Welcome Back Mardela 

Important Links

First Day of School for 6th Grade ONLY - September 1

Grades 7-12 Arrive on September 2

Letter From the Principal

Dear Warrior family: 

Welcome to the 2026-27 school year! I am so excited to begin my 10th year leading this special school that I graduated from many years ago. There is no better place than Mardela Middle and High School! We continue to find success in academics, the arts, athletics, and other special programs thanks to our unrelenting focus on excellence and on developing world changers.  

We will continue to prioritize academics and safety above all else. Here are some important safety reminders and information: 

• We will continue to follow our morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up routines. Please do not drop your child off at school before 7:15 each morning, as there will not be school staff available outside to monitor their safety. At 7:15 a.m., students will exit buses and parent vehicles and will be supervised by our Campus Security Manager, Mr. Keane, affectionately known as "Coach." 

• At 7:20, students will enter the building. All 6th grade, 8th grade, and breakfast eaters will report directly to the cafeteria. 7th graders will report to the 7th grade hallway. High school students will report to our gyms. Students will remain in their designated areas until they are dismissed to first-period classes. It is imperative that all students follow these procedures so that we can accurately account for every student. 

• At the end of the school day, we ask that students only be picked up under the awning and the sidewalk that extends just past the awning so that we can appropriately monitor and manage the hundreds of students entering parent cars at the end of each school day.  

• I am very excited to share that we will be adding a third member to our security team this year. Joining Coach Keane, campus security manager, and Michael Brittingham, School Security Employee (SSE), Mr. Ted Ramey will be moving from serving as our In School Suspension coordinator to the role of SSE. Our security team will always be available and visible during the school day. They will work proactively with the administration team to create and enforce safety practices. This addition will further strengthen our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure learning environment. What a win for safety! 

(SRP) Standard Reponse Protocol

Wicomico County Public Schools will be implementing a standardized Standard Response Protocol (SRP) developed by the "I Love U Guys" Foundation. All staff members will receive training prior to the start of school, and students will be trained throughout the school year beginning in September. The SRP uses clear, consistent language to communicate the actions students and staff should take during a wide variety of situations, from medical emergencies and weather events to incidents occurring outside or inside the building. The five directives are Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter. Please review the attached handout for additional information. 

New Cell Phone Guidelines

Due to a mandate from the Maryland State Legislature and our commitment to creating learning environments free from distractions, Wicomico County Public Schools will no longer permit student use of cell phones, smart watches, earbuds, headphones, or Angel Sense devices during the academic school day.  

The academic school day includes any structured or unstructured learning experience from the first bell until dismissal. This includes instructional periods, lunch, passing periods, and study halls. Students who violate this Board policy will be subject to disciplinary consequences. This restriction will allow teachers to maximize instructional time and help schools operate without the significant distractions that personal electronic devices can create. 

Attendance

Regular school attendance is essential to academic success. We will continue to enforce all attendance policies and procedures. Please remember that parents may request up to five school days to be excused due to illness during the school year and up to three school days to be excused for travel. 

Last school year, 18.34% of our middle school students and 21.26% of our high school students were considered chronically absent, meaning they missed more than 10% of the school year. Both excused and unexcused absences are included in this calculation. Please review the attached attendance handout for additional information. 

Attendance is a life skill. Missing 10% of work annually could lead to job loss in adulthood or course failure in college. Additionally, missing five unexcused days in a marking term may result in course failure unless an Attendance Intervention Plan has been completed. 

Please help us by: 

• Ensuring your child attends school daily unless they are ill. 

• Scheduling vacations outside of the 180-day school year whenever possible. 

• Reinforcing the importance of regular attendance at home. 

Note: Attendance affects eligibility for school dances, including prom. Please refer to the attached dance criteria for details. 

Please make sure to familiarize yourself with the Grading, Promotion, and Retention Systems Procedure, the Student Attendance Procedure, the Academic Eligibility for Co-curricular and Extracurricular Activities Procedure, and the Acceptable Use of Technology Procedure. You can find these procedures by visiting “Board Docs” on www.wicomicoschools.org. 

New Staff Members

Due to retirements, promotions, and the creation of new positions, we are excited to welcome the following new staff members to the Warrior family. 

•  Brooke Berezowski – Science Teacher  

• Chris Burkhardt – Science Teacher  

• Michael Carey – Instructional Assistant  

• Colin Cropper – ISS coordinator  

• Laura Harper – Instructional Assistant  

• Erin Hartman – Instructional Assistant  

• Valerie King – Home School Liaison  

• Heather Lane – Special Education Teacher  

• Greg Lasinski – Assistant Principal  

• Jennifer Marini –Instructional Assistant  

• Paige Potts – Instructional Assistant  

• Dancina Rhodes – Instructional Assistant  

• Albert “AJ” Taylor- Dean of Students  

• Anna White – School Nurse  

• Maria Curtis - Math Teacher

Back-to-School Open House 

August 26, 2026 
4:00–6:00 p.m. 

Drop in anytime to: 

• Submit your Personal Data and Enrollment Information Form and Health Questionnaire 

• Pick up your student's schedule after turning in your data sheet 

• Meet your students’ teachers 

• Purchase school spirit wear and discount cards from the Athletic Boosters 

• Buy a parking pass 

Equip our Students

I am looking forward to another school year full of academic rigor, school spirit, and student engagement. Remember that our vision is to Equip students to change their world! By doing so, we commit to the following: 

We Educate our children so that they reach the goal of graduation (measured by graduation rate).  

We Question our children to develop their critical thinking skills (measured by instructional practices and teacher evaluations).  

We Uplift our children to build positive relations and make a difference in their community (measured by service-learning participation and hours).  

We Invest in our children’s futures so that they can see beyond graduation (measured by student postsecondary plans).  

We Promote activities in the school beyond academics to create well-rounded students (measured by extracurricular participation).  

Thank you, as always, for being such a supportive community. Together, we will continue to equip students to change their world. 

I look forward to welcoming our sixth-grade Warriors on September 1 and all students on September 2. 

Serving you, 

Liza Hastings 

Principal 

Proud Mardela Alumni