Pat Saunderson, the not-so-new principal of Reservoir High School, and I were finally able to have a face-to-face sit-down and talk about his new school.
This being such a transient location, Pat is one of those rare native-born Howard Countians. Except for the years between his first and sixth birthday when his father moved the family to North Carolina, Pat has lived within a couple miles of Reservoir High most of his life and is a product of the Howard County Public School System.
He attended Clarksville Elementary and Clarksville Middle schools and graduated from Atholton High School in 1987. After high school, Pat cruised down the road to the University of Maryland, graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor's degree in secondary education. After graduation, he taught social studies and physical education.
Along the way, he met and married his wife, Karen, and the couple has three kids — Kyle, Brook and Ryan.
Pat earned a Master's Degree in administration and supervision from Loyola University Maryland. He also taught classes in Loyola's graduate school for a while. Now he's teaching graduate school classes at McDaniel University.
Some of you may know that he was also the principal of Lime Kiln Middle School. Most recently, he was the principal of Marriots Ridge High School for the past three years when he was selected to follow Adrianne Kaufman at Reservoir.
I was somewhat surprised when he directed me to his office, which is in a room off the atrium in the center of the school. I remember from my high school days that the high school office was in an off-by-itself, out-of-the-way part of the school. We didn't get to see the principal much but when we did, it usually meant we were in trouble.
Pat's office is right in the thick of things. His door is always open and the kids are free to pop in anytime. A couple of the students popped in and said "hi" while he and I were talking. His assistant principals are also spread out throughout the school so that every floor has is covered. He also moved the police officer on duty to one of the busiest hallway in the school — outside the second-floor media center. This was done, not to address some sort of student problems, but to give him visibility.
In addition to having the staff visible throughout the school, Pat is keen on communication. Every day an email comes out of the Reservoir office highlighting current and upcoming items of interest. Pat pens a few lines for each and every one of them — nothing very elaborate, just something to let everyone know that he's there.
His teaching philosophy can be summed up in four words: academics, athleticism, art and activities. He believes that his job as an administrator and the job of his teaching staff are for them to help their student charges find their niche and balance with the framework of these four parts.
This year, Reservoir celebrates its 10th anniversary. Pat is looking forward to celebrating this milestone with the students, the staff and the community. As plans develop, I'll keep you all informed.
Shifting gears now, Pat reported that during this marking period, 105 students who earned a 4.0 grade-point average made the Principal's Honor Roll. A total of 478 students who had a GPA between 3.4 and 3.99 made the Gold Honor Roll and 189 students who earned a GPA between 3.0 and 3.39 made the Silver Honor Roll.
Congratulations to everyone. Well done, students.
I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving this year. If you are driving, stay safe. Make it there and back alive. Enjoy your family.
Well, that's all for this week. Commit a random act of kindness. Look in on your neighbors. Say a prayer for our troops who are serving in harm's way and remember their families, too.