English teacher, Speech and Debate coach, union representative, and Lincoln Douglas Debate Director for the Baltimore Catholic Forensic League Ms. Kelli Midgley has worked at Wilde Lake since 1995. After fighting selflessly for teachers and students over the past 30 years, she is ending her Wildecat chapter and retiring.
Ms. Midgley’s passion for teaching began as a child. She was raised by two teachers who instilled in her a desire to share her knowledge with others. “I really have always loved English, and I love sharing my love of English with other people,” said Ms. Midgley.
After high school, Ms. Midgley attended the University of Maryland and received a bachelors in English and Theater Education. Post-college, Ms. Midgley taught at a private school in California for a year. Then, in 1995, Ms. Midgley moved across the country and started working as an English teacher at Wilde Lake. In that same year, Ms. Midgley was recruited as the Speech and Debate coach by former coach Jerry Conlin because of her prior experience with theater.
“There was a Speech and Debate coach here when I started, and he asked me to help out with some of the Speech students because his focus was primarily Debate,” said Ms. Midgley. “When
he retired, I was given the Speech class and the students. At first, I only wanted to do Speech, but the students who had been doing Debate begged me to learn Debate and we learned it together.”
Former Speech and Debate student Lena Osborne says Ms. Midgley keeps the program alive. “There would be no speech and Debate team at Wilde Lake without Ms. Midgley,” said Lena. “Honestly, the whole BCFL might not exist without Ms. Midgley. She has always been a huge champion of speech and debate, and without her fighting for it and for us, we would never have had the opportunities we did.”
Even when winning national awards, Ms. Midgley says her favorite part is helping students push their limits.
“What makes me most proud is when kids achieve more than they thought they could,” said Ms. Midgley. “So I am super, super proud of all my students who have made it to nationals and won championships and trophies, but I am equally if not more proud of kids who did way more than they thought they could. Kids who were terrified to say their name in front of a class and then they found themselves on the team and performing in public work or giving graduation speeches,” she said.
According to junior Tiffany Berry, Ms. Midgley has always been a teacher who pushed her to be her best self.
“She’s a very hard working teacher, and she really wants to push her students every chance she gets,” said Tiffany. “We look up to her because of her drive. She’s always there to help students both in school and after school, and it’s very endearing to see.”
Aside from providing educational opportunities, Ms. Midgley has also helped provide protection, service, and advocacy for Wilde Lake teachers as the Howard County Education Association (HCEA) representative.
“She has supported teachers with their concerns and with their need for representation,” said Wilde Lake math teacher Mr. Josiah Lookingbill.
Mr. Lookingbill says Ms. Midgley has always taken initiative to problem solve and stand up for other teachers. “She does a lot of that because she has a lot of experience, and she’s a very action-focused and intelligent person.”
Many students and teachers are impacted by Ms. Midgley’s upcoming retirement after her time at Wilde Lake. Paraeducator Ms. Coretta Spriggs, who has known Ms. Midgley for 18 years, wishes
Ms. Midgley the best on her next chapter in life even though she will miss her teaching partner.
“I am very sad, but I am very happy that she gets to enjoy this new chapter of her life,” says Ms. Spriggs. “She has truly earned this. She has worked very hard and selflessly, and I will miss her. I am looking forward to her flourishing in her life.”
