Lake High School

No one who knew Dr. Lawrence Hoyer was surprised to hear he tried to break up a fight yesterday.As a biology teacher at Wilde Lake High School and head of the Columbia school's science department, Hoyer was known for jumping in to help out wherever there was a need."

LORI AND TONY DENG, of Wilde Lake, were expecting a good deal of excitement last week during their family's trip to New York to celebrate the Chinese New Year.They got more than they'd planned when daughter Amanda, 3, and son Michael, 5, became substitutes for two local children scheduled to ride atop a float honoring Chinese-American schools in the city's traditional parade.The family was visiting Mr. Deng's parents, who teach Chinese language and culture at a school for Chinese-American children, Mrs. Deng said.

SOMETHING HORRIBLE happened at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia last year and it has cast a shadow over an institution that doesn't deserve it.A female Muslim student was harassed on two occasions with threatening letters, one taped to the inside of her locked locker and the other left for her in the school's office mailbox.The messages referred to last spring's bombing in Oklahoma City, made a derogatory reference about Middle Easterners and expressed the desire for Muslims to "die" or "rot in hell."

POLICE LOG* Wilde Lake: 5400 block of Trumpeter Road: A fence was cut and a trailer door was pried open at the Wilde Lake High School construction site early Friday, police said.

25 Years Ago (week of Jan. 18-24, 1970)* Administrative action was planned against the principal of Wilde Lake High School for allegedly striking a 13-year-old boy in the face. An apology was made to the boy's parents, who were assured that the incident was not condoned by the schoolsystem.* General Electric announced that the opening of the first three buildings in the 1,100-acre Appliance Park East would be delayed three months.50 Years Ago (Week of Jan. 21-27, 1945):* A committee composed of various Ellicott City civic leaders met with the county commissioners to organize a Howard County Sanitary Commission.

The four state football championships. The 174-41 career record. The still youthful face. The warm grin. The thick yellow hair that glistens when the sun hits it.It's no wonder that some people call Wilde Lake football coach Doug DuVall "The Golden Boy."He looks the part. And almost every team he coaches produces to its maximum.He needs that golden touch now more than ever. He faces one of his greatest challenges in 21 seasons.Doubt about Wilde Lake's invincibility is the first hurdle; graduation of key players is another; and practice conditions that no coaching staff should have to endure is the third hurdle.

Howard County Superintendent Michael E. Hickey is a lucky man. He's about to get a 3 percent pay raise that will boost his annual salary to $115,750, almost even with the Baltimore County superintendent's salary and just shy of what Baltimore City's school chief earns. The latter two both command school systems with substantially larger student populations than Howard's, and with more intense social problems.But that should in no way imply that Dr. Hickey's job can be underestimated. As the head of one of the state's best school systems, Dr. Hickey has faced considerable challenges in his 12 years as superintendent, not the least of which is to maintain the level of excellence that Howard County has come to expect.

There was a town meeting last Wednesday night, featuring top administrators of the Howard County school system at Wilde Lake High School, sponsored by the school's Parent-Teacher-Student Association. Parental concern for my child who attends Wilde Lake and for another who's in the Wilde Lake elementary feeder system assured my attendance.The stated purpose of the meeting was to allow Superintendent Michael E. Hickey and others who are structuring the future of the school system, and the Wilde Lake district in particular, to outline their programs, presumeably with the intention of easing the concerns of some parents.

For Wilde Lake's rookie volleyball coach Kelli Rosati, the Wildecats can do no worse than last season.After a disastrous 0-15 campaign a year ago, Rosati spent much of this preseason instilling a new winning attitude into her players."

Stability might be the best thing going for Wilde Lake's hockey team.For the first time in four years, the Wildecats do not have a new coach. Not only does Karen Doerrler return for her second season, she brings back 10 starters.Although they made it to the first round of the Class 1A regional playoffs, the Wildecats struggled last season. They posted a 2-10 finish, winning just one game against Howard County opponents, and ended up last in the league.A lack of experience hurt the offense as the Wildecats managed just 10 goals.