Larry Hurd, Jr., varsity head football coach of the Walter Johnson Wildcats (Bethesda, MD), has been named the Ravens High School Coach of the Week. Now in its 26th year of existence, Hurd is the fifth recipient of the award in 2022.

Last Friday (9/30), the Wildcats defeated the Northwest Jaguars, 10-7, for their first victory over their Montgomery County foe since 2009. Leading 3-0 in the fourth quarter, Walter Johnson secured the winning score on a 48-yard rushing touchdown from senior RB Elijah Barringtine. The result improves the Wildcats record to 4-1 on the season.


According to a recent R.A.I.S.E. update from MCPS Athletics, there continues to be a shortage of athletic trainers impacting MCPS and school districts across the state with vendors continuing to work tirelessly to hire the remaining positions.

Vacant full-time positions are being filled based on the availability of athletic trainers, including commuting distance for the candidate. All schools without a full-time athletic trainer are receiving part-time in-person coverage, as well as other resources and support such as telehealth, coach consulting, injury management, and training room office hours. Coverage schedules and services are available at the local school; please contact your coach or athletics specialist for additional information. Answers to frequently asked questions are here.


MCPS offers several academic programs to help students achieve their college and career goals. In addition to rigorous college and career readiness programs at their local high school, Grade 8 students may be eligible to apply for regional or countywide programs.

The application for eighth-grade students is available in multiple languages in ParentVue. A student eligibility report will also be available in the StudentVue and ParentVue documents folders. In addition, for Grade 9–11 students, the interest form for upper grade college and career readiness part-time programs will be available Friday, Oct. 7, on the MCPS Special Programs website. The deadline to submit interest for both programs is Friday, Nov. 4.


Poolesville (5-0) at Catoctin (2-3) – The Falcons are still soaring after defeating Magruder 38-14. RB Evan Taylor is proving to be one of the better backs in the county, running for 242 yds and 5 TDs! Poolesville will travel to Frederick County next to take on Catoctin. 

Prediction: Poolesville by 2      


To kick off the week of activities, there will be a systemwide mindful moment hosted by Superintendent Monifa McKnight. She will lead students in the activity during morning announcements.

Virtual events will include videos on topics falling into several categories, including mental health matters (such as depression, grief and loss, eating disorders, ADHD and autism); equity, diversity and inclusion (such as school climate, discrimination and supporting nonbinary and transgender students); personal safety (such as vaping, dating violence, social media safety and signs of suicide); physical well-being (such as positive self-talk, exercise and mindful eating); resiliency (such as stress management, mindfulness and delayed gratification) and relationship building (such as social skills, healthy vs. unhealthy friendships and talking to parents about tough topics).


During the panel, professionals working in various careers will share insights about their responsibilities, education and experiences to acquaint students with different career opportunities. Students will have the opportunity to earn two SSL hours by completing a reflection exercise after the panel. The virtual career panel will be held via Zoom. Students can register using this link.

The National Hispanic College Fair will be held on Oct. 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg. To kick off the fair, MCPS is inviting all students in 8th through 12th grades to a virtual career panel. Info: https://t.co/CFE0RrhH6y


Donald De La Haye Jr., also known online as Deestroying, is a Costa Rican-American YouTuber with over 4 million followers on the platform and millions more across other forms of social media. He played college football at the University of Central Florida, where he was a kicker for the team. This Friday night he will be at Seneca Valley High School to watch the undefeated Screaming Eagles take on undefeated Quince Orchard High School.

De La Haye is known for his videos demonstrating his kicking ability as well as his sports-related skits and vlogs talking about his life journey. He also made news while in college when the NCAA controversially banned him for profiting off his name and YouTube videos, which sparked reform for student athlete compensation and became a driver for the implementation of a fair and balanced set of rules for student-athletes to monetize their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).


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