HCPSSNew Guilford Park High School Opens
August 15th, 2023
Hundreds of Howard County students, families, staff, community members and special guests attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, to celebrate the opening of Howard County’s newest high school, Guilford Park High School (GPHS), located at 8500 Ridgely’s Run Road, Jessup, Md.
Howard County Public School System Superintendent Dr. Michael J. Martirano and GPHS Principal Josh Wasilewski were joined by Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, Howard County Board of Education Chair Antonia Watts, and members of the Board of Education, County Council, Howard County delegation, and HCPSS staff to commemorate the opening of the new school.
The day began with a fun run/walk around the 42-acre GPHS campus, followed by a symbolic planting of a flower preserved from prior owners of the land on which the school was built and the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Once the ceremonial ribbon was cut, the school building doors were opened for the entire community to tour the spacious new building.
The Superintendent noted that the opening of Guilford Park High School is a culmination of years of effort by many community leaders but more importantly the taxpayers of Howard County to fund the construction of a much-needed high school in the eastern part of the county. GPHS is on track to open its doors to approximately 800 freshmen and sophomores on the first day of school. The building is 289,161 gross square feet, housing 40 general classrooms, including 10 flexible Science classrooms and three teaching spaces for Technology Education. GPHS is also home to the largest stadium in the county with 3,517 seats.
“I am proud and exhilarated following our joyous ribbon-cutting ceremony and opening events to welcome our students and families to our beautiful school,” said Wasilewski. “My continual hope for our community is to feel that same sense of pride and connectedness all year that we experienced at this celebration. The future is bright for Guilford Park High School, and I am grateful to be a part of this amazing community.”
The school is set to achieve a minimum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) ‘Silver’ designation, making it an HCPSS “Green School” and features roof-mounted solar photovoltaic panels, underground cisterns to gather rainwater and reduce the rate of run-off, micro-bioretention areas to filter impurities from stormwater before it enters the local waterways, and LED lighting fixtures throughout the school.
