Damascus High School

History

Damascus High School was first established in 1909. The current building was constructed in 1950 and renovated in 1978.

In 2017, the Damascus community raised $15,000 to have the high school's "Swarmin' Hornet" mascot painted onto a water tower overlooking the football field; however, Georgia Tech objected due to the hornet's resemblance to their yellowjacket mascot, Buzz. In order to avoid a legal battle, the fundraisers opted to paint a green-and-gold "D" on the water tower instead.

In 2020, MCPS approved a major renovation of the high school building. Construction was originally planned to begin in 2023 and end in 2025, with a proposed budget of $127 million, but the project was delayed several times due to county fiscal concerns. In 2026, MCPS shared updated plans which increased the project's budget to $306 million and placed the construction timeline from 2028 to 2031, with demolition of the old building finalizing in 2032. The new building will have a capacity of 2,250 students (up from 1,543) with an increased area of about 132,000 square feet, and will likely be four or more stories high.

Graduation ceremonies

Damascus is notable for hosting its own graduation ceremonies on the school football field. By 2016, it was the only public high school in the area to do so. In 2025, however, MCPS issued a directive requiring all district high schools to hold their graduation ceremonies on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus from 2026 onward, causing Damascus' longstanding tradition to come to an end, despite some backlash from students and families.

Athletics

Damascus' school colors are green and gold, and its mascot is the Swarmin' Hornet. The school's biggest rivalries are with the neighboring Clarksburg, Sherwood, and Seneca Valley high schools.

Damascus is known for its prestigious football program. The Swarmin' Hornets have appeared in 17 MPSSAA state championships and won 12, the most of any high school in Maryland. Since winning their first state title in 1981, Damascus has usually won at least three in each decade, and most recently were crowned champions in 2022. From 2015 to 2017, the football team kept a 53-game winning streak, which is another state record, and was likely a national record at the time. This period included three consecutive state championships.

The school's wrestling program has also been very successful, boasting 16 total state titles across tournaments and dual meets. From 2013 to 2020, the team won 182 consecutive dual meets, collecting eight consecutive dual meet state titles in the process. This was the third‑longest winning streak ever recorded nationally in the sport, and the longest active one.

2018 football hazing incident

In 2018, during the fall football season, four players on Damascus' junior varsity team were sexually assaulted with broomsticks by teammates in the locker room, as part of a hazing ritual. The school administration waited more than 12 hours after learning about the incident before contacting police. Four players were charged as adults initially with first-degree rape, while another was charged as a juvenile with a lesser offense and given community service. However, within a month, the four charged as adults were released on bond, and their cases were later moved to juvenile court. Consequently, the outcomes of the court proceedings were not made public. The victims and their families sued the school district, and in 2023 they received a settlement totaling $9.7 million.

Notable alumni

Christian M. M. Brady, theological scholar and current president of Wittenberg University

Bryan Bresee, NFL player

Jake Funk, NFL player and Super Bowl LVI champion

Michael Jurgens, NFL player

Joel Ross, CFL player

Brian Stelter, political commentator

Kevin Thompson, NFL player

Joe Tippett, actor