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| name= Fairmont Heights High School
| name= Fairmont Heights High School
| image= Fairmont Heights High School 006.jpg
| image= Fairmont Heights High School 006.jpg
| caption= Former campus (taken in 2009)
| logo=
| motto=
| motto_translation=
| established= 1950
| established= 1950
| enrollment=751
| enrollment=751
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| district= [[Prince George's County Public Schools]]
| district= [[Prince George's County Public Schools]]
| oversight= Maryland State Department of Education
| oversight= Maryland State Department of Education
| principal= Mrs. Torrie Walker
| principal= Lonice Priester
| faculty=
| faculty=
| grades= [[Ninth grade|9]]–[[Twelfth grade|12]]
| grades= [[Ninth grade|9]]–[[Twelfth grade|12]]
| nickname= Hornets
| nickname= Hornets
| colors= Maroon, Black, Gray, White<br> {{color box|maroon}} {{color box|black}} {{color box|gray}} {{color box|white}}
| colors= Maroon, Black, Gray, White<br> {{color box|maroon}} {{color box|black}} {{color box|gray}} {{color box|white}}
| town= [[Hyattsville]]
| town= [[Landover, Maryland|Landover]]
| state= Maryland 20785
| state= Maryland 20785
| country= [[United States]]
| country= United States
| website= [http://www1.pgcps.org/fairmontheights/]
| website= {{url|http://www.pgcps.org/fairmontheights/}}
| address= 6501 Columbia Park Road, [[Hyattsville]]
| address= 6501 Columbia Park Road
| free_label_1= Phone
| free_1 = (301) 925-1360
| newspaper= ''The Buzz''
| newspaper= ''The Buzz''
| yearbook=
| yearbook=
| communities= [[Fairmount Heights, Maryland|Fairmount Heights]], [[Seat Pleasant, Maryland|Seat Pleasant]], [[Kentland, Maryland|Kentland]], [[Palmer Park, Maryland|Palmer Park]], Chapel Oaks, Belle Haven
| communities= [[Fairmount Heights, Maryland|Fairmount Heights]], [[Seat Pleasant, Maryland|Seat Pleasant]], [[Kentland, Maryland|Kentland]], [[Palmer Park, Maryland|Palmer Park]], Chapel Oaks, Belle Haven

| feeders= G. James Gholson Middle School, Kenmoor Middle School
| feeders= G. James Gholson Middle School, Kenmoor Middle School
| picture=
| picture=
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}}
}}


'''Fairmont Heights High School''' (est.1950) is an American public comprehensive secondary school located in the [[Landover, Maryland|Landover]] [[census-designated place]] in [[unincorporated area|unincorporated]] [[Prince George's County]], [[Maryland]],<ref name=Landovermap>"[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2445325_landover/DC10BLK_P2445325_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Landover CDP, MD]." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on September 1, 2018.</ref><ref>[https://www1.pgcps.org/fairmontheights/ Home]. Fairmont Heights High School. Retrieved on September 1, 2018. "6501 Columbia Park Road Landover, MD 20785"</ref> just outside [[Washington D.C.]] It is part of the [[Prince George's County Public Schools]] system. Two middle schools (G. James Gholson and Kenmoor, both in [[Landover, Maryland|Landover]]) feed into Fairmont Heights. It is one of the oldest{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} high schools in Prince George's County and is part of the School Board District 3.
'''Fairmont Heights High School''' (est.1950) is an American public comprehensive secondary school located in [[Landover, Maryland|Landover]], [[Maryland]],<ref name=Landovermap>"[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2445325_landover/DC10BLK_P2445325_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Landover CDP, MD]." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on September 1, 2018.</ref><ref>[https://www1.pgcps.org/fairmontheights/ Home]. Fairmont Heights High School. Retrieved on September 1, 2018. "6501 Columbia Park Road Landover, MD 20785"</ref> just outside [[Washington D.C.]] It is part of the [[Prince George's County Public Schools]] system. Two middle schools (G. James Gholson and Kenmoor, both in [[Landover, Maryland|Landover]]) feed into Fairmont Heights. It is part of the School Board District 3.


==History==
==History==
Fairmont Heights Junior-Senior High School first opened as a grade 7-12 school legally reserved for black children in 1950, initially having 738 students.<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005>{{cite web|url=http://www.pgcps.org:80/~fmhts/history.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051004001621/http://www.pgcps.org/~fmhts/history.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-10-04|title=Fairmont Heights High School History|publisher=Fairmont Heights High School|date=2018-09-04|access-date=2018-09-04}}</ref> Fairmont Heights Jr.-Sr. High was a merger of various secondary schools,<ref name=Wynter>{{cite news|author=Wynter, Leon|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1981/02/19/rebuilding-a-legacy-at-fairmont-heights/d36a6eae-247c-4347-a041-41fe30daa7be/?noredirect=on|title=Rebuilding a Legacy at Fairmont Heights|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=1981-02-19|access-date=2018-09-05}}</ref> including [[Lakeland High School (Maryland)|Lakeland High School]].<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/> Lakeland, in [[College Park, Maryland|College Park]], was, along with than [[Frederick Douglass High School (Prince George's County, Maryland)|Frederick Douglass High School]], then in [[Upper Marlboro, Maryland|Upper Marlboro]], one of two senior high schools in Prince George's County reserved for black students.<ref>{{cite news|author=Meyer, Eugene K.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/09/28/douglass-high-a-school-of-their-own/66aa9055-3006-47d4-8c3e-b0ee8d1fcc96/?noredirect=on|title=Douglass High: A School of Their Own|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=2000-09-28|access-date=2018-09-06}}</ref> The cost to build the Fairmont Heights High campus was $1,500,000. Due to its capacity of 900 students,<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/> it was one of the four largest senior high schools in Prince George's County; the others were [[Bladensburg High School|Bladensburg]], [[Northwestern High School (Hyattsville, Maryland)|Northwestern]], and [[Suitland High School|Suitland]]. James Gholson, previously the first principal of the Phoenix School in Virginia, was the first principal, selected by PGCPS supervisor of Negro schools Doswell E. Brooks. Gholson in turn selected the black teachers that he believed would provide the best educational experience to his students; all of the teachers were black at the time.<ref name=Wynter/>
Fairmont Heights Junior-Senior High School first opened as a grade 7-12 school reserved for black children in 1950, replacing Lakeland High School, and initially having 738 students. It served black students in western Prince George's County, [[Accokeek, Maryland|Accokeek]], [[Bowie, Maryland|Bowie]], [[Laurel, Maryland|Laurel]], [[Takoma Park, Maryland|Takoma Park]], and other communities. The cost to build the campus was $1,500,000. The enrollment increased to 1,900 by 1960; its original capacity was 900, so it had portable buildings for the extra students. It was relieved by the opening of Mary McLeod Bethune Junior High School in 1961, and Fairmont Heights became grades 9-12 only; in 1962 it became grades 10-12 only.<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20051004001621/http://www.pgcps.org:80/~fmhts/history.html|title=Fairmont Heights High School History|publisher=Fairmont Heights High School|date=2018-09-04|accessdate=2018-09-04}}</ref>


The school was originally named after the town it is in, [[Fairmount Heights, Maryland|Fairmount Heights]]. The name of the school differs slightly from the name of the town, as it is missing a "u". This is because of a mistake a contractor made when constructing the sign for the town's elementary school in 1934. When the high school was created, it kept the same spelling as the elementary school.<ref name="pg_journal">{{cite web|url=http://unitus.org/FULL/Fairmount%20Heightsbooklet.pdf|title=Fairmount Heights|last=Gruen|first=Phyllis|year=1979|work=Prince George's Journal|accessdate=2009-08-09}}</ref>
The school was originally named after the nearby town of [[Fairmount Heights, Maryland|Fairmount Heights]]. The name of the school differs slightly from the name of the town, as it is missing a "u". This is because of a mistake a contractor made when constructing the sign for the town's elementary school in 1934. When the high school was created, it kept the same spelling as the elementary school.<ref name="pg_journal">{{cite web|url=http://unitus.org/FULL/Fairmount%20Heightsbooklet.pdf|title=Fairmount Heights|last=Gruen|first=Phyllis|year=1979|work=Prince George's Journal|access-date=2009-08-09}}</ref> According to Leon Wynter of ''[[The Washington Post]]'', during the time the school was [[de jure]] segregated and during the first four years of post-formal desegregation, until the federal government asked PGCPS to change the attendance boundaries in 1969, "Fairmont Heights thrived in separate but equal isolation for 19 years, developing strong roots in the neighborhoods of Fairmont Heights, [[Capitol Heights, Maryland|Capitol Heights]] and Beaver Heights."<ref name=Wynter/> In the era of legally required segregation it served black students in western Prince George's County, [[Accokeek, Maryland|Accokeek]], [[Bowie, Maryland|Bowie]], [[Laurel, Maryland|Laurel]], [[Takoma Park, Maryland|Takoma Park]], and other communities;<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/> this meant it served about 66% of the PGCPS black high school students.<ref name=Wynter/>


The school district desegregated after the [[Civil Rights Act]] was passed in 1964; it began having particular attendance boundaries for all races. Fairmont Heights High's first race-neutral attendance boundary was the smallest in size in the school district, totaling {{convert|3|sqmi|sqkm}}. The enrollment was majority African-American. The district adopted a desegregation plan in 1972, after the [[United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare]] (HEW) persuaded the district to do so, so white students in other areas of the county could go to Fairmont Heights High.<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/>
The enrollment increased to 1,900 by 1960; it had portable buildings for the extra students. It was relieved by the opening of Mary McLeod Bethune Junior High School in 1961, and Fairmont Heights became grades 9-12 only; in 1962 it became grades 10-12 only.<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/> The school district desegregated after the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964|Civil Rights Act]] was passed in 1964; it began having particular attendance boundaries for all races. Fairmont Heights High's first race-neutral attendance boundary was the smallest in size in the school district, totaling {{convert|3|sqmi|sqkm}}. The enrollment was majority African-American.<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/>


Gholson resigned as principal in 1968.<ref name=Wynter/> Around 1969 Fairmount Heights had about 1,300 students. That year the school district received a request from the federal government to have more racial balance in the school attendance boundaries.<ref name=Wynter/> The district adopted a desegregation plan in 1972, after the [[United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare]] (HEW) persuaded the district to do so, so white students in other areas of the county could go to Fairmont Heights High.<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/> Instead enrollment dropped to 713 because white parents chose not to send their children to Fairmont Heights, preferring private schools or other public schools.<ref name=Wynter/>
⚫
A major renovation was completed in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|author=Wilkins, Tracee|url=http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/First-Day-at-the-Brand-New-Fairmont-Heights-High-School_Washington-DC-442806753.html|title=Students Return to Renovated and Historic Fairmont Heights High School|publisher=NBC Washington|date=2017-09-05|accessdate=2017-09-06}}</ref>

The Fairmont Heights community protested against two unsuccessful attempts to close the school, one of which would have converted the building into a performing arts facility. The two proposals occurred in 1972 and 1974, and Rodney Johnson, previously on the PGCPS board, and A. James Golato, then on the PGCPS, both wrote the performing arts proposal. According to Fairmont High Class of 1970 alumna and teacher Deborah Franklin, "There's a lot of emotion tied up in the school" and members of the Fairmont Heights area feared that the conversion "would just shut out the people in the community."<ref name=Wynter/>

The school temporarily moved to the Kent Junior High School building after a January 4, 1980 fire damaged the building; the damages were estimated to be $500,000. Between 1980 and 1983<!--"During the renovation period,[...]"--> Fairmont Heights again received 9th grade students.<!--"[...]became once again a four-year high school."--> In August 1983 the school moved back to the permanent facility, which received a $8,400,000 renovation. The district did not give the school an auditorium, even though the renovation plans originally called for that, because it did not have enough money.<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/>

⚫
In 2017, a new school was built along Columbia Park Road to replace the old Fairmont Heights school.<ref>{{cite web|author=Wilkins, Tracee|url=http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/First-Day-at-the-Brand-New-Fairmont-Heights-High-School_Washington-DC-442806753.html|title=Students Return to Renovated and Historic Fairmont Heights High School|publisher=NBC Washington|date=2017-09-05|access-date=2017-09-06}}</ref>


==Academics and programs==
==Academics and programs==
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Fairmont Heights High School is also part of the Information Technology magnet program along with [[Bladensburg High School]] and [[Potomac High School (Oxon Hill, Maryland)|Potomac High School]].
Fairmont Heights High School is also part of the Information Technology magnet program along with [[Bladensburg High School]] and [[Potomac High School (Oxon Hill, Maryland)|Potomac High School]].
Many students just refer to FHHS as Fairmont.
Many students just refer to FHHS as Fairmont.

Gholson, the school's first principal, implemented the "core program" which gave three-hour class periods so students could have [[Socratic dialogue]]s with their teachers; at the time the other schools using this program were private.<ref name=Wynter/>


===Block schedule===
===Block schedule===
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==Campus==
==Campus==
⚫
The original campus was on a {{convert|15|acre|ha|adj=on}} area,<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/> in unincorporated Prince George's County, outside of the Fairmount Heights town limits and with a [[Capitol Heights, Maryland|Capitol Heights]] postal address.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000816012126/http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/~fmhts/ Home]. Fairmont Heights High School. August 16, 2000. Retrieved on September 4, 2018. "1401 Nye Street Capitol Heights, Maryland 20743"</ref><ref name=Fairmountheightsmap>"[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2427400_fairmount_heights/DC10BLK_P2427400_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Fairmount Heights town, MD]." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on August 31, 2018. Note that both the current and former campuses are not in the Fairmount Heights town limits.</ref> There were 40 classrooms and four rooms for vocational (woodshop) classes, and an initial student capacity of 900.<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/>
{{expand section}}
⚫
The original campus was on a {{convert|15|acre|ha|adj=on}} area,<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/> in unincorporated Prince George's County, outside of the Fairmount Heights town limits and with a [[Capitol Heights, Maryland|Capitol Heights]] postal address.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20000816012126/http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us:80/~fmhts/ Home]. Fairmont Heights High School. August 16, 2000. Retrieved on September 4, 2018. "1401 Nye Street Capitol Heights, Maryland 20743"</ref><ref name=Fairmountheightsmap>"[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2427400_fairmount_heights/DC10BLK_P2427400_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Fairmount Heights town, MD]." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on August 31, 2018. Note that both the current and former campuses are not in the Fairmount Heights town limits.</ref> There were 40 classrooms and four rooms for vocational (woodshop) classes, and an initial student capacity of 900.<ref name=FairmontHeightshistoryasof2005/>


==Notable events==
==Notable events==
* [[Jay-Z]] visited FHHS in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rapper Jay-Z Brings Message to US High Schools - 2002-11-23|url=http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-a-2002-11-23-6-rapper-66270402/539781.html|work=Voice of America|publisher=Voice of America|accessdate=20 January 2013}}</ref>
* [[Jay-Z]] visited FHHS in 2002<ref>{{cite web|title=Rapper Jay-Z Brings Message to US High Schools - 2002-11-23|url=http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-a-2002-11-23-6-rapper-66270402/539781.html|work=Voice of America|publisher=Voice of America|access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref>
* Rev [[Jesse Jackson]] visited FHHS in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|last=Royden|first=Nancy|title=Rev. Jesse Jackson visits local schools with message of hope|url=http://www.thesentinel.com/pgs/news/Jessie-Jackson|accessdate=20 January 2013|newspaper=The Sentinel Newspapers|date=20 May 2009}}</ref>
* Rev [[Jesse Jackson]] visited FHHS in 2009<ref>{{cite news|last=Royden|first=Nancy|title=Rev. Jesse Jackson visits local schools with message of hope|url=http://www.thesentinel.com/pgs/news/Jessie-Jackson|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216222857/http://www.thesentinel.com/pgs/news/Jessie-Jackson|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 February 2013|access-date=20 January 2013|newspaper=The Sentinel Newspapers|date=20 May 2009}}</ref>
* [[Charles M. Robinson (video director)|Charles M. Robinson]] - Class of 2002 - Director and Musician
* [[Charles M. Robinson (video director)|Charles M. Robinson]] - Class of 2002 - director and nusician
* On September 5th, 2017, the new $80 million building opened up to staff, students, and the community.{{fact}}
* On September 5, 2017, the new $80 million building opened up to staff, students, and the community{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}


==Communities served by Fairmont Heights==
==Communities served by Fairmont Heights==
Fairmont Heights High School serves:<ref>"[http://gis.pgcps.org/mapgallery/Maps/Boundaries%20-%20High.pdf NEIGHBORHOOD HIGH SCHOOLS AND BOUNDARIES SCHOOL YEAR 2018-2019]." [[Prince George's County Public Schools]]. Retrieved on August 31, 2018.</ref> portions of Landover CDP,<ref name=Landovermap/> the [[Fairmount Heights, Maryland|Town of Fairmount Heights]],<ref name=Fairmountheightsmap/> much of the [[Seat Pleasant, Maryland|City of Seat Pleasant]],<ref>"[http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2470850_seat_pleasant/DC10BLK_P2470850_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Seat Pleasant city, MD]." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on August 31, 2018.</ref> a small section of the [[Cheverly, Maryland|Town of Cheverly]],<ref name=CheverlyMap>"[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2416550_cheverly/DC10BLK_P2416550_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Cheverly town, MD]." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on August 31, 2018. See also [http://www.cheverly-md.gov/Pages/CheverlyMD_Council/wardmap Cheverly Ward Map].</ref> a section of [[Peppermill Village, Maryland|Peppermill Village CDP]],<ref>"[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2460950_peppermill_village/DC10BLK_P2460950_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Peppermill Village CDP, MD]." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on August 31, 2018.</ref> and [[Chapel Oaks, Maryland|Chapel Oaks]].{{fact|date=September 2018}}
Fairmont Heights High School serves:<ref>"[http://gis.pgcps.org/mapgallery/Maps/Boundaries%20-%20High.pdf NEIGHBORHOOD HIGH SCHOOLS AND BOUNDARIES SCHOOL YEAR 2018-2019]." [[Prince George's County Public Schools]]. Retrieved on August 31, 2018.</ref> portions of Landover CDP,<ref name=Landovermap/> the [[Fairmount Heights, Maryland|Town of Fairmount Heights]],<ref name=Fairmountheightsmap/> much of the [[Seat Pleasant, Maryland|City of Seat Pleasant]],<ref>"[http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2470850_seat_pleasant/DC10BLK_P2470850_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Seat Pleasant city, MD]." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on August 31, 2018.</ref> a small section of the [[Cheverly, Maryland|Town of Cheverly]],<ref name=CheverlyMap>"[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2416550_cheverly/DC10BLK_P2416550_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Cheverly town, MD]." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on August 31, 2018. See also [http://www.cheverly-md.gov/Pages/CheverlyMD_Council/wardmap Cheverly Ward Map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831211656/http://www.cheverly-md.gov/Pages/CheverlyMD_Council/wardmap |date=2018-08-31 }}.</ref> sections of [[Peppermill Village, Maryland|Peppermill Village CDP]] and [[Summerfield, Maryland|Summerfield CDP]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2475810_summerfield/DC10BLK_P2475810_001.pdf|title=2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Summerfield CDP, MD|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2018-09-07}}</ref><ref>"[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st24_md/place/p2460950_peppermill_village/DC10BLK_P2460950_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Peppermill Village CDP, MD]." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on August 31, 2018.</ref> and [[Chapel Oaks, Maryland|Chapel Oaks]].{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}


It serves portions of the Landover CDP which includes part of the communities [[Kentland, Maryland|Kentland]], [[Palmer Park, Maryland|Palmer Park]], Belle Haven, and Village Green.{{fact|date=August 2018}}
It serves portions of the Landover CDP which includes part of the communities [[Kentland, Maryland|Kentland]], [[Palmer Park, Maryland|Palmer Park]],<ref name=Kentlandmap1990>"1990 COUNTY BLOCK MAP" ([https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk1990/st24_Maryland/24033_PrinceGeorges/90B24033_000.pdf index map]) Prince George's County. [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on September 9, 2018. The CDPs of Landover, Dodge Park, Kentland, and Palmer Park are shown on pages [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk1990/st24_Maryland/24033_PrinceGeorges/90B24033_013.pdf 13], [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk1990/st24_Maryland/24033_PrinceGeorges/90B24033_014.pdf 14], [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk1990/st24_Maryland/24033_PrinceGeorges/90B24033_017.pdf 17], and [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk1990/st24_Maryland/24033_PrinceGeorges/90B24033_018.pdf 18].</ref> Belle Haven, and Village Green.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}


==Athletics==
==Athletics==
Fairmont Heights Boys' basketball team won the 2017 Maryland 1A State Basketball Championship. Their first since 1981. <ref name="pg_journal"/>
Fairmont Heights Boys' basketball team won the 2017 Maryland 1A State Basketball Championship. Their first since 1981.<ref name="pg_journal"/>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www1.pgcps.org/fairmontheights/ Fairmont Heights High School Official Website]
*[http://www1.pgcps.org/fairmontheights/ Fairmont Heights High School Official Website]
*{{webarchive|url=http://web.archive.org/*/http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us:80/~fmhts/|title=Fairmont Heights High School}}
*{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us:80/~fmhts/|title=Fairmont Heights High School}}
*[http://www.grunley.com/market-sectors/education-campus/project-details/904 Fairmont Heights High School Replacement] - Grunley Construction Company, Inc.
*[http://www.grunley.com/market-sectors/education-campus/project-details/904 Fairmont Heights High School Replacement] - Grunley Construction Company, Inc.
{{Prince George's County Public Schools}}
{{Prince George's County Public Schools}}
{{Prince George's County, Maryland High Schools}}
{{Prince George's County, Maryland High Schools}}

{{authority control}}


[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1950]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1950]]

Latest revision as of 21:42, 14 June 2024

Fairmont Heights High School
Former campus (taken in 2009)
Address
Map
6501 Columbia Park Road

Landover
,
Maryland 20785

United States
Coordinates38°54′36″N 76°55′11″W / 38.91000°N 76.91972°W / 38.91000; -76.91972
Information
TypePublic Comprehensive Secondary School
Established1950
School districtPrince George's County Public Schools
OversightMaryland State Department of Education
PrincipalLonice Priester
Grades9–12
Enrollment751
Color(s)Maroon, Black, Gray, White
       
NicknameHornets
NewspaperThe Buzz
Communities servedFairmount Heights, Seat Pleasant, Kentland, Palmer Park, Chapel Oaks, Belle Haven
Feeder schoolsG. James Gholson Middle School, Kenmoor Middle School
Websitewww.pgcps.org/fairmontheights/

Fairmont Heights High School (est.1950) is an American public comprehensive secondary school located in Landover, Maryland,[1][2] just outside Washington D.C. It is part of the Prince George's County Public Schools system. Two middle schools (G. James Gholson and Kenmoor, both in Landover) feed into Fairmont Heights. It is part of the School Board District 3.

History

[edit]

Fairmont Heights Junior-Senior High School first opened as a grade 7-12 school legally reserved for black children in 1950, initially having 738 students.[3] Fairmont Heights Jr.-Sr. High was a merger of various secondary schools,[4] including Lakeland High School.[3] Lakeland, in College Park, was, along with than Frederick Douglass High School, then in Upper Marlboro, one of two senior high schools in Prince George's County reserved for black students.[5] The cost to build the Fairmont Heights High campus was $1,500,000. Due to its capacity of 900 students,[3] it was one of the four largest senior high schools in Prince George's County; the others were Bladensburg, Northwestern, and Suitland. James Gholson, previously the first principal of the Phoenix School in Virginia, was the first principal, selected by PGCPS supervisor of Negro schools Doswell E. Brooks. Gholson in turn selected the black teachers that he believed would provide the best educational experience to his students; all of the teachers were black at the time.[4]

The school was originally named after the nearby town of Fairmount Heights. The name of the school differs slightly from the name of the town, as it is missing a "u". This is because of a mistake a contractor made when constructing the sign for the town's elementary school in 1934. When the high school was created, it kept the same spelling as the elementary school.[6] According to Leon Wynter of The Washington Post, during the time the school was de jure segregated and during the first four years of post-formal desegregation, until the federal government asked PGCPS to change the attendance boundaries in 1969, "Fairmont Heights thrived in separate but equal isolation for 19 years, developing strong roots in the neighborhoods of Fairmont Heights, Capitol Heights and Beaver Heights."[4] In the era of legally required segregation it served black students in western Prince George's County, Accokeek, Bowie, Laurel, Takoma Park, and other communities;[3] this meant it served about 66% of the PGCPS black high school students.[4]

The enrollment increased to 1,900 by 1960; it had portable buildings for the extra students. It was relieved by the opening of Mary McLeod Bethune Junior High School in 1961, and Fairmont Heights became grades 9-12 only; in 1962 it became grades 10-12 only.[3] The school district desegregated after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964; it began having particular attendance boundaries for all races. Fairmont Heights High's first race-neutral attendance boundary was the smallest in size in the school district, totaling 3 square miles (7.8 km2). The enrollment was majority African-American.[3]

Gholson resigned as principal in 1968.[4] Around 1969 Fairmount Heights had about 1,300 students. That year the school district received a request from the federal government to have more racial balance in the school attendance boundaries.[4] The district adopted a desegregation plan in 1972, after the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) persuaded the district to do so, so white students in other areas of the county could go to Fairmont Heights High.[3] Instead enrollment dropped to 713 because white parents chose not to send their children to Fairmont Heights, preferring private schools or other public schools.[4]

The Fairmont Heights community protested against two unsuccessful attempts to close the school, one of which would have converted the building into a performing arts facility. The two proposals occurred in 1972 and 1974, and Rodney Johnson, previously on the PGCPS board, and A. James Golato, then on the PGCPS, both wrote the performing arts proposal. According to Fairmont High Class of 1970 alumna and teacher Deborah Franklin, "There's a lot of emotion tied up in the school" and members of the Fairmont Heights area feared that the conversion "would just shut out the people in the community."[4]

The school temporarily moved to the Kent Junior High School building after a January 4, 1980 fire damaged the building; the damages were estimated to be $500,000. Between 1980 and 1983 Fairmont Heights again received 9th grade students. In August 1983 the school moved back to the permanent facility, which received a $8,400,000 renovation. The district did not give the school an auditorium, even though the renovation plans originally called for that, because it did not have enough money.[3]

In 2017, a new school was built along Columbia Park Road to replace the old Fairmont Heights school.[7]

Academics and programs

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Fairmont Heights High School (often abbreviated FHHS) is part of the biotechnology magnet program along with Largo High School in Largo.

Fairmont Heights High School is also part of the Information Technology magnet program along with Bladensburg High School and Potomac High School. Many students just refer to FHHS as Fairmont.

Gholson, the school's first principal, implemented the "core program" which gave three-hour class periods so students could have Socratic dialogues with their teachers; at the time the other schools using this program were private.[4]

Block schedule

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In 2000 Fairmont Heights, along with the other Prince George's County public high schools, adopted the "Alternating A/B Block Schedule". The A/B block allows students to take four alternating every-other-day classes all year. A-days consist of Period 1-4 and B-days consist of Period 5-8. Other schools offer periods 1, 3, 5, 7 on A-days and 2, 4, 6, 8 on B-days. All lunches take place during 3rd period.

Campus

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The original campus was on a 15-acre (6.1 ha) area,[3] in unincorporated Prince George's County, outside of the Fairmount Heights town limits and with a Capitol Heights postal address.[8][9] There were 40 classrooms and four rooms for vocational (woodshop) classes, and an initial student capacity of 900.[3]

Notable events

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Communities served by Fairmont Heights

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Fairmont Heights High School serves:[12] portions of Landover CDP,[1] the Town of Fairmount Heights,[9] much of the City of Seat Pleasant,[13] a small section of the Town of Cheverly,[14] sections of Peppermill Village CDP and Summerfield CDP,[15][16] and Chapel Oaks.[citation needed]

It serves portions of the Landover CDP which includes part of the communities Kentland, Palmer Park,[17] Belle Haven, and Village Green.[citation needed]

Athletics

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Fairmont Heights Boys' basketball team won the 2017 Maryland 1A State Basketball Championship. Their first since 1981.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Landover CDP, MD." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on September 1, 2018.
  2. ^ Home. Fairmont Heights High School. Retrieved on September 1, 2018. "6501 Columbia Park Road Landover, MD 20785"
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Fairmont Heights High School History". Fairmont Heights High School. 2018-09-04. Archived from the original on 2005-10-04. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wynter, Leon (1981-02-19). "Rebuilding a Legacy at Fairmont Heights". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  5. ^ Meyer, Eugene K. (2000-09-28). "Douglass High: A School of Their Own". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  6. ^ a b Gruen, Phyllis (1979). "Fairmount Heights" (PDF). Prince George's Journal. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  7. ^ Wilkins, Tracee (2017-09-05). "Students Return to Renovated and Historic Fairmont Heights High School". NBC Washington. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
  8. ^ Home. Fairmont Heights High School. August 16, 2000. Retrieved on September 4, 2018. "1401 Nye Street Capitol Heights, Maryland 20743"
  9. ^ a b "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Fairmount Heights town, MD." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on August 31, 2018. Note that both the current and former campuses are not in the Fairmount Heights town limits.
  10. ^ "Rapper Jay-Z Brings Message to US High Schools - 2002-11-23". Voice of America. Voice of America. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  11. ^ Royden, Nancy (20 May 2009). "Rev. Jesse Jackson visits local schools with message of hope". The Sentinel Newspapers. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  12. ^ "NEIGHBORHOOD HIGH SCHOOLS AND BOUNDARIES SCHOOL YEAR 2018-2019." Prince George's County Public Schools. Retrieved on August 31, 2018.
  13. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Seat Pleasant city, MD." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on August 31, 2018.
  14. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Cheverly town, MD." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on August 31, 2018. See also Cheverly Ward Map Archived 2018-08-31 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Summerfield CDP, MD" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  16. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Peppermill Village CDP, MD." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on August 31, 2018.
  17. ^ "1990 COUNTY BLOCK MAP" (index map) Prince George's County. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on September 9, 2018. The CDPs of Landover, Dodge Park, Kentland, and Palmer Park are shown on pages 13, 14, 17, and 18.
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