Carver Center for Arts and Technology is an exceptional high school with eleven specialization areas, or “Primes.” Students may select Literary Arts, Culinary Arts, Information Technology/Interactive Media Production, Cosmetology, Carpentry, Dance Design/Production, or Vocal Music as options for their study.
This high-performing school boasts above-average test scores and offers Advanced Placement courses.
History
Since 1989, the Carver Center community has fostered lifelong learners whose passion for their craft drives them to be creative, successful, and inspirational contributors to society and the world. We achieve this goal by engaging students in challenging yet rigorous programs combining primes, academics, emerging technologies, and professional experiences.
Carver School stands out among Baltimore County Public Schools by being culturally diverse, with an international focus and strong emphasis on African and African-American history and culture. Carver also stands out for its exceptional arts and technology offerings; for instance, Carver students dominated the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards that year by winning more awards in Dance, Film & Video, Painting & Drawing, Photography, Music Theater Visual Arts than any other school; plus 13 Carver dancers were selected for All County Honors Dance Ensemble than any other school in Baltimore County Public School!
The Carver Center Foundation, a 501(c)3, supports world-renowned arts and technology programs at Carver Middle School through fundraising activities, grants, scholarships for students and faculty, and artistic presentations that celebrate world cultures through artistic performances and educational outreach efforts. Furthermore, this foundation educates the local community on the benefits of greening homes and schools.
Carver Center’s sustainability project seeks to make the campus more eco-friendly through energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste reduction. To this end, students – led by Green Team – work alongside faculty members to identify and implement sustainable initiatives. They also provide education about greening through Catalyst (school newspaper), website, Twitter feeds, and other media outlets of Carver Center.
The school currently enrolls around 1,200 students with an approximate teacher-to-student ratio of 1:15. Beyond academics; it also offers extracurricular activities and athletic teams for its students to join. The school’s academic performance compares well with similar high schools in the Baltimore area. In 2011, The College Board ranked it 12th nationwide and 3rd in Maryland, while its graduation rate stood at 83%.
Academics
Carver offers students an exceptional educational experience by providing courses in disciplines as varied as art, culinary arts, engineering, and information technology – plus many others such as science, math, and reading for those taking advanced placement exams (AP) exams – those who excel may even qualify for scholarships at college!
Carver Academy prides itself on an academic environment built upon respect and freedom of expression, which can be seen throughout classrooms and hallways where student artwork (including nudes) adorns walls. Long class periods give students taking courses such as sculpture or carpentry more time to use materials without being interrupted for permission or cleaning up and help foster creativity at Carver. Furthermore, its culture emphasizes cooperation and collaboration, which also encourages innovation.
This school is known for its robust magnet system, featuring eleven specialty programs called Primes. These include literary arts, culinary arts, information technology/interactive media production, carpentry, cosmetology dance, digital instrumental music, acting, and visual art (which further offers concentrations such as drawing/painting, photography, sculpture, and Telemedia).
Students of the arts often compete in national competitions. Carver High School was recognized for entrants in 2004’s national ‘ARTS’ competition with more entries than any other high school, and Baltimore County recognizes many teachers for their exceptional teaching abilities; among these are photography teacher Carrol Cook and Visual Arts chair Joe Giordano who were nominated for Distinguished Teacher Awards.
Carver Elementary School stands out as an exceptional school with its above-average test score and low student-to-teacher ratio, highly motivated students, a low student-to-teacher ratio, a commitment to creating a healthy learning environment with its LEED silver certified building that optimizes classroom acoustics while offering ample and flexible lighting, an outstanding reputation among local parents, an impressive test score average of 91.2 out of 100 and flexible daylighting solutions.
Carver School in Towson is an excellent option for high-achieving students interested in arts and sciences, offering diverse learning environments and above-state average SAT/ACT scores (1520/36, respectively).
Extracurricular Activities
Carver Center students have the chance to engage in numerous extracurricular activities. These include a full-length school musical and annual student newspaper/literary magazine publication, dances, community service activities, and competitions such as countywide writing contests. Students also have opportunities for field experiences. Experiences like these provide students invaluable opportunities to acquire new skills they can use in their future careers. One popular extracurricular activity among students is Computer Games Design and Programming club, led by an experienced teacher trained to deliver this course. Students learn several programming languages as they create apps for iPhone and Windows phones.
Students also benefit from working directly with professional artists and writers through the Literary Arts program, producing an original school newspaper four times yearly and a literary magazine filled with original fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students sponsor writing competitions among BCPS middle schoolers and tutor local middle school students who find reading/writing challenging.
Visual Arts students can work closely with visiting artists who provide master classes on various art techniques. Furthermore, the school hosts numerous workshops where students learn different media, such as drawing and painting techniques, multimedia production techniques, sculpture-making techniques, and photography. Students can create their works, which they showcase at special exhibits.
Magnet school success hinges upon its magnet system, which offers eleven specialty areas or “Primes,” such as acting, carpentry, cosmetology, culinary arts, dance, information technology/interactive media production/music performance/dance performance, and visual arts (drawing/painting).
Each Prime has a specific focus, but students are encouraged to collaborate to produce shared projects. For instance, music students might compose the score for a drama rehearsal being attended by drama students; Culinary Arts Prime may provide catering on the opening night for the Visual Arts exhibit, while Vocal Arts provide entertainment on the opening night of the visual Arts exposition.
Athletics
Though Carver High School may seem to specialize in sports, its activities go well beyond mere athleticism. Instead, its teachers and students remain highly engaged academically and extracurricular – including Nominated Teachers of Arts Award winner Theresa Shovlin from painting and drawing class; more winners in national ARTS competitions; voice writing competitions than any other school nationwide and more nationally awarded teachers like Thatcher Spiro from painting class among them!
Carver Academy stands out among other public schools by emphasizing respect and freedom of expression through an informal dress code and student artwork displayed throughout its hallways. Furthermore, more extended class periods give sculpture or carpentry students more time to utilize their materials. Students at Carver are highly competitive but cooperative – making Carver an enjoyable learning environment!
Towson, Maryland’s Advanced Placement High School students take Advanced Placement courses, ranking 13th nationally. Furthermore, Towson High has impressive graduation and dropout rates, an excellent student-teacher ratio, and diversity, with 54% African American students enrolled there. Moreover, George Washington Carver Technology High School serves Baltimore County Public School system as one of three geographically distributed technology high schools that fall under its jurisdiction.
