Education Archives - Page 208 of 304

Wheaton High School Principal’s Appeal to Overturn Cancellation of Wrestling Season is Denied; Second Appeal to Follow

Published February 14, 2023 at 9:22PM

Wheaton High School Principal Joshua Munsey announced in a letter to parents of students on the Wheaton wrestling team that an appeal of the MPSSAA decision to not allow Wheaton High School wrestlers to participate in any post-season series has been denied. In the letter to parents, Munsey stated the following: “Yesterday, I represented the Wheaton High School wrestlers in a hearing appealing the MPSSAA Sanction that Wheaton High School wrestlers are not allowed to participate in the post-season series. This afternoon, I received the attached letter denying our appeal. Also this afternoon, I followed the steps outlined in this letter to appeal this decision.” Principal Munsey has told us that he filed for the initial appeal as soon as he knew he was able to do so. He has also followed the steps for a second appeal that is likely to be heard this week. The full letter denying the appeal can be seen below.

Dear Mr. Munsey:

Wood Middle School Principal Sends Community Letter Regarding Presentation Titled “Homophobic Club Hub” Found on Student Chromebook

By MCS Staff

Published February 14, 2023 at 8:40AM

Earle B. Wood Middle School principal Heidi Slatcoff sent out a community letter on Friday information families of an investigation following a teacher’s discovery of a presentation titled “Homophobic Club Hub” on a student Chromebook. The investigation found the the student shared the documents with at least two other students prior to deleting them. There was no evidence of any other students participating in generating the documents, and no evidence that a club was actually formed. According to the investigation, the documents were generated 2 – 4 months ago. The full letter can be seen below:

This is clearly a hate/bias incident and I must say that discrimination in any form cannot be tolerated. It impedes MCPS’ and our school’s ability to discharge its responsibilities to all students and staff, and achieve our community’s long-standing efforts to create, foster, and promote equity, inclusion, and acceptance for all. While students who commit this unacceptable act will receive consequences as per MCPS Student Code of Conduct, it is important that we continue our work with our students to help them understand the impact of hateful and hurtful words.

Wheaton High School Principal Appeals Decision to Cancel Wrestling Team’s Season

By MCS Staff

Published February 13, 2023 at 7:58PM

On February 2, 2023, Wheaton High School principal Joshua Munsey sent a letter to the WHS community informing them of a violation of Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association (MPSSAA) and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) athletic rules and regulations by the Wheaton wrestling program.

In the letter, it was explained that there was an allegation of an ineligible student-athlete competing for Wheaton High School. The wrestling program was paused on January 27th and a comprehensive investigation confirmed the allegation. This led to the cancellation of the remaining part of the season for the entire Wheaton wrestling program, per regulations outlined in the MPSSAA handbook. According to NBC4, the head coach of the wrestling team knowingly broke the rules “but thought the consequences would come down on him and not the varsity, junior varsity and girls teams.” He is no longer employed by MCPS.

Rockville High School Sophomore Named Finalist for the Maryland State Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB)

By Patrick Herron

Published February 13, 2023 at 11:43AM

Per MCPS: On Saturday, February 11, Madison Watts, a sophomore from Rockville High School, was elected as a finalist for the Maryland State Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB). Over 300 student leaders from across the state of Maryland attended the Maryland Association of Student Councils annual Legislative Session hosted by the Wheaton High School Student Government Association and the Montgomery Regional Student Government Association. The other finalist is Abisola Ayoola, a junior from Wilde Lake High School (Howard County). Maryland Governor, Wes Moore, will select one of these finalists as the next Maryland State SMOB in late spring.

Montgomery County Public Schools Safety and Security Update

By Patrick Herron

Published February 13, 2023 at 9:24AM

Your cooperation is essential to help protect the safety and welfare of all our students and school staff. We teach students—and ask parents and caregivers to remind students—that:

Weapons are not allowed on school grounds, ever. Guns, knives, toy guns, ammunition, or any device meant to cause harm are prohibited and carry significant school and possible criminal consequences.

Maryland Is 2023’s “2nd Most Educated State in America” According to Study

By MCS Staff

Published February 13, 2023 at 8:47AM

The state of Maryland has been ranked second in a list of “Most Educated States.” With BLS data showing a correlation between higher education levels, higher income and lower unemployment rates, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Most & Least Educated States in America. Massachusetts was ranked first and Connecticut came in third.

In order to determine the most educated states, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 18 metrics that examined the key factors of a well-educated population: educational attainment, school quality and achievement gaps between genders and races.

Whitman Alumna Abby Meyers Honored by Maryland Basketball on Senior Day

By MCS Staff

Published February 13, 2023 at 8:25AM

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. Yesterday she was honored at Senior Day as #8 Maryland took on Illinois.

Meyers didn’t disappoint, scoring 14 of her 18 points in the third quarter for the Terps, helping lead the team to an 81-72 victory and improving to 13-0 all-time against Illinois. In an interview with the Diamondback last month, she credited her junior and senior years at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda as helping her evolve as a teammate and leader, playing a big role in being named a captain ahead of her first season at Maryland.

Northwest High School/UMBC Alum Among First Peace Corps Volunteers to Return to Service Overseas

By Patrick Herron

Published February 10, 2023 at 5:17PM

Malick Boly is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency suspended its global operations and evacuated nearly 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries in March 2020. Boly grew up in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso in West Africa before moving to Gaithersburg in 2011, where he attended Lakeland Park Middle School and Northwest High School (Class of 2016) in Germantown. Boly graduated from UMBC with a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology and will serve as an English literacy volunteer in Samoa.

“My mother was a volunteer in Gabon during the early 80’s,” said Boly. “Her decision to join Peace Corps sent her on a thirty plus year humanitarian journey that culminated in the creation and management of multiple schools and a happy family of five. I am proud to follow in her footsteps.”

MCPS Students Compete in Various Athletics Championships in the Last Week

By MCS Staff

Published February 10, 2023 at 8:38AM

Congratulations to MCPS students who competed in various championships in the last week:

Bocce – County Champions

Paint Branch High School’s Ricardo Hernandez Named Maryland Secondary School Assistant Principal of the Year

By MCS Staff

Published February 10, 2023 at 8:36AM

Ricardo Hernandez, assistant principal at Paint Branch High School has been awarded the State of Maryland Secondary School Assistant Principal of the Year. He will go on to represent the state of Maryland in the national competition.

Earlier this week, Kingsview Middle School counselor Katie Mendelson was named Maryland State Middle School Counselor of the Year. She was surprised with the news on Feb, 6, the first day of National School Counselor Week, during an announcement at the school. Watch the surprise here.

Black History Month MCPS Stories: Howard Bell, Carver High School Alum, 1956 – 1959

By MCS Staff

Published February 10, 2023 at 8:32AM

In September of 1951, George Washington Carver High School opened and became the only modern secondary educational facility built for black students in Montgomery County. Today the building serves as the MCPS central office in Rockville. MCPS interviewed Carver graduate Howard Bell about his experience going to school during segregation and later integration and how far we have come as a county. The interview can be seen below: