Our Commitment
The Mallard Strong Task Force was formed in March of 2020 to provide support and guidance to enable Worcester Preparatory School to open with in person instruction for the fall of 2020. To that end, WPS has successfully been open ever since.
The committee met routinely of the past two years, and although it has not been disbanded, we are no longer meeting on a regular basis as we have returned to a sense of normalcy.
We thank all of those who gave up their time to be part of this committee and are extremely proud of the leadership they provided during the pandemic.
Task Force Members
Dr. John McDonald | Chair | Head of School | Parent of Alumni
Julia Alison | Faculty Member
Allison Bescak | Faculty Member | Parent of Alumni
Paul Cyryca | Faculty Member
Julia Alison | Faculty Member
Allison Bescak | Faculty Member | Parent of Alumni
Paul Cyryca | Faculty Member
Victoria Garner | Director of College Counseling
Matt Giardina | Board of Trustees Representative | Current Parent - grades 3 and 6
Matt Giardina | Board of Trustees Representative | Current Parent - grades 3 and 6
Steve Green | Board of Trustees Representative | Alumni
Mike Grosso | Assistant Head of School and Head of Upper School | Parent of Alumni
Abby Harrison | Faculty Member | Current Parent - grades kindergarten and 3
Abby Harrison | Faculty Member | Current Parent - grades kindergarten and 3
Betsy Hornung | Director of Enrollment & Finance | Current Parent – grades 2 and 5
Matt McGinnis | Director of Athletics
Mitch Parker | Board of Trustees Representative | Parent of Alumni
Anne Regan, RN | School Nurse | Parent of Alumni
Anne Regan, RN | School Nurse | Parent of Alumni
Dr. Sara Timmons | Head of Lower School | Current Parent – grades 6 and 9
Megan Wallace | Head of Middle School | Parent of Alumni and Current Parent – grade 12
Additional Consulting with:
Worcester County Health Department
Layton Bussing
Task Force Committees
Communication
The Communication Committee will work to create concise communication updates for the school community to be released bi-weekly, while also working across sub-committees to plan and craft responses to accompany a variety of scenarios related to school re-opening.
Transportation
The Transportation Committee is working on developing positive strategies in regard to WPS school transportation needs, including procedures for pick-up and drop-off. The committee will work in partnership with Dutton Bus Service and facilitate open dialogues about best practices and guidelines when it comes to school re-opening and the transportation needs of Worcester Prep.
Health & Safety
The Health and Safety committee will develop evidence based protocols to optimize the health of the students, faculty and staff of Worcester Prep. Committee goals will include continuously collecting and evaluating the most up-to-date health and safety information and using it to inform decisions about all school procedures.
Building & Grounds
The Building and Grounds Committee will monitor and implement the most up-to-date safety, infection control, and cleaning protocols recommended by experts including the Centers for Disease Control and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Scheduling, Curriculum & Continuous Learning
The Scheduling and Curriculum Committee will build schedules and employ protocol for the school day that take into consideration the health, safety, productivity of our teacher and students and also create the best learning environment to support our curriculum. Additionally, the committee will research curriculum best practices within this framework.
Co-Curricular
The Co-Curricular committee will work as an off-shoot of the Scheduling Committee to create protocol and procedures as related to sports, extra-curricular activities and student electives. This committee will also provide recommendations on activities taking place off campus, such as field trips.
Governance
Worcester Preparatory School is committed to working with our peers, and state and local agencies to re-open school observing regulations and best practices to ensure that we are providing the safest environment for our faculty, staff and students. Below is more information on the agencies and organizations that we are communicating with during this process. While we are bound by Governor Larry Hogan’s Executive Orders, we are not obligated to comply with the recommendations of other agencies. However given the seriousness of the current public health crisis, we will examine and consider the recommendations provided by the agencies listed below as we craft our plan to reopen in good faith.
Worcester Preparatory School
508 South Main Street, Berlin, MD 21811
Phone: 410-641-3575 | Fax: 410-641-3586
Celebrating 50 years, WPS is an independent, college prep day school for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 students. Located in Berlin, Maryland, the private school attracts an average of 500 students from Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.
