MARDELA SPRINGS, Md. — School is almost out, but before students head home for the summer, one Wicomico County community is celebrating a major milestone.
Mardela Middle and High School unveiled its newly renovated, and expanded facility on Wednesday.
Principal Liza Hastings knows the building better than most. She graduated from Mardela in 1992 and returned years later to lead it.
"I graduated in 1992. I was actually the SGA president when I left. And so now coming back as principal, I'm just so proud," Hastings said. "There's really no other school like it. And so to be able to come back all these years later and see that even though the physical layout has changed the dynamics of the community, the support, the dedication of the staff, none of that has changed."
For students, the difference is hard to miss. Some spent part of their high school years in portable buildings, learning alongside the noise of construction. Now they say it feels like a completely different place.
Student Thomas Reader says the new space has already made an impression.
"It feels really nice. It was really intimidating, especially when I was so young, not knowing where to go," Reader said. "I'm very excited [for] this new band room, [it] lets us have storage for everywhere that we need. We have a stage that we can perform on."
Freshman Cayden Lane says the new building has made being a student athlete at Mardela even better — with upgraded fields, facilities and gymnasiums to match the new classrooms.
"Being a student athlete here at Mardela is fantastic," Lane said. "You come here to get your work done, hopefully get straight A's and then go to practice with these top of the line fields and facilities and then go do your best at sports."
Not all of the upgrades are visible — and Hastings says that's the point. The renovation included new and improved security features throughout the building.
"We have safe space now…the building is locked down at all times. Lots of cameras in the building. So, I feel very confident that I can say that our students and staff are safe," Hastings said.
The school also added a second gymnasium and a new media room.
The results speak for themselves. In the school's first year inside the new building, students broke academic and attendance records — including the highest GPA Mardela has seen in five years.
