Western High School's History
The Western Way
Western’s motto is ‘Lucem Accepimus, Lucem Demus’ meaning “We have received light; let us give light.” That motto continues to guide Western girls in pursuit of their education, career success and significance within their communities.
Western opened its doors November 1, 1844, at 100 North Paca Street, then moved to numerous rented spaces in its first half-century. Many current alumnae remember the school’s years at the corner of North Howard and West Centre Street.
Western opened in its current location at 4600 Falls Road in September 1967, and the Poly-Western complex was one of the largest high school campuses constructed in America at that time. Western is a citywide magnet school which requires certain entrance criteria to be accepted into its talented student body.
Notable alums include Henrietta Szold, founder of Hadassah, Anna Deavere Smith talented playwright and actress, Nancy Grasmick, former MD Superintendent of Schools, Jill Carter Maryland delegate, Stephanie Rawlings Blake, former Mayor of Baltimore, and the Cone sisters of the Cone Collection at Baltimore Museum of Art…and more!
Lifting Our Voices in Song
College Bound, Ready to Soar!
She’s a Western Girl
For decades up to today, a common phrase people use is you can just tell she’s a Western girl.
A liberal arts college preparatory school, Western attracts hard-working students who meet our entrance criterion and seek rigorous academics. Their achievements uphold Western’s reputation for strong outcomes; virtually all of Western seniors head to college each year.
Drawn from neighborhoods throughout the city of Baltimore, our students have ambitious dreams for their futures. From freshman year onward, Western High School prepares them to consider and visit their college choices and follow the steps needed for admission.
College Bound
In recent years, Western seniors have received acceptances from over 100 different colleges and universities throughout the nation and locally, including Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, Harvard University, University of Maryland College Park, Spellman College, Cornell University, Towson University, UMBC and Howard University. They have received over $5 million in scholarships, grants and aid.
From Girls to Gamechangers
As students in a wholesomely competitive academic atmosphere, Westernites (as students were nicknamed since 1985) and Doves (as students are now called) learn to assume leadership roles to seek solutions to problems, to initiate and implement projects and to begin to take charge of their own lives. Such experiences are invaluable to young women in today’s society.
A Pioneer in Women’s Public Education
Academic Programs
Western offers several academic programs: College Preparatory, Accelerated College Preparatory, Teacher Academy of Maryland, Biomedical Sciences, Engineering and our IT Networking Academy. America’s most prestigious universities seek Western graduates. Academic preparedness gives them the grounding to soar!
Whole Girl
Educational Approach
Western High School’s philosophy provides for the development of the whole child. The school has 12 competitive sports teams ranging from badminton to lacrosse to dance. Western sponsors clubs for all interests, from Sounds Unlimited and Western Robotic RoboDoves to our Step Team and Science Club. Through these activities, Western girls become more than friends; they become sisters.
The uniqueness of Western High School is unquestionable. Its scholarship, tradition, and spirit, which began more than 175 years ago, continues to enrich the lives of Baltimore’s future leading women.
Western High School Today
School Traditions
Colors
Red and Black
Slogan
“Western, Only the Best!”
Song
“Dear Western”
Mascot
Dove
Team Name
“The Doves”
Western has four sets of traditional class colors. Each class inherits their class colors as freshmen. The colors are:
- Purple and gold
- Maroon and gold
- Blue and gold
- Black and gold
Annual Events
Big Sister, Little Sister Program
Each year, Western juniors of the new school year pick little sisters from the incoming freshmen.
Unity Day
An joyous alumnae and student gathering in March celebrating Western’s legacy and featuring student performances and remarks.
Spring Revel
The annual outdoor spring fair featuring celebratory banners, booths and activities in the quad.
Graduation
Notable
Alumnae
- Trazana Beverley, actress, 1977 Tony Award winner
- Jill P. Carter, Maryland state delegate, 41st District
- Farai Chideya, novelist and journalist, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work
- Belinda K. Conaway, Baltimore Register of Wills, community leader
- Lisa A. Gladden, member of the Maryland State Senate, 41st District
- Cheryl Glenn, Maryland State Delegate, 45th District
- Gladys Goldstein, renowned abstract artist and art instructor
- Nancy Grasmick, former Maryland State Superintendent of Schools, founder the Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute, education innovator and activist
- Stephanie C. Hill, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin, and first African American chair of Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC)
- Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, 49th Mayor of the City of Baltimore
- Nancy Grace Roman, astronomer who was one of the first female executives at NASA[7]
- Amalie Rothschild, nationally acclaimed Maryland artist
- Elissa Silverman, at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia
- Anna Deavere Smith, playwright, actress (The West Wing), professor, author, recipient of MacArthur Fellowship and National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama
- Henrietta Szold, founder of Hadassah, first editor of the Jewish Publication Society and National Women's Hall of Fame inductee
-
Robin Quivers, long-running news anchor and
co-host of The Howard Stern Show - Claribel Cone, Professor of Pathology and renowned art collector
- Etta Cone, renowned art collector and patron of emerging MICA artists
- Betty Cooke, American designer, a trailblazer in modernist jewelry
- Marilyn Crispell, American jazz pianist and composer, Guggenheim Fellowship Award winner
- Carolyn "Patty" Blum, Clinical Professor, guiding force for Berkeley Law's International Human Rights Law Clinic and donor of WHS Blum Scholarship
- Maria Broom, actress in The Wire and The Corner, storyteller and dancer
- Erricka Bridgeford, African American activist, founder Baltimore Ceasefire
- Beverly Burns, first woman to captain Boeing 747 jumbo jet, Amelia Earhart Award recipient
- Mildred Dunnock, Oscar-nominated actress, star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Sarah T. Hughes, judge who, after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, swore in Lyndon B. Johnson aboard Air Force One
- Rosalie Silber Abrams, first Jewish woman elected to Maryland State Senate, activist legislator for women's rights
- Florence E. Bamberger, American pedagogue, school supervisor, and progressive education advocate
- Liebe Sokol Diamond, notable pediatric orthopedic surgeon and inductee of the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame
- Tamara Dobson, actress, best known as "Cleopatra Jones" and as Guiness Book "tallest leading lady in film"
- Nakeia Drummond, founder/CEO of NLD Strategic and The Women Entrepreneurial Leadership Lab (The WELL)