Longtime Greenbelt dentist, Dr. James “Jay” McCarl has been inducted into the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Hall of Fame. One of eight individual awardees, all PGCPS graduates, McCarl (Parkdale High School, 1976) received the Distinguished Humanitarian award at a gala on October 24 at the MGM National Harbor Hotel. The other awardees were Distinguished Educator: Maryland State School Superintendent Dr. Carey M. Wright (DuVal High School, 1968); Distinguished Athlete: Coach Charles Harley (Central High School, 1985); Distinguished Professional: global workforce expert Dr. Shirley Davis (Friendly High School, 1984); actor and filmmaker Taraji P. Henson (Oxon Hill High School, 1988); NBC4 reporter and Prince George’s County Bureau chief Tracee Wilkins (High Point High School, 1993); and Distinguished Young Leader: entrepreneurs
Chantel Powell (Northwestern High School, 2005) and Jakira Hameed “Kira Dior” (Charles Herbert Flowers High School, 2014). The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation received the Superintendent’s Award of Excellence. Former District 2 Board of Education member Joshua Thomas (Eleanor Roosevelt High School, 2010) served as master of ceremonies.
McCarl Bio
McCarl was recognized for pairing his professional work with volunteer service. His Hall of Fame biography (eefpgcps.org/distinguished-humanitarian-dr-james-mccarl) cites the pro bono dental care that McCarl has provided locally, as well as his mentoring of aspiring dentists and his travel to Haiti and Poland to provide care for those in crisis. He has also volunteered with the Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp to help children with life-altering injuries. He has tutored local students, guided teens through college applications and campus visits and coached “countless” youth in basketball, lacrosse and field hockey. McCarl served his church as a deacon, chaired fundraising efforts to construct a new church building, supported homeless and single-parent families and even spent nights in local shelters to offer comfort and care. He and his wife, Kim, have opened up their home to foreign exchange students from around the world. McCarl retired in late 2024 after more than 40 years with the McCarl Dental Group, the family dentistry practice started by his grandfather James W. McCarl in Greenbelt in 1938 (see stories in the September 19, 2024, and January 2, 2025, issues of the News Review).
Hall of Fame
The 2025 PGCPS Hall of Fame class was the seventh since the first inductees were named in 2019 to recognize notable alumni and to inspire current PGCPS students. The Hall of Fame and gala are sponsored by the Excellence in Education Foundation for PGCPS, Inc., a nonprofit organization that supports PGCPS and its programs. Executive Director Thea Wilson has built corporate and business stakeholder support to provide for the needs of the PGCPS school community, providing hot and healthy meals, technology and more than $1.3 million in scholarships to students.
