Bel Air High School (Bel Air, Maryland)

Last updated
Bel Air High School
Address
Bel Air High School (Bel Air, Maryland)
100 Heighe Street

Bel Air
,
Maryland
21014

United States
Coordinates 39°31′50″N76°20′51″W / 39.53056°N 76.34750°W / 39.53056; -76.34750
Information
Type Public Secondary
Established1815;209 years ago (1815)
School district Harford County Public Schools
PrincipalRobert Deleva
Grades9–12
Number of students1,544 (2018) [1]
CampusSuburban
Color(s) Blue, White and Red   
Mascot Bobcat
Newspaper The Bellarion
Website
Bel Air High School 2011.jpg
Entrance to the new (2009) building
Bel Air High School 1.JPG
Entrance to the previous (1950) building

Bel Air High School is a high school in Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland, United States. The current building opened in 2009, though the school's antecedents date back to 1815. [2]

Contents

History

Bel Air High School began as the Harford County Academy when it was formed by an act of the Maryland General Assembly in 1811. The first school building was a stuccoed stone building built at 24 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, and the name was soon changed to the Bel Air Academy in 1815. John Wilkes Booth attended the school in the 1850s. [3]

In 1867, while the Bel Air Academy was operating separately, a wooden one-room school house was built on Main Street, which functioned as the main public school of the county.

In 1882, a brick public school was built at 45 East Gordon Street. The school was renamed the Bel Air Academy and Graded School as the old academy merged with the public school system. This building housed classes for all students above the third grade. Additions to the building were made in 1897 and 1910. This building became solely a grade school in 1924 and headquartered the Harford County Board of Education after 1951.

Bel Air High School, named thus for the first time, was first formed in 1907, and classes were held at the Gordon Street building and the Pennsylvania Avenue building. [4]

The past facility at 100 Heighe Street was opened in 1950, with additional renovations made in 1954, 1968 and 1983. The building had a design capacity of 1,423 students; as a result, 11 "portables" were in use to provide additional classroom space. A new building was scheduled for completion for the graduating class of 2010.

The current Bel Air High School building was built in 2009, and has a capacity of 1,668 students. Some new features of the school are its auditorium/stage, cafeteria, library, and multiple sports facilities.

Students

The student body over time:

Year        Students
2018   –    1,544 [5]
2017   –    1,564
2012   –    1,647
2011   –    1,574
2010   –    1,431
2009   –    1,380
2008   –    1,403
2007   –    1,683
2005   –    1,636
2004   –    1,647
2003   –    1,573
2002   –    1,573
2001   –    1,587
2000   –    1,555
1999   –    1,524
1998   –    1,440
1997   –    1,383
1996   –    1,312
1995   –    1,295
1994   –    1,272
1993   –    1,238

[6]

Notable alumni

Controversy

Scrabble Day

According to Fox News, in early October 2017 a group of Bel Air High School students posed and spelt out a racial slur across their chests. The incident led to serious criticism of the school's policies and environment for education. [16] Since the scandal broke a Change.org petition was formed calling for "Zero Tolerance for Racism in the School." The petition currently has over 20,000 signatures.

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References

  1. ↑ https://bahs.ss18.sharpschool.com/
  2. ↑ "Harford County Public Schools]". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  3. ↑ Booth Family Historic Sites Archived 2005-04-14 at the Wayback Machine , Historical Society of Harford County (Md.), March, 2002
  4. ↑ The Historic Board of Education Building Archived 2005-04-05 at the Wayback Machine , ibid.
  5. ↑ https://bahs.ss18.sharpschool.com/
  6. ↑ "1993 to 2017 Enrollment for All Grades, All Students". Archived from the original on October 1, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Harford Legislator Reveals Elopement". The Evening Sun. 1932-01-09. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-01-12– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  8. ↑ "William A. Clark". Maryland State Archives. 2001-02-27. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  9. ↑ "Lacrosse Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  10. ↑ "William Greer, 77, Businessman". Lancaster New Era. 2001-08-11. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-01-09– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  11. ↑ Kelly, Jacques (2016-10-24). "W. Dale Hess, Harford County businessman and politician, dies". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  12. ↑ "States Attorney McComas Passes Away". The Aegis . 1922-04-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-01-16– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  13. ↑ Rasmussen, Fred (1998-05-31). "Winton B. Osborne, 68, Harford legislator, company founder". The Baltimore Sun . p. 20B. Retrieved 2023-01-10– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  14. ↑ "Robert Shek". USA Lacrosse. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  15. ↑ "2019 Inductees". www.mdsahof.com. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  16. ↑ "Bel Air H.S. students disciplined for photo of racial slur". 13 October 2017.
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