Scorpion Speaker Series
OMO's Scorpion Speaker Series connects the leaders of today with the leaders of tomorrow.
On Fridays, inspiring community members come to Oakland Mills High School to share their life, work, and experiences with students and staff. These presentations and conversations connect people, building appreciation and empathy, and inspiring others. If you see it, you can be it.
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We KNOW we can learn from one another.
We KNOW we can grow from each other's stories. We KNOW we all can be leaders by offering our gifts and talents. |
Monthly themes:
September - Hispanic Heritage October - Homecoming and Local History November - Wellness (whole self and whole community) December - Disabilities Awareness January - Collegiate Life February - Black History March - Women's History April - Arab & Asian Culture May - Poetry June - Pride Vertical Divider
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Past Sessions
2021-2022
Hispanic Heritage:
September 17- My Hispanic Heritage: Amber Drenner, UnitedWay
October 1- Hispanic Heritage Panel Discussion: Students and Staff reflect on their identities as Hispanic Americans and discuss the immigrant experience
Homecoming and Local History:
October 8- Knowing our History: Former OMHS educator and founder of Alpha Achievers, Vincent James, will share the stories of amazing OMHS students who have made a difference in the world.
October 22- Where are They Now?: Hear from various OMHS Alumni about their journey after graduating from high school.
October 29- A Vision for OMHS- former principal, Frank Eastham, and current principal, Jeff Fink, will share how they were tasked with empowering staff and students after difficult times and what they know is true about the scorpion spirit!
Whole School Wellness:
November 5 - State's Attorney Rich Gibson and Police Lieutenant Ehart explain the Howard County LEAD Program and its purpose of restoring citizens and the community. The goal of the LEAD program is to improve public health and public safety by reducing future harm and criminal behavior caused by individuals engaged in crimes related to unmet behavioral health needs. Learn more about the LEAD Program
November 12 - Teen Mental Health Corrine Heilinger, LCPC, and Barbie Lewis-Johnson, LCSW-C, will share insights from their practices working with stressed-out teens and will demonstrate ways to stay grounded and calm when life gets messy.
Disability Awareness Month (ASL, ALS, AFB):
December 10 - American Sign Language expert (and OMO administrator) Jessie Patterson and other members of the deaf community will talk about life with cochlear implants, signing, and lip reading as they navigate a hearing world
December 17- POSTPONED due to COVID - Jenn Lavanish, Artist and OMHS parent, and others will share their experiences as people who are legally blind
Black History Month:
February 18 - John Milton Wesley returns to the Speaker Series to share stories from his life including his personal connection to the Emmett Till case and his life as a musician, author, and activist. He's the former Housing Discrimination Investigator for HC's Office of Human Rights and currently works in the Office of Equity and Civil Rights.
Women's History Month:
March 11 - Unique Careers: featuring Diana Vogel, Zookeeper at National Zoo, and Antonia Watts, former Crash and Safety Engineer and current HCPSS Board of Ed member
March 18 - Women Making History by Leading with Love: Charmaine Heard will profile bell hooks, Valarie Kaur, and Katherine Woodward-Thomas
March 25 - Women in Corrections and FBI: featuring Jama Acuff, Director of HoCo Detention Center; Glennor Shirley, former MD Prison Librarian; Kim Howell, FBI Data Analyst; and Special Agent Carleen Emery
National Poetry Month:
Rescheduled to May - Poetry Assembly, Writing Workshop, Poetry Slam
Arab-American and Asian-American History Month:
May 13 - Arab-American Experience Panel Discussion featuring Laila El-Haddad, Palestinian-American cookbook author and journalist; Yassin Daoud, Palestinian-American Ophthalmologist; Eman Abdelmegid; and Assmaa El-Haggan, Egyptian-American educator
May 27 - Asian-American Experience Panel Discussion featuring Jennie Kwon, owner of Blowfish Poke Bowl, and Ying Matties, founder of CARY
Pride Month:
June 10 - Celebrating Pride in 2022 with Byron MacFarlane, Register of Wills and first openly-gay elected official in Howard County
June 10 - Creating Outdoor Spaces (and Celebrating the new OMHS Outdoor Classroom) featuring Amy Brooks, OMHS teacher and Outdoor Classroom organizer; Freddie Striano, OMHS grad and cofounder of Upcycled; Erica Jones and Theresa Taylor of CEI; and other farmers and outdoor enthusiasts
2021-2022
Hispanic Heritage:
September 17- My Hispanic Heritage: Amber Drenner, UnitedWay
October 1- Hispanic Heritage Panel Discussion: Students and Staff reflect on their identities as Hispanic Americans and discuss the immigrant experience
Homecoming and Local History:
October 8- Knowing our History: Former OMHS educator and founder of Alpha Achievers, Vincent James, will share the stories of amazing OMHS students who have made a difference in the world.
October 22- Where are They Now?: Hear from various OMHS Alumni about their journey after graduating from high school.
October 29- A Vision for OMHS- former principal, Frank Eastham, and current principal, Jeff Fink, will share how they were tasked with empowering staff and students after difficult times and what they know is true about the scorpion spirit!
Whole School Wellness:
November 5 - State's Attorney Rich Gibson and Police Lieutenant Ehart explain the Howard County LEAD Program and its purpose of restoring citizens and the community. The goal of the LEAD program is to improve public health and public safety by reducing future harm and criminal behavior caused by individuals engaged in crimes related to unmet behavioral health needs. Learn more about the LEAD Program
November 12 - Teen Mental Health Corrine Heilinger, LCPC, and Barbie Lewis-Johnson, LCSW-C, will share insights from their practices working with stressed-out teens and will demonstrate ways to stay grounded and calm when life gets messy.
Disability Awareness Month (ASL, ALS, AFB):
December 10 - American Sign Language expert (and OMO administrator) Jessie Patterson and other members of the deaf community will talk about life with cochlear implants, signing, and lip reading as they navigate a hearing world
December 17- POSTPONED due to COVID - Jenn Lavanish, Artist and OMHS parent, and others will share their experiences as people who are legally blind
Black History Month:
February 18 - John Milton Wesley returns to the Speaker Series to share stories from his life including his personal connection to the Emmett Till case and his life as a musician, author, and activist. He's the former Housing Discrimination Investigator for HC's Office of Human Rights and currently works in the Office of Equity and Civil Rights.
Women's History Month:
March 11 - Unique Careers: featuring Diana Vogel, Zookeeper at National Zoo, and Antonia Watts, former Crash and Safety Engineer and current HCPSS Board of Ed member
March 18 - Women Making History by Leading with Love: Charmaine Heard will profile bell hooks, Valarie Kaur, and Katherine Woodward-Thomas
March 25 - Women in Corrections and FBI: featuring Jama Acuff, Director of HoCo Detention Center; Glennor Shirley, former MD Prison Librarian; Kim Howell, FBI Data Analyst; and Special Agent Carleen Emery
National Poetry Month:
Rescheduled to May - Poetry Assembly, Writing Workshop, Poetry Slam
Arab-American and Asian-American History Month:
May 13 - Arab-American Experience Panel Discussion featuring Laila El-Haddad, Palestinian-American cookbook author and journalist; Yassin Daoud, Palestinian-American Ophthalmologist; Eman Abdelmegid; and Assmaa El-Haggan, Egyptian-American educator
May 27 - Asian-American Experience Panel Discussion featuring Jennie Kwon, owner of Blowfish Poke Bowl, and Ying Matties, founder of CARY
Pride Month:
June 10 - Celebrating Pride in 2022 with Byron MacFarlane, Register of Wills and first openly-gay elected official in Howard County
June 10 - Creating Outdoor Spaces (and Celebrating the new OMHS Outdoor Classroom) featuring Amy Brooks, OMHS teacher and Outdoor Classroom organizer; Freddie Striano, OMHS grad and cofounder of Upcycled; Erica Jones and Theresa Taylor of CEI; and other farmers and outdoor enthusiasts
History:
In her role as a high school English teacher, Amy first created the Scorpion Speaker Series in 2019 as a way to connect students with leaders in our community. Each Friday, volunteers came to Oakland Mills High School to share their experiences with the students and staff in a "small" group (think 100+ students/staff) space.
The Scorpion Speaker Series was the inspiration for OMO--when school buildings closed on March 13, 2020, Amy wanted to give students a chance to still listen and talk with the amazing community members she had lined up. This led to her connecting to Jessica about how to take SSS online, and make it more accessible to all ages, which then led to the creation of eight sessions a day five days a week. OMO quickly became a place of connection during COVID isolation.
In her role as a high school English teacher, Amy first created the Scorpion Speaker Series in 2019 as a way to connect students with leaders in our community. Each Friday, volunteers came to Oakland Mills High School to share their experiences with the students and staff in a "small" group (think 100+ students/staff) space.
The Scorpion Speaker Series was the inspiration for OMO--when school buildings closed on March 13, 2020, Amy wanted to give students a chance to still listen and talk with the amazing community members she had lined up. This led to her connecting to Jessica about how to take SSS online, and make it more accessible to all ages, which then led to the creation of eight sessions a day five days a week. OMO quickly became a place of connection during COVID isolation.
Session Start times: 10:25, 10:45, 11:15, 11:45
Location: OMHS Media Center
Note: COVID safety protocols have been removed. Community member who would like to attend must check in at the OMHS front office about 10 minutes prior to the session start time. More information from HCPSS