Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Baltimore, Maryland)

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School for Health Professionals, officially referred to as Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, is a public high school located at 1400 Orleans Street by Central Avenue in Old East Baltimore, Maryland.

History

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School opened around the corner from its present location, in 1918, as the Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary School, No. 101. The original school was part of the segregated "colored schools" system, which was abolished by 1954. The present school is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools system. It was named in memory of Paul Laurence Dunbar, a famous African-American poet, who had died twelve years before the school opened. In 1925, it was renamed Dunbar Junior High School, No. 133. In 1940, Dunbar became a high school and awarded its first diploma, the second school for African-Americans in Baltimore to do so.^[2]

Dunbar's temporary home during renovations

After thirty years of heavy use, in the summer of 2007, the main high school building was emptied for renovations. Students were moved to Thomas G. Hayes Elementary School, behind Dunbar at 601 North Central Avenue. The renovations were completed in late August 2009 with costs totaling $32 million. Newly renovated features include science and robotics labs, wider interior hallways, larger windows, a new cafeteria, and a new library.^[3]

Academics

Dunbar High School is a magnet school, offering biotechnology, emergency medical technology (EMT), accounting, nursing, and health care delivery systems programs. Dunbar High School has been named a Bronze Medal School by U.S. News and World Report.^[4]

Athletics

The male varsity sports offered at Dunbar are baseball, basketball, football, soccer, and wrestling. The women's varsity sports offered are badminton, basketball, soccer, softball, and volleyball. The four varsity teams that are coed are cross country, swimming, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field.

Football

The Baltimore City Public Schools withdrew from the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) in 1993, its long-time home since 1909 and the home of the formerly segregated schools, Dunbar and Douglass, since 1956.^[5] The schools then joined the larger, statewide Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA), and since then Dunbar has had great success in the class 1A division. The Dunbar football team, the Poets, won state championships in 1994; 1995; 2004; 2006; 2007; 2008^[6]

Basketball

Since 1993, the school's basketball team, the Poets, have won the State Championship fifteen times. Additionally, the Poets were National Champions in 1983, 1985 and 1992. Dunbar's girls basketball team, the Lady Poets, have excelled as well, winning the state girls basketball title in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2011, and 2012.

Community partnerships

Dunbar is one of the partner schools of Thread, formerly the Incentive Mentoring Program, an organization formed by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that tutors high school students so to prevent them from failing high school.^[7] Struggling students selected by the principal can receive one-on-one tutoring from Thread mentors, as well as social support to address any personal challenges that may be affecting their school performance.^[8]

Notable alumni

Politics and government

Chief Judge Bell

• Robert M. Bell, Chief Judge, Maryland Court of Appeals^[9]
• Clarence "Tiger" Davis, Maryland House of Delegates, District 45 (1983–2007)^[10]
• Kenneth N. Harris, Sr., Baltimore City Council, District 4^[11]
• Nathan C. Irby, Jr., Maryland State Senate, District 45 (1983–1994)^[12]
• John D. Jeffries, Maryland House of Delegates, District 39 (1988–1994)^[13]
• Paul A. Smith, Judge Circuit Court, Baltimore City (1990–2003)^[14]

Music

• Tupac Shakur, hip hop artist (June 16, 1971 — September 13, 1996)^[15]

Sports

NFL

• Calvin Williams, former wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles; associate athletics director, Purdue University
• Tommy Polley, linebacker, St. Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens^[16]
• Bob Wade, defensive back, Washington Redskins^[17]
• Tavon Austin, wide receiver, St. Louis Rams^[18]

NBA

• Muggsy Bogues^[19]
• Sam Cassell^[20]
• Kurk Lee^[21]
• Reggie Lewis^[22]
• Reggie Williams^[23]
• David Wingate^[24]
• Skip Wise^[25]
• Keith Booth^[26]
• Terry Dozier^[27]

Coaches

• Keith Booth, former Assistant Coach of University of Maryland at College Park "Terrapins" men's basketball team. Current Men's assistant at Loyola University Maryland.^[26]
• Bob Wade, Head Coach, University of Maryland at College Park "Terrapins" men's basketball team, also Dunbar's boys basketball team "Poets", first African American Head Basketball Coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference.^[17]
• Sam Cassell, current Assistant Coach of the "Los Angeles Clippers" NBA men's professional basketball team.^[20]

Fictional

• Proposition Joe Stewart, East Baltimore drug kingpin on the cable TV network HBO drama "The Wire".^[28]
• Ervin Burrell, portrayed former city police commissioner on the HBO cable TV drama "The Wire". Burrell was a member of the glee club while at Dunbar High.^[28]
• Rasheed Hill, a character in Summer Ball by Mike Lupica.^[29]

References

External links

• Official website
• Paul Laurence Dunbar High School - Maryland Report Card
• Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Baltimore, Maryland) on Google Street View