Severna Park High School
Encyclopedia
Severna Park High School is a public high school located in Severna Park, Maryland
. It is a part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools
system. Its current feeder school is Severna Park Middle School
. SPHS opened its doors to students in 1959 and its current principal is Mr. Patrick Bathras, who has been at the school since 2008.
Severna Park High has gained a strong reputation in Anne Arundel County for its consistent success in academics and athletics. Severna Park High School students consistently score highly in the High School Assessment
(HSA). On a national level, the school was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2011 and hosted nine National Merit Scholarship finalists in 2006. The Falcons are sport rivals with nearby Broadneck High School
and have excelled at the state level in lacrosse (both the boys and girls lacrosse
teams were state champions in 2007), field hockey, swimming and cross-country. The school's mock trial team won the state championship in 2006, 2008 and 2010, and was undefeated in the county until 2009.
The school has also gained a strong reputation for theater and music. Rock'n Roll Revival is an annual stage show presented in March. The production consists of students (and some staff) performing classic rock songs. The show has a band, singers, dancers, and a tech crew that is almost entirely composed of SPHS students. It has been in production since 1989 and regularly sells out its eight performances.
team holds the state record for most State Championships. Severna Park is credited with the first women's field hockey team in Anne Arundel County, organized in 1975 by Coach Lillian Shelton. Coach Shelton led the Falcons to 20 state championships for the following years before retiring at the end of the 2011 season:
Girls Lacrosse State Championships
Coach Carin Peterson has led the Falcons to ten State Championships:
Boys Swimming
Girls Swimming
Ice Hockey
Girls Cross Country
Baseball
Volleyball
Gymnastics
Wrestling
Cheerleading
Severna Park, Maryland
Severna Park is a census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 28,507 at the 2000 census.-History:Robinson House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.-Geography:...
. It is a part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Anne Arundel County Public Schools is the public school district serving Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The AACPS school system is the 5th largest in Maryland, and the 46th largest in the United States. The district has over 5,000 teachers supporting a comprehensive curriculum from Pre-K through...
system. Its current feeder school is Severna Park Middle School
Severna Park Middle School
Severna Park Middle School is a national blue ribbon public school in Severna Park, Maryland. It is part of Anne Arundel County Public Schools, and the principal is Sharon Morell.Its feeder schools are:*Oak Hill Elementary*Folger McKinsey Elementary...
. SPHS opened its doors to students in 1959 and its current principal is Mr. Patrick Bathras, who has been at the school since 2008.
Severna Park High has gained a strong reputation in Anne Arundel County for its consistent success in academics and athletics. Severna Park High School students consistently score highly in the High School Assessment
Maryland High School Assessments
The Maryland High School Assessments are standardized tests that measure school and individual student progress toward the High School Core Learning Goals of the U.S. state of Maryland, which were established after passing of the No Child Left Behind Act. Passing the HSA is one of several...
(HSA). On a national level, the school was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2011 and hosted nine National Merit Scholarship finalists in 2006. The Falcons are sport rivals with nearby Broadneck High School
Broadneck High School
Broadneck High School is a school in the United States, located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland on Green Holly Drive, in the city of Annapolis and next to the town of Arnold. The Bruin is the school's mascot...
and have excelled at the state level in lacrosse (both the boys and girls lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
teams were state champions in 2007), field hockey, swimming and cross-country. The school's mock trial team won the state championship in 2006, 2008 and 2010, and was undefeated in the county until 2009.
The school has also gained a strong reputation for theater and music. Rock'n Roll Revival is an annual stage show presented in March. The production consists of students (and some staff) performing classic rock songs. The show has a band, singers, dancers, and a tech crew that is almost entirely composed of SPHS students. It has been in production since 1989 and regularly sells out its eight performances.
Tennis
In the 6 years that Coach Kathy Zingler led the Boys and Girls Tennis Team, the Falcons dropped only one regular season match going 65-1.- 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 In-Season County Champions
- 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 County Tournament Team Champions
- 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Regional Tournament Team Champions
Soccer
Girls Soccer- State Championships 2002 (3A), 2003 Top 25 National Ranking NSCAA/ADIDAS,2000,1995 (Co-Champions) Top 25 National Ranking NSCAA/ADIDAS,1990,1989,1988
Field Hockey
The Severna Park Girl's Field HockeyField hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
team holds the state record for most State Championships. Severna Park is credited with the first women's field hockey team in Anne Arundel County, organized in 1975 by Coach Lillian Shelton. Coach Shelton led the Falcons to 20 state championships for the following years before retiring at the end of the 2011 season:
- 1979, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 (4A) State Champions
- 2003, 2005, 2006 (3A) State Champions
Lacrosse
Boys Lacrosse State Championships- 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 Maryland (4A-3A) State Champions
Girls Lacrosse State Championships
Coach Carin Peterson has led the Falcons to ten State Championships:
- 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 Maryland (4A-3A) State Champions
Swimming
Severna Park High School's swim team is the most decorated team in the state with five state championships—three for the girls and two for the boys.Boys Swimming
- 2011 County Champions
- 2009, 2011 Regional Champions
- 2010, 2011 Maryland (4A-3A) State Champions
- First men's swim team in Anne Arundel County to win Counties, Regionals, and States in 2011
- Ranked 28th in the nation by NISCA's National Dual Meet Team Rankings
Girls Swimming
- 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 County Champions
- 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Regional Champions
- 2007, 2009, 2010 Maryland (4A-3A) State Champions
- Ranked 21st in the nation by NISCA's National Dual Meet Team Rankings
Ice Hockey
- 2001 County Champions
- 2006 Maryland State Runner-Up
Girls Cross Country
- 2005, 2006, 2009 Maryland (4A-3A) State Champions
Baseball
- 2003, 2005, Maryland (3A) State Champions
- 2009 Maryland (4A) State Champions
- Ranked 21st in Baseball America's Top 50 End of Season Rankings
Volleyball
- 1991, 1992, 1993 Maryland (4A) State Champions
Gymnastics
- 2009 AA County Champions
Wrestling
- State Champions: Ron Mattie 1979, George Claxton 1981, Carter Rigsbee 1982
Cheerleading
- 2011 1st place PG county invitational
Clubs
Severna Park offers a range of activities for students to participate in outside of the classroom.- Amnesty International
- Anime Club
- Band Club (Marching Band)
- Botball
- Calculus Club
- Dance Club
- Dance Company/Team
- DECA
- Ebony Cultural Club
- Embers (Yearbook)
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
- Fly Fishing Club
- Gay-Straight Alliance
- Help Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
- Impulse Literary & Arts Magazine
- Indoor Guard
- International Thespian Society
- It's Academic
- Key Club
- Math Team
- Mock Trial
- National Honors Society (NHS)
- National Art Honors Society (NAHS)
- Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
- Sailing Club
- Scrabble Club
- Severna Park Stage Company
- Silks
- Spaghetti Club
- Spanish Honor Society
- Stage Crew
- Student Government Association (SGA)
- Talon (Newspaper)
- Tri-M Music Honor Society
Mock Trial
The mock trial team has been a powerhouse in the county for many years and did not lose in county competition until 2009. In their 2010 run to the State Championship, the mock trial team went undefeated.- 2006, 2008, 2010 Maryland State Champions
Georgetown History Bowl
The history department at Severna Park has competed in the Georgetown History Bowl since its inception in 2004. The team has been consistently good and usually places within the top three.- 2005, 2010, 2011 Team Second Place
- 2009 Team Co-Champions (tied with Calvert Hall College High SchoolCalvert Hall College High SchoolCalvert Hall College High School is a Catholic college preparatory high school for boys located in Towson, Maryland, United States...
) - 2008 Team Champions
Notable alumni
- Josh BanksJosh BanksJoshua Charles Banks is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He is 6'3" in height and weighs 195 pounds. Banks attended college at Florida International University...
, San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
pitcher - Steve BisciottiSteve BisciottiStephen J. Bisciotti is the current majority owner of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League.-Background:...
, owner of the Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his... - James W. CampbellJames W. CampbellJames William Campbell , was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, District 42.-Background:James W. Campbell was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1979. He served until 2003. He was defeated in the 2002 general election when District 42 was redrawn. The newly redrawn...
, former member of the Maryland House of DelegatesMaryland House of DelegatesThe Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis... - Ronald MalfiRonald MalfiRonald Malfi is an American novelist whose genres include horror, thrillers, mainstream, and literary fiction. Malfi is also a musician, and for a time he fronted the Baltimore-based alternative rock band Nellie Blide...
, horror novelist - Billy Martin, guitarist and keyboardist for Good CharlotteGood CharlotteGood Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been lead vocalist Joel Madden, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Benji Madden, bass guitarist Paul Thomas and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin...
- Brandie Posey, stand up comedian and comedy writer
Military Casualties
- Lance Corporal Eric W. Herzberg, assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, died October 21, 2006, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
Severna Park High School in the news
- In September 2011, Severna Park High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
- In December 2010, Severna Park High School was named a Maryland Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick.
- In 2003, Severna Park High School received the Maryland Center for Character Education School of the Year Award for all of their outstanding efforts in helping students to develop their full potential as adults and citizens.