Heritage High School (Baltimore, Maryland)

Heritage High School

Preserving the Past as we Prepare for the Future
Address
2801 Saint Lo Drive
Baltimore, Maryland 21213
Information
School type Public, Comprehensive
Founded 2004
Founder Karen Lawrence[1]
Closed 2015
School district Baltimore City Public Schools
Superintendent Dr. Gregory Thornton [CEO]
School number 425
Principal Stephanie Farmer
Grades Pre-k, 9–12
Enrollment 425 (excluding pre-k)[2] (2014)
Area Urban
Color(s) Royal Blue, Black, and White
Mascot Black Panther
Team name Lakers/Panthers
Website www.baltimorecityschools.org/425

Heritage High School was a public high school located in the northeast area known as Clifton Park of Baltimore, Maryland. It served Baltimore City high schoolers from 2004 to 2015.

Founded in 2004, established as an expansion school and as a result of the breakup of Lake Clifton Eastern High School.[3][4][5][6] It is currently categorized within District 6, "neighborhood high schools": a comprehensive high school. It officially specializes in the focus of three career and technology completer preparation programs: Business, Management & Finance; Human Resource Services; and Law.

Lake Clifton Eastern High School has existed on the campus since the early 1970s until it was closed down in 2005, and the smaller schools that were on the campus replaced the large school. They are still faced with problems common to underfunded urban schools, such as academic performance and discipline.[7] The same problems led to Doris M. Johnson High School being recommend for closure in 2010 and Heritage has been identified by the Maryland State Department of Education for school improvement in many years.

History

Early history

Founded in 2004 by Karen Lawrence, established as an expansion school originally known as Harford Institute during the time and as a result of the breakup of Lake Clifton Eastern High School. The school began it existence at the old Fairmount-Harford Building of 2555 Harford Road where it shared the building with Harbor City High School for the first two years (2003—2005) with an initial enrollment of up to 310 9th and 10th graders.

After the following school year, the school was relocated to the Lake Clifton Campus with an initial enrollment of 550 students of grades 9th through 11th for the 2004-2005 school year, where it was the last year of the graduating class and existence of Lake Clifton Eastern High School. This building already had science labs, a state-of the art library & media center, gymnasiums, full-service health clinic, and established athletic and extracurricular activities. It was also wired for internet.

In the 2005–2006 school year and after the last year of existence for Lake Clifton Eastern High School, Heritage High School shared the Lake Clifton Campus with Doris M. Johnson High School. Both schools had their first graduating classes of seniors in the year 2006. From 2008–2012, Heritage offered Advanced Placement courses.

Current status

In 2010, the school system recommended Doris M. Johnson High School for closure due to poor test scores, school climate, and discipline problems. The REACH! Partnership School was relocated to the campus for development and replaced Doris M. Johnson after the closure. REACH! Academy had undergone a renovation of $3.5 million to accommodate lab areas construction and health-care (its themes). Heritage continues career & technology pathways into human resources, business, and leadership, and now also includes law. However, as of 2012–2013, the school will no longer offer Advanced Placement..As a cost cutting measure Heritage High School was slated for closure at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. Therefore making the class of 2015 the last graduating class of Heritage. Their graduation was hosted in the Lake Clifton auditorium complex on Saturday May 30, 2015. The class Valedictorian & Salutatorian was Tyneisha Johnson and Dashawn Gray respectively.

Sports

The Lake Clifton Lakers have won state championships in 1995, 1999, 2009, 2012.[8][9]

Organizations

Since 2008, the school has offered a pilot course in conjunction with the Baltimore Algebra Project. Their first class is slated to graduate in 2013. Heritage High School has a JROTC program through the United States Army. Real Food Farm, which cultivates crops on the campus, offers internships to Heritage students.[10]

Students

As of 2010, 97.5% of students at HHS identified as African-American. The graduation rate was 54.65% (up from 42.15% in 2009 and 47.32% in 2008). The drop-out rate was 5.16% (down from 7.02% in 2009 and 14.01% in 2008).

The average total SAT score in 2009 was 936.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Karen Lawrence is currently serving as ombudsman for Baltimore City Public Schools.
  2. ↑ "Enrollment for All Grades All Students : Demographics : Baltimore City - Heritage High School : 2014 Maryland Report Card:". Maryland State Department of Education. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Big steps in small schools". The Baltimore Sun. June 23, 2003. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  4. ↑ "City school board votes to split off part of Lake Clifton/Eastern High". The Baltimore Sun. May 14, 2003. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Board weighs closing school". The Baltimore Sun. March 16, 2003. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Ambitious plans for city high schools". The Baltimore Sun. April 28, 2002. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  7. ↑ Kozol, Jonathan (1992). Savage inequalities : children in America's schools (1st Harper Perennial ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. ISBN 0-06-097499-0.
  8. ↑ Jones, Steve (10 March 2012). "Boys basketball: South Carroll season ends with state semifinal loss to Lake Clifton". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  9. ↑ Seidel, Jeff (10 March 2012). "Hard work pays off for No. 4 Lake Clifton in Class 2A final". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "Education Programs for Clifton Area Schools"
  11. ↑ Lawrence, Karen. "School Performance Plan (SY 2010—2011)" (PDF). City Schools Essentials. Baltimore City Public Schools. Retrieved 18 July 2012.

Coordinates: 39°19′10″N 76°35′5″W / 39.31944°N 76.58472°W / 39.31944; -76.58472

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