Winters Mill High School

Administration

Winters Mill opened in 2002, with Mrs. Sherri-Le Bream as Principal, and Mr. Gordon Love as Vice Principal. Mr. Jim Rodriguez joined as Vice Principal in the 2004-2005 school year, and Ms. Ruby Kimbrow was transferred from Westminster High School and was added to the Winters Mill staff as a third Vice Principal for the 2005-2006 school year. During the 2005-2006 school year, Mr. Rodriguez was promoted to Director of Physical Education for Carroll County, and history teacher Mr. David Herman replaced him during the second semester. Mr. Herman returned to teaching for the 2006-2007 school year.

Mrs. Bream was promoted to Director of Carroll County High Schools in 2006, and Mr. Kenneth Goncz was named principal. Mr. John Baugher from Francis Scott Key High School and Mrs. Rita Dowd, a biology teacher at Winters Mill, were new Vice Principals for the 2006-2007 school year, as well. After the 2007-2008 school year, Mr. Goncz returned to Westminster High School as Principal. Mr. Jeffery Alisauckas became Principal for the 2008-2009 school year. Mrs. Ruthanne Kenney was named Principal for the 2010-2011 school year. She is a former Winters Mill Special Education teacher and Assistant Principal from Liberty High School in Eldersburg (Carroll County).

A history of the administration is detailed below:

Principal

Assistant/Vice Principal

Academy School

Winters Mill High School has four "academies" or focuses of interest where students are grouped based on the fields they expect to enter after graduation. Teachers take an interest survey and are also assigned to academies to serve as advisors. There are four Academy Leaders who serve as department chairs for their respective academies. Students are then arranged into advisories within each grade level to facilitate this career focus.

The Academies are:

Academy Achievement Award

The Academy Achievement Award recognizes academic achievement as well as outstanding attendance during students' high school careers. Students who meet the following criteria at the time of graduation qualify for the Academy Achievement Award:

1. Successful completion of a minimum of six academy credits
2. A minimum of 3.0 as a non-weighted cumulative grade point average
3. An overall attendance average of 94% in grades 9–12

Advisory Program

Each student at Winters Mill is assigned an advisor whose advisory they attend during 2nd mod each day for 35 minutes. The program is intended to create a relationship between students and their advisors in order to establish a common point of contact throughout high school with whom the student feels comfortable. Students stay with their advisor for their entire time at Winters Mill. Parents meet with their child's advisor annually and students develop a portfolio through their advisory. Additionally, students are taught advisory lessons on Wednesdays, which may differ depending on grade level and academy. These advisory lessons often pertain to situations that students may encounter during the course of their life, or discuss values or school procedures such as dress code, academic integrity, and student rights.

School Counseling Department

The WMHS Guidance Department offers support to all WM students. Each student is assigned a counselor who can be met with by appointment. Peer Facilators are also available to talk to students and peer mediate student conflicts. Additionally, the Guidance Department helps students with transcripts, college applications, and many scholarship opportunities.

Media Center

The Media center is open Monday - Friday from 7:10am – 3:00pm.

Falcon Learning Lab

The Falcon Learning Lab is open every day from 7:00am–4:00pm. Students may use the lab to do homework, to make up missed work or tests, for homework help, or for computer work.

Members of the National Honor Society are frequently available as tutors in the Lab throughout the school year.

Varsity Athletics

Winters Mill High School competes in the 2A class of the MPSSAA while competing in the Carroll County Athletic League.

Fall Sports:

Cheerleading: - 2006 Varsity Carroll County Champions - 2007 Varsity Carroll County Champions

Cross Country: -2009, Boys County, Regional, and State Champions -2010, Boys County, Regional, and State Champions -2011, Boys Country, Regional, and State Champions

Field Hockey: - 2006 County champions

Football: Coached by Matt Miller

Golf:

Boys Soccer: Coached by Kirk Kucharski

Girls Soccer: Coached by Denny Snyder

Volleyball

Winter Sports:

Boys Basketball: Coached by Billy Mays - 2006 & 2008 2A West Regional Champions - 2006, 2007 MVAL Piedmont Champions - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2016 Carroll County Champions - 2008 2A Maryland State Champions

Girls Basketball: Coached by Dave Wynne

Cheerleading: - 2003 JV Carroll County Champions - 2005 Carroll County Champions (JV & Varsity)

Indoor Track

Wrestling: Coached by John Lowe (Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in the Class of 2013) – 2011 State Tournament Champions - 2012 State Dual Meet and Tournament Champions (32-0) - 2013 State Dual Meet and Tournament Champions (30-1)

Spring Sports:

Baseball: Coached by Jason Green

Boys Lacrosse: Coached by Jeff Beaker -2007 Lacrosse 1A/2A Maryland State Champions

Girls Lacrosse: - 2008,2010 Girls Lacrosse Carroll County Champions - 2008,2010,2011 Girls Lacrosse Regional Champions - 2008,2010,2011 Girls Lacrosse 2A/3A State Champions

Softball Girls:

Tennis: Boys Coached by Eric Meszaros

Track and Field:

Club Sports

The WMHS Dance Team is an organization whose primary goal is to increase the school spirit of students, teachers, and sporting spectators at school events and functions. The dance team meets two times a week for practice after school, and membership is achieved through auditioning for the team and attending practices.

Entertainment Events

Winters Mill hosts a PowderPuff Football Game each year where the girls play football while the boys cheerlead, with the senior class competing against the junior class. Actual football players and cheerleaders "coach" the teams with faculty members acting as referees and emcees for the event.

Annual Student-Faculty basketball and volleyball games are also played to generate school spirit and raise money for charity.

Performing arts

In 2009, the Winters Mill Art's department won the Kennedy Center Award for being 1 out of 5 schools in the United States with the best art department. In April 2009 the Winters Mill Vocal Ensemble and four dancers from the dance program performed at the Kennedy Center.

Drama

The Winters Mill Drama department produces two productions every year.

Marching band

Band Front accompanies the Marching band. These students learn basic marching and flag techniques. Students are expected to perform with the marching band at football games as well as parades.

Choral Music

Vocal music consists of 4 choruses: Concert Choir (Chorus I and II), Women's Select, Select Choir (Honors Festival Chorus), and Vocal Ensemble (Honors Vocal Ensemble). The last three choruses combine to create Select, but also having the Women's and Ensemble performing separately. When enough singer-dancers are available, a Show Choir is assembled for the Winter Concert. An arrangement between the dance classes and chorus, has dancers during some of the song selections.

In 2006, The Winters Mill High School Select Choir and Vocal Ensemble both received all 1s at the Carroll County Chorus Festival. Both groups then attended the MD State Choral Festival. Select Choir received 3-2s and 1-1 at States.

In 2007, Select and Ensemble again received all 1s at the County adjudication level and an overall rating of 1 for both groups at State Choral Festival on April 26, 2007 at Morgan State University. (Both groups received 3 1s and a 2). Select and Ensemble also won 1st place in the small and large chorus categories and Best High School Overall in the Music in the Parks competition on May 5, 2007. In 2008, Select and Ensemble received all 1s at the County level and at the State level, Ensemble received an overall rating of one while select received an overall rating of 2. In 2009 Select got all 1s at county and received 2s at State. Ensemble did not make it past County level.

In 2007, Tri-M Music Honor Society was formed.

Student government association

The Winters Mill SGA, in the events following Hurricane Katrina which devastated the Gulf Coast in September 2005, officially adopted L.E. Rabouin High School in New Orleans, Louisiana and raised over $6500 for the school during the 05-06 school year.

During the 06-07 school year, the WM History Club, with SGA support, raised money for the Fisher House military charity.

Student Clubs and Organizations

Winters Mill has a multitude of clubs and organizations for students:

JROTC

The JROTC program was established in 2005. The Army JROTC program awards academic grades.