Oakland Mills High School

For the similarly named school in Millbrae, see Mills High School.
Oakland Mills High School
Address
9410 Kilimanjaro Road
Columbia, Maryland 21045
USA
Coordinates 39°12′31″N 76°50′21″W / 39.20861°N 76.83917°W / 39.20861; -76.83917Coordinates: 39°12′31″N 76°50′21″W / 39.20861°N 76.83917°W / 39.20861; -76.83917
Information
Type Public high school
Opened 1973
School board Howard County Public Schools Board of Education
School district Howard County Public Schools
School number (240) 236-7000
School code 201411
Principal Katherine Orlando
Grades 9-12
Age range 13-18
Number of students 1,106
Average class size 30
Hours in school day 7
Campus Suburban
School colour(s)      Orange
     Black
     White
Mascot Super Scorp
Team name Scorpions
Newspaper The Scroll (omscroll.com)
Website Oakland Mills High School website
Oakland Mills High School

Oakland Mills High School was established in 1973 as one of the first high schools to serve the Columbia, Maryland area. It is part of the Howard County Public School System.

The building had its first renovation in 1991, and another in 1998. A new addition was put onto the school in 2004, the "new wing," raising its total capacity to 1,400 students.[1]

Mission

"Our vision is that the Oakland Mills learning experience will prepare our students to contribute, compete, and adapt in an increasingly global and technological society. Oakland Mills High School is a diverse community, committed to helping each student grow academically, socially and emotionally. We instill respect, responsibility, and integrity, while collaboratively empowering our students to achieve."[2]

Demographics

Oakland Mills has the most ethnically diverse population of Howard County Public Schools. Of the student body,[3] 42.2% are African American, 25.3% are White, 17.5% are Hispanic, 6.5% are Asian, 0.1% are Native American, and 8.2% are two or more races.

For students receiving special services in the 2012-2013 year, less than 5% were limited English proficiency, 38.1% received free/reduced lunches, and 9.8% were enrolled in special education. The graduation rate was 88.9%.

In 2007, Guidance Counselor Pauline Phillips was named 2006 Howard County Counselor of the Year, and 2006 Maryland State Counselor of the Year.

Kimberly Feldman, 9th grade English teacher, was named 2010 Howard County Teacher of the Year, and was a finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year.[4]

In 2011, health teacher Kimberly Rosado was awarded Teacher of the Year by the senior class. Principal Frank Eastham tied as Howard County's Principal of the Year. Senior Alexis Adams served as the sole Student Member of the Board (SMOB) for the Howard County Board of Education.

Activities

The athletics at Oakland Mills enjoy a widespread and rabid fan base, with black and orange-clad Spirit Club members found at every game. Popular school slogans include "You can't spell cHaMpiOnS without OMHS" and "There's no place like hOMe".

The school also has an accomplished music and drama program. The choir, band, and orchestra are consistently given high ratings at various adjudications and festivals, including the annual WBAL Kids Campaign concert held at the school. Singers from the choir program have performed live on radio for the WBAL Kids Campaign. The Oakland Mills High School Chamber Singers are an active ensemble in their community. The select ensemble has been invited twice to the University of Maryland College Park high school invitational. Multiple members have been a part of nearby select ensembles such as the Maryland All State choirs and Howard County GT/Honor Choir. Oakland Mills has participated twice in the Baltimore area Critics and Awards Program for High School Students (the "Cappies"). The 2005 show, Footloose was nominated for 11 awards, winning two (Ensemble in a Musical and Cameo Actress). The 2006 spring musical, Seussical, was nominated for 13 awards.

The school is also home to over 30 clubs and organizations, including Howard County's only Air Force JROTC program.

The school's boys' cross country team has won a state record 12 cross country state titles, including six in a row in the late eighties and early nineties. The team also had a surge of championships around the start of the 21st century, including some narrow victories over Glenelg High School.

Gifted and Talented achievements

In the 2009-2010 school year about 30% of students were enrolled in GT classes and about 20% in AP classes, according to the High School Needs/Data Assessment. The enrollment of students in OMHS's 18 AP courses has increased by 4% since 2008; this includes a 3% increase of African American students and a 2% increase of Hispanic students.

Students have been successful in higher-level classes. 89% of OMHS students who took the English Language and Composition AP/GT exam received a passing score of 3 or higher, and 86% of students who took the World History AP/GT exam received a 3 or higher. Both of these numbers impressively exceed the national average pass rate of 53%. [5]

From the 2009-2010 school year to the 2010-2011 school year, there has been a 12.5% increase in the size of the OMHS National Honor Society. Currently, 38% of the students in NHS are minorities, 14% of whom are African American.

Since 2009, there have been 67 Maryland Distinguished Scholars: six semifinalists, and nine finalists. There were 19 National Merit Scholars and five finalists. In the class of 2011, OMHS had six National Achievement Scholars, a program for African American students. Of those six, two were finalists.

Since 2009 the school has had one or more students accepted into six of the eight Ivy League schools, including Harvard College, Princeton University, and Brown University, and other prestigious schools such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, Georgetown University, and Juilliard School. A number of these acceptances have been of minority students, including Princeton University, Cornell University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Athletics

Oakland Mills High School has won many state championships. Here is a list of the titles that the school owns:

Boys' basketball

Girls' basketball

Boy's indoor track

Boys' track & field

Girls' track & field

Girls' indoor track

Wrestling

Boys' cross country

Boys' soccer

Girls' soccer

Football

Notable alumni

References and notes

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