Happy Thanksgiving to All!

At this time of the year, we take a few minutes to reflect on the many ways in which the Marriotts Ridge High Community is blessed …

Ø Our many fantastic students who come to school motivated to succeed in so many ways …we commend the 127 students who achieved 4.0 status during 1_st Quarter. Congratulations to the 618 other students who earned Honor Roll status! In addition, we applaud our Marching Band for winning the prestigious “Best Music” award at the USSBA Mid-Atlantic States Championships held at the Naval Academy and to the following individuals who received Maryland Junior All State Band and Orchestra honors: Kayleigh Decker, Matt Fischer, Chi Chi An, Brian Tich, Luke Spence, Brian Kim, and Helen Luh. Well Done!

Other student honors…Two of our ninth graders, Maeson Bivins and Elliott Jones, were chosen as Howard County BSAP MSA Scholars. Allison Frost, Michelle Garner, Eric Stishan, and Kelly Harrigan have been selected by the Baltimore Area Cappies to have their reviews of local high school plays presented in various local publications …make sure to be on the lookout!

We have more exciting news. Jordan Haskins is the first Mustang to receive a full athletic college scholarship...Jordan will be attending St. John’s University in New York …another Famous First at Marriotts Ridge! We will continue to do our best to recognize other seniors who achieve such distinctive achievements…we are starting to post seniors’ college acceptances in The Commons …check them out. Another Famous First …Christina DiMarco was selected as All-State Honorable Mention for her contributions to our soccer program. Kevin Seker was highlighted as a Scholar Athlete by The Baltimore Sun …Kevin and Mary Kate Morani have been featured so far this year …fantastic representatives of all that is good about Marriotts Ridge. All of these students are to be commended for their significant contributions to our school community… we are sure that other students are being selected for honors based on their hard work and dedication during the Fall Season … we will highlight them in future updates.

Finally, we must recognize the 103 students who were chosen for the National Honor Society this fall. We are also very proud of the NHS officers who helped organize and run this very special ceremony.

Ø Our amazing staff members who contribute so many talents and so much effort to all that we do every day…teachers like Bernadette Allman who was one of only 23 teachers worldwide selected to attend a special institute at Princeton University this past summer, interacting with Nobel laureate professors to learn new information and techniques to bring cutting-edge molecular biology. Jaye Ayres and LaVerne Miers-Bond must be commended for coordinating Coffee House efforts to raise money for such efforts as “Operation We Care” …donating $500.00 to help purchase new art supplies for schools affected by Hurricane Katrina.

We also want to introduce two new members of our Student Services Team who are already making an impact in our school community. Mrs. Harriet Lee is our BSAP (Black Student Achievement Program) Mentor, working with all students, most specifically our African American students, who need additional assistance in achieving success in English and math. We are confident that she will have great impact in coordinating our “Rising Scholars” program. In addition, we are excited that Unsil Choi has joined us as a Korean Liaison…she has already helped with International Parents Night and parent/teacher conferences. They are welcome additions to our team!

We could highlight so many more staff members, but we will just choose two more for this edition …Roy Rosnik, our Technology Education Teacher, must be congratulated on his leadership in achieving certification for our “Project Lead the Way” program, a statewide pre-engineering initiative, this past week. We also highlight Erika Rhodeside who organized her advanced Spanish students in cooking and serving a Thanksgiving meal for seventy-five Hispanic residents who are new to this area.

Ø Our outstanding families must be thanked for the many ways in which they contribute to our school community. We really enjoyed seeing a great number of families during American Education Week and Parent/Teacher Conferences. Our PTSA and Boosters support so many different academic initiatives such as sponsoring the Artist in Residence who portrayed Amelia Earhart during a recent assembly and is teaching our students to be historical re-enactors through the History Alive Program. The PTSA and Boosters Staff Appreciation Dinner this week was awesome …the invitations were beautiful, the decorations were outstanding, and the food was plentiful and delicious …the PTSA Staff Appreciation Committee outdid itself again.

We continue to see family members who are interested in actively participating in the lives of our students. Last year we started building a database of parents who would be willing to serve as “World of Work” interviewers, guest speakers, and academic, college, and professional mentors. We are looking to expand that resource … we will send the interest form out again very soon. Please take a few minutes to respond …thanks to all those who have been so generous in offering their time and talents already.

Finally, we must once again commend our parent leaders …PTSA President Jennifer Burgy, Boosters President Sue Tompkins, Music Foundation President Susan Zepp, and all of the other officers and chairpersons involved in going above and beyond to make Marriotts Ridge a special place.

We thank all of our students, colleagues, and families for all that you do to contribute to this great center of learning and achievement…enjoy this time of rest, fellowship, and fun. Please be safe if you are traveling this weekend. As you enjoy this special time, take a few minutes to reflect on our many blessings.

Take care …be blessed …Go Mustangs!

Pat Saunderson, Cara Moulds, Rosalie Bowen, and James LeMon

P.S. If you ever have a question or need some additional information, please check out our excellent website …www.marriottsridge.net …or email me at patrick_saunderson@hcpss.org.