Frederick Douglass High School
8000 Croom Road
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
301-952-2400 Office
301-627-3377 Fax

Vision

Frederick Douglass High School is an inviting and caring learning community dedicated to excellence.  Our focus is to engage all students in a challenging, diverse, and safe educational journey.  Our staff is committed to helping students become respectful, productive citizens who are fluent in technology and are active participants in their learning now and in the future.

Mission

The mission of Frederick Douglass High School is to create and maintain an environment that will encourage all students to reach their maximum educational potential.  We are committed to providing the opportunities for our student to reach their potential and to encourage them to be responsible for providing the determination and attitude that will lead to their success.

Philosophy

The staff of Frederick Douglass High School believes that each student can learn and develop as a productive member of our society, regardless of their intellectual, cultural, and socio-economic differences.  We believe that a safe environment, coupled with mutual respect among all members of the Frederick Douglass Community, will create an atmosphere conducive to learning.  We also believe that consistent, regular attendance will enable student the opportunity to succeed.

Definition of Rigor

The staff of Frederick Douglass High School defines rigor as the process of creating an inviting learning environment that is conducive to higher order thinking skills and requires students to raise their level of self-accountability supported through challenging and relevant instruction that is aligned with state and local content standards.

It is characterized by:

• An interdisciplinary academic curriculum;

• Student-centered instruction through the use of hands-on experiences and integrated technology;

• Varied methods of assessments; and

• Real-world application of applied knowledge to achieve career oriented goals.

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The History of Frederick Douglass High School

            Our school is named after the famous abolitionist, journalist, and orator, Frederick Douglass.  Born a slave, he obtained his freedom and became one of the preeminent leaders of the time.

            Frederick Douglass High School (FDHS) was the first high school for African-Americans in Prince George’s County.  In 1922, Mr. Doswell E. Brooks, Supervisor of schools for African-American students, along with many community leaders, planned and raised money to build a high school.  Mr. Sheldon Sasscer of Upper Marlboro offered the land for this structure.  In September 1923, Marlboro High School opened its doors to African-American students of Prince George’s County.  The school consisted of four classrooms where grades 8-11 were taught.  This school was a joy for students who had previously traveled to Washington or Baltimore for their high school education.

            A new Marlboro High School was built in 1934 and was renamed Frederick Douglass High School in 1935.  The present Frederick Douglass High School was opened in 1959.  The present FDHS represents the pinnacle of the work and dedication of the parents, students, and teachers that preceded us.  Honor the FDHS “Tradition of Pride.”

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Directions:

From 301, turn onto route 382 (Croom Road). 
We are located on the left side, approximately one
mile down the road.

If you are traveling north on 301, you may wish to
turn right on Trumps Hill road, this will take you to
Croom Road, and help you to avoid congestion.

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Frederick Douglass

          Born Frederick Augustus Bailey, Douglass was born in 1817 in Talbot County, Maryland.  He is named one of the most prominent African American speaker, journalist, and antislavery leader of the 19th century.  In Douglass’s early life he worked as a slave until the age of 21.  In his adolescence, he started to teach himself how to read and at the age of thirteen he bought his first book, The Columbian Orator.  By studying this book, Douglass was influenced by the injustice of slavery and believes that all people should be free.  In 1838 he became free from slavery and moved to New York to start his new life as a free man.  Later he became an agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.  With the society, he traveled throughout the North speaking at antislavery meetings, giving public lectures and campaigning civil rights of free blacks.  In 1845 he published his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.  He later wrote two more autobiographies, My Bondage and My Freedom in 1855 and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass 1881.  In this book, he described his experiences as a slave and fugitive. Throughout the rest of his life he continued to work for full civil rights for blacks and held several government positions.  He died in 1895.

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