Wilde Lake’s
THE PAW PRINT Spring 2020 • Wilde Lake High School, 5460 Trumpeter Rd. Columbia, MD 21044 • Volume 47 Issue 1
Ms. Leonard Unites School Around Ohana Vision BY SARAH RUBIN Editor-in-Chief Wilde Lake knew Ms. Leonard was different when she wore her high school Homecoming dress to school during Homecoming week. On another spirit day the same week, she wore a football uniform. Since day one, she has been Wilde Lake’s head cheerleader, and has already left an undeniable impact on the school. In the 2019-2020 school year, she has already raised expectations of students by encouraging them to take upper level classes, and has turned the school into the community’s center. She has raised teacher approval ratings, and united the school around her central vision of “Ohana.” Ms. Leonard began as Principal at Wilde Lake High School over the summer, ready to get started. One of these many propositions included, what she calls, the “Wilde Cat Way.” Ohana is a piece of a three-part vision she has - the Wilde Cat Way. “The first section is Ohana; that everyone understands that we are members of an extended community and family by being a part of Wilde Lake,” she says. She continues, “We are, at heart, an education institution, so the second part is our equitable learning community, where we create wonderful learning experiences for students, and also identify where there might be achievement gaps between students or student groups, and we address those so that we can eliminate them.” “And, finally, the third part is the
Ms. Leonard’s “Ohana” vision is represented by the intersection of the three ideas above.
“find your purpose” and “create your path” vision, and the goal is that every student that graduates has an actual plan for after graduation that is already ready to go,” she says. “So, whether that’s a college acceptance, technical school acceptance, military enlistment, or a high wage job offer [meaning it includes health benefits], when students earn their diploma, it’s more than high school as an end, and it’s the beginning of whatever might come next.” Ms. Leonard also brings up the boundary review process and the fact that it forces us to question how we can better connect everyone from different backgrounds. She says, Her
main goal with this is to delve deeper into the ways people are feeling about how this community is portrayed and perceived throughout the county, and what others’ perceptions are about Wilde Lake. Understanding opposing perspectives will help raise up the school, she argues, making it the best place it can be. Furthermore, she hopes that, through discussion, the reality of Wilde Lake will be revealed and negative stereotypes will be exposed. “There’s an old leadership construct,” she mentions, “Start, Stop, Continue. It promotes the idea of what we should start doing that could be helpful, what should we stop doing
Rise Up: Paving The Pathway To Success BY DEVIN GARCIA Staff Writer
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his year, Wilde Lake is pioneering a new program that is encouraging students to rise up a level in at least one subject, to help them achieve their full potential. Wilde Lake principal, Ms. Leonard, has been the driving force encouraging students to rise up. In her previous position as principal of Hammond High School, she promoted the same program. During her tenure there, Hammond produced the largest number of Ivy League graduates in the state. “What we find is that students who take more challenging courses have the access to the critical thinking skills, the critical writing skills, and the critical reading skills that will help them meet success at whatever they want to do after they leave Wilde Lake, whether it’s college, trade or technical school, the military or a high wage job,” Ms. Leonard said. The program is designed around the principle that taking higher-level classes in high school will enable students to gain the skills necessary to take on difficult tasks in the future. Ms. Volpe, a U.S. History teacher at Wilde Lake, said, “I
think students should challenge themselves no matter what. Whatever life plans you have, you will have to face challenges, and hard classes can prepare you for the difficulties you face both in future education and in life.” The Rise Up program isn’t designed to move students up in all of their classes. Instead, they’re encouraged to choose a subject they’re passionate about and willing to work harder in. “In high school, I didn’t have the same skill set in math and English,” English teacher Ms. Kostelec said. “So, I didn’t move up in math, but I felt happier because I put more time and energy towards English, the subject I had an aptitude for.” Although moving up a level can seem daunting, many students are willing to give it a shot in one class. Wilde Lake freshman, Farshad Mobasheri said, “A lot of my teachers told me I should rise up a level in at least one subject next year, and I felt like I should take English honors because this year I took regular English and it was easy for me.” Ultimately, teachers hope that students will challenge themselves and rise up a level, because they want to see students become successful and always try their hardest.
What is Rise Up!? Rise Up! encourages every student to take one higher level course in one subject next year. Why Rise Up? Rising up gives students access to higher level critical thinking skills, preparing them for college and careers.
because it doesn’t make sense anymore, and what we should continue doing because it’s working well.” Ms. Leonard aims to increasingly engage the community, connecting with everyone more than ever before. “I find that one of the most important things is that everybody inside and outside of Wilde Lake knows how amazing our school is - that’s one of my main goals.” Having worked at Wilde Lake for 26 years, she moved around in the county for a bit for her job before returning. Ms. Leonard says, “The people are always the best part about the Lake; it has been since I was here as a teacher. They’re such amazing students, staff members, family members, and a community who just bring a whole lot of love and talent to this space. I love that we wrap our arms around people who may be in need spiritually, socially, emotionally, economically; I’d love to continue doing that work.”
FARMS
Free and Reduced Meals Services offers much more to students and families than just a simple breakfast or lunch. BY SARAH RUBIN Editor-in-Chief
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n the first day of school, students are bombarded with what feels like hundreds of different papers, all promoting sports, clubs, extracurriculars, and school-sponsored events. However, one of those commonly disregarded papers is far more important than students realize: The Food and Nutrition Services sheet. The National School Lunch program is federally funded, and all meals are made to be nutritionally balanced for students each day. FARMS includes menus meeting the requirements of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs set by the United States Department of Agriculture. FARMS is set to be a healthy alternative for students who may have little or no food to eat, and for families struggling to afford breakfast or lunch for their children who are HCPSS students. However, signing up for the Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) program provides students with opportunities
far beyond discounted meals. What many don’t know is that when a student applies for FARMS, they are also then eligible for free or discounted tuition at Howard Community College, discounts on taking the SAT, ACT, and AP exams, as well as discounts for Howard County camps, sports, and childcare, extending through the school year and over the summer. Ms. Shaw, a guidance counselor at Wilde Lake, speaks on the benefits of Free and Reduced Meals. “It provides a service for kids whose families aren’t able to afford the school’s breakfasts and lunches on a daily basis,” she says. “We speak about it a lot in our meetings, because everyone should really be aware of its benefits.” There are many families eligible for the FARMS program and all of its benefits who are simply unaware of and all the benefits it can provide. For more information on how to apply, or other benefits of signing up for FARMS, go to hcpss.org/farms/ or call 410313-6738. There is always someone available to help, as long as you reach out and look.