James Hubert Blake High School

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Coordinates: 39°6′49″N 77°1′6″W / 39.11361°N 77.01833°W / 39.11361; -77.01833
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James Hubert Blake High School
Address
Map
800 Norwood Road

Silver Spring
,
Maryland

United States
Coordinates39°6′49″N 77°1′6″W / 39.11361°N 77.01833°W / 39.11361; -77.01833
Information
TypePublic high school
Established1998; 26 years ago (1998)
School districtMontgomery County Public Schools
NCES School ID240048001044[1]
PrincipalShanay Snead
Teaching staff102 FTE (2022–23)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,784 (2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio17.46 (2022–23)[1]
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Black, blue, white, silver
       
MascotBenny the Bengal
RivalsPaint Branch High School
Springbrook High School
Sherwood High School
NewspaperBlake Beat
YearbookTempo
Websitemontgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/blakehs/

James Hubert Blake High School (or Blake High School) is a public high school located in Cloverly, Maryland. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools system. Blake offers a signature program in fine arts and humanities.

James Hubert Blake High School is part of the Northeast Consortium, an organization of three area high schools that allows students to select a school based on each school's signature program. The other members of the consortium are Springbrook High School and Paint Branch High School.

History[edit]

In the mid-1990s, Sherwood High School's enrollment had exceeded its capacity, and a new high school was needed to relieve classroom sizes.[2] A new high school was built with a capacity of 1,215 students.[3] Construction costs were paid by the state and federal governments.[4]

When deciding the name for the new high school, the community narrowed its choice to two deceased artists raised in Maryland: jazz legend James Hubert "Eubie" Blake and Muppets creator Jim Henson. In a straw poll, Jim Henson won. When the Jim Henson Foundation declined the honor, the high school was named after James Hubert Blake instead.[5]

When opened on August 31, 1998,[6] Blake High School had approximately 819 students enrolled, in the ninth and tenth grades. Eleventh and twelfth grades were added in the following two years, respectively.[3] Carole C. Goodman served as its first principal.[7] Its newspaper was temporarily given the name Blake Blank before being officially named Blake Beat.[6]

Awards[edit]

The Maryland Instructional Computer Coordinators Association named Mary Wagner the Outstanding Technology-Using Educator of the Year in 2002. A social studies teacher, Wagner was recognized for her contributions to instructional computing practices.[8]

Barbara Jeweler was named Montgomery County Teacher of the Year in 2003. Jeweler was director of Blake High School's television production program, served as internship coordinator, and taught media arts.[9]

Mary Wagner won The Washington Post's Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award in 2004. Wagner was recognized for leading field trips, inviting guest speakers, having mock congresses and cabinets, conducting Election Day exit polls, and encouraging debate, all to teach her students about history and government. Wagner also started Blake High School's Gay/Straight Alliance, known as Allies 4 Equality, and she maintained the school's web site.[10]

The National Television Academy awarded Sally Lok the Student Television Award for Excellence in 2004. A senior at Blake High School, Lok was recognized for the script for "Music Piracy", a video documentary about the legality of downloading music from the Internet. Lok served as the lead producer of the documentary.[11]

In 2004, Blake High School's principal, Carole C. Goodman, received the Mark Mann Excellence and Harmony Award. The award letter specifically noted the diversity of Blake High School's community involvement, the school's excellent arts and humanities signature program, and how Goodman encouraged a challenging and creative academic environment.[12]

In 2005, a Blake High School junior, Michael Braun, won the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament.[13]

In 2007, The Washington Post awarded Teresa Carbonell the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award for Montgomery County. A Spanish teacher, Carbonnell led the honor roll recognition program at Blake High School and led the junior varsity cheer squad. After Hurricane Katrina, Carbonnell raised $25,000 for the hurricane's victims with a Sunset Jazz Concert performed by students.[14]

The Maryland Association of School Libraries gave Blake High School the Mae I. Graham Award for its outstanding library media program during the 2008–2009 school year. The award letter specifically noted the library staff's effective collaborative work between teachers and parents and the library's excellent collection.[15]

A team of seven students won both first-place awards at the local Globe Game Jam in 2015. The students created a strategy and puzzle simulation called "Second Chance" that offers a second chance at life by unlocking clues and unraveling a mysterious medical trauma. The students created the program at Blake High School's gaming and simulation studio, called Bengal Studios, which is part of the school's Interactive Media and Game Development career technology education program.[16][17]

Blake is the only school in the 63-year history of It's Academic to win the DC-area championship four years in a row (2012–15). The team won additional Washington Championships in 2021 and 2024. In 24 years on the show, Blake has reached the finals 14 times and has won the Intercity Super Bowl title four times.[citation needed]

Notable alumni[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blake High School.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Search for Public Schools - James Hubert Blake High (240048001044)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  2. ^ Beyers, Dan (December 5, 1996). "Sherwood High Faces Tough Choices on Crowding". The Washington Post. p. M1.
  3. ^ a b "New This Year". The Washington Post. August 27, 1998. p. MD6B.
  4. ^ Nakashima, Ellen (May 7, 1998). "A Big Jolt Of State Aid For Schools; Construction Funding Pleases County Officials". The Washington Post. p. M1.
  5. ^ Thomson, Candus (November 15, 1998). "For schools, the game of the name can be nerve-wracking You can get a real education trying to decide what to call a new school". The Baltimore Sun.
  6. ^ a b Frazier, Lisa; Nakashima, Ellen (September 1, 1998). "Md. Students Stream Into Schools; State, Some Districts Are Seeing Largest Number of Children in Years". The Washington Post. p. D1.
  7. ^ Goodman, Carole; Berry, Christopher (2013). Great Assistant Principals and the (Great) Principals Who Mentor Them: A Practical Guide. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781317926542.
  8. ^ "Teachers Honored". The Washington Post. March 14, 2002. p. T6.
  9. ^ "School Notes". The Washington Post. May 15, 2003. p. T4.
  10. ^ Perlstein, Linda (April 29, 2004). "Class Acts Take Home Top Honor: Teachers at Blake, Linganore Win Meyer Award". The Washington Post. p. T7.
  11. ^ "Names in the News". The Washington Post. June 3, 2004. p. T5.
  12. ^ "School Notes". The Washington Post. October 21, 2004. p. T6.
  13. ^ Traiger, Lisa (February 17, 2005). "Silver Spring teen wins 'Jeopardy' prize". Washington Jewish Week. p. 8.
  14. ^ de Vise, Daniel (March 29, 2007). "Teachers Recognized for Leadership; Award Winners Multitask, Mentor and Make a Difference". The Washington Post. p. T9.
  15. ^ Lansworth, Tom (July 2, 2009). "Blake High School Library Media Program Honored". The Washington Post. p. 7.
  16. ^ Shay, Kevin James (February 12, 2015). "In Video Game Contest, Teens Score Big - Twice". The Washington Post. p. SS8-17.
  17. ^ "Bengal Studios". James Hubert Blake High School. Montgomery County Public Schools. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016.
  18. ^ Younger, Briana (September 4, 2016). "Maryland native Bibi Bourelly enchants at U Street". The Washington Post.
  19. ^ Hanra, Hanna (December 11, 2015). "Interview with Bibi Bourelly". Beat Magazine. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  20. ^ "Podcast Episode 50". The MoCo Show. June 12, 2019. MoCo Celeb of the Week: Robert Klemko (Blake)
  21. ^ "Penn State Linebacker Cam Brown: At a Glance". SI.com. April 25, 2020.
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