Montgomery Blair High School

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Montgomery Blair High School
Established	1925
Type	Public secondary
Principal	Phillip Gainous
Students	approx. 2,959
Grades	9-12
Location	51 University Boulevard East Silver Spring, Maryland USA
Oversight	Montgomery County Public Schools
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Red and white
Mascot	Blazer
Yearbook	Silverlogue
Newspaper	Silver Chips
Website	www.mbhs.edu

Montgomery Blair High School (most often simply known as Blair) is a public high school located in Silver Spring in unincorporated Montgomery County, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC.

The school serves several areas considered to be "Silver Spring" and the city of Takoma Park.

The school was named after Montgomery Blair, a lawyer who represented Dred Scott in his United States Supreme Court case, and served as Postmaster General under President Abraham Lincoln. It originally opened in 1925 as Takoma Park-Silver Spring High School. In 1935, however, Montgomery Blair High School opened at 313 East Wayne Avenue, a location over looking Sligo Creek and now occupied by Silver Spring International Middle School. The campus sixty-three years later moved to a long-vacant tract of land two miles north adjacent to the Capital Beltway.

As of 2006, the school has the largest enrollment in the Montgomery County school district. Approximately twenty percent of the student body is in one of the school's two specialized programs. Blair is notable for the diversity of its student body: about 32% of the population is black, 28% white, 26% Hispanic and the remaining 14% Asian. [1] Because of the large, diverse population and awards, Montgomery Blair High School has hosted heads of state and other dignitaries over the years.

The school is notable for its magnet programs which draw students from across Montgomery County. The school has won many awards, particularly in math, science, computer science, and journalism. It is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology (NCSSSMST), although unlike other member schools, only a small percentage of the school's population is enrolled in the specialized programs. Blair perennially has a significant number of semifinalists and finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Notable events 2 Campus 3 Academics 3.1 Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet Program 3.2 Communication Arts Program 4 Notable alumni 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

Montgomery Blair High School, then known as Takoma-Silver Spring High School, became the first high school to serve Silver Spring, Maryland when it opened in 1925. By the end of the 1920s the school had expanded to host students in eighth and ninth grades, who attended the school's junior high school, as well as tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades, who attended the school's senior high school. By 1934, the school was over-capacity with a total enrollment of 450 students. And so, in September 1935, the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades relocated to a new high school named Montgomery Blair Senior High School, named after former lawyer and Postmaster General Montgomery Blair.^[1] Montgomery Blair High School remained at that location for over six decades, until 1998 when the school moved to its current location near the intersection of University Boulevard, Colesville Road, and the Capital Beltway.

Nevertheless, the auditorium at the former Blair building has received a significant amount of attention throughout the region as it has fallen into disrepair. Several local politicians and leaders, including Maryland state senator Ida Ruben and U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski, have endorsed projects to restore the auditorium to its former condition.^[2]

[edit] Notable events

In 1992, it became the first high school to host sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.^{[citation needed]} Blair has been a popular stop for many politicians because of the school's diversity. On February 5, 1998, President Bill Clinton and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair stopped at Montgomery Blair High School during a state visit.^[3] Montgomery Blair has also welcomed other government officials in recent years, including United States Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and Secretary of Education Rod Paige during a visit in 2003. On June 23, 2005, President George W. Bush visited the school in order to discuss his plan to partially privatize Social Security. Students were not permitted to attend. Bush's presence at the school drew approximately 400 protesters, who, despite the last-minute announcement of the visit, questioned both his proposed policies and the fact that this town hall-style meeting was not open to the general public. Members of the organization "Progressive Maryland," were present at the protest, however it became immediately evident after the protest got underway that they were unwilling to participate in such a provocative protest^{[citation needed]}, although they had helped to promote it.

[edit] Campus

The current campus of Montgomery Blair High School covers forty-two acres between the Capital Beltway, U.S. Route 29, and Maryland Route 193 in Silver Spring's Four Corners neighborhood. As such, the school's campus is approximately triangular with its side with the Capital Beltway being the longest. The school contains 378,000 square feet of space and was originally designed for 2,830 students.^[4] Only eight school years after its completion, the school is over 500 students over capacity. As a result, the school at one point had eight auxiliary portable classrooms. Over the past few years, population has decreased slightly due to the opening of other schools in the [Downcounty Consortium] and as a result 2 portables were removed at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. As of October 2006, the enrollment at Blair is 2,959, and the number of portable classrooms has been reduced to four. Still, Blair remains the county's largest school.

The school has two baseball and softball fields to the east of the main school building as well as Blazer Stadium which serves as the home of the school's football, soccer, and lacrosse. A large field resides south of the main building adjacent to the Capital Beltway. To the southwest of the building is a 400-meter track, which encloses another field, home to the field hockey team, as well as several basketball and tennis courts. The school has two parking lots, one reserved for students and another reserved for both faculty members and visitors. A full-length track is located southwest of the main building, while the football and baseball fields are located east of the school building. There are three courtyards located throughout the building; one is located to the east of the building and opens out to the rest of the outdoor space. The other two courtyards are located within the school building and therefore are surrounded by walls on all for sides. Traditionally, one of the courtyards is reserved for the twelfth graders and another one for the faculty members, especially during lunch periods. A small greenhouse and accompanying patio is located on the second floor on the west side of the main building for use during horticulture classes. One of Montgomery Blair's most recent additions came in March 2006, when the school's astronomy class added a sundial to the east courtyard.

Inside the school building is a 750-seat auditorium, although it has not received as much acclaim from the community as the aged auditorium at Blair's old location. The school also boasts the standard classrooms and academic facilities. However, instead of a typical cafeteria, Montgomery Blair High School has a Student Activities Center (SAC) which serves as the lunchroom as well as a main site of Blair events. Connecting the auditorium and SAC, which are on two ends of the building, is a large, unique, three-story corridor entitled Blair Boulevard. Another hallway is named after Sligo Creek because it snakes through the building, much like its namesake. All other hallways in the building are given similar street names, but are seldom referred to as such, because they are also numbered by level.

Perhaps one of the building's most unique features is its vibrant color scheme, which include various forms of red and green throughout the school. The SAC utilizes numerous different shades, and contains a mural depicting the campus. The ceiling of Blair Boulevard is not the usual white, but "cilantro", or "poseidon" according to the administration. These statements are supposed to positively influence the students, making them feel more comfortable.

[edit] Academics

Because of its Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet Program, and its Communication Arts Program, the school attracts students from across the entire county. The school is one of the few US high schools to have a .edu domain name, with its internet connection having gone live in the late 1980s. The school is also home to the award winning print newspaper Silver Chips and online newspaper Silver Chips Online. Additionally, Blair has a student television and radio production unit known as Blair Network Communications (BNC).

The school houses approximately 2,950 students, most of whom reside in nearby areas of Silver Spring. Several hundred other students are brought by bus from throughout Montgomery County. The specialized programs, which were initially created as a single desegregation program, account for about seven hundred students within the school.

[edit] Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet Program

In 1985, Montgomery County Public Schools opened its first Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet Program within Montgomery Blair High School. The Magnet Program, often called the magnet, offers accelerated, interdisciplinary courses in science, mathematics, and computer science for students particularly interested in these subjects. The current coordinator of the Magnet program is Dennis Heidler. Heidler holds the title after the retirement of long-time Magnet teacher and coordinator Eileen Steinkraus. Despite the racial, ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic diversity in the Blair student body as a whole, the magnet program remains mostly composed of students who are white and Asian-American, although most are Asian-American^[5]. This fact, as well as the selection process, has been a source of contention within the school community and county.

At the start of second semester in 8th grade, students who live in Montgomery County are eligible to apply to the Magnet Program. The application process involves a written application including essays, teacher recommendations, and middle school transcripts. All applicants are required to take a written exam in the spring on math, science, humanities, and logical thinking. The program accepts only 100 students from across the county and students can only enter the program in 9th grade. In recent years, the number of applicants has reached record highs in the 700-800 students range.

Since Magnet students have extra academic requirements, they have an additional class at the end of their schooldays (eight periods instead of the usual seven), which causes the Magnet students to end school 45 minutes later than most other county high schoolers. Ninth and tenth grade Magnet students take four courses each semester within the Magnet curriculum (Science, Mathematics, Research & Experimentation, also known as R&E, and Computer Science), and four courses each semester in other disciplines (English, fine arts, foreign language, physical education, social studies, etc.) with the rest of the Blair student body. Freshmen in the Magnet take accelerated honors-level physics first semester and chemistry second semester; sophomores take earth system science followed by biology. In addition to science courses, freshmen in the Magnet are required to take Fundamentals of Computer Science and sophmores are required to take Algorithms and Data Structures where they learn how to program in Java. Freshmen who pass a certain test are allowed to start Algorithms and Data Structures(ADSA) one semester early. Juniors and seniors have fewer required Magnet courses, and therefore complete their schedules with magnet electives, AP science classes, or other departments' electives. Some examples of unique elective classes offered in the magnet program are quantum physics, thermodynamics, linear algebra, discrete mathematics, multi-variable calculus with differential equations, complex analysis with applications, genetics, cell physiology, marine biology, material science, astronomy, origins of science, and origins of mathematics. Blair students not in the Magnet program can and do enroll in Magnet classes.

One of the main components of the Magnet program is the Senior Research Project (SRP). While not strictly required, completing an SRP is strongly encouraged, and the majority of students choose to do so. Begun in the spring of junior year, the students complete independent, original study on topics of their choice in the sciences or the social sciences. Usually, the project will involve an internship of at least 8 weeks in length at one of the many research institutions in and around Montgomery County, Maryland, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the University of Maryland, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Carnegie Institute. After completing their research, the students write formal scientific papers and present their projects at the Magnet Research Convention, which takes place each year in early spring.

Magnet students have been finalists in the Westinghouse/Intel Science Talent Search (including first place winner Jacob Lurie in 1996 and first runner up David Moore in 1999), winners of the National Science Bowl (in 1999), National Merit Semifinalists (more Semifinalists than any other school in Maryland for nine years running, and the most nationally the past two years, despite an enrollment of only around 400), Montgomery County Science Fair Grand Award Winners, first place winners in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Montgomery County Mathematics League champions nineteen straight years, SuperQuest finalist teams, national winners in the NASA Space Science Student Involvement Project, American Computer Science League National Championship Teams, Grand Winner of the Physics Olympics for the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan Area, and first place winners in the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Prior to the SAT changes, SAT scores consistently fell above 1400. ^{[citation needed]} The average SAT score for the Magnet program consistently falls above 2200.^{[citation needed]}

The program now boasts alumni who are math and science professors and researchers at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard College, New York University, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Some alumni have even returned to the program to teach.^[6] In recent years, the program has seen the children of some of the first students who graduated through the program.

[edit] Communication Arts Program

The Communication Arts Program at Montgomery Blair High School was established in 1988, three years after the Math, Science and Computer Science Magnet Program opened. This program, more commonly known by the acronym "CAP," strives to provide a comprehensive approach to the humanities and the media by offering accelerated, interdisciplinary courses in English, social studies, and media production for participating students. The CAP also places a great deal of importance on social awareness and community service.

The CAP attracts highly able students from all around the county. Admission to the program, like the Magnet, is highly selective. Students may be eligible to join the CAP if they are a member of the Downcounty Consortium of high schools and/or were a member of the Humanities and Communications Magnet Program at nearby Eastern Middle School. Applicants must have a B average or better in honors-level English and Social Studies courses. The CAP admits approximately 75 students every year, but very few students are admitted to the program after the first semester of freshman year. Once admitted to the program, students are required to successfully complete the twelve CAP courses, maintain a minimum 2.75 GPA, and complete the CAP Portfolio to graduate with the CAP certificate.

The CAP Portfolio is, essentially, the final, defining, and most important project of the CAP experience - assembled in senior year, students choose all of their best work in a variety of categories (writing skills, media literacy skills and creative skills among others) completed for classes that are a part of the program's curriculum. After students have put together their Portfolio to the satisfaction of CAP faculty members, they undergo interviews on their contents - failure to put together a Portfolio or failure of the interview process may result in removal from the program.

[edit] Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Blair include:

• Steve Barber, pitcher for the baseball team Baltimore Orioles in the 1960s
• Carl Bernstein, journalist who broke the Watergate scandal for The Washington Post
• Tom Brown, who played football for the Green Bay Packers (under Vince Lombardi) and baseball for the Washington Senators
• Kiran Chetry, journalist
• Connie Chung, television journalist
• Dominique Dawes, Olympic Gymnast (transferred to Gaithersburg High School due to coaching changes)
• Matt Drudge, journalist
• Alex Epstein, philosopher
• Steve Francis, National Basketball Association player currently with the New York Knicks
• Stan Greenberg, pollster for Bill Clinton and others
• Goldie Hawn, actress
• Bennett Madison, author
• Chuck Redd, jazz percussionist notable for vibraphone and drums. Played with Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Torme and Ken Peplowski
• Nora Roberts, romance novelist
• Eric Shansby, Washington Post cartoonist
• Visanthe Shiancoe, backup tight end for the New York Giants
• Norman Solomon, journalist
• Sylvester Stallone, actor (transferred soon after enrollment)
• Ben Stein, actor, professor, game show host, and speechwriter for President Richard Nixon
• David Vanterpool, National Basketball Association player

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Montgomery Blair High School
• Communication Arts Program
• Science, Math, Computer Science Magnet
• Blair Network Communications (school television station)
• Silver Chips Online (school newspaper)
• Blair Student Government Association