Great Mills High School
| Great Mills High School The Mills | |
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| Location | |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public Secondary |
| Established | 1929 |
| School district | St. Mary's County Public Schools |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,804 (2023–2024) |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Green and Gold |
| Mascot | Hornets |
| Faculty | 149 |
| Website | Great Mills High School Official Link |
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Great Mills High School is a comprehensive public high school in Great Mills, Maryland, United States. It serves students in grades 9–12 in the mixed rural and suburban area at the confluence of the Potomac River, Patuxent River, and Chesapeake Bay. It belongs to the St. Mary's County Public Schools system, and is associated with two other county high schools: Leonardtown High School and Chopticon High School. The school is accredited by the Middle States Colleges and Secondary Schools and the Maryland State Department of Education.
The school has an enrollment of more than 1,800, with an ethnic makeup reflecting the community: 41% Caucasian, 35% African American, 3.4% Asian, 13% Hispanic, and 1% other. Many of the families are employed by NAS Patuxent River, government contractors, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and others involved in the area's traditional agricultural and water-related businesses.
Great Mills High School is among the oldest continually operating school in St. Mary's County and the State of Maryland. It was founded in 1929 as one of the original high schools in the county. The campus now encompasses several acres and has a football, soccer, and field hockey field and uses a county pool next door.
The school houses a STEM program.
Great Mills High School athletes are known as the Hornets. Great Mills High School Athletics belongs to the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference and competes in Division 3A in state competitions.
2018 shooting
[edit]On March 20, 2018, 17-year-old student Austin Rollins opened fire in a hallway at the school with a 9mm Glock handgun,[1] fatally wounding 16-year-old student Jaelynn Willey before exchanging fire with school resource officer Blaine Gaskill, who had responded to the scene. Gaskill, 34, was a six-year veteran of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office trained in special weapons and tactics.[2][3] A 14-year-old student, Desmond Barnes, was wounded, while Rollins was shot and later died at the hospital.[4][5] Authorities later determined that Rollins died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.[6]
The perpetrator, Rollins, was previously in a relationship with Willey.[7][4] The gun Rollins used was legally owned by his father according to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office.[8] Willey was taken off life support on March 22, 2018 after being declared brain dead.[9]
Notable alumni
[edit]- Clifford Dukes (class of 2000) – former defensive lineman[10][11]
- Roy Dyson (class of 1966) – politician who was a Maryland State Senator representing Maryland District 29 and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland's 1st district[12]
- Toby Morse (class of 1988) – punk vocalist of H2O[13]
- John F. Slade III – former member of the Maryland House of Delegates[14]
- Tubby Smith (class of 1969) – Former head basketball coach at Texas Tech University. Former head Coach of University of Minnesota's men's basketball team. Former coach of University of Kentucky's men's basketball team[15]
- Tanya Hughes (class of 1990) - Track and Field University of Arizona 4x NCAA High Jump Champion. Member of 1992 US Olympic team in Barcelona, Spain.
References
[edit]- ^ "The suspected Great Mills shooter, a teen, used a handgun. It's tough for adults to buy one in Maryland". Baltimore Sun. March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ "5 things to know about Md. SRO Blaine Gaskill". Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ "Sheriff: Teenager dead, 2 wounded in high school shooting in southern Maryland". Associated Press. March 20, 2018.
- ^ a b Hendrix, Steve (March 20, 2018). "School resource officer Blaine Gaskill helped stop gunman at a Maryland high school". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ "Maryland school shooter used father's gun". NBC News. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "Student gunman died of self-inflicted gunshot to head in Md. school shooting". Washington Post. March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Joyce, Kathleen (March 20, 2018). "Shooting at Great Mills High School in Maryland, school confirms". Fox News. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ "Md. School Shooter Used Father's Gun to Shoot Ex-Girlfriend: Authorities". NBC 4 Washington D.C. March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ Eric Levenson, Carma Hassan and Joe Sterling. "Girl critically wounded in Maryland school shooting dies". CNN. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ "Where Are They Now?". Washington Post. 25 April 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "ALL-TIME TALENT CLIFFORD DUKES". Washington Post. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "DYSON, Royden Patrick". bioguidereto.congress.gov. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "Great Mills High School". www.onelifeonechance.com. Great Mills, Maryland (published December 22, 2010). December 2, 2010. Archived from the original (video) on December 25, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ "Maryland Manual, current Associate Judge on District Court". [dead link]
- ^ "Coach Bio: Tubby Smith :: Men's Basketball". 1 March 2007. Archived from the original on 1 March 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
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External links
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