Large crowd (hundreds as of 1:30pm) are protesting outside of the Board of Education meeting at the Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville (850 Hungerford Drive). The protest stems from MCPS’ no-opt-out policy when it comes to the use of LGBTQ+ inclusive books in schools. Video of the protests can be seen below.
In anticipation of the public interest for the school board’s meeting, MCPS implemented safety measures ahead of today’s meeting. Per MCPS:
The Moco native played many sports growing up (baseball, basketball, football, and wrestling) while he was a student at Redland Middle School and Magruder High School. He was also a longtime counselor at Seneca Creek Day Camp before turning his attention to theater and participating in three productions per year.
In 2003, he starred as Luke in the first season of the Fox teen drama, The O.C. He has starred in many movies, television shows, and theatrical productions since then, including his role as Will Lexington in the ABC drama Nashville. He currently stars in Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Atticus Lincoln (Dr. Link)– a role he has played since 2018.
The MCPS Summer Meals Program is designed to bridge the “nutrition gap” when school is out. Children 18 years old or younger can come to any of the open locations to receive a free nutritious meal during breakfast and lunch at no cost. Meals are served Monday through Friday. No appointment is necessary, however, meals must be eaten at the location.
Summer food service meal sites available by clicking here: (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pM-VLHBPW5l43kIAHJsg0RCR42b6xO-DHS56zx7ihpk/edit#gid=540288845)
Per MCPS: “Dear Montgomery County Community Members, Because of the interest in the upcoming Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, the following safety measures will be implemented:
The agenda for the meeting can be seen here.
Abby Meyers is Whitman High School’s all-time leading scorer with over 1,700 points and was the Ivy League Player of the Year last year before transferring to the University of Maryland for her senior season. On Tuesday, she signed a hardship contract with the Washington Mystics Tuesday. Meyers, who was a captain in her only year with the Terps, was drafted 11th overall in the first round of the WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings, but was waived prior to the start of the season.
A hardship contract is commonly used when a team has fewer than 10 players available for a game. The Mystics are on a three-game winning streak and Meyers scored 2 points in 6 minutes in her debut– the team’s most recent game on Thursday. I’m the video below, Meyers talks about what it’s like playing in the DMV again, “woke up in my own house that I grew up in, and drove down a few blocks to get here.”
HESS construction is making progress at the upcoming Woodward High School at 11211 Old Georgetown Rd in Rockville, which will be used as a holding school/facility for current Northwood High School while their new high school building will be built between September 2024 and August 2026. The completed Woodward High School will officially be reopened in September 2026. MCPS Division of Capital Planning will start the process of a boundary study to determine who will go to Woodward High School 18 months prior to the opening of school (which is coming soon).
Currently, phase 1 of construction is progressing and will include all spaces necessary for Montgomery County high school students to graduate from the new Woodward High School. Phase 2 will take place between late 2023 and 2025 so that it can be completed prior to the official opening of Woodward High School. The school site sits on 27.31 acres (for reference, Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS is 16.36 acres, Walter Johnson HS is 30.86 acres). However, significant topographic change within the site limits the use of flat area for site amenities. The new Woodward HS building has been designed for a capacity of 2,700 students.
Their work was evident as Montgomery County Public Schools celebrated the graduation of nearly 12,000 students who will now continue on their pathways to success. To the graduates and their families – congratulations on reaching this significant milestone! You have demonstrated resilience, perseverance, and adaptability to change. We are proud of each graduate’s accomplishments and are excited to see where your future leads.
We made significant progress in a variety of areas since our mid-year report. The state of Maryland released its Star Rating, in which 92% of MCPS schools earned three or higher. We repeatedly reported progress on student performance and refined plans to support all students to reach their full academic potential. We released the new Pathway to Student Success in College, Career, and Community initiative. Vital work to address student security issues and incidents of racism, antisemitism, and bias became a focus for school and school system leaders.
On Wednesday, June 21, 2023, the Gaithersburg Planning Commission conducted a courtesy review of the plans for the upcoming Crown High School. The Montgomery County Board of Education approved the design plans for Crown High School back on March 24, 2022. The $180 million high school will be located in the undeveloped 31.7 acre site that is adjacent to Crown Neighborhood Three and is located at the intersection of Fields Road and Omega Drive. The presentation focused on the location/site plan of the school, building perspectives, parking, forest conservation amendment, and retaining wall design (video of the meeting is linked below).
Per the presentation, the disturbed land area is 31.7 acres, the building will be 358,009 SF, student capacity will be 2,219 with a core of 2,700, and the substantial completion date is August 2026. The Crown High School site will be located on the opposite side of the Downtown Crown community, with the residential portion of Crown between the two areas. The new school will relieve crowding at Gaithersburg, Northwest, Quince Orchard, Thomas S. Wootton and Richard Montgomery high schools. According the presentation from last year, the school will be a five story building that will utilize onsite renewable energy sources such as solar panels and geothermal energy. The City of Gaithersburg was able to secure the site as part of the negotiations related to the Crown Farm Annexation Agreement X-182 on August 7, 2006.
Schools may have just ended, but anyone looking to put the finishing touches on their summer plans may be interested in knowing about the Back-to-School Fair scheduled for Saturday, August 26th.
Per Montgomery County Public Schools: All MCPS students and families are invited to kick off the 2023-2024 school year at the MCPS Back-to-School Fair on Saturday, Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Westfield Wheaton mall.
The Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) application is reopening for families interested in placing their child on the waitlist. The primary focus of the MVA is to foster a safe, inclusive online learning environment that meets the individual needs of all students. The waitlist application period will run from June 26–July 28. Students on the waitlist will be considered for Semester 1 enrollment based on space availability. Interested families can submit an application on ParentVUE.
The Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) is part of the continuum of digital learning opportunities offered to students and part of the choice programs in MCPS. The primary focus of the MVA is to foster a safe, inclusive online learning environment that meets the individual needs of all students in an academic setting where staff know their students’ interests, and want to see them excel as learners. The program includes the following highlights:
There are 182 public high schools in Maryland with an approximate average of 1,030 students per school. All of the 20 largest schools when it comes to enrollment have at least double the average. Full list below using data following the 2021-2022 school year (Montgomery County high schools in bold):
20. Duval High School (Prince George’s County): 2,206 students