Northwood High School opened in 1956. In 1985, however, it was closed for 29 years due to changing demographics in the area. A need for additional space for high school students grew in later years, and Montgomery County Public Schools reopened the school.
In 1955, in order to relieve overcrowding in local schools adjacent to major federal installations or defense projects, U.S. PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower signed Title 45 Public Law 81-874, "Assistance for School Construction," which provided $1.5 million to Montgomery County, Maryland for school construction.[3][4] The county decided to build Northwood High School along 30 acres on Old Bladensburg Road, later known as University Boulevard, in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the school was planned to open in fall 1956. The two-story brick, tile, and glass rambler cost $1.9 million to construct and had an initial student capacity of 1,425.
When the school year began in 1956, there was no working bell system, no mirrors in the bathrooms, no lockers, and no cafeteria. They used whistles to mark the start and end of class periods.[7]
On February 1, 1960, Harold R. Packard replaced Bartlett as principal. Eugene R. Smoley subsequently became principal in 1972. In 1977, Smoley was replaced by Bobby J. Mullis, who retired when the school closed in 1985.[8][9]
Closing
Beginning in 1981, the closing of Northwood High School was discussed and voted on three times by the Montgomery County School Board. In 1985, it was finally ordered to close in a contested decision, which aimed to alleviate the concentration of minorities at Montgomery Blair High School.[10][11] A nonprofit group, Northwood Community Solidarity Inc, was established to fight the closure.[12] After the closing, school trophies were given to students and alumni. Varsity athletic uniforms were sold to students for $1. The Northwood Indian headdress was donated to Wheaton Library for display.[13]
From 1987 to 2004, Northwood was used to hold students from other high schools during renovations.
21st century
In 2004, due to a growing student population in the area, the school reopened. The school's original mascot had been the Indians. In September 2001, however, a vote by the Board of Education banned ethnic and race-based team mascots at county schools. Students in the first class and alumni from first graduating class in 1958 chose the gladiators as the school's new mascot.[14]
Reopening
Prior to the reopening the funds saved by the Northwood Community Solidarity for 20 years, $8,500, was donated to Northwood in memory of the late Bobby Mullis.[9]
In 2008, the school reopened with four classes and approximately 1,400 students. In 2009, the increase in the school's enrollment resulted in moving from a Division 2A to a Division 3A school.[15]
As of 2018, Northwood students participate in 45 teams across 18 sports for the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Students play on both varsity and junior varsity levels and hosted girls', boys', and co-ed teams. Sports include baseball, [[High school basketball|basketball, bocce, cross country running, field hockey, football, golf, lacrosse, pom-pom, racquetball, side cheer, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. In 2023, the Northwood Bocce Ball team won Maryland's state championship, marking the school's first state championship in a sport in over four decades.
Prior to its closing in 1985, Northwood had a number of division, county, regional, and state championships in a variety of sports. Don Greenberg was an all-county football and baseball player in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. In 1975, Northwood baseball coach Brady Straub led the team to a Maryland state championship.[citation needed]
MC^2
Northwood High School has a special program in collaboration with Montgomery College called MC^2. It allows students of the program to earn college credit while still in high school by taking Advanced Placement courses or classes taught by real college professors from Montgomery College. Students have the opportunity to earn an Associate's degree in high school.
In ninth grade, students can choose to take AP US History but the courses they take are the same as a non-MC^2 student. Then, in 10th grade, students take Montgomery College classes for one class period of the day. They must also choose to take AP US Government or AP Psychology for additional credit. In 11th grade, they spend two class periods taking Montgomery College classes, and AP English. They can choose to take AP World History, AP Biology, or AP Chemistry. Finally, in 12th grade, rather than taking courses at Northwood, students are attend Montgomery College for the entire school day.
School facilities
The Northwood High School campus before its rebuilding
The school is located at the northeast corner of University Boulevard West and Arcola Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland. The school's architect, William N. Denton Jr., designed a classic H-shaped structure.[17] The original school opened with 55 classrooms, 11 administrative offices, a large gym, and 108 seat library and cafeteria seating 456.[5] Before the end of the first year, plans were made to add an additional 14 new classrooms.[5] Northwood has a recently remodeled multipurpose stadium where their football, soccer, track and lacrosse teams play, named after former Northwood Technology Education, (mostly Electronics) teacher David Kaplan who became an activist lobbying to keep the school open in 1985.[18] The athletic area of Northwood also includes two baseball fields, a track, and a concessions area to the left of the main stands of Kaplan Stadium. The school has a Media Center that mainly serves as a library. There is also a band room, alternate music room, a full wellness center, and a film room that is the location of Northwood's television and radio station, WNHS.
New Northwood Building
Rendering of New Northwood
To address crowding in the Downcounty Consortium, an addition and facility upgrades are planned for the high school. This expansion includes additional classrooms, reconfiguration of existing spaces and upgrades to building system and will bring accommodate roughly 2,700 students, an increase of 1,200. During the upgrade, the school will operate out of the campus of Charles W. Woodward High School. This upgrade was supposed to be completed by 2025, but due to supply chain issues and COVID-19, it got delayed until summer 2027.[19]
On April 24, 2024, at 2 p.m., the Northwood High School Community planned a walkout to protest the delayed construction, incomplete school, and early start time for Northwood at Charles Woodward High School. MCPS did change the start time from 7:20 to 7:40 AM, added more school bus routes, and changed existing ones to arrive later. But the staff and students still saw many issues with their temporary holding school such as no auditorium or sports fields.
MCPS hired Samaha Accosiates, PC to be the architect for the new Northwood High School and Whiting-Turner Contracting Company to demolish old Northwood and build new Northwood.
The asbestos removal for Northwood High School started in June 2024 and was expected to be completed on August 16, 2024. But the asbestos removal took longer than expected and got completed in October 2024. The demolition of the school followed after the asbestos removal and it started in October 2024 and the school is expected to be fully rebuilt in 2027.
Northwood High School during its demolition in September 2024The left side of the school during its September 2024 demolition
WNHS
During the early 1970s, WNHS was a low-power AM radio station, used for broadcasting home football games. WNHS became the television and radio station at Northwood high school.[20] Unique throughout the county to Northwood High School, WNHS performs a live news show broadcast to students and faculty for the first twenty minutes of every school day. The program also covers sporting and school-wide events, such as graduation and prom. Shortly after reopening, the program entered and won awards in video competitions.
↑ Emery, Fred J. (1976). The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America. US Government: The Office of the Federal Registrar National Archives and Records Service GSA. p.208.
↑ "U.S. Earmarks $6 For Nearby School Needs". The Washington Post. May 5, 1955.
↑ Jones, Gene B. (June 9, 1957). "Coach-Turned-Principal Leads Burgeoning Northwood High". The Washington Post.
↑ zibart, Eve (June 17, 1985). "Alumni Remember a Place That Was Ordinary and Great: 'Everybody Knew Everybody Else' at Northwood". The Washington Post.
↑ "Mr. Bobby Mullis". The Augusta Chronicle. December 31, 1998.
↑ Mcllallaster, Elizabeth (April 27, 1985). "Problem Seen In Northwood High Closing: Problem Seen in Closing of Northwood High". The Washington Post.
↑ Spolar, Chris (February 27, 1985). "School Board Urged To Save Northwood: Crowd Protests Closing Angry Crowd Asks Board to Save Northwood". The Washington Post.
↑ Spolare, Chris (March 6, 1985). "Northwood Backers Vow Fight: Will Appeal Closing". The Washington Post.
↑ Girard, Keith F. (June 17, 1985). "Other County High Schools Prepare to Absorb Students: School Closing Will Have Wide County Impact". The Washington Post.
↑ Kurtz, Howard (March 28, 1999). "Out There". The Washington Post. p.F1.
↑ "Annie Leibovitz Career Timeline". American Masters. WNET. January 3, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2014. 1964: Attends Northwood High School in Silver Spring, Maryland
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