Prince George’s County’s first agricultural high school was established in Baden, Maryland, opening in 1912, though it later became Baden Elementary School, serving rural communities with agricultural education focus within the broader school system. This pioneering school aimed to provide practical farming and domestic skills, a vital focus in the county’s early agricultural development, alongside general subjects like English and math.
Key Details:
Location: Baden, Maryland.Opened: 1912.
Purpose: To offer specialized agricultural and domestic economy training, promoting farming skills for rural youth.Evolution: It eventually transitioned into Baden Elementary School, a significant local landmark and part of the county’s history. While other county high schools opened earlier (like Laurel in 1899), the Baden school specifically focused on agricultural education, making it the county’s first in that specialized field.
Status of Baden Elementary once students are merged with the newBrandywine Area PK-8 Academy will combine Brandywine Elementary School, BadenElementary School and Gwynn Park Middle School populations under one schoolumbrella. New Brandywine Area PK-8 Academy is scheduled to open for the 2027-2028 school year.
https://www.pgcps.org/schools/gwynn-park-middle/announcements/gpms-community-notice
Email from PGCPS Board of Education. Good morning and Happy New Year!
The Prince George’s County Public School System follows the linked Administrative Procedure 2571 – Utilization of Buildings Which Are Closed, when considering the future use of any school facility. I’ve also attached a summary diagram of the process. As the administrative procedure outlines, we will convene a Building Utilization Committee to study and prioritize potential uses for the school site. If no school system use is identified, then the process of surplusing the property back to the County government will be recommended to the Superintendent of Schools, followed by the Board of Education. There are additional needed approvals outlined in the administrative procedure.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:f0c34de3-ed0e-4d74-a0e0-5d8b50491aa0
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:bdd49016-4886-4dd1-ae19-999d2cfe2609
There is no mandated timeline, but as a matter of practice we work to complete these processes as quickly as possible in an effort to prevent vacated buildings from becoming a burden on the surrounding community.
Also history of Schmidt Center, just including because it is in Aquasco, MD. I am the founding member of Baden/Aquasco Nextdoor.com and I also post information on that site as well, that is why I included Schmidt Training Center because it is in Aquasco, MD.
The former Orme Elementary School was originally built in 1956, and has been used by the environmental program since 1979. The building contains ten classrooms that are currently used as sleeping quarters for overnight campers, and a cafeteria and kitchen used to provide meals for the campers. Location: On the Schmidt Center’s 450-acre property off Aquasco Road, southeast of Brandywine, MD.Original Use: Built in 1956 as Orme Elementary School.Transition: Became part of the Schmidt Outdoor Education Center in 1979.
https://www.pgparks.com/event_list/holiday-desserts-doormats-2
GBACA – Greater Baden-Aquasco Citizens Association Community meeting Jan 14th. @ 7:30 pm
Baden Volunteer Fire Department.
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