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Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Baltimore, Maryland) facts for kids

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"Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow"
Address
1400 Orleans Street
Baltimore, Maryland, 21231
United States
Coordinates 39°17′42″N 76°35′56″W / 39.29512°N 76.59876°W / 39.29512; -76.59876
Information
School type Public, Magnet
Founded 1919
School district Baltimore City Public Schools
Superintendent Dr. Gregory Thornton [CEO]
School number 414
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 881  (2018)
Area Urban
Color(s) Maroon and gold
Mascot Owl
Team name The Poets (for boys)
Lady Poets (for girls)

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, is a public high school in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The school is notable for having produced many professional basketball players.

History

In 1918, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School opened around the corner from its present location 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.

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (temporary site during 2007 renovations)
Dunbar's temporary location during renovations

In the summer of 2007, after thirty years of heavy use, 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. Renovated features included science and robotics labs, wider interior hallways, larger windows, a new cafeteria, and a new library.

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.

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. 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, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2021.

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 to help prevent them from failing high school. 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.

Notable alumni

Business and industry

Politics and government

Music

Sports

NFL

NBA

Coaches

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