Professional Development School Network

Professional Development School Network
Baltimore County Public Schools

OWINGS MILLS HIGH SCHOOL

Address:
124 Tollgate Road
Owings Mills, MD 21117

Phone: (410) 887-1700

School Principal:
Dr. Margaret Spicer

School Contact:

Towson Contact:
Sally McNelis
smcnelis@towson.edu

DESCRIPTION OF THE SCHOOL

Owings Mills, a comprehensive high school, consists of grades nine through twelve and is one of twenty-seven high schools in the Baltimore County School System. The current enrollment is approximately 1,400 students. The professional staff is composed of 90 instructors, 1 librarian, 5 counselors, and 4 administrators. Co-op study and special education offer alternatives to the regular school program. OMHS is the ESOL center for the Northwest area. Approximately 150 students are enrolled in this program. 85-90 percent of our students go on to 2 to 4 year colleges.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

The community of Owings Mills was first inhabited by Native Americans. In 1740 Samuel Owings, a Welsh immigrant, settled in the Greenspring Valley area and by the end of the 18th century, Samuel Owings II constructed three mills in Gwynns Falls. The 19th century brought great change to Owings Mills including the advent of the local Western Maryland Railroad station. Construction for Owings Mills Junior-Senior High School began in 1978. Students were housed temporarily at Pikesville Middle and Sudbrook Junior High Schools until completion of Owings Mills in February 1979. The school opened as a junior-senior high for grades 7-12. However, during the first year, there was no twelfth grade class. The class of 1980 was the first class to graduate from Owings Mills and the class of 1991 was the last class that attended Owings Mills High from grades 7-12. The Owings Mills community is a rapidly growing area in Baltimore County and is a microcosm of urban America with a large variety of cultural and ethnic groups. Owings Mills High is also the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Center for the western half of the county. We are dedicated to a program of academic excellence, which meets both the needs of individual students and the demands of a changing society. Recognizing this duality, we believe our purpose is to provide a variety of learning experiences that encourage students to accrue knowledge, to enhance talents, to acquire skills, and to develop values that will prepare them for active participation in a complex world.

MISSION STATEMENT

Our very diverse student body is a microcosm of modern American society. As a result, Owings Mills High School guides students toward an acceptance of and appreciation for individual and shared values. We are dedicated to a program of academic excellence which meets both the needs of individual students and the demands of a changing society. Recognizing this duality, we believe our purpose is to provide a variety of learning experiences that encourage students to accrue knowledge, to enhance talents, to acquire skills, and to develop values that will prepare them for active participation in a complex world.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COLLABORATION

The collaboration with OMHS and Towson University is three years old. Interns visit our campus during the spring semester one morning a week for seven weeks. During their pre-service internship, they have the opportunity to observe classes, and to engage in both teaching and peer coaching. It gives the interns an opportunity to preview a secondary school and meet with faculty, staff and students. During the fall semester, some of the interns begin their immersion in the school by experiencing pre-opening activities. They engage in the full-time internship with a mentor teacher for seven weeks. Teacher chats (forums) are held frequently at the end of the school day in discussion groups on topics that range from "Conferencing with Parents" to "Classroom Management." Our partnership with Towson enables our faculty and staff to participate in continuous professional development and tap into the expertise of the IHE faculty.

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