| Allegany High School | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1887 |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Principal | Michael Calhoun |
| Students | approx 800 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | 616 Sedgwick Street, Cumberland, Maryland, United States |
| Colors | Blue and white |
| Mascot | campers |
| Website | http://www.alleganyhighschool.org/ |
Allegany High School is a public high school in Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland. Allegany High School was built as Allegany County High School in 1887, hence it is often referred to as 'Alco'.
As of 2005, the school had 825 students and 49 teachers. Students were 93% white, 5% African-American and 2% Asian. Nineteen percent were eligible for reduced lunch, less than the state average of 27%. The current principal is Michael Calhoun.
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Allegany High School was initially a secondary education school held in the Maryland Avenue Schoolhouse. The school had many different locations including the building on Greene Street, which was used as a combined middle/high school until the spring of 1926. At that time, the building now known as Allegany High School had been completed and was prepared to accept Greene Street’s high school students. Middle school students remained on Greene Street until the school later burned down in 1932. “Camp Hill,” the site of the present day Allegany, was a federal army camp during the Civil War.
The “Camper” mascot is a source of much confusion. Many think the name refers to Campobello, a Shawnee Indian Tribe camp, from which the federal army took their name during the Civil War. This, however, is a misconception. The most widely accepted theory is that Civil War General Lew Wallace and his men began calling the site that during their time here. The word Campobello in fact does not appear in any Native American language and is derived from Latin, meaning "camp of war".
Allegany High School, with an enrollment of approximately 800 students, focuses on student achievement and success in all areas of education through a combined effort of students, faculty, staff, home, and community. The class of 2008 marks an important milestone for Allegany: the students are the 120th class to graduate from the long-standing institution.
The football team plays their games at the Greenway Avenue Stadium, shared with Fort Hill High School. Allegany High Schools last football state championship, its 8th in all, was in 2005 when they went 14–0 and beat Snow Hill High School in the 1-A Maryland state championship. Since then, they reached the 2007 State Championship game only to lose to eventual State Champion Dunbar High School.
Prior to 2005, Allegany won its 7th State Title in 2001 by defeating Oakland Mills High School with players like Chad Jacovino (Robert Morris University), Jeremy Sellers (Syracuse University) and Billy Orndorff (LaSalle University).
Allegany plays Fort Hill every year in the annual Homecoming game, which is the last regular season game for both teams. Drawing average crowds of 10,000 or so, the game has turned into a sort of "playoff preview" for the Maryland 1A West Region in recent years since Fort Hill re-classified down to 1A.
In 2007, NFL films came to Cumberland and filmed the entire week of Homecoming as well as the game itself. Allegany won the game.
Former Allegany pitcher Aaron Laffey is the most recent successful athletic alumn of Allegany, who now pitches for the Kansas City Royals. The basketball team is normally a perennial contender in the state playoffs as well.
Former track and cross country great Jordan Davis capped a strong collegiate running career at both Auburn University and Syracuse University. He currently runs for Team Nike in upstate New York.
The 'Alco White' Mock trial team is one of the many organizations in which the school takes pride. In the 2005–2006 season, the team won the circuit and the regional championships, advancing to the Maryland state Mock Trial Final Four competition in Annapolis, Maryland, in April 2006. The 2006–2007 team suffered a loss in the finals to Severn School. The 2007–08 team advanced to the semi-finals, but were defeated by Severna Park. The 2008-2009 team won the Maryland State Mock Trial Championship.
Also notable at Allegany is its marching band, which placed ninth at Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championship in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in November 2006. In November 2007, the Allegany High School Marching Band placed 8th at the Atlantic Coast Championships. At the National Championships, the band placed 11th out of 18. In November 2009, the marching band placed 2nd at the ACC's championships, and in November 2010, the Allegany Band placed 3rd at the Atlantic Coast Championships. The Band has won their specific group in Chapter Championships a consecutive 11 years now. The Band is under the direction of Larry T. Jackson
Alongside the band programs, is the award winning indoor colorguard and indoor percussion groups. The indoor percussion, after being in existance for only 2 years, after a 10 year hiatus from the indoor competitiion world, was awarded the gold medal in KIDA (Keystone Indoor Drill Assocation) for White Moving Percussion. The Indoor Percussion is under the direction of show designer and director, Blair Glass.
The Allegany Visual Ensemble has certainly had its fair share of success as well, after being promoted its first season from bronze level to white lievel in KIDA, and finishing 7th at finals, to being the 2011 WGI (Winter Guard International) Pittsburgh Regional Scholastic Regional A Champions, and then also capturing the Silver Medal in the White Division of KIDA. As of now, the Allegany Visual Ensemble has been promoted to the next to highest level of competition in KIDA - The Blue Level. The colorguard program is under the direction of show designer and director Matt Stoops.