Teachers come from far and wide to teach at Watkins Mill and their children rarely attend here, but for IB Coordinator Lisa Ingram, distance is a challenge she is willing to face.

Lisa and her daughter, sophomore Vivian Ingram, live in West Virginia, but choose to work and attend school at Watkins Mill. Lisa has been working at the Mill since its opening in 1989. “I feel it’s less troublesome because I have so much more trust,” Lisa said. Lisa sent her daughter to Watkins Mill for the quality of its instruction program.

“It was really different to see [so much diversity]… I wasn’t expecting to be accepted,” Vivian said. Vivian used to attend school in her home state and started attending Watkins Mill during November of 2018. Because she lives so far away, she has an hour-and-a-half commute to and from school.

Before attending school in Maryland, the pair had to get approval at a county level for Vivian to attend school here since she lives in another state. They also figured out the pros and cons of staying at her original school versus attending Watkins Mill. Lisa made an application and went through a process to bring her here as a tuition paying student.

Lisa was pleased with how the students welcomed her daughter when she first arrived here. “I was a mixture of happy and relieved and extremely pleased overall,” Lisa added. Vivian participates in extracurricular activities such as being in the pit crew for theater, jazz band, and the swim team.

“At first, it was scary for teachers to see me as Mrs. Ingram’s daughter, but it was a lot easier to be seen as myself,” Vivian added.

Overall, Vivian has enjoyed her time here as a student at Watkins Mill. “The big difference [between her old school and Watkins Mill] is the acceptance and the amount of care that everyone has for each other,” Vivian added.