Maryland Service Year program concludes first year, accepting applications for year two

This week, Washington County resident Chris Keane attended his commencement. Not for high school, he’s already done that. Not for college, he’s yet to cross that milestone. But for something more novel, Maryland’s Service Year Option program, which started last year. The Herald-Mail covered the launch event for the program enacted in 2023 for recent high school graduates last October, recording the remarks of Keane, an inaugural year program participant, as he spoke about his early days serving at Horizon Goodwill in Hagerstown to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who backed legislation during his first year in office to create the program.