Glen Burnie High School

Glen Burnie High School opened in 1923 with a freshman and sophomore class using several rooms in Richard Henry Lee Elementary School. The school moved during the following year to an old elementary school building located on First Avenue S.W.

Records tell us that Glen Burnie High School was approved by the Maryland State Board of Education in 1924. Prior to this time, Anne Arundel County had only one high school which was located in Annapolis. For a number of years, Glen Burnie High School served the entire northern end of Anne Arundel County.

The first graduating class in 1926 consisted of only four members: Amy Eveson, Carrie Immler, Abie Sidle, and Melva Schneider. However, population growth in the school area soon led to serious overcrowding at the First Avenue building. Additional classes were held in the Old Town Hall, a frame building adjacent to the school. Other classes were also held in a new community hall built by the Masonic Lodge. Land located on Baltimore and Annapolis Boulevard, on the outskirts of the town of Glen Burnie, was purchased by the Anne Arundel County Board of Education from Curtis Creek Mining and Manufacturing Company. Subsequent purchases of smaller parcels of land brought the total acreage to 34. School construction began in 1931 and the present Old Main building was ready for occupancy in October, 1932. Total construction cost was $164,200.

The Annex was added at a cost of $27,000 and it housed the Industrial Arts classes. In 1937, wings were added to the Old Main building to accommodate a growing school population. The Vocational Education building was completed in 1948 at a cost of $987,000 and provided classroom space and instructional areas for the Trades. It served for many years as the Vocational Center for all schools in the north county until a new Vocational Technical Center was constructed in 1976. The present Business Education building was opened as Glen Burnie Junior High School in 1948. In 1955 further increases in the school area population led to the construction of a new junior high school in Marley. The former junior high school building was turned over to Glen Burnie High School and was equipped for instruction in Business Education. Once the old junior high building became part of the high school, its gymnasium gave the school two full gymnasiums for physical education classes and sporting events.

The Administration building, constructed in 1964, added the long-needed auditorium. Cost of the building and equipment was $1,036,667 and included administrative, counseling offices plus additional classrooms.

In 1976 the Media Center was constructed as one part of the complete renovation of Glen Burnie High School. The renovation included the removal of the Annex and the wings from Old Main, improvement to the athletic fields, updated office education equipment including mini and micro-computers, and the entire school was air conditioned. In the fall of 2011, the Biomedical Allied Health Magnet was established at Glen Burnie High School. Students come from the 12 feeder high schools within the AACPS system. The BMAH program is part of the STEM programs in Anne Arundel County that offer challenging and engaging K-12 opportunities for students to become involved with the diverse fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Glen Burnie High School’s first principal was Mr. Donald Powers, a teacher and acting principal at the First Avenue school. Mr. Powers was replaced after one year by Miss L. Todd Motley. Miss Motley was principal until her retirement in 1948. Mr. Charles W. Whayland was appointed principal and served in that capacity until his death in February, 1968. Mr. Craig Lundberg was principal from 1968 until 1973. Mrs. Katherine Frantum served as principal from 1973 until her retirement in 1981. Dr. James McGowan served as principal from 1981 through June, 1986. Dr. McGowan was replaced in 1986 by Mrs. Midgie Sledge. Mrs. Sledge left Glen Burnie High School in 1994 and was replaced by Dr. Oliver Wittig. Mr. David Hill was named principal in 1996 after Dr. Oliver Wittig’s retirement. Mr. Hill served as principal until 2003. Mr. Sam Salamy served as principal until his retirement in 2008. Ms.Vickie L. Plitt was named principal in 2008 after Mr. Salamy’s retirement. Ms. Plitt served as principal until 2018. Mr. Scott McGuire is the current principal of Glen Burnie High School.

Today, Glen Burnie High School is a campus-style high school consisting of many buildings and athletic fields. In addition to serving as the educational institution for the area’s school population, it is also the center for many community activities.