By: Lucy Cronin

   Upon students’ return to school on January 5th after winter break, MRHS officially has a permanent new Principal, Mrs. Dennis. Some might have already gotten the chance to see or meet her, but for those who haven’t yet, here’s an introduction to the new face of Marriotts Ridge.

   Nicole Dennis, our school’s newest familiar face, has come into this role feeling optimistic. Over the past weeks, she has been able to meet with students and begin to better understand her position here as a leader. 

   “My main goal going into this position is, of course, to keep the tradition of excellence alive at Marriotts Ridge and making sure that we keep that going while looking for ways that we can continue to be better,” Mrs. Dennis explains.

   Despite this being her first time as a school principal, this is definitely not her first time working in education. She spent nine years as an English and Social Studies teacher before becoming an International Baccalaureate or IB program coordinator, a program that offers college level courses comparable to AP. She also served as an assistant principal in North Carolina for two large high schools before moving to Anne Arundel County, working as a lead in the county’s central office. There, she handled different aspects of college and career readiness work, including IB, AP, Dual Enrollment, and CTE. 

   She is working to learn about our student community, and at this time has no major plans to implement or change any policies. However, Mrs. Dennis has heard of the many bathroom complications and shares that she is open to ideas from students on how to improve this problem.

   “I’ve heard a little bit that students would like to see issues with bathrooms become improved, so for me, it’s learning what those issues are and then working with our team to come up with a plan to better address those things. I know that’s on the radar from students, and we hear you,” Dennis shares. “We’re always open to suggestions, too. If people have good ideas about something that might work, we’re happy to listen to those ideas.”

   Apart from classes, Mrs. Dennis shares her excitement to get to see all the unique activities students are involved in, mentioning the importance of a healthy balance between academics and extracurriculars.

   “I am always excited to see the cool things that students are doing. I think academics are a very important part of high school, so are athletics and extracurriculars. Especially when we hit the springtime, for our seniors, you really get to enjoy those times to celebrate and spend time together as a community, because that doesn’t happen too often. Those moments are special,” Dennis mentions.

   When asked if she has a message to share with students, Mrs. Dennis took the time to express gratitude for the warm welcome she has received in past weeks, and shared how much she values getting to meet a variety of students.

   “Truly, I’ve been very appreciative of how many of you have been welcoming to me and have come up and introduced yourselves. That to me says a lot about the character of the students here, and I’ve been impressed, and I appreciate it so much.”

   As Mrs. Dennis continues to settle into her new role, she highlights the importance of representing students accurately and protecting them in any way she can, depicting a bright future for Marriotts Ridge.