This fall, Mt. Hebron welcomed Dr. Joelle Miller as the new principal, following Dr. Drew Cockley, who is now Principal of Bonnie Branch Middle School. 

In 2015, Dr. Miller left Centennial High School, where she served as Assistant Principal, and transferred to Clarksville Middle School as Principal. She will be starting her 21st year in education this year, and has expressed her excitement to work with Mt. Hebron’s community.

“It is wonderful to celebrate our students, and I’d like to do so at every opportunity,” Dr. Miller said.

Before realizing her passion for education, Dr. Miller explored journalism, law, and veterinary science.

After her schooling, Dr. Miller came to Maryland as a student observer of an anatomy class, where she found herself teaching the students her own methods. Her experiences from the class inspired her to venture into the education field at Albert Einstein High School, teaching science.  She subsequently transferred to Howard County, where she taught at River Hill High School before moving to administrative positions at Centennial and Clarksville. In 2015, she achieved her goal of getting her doctorate degree in education.

Dr. Miller is quickly bringing change to Mt. Hebron. In an effort to increase communication between students, parents and faculty, she will begin posting a series of bi-weekly newsletters that can be found on the school website and through email.

She also has implemented a variety of new policies to help ensure our safety and improve overall focus throughout the school day. For example, she has introduced new cell phone and hallway pass policies that limit device use during class time and reduce absences and tardiness.

In alignment with these new procedures, Dr. Miller has expressed that her hope for the Mt. Hebron staff is to “challenge, but not overwhelm” students, she said, in order to push them to reach their full potential.

In her introduction letter to parents and guardians, Dr. Miller expressed, “Our goal is to provide an engaging positive school climate for your child while graduating them College and Career ready. While rigor and performance are important, our focus is also on their well being.”

Mt. Hebron has embraced Dr. Miller and her fresh perspective, particularly her willingness to go the extra mile for the school community.

“I love her,” said Special Education teacher Ms. Jerdine Nolen. “She is so approachable, she listens well, and she cares.”

“She is very supportive, and she comes to a lot of our games,” sophomore Adriana Davis said. “She just came to our last volleyball game at Atholton and was cheering us on.”

The staff and student body are thrilled to have Dr. Miller join the Viking family.