Channel 9 News Honors Blair High School Heroes
Last year was a tough year for Blair. We lost a student
to illness and we lost another student to a violent
crime. While the community was coming together to deal
with our losses and think about next steps, the possible
consequences for not making AYP for an additional year
were steep. We had to take each challenge and move forward.
The school had to stay focused on improving academic achievement
for all student groups in addition to taking care of the social/emotional health
of our students.
This was very difficult, however, people rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
Our school remained true to our mission and goals.
For everyone's contributions to the academic well being of our children, we honor,
highlight and celebrate AYP and Blair High School.
Tai's older brother, Lam, dealt with a huge loss and a tremendous amount of grief.
He could have run away, turned to the streets, or just given up. However, he
did not. He returned to school 3 short weeks after the death of his brother and
remained on the honor roll for the entire year with a GPA of 3.5+ during second
semester. Today Lam is a graduating senior with a first quarter interim report
showing straight "A's". He will be taking his SAT's on November 7th and
attending Delaware State University or University of Maryland Eastern Shore in
the fall. For persevering in spite of such a huge tragedy and honoring his little
brother by doing the right thing and making us proud- Lam Cao is our student
hero.
Now here was the secret...
We could not and would not have been able to get through these experiences and
thrive without a great leader. We moved from words to actions under the leadership
of our principal, Darryl Williams. Darryl stayed focused and committed to our
students. He handled each challenge with respect and poise. He made sure our
children were taken care of first. He led the focus on student achievement and
spent countless hours monitoring the action plans and getting to know our students.
He led by example. He brought the staff, students and community together. For
moving Blair High School from being the only MCPS high school in school improvement
year 2 off of the list entirely AND taking care of our children, staff, and families,
we honor Darryl as our staff hero.
