Northwestern High School

History

1951–2000

Northwestern Senior High School was founded in 1951 as a public secondary school. It was the consolidation of three schools: Hyattsville, Greenbelt, and Mount Rainier High Schools. Beginning in the 1960s, several additions were built, in stages, including what was called the new art wing. By the year 2000, Northwestern consisted of a long main wing with three wings branching out. These were referred to as the A-wing, B-wing, and C-wing. The cafeteria was located at the rear of the school on the second floor and attached to the C-wing.

The boys' gymnasium, girls' auxiliary gymnasium, and band, choir, and orchestra rooms were all located at the rear of the building. The C-wing was accessible to the B-wing by a long suspended enclosed bridge that could only be reached from the second floor.

A large field located between wings B and C was dubbed "The Senior Courtyard." Originally reserved exclusively for seniors to converge during lunch, this courtyard was eventually opened to the entire student body. Northwestern was one of the few schools to allow students outside during lunch, as most schools didn't have the proper accommodations to allow this.

The Justice Memorial Auditorium was part of the A-wing, and was the final addition to the original building. The A-wing was the only section of the old facility that had air conditioning.

Northwestern was converted from a grades 10-12 "senior high school" to a grades 9-12 "high school" configuration in 1981.

By the mid-1990s, Northwestern was beginning to show its age. A plan to replace the structure with a brand new $45 million facility was proposed. Prince George's County Public Schools contracted the SHW Group LLP to design and build the new school. Construction began in late summer of 1998, with the new facility located directly behind the old building. Students attended classes in the old building while construction took place only yards away. The new school was physically connected to the old building at the rear (stage area) of the auditorium. The new building officially opened to students and staff in August 2000, just in time for the school year. It was the first new high school constructed in Prince George's County since Eleanor Roosevelt High School was completed in 1976.

2000-present

By the opening of the new building in 2000, Northwestern had over six computer labs and over 1,100 computers, the most of any high school in Maryland; each classroom had a bank of at least five computers with internet access.

On October 5, 2002, the arts building at Northwestern was renamed to the Jim Henson School of Arts, Media and Communications to honor the late Jim Henson, the creator of The Muppets, who graduated from Northwestern in 1954. The official building dedication ceremony was attended by Jane and Heather Henson (Jim's widow and daughter, respectively), as well as representatives from the Jim Henson Legacy, who had given Northwestern permission to rename the arts building after Henson.

In 2005, Northwestern was the first high school in Prince George's County to implement a mandatory school uniform policy. The uniform consists of a white polo shirt, and navy/dark blue khaki pants, shorts, or skirt. There is no restriction on footwear.

Northwestern currently houses an Evening High School for the northern half of the county, as well as a Saturday High School program. Northwestern also hosts the very popular Saturday-run ISP Flea Market, sponsored by the school's International Studies Program.

Campus

At 386,000 sq ft (35,900 m2), Northwestern High School has a capacity of 2,700 students, with a Fall 2013 enrollment of approximately 2,217. Northwestern's largest enrollment was reached during the 2006–2007 school year, with over 3,000 students. Northwestern had over twenty portable classrooms to accommodate the over-enrollment. Ironically, the school had never had portable trailers until after the new facility was built. Even though Northwestern's 2013-14 enrollment was under capacity, the school then housed twenty portable classrooms. The additional space was primarily needed to accommodate the expansive course offerings and programs available at the school.

Until 2006, Northwestern was officially the largest high school in Maryland when measured by square footage, a distinction that has since been given up to the 434,600 sq ft (40,380 m2) Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. High School and the 440,000 sq ft (41,000 m2) Seneca Valley High School. However, with its student capacity of 2,700, Northwestern is still the largest high school by capacity in Prince George's County, and the second largest in Maryland after Montgomery Blair High School.

Northwestern's campus features three courtyards between the four wings of the building. The school has a total of five parking lots: the large main parking lot (located in front of the facility, where the former facility once stood) designated for staff and visitors; an adjacent lot located in front of the auditorium, reserved for staff and students; two smaller lots at the rear of the facility, reserved for staff or visitors attending athletic events; and a large bus bay capable of accommodating 44 school buses, located in front of the facility, which doubles as another lot for staff and visitors, during and after the regular school day.

The school has six tennis courts located just outside the auditorium to the east of the building and it has several basketball courts located at the rear of the building outside the food court, which have been decommissioned and now serves as an area which houses several of the school's portable classrooms. There are three athletic fields in the rear of the building: the football/soccer stadium, which also encompasses the running track which surrounds the football/soccer field; a softball field, and a baseball field.

Northwestern is divided into four distinct "sub-schools": the A-Wing, B/G-Wing, C-Wing, and D/E/F-Wing. Each can house between 600 and 700 students. The original plan was to physically divide the school into four smaller schools, hence the design theme of the building. Sub-School A was intended to be the "School of Fine, Creative, and Performing Arts"; Sub-School B was to be the "School of Career and Consumer Education"; Sub-School C was to be a general facility that housed mainly elective courses, in addition the school's main offices, security office, and health center; and Sub-School D was to be "The School of Intensive and Specialized Instruction," which would house the school's honors and advanced placement program as well as the school's ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) program and Vocational Development (Special Education) program. Students were not to be permitted to interact with students from other sub-schools, and were to be isolated within their sub-school for the majority of the school day. Due to scheduling conflicts and feasibility issues with this concept, the idea was dropped before the new building ever opened, while the idea of smaller learning communities was retained and revised to become less restrictive and isolating.

Athletic facilities

Northwestern's football and soccer stadium (previously known as the Prince George's County Memorial Stadium) can accommodate the entire student population, and has a modern, air-conditioned press box.

There are also two softball/baseball fields (one at either side of the football field) and six tennis courts. The new baseball field was dedicated to longtime baseball coach, football coach, gym teacher, athletic director and alumnus Martin "Marty" Gallagher. This honor was organized by Coach Gallagher's former athletes from the '60s, '70s and '80s.

The gymnasium is currently the second largest in Prince George's County; it is able to seat over half the school's population. When the bleachers are retracted, the gymnasium can provide three full-sized basketball courts for practice and play.

Northwestern Health & Wellness Center

The Health & Wellness Center is a joint venture between Northwestern High School and the Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly, Maryland. When the original Health & Wellness Center was founded in the mid-'90s in the old building, it was the first of its kind in PGCPS. Three other centers have since been established, more recently, in other area schools.

The Health Center is located across from the Main Administrative Offices (Room C207) and combines the Health and Wellness Center and the Health Suite. The center provides basic health, counseling, education and prevention services for Northwestern students. Services include physical examinations, laboratory testing and treatment for infections and transmittable diseases, immunizations, gynecological care, dental care, and mental health counseling. All students, as well as the infants and toddlers of teen parents enrolled in the Adolescent Teen Parenting Program, are eligible to receive confidential primary health care services and treatment. Services are provided at no direct charge to students or parents/guardians, except when appropriate to bill enrollees' insurance companies or medical assistance.

Daycare

In 2011, the school was one of two in the county with an on-site daycare; it also had classes for new parents. That year almost 40 students at the school had children.

Demographics

As of Fall 2013, Northwestern High School has an enrollment of approximately 2,217 students. The demographics of the student body (as of 2009) were 96.5% minority, of which 44.2% were African-American/Black, including those from African or Caribbean nations; 45.04% Hispanic; 6.8% Asian; and 3.4 Caucasian. Of these students, 1270 are male and 1183 are female. About 400 students are "Limited English Proficient" (LEP) or ESOL and over 200 are in Special Education. More than half of Northwestern's students qualify for Free and Reduced Meal status.

Admissions and student population

Admissions

With the implementation of the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) magnet program, Northwestern presently has two separate admissions processes. General admission into the main comprehensive program requires no special procedures. Students who live in the designated zoned attendance area for Northwestern, as defined by the school district, can attend the school. In 8th grade, incoming freshmen complete a pre-registration form which reflects which of the Northwestern academy programs they are interested in enrolling in. Certain academies have specific requirements that students must satisfy in order to apply.

The admissions procedure for the CVPA magnet program is a competitive and selective audition-only entrance process. Students vying for a spot have specific audition requirements. Acceptance into the program is through a two-stage application process. The first stage involves an actual application which factors in current GPA, plus two teacher recommendations, after which qualified students undergo an audition related to their intended arts major. Currently, only students living in a limited boundary area are eligible to audition for placement into the CVPA Academy. They must either be in the zoned attendance area for Northwestern, or have been enrolled in the Creative and Performing Arts magnet program at Hyattsville Middle School, where Northwestern now serves as the high school continuity program.

Communities served by Northwestern

Northwestern High School serves students from:

Most of the city of Hyattsville; all of the city of Mount Rainier; the towns of Brentwood, North Brentwood, and University Park; and the communities of Avondale, Lewisdale and West Hyattsville. Students from portions of the city of College Park, a section of the Town of Riverdale Park, and some parts of Chillum and Adelphi census-designated places, also attend Northwestern. It was not until 1965 that Northwestern received its first multi-cultural students who were bused in from the adjacent area of Bladensburg.

Northwestern feeder schools

Hyattsville is fed directly by Hyattsville Middle School and Nicholas Orem Middle School, both in Hyattsville. Elementary schools which feed into Northwestern include Carole Highlands, César Chávez, Chillum, Edward M. Felegy, Hyattsville, Lewisdale, Mount Rainier, Rosa L. Parks, Ridgecrest, Riverdale, Thomas S. Stone, and University Park.

Demographics

As of Fall 2013, Northwestern High School has an enrollment of approximately 2,217 students. The demographics of the student body (as of 2009) were 96.5% minority, of which 44.2% were African-American/Black, including those from African or Caribbean nations; 45.04% Hispanic; 6.8% Asian; and 3.4 Caucasian. Of these students, 1270 are male and 1183 are female. About 400 students are "Limited English Proficient" (LEP) or ESOL and over 200 are in Special Education. More than half of Northwestern's students qualify for Free and Reduced Meal status.

Academics

Northwestern students generally undertake a college preparatory curriculum that follows the graduation requirement guidelines set forth by the state of Maryland, which includes four years of English; three years of mathematics, science, and social studies (U.S. History, L/S/N Government, and World History are required); one credit in fine arts and Foundations of Technology; and a half credit of Personal Fitness (Physical Education) and Health. Students choose from a variety of "completer electives," as well as a combination of ways they can earn those elective credits. Two credits of a foreign language (of the same language) are required, as well as three credits of miscellaneous electives. Optionally, a student may elect to complete two credits in Advanced Technology Education and three credits in miscellaneous electives. As another option, a student can complete a state-approved technology program and any remaining credits in electives.

Northwestern students can also choose from 20 Advanced Placement courses, with at least one AP course offered in every major humanities discipline.

Northwestern students enrolled in the School of Business Management have a variety of completer courses to choose from. Academy of Finance electives include Introduction to Financial Services 1/2; Banking & Credit; Business Law; College Accounting; Introduction to Investment & Insurance; Financial Planning; International Finance; Economics & World of Finance; Computer Applications; and Advanced Accounting. Academy of Business Management electives include Entrepreneurship 1 and Entrepreneurship 2 courses. Other completer courses available to students in both academies include Principles of Business Administration; Financial Management; and Accounting 1.

Northwestern students enrolled in the PLTW Academy of Engineering can choose from a variety of completer courses such as Introduction to Engineering Design; Principles of Engineering; Digital Electronics; Civil Engineering & Architecture; and Engineering Design & Development.

There are a host of other academy-specific electives offered at Northwestern, such as Career Research & Development courses; NJROTC courses; Child Growth & Development courses; Television Production courses; and Computer Graphics courses.

Advanced Placement program

Northwestern offers one of the largest AP programs in Prince George's County, with courses such as AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP U.S. History, AP English Literature, AP Studio Art, and AP Spanish.

Northwestern High School was cited in The Washington Post for its achievements in its Advanced Placement (AP) program in 2005. Northwestern was ranked second in the county (out of 24 high schools) for students scoring highest on the nationally administered Advanced Placement exams, by College Board, the association which governs AP programs and its related courses throughout the country.

University of Maryland Collaborative Project magnet program

From the 1990s to early 2000s, Northwestern housed the University of Maryland Collaborative Project continuation magnet program, for students who were enrolled in a middle school Science, Mathematics, and Technology Magnet Program, primarily serving students from the magnet at Nicholas Orem Middle School. The educational programs within the magnet were also open to all attendance-area students at Northwestern. The magnet included differentiated instruction and a competency-based curriculum, and served as an educational partnership linking the personnel and resources of the University of Maryland, College Park and Northwestern. Students had access to Pre-Advanced Placement courses and AP Government at the ninth grade level; major emphasis on analytical writing in English classes, computer-intensive mathematics classes; scientific research in trigonometry and calculus classes; and a host of other magnet-exclusive instructional methods. Due to the court-ordered restructuring of PGCPS magnet programs, several magnets were eliminated in between 2003 and 2004, including the programs at Northwestern and Nicholas Orem.

Release-time/work study program

Northwestern has three groups of 12th grade students who have an abbreviated class schedule. Most of these students take two classes per day before leaving school. These groups include released time students, marketing work study students, and COE/Government Connection Work Study students.

Released time students are allowed to leave prior to the end of the normal school day to pursue a non-credit program of activities which approved, but not sponsored or supervised, by the school. Most leave after their second period class. While released time students have school privileges, such as participation in athletic and other extracurricular activities, they must exit the school building at the conclusion of their normal day and return at the time their scheduled activity begins. Guidance counselors discuss the terms of release time with students, and students and their parents must complete the necessary paperwork.

Marketing work study students are seniors participating in the Marketing Completer program. They take their scheduled classes and, in most cases, are dismissed from school at the end of second period. They are not permitted to leave school before the conclusion of their second period class. While these students have jobs, their work schedules should not conflict with their normal school day.

The Cooperative Office Experience (COE)/Government Connection Work Study students participate in a school sponsored work-based learning experience in partnership with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington, D.C. Students must report to their work site by a specified time. Prince George's County school buses transport these students to the Hyattsville Crossing Metro Station.

Sub-schools and academy programs

As part of adopting a "smaller learning communities" program of instruction, Northwestern High School offers several specialized programs in addition to the core curriculum mandated by the Prince George's County Public Schools system. A career academy operates as a "school-within-a-school" model, that provides a college preparatory curriculum with a career-related theme. The curriculum organizes instruction in academic subjects around an industry or career theme and enables students to fulfill requirements for college entrance in addition to acquiring work-related knowledge and skill.

All students are provided a core set, or curricula, and experiences in the ninth and tenth grades. Ninth graders become a part of the Ninth Grade Academy to provide greater structure and focus with the goal of enhancing basic skills and preparing them for more intensive study after their selection of a career academy by the end of sophomore year. During eleventh and twelfth grades, students are exposed to more specific or specialized instruction and participate in various work-based learning experiences. Since all students take a core foundation of academic courses, career pathways overlap enough to allow the flexibility to change academies, if interests change or new knowledge and skills are acquired.

Northwestern has identified nearly a dozen career clusters, organized around broad career fields. Of those career clusters, Northwestern has implemented four sub-schools. Each wing at Northwestern hosts at least one sub-school and one or more academy programs. The various programs are:

Source:

Vocal Music major

Instrumental Music major

Interactive Media Production major

Visual Arts major

Dance major

Drama major

Sources:

Academy of Business Management

The Jim Henson Center for the Visual and Performing Arts Academy

The Jim Henson Center for the Visual and Performing Arts Academy is a selective specialized program, and students are only admitted to the program through a competitive audition process. The school was granted the exclusive rights to use Jim Henson's name, by Henson's family. This is the largest sub-school at Northwestern, and is an extension of the original Academy of Arts, Media, and Communications.

The CVPA is a rigorous four-year arts program that offers artistically talented high school students educational opportunities designed to prepare them artistically for college, professional study, or career options in the arts. Students in this program may major in six specific arts concentrations, which include vocal music, instrumental music, interactive media production (television production), visual arts, dance, and drama (theatre).

CVPA students take a required "zero period" course, which has them start their school day 45 minutes earlier than the general student body.

The CVPA program is open to students in a limited attendance area, and all students who are enrolled in the Creative and Performing Arts program at Hyattsville Middle School can apply to the program at Northwestern. Eventually, it is anticipated that the boundaries will be expanded to include the entire northern half of the county, while Suitland's CVPA program will draw students from the southern half. Northwestern provides the continuity arts program for K-8th grade students enrolled in the Creative and Performing Arts programs at both Edward M. Felegy Elementary School and Hyattsville Middle School.

Students who want to continue their musical training can audition for placement into either guitar, piano, or voice (choral) majors. Within each major, students receive advanced-level instruction via private lessons, as well as their participation in larger ensembles. In-school juried assessments of students' level of development in sensing, playing, and performing, are required as a component of being a vocal music major. Students also have a chance for exposure to music technology and composition, through an arts integration approach. Vocal Music majors take a required "zero period" Applied Music course, which incorporates advanced private voice lessons.

Extracurricular activities

Band and orchestra

The Northwestern High School Instrumental Music Program has been rated "Superior" and received first place, as well as grand championship rankings, at local, state, and national levels. The band has performed at national exhibitions and competitions several times.

Northwestern currently serves as the school district's northern host school for the annual Band & Orchestra Festival, which showcases county bands and orchestras who are adjudicated by renowned music directors from around the country.

Choir ensembles

The vocal music program has become a nationally and internationally recognized program. It consists of three main performance ensembles, and other smaller extra-curricular groups. For the 2013–14 school year, the main ensembles were the VPA magnet Advanced Chorus, and the non-magnet Concert Choir, and Mixed Chorus. Over the years, there have been other numerous vocal music groups at the school. The Concert, Advanced, Women's, and Gospel Choirs have received numerous superior ratings at the local and state level, as well as national and international venues.

In the Fall of 2010, the Choir formed the Friends of the Northwestern Choral Society, a legal non-profit organization that serves as the managerial and operating division of the choir. The FNCS is primarily responsible for the fundraising endeavors of the choir, managing expenditures and finances, and promoting the choir and its events.

The largest choir has typically been the Concert Choir. Enrollment in this Choir has been as high as 130 members, and currently has approximately 100.

The vocal music program at Northwestern is not considered extra-curricular. All choirs at Northwestern are offered as credit courses during the academic school day.

The Mixed Chorus was begun in the 2013–14 school year. It is open to all students in grades nine through twelve, and is intended to be the beginning-level choir for those students with little to no prior experience in vocal music performance.

The Concert Choir is the intermediate-level choir and the main vocal performing group at Northwestern, for students in grades nine through twelve. It has open enrollment. Students sing in many genres, such as classical, spiritual, international, secular, sacred, jazz, and show tunes. The choir has performed classical works, from Mozart and Schubert, to challenging spirituals by William L. Dawson and Moses Hogan.

The Advanced Ensemble is an auditioned, select choir, and members must be enrolled in the school's Center for the Visual and Performing Arts magnet program. It is the primary touring/performing choir at Northwestern. The Advanced Ensemble performs music of the same genre as the main Concert Choir, but the music tends to be more challenging, with more foreign-language repertoire. The Advanced Ensemble travels and performs the most extensively of all the performing groups. The Advanced Ensemble underwent their first international tour in July 2013, when they traveled to South Africa to participate in a two-week concert tour, as part of the prestigious Ihlombe South African Choral Festival. They visited the cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Soweto, and Cape Town. The group achieved international notoriety and media coverage during their tour, when they performed outside of the Mediclinic Heart Hospital, the facility where revered former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, was being treated for illness.

Athletics

Northwestern High School sports teams are called the Wildcats. The teams compete in the Prince George's Athletic Conference North Division, and are a part of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA). Northwestern is a class 4A school, which are those in the upper one-fourth of schools in the state by enrollment.

Over the years, Northwestern teams have produced 13 team state championships, and numerous lower-level championships. The Wildcats' official flag was designed in 1965 via a competition judged by the art department.

‡indicates a sport with both junior varsity and varsity divisions

1956: Boys' basketball

1957: Boys' track & field

1958: Boys' track & field

1965: Boys' golf

1967: Boys' basketball

1968: Boys' basketball

1973: Boys' cross country

1973: Boys' soccer

1979: Girls' basketball

1987: Boys' basketball

1987: Girls' indoor track

1995: Boys' Soccer

1999: Boys' track & field

2004: Boys' basketball

2021: Boys' Soccer

Notable alumni

Chuck Banks – NFL player for the Houston Oilers and Indianapolis Colts

Len Bias – college basketball player drafted to the Boston Celtics

William J. Boarman – 26th Public Printer of the United States

Leigh Bodden – NFL player for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and New England Patriots

Steve Charnovitz – law professor

Jimmy Earl – bass guitarist

G.B. Edwards – entomologist

John Fahey, guitarist

Jermaine Fowler – actor and comedian

Harold Fox – NBA player for the Buffalo Braves

Betty Gabriel – actress

Jeff Green – NBA player

Jim Henson – creator of The Muppets

John Johnson – NFL safety for the Cleveland Browns

Jo Kurino – pro basketball player and coach, B.League Japan

Sharmba Mitchell – boxer, former WBA and IBF Light Welterweight Champion

Michael Morrison - NBA player for the Phoenix Suns

Chadwick Nkang – NFL player for the Jacksonville Jaguars