SMOB nominating convention: the final two
By Quinn Cook, Staff Writer
March 5, 2020
On Feb. 12, delegates from schools around the county went to the annual nominating convention for the 43rd Student Member of the Board (SMOB) position. Held at Watkins Mill Elementary School, the convention decided the final two candidates in the SMOB race. The SMOB position allows a Montgomery County stud...
Churchill for Climate raises awareness for a hot issue
By Allison Jacobs, News Editor
March 4, 2020
Recently, climate change and environmental issues have caused a sense of panic. From threats of the world ending in 50 years to never-ending forest fires, climate change and environmental issues are a constant topic of discussion. Many are always asking what they can do to stop climate change or help ...
MCPS continues to fight to keep summer short and sweet
By Charley Hutton, Advertising and Subscriptions Manager
March 3, 2020
In Aug. of 2016, Gov. Larry Hogan issued a mandate requiring school to start after Labor Day, denying the Montgomery County Board of Education the power to give each county the freedom to make their own decision in regards to school start dates. In early 2019, the Maryland State Senate Committee voted on a bi...
Plunge into the campaign for two ply toilet paper
By Ava Freeman, Features Editor
March 3, 2020
With the MCPS operating budget being $2.8 billion, many would think that replacing the current one ply toilet paper in schools with two ply would not affect the county’s finances. However, this has proven to be a difficult task, as the transition to two ply would cost the county an additional $31,15...
Serious driving accidents demand action
By Sacha Feldberg, Arts Editor
February 3, 2020
Last month, two MCPS students were harmed in vehicle collisions near school bus areas. Both of these incidents have led members of the MCPS community to wonder what safety regulations are needed to ensure that students will be safe on their way to school. On Dec. 12, Sophia Chen, a 9-year-old from B...
Substance abuse sparks action within WCHS community
By Emma Chen, Observations Editor
January 3, 2020
The Substance Use Committee at WCHS is comprised of parents and students worried about the dangers of vaping, and hoping to make some changes around the school. They have hosted two forums, one in Nov. and one in Dec., that showcased important data and touching stories. “The forum was powerful, gut wrenching, an...
MCPS debates divisive redistricting policies
By Sacha Feldberg, Arts Editor
January 2, 2020
Members of Montgomery County are divided on the concept of redistricting, as the Board of Education pursues a comprehensive assessment of the county’s boundaries. The Board has been hosting Districtwide Boundary Analysis Public Meetings in Montgomery County, including a recent public hearing at the ...
MCPS Board members showcase plans to redistrict schools
By Allison Jacobs, News Editor
December 27, 2019
On Weds. Dec. 4, MCPS hosted a meeting at Gaithersburg High School to discuss the topic of redistricting. This was the first of six meetings planned to keep families up to date on the topic of redistricting, and the meeting was focused on phase one of the process. In phase one, MCPS is focused on data an...
Students, teachers take side on later school start time debate
By Jeremy Fredricks and Ari Dimitoglou
November 15, 2019
For students in California public high schools, start time will be later beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. After Governor Gavin Newson signed a law for later start times, California will become the first state to legislative start times for public schools with high schools starting at 8:30 AM. ...
Administration & MCPS don’t see eye to eye on no zero policy
By Jeremy Fredricks, Assistant Opinions Editor
October 21, 2019
For a brief period in the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, WCHS had a policy where students could earn a minimum grade of 50%, not 0%. The policy would have applied to students who submitted nothing, had cheated or committed plagiarism (and still receive half credit). Aside from its intentions, it contradicted M...
Student protestors take on climate change
By Maya Bhattiprolu, Assistant Online Editor
October 19, 2019
The Global Youth Climate Strike inspired more than 4 million people worldwide to strike on Sept. 20 to advocate for stronger legislation and regulation. Northwood High School junior Sophia Geiger is the lead organizer in the DC-area climate change strike. “I started being active very recen...
High school graduation rates decline rapidly
By Hannah Zozobrado, Arts Editor
June 4, 2019
For the past 3 years, graduation rates among Montgomery County Public Schools have experienced a gradual decline. The statistics in the 2017-2018 school year have decreased to 88.4%, the lowest in graduation rates since the class of 2013. The public education throughout Montgomery County high schools...