It is with great pride and enthusiasm that we bring you greetings from Lake Elkhorn Middle School! We are honored and excited to be the newest members of the Lake Elkhorn family and we look forward to working together to continue the tradition of excellence that exists at our school.
First, we wish to acknowledge and honor Ms. Moore’s, Ms. Hewitt’s, and Mr. Capurso’s hard work and dedication to the LEMS community. Their generosity and kindness have been wonderful, and we are thankful for their flexibility and willingness to help make this a smooth transition. Thank you, also, to Ms. Nitsch who will continue to serve at Lake Elkhorn next year.
As our new administrative team gets to know each other and learn more about Lake Elkhorn, we are hoping you might be able to help us. Your ideas, input, and opinions are really important to us and we’re counting on each of you to help us learn more about our school and community. We would be most grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to answer the questions here: https://forms.gle/kFoWv5BkwB8Y5vkw7. Everything (including your name and child's name) is completely optional, but we value your feedback and look forward to learning as much as we can from you. Thank you!
Although we are new to Lake Elkhorn, we are not new to the field of education. Ms. Shindel taught at the middle school and university levels, was the project manager and school director for a non-profit educational organization in Washington D.C., and worked at the central office of a large school system as an instructional facilitator. She was a middle school assistant principal in both Prince George’s and Howard Counties, and is beginning her 11th year as principal, most recently serving as the principal of Mayfield Woods Middle School in Howard County. Ms. Guinn, assistant principal, comes to Lake Elkhorn from Long Reach High School. As a graduate of the Howard County Public School System, Ms. Guinn returned to HCPSS to teach English at Long. She has also been an Assistant Administrator for Howard County’s K-9 Summer Institute and an Academic Dean for Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. Mr. Cometa is also a graduate of the Howard County Public School System. Lake Elkhorn is familiar to Mr. Cometa as he attended Owen Brown Middle School! He has spent the last 11 years as the Health educator, Related Arts team leader, and Beyond Schools Hours Program Coordinator at Mayfield Woods Middle. Each of us love working with children and are eager to get to know the parents, families, and children here at Lake Elkhorn!
The 2019-2020 school year is sure to be an exciting one and we look forward to working with you and your child. The Lake Elkhorn community has demonstrated its dedication and commitment to educational excellence, and together we will help engage and empower your child - to achieve to his/her fullest potential - in an environment that is respectful, safe, motivating, and challenging.
As you enjoy the summer with your family, we would like to invite you to come to Lake Elkhorn for a “Meet and Greet” before the school year begins. While we realize that many families may be on vacation, we hope you may be available to come to LEMS at one of the following two times:
We look forward to meeting you and to having fantastic school year!
Sincerely,
Melissa Shindel, Principal
Kamille Guinn, Assistant Principal
Kelli Nitsch, Assistant Principal
Nick Cometa, Leadership Intern