The Most Famous Person From Each MoCo High School

Montgomery County has been home to many celebrities throughout the years, but we wanted to highlight the most famous person to come from each one of our current, local public high schools. This isn’t about being successful in business or helping out communities…just simply about fame in terms of pop-culture today.

The list is definitely subjective, so I know everyone will not agree with a few of these people being the most famous. It’s also not a list of every famous person to come from each high school (or MoCo), so there will likely be some very well-known celebrities missing from this list.

​With all of that in mind, here we go!

Bethesda-Chevy Chase:
It was tough coming to my final decision, but Daniel Stern is the one celebrity from B-CC I think is most recognizable. He starred as Marv in the first two Home Alone movies and was even the narrator of the hit television series The Wonder Years. Though he ended up dropping out before graduating, Mr. Stern has made a pretty solid career for himself out in Hollywood.

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Blair:
Can you believe Goldie Hawn will be turning 72 this November? Blair is another school that made it difficult to choose just one, but the Academy Award winning actress takes the cake. She made her return to the big screen earlier this year, starring in the comedy Snatched with Amy Schumer.

Note: Sylvester Stallone would get this spot, but based on what I have been told he only had a cup of coffee with Blair High School.

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Blake:
Robert Klemko is a writer for Sports Illustrated’s The MMQB. He has previously worked for USA Today and is often featured on many sports television and radio programs for his expertise on the NFL.

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Churchill:
Have you ever heard of Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, or Sex and the City? Darren Star created all three of them. Star has also worked on multiple other television series and movies.

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Doug is a Whitman High School graduate that was born and raised in MoCo. His portable bars can be seen at tailgates throughout the DMV!

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Clarksburg:
Ace Clark was a defensive back for the Western Carolina Catamounts after his time at Clarksburg. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. Currently he’s a coach at KOA, a local youth sports group based out of Bethesda.

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Damascus:
2003 Damascus grad, Brian Stelter, is the host of Reliable Sources on CNN and is also the senior media correspondent. He has also worked for the New York Times.
Fun Fact: Stetler used to date CNBC anchor, Nicole Lapin.

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Einstein:
Rebecca Sugar is best known as the creator of Steven Universe, a series on the Cartoon network. She simultaneously attended Blair High School and the Visual Arts Program at Einstein. Her work as a writer and storyboard artist on Adventure Time earned her a Primetime Emmy.

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Gaithersburg:
Popular rapper, Logic, released his first studio album in 2014, but it wasn’t until earlier this year that he gained international fame with his hit single, “1-800-273-8255.” The single was recently certified double platinum. Though he dropped out of school before graduating from Gaithersburg High School, Logic’s ties to the area are still strong with a lot of his family still living in MoCo.

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Sean Tucker is a Middle School teacher in North Bethesda (MoCo). He creates these signs in his free time and usually has them ready within 2 weeks of ordering!

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Walter Johnson:
John Michael Higgins currently stars in the NBC series, Great News. In the past he’s starred in movies like Pitch Perfect (1 and 2), Bad Teacher, Evan Almighty, and more. He’s also appeared in the T.V. shows, Miami Vice, Seinfeld, Glee, Community, and many others. Before that he spent much of the late 70s and early 80s at WJ.

​Kennedy:

Curtis Pride is currently the head baseball coach at Gallaudet University, but before that he played for the Expos starting in 1993. Pride was the first deaf baseball player to play in the majors since Dick Sipek played in 1945. He and his wife Lisa are actively involved in the Together With Pride foundation, which aids hard-of-hearing children through a hearing aid bank.

Photo courtesy of www.zimbio.com

Magruder:
Dan Hellie is currently the co-anchor of NFL Total Access on the NFL network. Prior to that he was the sports anchor on NBC4, here in Washington D.C. He was a three sport athlete when he attended Magruder (basketball, baseball, and football), and even gave the commencement speech at Magruder in 2008. In 2012, he was inducted into the Magruder Athletic Hall of Fame.

Richard Montgomery:
Tori Amos has 10 singles that have charted in the United States. She has been nominated for five VMA’s and eight Grammy’s. Though you wouldn’t guess it from the picture, she graduated from Richard Montgomery in the early 80s.

Northwest:
Mia Khalifa, “The D.C. Sports Girl,” has nearly 2 million followers on Twitter. She is the co-host of Complex magazine’s YouTube show “Out of Bounds” along with former Washington Wizard Gilbert Arenas. Her YouTube channel curating D.C. sports, modeling shoots, and guest appearances allow her to earn a 7-figure salary.

Northwood:
Jonathan Banks is best known for his role as Mike Ehrmantraut in the television series Breaking Bad and spin-off series Better Call Saul. He has also been in 48 Hrs., Airplane!, Beverly Hills Cop, and many more movies. He graduated from Northwood in 1966.

Paint Branch:
3-time NFL Pro-Bowler, Darnell Dockett, was a standout since his time at Paint Branch. After overcoming some very difficult times as a youngster, Dockett was able to star at Florida State before being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2004. Darnell Dockett donated brand new jerseys to his old high school a few years back.

Poolesville:
Irvin Smith graduated from Poolesville in the mid-80s. He then played for the University of Maryland from ’85-’88 before joining the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. Smith also attended camp with the Vikings and Redskins in his NFL career. He spent a few seasons playing in the CFL and even played in the World League for a year.  Today he is a firefighter for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue service.

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Quince Orchard: 
Rapper, Wale, was born and raised in Washington D.C. before moving to Montgomery County, MD. He attended Quince Orchard High School and The Mark Twain School, and graduated from Q.O. in 2002. He remains tied to the area with his appearances at many local sporting events (Redskins, Wizards, etc.).

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Rockville:
Andy Fiscella has had roles in xXx: State of the Union, Quarantine, Final Destination, Nightmare on Elm Street and many more popular movies. He has also been on Sex and the City, Law & Order, CSI: New York, etc. He attended Rockville High School in the early 80s.

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Seneca Valley:
Seneca Valley has the distinction of having two different people on this list, but only because they come from the same band. Mark Bryan (lead guitar) and Dean Felber (bass) are both founding members of Hootie and the Blowfish. Their debut album, Cracked Rear View, has been certified platinum 16 times and the band has sold over 21 million albums collectively in the United States alone.

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Sherwood:
Scott Van Pelt has been the host of several sports shows and is now the solo anchor of the midnight edition of Sportscenter. He graduated from Sherwood High School in the mid 80s and attended the University of Maryland, where he studied radio/television and film. Just like me, Van Pelt is a fan of the Washington Redskins, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, and Baltimore Orioles.

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Photo courtesy of www.fandango.com

Springbrook:

Michael Ealy currently tops the list for Springbrook, another school with many celebrities to choose from. He grew up in Silver Spring. Ealy is currently starring in Being Mary Jane, opposite Gabrielle Union, but has also starred in movies like Barbershop, Think Like a Man, The Perfect Man, Last Vegas, and 2 Fast 2 Furious.

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Watkins Mill:
Paul Rabil is a major league lacrosse player that many call the face of the sport. Though Rabil only went to Watkins Mill for a year before transferring to DeMatha, he was able to make the Varsity team and find a lot of success playing Lacrosse. He credits his success at Watkins Mill for helping him fall in love with the game. It was really close between Rabil and that handsome www.mocosnow.com guy!

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Wheaton:
Joan Jett, the woman many refer to as the Queen of Rock & Roll, attended Wheaton High School. The “I Love Rock & Roll” singer is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists.

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Whitman:
Whitman High School is certainly up there when it comes to success stories coming out of MoCo, but when it comes to pop culture, Giuliana Rancic tips the list. She has co-anchored E! News with Ryan Seacrest, she co-hosts Fashion Police, and she has even hosted the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants on NBC! In 2014, Rancic won a daytime Emmy for Fan Favorite.

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Wootton:
It was close between Thomas Jane and O.A.R., but i’m going with Jane. Thomas Jane has appeared in movies such as Boogie Nights and Deep Blue Sea. He also starred as The Punisher in the 2004 flim. More recently, he was the lead in the HBO series, Hung. He is also starring in the SyFy series, The Expanse. In 2018 he will appear in The Predator reboot.

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This article was brought to you by Rapteez.
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Founded in 2010 by Sherwood graduate, Konstantinos Raptis, and influenced by the D.C. areas unique sense of style, Rapteez Clothing is not just your regular street wear brand. Inspired by the District of Columbia Flag, Rapteez’s logo consists of two horizontal stripes and three stars above the stripes truly symbolizing the Nation’s Capital. With Greek native roots, and a District heartbeat, Founder, and Creative Curator, Konstantinos Raptis was destined to create apparel that would not only influence street fashion but also mean more than to his Greek heritage and D.C. Last name Raptis, (pronounced Rap-teez), means “tailor” in Greek, which is no coincidence to Kosta.