Damascus High School (DHS) 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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Damascus, Maryland Damascus is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. In the early 20th century, there existed an incorporated municipality lasting a quarter century. It had a population of 17,224 as of ...

, United States. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools system.

History

Damascus High School was first established in 1909. The current building was constructed in 1950 and renovated in 1978. In 2020, MCPS approved a $127 million renovation of the high school. The renovation was originally planned for a 2025 completion date, but it was delayed repeatedly due to county fiscal concerns, and now has an indefinite timeline.

Athletics

Damascus' school colors are green and gold, and their mascot is the Swarmin' Hornet. The school's biggest rivalries are with the neighboring

Seneca Valley High School Seneca Valley High School (SVHS) is a public high school serving grades 9–12 in Germantown, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) system. The current building was finished in 2021, and has a capac ...

and Clarksburg High School. Damascus has a prestigious

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

program which has won twelve Maryland state championships. This is a state record that they share with Seneca Valley High School (which also has twelve, but last won in 2002). The team's dominance from 2015 to 2017 earned them a 53-game winning streak, which is also a state record, and was a national record at the time. In 2018, the football program came under scrutiny after it was discovered that four players on the junior varsity team were sexually assaulted with broomsticks by teammates in the locker room. The school administration waited twelve hours after learning about the hazing before contacting the police. The team members who were accused were initially tried as adults before having their cases moved to juvenile court. As a result, the students were found guilty but later released on bond. The victims' families received a settlement of $9.7 million from MCPS in 2023.

State championships

Notable alumni

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, actor

External links

References

{{authority control Public high schools in Montgomery County, Maryland 1909 establishments in Maryland Educational institutions established in 1909