The Year Without A Senior Class

Back, what seems like a long time ago, there were two school systems in Delmar. One on the Delaware side of town and one on the Maryland side of town. Many people are saying that is what the present school system is aiming to go back to, but that is a story for another post. This post is about one of the two schools, the Maryland High School. Up until 1949, the Maryland High School only required eleven years of school to graduate. Like wise for the Delaware High School but Delaware didn't increase the years of schooling until much later. In 1949 the State of Maryland required 12 years of school for a high school diploma. 1949 was the first year in which the 12 years of schooling took effect and because of this the tenth grade (juniors) of 1948 which should have became Seniors in the 11th grade in 1949, remained Juniors because they had another year to go to make it to the 12th grade. So the Delmar Maryland High School had no senior class nor a graduating class in 1949.

Now the above is based on what I read in some of the Bi State Weekly newspapers in 1949. I called the Wicomico County Board of Education and asked if this was true of all schools in Wicomico County, seems to me like it would be. I got the usual Board of Ed response of "we will get back to you." I am still waiting. Assuming a great deal, I guess you could project this out and say there was no graduating high school class in the state of Maryland in 1949, but I don't really know that.

I also have been told that Delaware High School graduates with only eleven years of schooling compared to the Maryland twelve years of schooling had difficulty finding jobs in Maryland because they were not viewed as having a High School education.