Mustang Update
February 8, 2007

“Choosing Excellence in all that we do”

We would like to share some good news and highlight some upcoming events…

• Recapping our First Semester County assessments, Marriotts Ridge ranked first among all county high schools in 3 of the 13 areas – American Government, English 10, and German 1 – during First Quarter. Of the 15 tested areas during Second Quarter, we ranked first among the county’s high schools in 5 areas – Introduction to Geometry, Geometry, US History, English 9, and English 10. Congratulations to our students who are taking these courses and to our teachers who implement fantastic lessons each day! Keep up the good work!
• 109 of our students rose to the academic challenges placed before them and achieved Perfect 4.0 GPA status for Second Quarter. In addition, over 400 other students earned Academic Honor Roll status. We thoroughly enjoyed recognizing these students with a special dessert celebration earlier this week – thanks to our PTSA and Boosters for their financial support of these initiatives.
• As this is Black History Month, we are focusing on highlighting the contributions of African Americans throughout history and in our own school community. We recognized our highest achieving African American students at a special ceremony last week. We will hold a Performing Arts Assembly, spotlighting African American compositions in music and dance, later in the month – our Mustang African American Awareness Club will host this event. In addition, one of our students, Dysheena Brown, was chosen based on her academic achievements as one of ten African American freshmen countywide to participate in a televised round table discussion about what makes a good student. This show will be broadcast February 21 through March 31, every Saturday at 10 AM, 2 and 9 PM and every Tuesday at 5, 7, and 9 PM. Check it out!
• At the Howard County PTSA Reflections Program last week, Naomi Kromer earned the designation of Outstanding (First place) in the Dance Choreography category and Elinor Oziel received an Award of Merit (Third place) in the Film division among hundreds of students from across the county who entered this competition in a variety of categories. Naomi and Elinor will advance to the state finals. Congratulations and good luck, ladies!
• Congratulations to all of our Instrumental and Choral students for their participation in the Howard County Solo and Ensemble Festivals. Marriotts Ridge sent 45 students who participated in 38 events. All individuals and groups received Superior and Excellent ratings. Well Done!
• Juniors Katie Smalley and Abbey Marvenko were among three students selected from Howard County as All State Dancers at the Maryland State Dance Showcase. Outstanding – kudos to their dance teacher, Ms. Spruill also!
• Our Art Department continues to garner impressive awards. The sculptures of several MRHS students are being showcased at the Department of Education Gallery from February 7 to February 28. The Gallery is open Monday – Friday 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM. Congratulations to our students and their teachers, Ms. Miers-Bond and Ms. Ayres!
• Our PTSA has asked me to thank everyone who participated in the Book Drive again. Over 400 books for families in need were collected. Special Thanks to Mr. Paul Eckert and the FEA (Future Educators of America) for their help.
• Our phenomenal Media Team Leader, Mr. John McDonald, was selected as the MICCA Outstanding Technology Using Educator of the Year for Howard County. He will represent our county in the competition for statewide recognition. A well deserved honor for an excellent educator!
• February 5-9 has been declared Employee Appreciation Week by the Howard County Board of Education. In addition, this week is designated nationally as School Counseling Week. Please join us in saluting all of our staff members for all that they do. Thanks to our PTSA and Boosters for hosting a Staff Appreciation Dinner during conferences on Thursday.
• We want to commend one of our students, Tyler Dunn, for the outstanding work that he has done this year in helping to create and maintain our school website, www.marriottsridge.net. Under the direction of Mr. Reg Hahne, Tyler spends many hours each week updating and expanding our website. We applaud Tyler for his efforts and commitment … he deserves quite a bit of credit for this vital communication link to our community. Thank you, Tyler!
• The application and selection process for the Marriotts Ridge Chapter of the National Honor Society will begin next week with a kick-off assembly for all juniors who have achieved at least a 3.4 unweighted GPA during their high school careers through first semester of this year. All of these students will be invited to apply if they wish to do so. Membership in National Honor Society is based on academic achievement, character, involvement in a variety of activities, and community service. The induction ceremony will take place in early March. In future years, this process will take place in the fall.
• We will also celebrate our winter sports teams and school spirit with a Student-Staff Volleyball Game next week. We are already practicing – the students are going down!
• On a different note, we must address several concerns that have arisen in our community over the past week regarding the building issues occurring at Mt. Hebron High. I have spoken with several Board of Education and County Council members over the past few days and they have told me that Marriotts Ridge is not a factor in any plans related to Mt. Hebron at this time. We wish the Mt. Hebron students, staff, and community the best as they work to resolve their facility issues.
• Finally, how could we end this update without mentioning Jukebox: Episode II?

Everyone is looking forward to another outstanding production from our Performing Arts students and faculty. We have thoroughly enjoyed watching this show evolve, from participating in the discussions related to music selections months ago to watching the last minute touches yesterday. You are missing out if you don’t come see this show. Thanks to Mr. Terry Eberhardt, Ms. Sally Livingston, Ms. Trish Spruill, Ms. Rosemary Lather, Mr. Nick Ellis, Ms. LaVerne Miers-Bond, and Ms. Jaye Ayres for leading this production that involves over 100 students. Performances will be held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 PM – tickets are $10 at the door …and worth every penny. Come on out!