Twenty-five years ago, in September 1976, Cambridge-South Dorchester H.S. first opened
it's doors. After a costly 2 years of construction. A total of $9 million was spent building this well-equipped facility, designed by Johannes & Murray & Associates of Silver Spring, MD. It contained many innovative features such as the largest gym on the Eastern Shore, seating 1800, a library consisting of a collection of more than 20,000 volumes, an auditorium including a huge double stage, classrooms, two dressing rooms, and a orchestra pit.
Throughout the years, many features of CSD have stayed the same, but some have also changed. When the school opened, CSD was only the second circular school in existence in Maryland. The halls were a kaliedoscope of colors ranging from blue, yellow, purple and orange with a vivid display of concentric circles advining the wall in the commons area. Today, the school is not quite as colorful, eliminating the orange, and most of the purple. The circles were painted over and the was replaced by the "Wall of Respect," constructed by the Art Club in 2000. The open space concept area was in vogue at the time and CSD's layout had conformed to this innovative approach to education. But, walls went up after CSD's first year.
Academically, the classes were not as technologically oriented as they are today. Shorthand, typing, mechanical drawing, industrial arts, and office practice were the featured classes along with the core subjects. Today, they have been replaced with tech. ed., computer applications, and computerized accounting. Every classroom today has at least one computer and access to the internet, which was unheard of in 76-77. Instead of doing research in periodicials, encyclopedias, and other reference books, CSD students of the new millennium are "surfing the net." Featured in the media center today is a computer lab consisting of 27 computers which are all hooked up to a network from the Board of Education.
A handful of teachers remain after teaching here for 25 years. They are Mr.Batson, Mr.Becker, Mr.Fleetwood, Mrs.Howell, Mr.Renkwitz, Miss Kilmon, Mrs.Stanley, Mr.Sydnor, Mr.Warfield, Mrs.Bailey, and Mr.Young. So, now CSD still stands tall and proud for 25 years as one of the greatest monuments that Cambridge, Maryland has ever created. |
