On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) responded to Farmland Elementary School in the 7000 block of Old Gate Road in Rockville after receiving a report of a suspicious situation involving a student. According to Principal April Longest, the student reported being grabbed by the collar by an unknown man while walking to school near Hitching Post. After a thorough investigation, MCPD determined the case to be unfounded.
Graduation season is here for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), with nearly 13,000 seniors set to receive their diplomas between Wednesday, May 28, and Thursday, June 12. Ceremonies will take place across various venues, including individual high school campuses, DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., Xfinity Center in College Park, MD and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
Redland Middle School in Derwood won first place in Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s “Paint the Plow” contest with a transportation-themed design titled “Life is a Highway,” part of Public Works Week recognizing the contributions of public works employees.
Updated to include letter sent to the community
A major pipe burst at Gaithersburg High School has forced the closure of the special education hallway and approximately 20 classrooms as of Tuesday morning, according to a school source (video below).
MCPS is inviting the community to participate in the upcoming engagement sessions focused on the reopening of Charles W. Woodward High School, the opening of Crown High School, and the expansion of Damascus High School. These sessions will cover the initial options for each study and share how potential changes may affect families with middle and high school students.
MCPS has shared that Dr. Joshua Fine, principal at Flower Hill Elementary School in Gaithersburg, is this year’s winner of the Mark Mann Excellence and Harmony Award.
Lead ‘Em Up, a nationally recognized leadership organization founded in Montgomery County in 2015, hosts an annual celebration honoring 13 student-athletes who receive the prestigious Green 13 award. This accolade is awarded to those who have demonstrated exemplary character and leadership. This year, four of the 13 recipients hail from Montgomery County, while the remaining nine are spread across the country.
MCPS recently shared that the Montgomery County Public Schools Educational Foundation (MCPSEF) honored nearly 200 recipients with $2 million in scholarships and awards from 14 programs at the Evening of Excellence celebration on May 19. Notably, 170 students received the 2025 Ruth and Norman Rales-Patricia Baier O’Neill Scholarship Recognizing Academic Excellence.
The Board of Education approved the following administrative appointments on Thursday, May 22:
MCPS recently announced that Krista McKim, a National Board Certified English and journalism teacher at Rockville High School, has been selected as a 2025 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. In partnership with Lindblad Expeditions and the National Geographic Society, this prestigious fellowship honors educators dedicated to nurturing the next generation of planetary stewards.
On May 19, MCPS marked the start of construction for the new Burtonsville Elementary School with a groundbreaking ceremony (video below).