Every year we see a few new additions additions to our Oakland Mills family, and in order to give them a warm welcome we sat down to talk to them about who they are, and what they think of the O.M community. This year, one of the new faces you’ll be seeing around the building is Ms. Marlee Slaughter.  

Ms. Slaughter was a student here at the Mill in the class of 2019 and is excited to see her old school just how she left it. She described it as still the tight knit, inclusive, and welcoming community that she remembers, or in her words, “Everyone knows everyone. I just love the community feel, and how nobody is left out”. She began her enjoyment in being paraeducator while working at a summer camp within an “access to nature” program that brought kids with special needs to nature. Before coming back to Oakland Mills as a special ed paraeducator, she started her career in education at Waterloo Elementary as a student assistant where she discovered her love for seeing her kids excel. Ms. Slaughter said, “The small little milestones they make are super impactful to their success and their mindset of having a good experience at school”. She enjoys the infectious happiness of her students who’ve reached a goal, and can’t help but get excited at their victories and triumphs.  

She can be found around the building  almost any time of day taking her kids from class to class, keeping her on her toes and ready to lend a hand to those who need it. Ms. Slaughter hopes to grow her knowledge alongside her students as an educator and when all is said and done she wanted to let the whole O.M community know that no matter where the came from or where they went to school that they can make an impact in their community. Welcome back to the Mill, Ms Slaughter! We can’t wait to see you settle into your new hOMe!