# Stephen Decatur High School (Maryland)

Stephen Decatur High School (commonly Stephen Decatur, Stephen Decatur High, SDHS) is a four-year public high school in Berlin, Worcester County, Maryland, United States. With the grades of 9–12 the school is a part of Worcester County Public Schools. It is one of four public high schools in Worcester County along with Pocomoke High School, Worcester Technical High School, and Snow Hill High School. The school was opened in 1954.

## About the school

Stephen Decatur High School was named after Stephen Decatur, the naval war hero during the War of 1812 who was born in Worcester County. He was a Commodore and also fought in the Second Barbary War against pirates in the Mediterranean Sea.
The school is part of the Worcester County Public School system, which also includes three other high schools, Snow Hill High School, Pocomoke High School, and one vocational school, Worcester Technical High School.
Construction on the school began in 1952 and Stephen Decatur High School was dedicated in 1954. It was a consolidation of two old high schools, Ocean City High School in Ocean City, MD and Buckingham High School in Berlin, MD. The school originally served grades 7 through 12. The current facility has 192,335 sq ft (17,868.5 m$^2$).

## Students

The graduation rate at Stephen Decatur High School is consistently above 90 percent. In 2015 the school had a graduation rate of 93.73%.
The area of West Ocean City, Ocean Pines, and Berlin experienced significant growth in the 1990s and 2000s, and that was reflected in the student population at Stephen Decatur High School. From 895 students in 1993, the school had an enrollment of 1,436 in 2007. The growth of the area slowed around the time of the Great Recession, and as a result the student population at Stephen Decatur has remained relatively steady over the past decade.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1993 | 895 | — |
| 1994 | 938 | +4.8% |
| 1995 | 985 | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 1,020 | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 1,076 | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 1,111 | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 1,170 | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 1,248 | +6.7% |
| 2001 | 1,251 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 1,317 | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 1,302 | −1.1% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 2004 | 1,374 | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 1,384 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 1,389 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 1,436 | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 1,389 | −3.3% |
| 2009 | 1,390 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 1,433 | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 1,436 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 1,399 | −2.6% |
| 2013 | 1,341 | −4.1% |
| 2014 | 1,316 | −1.9% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 2015 | 1,299 | −1.3% |
| 2016 | 1,346 | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 1,351 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 1,348 | −0.2% |
| 2019 | 1,363 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 1,328 | −2.6% |
| 2021 | 1,369 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 1,444 | +5.5% |
| 2023 | 1,431 | −0.9% |

## Staff

The following people have been the principal at Stephen Decatur High School:
| Wilbur A. Jones | 1954–1961 |
| D. Keith Whitehurst | 1961–1963 |
| William C. Tomlinson | 1963–1966 |
| Elmer Everton | 1966–1968 |
| Gladys Burbage | 1968–1987 |
| Tom Tucker | 1987–1991 |
| Anthony McNabb | 1991–1994 |
| Louis H. Taylor | 1994–2012 |
| Thomas Zimmer | 2012–2018 |
| Thomas Sites | 2018–Present |

## Sports
### State Champions

* 2024 - Football (2A)
* 2024 - Wrestling (2A)
* 2023 - Football (2A)
* 2023 - Wrestling (2A)
* 2022 - Wrestling (2A)
* 2020 - Wrestling (2A)
* 2019 - Wrestling (3A)
* 2008 - Wrestling (4A-3A)
* 2002 - Boys Soccer (2A)
* 1986 - Boys Track & Field (Class C)
* 1970 - Boys Basketball (Class B)

### State Finalists

* 2025 - Wrestling (2A)
* 2016 - Boys Basketball (3A)
* 2015 - Girls Lacrosse (3A-2A)
* 2011 - Boys Swimming (3A-2A-1A)
* 2006 - Girls Lacrosse (3A-2A)
* 2005 - Golf (2A-1A)
* 2001 - Boys Soccer (2A)
* 2000 - Boys Track & Field (2A)
* 1985 - Boys Track & Field (Class C)
* 1984 - Boys Track & Field (Class C)
* 1977 - Girls Basketball (Class B)
* 1971 - Boys Basketball (Class B)
* 1969 - Boys Basketball (Class B)

### Robotics

* 2014 - FIRST Robotics Competition Team #4288 North Carolina Regional Champion
* 2013 - FIRST LEGO League - Salisbury Qualifiers Champion
* 2012 - FIRST LEGO League - Salisbury Qualifiers Champion
* 2012 - FIRST Robotics Competition #4288 - Battle of Baltimore

## Notable alumni

* Keve Aluma, professional basketball player for the Ryukyu Golden Kings of the B.League.
* Dale R. Cathell, judge, Maryland Court of Appeals
* John Chester, co-creator of Random 1, television program on A&E
* Linda Harrison, actress
* Erica Messer, writer for The OC, Alias, and Criminal Minds
* Oliver Purnell, head basketball coach at DePaul University