Springbrook High School

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Springbrook High School is a public high school located in Silver Spring, an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, between the Colesville and White Oak communities.

Springbrook is a member of Montgomery County's Northeast Consortium, a program comprised of Springbrook, James Hubert Blake and Paint Branch High Schools that allows students from Ashton, Burnt Mills, Burtonsville, Calverton, Cloverly, Colesville, Fairland, Spencerville, Southern Olney, and White Oak to choose between the three schools.

Founded in 1960, and named after the upper Northwest Branch spring-fed tributary that runs next to its property, Springbrook High School has traditionally been viewed as a strong alternative to the expensive land values associated with Upcounty schools. Springbrook was renovated in the early 1990's and reopened in 1994. Today, the school holds about 2000 students.

[edit] A Nationally Ranked Public High School

Newsweek magazine's annual high school rankings have consistently recognized Springbrook as one of the nation's best. In Newsweek's 2008 rankings, Springbrook placed 296 out of the top 1,300 public high schools in the United States. Newsweek's list of top public schools were selected from over 27,000 public high schools nationwide. Only seven of the 23 public high schools in Montgomery County, Maryland, were rated ahead of Springbrook in the 2008 rankings. Springbrook draws its students from Montgomery County's Northeast Consortium, a population that is also served by two other public high schools, Blake and Paint Branch, which Newsweek ranked 338 and 418 respectively.

[edit] Academic Programs

The rigorous International Baccalaureate (or IB) curriculum is a signature program offering at Springbrook. In addition, Springbrook offers a comprehensive Advanced Placement (or AP) program, as well as a specialized technology program called Information Technology in a Global Society. The school has 16 computer labs with 900 computers, translating into a computer for every 2.3 students. Springbrook's computer science program is among the oldest in the state and includes courses in Java, C++, Digital Art, IT Management, LAN and Computer Maintenance, and Web Design.

[edit] Diversity and Scholarship

Springbrook prides itself both in its diversity and in high academic achievement. Springbrook's students are drawn from an extremely broad range of racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. With roots in 84 nations, Springbrook students enjoy engaging with and learning about different cultures on a daily basis. Springbook's tremendous diversity is reflected in the school's Hall of Nations and celebrated in an annual Heritage Talent Show.

Against this backdrop of great social and cultural diversity, Springbook's IB, AP, and Honors programs have consistently produced outstanding scholars. Members of Springbrook's graduating classes of 2004-06 have gone on to attend the world's leading universities, including American, Amherst, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Davidson, Duke, Georgetown, George Washington, Hampton, Johns Hopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Morehouse, New York University, Northwestern, Oxford, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Yale, and the Universities of Massachusetts, Chicago, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Toronto, Virginia, and Wisconsin-Madison. See complete college destinations of Springbrook classes of 2007, 2006, 2005, and 2004.

The Washington Post publishes a Challenge Index based on statistical analysis of academic rigor and achievement among high schools in the Washington DC metropolitan area (covering school districts in Maryland, Northern Virginia, and the District of Columbia). In the December 2006 Challenge Index, Springbrook ranked 7 out of 23 high schools in Montgomery County, and 26 among 185 high schools in the metro area; and placed well ahead of its traditional peer schools (and athletic rivals), Blair (a science magnet school, ranked 33 in the metro area), Paint Branch (62), and Blake (94).

[edit] Activities and Athletics

Springbrook boasts numerous active clubs and activities, including the Blueprint Newspaper, Trident Yearbook, and Musings Literary Magazine, all of which are past winners of Columbia Scholastic Press Association Medals.

Springbrook has a proud history in athletics. Since 1964, the Blue Devils have fielded a total of 18 state championship teams, including seven state football championships between 1979 and 1989. Most recently, the boys basketball team was state champion in 2008 and a state finalist in 2003; the field hockey team was state champion in 2003 and state finalist in 2005; and the gymnastics team won the state title in 2003. In more recent years, the girls basketball and boys cross country teams have won state regional titles, and the boys lacrosse, boys tennis, track & field, and swim & dive teams were divisional champions.

[edit] Notable Alumni

• Lewis Black ('66) - Comedian | The Daily Show
• Cliff Figallo ('66) - Internet pioneer | The WELL
• Pamela Reed ('67) - Actress | The Right Stuff, Kindergarten Cop
• John Bunting ('68) - Former head football coach | University of North Carolina
• Harold Solomon ('71) - World ranked tennis player in 1970s and 80s.
• Craig Esherick ('74) - Former head basketball coach | Georgetown University
• William Lacy Clay, Jr. ('74) - U.S. congressman | Missouri (Dem., 1st cong. district)
• Carol Black ('76) - Television producer and writer | creator, The Wonder Years
• Mary Page Keller ('79) - Actress | JAG, Duet, Ryan's Hope, TV movies
• Matthew Rabin ('80) - Economist | University of California, Berkeley
• Chuck Driesell ('81) - Assistant basketball coach | University of Maryland
• Michael Ealy ('91) - Actor | Barbershop, Sleeper Cell
• Timothy Schmidt ('91) - Radio producer and host | NewsTalk 1370
• Bram Weinstein ('91) - Television Sports Anchor | ESPN News
• Shawn Springs ('93) - Cornerback | Washington Redskins
• Steve Weissman ('97) - Television Sports Anchor | Comcast SportsNet
• Folarin Campbell ('04) - College basketball player | George Mason University

[edit] References

This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations.

[edit] External links

• Springbrook High School website
• Bird's eye view of Springbrook High School
• GoBlueDevils.net for Springbrook sports coverage
• The Blueprint, Springbrook's student newspaper
• Montgomery County Public Schools website
• Newsweek story on America's best high schools
• Newsweek's 2008 top 1,300 U.S. high schools.
• Washington Post story on the best schools in the DC metro area
• Washington Post 2006 challenge index.