Bethesda High Schools Get Top Rankings

Once again, Bethesda high schools are included in a national ranking of top high schools.

Montgomery County Public Schools have done it again—landing in top spots in a national ranking. This time, the ranking is the third annual list of America's Best High Schools, published by Newsweek and The Daily Beast. Walt Whitman High School, Walter Johnson High School and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School came out as the third-, fourth- and fifth-best schools, respectively, in the county. Seventeen of the county's public high schools made it on this list, which includes the nation's top 2,000 high schools—less than 10 percent of all the high schools in the country. And, the top six high schools in Maryland are all MCPS schools, according to a school system statement. The 17 county schools (with their national rankings in parentheses) on …

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B-CC, WJ, Waldorf Students Among Finalists In Short Story Contest

Four of the 12 finalists for the Gaithersburg Book Festival's short story contest attend Bethesda schools.

Four students from three Bethesda schools have been named among the 12 finalists in the Gaithersburg Book Festival's third annual short story contest. Walter Johnson juniors Megan Baldwin and Caroline E. Steel, Washington Waldorf School freshman Mia Harris and Bethesda-Chevy Chase senior Cary Spector have been named amongst the top contest entrants. The pool included public, private, and homeschooled students from 16 jurisdictions throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia.  Students from two other Montgomery County schools were selected as finalists. The first-, second- and third-place winners, along with a fan favorite, will be announced at the festival on May 18 at 12:30 p.m. in the Ogden Nash tent. Winners will receive $100, $50 and $25 gift…

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Whitman Tops Reigning Champion WJ in Leukemia Fundraising Challenge

Raising $90,000, the school beat out Pennies for Patients fundraising powerhouse Walter Johnson High School this year.

Walt Whitman High School came out on top of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients High School Challenge this year, raising more than $90,000 and beating reigning fundraising champion, Walter Johnson High School. The competition took place throughout the month of February among 15 local high schools, aimed to to fundraise for cancer research and teach students leadership skills. Before Whitman's win this year, Walter Johnson had won the competition seven years in a row. The 15 schools raised more than $210,000 collectively, with Whitman raising $91,761.76 and runner up Walter Johnson bringing in more than $80,000. Whitman raised $40,000 more than during last year’s challenge, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. …

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Injured Swimmer Leads WJ Swim Team To State Title

Walter Johnson High School senior Barry Mangold dislocated his shoulder before the championship meet, The Gazette reports.

A swimmer who dislocated his shoulder helped lead the Walter Johnson High School boys' swim team to a state title Saturday, The Gazette reports. The team took its second state win this weekend at the Class 4A/3A state championship swim meet this weekend. Despite his injury, swimmer Barry Mangold won the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and helped lead his team to victory. Read the full story at The Gazette.

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Man Charged With Trespassing At Walter Johnson High School

Man came to campus on Tuesday and Wednesday and tried to speak with students and staff, according to Walter Johnson principal.

Man Charged With Trespassing At Walter Johnson High School

Man came to campus on Tuesday and Wednesday and tried to speak with students and staff, according to Walter Johnson principal.

A man who came to Walter Johnson High School's campus twice this week, once in the evening, has been arrested and charged with trespassing, according to Montgomery County Police and a listserv message posted by the school's principal. The man entered the building Tuesday evening and approached and spoke to several students and one staff member, according to the message posted by Principal Jennifer Baker. A staff member notified security, and the person left a short time later, Baker wrote. The person came back to the school Wednesday and tried to enter the building, according to Baker. Staff contacted Montgomery County police.  Police confirmed a person was arrested at Walter Johnson High School Wednesday and charged with trespassing. …

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At WJ, a Chilling Reminder During Homecoming Week

A crashed car in front of the high school is a visual warning against drinking and driving.

Homecoming Week is a time of celebration for many county high schools, and Walter Johnson is no exception. Spirit Week is in full swing at WJ, and the festivities will culminate with a homecoming football game against Winston Churchill High School Friday and a homecoming dance Saturday. This week, classes are decorating their hallways to coincide with the "Dance Through the Decades" homecoming theme. But parents and administrators also want to remind students to make responsible decisions during the festive time of year, according to Shelly McGill, WJ PTSA health and safety committee chairwoman. A crashed car is once again stationed in front of the school -- as it has been for the past several years during homecoming and prom -- to remind …

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Washington Nationals Begin Playoff Journey Sunday

In honor of DC's first baseball postseason since 1933, we pay homage to a legend of the game.

The Washington Nationals today begin their postseason quest for DC’s first World Series championship since 1924, when Walter “The Big Train” Johnson was the ace of the Washington Senators pitching staff. The legendary right-hander is buried at the Rockville Cemetery on Baltimore Road.

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MCPS Students Shine in SAT

Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson and Whitman High School students from the class of 2012 scored better-than-average marks on the SAT.

Good news from the schools: Montgomery County public school students in the class of 2012 "set an all-time record on the SAT and significantly outperformed their peers across the state and the nation on the college entrance exam," according to a Montgomery County Public Schools press release.  "MCPS graduates scored an average combined score of 1,651 on the SAT, which is 184 points higher than state of Maryland public school graduates and 153 points higher than the nation’s graduates, according to data released [on Monday, Sept. 24] ... by the College Board," the statement continued. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School's class of 2012 students did even better than that, earning an average score of 1746. The class of 2011 earned an average …

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