Laurel High School is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arunde ...

, United States; it is the oldest school in the

Prince George's County Public Schools Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) is a large public school district administered by the government of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education. The school system is ...

system. The school serves Laurel, portions of Konterra,2010 Census – Census Block Map (Index): Konterra CDP, MD
"

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

. Retrieved on August 26, 2018. Pages
12
an
3
South Laurel,2010 Census – Census Block Map (Index): South Laurel CDP, MD
"

. Retrieved on August 26, 2018. Pages
12
an
3
Note that the census-designated place was previously smaller
2000 Index Map
and page
1
an
2
In the 1990 map of Prince George's County
see index
, South Laurel is on page
2
an
5
and West Laurel.2010 Census – Census Block Map: West Laurel CDP, MD
"

. Retrieved on August 26, 2018. The West Laurel CDP was previously defined as a larger area; portions are now defined as being in the Konterra CDP. 2000 map:
Census 2000 Block Map: West Laurel CDP
" The 1990 maps of Prince George's County
index map
show West Laurel on page
1
an
4

History

Laurel High School was founded in 1899 with an enrollment of 59 students and four teachers. According to ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', the 1900 graduating class was all women. The original school building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1979. In 1965, the school moved to a larger building at 8000 Cherry Lane in Laurel, and

annex Annex or Annexe refers to a building joined to or associated with a main building, providing additional space or accommodations. It may also refer to: Places * The Annex, a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada * The Annex (New H ...

ed the former Margaret A. Edmonson Elementary School in 1983. The last class at the original location held a 50th reunion in 2015. Fulfilling an objective of the Prince George's County Capital Improvement Program since 1989, construction on a new 800-seat

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...

for the school was expected to begin in February 2009. The addition was completed in the early 2010 school year. Laurel High's student newspaper, "''The Shield''", established in the 1995–1996 school year, has won awards from the American Scholastic Press Association and the

Columbia Scholastic Press Association The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) is an international student press association, founded in 1925, whose goal is to unite student journalists and faculty advisers at schools and colleges through educational conferences, idea exchang ...

. Prior to the 1995–96 school year, the school paper operated under the name "''The Tattler''". Laurel shares the same layout as Bowie High School, in neighboring

Bowie, Maryland Bowie () is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 58,329. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous c ...

. Laurel High School currently enrolls roughly 2,000 students in grades 9 through 12. The school mascot is the

Spartan Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta refe ...

, and the school colors are blue and gold. In 2009, Sheryll Cashin said in ''The Failures of Integration: How Race and Class are Undermining the American Dream'' that Laurel High was one of several mostly black, mostly middle class Prince George's County public high schools that were "decidedly underachieving: fewer than half of the seniors at these schools went on to attend four-year colleges in recent years."

Notable alumni

* Mike Bullock – writer, musician * Shari Elliker – radio personality *

Marty Friedman Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 unti ...

– guitarist (former lead of Megadeth) * Gertrude Poe – journalist, lawyer, real estate agent, insurance agent, and radio broadcaster * Angie Vaughn – track and field athlete * Ray Vigliotti – soccer player * Alonzo T. Washington – politician *

Tico Wells Costa Ricans ( es, Costarricenses), also called Ticos, are the citizens of Costa Rica, a multiethnic, Spanish-speaking nation in Central America. Costa Ricans are predominantly Castizos, other ethnic groups people of Indigenous, European, Africa ...

– actor

References

External links

* {{authority control Public high schools in Maryland International Baccalaureate schools in Maryland Buildings and structures in Laurel, Maryland School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Schools in Prince George's County, Maryland National Register of Historic Places in Prince George's County, Maryland 1899 establishments in Maryland