Naomi Franzblau

Dulaney High School (DHS) welcomes a new administrator this year, Cate Smith. Smith agrees to a one-on-one interview to introduce herself to all DHS students. 

Although Smith is new to DHS, she is a veteran BCPS educator; however, this was not always Smith’s intended path. 

Smith studied psychology at the Notre Dame University of Maryland (NDMU), but midway through, she reignited her passion for English and switched majors. After a short stint with the NDMU admissions office, Smith was encouraged to apply to BCPS.

“At that point, Baltimore County Public Schools was hiring people who had an English content certification but didn’t have a teaching [certificate]. So [for] my first year of teaching, I had no teaching experience. I didn’t benefit from a student teaching internship, and I hadn’t even taught a single class on how to teach,” says Smith.

After years of teaching English at Kenwood High School, Smith transitioned to administration at Landsdowne High School. Now as a DHS administrator, Smith works with ninth-graders, handling attendance, standardized testing and streamlining communication between parents and administrators. Smith observed gaps in parents’ and students’ knowledge on issues such as calculating grade point averages, fulfilling credits and other essential information about navigating Dulaney. 

Outside of DHS, Smith has two children: a high school freshman and a fifth-grader. She never resists reading a good novel. 

“I am a trashy romance novel reader because they’re so easy, and I just like reading. But I will throw in something like off the New York Times bestseller every once in a while. Back in the day, when Oprah Winfrey was a big deal, she used to do her [like] book list, and I loved reading through her book list suggestion,” says Smith. 

A self-described “happy, ridiculous and caring person,” Smith is always available to help. She encourages students to drop by her office between rooms 211 and 212. 

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