Seneca Valley High School

Seneca Valley High School (SVHS) is a U.S. public high school (grades 9-12) in Germantown, Maryland. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools system. Its enrollment for the 2019–2020 school year was 1,226 students.[3] The new building was completed in 2021, which has a capacity of 2,551 students.[4]

For the high school located in Pennsylvania, see Seneca Valley School District.
Seneca Valley High School
Address
19401 Crystal Rock Drive

Germantown
,
Maryland
20874

United States
Coordinates39°10′30″N 77°15′52″W
Information
TypePublic secondary
MottoSoaring Towards Excellence
Established1974
School districtMontgomery County Public Schools
PrincipalMarc Cohen
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,226 (2019–20)
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Kelly Green and Gold[1]
Song"Seneca Valley is the Best!"[2]
NicknameScreaming Eagles
RivalDamascus High School
Northwest High School
NewspaperThe Talon
Websitewww.senecavalleyhighschool.com

History
Seneca Valley High School's parking lot in 1974

Seneca Valley High School sits on land which was once the site of a dairy farm owned by baseball player Walter Perry Johnson, having been purchased by him in 1935. Johnson lived there with his five children and his mother, as his wife died, until his death in 1946.[5]

1970s

Seneca Valley High School opened in 1974 as the first high school in Germantown and remained the only one until 1998, when Northwest High School opened. In its first year of operation, the 1974 to 1975 school year, under Principal Nathan Pearson, Seneca Valley hosted students grades seven through ten. In the following 1975 to 1976 school year, the school operated grades nine through eleven, with 8th graders transferring to the newly opened Ridgeview Junior High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. During the 1976 to 1977 school year, Seneca Valley transformed into what was then a senior high school, hosting grades ten through twelve, graduating its first class in June 1977.

1980s

Finally in 1988, Seneca Valley changed to the present state of full-fledged high school with grades 9-12.

1990s

The class of 1992 was the first to graduate all upper high school years in one facility.

2010s

The original school building, inaugurated in 1974, was demolished in 2020 and replaced with a new building on-site in 2021.[6][7] Construction work began in September 2017 and was completed in September 2020.[8] The new building is the largest high school in Maryland, and has drawn students from the former Clarksburg High School boundary area.[9]

Sports

The school colors are gold and kelly green, and the mascot is the Screamin' Eagle. Seneca Valley's football biggest rivalry is with nearby Damascus High School.

Seneca Valley's football team has won 12 state football championships, in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2002.[10] This is a Maryland state record which they share with Damascus High School.

Notable alumni

References
  1. colors selected in 1974
  2. "Seneca Valley High School Song".
  3. "Seneca Valley High School at a glance" (PDF). Montgomery County Public Schools.
  4. "Superintendent's Recommended FY 2022 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2021–2026 Capital Improvements Program. Chapter 4 – Seneca Valley Cluster" (PDF). Montgomery County Public Schools. October 23, 2020.
  5. Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. Johnson bought his dream farm in Germantown in 1935 and lived here with his five children and his mother, his wife having died, until his own death in 1946. His dairy farm was located where Seneca Valley High School is today. He was elected by the local people to two terms as a County Commissioner.
  6. "Germantown Community Meeting Montgomery County". Councilmember Craig Rice. Council of Montgomery County. October 7, 2015.
  7. "Germantown Pulse News for Germantown Md". Germantown Pulse News for Germantown Md.
  8. Peetz, Caitlynn. "A look inside the new Seneca Valley High School". Bethesda Beat Magazine. September 28, 2020.
  9. Tallman, Douglas (November 28, 2019). "School Board Shifts Boundaries Between Clarksburg, Seneca Valley High Schools". MyMCMedia.
  10. Melnick, Kyle (October 19, 2021). "Seneca Valley, once Maryland's premier football program, tries to recapture its glory". The Washington Post.
  11. Harrington, Richard (July 26, 1996). "Locally Schooled Blowfish". The Washington Post. No. Weekend. p. 11.
  12. Nader, Elisa (January 24, 1997). "The House That Clutch Built". Washington City Paper.
  13. O'Rourke, Kevin (November 30, 2018). "Coming Home for Good: Former NFL Player Now Patrols His Hometown Streets with MCPD". Germantown Vibe.
  14. Harris, Hamil R. (December 16, 2004). "My Story Is a Story of Restoration". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
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