| Paul Laurence Dunbar High School | |
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"Determination, Dedication, and Dependability"
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| Address | |
| 1400 Orleans Street Baltimore, Maryland 21231 |
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| Information | |
| School type | Public, Magnet |
| School district | Baltimore City Public School System |
| Superintendent | Dr. Andrés Alonso, CEO |
| School number | 414 |
| Principal | Kristina Kyles |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 717[1] (2011) |
| Language | English |
| Area | Urban |
| Color(s) | Maroon and Gold |
| Mascot | The Owl |
| Team name | Poets |
| Website | www.baltimorecityschools.org/414 |
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School is a public secondary school located in Baltimore, Maryland.
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Dunbar opened in 1918 as the Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary School, No. 101. It was named in memory of Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African-American poet, who had died ten years earlier. In 1925, a secondary school evolved from the primary grades and was called Dunbar Junior High School, No. 133. By 1940 Dunbar was a full fledged high school and awarded its first diploma, the second "African American" school in Baltimore to do so.[2]
Dunbar is a magnet school like Baltimore City College and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. Dunbar's programs include biotechnology, Emergency Medical Technology (EMT), Accounting, Nursing and Health Care Delivery Systems. It is similar to Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. and Fort Worth, Texas, as all three schools have a majority African American student body and are of a major importance to the local African American community. All three schools are also highly regarded for their athletic programs within their respective school district in the sports of football, basketball, and track. Prior to the Supreme Court decision in 1954 (Brown v. Board of Education), African American teenagers in Baltimore were allowed to attend only Dunbar and Frederick Douglass high schools.
In the summer of 2007, the main high school building was emptied so that renovations to the school could be effected. Students were moved to Thomas G. Hayes, an elementary school behind Dunbar at 601 N. Central Avenue. The renovations were completed in late August 2009 at a cost of $32 million. Newly renovated features include science and robotics labs and wider interior hallways, larger windows, a new cafeteria and library.[3]
Dunbar's current athletic program consists of five men's varsity teams, five women's varsity teams, and five coeducational teams. The men's sports played at Dunbar are baseball, basketball, football, soccer, and wrestling. The women's teams are badminton, basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball. The four co-ed teams are cross country running, indoor track and field, swimming, track and field.
Since the Baltimore City School system joined the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association in 1993, Dunbar has dominated the class 1A division. The Poets won state championships in 1994, 1995, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 (setting a state record with 58 points in the title game), 2010, and 2011; played in the state finals in 1997, the semi-finals in 1993, 1996, 2003, 2005 and the quarter-finals in 1999 and 2002.[4]
The Dunbar basketball Poets have enjoyed an even greater success in the state. Since 1993 the Poets have won the State Championship in: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and just recently acquired the title of State Champions for 2011; and made it to the final game in 1997, 2002 and 2007.[5] The Lady Poets have excelled as well, winning the state girl's basketball title in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2011.
Dunbar is home of the Incentive Mentoring Program, an organization formed by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine graduate students to prevent teenagers from failing high school.[6] Struggling students selected by the principal can receive 1-on-1 tutoring from IMP mentors, as well as comprehensive social support to address any personal challenges that may be affecting their school performance.[7] Other mentoring programs include: