Havre de Gracians anxiously followed the construction progress of the new Havre de Grace Middle and High School since breaking ground in 2017.
Havre de Grace High School Principal, Jim Reynolds has been principal for nine years. “The project was underway since I started. The community worked very hard to get this new school – they were active from the beginning and played a large role,” states Reynolds.
The new, $80 million dollar state of the art building was set to open its’ doors in Fall of 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic didn’t allow for a full opening, but the doors are once again open to scholars.
Havre de Grace Middle School Principal, James Johnson, has been principal of the school for the past five years.
James Johnson was welcomed with open arms when he arrived to Havre de Grace Middle School. “I have never experienced anything like it. Everyone came up to me and introduced themselves. Someone even made me brownies,” James stated.
Sixth graders entering Havre de Grace Middle School feed from several different elementary schools.
“It’s very unique having students come from different schools. When they arrive in sixth grade, they all have very different perspectives of Havre de Grace. The who come to our schools from different areas such as in town, Bulle Rock, Darlington, Grace Harbor, and other neighborhoods come to us with very different perspectives. We encourage them to explore and find their place within the school community. It creates a really neat culture having kids with so many different backgrounds,” states Johnson.
The new state of the art building was designed with Havre de Grace’s landscape in mind. The bottom level is blue for the color of the water, the second floor is green for the land and the top floor is blue for the sky. The school’s colors of maroon and white are also integrated in all communal areas.
Each classroom has a Boxlight, which is the newest interactive white board technology for teachers. The new building also has a middle school and high school gymnasium, two fitness training facilities, a community room with ping pong tables, a TV production area, two band rooms, a 1,000 seat auditorium that is 100% computer operated, science labs, media center, greenhouse, outdoor theater, Ben Carson reading center, a professional commercial kitchen and café for students interested in culinary and hospitality track, a preschool for students interested in early childhood education and new athletic fields and courts.
The faculty is enjoying the new building just as much as the students. The media center is spectacular and inviting. “As a member of the community, whose kids will get to go to the new school, it has been so wonderful to be a part of the transition process. The best part of the new building is all of the natural light we get from the windows all around the building. It helps make the space feel open and airy, plus it is great for learning. There are a lot of great non-traditional spaces around the building where teachers can work with small groups and there is even an outdoor classroom. While moving all of our things to a new space was a huge task, having access to all of the new technology, innovative furniture design and student friendly spaces has been such a wonderful experience for both teachers and students,” states Sarah Scholl, the school librarian.
“The new kitchen is inviting with the natural light. It provides state-of-the-art equipment and tools for students to get a taste of the culinary work one does in the profession – prep to plate. A key place to be for Juniors and Seniors in the pathway as they begin to prepare breakfast and lunch entrees and desserts for staff and the school community beginning next Fall. This past week we made pizza dough from scratch and used the new convection ovens to cook our pizzas! We will be using woks in the professional kitchen in a few weeks to make the signature chicken fried rice dish that juniors missed out on during the early Covid (Spring 2020) days of school closure! During the first week in May we hope to showcase our decorating skills with Cupcake Wars for Teacher’s Appreciation Week! Opening the cafe to teachers to give feedback on our themed treats,” states Deanna Burch, FACS teacher.
“The kids have been in complete awe of the new building. There are lots of common areas for kids to meet and socialize before and after school. There are a variety of extended learning areas where teachers can take their students to do small groups. There’s even a Warrior Room, which will be used for meetings and a place for students to conduct research. The Warrior room is filled with old Havre de Grace documents, yearbooks and trophies dating back to the 1800’s – even hand-written attendance records from the late 1800’s,” states Reynolds.
Havre de Grace High School currently has 691 students, with 40 new students coming next year for the magnet program. Their Magnet program, Information Technology Oracle Academy also known as ITOA is a computer science program. Students will be attending Havre de Grace High School from across Harford County. There will also be a biomedical signature program and a new robotics club.
The Havre de Grace community is second to none. I would describe the community as diverse, kind, supportive, and generous. If you’ve ever attended a Havre de Grace football game you feel as if you’re on the set of Friday Night Lights. It’s that kind of small town – one that sucks you in and is impossible to leave. This may be why there are generations of families who have now walked through the doors of Havre de Grace Middle and High School. It is no shock that the community embraces the schools and their youth. The new building was created with the community in mind with hopes that it will become a place for everyone to come together.
While Havre de Grace Middle and High School focuses on academics, they also focus on shaping good, kind humans who will succeed in the real world after graduation. The school’s motto is, “Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.” The school’s five core values are Pride, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Excellence.
“We use a Positive Behavior Intervention System. To put simply, we like to catch kids being good,” states Johnson. Pre-Covid middle school students would receive “Warrior Gold,” when demonstrating positive behavior. The “Warrior Gold” is essentially school currency, which can be used at the Warrior Post (school store) or at the end of the year for the middle school carnival – where there’s a cake walk, face painting, and even a dunk tank. Who wouldn’t want to dunk their principal?
The City of Havre de Grace is very supportive of the Middle and High School and help to support many programs. When scholars are awarded Student of the Month, they are celebrated by the Mayor and Council members at City Council meeting. The cohesiveness of the schools and community is apparent. The five elementary school principals get together with Principal Johnson several times each school year to catch up. The Chief of Police, Teresa Walter takes the principals and student resource officers out to breakfast at the start of each school year. “I have never been in a community where this happens. We have such a great time and it is a positive start to the year,” states Johnson.
Havre de Grace is a little city with a hometown feel. “I go downtown and can’t help but to run into families I know from the school. Surprisingly, they never ask me about school. They genuinely care about me more than just being their children’s principal. It leads to great conversations and they’ve become extended family,” states Johnson.
Cleary, they are doing something right at Havre de Grace Middle and High School. The vibe I got when I walked the halls with Mr. Johnson was upbeat, warm, and welcoming. The teachers were engaged with the students when we entered the classrooms and offered a quick wave and smile. However, it was the students who sold me on the school culture (not that I needed much selling). When I walked the halls with Principal Johnson, every student we came in contact with was genuinely excited to see him and he knew every student’s name. He stopped to ask one student how guitar was going, another about the light saber he was building and even helped a group of students come up with a solution to a conflict.
The students love every minute in the new building. “In the old building we made do with what we had – some things were being held together with duct tape. We truly have done a lot with a little, but now it is shiny and new and creates a sense of pride. The students’ eyes grew very wide when they entered the building for the first time. It is like waking into Disney World,” states Johnson.
Both principals agree that it is the Havre de Grace community that sets Havre de Grace Middle and High School apart from all other schools in the area. “Our school is supported by the local government and community. It is the center of town. Our school is what draws the community together,” states Reynolds.