Walt Whitman High School (Bethesda, Maryland)

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Walt Whitman High School
WW Shield color.jpg
Walt whitman hs 20080526 083124 1.jpg
Location
7100 Whittier Boulevard Bethesda
,
Maryland

United States
Coordinates 38°58′53″N77°07′33″W / 38.981447°N 77.12574°W / 38.981447; -77.12574 Coordinates: 38°58′53″N77°07′33″W / 38.981447°N 77.12574°W / 38.981447; -77.12574
Information
Type Public secondary
MottoPride + Determination = Success
Established1962
School district Montgomery County Public Schools
PrincipalRobert Dodd
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,899 [1]  (2015–2016)
Campus Suburban
Color(s) Black, White, and Columbia blue             
Mascot Viking
Nickname WWHS
Rivals Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Winston Churchill High School
NewspaperThe Black & White
YearbookSaga
Feeder schools Thomas W. Pyle Middle School
Information301-320-6600
Website Walt Whitman Home Page

Walt Whitman High School is a public secondary institution serving roughly the western part of Bethesda—an unincorporated suburban area of Washington, D.C., in Montgomery County, in Maryland. The school is named in honor of the American poet, Walt Whitman. Thomas W. Pyle Middle School feeds into Walt Whitman High School.

Bethesda, Maryland Census-designated place in Maryland, United States

Bethesda is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located just northwest of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House, which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda. In Aramaic, beth ḥesda means "House of Mercy" and in Hebrew, beit ḥesed means "House of Kindness". The National Institutes of Health main campus and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center are in Bethesda, as are a number of corporate and government headquarters.

Unincorporated area Region of land not governed by own local government

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not governed by a local municipal corporation; similarly an unincorporated community is a settlement that is not governed by its own local municipal corporation, but rather is administered as part of larger administrative divisions, such as a township, parish, borough, county, city, canton, state, province or country. Occasionally, municipalities dissolve or disincorporate, which may happen if they become fiscally insolvent, and services become the responsibility of a higher administration. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. In most other countries of the world, there are either no unincorporated areas at all, or these are very rare; typically remote, outlying, sparsely populated or uninhabited areas.

Washington, D.C. Capital of the United States

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C., is the capital of the United States. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, Washington was named after George Washington, first President of the United States and Founding Father. As the seat of the United States federal government and several international organizations, Washington is an important world political capital. The city is also one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million tourists annually.

Contents

History

The school opened in the fall of 1962 with 1,418 students. Designed by local architect Anthony Ferrara, it was built on 17 levels, with a center courtyard and a geodesic dome for its gymnasium. A Ford Foundation grant underwrote the design and construction of the dome. During the first school year, Broadway composer and lyricist Meredith Willson visited the school to assist with the production of The Music Man , which he had created.[ citation needed ] In 1981, a 1,176-seat auditorium was added to the school. In 1992, the geodesic dome and all other buildings except for the auditorium were demolished [2] and construction began on a new school building, which opened in fall 1993. [3]

Geodesic dome spherical shell structure based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere

A geodesic dome is a hemispherical thin-shell structure (lattice-shell) based on a geodesic polyhedron. The triangular elements of the dome are structurally rigid and distribute the structural stress throughout the structure, making geodesic domes able to withstand very heavy loads for their size.

Ford Foundation private foundation based in New York City

The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the mission of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death of the two founders, the foundation owned 90% of the non-voting shares of the Ford Motor Company. Between 1955 and 1974, the foundation sold its Ford Motor Company holdings and now plays no role in the automobile company. Ahead of the foundation selling its Ford Motor Company holdings, in 1949 Henry Ford II created the Ford Motor Company Fund, a separate corporate foundation which to this day serves as the philanthropic arm of the Ford Motor Company and is not associated with the foundation. For years it was the largest, and one of the most influential foundations in the world, with global reach and special interests in economic empowerment, education, human rights, democracy, the creative arts, and Third World development.

Meredith Willson American flautist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader and playwright

Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson was an American flautist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader and playwright, best known for writing the book, music, and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man. He wrote three other Broadway musicals, composed symphonies and popular songs, and his film scores were twice nominated for Academy Awards.

Daryl Shaw served as the inaugural principal from 1962 until 1975. Jerome Marco was principal from 1975 until his retirement in 2004. Alan Goodwin served as principal from 2004 to 2018. Today, the principal is Robby Dodd.

Five elementary schools feed Thomas W. Pyle Middle School, which in turn feeds Walt Whitman. The elementary schools are Wood Acres, Bannockburn, Burning Tree, Carderock Springs, and Bradley Hills. The Bethesda area is served by Whitman High School, Walter Johnson High School, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.

Walter Johnson High School public high school located in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States

Walter Johnson High School (WJHS) is a public upper secondary school located at 6400 Rock Spring Drive in Bethesda, Maryland. WJHS serves portions of Bethesda, North Bethesda, and Rockville, as well as the towns of Garrett Park and Kensington.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School public school in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named for two of the towns it serves

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) is a public school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is named for two of the towns it serves; it also serves Kensington and Silver Spring. It is located at 4301 East-West Highway, in Bethesda. In May 2012, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School was ranked #6 in the state of Maryland, and #151 in the nation.

The Black & White is the student-run newspaper. [4] It was established in 1962 and produces nine issues each academic year. The newspaper was inducted into the National Scholastic Press Association Hall of Fame in 1991. [5]

An academic term is a portion of an academic year, the time during which an educational institution holds classes. The schedules adopted vary widely.

The National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 for high school and secondary school publications in the United States. The association is membership-based and annually hosts high school journalism conventions across the country. The NSPA is considered to be one of the most prestigious award bodies in high school journalism, comparable to the Pulitzer Prize.

The school has an active FIRST Robotics Competition team, Team 1389, nicknamed "The Body Electric" from the Walt Whitman poem I Sing the Body Electric. The team was founded in 2004, and has competed every year since. [6]

FIRST Robotics Competition robotics competition operated by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology

The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build game-playing robots that weigh up to 125 pounds (57 kg). Robots complete tasks such as scoring balls into goals, flying discs into goals, inner tubes onto racks, hanging on bars, and balancing robots on balance beams. The game, along with the required set of tasks, changes annually. While teams are given a standard set of parts, they are also allowed a budget and are encouraged to buy or make specialized parts. The FIRST Robotics Competition is one of four robotics competition programs organized by FIRST, the other three being FIRST Lego League Jr., FIRST Lego League, and the FIRST Tech Challenge.

"I Sing the Body Electric" is a poem by Walt Whitman from his 1855 collection Leaves of Grass.

On May 21st, 2018, the Montgomery County Board of Education announced that Robert Dodd would become the new principal of Whitman after Dr. Goodwin announced his retirement. Dr. Dodd took office on June 1st. [7]

Awards/Rankings and Recognition

In 2008, Newsweek ranked Whitman at #69 on its "Best High Schools in America" list. [8]

In 2009, U.S. News & World Report ranked Whitman as the #44 best school nationwide on its list of "America's Best High Schools" [9]

In 2014, Whitman was ranked the best high school in Maryland and #61 nationwide. [10]

In 2015, Whitman remained ranked as the best high school in Maryland and #55 nationwide by U.S. News & World Report. [11]

In 2016, Whitman was once again ranked as the best high school in Maryland and #63 nationwide. [12]

Notable alumni

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References

  1. ↑ "WALT WHITMAN HIGH SCHOOL". School Directory Information. National CVenter for Education Statistics. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  2. ↑ Bethesda magazine edition of September-October 2013
  3. ↑ Washington Post February 6, 1995
  4. ↑ "The Black & White". theblackandwhite.net. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  5. ↑ [http:studentpress.org/nspa/critiques/all-american-hall-of-fame-inductees/ "All-American Hall of Fame Inductees"]. studentpress.org. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Team 1389 - The Body Electric". The Blue Alliance. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  7. ↑ "Updated: New Principals Named for Whitman, Churchill High Schools" . Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  8. ↑ America's Top Public High Schools
  9. ↑ "Best High Schools Rankings - Top High Schools - US News". usnews.com. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ Whitman Named Best Public High School In Maryland | BethesdaNow
  11. ↑ https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/walt-whitman-high-school-9150
  12. ↑ "These Are the Best High Schools in Maryland" . Retrieved 2017-03-21.
  13. ↑ Seevers, Katie (March 24, 2011). "Kahane Cooperman ('80) moves from school publication to 'The Daily Show'". The Black and White.
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