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After two years at the helm of Broadneck High School (BHS), Patrick Gelinas announced in July that he was leaving his post as principal for a new role within the Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) system. The Board of Education approved Gelinas’ appointment as director of safe and orderly schools for the district, leaving the Bruins in search of a principal as a new academic year approached.
Later in July, Gelinas issued a second announcement to BHS families and employees: A new principal had been named, and she was someone intimately familiar with the Bruin community. Katherine “Katie” Smith graduated from Broadneck in 1997, and after 23 years serving as an educator and administrator within AACPS, she returned to her alma mater as its new principal in August.
As she settled into her new role and her new office, Smith shared that she is proud to return to BHS, where she will serve the community she has long called home. Though her career has taken her far, she still lives in Cape St. Claire on the same street where she was raised. Her parents still reside on that street, too.
As a child, Smith attended Cape St. Claire Elementary, Magothy Middle, Severn River Junior High, and Broadneck High schools.
Smith emphasized that Broadneck has a rich history. “The traditions are still going, but we remember them and want to make sure that they keep going, because my experience here was so storybook, everything that you want for your own child: Good friends, I played three sports all four years, we had team dinners, I was also … class officer,” she said, painting an idyllic picture that included homecoming floats and spirit events. “That experience I feel like doesn’t exist everywhere, and they still have that.”
Smith knows this in part because her elder son graduated from Broadneck in 2024, and her younger son is a sophomore there this year.
Though her mom was a teacher, education was not in Smith’s initial career plans. Instead, she earned her undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she played lacrosse. However, she soon discovered interviewing and driving into Washington, D.C. were not for her and pivoted to the job that was in her DNA.
Smith became certified to teach within a year, then earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Notre Dame, and ultimately got certified to be an administrator as well.
She first taught social studies at Southern High School, where she coached lacrosse and soccer, before moving to Severna Park High School for eight years to teach AP economics and U.S. government. She was then promoted to assistant principal at Magothy River Middle School, and most recently served as assistant principal for three years and principal for five years at Wiley H. Bates Middle School.
“It was very hard to say goodbye to them, but this is also an amazing opportunity to be here,” she said of leaving Bates. Smith shared that there was something special about that school that can’t be recreated elsewhere, stemming from the uniqueness of being an Apex Arts school.
Reflecting on her five years as principal at Bates — the first of which was largely spent navigating the challenges of COVID protocols and remote learning — Smith said her favorite thing that transpired under her leadership was The Bates Story Project.
As students returned to the classroom following the pandemic, some struggled to make connections. So, the school created a project for students and staff alike to share about who they were through an art form, ranging from collage to spoken word. The school received a grant that enabled the staff to hire someone to create a documentary featuring the students and their projects, and it was played for the whole Bates community.
The students not only got to illustrate who they were, but they also were encouraged to find someone with whom they felt a connection.
“It changed the whole culture of our school,” Smith recalled. “Discipline dropped 30% — people had a little bit more empathy, or stopped before they reacted to say, ‘Maybe they’re just having a bad day.’”
Returning to Broadneck, Smith underscored that the school has a strong staff, many of whom are alumni like herself. She does, however, have one goal for the Bruins on her mind already.
“I would like to be a five-star school. That is the ultimate goal,” she said. “So, I plan on getting in classrooms and seeing the instruction, and just working with everyone to figure out — how can we make those little improvements to reach that better report card? But I have a lot to learn first. I’m not coming in and just changing everything; clearly they function really well.”
For the academic year 2023-2024, 11 AACPS schools received a five-star rating; 10 were elementary schools, and the 11th was Chesapeake Science Point, a multi-level charter school. BHS received a four-star rating.
Back in a high school setting, Smith said she is looking forward to watching students celebrate special milestones, including applying to and being accepted to colleges, attending prom, and more.
Smith is married, and in addition to her two sons, has two stepdaughters. When she is not working or cheering her boys on in lacrosse – the younger as a Bruin, and the older at Virginia Military Institute – she enjoys running, whipping up homemade fig jam, and being out on the water in their boat.
As he departed, Gelinas shared his confidence in Smith’s leadership at Broadneck, writing, “Mrs. Smith is a passionate and dedicated educator whose experience at the secondary level will make her an outstanding leader for our amazing staff, students, and community. The fact that she is a Bruin and grew up in the Broadneck family is an incredible added plus.”
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