Humans of Blair: Basketball, bonds, and balancing relationships

Ms. Warner and the blair basketball team

Photo: Ms. Warner and the Blair basketball team

Ms. Warner and the Blair basketball team Photo courtesy of Silvan Unger.

“I am at my core a relationship person” 

Warner uses her relationship skills to learn from and make an impact on those around her. She joined the Blair staff four years ago. New to Blair but not to MCPS she decided to let the people around her guide her to her niche within the large Blair community. Her impact and passion were tangible, and she quickly became integral to students’ and staff’s lives.

Warner grew up in MCPS and attended Magruder High School. She fell in love with basketball at nine years old and has been smitten ever since. Basketball introduced her to the power of relationships and how she can benefit from them while helping others. After three torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) she stopped playing but still loved the sport. “Coaching is how I stay connected,” she says. She now runs a three to four-week sleep-away basketball camp and is Blair's girls’ junior varsity (JV) basketball coach. 

Warner came to Blair mid-pandemic and became a teacher to rely on. She developed bonds over Zoom and went above and beyond. She not only became an athletics coach but also a sponsor for the yearbook. Her philosophy is to let the people around her take her to the right place. “If it’s a good space to be, I’ll try it,” she says. 

Once she is in the zone she makes her impact. Providing advice and support to stimulate a growth mindset is her strength. Whether it is yearbook, basketball, or world history Warner always encourages others to see the people around them as humans first. “I have been very consistent at getting to know students at a personal level and second comes the coaching, second comes whatever else. Once you have built relationships with people, everything comes easily,” she says.