Richard Montgomery High School Principal Alicia Morales Deeny has been named Principal of the Year by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS).

ALAS is a national nonprofit organization focused on leadership development for school and district leaders serving Latino students and other historically marginalized student populations. The organization provides leadership programs, advocacy, professional networks, and other resources for education leaders across the country.

Deeny has spent more than 25 years with Montgomery County Public Schools and currently leads Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, a school of more than 2,300 students.

When Deeny was appointed principal of Richard Montgomery in 2021, she made history in two ways. She became the first female principal in the school’s history, which dates back to 1892, and the first Latina high school principal in MCPS history.

According to ALAS, Richard Montgomery has maintained a 95% graduation rate under Deeny’s leadership, along with strong Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate performance. The organization also noted the school’s recent ranking as the No. 7 public high school in Maryland.

Before taking over at Richard Montgomery, Deeny spent eight years as principal of Takoma Park Middle School. ALAS credited her tenure there with an 85% student reading proficiency rate, staff morale 20% above the district average, and the implementation of restorative practices that helped reduce suspensions.

Earlier in her MCPS career, Deeny served as an assistant principal at Montgomery Blair High School, where she co-founded “Los Padres,” an initiative designed to increase engagement among Latino families.

Deeny grew up in Montgomery County and attended local public schools. The daughter of a Puerto Rican mother who was a writer, historian, and educator, Deeny has previously discussed how her mother emphasized pride in the family’s heritage and spoke to her in Spanish while she was growing up.

Her previous honors include being named the 2025 Hispanic Educator of the Year by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Montgomery County and the 2018 Educator of the Year at the Maryland Hispanic Gala.

Deeny earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in Latin American History from the University of Maryland. She is also a singer-songwriter and guitarist who has incorporated music into her work with students.

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Maryland food blogger and content creator Nomtastic Kim recently shared nine of her favorite desserts from across the state, featuring everything from a massive chocolate chip cookie and cupcakes to Japanese-Basque cheesecake, pastries and a flaming affogato.

Kimberly Kong, better known as Nomtastic Kim, is a Maryland-based creator who regularly highlights restaurants, bakeries and other food destinations throughout the state. Her list of nine Maryland desserts includes:

1. Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie: Double Bunny, Baltimore
   Kim calls Double Bunny’s giant, thick chocolate chip cookie “easily one of the best cookies I’ve ever had.” The cookies are available for pickup at the Fells Point Farmers Market.
2. Cupcakes: Kupcakes & Co., Elkridge
   Located at 6010 Meadowridge Center Dr, Kim says you “literally can’t go wrong” with any of the bakery’s desserts, but recommends its signature cupcakes.
3. Chocolate Lava Xiao Long Bao: Peter Chang Annapolis
   The chocolate soup dumplings are served with a dipping cream. According to Kim, the dessert is available specifically at the Annapolis location at 918 Bay Ridge Rd.
4. Chocolate Dream Cake: Cake Out, Columbia
   The home-based Filipino bakery’s Chocolate Dream Cake is one of Kim’s longtime favorites, which she describes as the “epitome of decadence.” Cake Out is based in Columbia, with orders available through Bakesy.
5. Chocolate-Dipped Cone: Ann’s Dari-Creme, Glen Burnie
   Kim calls Ann’s Dari-Creme her favorite soft-serve spot in Maryland and the DMV. The longtime Glen Burnie destination is located at 7918 Ritchie Hwy.
6. Pastries: Sacré Sucré, Baltimore
   Located at 933 Fell St in Baltimore, Sacré Sucré offers an assortment of pastries and baked goods. Kim describes the shop as “basically pastry heaven,” with baked goods that are “almost too pretty to eat.”
7. Japanese-Basque Cheesecake: Edo Cheesecake
   Kim recommends the crème brûlée flavor, featuring a torched caramelized top and creamy, custard-like center. Pickup is available at La Chow Shared Kitchen.
8. Ice Cream Sandwich: Liquid Assets, Ocean City
   Liquid Assets’ dessert features local ice cream sandwiched between warm sugared doughnuts and finished with bourbon caramel sea salt sauce. The restaurant is located at 9301 Coastal Hwy in Ocean City.
9. Flaming Affogato: Cosima, Baltimore
   The list concludes with Cosima’s Flaming Affogato. Diners select a scoop of housemade gelato topped with dried cherries and candied orange before flaming China-China amaro is poured over the dessert tableside.

“It’s no secret that I have a massive sweet tooth,” Kim wrote when sharing the list, asking followers to share their own favorite Maryland desserts in the comments.

 

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