Raider Nation Newsletter

Week of March 14, 2022

Springing Forward...

Dear Atholton Families,

Daylight savings time is here! The arrival of daylight savings time is always a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that the increased daylight time is always welcomed – especially as the weather gets warmer. A curse in that you lose an hour of sleep (ugh!). Nevertheless, I hope you all are adjusting to the time difference and made sure our students are ready to go tomorrow morning – ON TIME!

Our winter sports season officially came to an end Tuesday evening with the loss of our boys basketball team in the state semifinals. Our boys played hard but came up short against a tough team from Oakdale HS in Frederick County. A huge thank you once again to our superintendent, Dr. Martirano, for making the trip to Montogomery Blair High School to support Raider Nation. See the photos below courtesy of Maha Blair. Hats off to Coach Albert and the entire Raider boys basketball team for a great season. I will always cherish the indelible memory of cutting down the net at our home court after that come from behind win over Kenwood. Thank you all for inspiring the outstanding school spirit and for modeling how to be both gracious in winning and losing. I am looking forward to next year.

On another note, I would encourage you to check out our Athletic Boosters. From running our concession stand to the great summer camps, please consider supporting our athletics program as we continue to develop and support outstanding programs. Whether through sponsorship, membership, or volunteering, your support of our outstanding athletic programs is greatly appreciated.

I am thrilled to announce that Mr. Charles Lidard (Technology and PLTW Engineering Teacher) was selected by the Class of 2022 as the AHS Teacher of the Year!! See attached photo. We will honor Mr. Lidard and all the nominees tomorrow during our staff meeting. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Lidard!!

In keeping with the celebratory theme, please join me in congratulating junior Jacob Sultan for being selected as a 2022 Carson Scholar. The Carson Scholars Fund awards $1,000 college scholarships to students in grades 4-11 who excel academically and are dedicated to serving their communities.

Additionally, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has announced those students who have advanced to Finalist standing in the competition. Atholton has FIVE National Merit Finalists. Please join me in congratulating:

Thomas Baek
Luke Edwards
Nilo Rivera
Nicholas Taber
Stephanie Wang

We wish Thomas, Luke, Nilo, Nico, and Stephanie all the best as they continue in the competition! They have the entire Atholton community behind them!

Lastly, as the Immediate Past President of the National Associaton of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), I am honored to welcome the current NASSP President, Mr. Gregg Wieczorek from Wisconsin, to Atholton High School tomorrow, Monday, March 14. Mr. Weiczorek is excited to visit Raider Nation and talk to both students and staff about the exciting things happening in our school.

Have a terrific week!

Warmest regards,

Robert A. Motley

Principal