Since our freshmen year, Wilde Lake has been our Ohana. Ms. Marcy Leonard ran events like Caturday Study Halls and Community Nights so students could connect with their community. This year, when we walked into the Lake, we felt directionless. With an emphasis on keeping the halls empty, there is no emphasis on maintaining our Ohana. The halls of a place we used to call home now feel foreign. We are worried that the incoming classes will never experience the sense of community we were gifted over the past several years. It is our responsibility to keep Ms. Leonard’s Ohana alive, and we can do this by picking up and restarting all of the community events she created.
We should start rekindling the Ohana spirit by bringing back Caturday Study Halls. These study halls were not only for academic improvement but also for community bonding. A bustling media center with notebooks spread across tables is a core memory that we treasure. Students met with friends, were mentored by new Wildecats, and shared laughter with teachers. Students were even provided lunch to keep them motivated. As Ms. Leonard and teacher volunteers handed out pizza with a warm smile, we felt truly cared for. Now, students are left to study on their own at the end of each quarter, wondering if they will ever get another opportunity for a Saturday study hall. It breaks our hearts that the freshmen don’t know what they are missing out on: an Ohana that cares for their education and well-being.
Next, we can organize and run Community Nights just as Ms. Leonard did. The Community Nights organized by Ms. Leonard went beyond Wilde Lake. The community circles brought together people from all over Howard County who would have otherwise never interacted. People were given the opportunity to enjoy a warm dinner with new faces and were encouraged to discuss their feelings and opinions. As we shared what we were thankful for, what we were proud of, and what we valued with our circle, we felt like our voices were being heard. With no Community Nights this year, we’ve lost our chance to casually have our voices listened to. We’ve lost an outlet for student expression.
Finally, we need to start recognizing kindness and excellence within our community. In Ms. Leonard’s Ohana, students weren’t the only ones brought together and awarded for their efforts. Each month, a staff member was named an Ohana Honoree, a title awarding their hard work and efforts within the community. With everything she did, Ms. Leonard worked towards building a community that felt heard, recognized, and connected. Now it is our job to do this for our community.
As Wilde Lake navigates this school year without Ms. Leonard’s guidance for the first time in five years, students are more disconnected than ever. As students who experienced what Ohana truly means, we have to work hard to bring back the relationships Ms. Leonard helped us build. We can restart Caturday Study Halls, hold our own community circles, and simply bond with Wildecats we aren’t already friends with. We must find a way to keep Ms. Leonard’s Ohana alive so that the freshmen and future upcoming classes can experience our Wilde Lake family.
