Education

MCPS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy No Longer Employed by the School District; Two Office of School Support and Well Being Staff Members On Leave

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight sent a message to MCPS staff on Wednesday, October 11, announcing that deputy superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy was no longer employed by the district. The message, provided to us by MCPS Communications Director Chris Cram, also states that two members of the MCPS Office of School Support and Well-Being (OSSWB), Dr. Donna Redmond Jones and Dr. Eugenia (Jeanie) Dawson are currently on leave.

Dr. Patrick Murphy was appointed as the MCPS deputy superintendent in 2022, a position previously held by Dr. McKnight. He was recently superintendent of Berkeley County Schools in West Virginia until 2022 and previously superintendent of Arlington Public Schools and in various instructional leadership positions in Fairfax County Public Schools. The message sent to staff can be seen below (note: We have been told by several MCPS staff members that they have not received this message):

Go to MCPS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy No Longer Employed by the School District; Two Office of School Support and Well Being Staff Members On Leave Read more

Two Local Jewish Organizations Release Joint Statement Recognizing FCPS and Expressing Anger and Disappointment Towards MCPS

By MCS Staff

The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Washington and Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Washington D.C. released a joint statement on Wednesday afternoon, recognizing Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) for the acknowledgement of the attack on Israel and expressing anger and disappointment towards Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) for its response. The full statement can be seen below:

“Over the last 72 hours, JCRC and ADL DC staff have worked tirelessly to communicate to local school systems the importance of acknowledging the horrific attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists and the profound trauma being experienced by Jewish students, parents, and employees. We thank the several school districts that have released some public statement. We wish to especially recognize Dr. Michelle Reid, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, the largest school system in our region, for speaking with JCRC staff several times and for responding personally to parents as she can.

Go to Two Local Jewish Organizations Release Joint Statement Recognizing FCPS and Expressing Anger and Disappointment Towards MCPS Read more

2023/2024 Fall Theater Productions in MCPS Schools

By MCS Staff

The curtain is rising on fall theater productions throughout the school system, at middle and high schools. Plan now to see these great performances, which run into early 2023. From “Shrek” and “Mamma Mia” to “Radium Girls” and “Lavender,” an original work by a 2023 Albert Einstein High School graduate, there’s something for everyone. Full list below, courtesy of MCPS:

Middle Schools

Go to 2023/2024 Fall Theater Productions in MCPS Schools Read more

Applications for Montgomery Virtual Academy For Next School Year Due November 3

By MCS Staff

Applications for the Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) for the 2024-2025 school are now open and due Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Applications for the waitlist for Semester 2 of the Virtual Academy’s 2023-2024 year are also due on Nov. 3. Applications submitted after Nov. 3, 2023, but by Feb. 9, 2024, will be added to the 2024-2025 waitlist. Rising Grades 2-12 students can apply in ParentVUE. Current MVA families MUST also reapply in ParentVUE.

The MVA is a comprehensive online instructional program. Students will engage virtually and synchronously five days a week during the traditional school day. The MVA provides a high quality engaging and innovative instructional program for students who thrive in virtual learning. The primary focus of the MVA is to foster a safe, inclusive online learning environment that meets the individual needs of all students. For questions about the MVA admission process, contact Cassandra Heifetz, dean of the lower school, or Jackie DeLucia, dean of the upper school.

Go to Applications for Montgomery Virtual Academy For Next School Year Due November 3 Read more

Magruder HS to Host This Year’s Marching Band Showcase on October 21

By MCS Staff

Col. Zadok Magruder High School (5939 Muncaster Mill Road) is hosting this year’s Marching Band Showcase on Saturday, Oct. 21, starting at 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Twelve high school bands will be participating: Clarksburg, Damascus, James Hubert Blake, Paint Branch, Seneca Valley, Rockville, Springbrook, Montgomery Blair, John F. Kennedy, Watkins Mill, Albert Einstein and Magruder.

Each band will perform separately on the football field. The grand finale piece will include members of all 12 bands, performing Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” This final performance will be entered into a contest that Metallica is sponsoring for marching bands. This year’s event will kick off with a middle school mass band performing the national anthem.

Go to Magruder HS to Host This Year’s Marching Band Showcase on October 21 Read more

The MoCoShow 2023 MCPS High School Football Week 7 Preview & Predictions

By Damon Anderson

Northwest (6-0) at Churchill (5-1): Huge seeding battle in the 4A West and the teams involved should also pay mind to the Gburg-SV game. If Gaithersburg wins, the Trojans should be favored to win out the rest of the season finishing 8-1. Thus, assuming NW loses to QO next week, the loser of this game has a very real shot of falling down to the 4 seed and likely meeting QO Week 11. If Churchill pulls this off, suddenly the path to returning to the state reseeding just got a lot easier (obviously them beating NW would mean they have a clear path to advancing no matter what, but never bank on beating the Jags twice). Northwest hasn’t quite looked like their dominant selves the last couple weeks, they did start well against PB but cooled off and PB made it too close for comfort before the Jags got an insurance score. But Churchill hasn’t exactly fully played their best ball either the last couple weeks, and will need to come out swinging to pull this one off. This doesn’t look like a great matchup for the Dawgs as NW’s D-Line should limit Avit and Churchill’s pass defense is not great. Churchill will need to execute near-flawless in the passing game. Overall we think the Bulldogs keep it very close, but the Jags stay one step  ahead in a classic. Prediction: Northwest by 8

Paint Branch (3-3) at Blake (6-0): Once Blake beat Sherwood, without a whole lot of quality opponents on the Bengals’ schedule many immediately turned their eyes to this matchup. Blake has only beaten PB 3 times in the last 20 years, and are on a 10-year losing streak. If there was any time to get back in the win column, it’s now as PB is reeling having not been able to put it all together against their quality foes. However, our gut doesn’t like Blake in this one. Chalk it up to the Panthers being more battle tested and showing signs of improvement against Northwest. Prediction: Paint Branch by 6 

Go to The MoCoShow 2023 MCPS High School Football Week 7 Preview & Predictions Read more

MoCoShow High School Football 2023 Week 6 Top 10 (MCPS)

By Damon Anderson

1. (LW 1) Quince Orchard 6-0: The Cougars handed out their 5th shutout of the season, beating Seneca Valley 28-0. Running Back Iverson Howard had 125 yards of total offense and 1 touchdown in the win. Quince Orchard will travel to Richard Montgomery on Friday.

2. Northwest (LW 2) 6-0: The Jaguars defeated Paint Branch 28-13.  Northwest had 201 passing yards and 2 touchdowns as a team.  The Jags will travel to Potomac to take on Churchill in a huge matchup next.

Go to MoCoShow High School Football 2023 Week 6 Top 10 (MCPS) Read more
View More Stories