Help Welcome Ms. Nash

Meet Ms.Nash, the new administrator at Oakland Mills who just moved here from Seattle, Washington this summer. She moved to the east coast to be closer to her twin sister and her nieces. Even though she is still getting used to how the school works and the systems we use in Howard County, she doesn’t show it because she understands her duties as an administrator well. What exactly is the role of an administrator? Well, according to Ms. Nash, she “observes and supports teachers and staff members,” she facilitates the busing process that takes us to and from school, she “creates and sustains equitable practices,”and she oversees the special education team and after school intervention programs, such as credit recovery and the academic intervention program.

Ms. Nash didn’t know much about Oakland Mills before she arrived, so she came with an open mind. Ms. Nash likes OM’s diversity and says she’s “excited to be here [since] that it isn’t like a homogeneous status … appreciates and values/ prefers those settings’ “. Ms. Nash likes that the student population has been very welcoming by saying hello and asking if she’s new. So far, Ms. Nash has learned that relationships are valued “because a lot of times when people don’t know you, they don’t really say ‘hi’ or nod.” Ms. Nash knows “that in a couple of month’s if she’s consistent, we will warm up to her…as well as [show] her the OM spirit.” Even though OM has amazing spirit, everyone knows that it is not perfect. When asked about what she would change about OM, Ms. Nash said that her current goal for this school is to focus on getting better every day.
Before she decided to come to Maryland, she did have other jobs including a middle school principal “in Kent School District in Washington State” where she worked for six years. She was also a high assistant principal for two years, a special education teacher, but one of her favorite jobs was a “high school athletic director.” Outside of education, Ms. Nash worked as a server during college.
Speaking of college, Ms. Nash went to Albany state university in Albany, GA on a volleyball scholarship, in addition she attended Chapman College in California earning her Bachelor’s degree in Social Science. She then attended University of Phoenix for her Master’s degree in Special Education, which led her to attend Northern Arizona University where she earned a Master’s in Educational Leadership. Ms. Nash didn’t always start out thinking she wanted to be a teacher; she originally wanted to be a “social worker or a probation officer,” she recalls. She realized when she was a substitute teacher that “young people gravitate toward her.” Ms. Nash then became a teacher and coach which is when she discovered that she liked making a difference in young people’s lives because “It was gratifying.”
Like any other person, Ms. Nash does have a life outside of school., She said some of the things she likes to do is boating, hanging out with friends, and eating good food. Ms. Nash even said she was a bit of a “foodie.” As for traveling, she likes tropical places so she’s hoping to be going to Hawaii or Jamaica in the near future.
Ms. Nash played three sports in high school: volleyball, basketball, and track. She then played NCAA division II volleyball at an HBCU in Georgia. Her tip to our Oakland Mills volleyball players is to continue to work hard, to watch footage of your games, and to see your mistakes and fix them in the future.
She wanted to tell the students of Oakland MIlls that she is “super excited to be here, and to make sure to introduce yourself and say hello!” You can find Ms. Nash walking around the school on Tuesdays, which is one of her days to stay out of the office and provide support to the building. Welcome hOMe, Ms. Nash!