Harford County Public Schools brought home honors from Maryland's first Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) awards program.

Hickory Elementary School was one of eight in Maryland to be named a 2012 EGATE School, and will be honored with a proclamation from Gov. Martin O'Malley in February. The school will also display a banner, and be used as a model for other programs.

The program, which recognizes those schools offering programs that meet the 21 items outlined in the Maryland Criteria for Excellence: Gifted and Talented Program Guidelines, had 15 applicants.

Harford County had another winner at the awards: Fountain Green Elementary School assistant principal Jessica Hoover. She was named an "Oustanding Educator in Gifted and Talented Education—Teacher as Leader." 

Both Hoover and Hickory Elementary School will be recognized at a Feb. 28 reception, to be held at the Kossiakoff Auditorium of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel.  

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