School back in session at Ewell Elementary

Smith Island, Md. — Ewell Elementary School on Smith Island was a staple of the community before it’s closure in 2023– but a new group of students have walked through its doors for the start of the 2026-2027 school year.

Ewell was the longtime educational home of generations of young Smith Islanders from 1961 until 2023. But with only one student tentativly enrolled at the start of the 2023 school year, the school closed down. Now, eleven new students are getting their education on home soil.

“This school means everything to our community,” said Jennifer Miller, a Smith Island resident and assistant teacher at Ewell.

When it closed in 2023 – the only options for public schooling were on the mainland – only accessible by boat. And for the younger children, the options were limited.

“If the school would not have opened, we would have had to make the decision to homeschool or transport them by boat,” said Leslie Marsh, a parent of a Ewell student and a paraprofessional at the school. 

So, with some additional local children ready for school – the community came together and petitioned the Somerset County school board – and were quickly approved to re-open Ewell.

“We would email the Board of Education, and they were very cooperative with us. And then we went over for Board of Ed meetings and stuff like that,” Marsh said. “We would take a boat over back and forth and everything between month after month. Everything played the way it was supposed to. And when we got the message, we all were very excited.”

“We were surprised that it happened so quickly, but we were all very happy about it and the community came together with a lot of strong support,” said Sommer Derickson, the school’s lead teacher.

Four of Derickson’s five children are enrolled in the school, and she said they’re growing to cherish the community they’re building.

The school re-opening also had benefits for educational professionals like Miller, who used to have to take a two hour boat ride to work every day. Now, work is five houses down the street.

Derickson said the community has been incredibly supportive throughout the school re-opening process.

“Our classroom looks very beautiful. Probably 90% of this is community donations. We put together a gift list and it was filled within two or three days,” Derickson said.

And with 11 students of varying grade levels, each student gets plenty of attention with their individual educational needs.

Derickson said that the staff are putting a puzzle together everyday to give the students what they need – as they have three pre-K students, two kindergarteners, two first graders, a second grader, and a fourth, fifth and sixth grader.

The re-opened of Ewell Elementary School is more than just a place to learn – it’s a way to carry on the traditions of the community. That’s especially true for Marsh – who’s child now attends the same school she grew up in.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know that my child will have the same childhood that I do. And that’s pretty special,” Marsh said. “Not every parent gets to be with their child in school and stuff like that. And I feel very, very privileged. And I thank the Lord every day that we are back open.”