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What do other high schools think of Wilde Lake? We asked one student from four different Howard County High Schools to see what they thought of Wilde Lake:
“There are some stereotypes about Wilde Lake being less academic and more racially diverse. Diversity shouldn’t be something that everyone focuses on. Every school in HoCo has something to bring to the table and they’re all prestigious. Wilde Lake is probably better than what people say about it.”
Glenelg
Atholton
Centennial
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“Stereotypically, Wilde Lake is the school with fights and low intelligence. People say that good grades at Wilde Lake are less valuable than at Atholton because the academics aren’t at the same level. However, they are the most competitive school artistically. The theater program is incredible compared to other schools and the band is very high performing.” “I’ve always perceived Wilde Lake as being a big school that somehow makes everyone feel like family. There’s a kind of unity that encompasses everyone and brings them together. I love seeing the photos from spirit weeks where everyone goes all out. There’s a sense of pride that connects everyone, and that’s something not a lot of schools can say.” “I believe that Wilde Lake has an extremely diverse population, similar to that of Long Reach. I’m sure that issues exist internally as they do in any school. However, I believe the sub-par reputation is not at all well deserved, much like Long Reach.”
Long Reach
Mr. Nicks and the BSAP students pose for their club picture (Photo by LifeTouch) By Marcus Nicks When I was told that I was being transferred to Wilde Lake High School I was told, “It’s a ghetto school.” I was told, “Wilde Lake is a ratchet school.” I actually can’t remember many positive things said about Wilde Lake High School as a whole from many people beyond the Wilde Lake Community in Columbia, Maryland. However, something that I noticed that was glaring was that a good number of the Wilde Lake staff members that I met had many positive things to say about Wilde Lake. Many of them told me that Wilde Lake held a special place in their heart. A number of staff members even shared with me that their children also attended Wilde Lake as well. I also discovered that many staff members have at some point
and time in their lives been students at Wilde Lake and have held Wildecat pride dear to their hearts for quite some time. In my second year as a Secondary Achievement Liaison of Howard County’s Black Student Achievement Program for Wilde Lake High School, much of what I learned through my engagement and interaction with black students has contradicted a seemingly negative narrative or story of how Wilde Lake was originally described to me. As an employee for the Howard County Public School System for close to nine years and as someone who grew up in Howard County attending it’s schools, I have been able to notice a continual pattern. What is that pattern one may ask? The pattern that I am referring to is a narrative that can be embedded in someone’s outlook on life. A narrative can be very
Seniors Regret Freshman Failures I was a little fish in a big pond, and I wasn’t accomplishing my goals academically or in other areas like sports.” -Corey Cooke, 12 By Adriana Irizarry-Cruz As graduation approaches, seniors are looking back on their time in high school. Each year has its ups and downs, but freshman year tends to be the biggest struggle. It was a hard transition from middle school, and many students had a hard time developing a good work ethic. Because of this, their grades suffered and their options for college seemed limited. Why is freshman year difficult for so many students? How do seniors look back on that transitional year? What advice do they
have for incoming freshman? These are the questions The Paw Print is looking to answer. Senior Corey Cooke reflects on his struggle freshman year and sees the impact of those who surround you. “I had a bad circle of people [going into high school who were bad influences on me. I felt as if I was going into a school where I only knew a handful of people from my middle school. I was a little fish in a big pond, and I wasn’t accomplishing my goals academically or in other areas like sports,” he says. For senior Jim Nwalal, his wake-up
call was at the end of sophomore year. “I noticed that if I really wanted to go into the medical field, I had to step my game up, so I stopped hanging out with people I considered a distraction and started focusing on my schoolwork,” he says. These realizations don’t come easily, and it can be a challenge to completely change how you’ve spent your entire school life. Other seniors may not have struggled academically, but had some difficulties socially. Lucy Flippen recalls, “At first I didn’t make an effort to meet new people because I thought that my friends would never change.” Her middle school friends had grown so close that she didn’t see a reason to open up and find new friendships. Though it was good to keep her friends from middle school, she feels she would’ve made way more friends had she been more outgoing. Teachers and extracurriculars can help ensure that students keep focused and motivated. Cooke says, “With basketball, my teammates that were excelling helped
me become a better person in and out of the classroom. Also, my teachers inspired me to become a teacher myself. They saw me as more than a letter grade, and actually rooted for my success.” As their high school years went by, many seniors began to improve in their schoolwork, and their grades reflected such. “I’ve grown so much mentally. I went from having a 2.7 GPA my first semester as a freshman, to having a 4.3 my first semester as a senior,” said Nwalal. Through focus and hard work, he was able to apply and get accepted into the colleges at the top of his list. Four years later, now wiser and more focused, these seniors would like to leave advice for freshmen who are in the position they were in four long years ago. Nwalal says, “At the end of the year, take time to reflect. If you truly want to be successful, you have to make sacrifices, which may include cutting off some people or forgoing a sports season. The only person who controls your future is yourself.”
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