career pathways customized to fit your interests and development goals. Whether you’re just starting or have taught for years, you’ll always have opportunities for growth—professionally and financially. The four pathways, each of which offer different pay models and requirements, include:
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Standard: Focused on developing instructional practice with professional development.
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Professional: Focused on classroom success, with additional opportunities for school-based leadership roles.
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Model: Focused on modeling excellence, school-based leadership, and creating professional development for colleagues.
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Lead: Focused on leading work to improve student and school performance, while still reserving some time for classroom teaching.
What's going on in
The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School
What’s it like to work with us? That’s a fair and simple question, but the answer touches on so much; from what we have to what we do and how we do it… to why we’re here.
In addition to our safe, newly renovated 21st-Century School building and pay scale well above the national average, our team is a blend of new and seasoned teachers, working alongside Principal David Guzmán, an award-winning leader with a track record of building a dynamic, fulfilling culture.
Using an enhanced, cohesive, professional learning program and full-year coaching for every teacher, we use a high-quality curriculum and data to accelerate student progress. SEL fits into all elements of practice; a unified vision and consistent, year-long support which is only a dream in most Baltimore City schools.
We are Social Emotional Learning practitioners and have made SEL core to instruction here. We work together to build authentic relationships with our scholars and their families, because we know we can’t do it alone.
We engage with parents as collaborators in their child’s educational journey, through student-led conferences (our version of parent/teacher conferences), an active School Family Community Council committee, and regular family events.
We are now one of only a few schools in the BCPS System energizing our students and teachers using the Ron Clark Academy "House System," a dynamic, exciting, and proven way to create a positive climate and culture for students and staff.
Our work is supported by a community that is organized and focused on transformation. That means we have strong and growing financial and thought partnerships with the Cherry Hill Community Coalition, Cherry Hill Strong, the Dream BIG Foundation, UMBC’s Sherman Scholars, and many others ready and able to help meet the real needs of our scholars and families.
Our school mantra of “UBUNTU” – rooted in African philosophy and translated as “I am because we are” – reminds us to celebrate a growth mindset, our commitment to equity and cultural competency, and our strong belief in collaboration and interdependence. And yes, both students and staff do REAP the benefits of our core values of Respect, Effort, Accountability, and Perseverance.
Perhaps most important, we have a Vision: that The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School will prepare passionate and confident learners, inspired to achieve their full potential. We believe all our children can succeed, especially because we are part of a larger community transformation in which education is a core pillar… a top priority. It’s what can help make us a model school for communities across the City and state.
Do you have questions?
We’re easy to get to; located in the heart of historically Black and culturally significant Cherry Hill, and within 2 miles—just over the Hanover St. bridge—from downtown Baltimore and the Federal Hill, Riverside, and Locust Point peninsula to the north. To the west and south are the communities of Westport, Brooklyn, and Fairfield, Glen Burnie. And we’re only 45 minutes from DC and its suburbs!
Kids are kids, right? In some ways, yes, and in many, many other ways, every individual child who walks into our school is a unique learner and contributor. That’s both the fun and challenge of teaching.
Our population is 94 percent Black and 4 percent Hispanic. All of our scholars—100 percent—are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Historically, students in our schools have performed well below statewide averages. Data from 2019 shows that 5 percent were proficient in reading and 3 percent were proficient in math.
That means it’s going to take something extraordinary to close those gaps by delivering the education our children deserve. And that’s exactly what’s happening in Cherry Hill. As you scroll down the page, you’ll read more about the significant investment now underway in Cherry Hill and its “cradle-to-college-and-careers” education pipeline. Led by the community and guided by a nonprofit called Cherry Hill Strong, the initiative is being supported by BCPSS, the City, the State of Maryland, the Dream BIG Foundation, and many others. It is coming to life in our school in a wide variety of ways, from paid professional development and teacher coaches to tutoring and funds to cover out-of-pocket expenses so often borne from the pockets of teachers and school administrators!
Without question, we’re looking for the best. We’re looking for teachers have what it takes to accelerate learning. We all know that every child wants to thrive. And we are committed to making that possible.
We are committed to our scholars.
Paid Professional Learning
is something special here.
Every teacher in the BCPS System is provided with professional development opportunities. New teachers receive specialized support including a summer institute, professional learning, and site-based mentoring.
But something different and special is happening for teachers in Cherry Hill’s two schools. The community-wide initiative to provide nonprofit and private support for our schools has opened the door to resources not available to most Baltimore City Public Schools.
As a member of our instructional team, you will be provided with year-long instructional coaching focused on academic acceleration, data literacy, and socioemotional teaching practices.
And you will receive a stipend for building your competencies and skills. Working with professional coaches not only makes you more effective and your teaching more satisfying, it means you’re ready, sooner, to step up to your next opportunity within our school or beyond.
As a teacher, would you like to see the bigger picture of where your work is leading?
Would you like to see transformational change in real-time?
Would you like to know that you and your work will be supported?
Would you like to be part of something truly remarkable—beyond just what happens in your classroom?
You can do all four and more in Cherry Hill.
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Change is happening in Cherry Hill, and it’s not just in our school. Based on a vision developed by the community and with resources coming from the public and private sectors, there is a plan for the transformation of this unique community.
Led by the Cherry Hill Community Coalition of community leaders, coordinated by a new nonprofit called Cherry Hill Strong, and using the nationally-recognized Purpose Built Communities’ holistic model, community transformation is underway with initiatives in housing, wellness/economic vitality… education.
Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson, whose district includes Cherry Hill, has been a leading advocate for the Purpose Built Communities process and for funding the initiatives that will be vital to success. Already completed are two new 21st-Century Schools and a new early learning Judy Center. A $23 million Middle Branch Fitness & Wellness Center is complete.
The vision for education in Cherry Hill is to create a connected, well-resourced, continuum of high-quality programs and services to support families and children from birth to high-paying careers. The nonprofit Dream BIG Foundation has been selected by Baltimore City Public Schools to champion and support development of this cradle-to-college-and-career education “pipeline.”
The education strategies focus on early childhood, family engagement, academic growth, student wholeness, and student enrichment. The approach is:
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PLACED-BASED – Resources are best utilized in a concentrated community (Cherry Hill!) so that young people and their families experience positive benefits from a continuum of services.
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COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP – The Cherry Hill community is determining its own destiny, with other organizations contributing as allies to their work.
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HIGH-QUALITY PROGRAMMING – Cherry Hill youth deserve the best services possible. Our focus is on Social Emotional Learning, STEAM, and engagement with students and families.
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COLLECTIVE IMPACT – There is power in collaboration that focuses on a shared vision and utilizes data as a learning tool to determine strategy as well as serve as a metric to help hold the work accountable.
Be a part of something much bigger:
A Community Transformation
What does a 21st-Century School look like?
In Baltimore, the term “21st-Century School” refers to future-focused, adaptable, sustainable, high-quality schools. The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School is one of 11 City schools to be built or transformed under the master plan. Completed in 2018, this $31 million renovation transformed the original redbrick building constructed in 1945—around the time the Cherry Hill community was created for the families of Black GIs returning from World War II—and now can accommodate 900 scholars in grades 3-8.
The 2-story “school-within-a-school” provides clean, modern space for elementary grades on lower level and middle school grades on the second floor. New classrooms are clustered into groups of six for each grade level, with a collaborative learning area for each cluster.
A bridge that connects middle school classrooms with a new media center and S.T.E.A.M. teaching spaces overlooks an open cafetorium on one side and interior learning courtyard on the other.
Large, light-filled spaces include an interior courtyard, which helps to create an ideal indoor learning environment with views and natural light.
So, excellence is where we start!
But, as a teacher, you know this is more than a building!
We invite you to come see these rooms when they are filled with young scholars and friendly colleagues. That’s what brings our space to life.
Photos from SchraderGroup
Become part of Cherry Hill's equity story.
As you think about a new teaching job and consider working with us in Cherry Hill, it may help to share a little background and history.
Cherry Hill is located across the Patapsco River—just over the Hanover St. bridge—from the Federal Hill neighborhood and downtown Baltimore. Over the years since its founding in the early 1940s, the community has produced a host of prominent lawmakers, educators, entertainers, along with a sense of pride equal to any one of Baltimore’s unique neighborhoods. Growing up in Cherry Hill has meant growing up in a “village” where families come together to raise their next generation.
The story of Cherry Hill begins, however, in America’s racist past. It was one of America’s first planned, segregated, Black communities. Racist attitudes and policies like restrictive covenants, redlining, a segregated schools at the time were central to the decision to build housing for returning World War II Black veterans… somewhere other than near white communities.
So, Cherry Hill was born on the undeveloped, undesirable southern waterfront of the Patapsco river. Most of the 600 new units were public housing—for rent, not to own. (For nakedly racist reasons, Blacks did not benefit from the GI bill, which provided low-interest loans and free college education and job training to white veterans.)
Today, Cherry Hill is home to the City’s largest public housing project. There now are 3,100 housing units in the community, 85 percent of which are rentals, and 1,394 of those units are public housing.
The community of approximately 8,000 residents faces numerous challenges. Approximately 55 percent of households earn less than $25,000 per year. Grocery options are limited as is public transportation. Only 36 percent of adults have a high school diploma.
The past 80 years of inequity, under investment, and systemic obstacles have prevented the community from achieving its potential. There is much work to do and it will take time. It will take resources. Most of all, it will take talent and commitment.
So, why do you teach?
We'd love to hear your answer. And we’d love to invite you to join our instructional team and award-winning, inspirational leadership at The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary / Middle School. You’ll discover UBUNTU—”I am because we are”—a heart- and mindset of caring, empowerment, and growth. SEL is core and cutting edge professional development and full-year coaching empower our team to turn data into the fun of excellence, academic recovery, and growth. Your voice is joined by colleagues who are here to leave our mark… in a place challenged by historic racial inequity… on a sparkling 21st Century School… and on every child and family in our vibrant community. Together, we are shaping a model for transformation in schools and communities across the City, the state, and beyond.
So, what do you say?