Journalism enrollment increases
By Pablo Roa, Senior Writer
May 21, 2015
After a year of relatively low enrollment in journalism classes at CHS, next year’s Journalism 1 class will be one of the largest classes the program has ever had. Last year’s Journalism 1 class began the year with just 10 students, and while the class grew to 19 students by the end of the year,...
Prospective bill to increase county construction funding
By Pablo Roa, Production Editor
March 25, 2015
In an effort to satisfy the county’s growing school construction needs, MCPS officials and Maryland state legislators are pursuing legislation that would increase the amount of funding the county gets each year for new school construction and modernization projects. The bill, which is currently...
MCPS searches for new superintendent
By Pablo Roa, Production Editor
March 23, 2015
Ever since Joshua Starr announced his resignation as MCPS superintendent Feb. 3, the Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) has been working hard to find his successor. Although Starr’s resignation and the transition to interim Superintendent Larry Bowers went smoothly for the Board, finding...
School bell times pushed back for next school year
By Jasmine Baten and Pablo Roa
February 24, 2015
After over two years of proposals, hearings, petitions and town hall meetings, the Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) has decided to push high school start times back by 20 minutes starting next school year. The Board made its decision after reviewing several bell time options and reaching...
Sex abuse cases raise questions about county policies
By Pablo Roa, Production Editor
December 19, 2014
In light of recent incidents involving inappropriate behavior conducted by two MCPS staff members, some county officials are questioning whether principals are taking appropriate measures and doing enough to communicate with parents on matters regarding staff behavior. According to a November 2014...
CIP amendments to help deal with growing student population
By Pablo Roa, Production Editor
December 1, 2014
In an effort to address capacity issues caused by MCPS’s ever-growing student population, Superintendent Joshua Starr requested an additional $220.8 million be added to the county’s school construction budget on October 28. Less than a month later, the Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) approved...
Starr looks to future as county continues to grow
By Pablo Roa and Gil Jacobson
November 20, 2014
From an increased dependency on technology to a student population that is growing by thousands each year, in the three years since Joshua Starr became Superintendent of MCPS, he and the rest of MCPS leadership have adapted quickly to the ever-evolving conditions of the largest school system in Maryland. One...
Maryland prepares for upcoming elections
By Pablo Roa, Production Editor
October 27, 2014
While most CHS students will be sleeping in on Nov. 4, Americans across the country will be heading to the polling booths to vote in this year’s midterm elections. Election Day not only gives students a day off from school, but it also gives voters an opportunity to have their voices heard at the...
MoCo launches pedestrian safety campaign
By Pablo Roa, Production Editor
October 27, 2014
Teens ages 15-19 make up 51 percent of underage pedestrian fatalities. In Montgomery County, that age group also makes up the largest percentage of pedestrians who are at fault in collisions. With the “YOLO” campaign, county officials are hoping to make those statistics a trend of the past. In...
Starr withdraws proposal to push back start times
By Pablo Roa, Production Editor
September 24, 2014
Superintendent Joshua Starr recommended in October 2013 that MCPS push back high school start times, citing concerns over the lack of sleep teenagers are getting with the current bell schedule, later Starr encouraged MCPS to not move forward with his initial proposal. Starr originally proposed that...
Alum, U.S. Rep as graduation speakers
By Pablo Roa, Production Editor
May 30, 2014
Congressman Chris Van Hollen and alumnus Ashwani Jain will speak at the Class of 2014's graduation ceremony at DAR Constitution Hall May 27. Van Hollen, Congressman for Maryland's eighth district, has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2002 and serves as the top Democrat on the House...
Unranked status shocks community
By Pablo Roa, Emily Wang, and Fiona Asbury
May 29, 2014
To the surprise and disappointment of many students and staff members, CHS was unranked in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of the best high schools in the state. For the past three years, CHS has been the number one high school in Maryland. This year, however, CHS did not make the ...