Digital Harbor High School
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| Digital Harbor High School | |
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| Address | |
| 1100 Covington Street Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, United States |
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| Website | |
| http://digital.baltimorecityschools.org/Contact/index.asp | |
| Information | |
| School number | 416 |
| School district | Baltimore City Public School System |
| Superintendent | Nancy Grasmick |
| Principal | Brian Eyer |
| Vice principal | Andrea Bowden |
| Administrator | Skip Clark |
| School type | Public, Magnet |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Language | English |
| Area | Urban |
| Mascot |  RAM(Random Access Memory), but the sports logo has an actual ram |
| Colors | Columbia Blue █, Black █ and White █ |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Enrollment | 900+ (2006) |
Digital Harbor High School, formerly Southern High School, is a public secondary school located in Baltimore, Maryland.
The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Baltimore City Public School System. Its building was renovated from the old Southern High School in 2002 to phase out the old curriculum. It's considered to be an endeavor by Senator Barbara Mikulski and Mayor Martin O'Malley, who were given millions of dollars in grant money from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The school was also founded and designed by the previous principal from 2002 to 2005, Michael Pitroff, who is said to be the "Father of Digital Harbor". In 2005, he was reassigned to be the Technology Department Head for the entire school system. Currently Digital Harbor is one of the most technologically advanced schools in the city. Approximately $50 million was spent to renovate the campus, with $6 million allocated toward IT and A/V equipment. So far it has successfully phased in all grade levels and is housing another school, the National Academy Foundation School, on its first floor.
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[edit] Academics
The academic focus of the school has been on computers and information technology. Its curriculum is into four separated into 4 separate "pathways" for students to choose from:
- Networking and computer systems
- Programming software development
- Interactive video and media production
- Information and support services
[edit] Facilities and policies
Digital Harbor is a first among Baltimore City Schools, with millions of dollars in equipment devoted to modernizing all of the classrooms and the adding of Wi-Fi and wired internet access all over the school.
The majority of the desktop computers come from Dell with Intel Pentium 4 processors with Windows XP Professional. Although the media department has some Macintosh computers as well.
All four floors have new pathway offices designed with the school colors.
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[edit] School uniform
The school currently has a school uniform dress code which includes khaki pants and a blue or white polo shirt or oxford shirt.
[edit] Sports
The sports department was fore fronted by Christopher Vaccaro who managed all the scheduling and oversaw management for the sports department of the school and was featured in an edition of the Baltimore Sun. Currently he is heading the sports program at another high school in Florida.
The school competes in Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association Class 1A competitions.
As of the 2006-2007 school year, the sports offered at the school have varsity and junior varsity sports that include:
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Football
- Soccer
- Wrestling
- Softball
- Volleyball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Badminton (women)
- Track and Field
- Cross Country
- Lacrosse
- Cheerleading (Men and Women)
[edit] Achievements
[edit] Grants
The school was honored by M&T Bank with a $5,000 loan to start a school store, which sells several school oriented memorabilia (cups, mugs, water bottles, wristbands etc.). The store was given the loan based on a presentation given by a group of students in the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) program. The team's leader, Darrien Griffin, helped make the entire business model, with help of teacher Vickie Wolverton, and led the presentation in front of the board members. The bank has even donated a school mascot uniform to the school named Nifty (after the NFTE program).
[edit] Sports
In 2004 the Rams track team won the Class 2A-1A Central region title, Class 1A South Regional crown and the state title.
Their varsity softball team was undefeated in the same year and placed first in the city.
Their football team has also been on the rise since it's inception, which is reflective in their season records:
- 2004: 2 W - 7 L
- 2005: 3 W - 7 L
- 2006: 5 W - 5 L
[edit] Debate
The school also has a rising policy debate team, which, in their most successful season, was led by Adam Jackson in 2005. The team was founded in 2002 by coach Nicole Veltre with their only team Wendell Wiggins and his partner Chelsea Wheeler. In the 2005 season, Digital Harbor consistently placed in the top bracket of the Baltimore Urban Debate League tournaments. Also, in April 2006, Adam and his partner, Ihsaan Ajala, qualified for the National Speech and Debate Tournament, held in Grapevine, Texas, and hosted by the National Forensic League. Also, Adam won a scholarship to go to Predeal, Romania to compete in the IDEA Youth Forum in July 2006, hosted by the International Debate Education Association (IDEA).
[edit] Scholarships
- Among their firsts, Digital Harbor's first recipients of the University of Maryland, College Park "Incentive Award", a scholarship which pays for four years (tuition, fees, room, board) at the university were Anastasia Hall and Thomas Palmerino.
- Adam was also the first in the school to win the four year "Urban Debate Scholar" award to Towson University for debate.
[edit] A School of Firsts
The school has been noted as a major milestone and a first in achievements by the Baltimore City Public School System. They include:
- The first school to be used in the "small schools" initiative in Baltimore City on such a massive scale.
- The first citywide technology school (without requirements for admission).
- The first public high school in Baltimore with a school mascot uniform.
- The first school-themed school store in Baltimore.
[edit] Controversy
One major issue with the school has been the school system's promise of "free laptops" to the each graduating class. According to the school administration, the school system only promised the class of 2006 laptops when they graduate. So thereafter no other class would receive a laptop when they graduate.
Also was an issue concerning internships with the class of 2006. According to the administration, no student (who was a freshman in 2002), would have more had than two classes, and would go to an internship for their last two periods. This way, when the students graduated, they would either have a technology oriented job, or a career once they graduated from college. However the school system has not made good on these promises, which has caused serious backlash from the students and school administration. No official explanation has been issued to the parents or students as of the 2006-2007 school year.
Several other promises, including ones that have mislead students and parents about the cafeteria facilities and policy of the school have been called into question. No word has been heard from the school system on these matters either.
