McDonogh School

Coordinates: 39°23′40″N 76°46′40″W / 39.39444°N 76.77778°W / 39.39444; -76.77778

McDonogh School
Location
Owings Mills, Maryland United States
Information
Type	Independent School, Boarding
Established	1873
Headmaster	Charles W. Britton
Grades	Pre-K to 12
Enrollment	1,350 (2016-17)
Color(s)	Orange and Black
Mascot	Eagle
Endowment	$80 million
Tuition	Pre-Kindergarten $16,060; Kindergarten and Pre-First $25,520; Grades 1-4 $26,030; Middle School $27,630; Upper School $28,960; Upper School Five-day Boarding $38,920 (2016-17)
Website	www.mcdonogh.org

McDonogh School is a private, coeducational, PK-12, college-preparatory school founded in Owings Mills, Maryland, United States in 1873. The school is named after John McDonogh, whose estate originally funded the school. The school now enrolls approximately 1,300 students, between 90 and 100 of whom participate in the Upper School's five-day boarding program.^[1] McDonogh employs approximately 177 full-time faculty members, more than 80% of whom hold advanced degrees and 20% of whom live on-campus.^[2]

McDonogh is regarded as one of the Baltimore region's most prestigious preparatory schools and has been called a "Power School" by Baltimore magazine.^[3] The school's students are frequently recruited by Ivy League and other top ranked colleges and universities.^[4] McDonogh's athletic programs have also seen widespread success, particularly in lacrosse, soccer, and wrestling, where the school's teams have been nationally ranked in recent years.

The school is a member of the Association of Independent Maryland Schools.^[4]

History

The school was established near Baltimore, Maryland in 1873 and funded by the estate of John McDonogh, a former Baltimore resident, who died in 1850. ^[5]

Documents in the archives of McDonogh School include letters from his former slaves thanking John McDonogh (prior to 1850) for his program giving slaves the opportunity to work to buy their freedom and transportation back to Africa.

McDonogh was established as an all-white, semi-military school for orphan boys, who worked on the farm in exchange for their studies, room, and board. Tuition students arrived in 1922, and daily commuting students in 1927. The first African-American student was admitted in 1959. In 1971, the military traditions of the school were discontinued.^[6] The school became coeducational in 1975. Full and partial McDonogh scholarships continue to this day, with $4.5 million in need-based aid awarded for the 2013-2014 school year.^[1]

Charlie Britton is currently serving as the 12th head of school. He received this position beginning in 2007, succeeding W. Boulton "Bo" Dixon.^[7]

Academics

The Upper School offers a rigorous college preparatory curriculum which requires that students take courses in English, foreign language, history, mathematics, science, visual and performing arts, and physical education. Honors or Advanced Placement courses are available in all academic departments. Upper School students must also complete a community service requirement. All students perform an academic project independently or in small groups during the final three weeks of their senior year.^[8]

Academic and personal integrity is emphasized in the Upper School's Honor Code, which is enforced by a student-run Honor Council. The Honor Code reads:

I will not lie, cheat, or steal. I will respect the rights and well-being of myself and others.^[8]

The academic calendar at McDonogh follows a trimester system.

Notable graduates

• David Adkins,^[9] actor and playwright
• Grant Aleksander (1978), actor, director, most famously appearing as Phillip Spaulding on The Guiding Light
• John R. Bolton (1966), former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
• Wallace E. Boston, Jr. President and Chief Executive Officer, American Public University System
• Bruce Davidson (1968), world champion equestrian, Olympic gold medalist
• Brandon Erbe (2005), Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect
• Henry Gantt (1878), a mechanical engineer and management consultant. Most famous for developing the Gantt chart in the 1910s.
• Darrius Heyward-Bey (2005), 7th pick of 2009 NFL draft and former University of Maryland wide receiver, current NFL wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Eric King (2000), Defensive back for Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans
• Myles Martin (2015), NCAA Wrestling Champion for Ohio State Buckeye ^[10]
• James McDaniel (1976), actor, played Lt. Fancy on NYPD Blue
• Ben Queen (1992), screenwriter, television producer, wrote Disney/Pixar's Cars 2
• Pam Shriver (1979), a former professional tennis player and current sports broadcaster
• Frederic N. Smalkin (1964), Maryland's Chief Federal District Judge and Brigadier General ^[11]
• DaJuan Summers (2006), former Georgetown University basketball player, drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 2009 NBA Draft.
• Drew Taubenfeld (2003), instrumentalist and musical director for several pop stars, including Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Meghan Trainor. ^[12]
• Evan Taubenfeld (2001), Sire/Warner Bros. recording artist, EMI professional pop staff songwriter. Avril Lavigne's lead guitarist from spring 2002 to September 2004.
• Joseph D. Tydings (1946), a Democratic member of the United States Senate, representing the State of Maryland from 1965–1971
• Jenn Wasner (2004), indie rock musician
• Daniel Polansky (2002), fiction novelist, Hugo Award Nominee

External links

• McDonogh School official website

References