Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Maryland)

Infobox School
name=Eleanor Roosevelt High School
type=Public High School
location=7601 Hanover Parkway, Greenbelt, MD
information=[phone]
established=1976
grades=9-12
enrollment=
faculty=
principal=Reginald McNeill
mascot=Raiders
colors=Columbia Blue, White, and Navy
district=Prince George's County Public Schools
website= [http://eroosevelths.pgcps.org/ eroosevelths.pgcps.org]

Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS) is a public magnet high school located in Greenbelt, Maryland and is part of the Prince George's County Public Schools system in the USA. It contains 2,764 students in grades 9 through 12.

Roosevelt is a rare two-time awarded National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence for 1991 & 1998, was awarded and named a New American High School 1999, and was a 2002-2003 recipient of the national Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement award. Eleanor Roosevelt is regarded as one of the most academically challenging and best high schools in the nation.

Roosevelt serves the city of Greenbelt and several unincorporated sections of Prince George's County, Maryland, including some areas with Lanham addresses. Most incoming Science & Tech students are drawn from the northern third of Prince George's County.

The school mascot is the Roosevelt Raiders.

Academics

Roosevelt is best known for its specialized science/technology (S/T) program, which has been in place since the school was first opened. Roosevelt is the S/T center for the northern part of Prince George's County, and admission is based on a competitive exam. Roosevelt is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (NCSSSMST).

ERHS has classes ranging from Japanese I, child development, and television production to bio-organic chemistry, calculus, and a variety of technology courses. Roosevelt boasts eight different foreign language courses each with multiple levels of difficulty. Other programs include the QUEST/AOIT program and the Gilder-Lehrman American History Program.

ERHS instituted the Smaller Learning Communities program which includes Arts, Media and Communication, Business and Finance, Public Services, Technology Systems, and Health and Bio-Sciences. All of these programs are referred to as separate academies, but share common classes and teaching staff for the core high school class requirements.

ERHS also offers a large number of AP (advanced placement) courses which are open to all students. [ [http://eroosevelths.pgcps.org/services.htm Untitled Document ] ] These courses include chemistry, biology, calculus, U.S. history, world history, government, English literature and language, psychology, Latin, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, and many more. In the 2005-2006, there was an enrollment of 1,585 in AP classes.

ERHS has a modified block schedule called a “hybrid schedule” which includes both double and single period classes. The school schedule also allows for five lunch periods. There are a total of eight periods in the regular schedule, plus a zero period which is offered at the beginning of the school day to assist seniors, juniors, and sophomores in taking AP courses. The school schedule also allows for five lunch periods. Single class periods convene for 45 minutes; double class periods convene for 95 minutes. This flexibility encourages academic achievement, as shown in the school’s consistently high HSA and AP scores.

The Science and Technology Center

The Science and Technology Center is a highly challenging four-year curriculum which provides college level academic experiences in science, math, and technology. The program is offered at three centers - Eleanor Roosevelt High School in northern Prince George's County, Oxon Hill High School in southern Prince George's County, and Charles Herbert Flowers High School in central Prince George’s County. Students attend the center that serves their legal residence. Transportation is provided for all students. Admission into the Science & Tech program is contingent upon three criterion, with all criterion weighed equally. The criterion are:

* Grades from four quarters of 7th grade and the first quarter of 8th grade (or four quarters of 8th grade and first quarter of 9th grade) in math, science, English, and social studies
* A standardized verbal test
* A standardized numerical test

All of these are factored into a final score. Each test is normally 30 minutes in length and has approximately 40 questions. The math test covers arithmetic, basic middle school math skills, and simple algebra. The verbal test consists of analogies. 225-250 students with the top scores are admitted to Roosevelt's Science and Technology Program. The next 60 students are placed on a waiting list. All interested 8th and 9th grade students who are residents of Prince George's County are eligible to apply for admission to the Science and Technology Program.

The QUEST Program/AOIT

"Quality Education in Science and Technology (QUEST)" and the "Academy of Information Technology (AOIT)" program began in 1991 with a target population of 50 sixth-grade African American males. The program currently serves more than 400 students in grades 7-12. Admission to the QUEST/AOIT Program is highly competitive. More than 250 students apply for 64 seats. Ninth grade students must complete a rigorous two-week summer program to be admitted into the program. A major objective of the program is to provide under-represented groups who have not gained admission into the Science and Technology Center at Eleanor Roosevelt an opportunity to be successful in a rigorous math and science curriculum.

The QUEST/AOIT program is a highly structured four-year academic program. Of twenty-eight possible credits, a student is required to obtain a minimum of 12 credits in specific mathematics, pre-engineering, technology, science, and research courses. In grades nine and ten, the program consists of common experience courses for all students. In grades eleven and twelve, each student selects course work from one of four focus areas. Students are expected to be enrolled in a full schedule of seven classes per day during the entire four-year program. External experiences are possible and encouraged, but must be a direct extension of, or enrichment of, the QUEST/AOIT Program. Seniors complete a research project, similar to a master's thesis. Many students conduct their research at facilities in the Washington D.C. area, such as the National Institutes of Health, the University of Maryland, The Catholic University of America, and NASA. Since the first QUEST/AOIT class of 1997, one hundred percent of the students who completed the QUEST/AOIT program entered a four-year school of higher education.

The program was expanded to include females and other minorities. QUEST consists of a two-week summer program, fall and spring classroom activities, and tutoring during the school year. The major focus of the program is in two phases.

* to foster interest in science through hands-on laboratory experiences;
* enhance students' math skills;
* monitor academic progress of participants throughout the year;
* provide rigorous instruction in science and math.

The program receives more than 600 applications from elementary and middle school students each year to participate in the summer program. There are presently 225 students participating in the summer program. Of that number, more than 160 middle school students participate in the fall and spring sessions. The summer program is a major component of the QUEST program.The overall objectives of the program are to:

* provide academic support;
* increase critical thinking skills in English, math, science and engineering;
* get students excited about Science and Technology through a hands-on approach;
* assist students and parents with future educational planning;
* discuss the perceptions of minorities outside of Roosevelt who may feel that a career in Science and Technology is unobtainable;
* monitor academic progress;
* increase the number of minorities who take the S/T entrance exam.

The program focuses on computer technology, as suggested by its name, Academy of Information Technology. In 1999, Eleanor Roosevelt High School was one of twelve high schools selected nationwide to pilot this type of academy. The goal of this curriculum offered in grades 9-12, is to give students a broad perspective on technology and its applications, recognizing that students will use technology in various disciplines during college and in their careers. Currently, there are more than 230 students in the Academy of Information Technology. The graduating class of 2005 had mean grade point average of 3.3 and a mean SAT score of 1140. Several of the students entered college in the fall of 2005 on full scholarships.

Administration

Principal: Reginald McNeill
Assistant Principals: Robynne Prince, Sandra Lyles, Avery Taylor, Arnita Dew, LaTanya Catron, and Benjamin Pryor.

chool/Class Colors

The school colors are Columbia blue and white. Each class is assigned one of four colors during their freshmen year. In order, these are orange, green, purple, and yellow. When a class graduates, their color is transferred to the incoming freshmen. For example, 2008 is yellow, 2009 is purple, 2010 is green and 2011 is orange, 2012 is yellow, and so on.

Notable Students and Alumni

* Chris Adler ('93), American film actor
* Christopher C. King ('88) Telecom Analyst, Forbes List 2007, Best Stock Analyst List [http://www.forbes.com/2007/04/29/starmine-stocks-analysts-pf-ii-pf_07topanalysts-cz_er_0501king.html]
* Tom Brownscombe ('85), 1985 Maryland High School Chess Champion
* Bridget Cross ('88), singer, musician Velocity Girl, Air Miami, Unrest, Fugazi
* Sergey Brin ('90), Co-founder and President of Technology of Google
* Derrick Burgess ('96), NFL Player & 2005 NFL sack leader & 2005 Pro-Bowl, former Ole Miss
* Myla Goldberg ('89), author, "Bee Season" and "Wickett's Remedy"
* Charles Hill ('98), NFL Player with the Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, and Carolina Panthers
* Jermaine Lewis ('92), NFL Player & Super Bowl winner with Baltimore Ravens, former Maryland Terrapin
* Mya Harrison ('96), singer, actress, dancer
* Sports Junkies John Auville and J.P. Flaim ('88), radio personalities
* Kenny Lattimore ('85), singer
* Martin Lawrence ('84), comedian, actor
* Justin Ross, ('94), member of Maryland House of Delegates
* John Turner ('86), basketball player, Georgetown University and the Houston Rockets
* Rob Davis ('86), football player, Shippensburg University and the Green Bay Packers
* Derrick Williams ('05) top high school football player in 2005, college football player for Pennsylvania State University
* Delonte West ('01), NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers
* Derrick Harvey ('04) Defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, former University of Florida Gator. [ [http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=682585 Scouting report on Derrick Harvey] ]
* Jared Gaither ('04) Offensive Lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, former Maryland Terrapin
*Gabrielle Christian ('02), star of The-N show, South of Nowhere, starring as Spencer Carlin
* James Gardiner ('02), Book writer of the Broadway musical Glory Days
* Matthew Gardiner ('02), Helen Hayes Award winning director and choreographer

External links

* [http://eroosevelths.pgcps.org/ Eleanor Roosevelt High School]
* [http://www.erhsbands.homestead.com]

Notes