Walt Whitman High School (Maryland)

Walt Whitman High School
Address
Map
7100 Whittier Boulevard

Bethesda
,
Maryland
20817

United States
Coordinates38°58′53″N 77°07′33″W / 38.981447°N 77.12574°W / 38.981447; -77.12574
Information
TypePublic high school
Established1962; 62 years ago (1962)
School districtMontgomery County Public Schools
NCES District ID2400480[1]
CEEB code210271
NCES School ID240048000941[2]
PrincipalGregory Miller
Teaching staff116.80 FTE (2021-22)[2]
Grades9–12[2]
GenderCo-educational
Enrollment2,018 (2022-23)[2]
Student to teacher ratio17.28 (2022-23)[2]
Campus typeSmall city[2]
Color(s)Black, white, and Columbia blue
     
MascotVikings
USNWR ranking104 (2021)[3]
NewspaperThe Black & White
YearbookSaga
Websitewww.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/whitmanhs/

Walt Whitman High School is a public high school located in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is named after the 19th-century American poet Walt Whitman. The school serves grades 9-12 for the Montgomery County Public Schools system.

History

[edit]

The school opened in the fall of 1962 with 1,418 students. Designed by local architectural firm McLeod, Ferrara & Ensign, it was built on 17 levels, with a central courtyard and a geodesic dome for its gymnasium. A Ford Foundation grant underwrote the design and construction of the dome.[4][5]

In 1981, the school added a 1,176-seat auditorium. In 1992, the school demolished the geodesic dome and all other buildings except the auditorium, and constructed a new school building, which opened in the fall of 1993.[6][7]

In 2021, the school completed a 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) addition, including 18 new classrooms, which opened with the start of the 2021-22 school year.[8]

Academics

[edit]

Whitman students average a score of 1312 on the SAT, averaging 654 on the verbal section and 659 on the math section.[9]

As of 2024, Whitman is the 2nd-ranked high school in Maryland and the 139th-ranked nationwide, according to U.S News and World Report.[10]

Extracurricular activities

[edit]

The school has an active FIRST Robotics Competition team.[11]

Publications

[edit]

The Black & White is the school's student-run newspaper. The National Scholastic Press Association Hall of Fame inducted the paper in 1991.[12] Whitman is also notable for having the country's only student-run psychology journal. The journal circulates to over 1,000 psych teachers around the country.[13]

Athletics

[edit]

Whitman fields sports teams in the fall, winter, and spring. The school competes as the Vikings and is part of Montgomery County public school sports.[14] The football field is named after long-time principal Jerome Marco.[15]

The school has won 11 soccer state championships, including two back-to-back titles in 2018-2019.[16] In 2021, the girls' soccer team won the state championship.[17]

In 2006, the boys' basketball team defeated Eleanor Roosevelt 39-38 to win the school's only state title.[18] That season, Whitman leading scorer Michael Gruner was named co-gazette player of the year alongside NBA superstar Kevin Durant.[19]

The boys' tennis team has also won state titles in 2009, 2014, and 2019.[20]

The girls' basketball team won the state title in 2016, their second overall.[21]

The school also has a rowing crew team that has made honorable wins in Regattas.

Rivalries

[edit]

Whitman maintains rivalries with many of its neighboring schools. Its fiercest rival is Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School,[22] but Whitman is also rivals with Churchill and Walter Johnson.[23][24]

Areas Served

[edit]

Walt Whitman High School primarily serves students in Bethesda, but also small portions of students in Potomac and Glen Echo.

Whitman is fed by one middle school and five elementary schools:[25]

  • Thomas W. Pyle MS
    • Bannockburn ES
    • Bradley Hills ES
    • Burning Tree ES
    • Carderock Springs ES
    • Wood Acres ES

Notable alumni

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Montgomery County Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Search for Public Schools - Walt Whitman High (240048000941)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Walt Whitman High School". U.S. News High School Rankings. U.S. News & World Report L.P. 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  4. ^ Eighty-Ninth Congress; Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives; General Subcommittee on Education (August 5, 1965). School Construction, 1965: Hearings on H.R. 9948, H.R. 10080, H.R. 10105, Bills to Increase Educational Opportunities Throughout the Nation by Providing Grants for the Construction of Elementary and Secondary Schools and Supplemental Educational Centers and for Other Purposes (1966 ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 200–201.
  5. ^ Meszoly, Joane (September 23, 2015). "Walt Whitman High School Reunion". Bethesda Magazine.
  6. ^ McCormick, Gabriele (August 22, 2013). "High School Forever". Bethesda Magazine.
  7. ^ Beyers, Dan (February 6, 1995). "Montgomery Parents Draw the Line at School Boundary". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ "Whitman High School Puts Final Touches on New Addition | Montgomery Community Media". August 29, 2021.
  9. ^ Montgomery County Public Schools. Schools at a Glance - Walt Whitman High School. Accessed 6 June 2024
  10. ^ "Walt Whitman High School". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  11. ^ "Team 1389 - The Body Electric". The Blue Alliance. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  12. ^ "All-American Hall of Fame Inductees". studentpress.org. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  13. ^ Herscowitz, Eva. "Psyched about psych journal: student-run publication opens doors for aspiring psychologists". The Black and White. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  14. ^ "Walt Whitman Athletics". Home page. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  15. ^ "Whitman Pays Tribute to Dr. Jerome Marco". The Connection To Your Community. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  16. ^ Errigo, Michael. "Md. 4A soccer final: Whitman repeats, totals 11 championships for program". Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  17. ^ Michael, Errigo (November 20, 2021). "Whitman girls' soccer completes its surge, tops unbeaten Broadneck for Maryland 4A championship". WashingtonPost.com.
  18. ^ Kraut, Aaron (March 11, 2014). "Once Again, Underdog Whitman Makes Trip To Basketball Semifinals". Bethesda Beat. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  19. ^ Sandys, Tony. "2006 All-Mets go for NCAA glory". D.C. Sports Bog. Archived from the original on February 20, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  20. ^ "2020 MPSSAA Spring Record Book" (PDF). Maryland Athletic Association. pp. 26, 29. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  21. ^ Beekman, Jennifer (March 13, 2016). "Whitman Wins First Girls Basketball State Championship in 21 Years". Bethesda Beat. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  22. ^ O’Halloran, Grace. "Brawls erupt between Whitman, B-CC students after rivalry football game despite new security measures". The Black and White. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  23. ^ Barke, Joey (December 22, 2023). "MoCo High School Sports: Whitman gets hard-fought win against Churchill". MoCo360. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  24. ^ Storer, Ned. "WJ sports rivalries heating up". The Pitch. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  25. ^ Division of Capital Planning, Montgomery County Public Schools. Superintendent's Recommended FY 2025 Capital Budget and the FY 2025–2030 Capital Improvements Program - Chapter 4: Walt Whitman Cluster. Accessed 31 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Graduations Begin June 1". Montgomery County Public Schools. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  27. ^ Harrington, Richard (July 25, 1982). "The Comedy of Bliss". The Washington Post. p. L3.
  28. ^ "Andrea Carroll". From the Top. January 2008. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  29. ^ Allen, Scott (February 22, 2019). "Alex Chappell will make her MASN debut as Nats' on-field reporter Saturday". The Washington Post.
  30. ^ Basler, Patrick (May 15, 2017). "Meet the Bethesda Native Who Earned an Oscar Nomination". Bethesda Magazine.
  31. ^ Brennan, Christine (September 16, 1990). "For Dilweg, the Waiting's Been the Hardest Part". The Washington Post. p. C1.
  32. ^ Frey, Jennifer (May 16, 2004). "A Filmmaker's D.C. Close-Up". The Washington Post. p. N1.
  33. ^ van Bastelaer, Matthew. "Whitman alum makes NFL practice squad". The Black & White.
  34. ^ Eisen, Michael. "Biography". it is NOT junk. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  35. ^ Feinberg, Andrew (March 1, 1999). "Linux in a Public High School". Linux Journal.
  36. ^ Guthrie, Marisa (January 14, 2016). "Showtime's New Political 'Circus' Has "a Certain Kind of Danger"". The Hollywood Reporter.
  37. ^ Suzanne Monyak; Kshithij Shrinath (July 30, 2014). "Senate Confirms Law Professor to US Court of Appeals". The Hoya.
  38. ^ Wartofsky, Alona (October 24, 1999). "A Jonze for Inventiveness". The Washington Post. p. G1.
  39. ^ Cole, Wendy (June 23, 1982). "Pursuing the Possible Dream". The Washington Post.
  40. ^ Justice, Richard (September 10, 1997). "From Whitman to the Redskins". The Washington Post. p. D1.
  41. ^ "Brooke E. Lierman, Maryland Comptroller". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  42. ^ Intrater, Zachary (March 23, 2023). "Former Walt Whitman High School and Princeton hoops star comes home to Maryland". The Sentinel. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  43. ^ Steinberg, Dan (July 3, 2014). "Jon Miller went from Whitman High to the top of NBC Sports". The Washington Post.
  44. ^ "Melika Mohammadi". Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  45. ^ "David Moon, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  46. ^ McCarthy, Ellen (December 13, 2011). "On 'Homeland,' Showtime's David Nevins seeks to get his native D.C. right". The Washington Post. p. C1.
  47. ^ Tallman, Douglas (November 21, 2019). "Democratic Debate Moderator is a Whitman Grad". Montgomery Community Media.
  48. ^ Corrigan, Ned (October 27, 1984). "Working in Movies and TV, and Beating the Odds". The Washington Post.
  49. ^ "Class of '81". bethesdamagazine.com. April 12, 2010.
  50. ^ Heath, Thomas (May 22, 2015). "New act for billionaire brothers". The Washington Post. p. F1.
  51. ^ Sweeney, Paul (October 15, 1998). "Brothers Come of Age With New Bid". The New York Times. p. 41.
  52. ^ Whiting, Amanda (September 19, 2016). "Fashion Police's Giuliana Rancic Used to Cut Class at Walt Whitman to Hang at White Flint Mall". Washingtonian Magazine.
  53. ^ Abruzzese, Sarah (September 10, 2006). "Author Alexandra Robbins". The Washington Post. p. M3.
  54. ^ van Bastelaer, Matthew (December 10, 2017). "Boys Basketball game to be live streamed on Monumental Sports Network". The Black & White.
  55. ^ Kaiman, Beth (May 8, 1986). "Rock Benefit". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  56. ^ "Jackass 4.5 is Now Streaming on Netflix; Two of the Show's Creators are From MoCo". The MoCoShow. May 21, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Walt Whitman High School
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walt_Whitman_High_School_(Maryland)&oldid=1244205240"