Guilford Park High School
HCPSS’ 13th high school
Welcome to Guilford Park High School! We are excited and committed to build our new school community together! This site is designed to be an informational resource as we open our brand new school.
8500 Ridgelys Run Road
Jessup, MD 20794
Office Phone: (410) 313–7430
Jump to: Meet the Administrators | About the School | Quick Facts | Podcast | Environmental Features | Athletics | News
Meet the Administrators
Josh Wasilewski, Principal
Principal Josh Wasilewski has been with the Howard County Public School system for 21 years, having served as a teacher at Mayfield Woods Middle School, Assistant Principal at Patuxent Valley and Wilde Lake middle schools, and Principal at Murray Hill Middle School and Long Reach High School before being named Principal of Guilford Park High School in July 2022.
Wasilewski has a commitment and passion to provide all students with the opportunities, resources, and skills needed to excel in a dynamic world. Critical to this vision is creating a culture centered on equity, cultural responsiveness, high quality instruction and engagement of all members of our school community.
Principal Wasilewski was named HCPSS Principal of the Year in 2019.
Adrienne Williams, Assistant Principal
Adrienne_Williams@hcpss.org
Assistant Principal Adrienne Williams has been in education for 30 years and was an original staff member at Long Reach High School. From there she became an Assistant Principal for Wilde Lake High School, Long Reach High School, River Hill High School, Atholton High School and now Guilford Park High School.
She loves the role of Assistant Principal as it allows her to mentor students and staff, impact school leadership and still have some time for family and friends. She is very excited about the opening of Guilford Park High School where she can build relationships that foster growth and leadership.
Samantha Filipiak, Assistant Principal
Samantha_Filipiak@hcpss.org
Ms. Filipiak has served as an English teacher at Hammond High School for the past 14 years. She is passionate about engaging with students and empowering them to recognize their potential and achieve their goals. While at Hammond, she served as the yearbook advisor and 9th Grade Instructional Team Leader, and she was named the Class of 2022 Senior Teacher of the Year. Ms. Filipiak is currently working on her doctoral dissertation in Instructional Technology Ph.D. from Towson University. Ms. Filipiak is incredibly excited to meet the new students, staff and families at GPHS.
Cindy Jaksec,
Principal’s Secretary
Cynthia_Jaksec@hcpss.org
Michael Lerner,
Athletics and Activities Manager (AAM)
michael_lerner@hcpss.org
Patrick Saunderson,
Community Superintendent Area 1
Patrick_Saunderson@hcpss.org
Jolene Mosley,
Board of Education Representative
boe@hcpss.org
GPHS Leadership Team
The following HCPSS staff will be joining GPHS for the 2023-2024 school year. These staff will remain in place at their current school for the rest of this academic year.
Instructional Team Leadership
elizabeth_arbaugh@hcpss.org
Elizabeth Campbell Vidreiro, English
liz_campbell_vidreiro@hcpss.org
Douraine Donaldson, Math
douraine_donaldson@hcpss.org
Farah Jawhar, 9th Grade
farah_jawhar@hcpss.org
Eric Posner, Related Arts
eric_posner@hcpss.org
kim_wade@hcpss.org
David Klotz, Science
david_klotz@hcpss.org
Jessica White, Social Studies
jessica_white@hcpss.org
Janet Kim, Special Education
janet_kim@hcpss.org
Amber Burke, World Language
amber_burke@hcpss.org
About the School
HCPSS’ 13th high school is located on 8500 Ridgelys Run Road in Jessup, MD, and is the fourth adaptation of the current prototype high school design. Marriotts Ridge, Reservoir and Long Reach High Schools share the same design.
School Colors: Green and Blue
School Mascot: Panther
Construction Progress: Guilford Park High School is approximately 80% complete and is on track to be ready by August 2023. Read more information about the construction of the school.
Quick Facts and Features
42 acres
289,161 Gross Square Feet
40 general classrooms, including 10 flexible Science classrooms and three teaching spaces for Technology Education
579 parking spaces for cars and 33 bus parking spaces
Total capacity: 1,650 students in grades 9–12
Cafeteria capacity: 1,097
Inside HCPSS Podcast – Episode 2 – Opening a New School
In the second episode of the Inside HCPSS podcast, Principal Wasilewski and Assistant Principal Williams join HCPSS Superintendent Dr. Michael J. Martirano to discuss the work in preparing to open Guilford Park High School. Read a full transcript of their conversation →
Environmental Features
The school is set to achieve a minimum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) ‘Silver’ designation, making it an HCPSS “Green School.” A “Green” school is a building designed to conserve energy, water and materials, thus reducing negative impacts on human health and the environment.
Roof mounted solar photovoltaic panels will generate electricity and reduce the amount of power needed from the power company by 18%.
Rainwater will leave the site at the same rate as before the site was developed. Native plant species will be planted around the school so that irrigation is not required. Underground cisterns will gather the rainwater to reduce the rate of run-off and can also be used to irrigate the sports fields. Micro-bioretention areas have been built throughout the site to filter the impurities from the stormwater before it enters the local waterways.
LED lighting fixtures will be provided throughout the school—including the Stadium—and will include cut-off lights to reduce unwanted glare to the neighboring homes.
Dedicated recycling areas have been designed throughout both the exterior and interior of the school grounds to support the school’s recycling program.
All materials used to create this high school have been selected for their sustainability features. The paint and adhesives are low VOC which contributes to better indoor air quality. In addition, many of the building finishes, such as the flooring, paint, insulation, doors, windows, and cabinetry are locally sourced and made of recycled materials.
Athletics
Main gymnasium capacity: 2,139 people
Bleachers will accommodate 1,180 spectators
Auxiliary gym capacity: 737 people
Stadium capacity: 3,517 seats, making it the largest stadium in the County
Five acres of natural turf sports fields, including Softball, Baseball, Field Hockey, and multi-purpose fields. The Stadium includes track facilities and an artificial turf field. Additionally, the campus has six asphalt tennis courts and two and a half asphalt basketball courts.
Sports facilities include two gyms, a wrestling room and a fitness room with associated team and locker rooms.
General information on extracurricular opportunities for students attending Guilford Park High School can be found online.
Interested in building an athletic program at GPHS? Please contact our AAM, Michael Lerner, at (410) 313-7605, michael_lerner@hcpss.org. We are looking for strong, knowledgeable and dedicated coaches to help build the GPHS athletic program. GPHS will open the 2023-2024 school year with just 9th and 10th graders and start with JV sports, but we are looking for coaches who would like to grow with our programs.
Information for Students and Families
Redistricting Process for the 2023–2024 School Year (Finalized November 2022)
News About Guilford Park High School
HCPSS High School #13 is Now Guilford Park High School
Guilford Park High School is Howard County’s Newest High School
Staff Focus: Josh Wasilewski, Principal, New High School #13 November 28, 2022
Survey for Naming of High School #13 October 4, 2022
HCPSS Board of Education Selects Mission Road Site for High School #13 March 9, 2018
Social media
Twitter (@PrincipalWaz)
Instagram (@principalwaz)
