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Walter Johnson High School

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Coordinates: 39°01′34″N 77°08′06″W / 39.026110°N 77.134955°W / 39.026110; -77.134955
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Walter Johnson High School
The front of the school, as viewed from Rock Spring Drive.
Address
Map
6400 Rock Spring Drive

North Bethesda CDP (Bethesda postal address)
,
Maryland
20814-1913

United States
Coordinates39°01′34″N 77°08′06″W / 39.026110°N 77.134955°W / 39.026110; -77.134955
Information
TypePublic high school
Established1956; 68 years ago (1956)
StatusOpen
School districtMontgomery County Public Schools
NCES District ID2400480[1]
CEEB code210912
NCES School ID240048000942[2]
PrincipalNicole J. Morgan
Teaching staff153.90 (FTE) (2021-2022)[3]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,870[3] (2021-2022)
 • Grade 9814
 • Grade 10684
 • Grade 11674
 • Grade 12698
Student to teacher ratio18.65:1 (2021-2022)[3]
Campus typeSuburban[3]
Color(s)  Green
  White
MascotThe Mighty Moo & Wildcat
NicknameWJ
RivalBethesda-Chevy Chase High School[4]
NewspaperThe Pitch
YearbookThe Windup
Websitewww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/wjhs Edit this at Wikidata
Aerial photograph of WJHS taken during construction on April 7, 2002 – credit USGS.

Walter Johnson High School (also known as Walter Johnson or WJ) is a public upper secondary school located in the census-designated place of North Bethesda, Maryland (Bethesda postal address).[5][6] The school was founded in 1956 and named after Walter Johnson, a famous baseball player who was also a native of Montgomery County, Maryland. The high school was the first to be named after a player of Major League Baseball. WJHS serves portions of Bethesda, North Bethesda, Potomac, and Rockville, as well as the towns of Garrett Park and Kensington.[7] It is a part of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

History

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The school first opened to grades 10-12 in 1956,[8] and was named after the local baseball pitcher and politician, Walter Johnson. The school's original mascot and team name was The Spartans; as the student body chose the school colors based on the colors and name of Michigan State University, Spartans. The school mascot was named in 1963 as Mighty Moo, a dairy cow, named after the cows that roamed the fields before the school was built.[8] After a 1987 consolidation with nearby Charles W. Woodward High School, Walter Johnson maintained its school colors of white and green, but adopted Woodward's mascot, "Wild Thing" the Wildcat.[9]

Academics

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Walter Johnson High School established their APEX-Reach Signature Program in 1996.[10] This APEX-Reach Program leads students through a more rigorous curriculum through a combination of honors and Advance Placement (AP) classes.[11]

The school offers Advance Placement (AP) classes since pre-1996 with a total 28 AP classes.[10] Since the fall of 2023, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will pay for all AP and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams that students who take these courses will take.[12]

WJ students average a score of 1192 on the SAT, with 604 on verbal and 588 on math.[13]

As of 2024, Walter Johnson is the 15th-ranked high school in Maryland and the 855th-ranked nationally, according to U.S News and World Report.[14]

Reconstruction

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In 1960, sixteen more rooms were added to the school along ten more in 1964. Construction in the mid-1970s introduced the addition to a secondary gym and theater. In the merge with the Charles W. Woodward High School, more lockers, trophy cases, and seven portable classrooms were added.[8]

At the start of the 2001-2002 school year began construction plans to renovate the school.[8] The construction took ten years which include new installations like 19 more classrooms, 4 more science labs, a new cafeteria, stadium, media center, new gym, and new auditorium.[8][15] The renovation also include the addition of more amenities like an art, music, and technology suite. The school's entrance was designed to have a glass ceiling decorated with 90 national flags respresenting the nationalities of the student population.[15]

School Articulation Patterns

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Walter Johnson serves two middle schools, each of which serve three elementary schools.[16]

North Bethesda MS

  • Ashburton ES
  • Kensington Parkwood ES
  • Wyngate ES

Tilden MS

  • Farmland ES
  • Garrett Park ES
  • Luxmanor ES

Expected Changes

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With overcrowding at many schools in the downcounty area, especially Walter Johnson, Woodward will be fully reopening with the goal of alleviating overcrowding at nearby schools. To address these concerns, MCPS has begun a boundary study that will affect up to eight high school service areas: Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson, Walt Whitman, and the five high schools within the Downcounty Consortium.[17] The boundary changes are expected to take place at the start of the 2027-28 school year, when Northwood high school students will return to their expanded facility.[18]

Activities

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Athletics

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The school offers a variety of sports with fall, winter, and springs sports. In the fall, the school offers cross country, field hockey, football, golf, pom pon, soccer, and volleyball. In the winter, the school offers baseketball, bocce, indoor track, swimming, and wrestling. In the spring, the school offers baseball, lacrosse, softball, tennis, track, and volleyball.[19]

Writing

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Walter Johnson has classes to support their literature with their own newspaper, The Pitch, as well as their own literary magazine, The Spectator. Their Yearbook is named The Windup.[8]

Music

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The school contains several ensembles for music like the Madrigals, Choir, Jazz Ensemble, Band, Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. These ensembles often perform for county and/or state competitions in various venues.

Walter Johnson also has their own musical productions, WJ STAGE, and along with it their own production crew.

Demographics

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As of 2022-2023:[20]

Race / Ethnicity (2022-2023) Number Percent
White 1,459 49.8%
Black 378 12.9%
Native American/Alaska Native 7 0.24%
Asian 359 12.2%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 5 0.17%
Hispanic 537 18.3%
Two or More Races 186 6.35%
Total 2,931 100%

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Montgomery County Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  2. ^ "Search for Public Schools - Walt Whitman High (240048000942)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Walter Johnson High". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  4. ^ Ward, Derrick. "Football game ends in brawl between Montgomery County high schools". NBC 4 News.
  5. ^ "Walter Johnson High School". Montgomery County Public Schools. Retrieved August 12, 2020. - Compare the street address with the map.
  6. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: North Bethesda CDP, MD" (Archive). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 30, 2014. Compare them map with the street address.
  7. ^ Kraut, Aaron (June 20, 2016). "Parents Want to Reopen Old Woodward High School to Ease Walter Johnson Capacity Problems". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "WJ HS - History". www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Wisnia, Saul (November 11, 1993). "The Legend Behind a School's Name". The Washington Post.
  10. ^ a b "WJHS Advanced Placement Program | Walter Johnson HS". www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  11. ^ "APEX Scholars - Program Information | Walter Johnson HS". www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  12. ^ "No Fees for Approved College Courses and AP and IB Exams | Montgomery County Public Schools | Rockville, MD". www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Montgomery County Public Schools. Schools at a Glance - Walter Johnson High School. Accessed 6 June 2024
  14. ^ "Walter Johnson High School". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "After a Decade, Walter Johnson High School Is Finally Construction-Free". Bethesda-Chevy Chase, MD Patch. September 18, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  16. ^ 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: Walter Johnson Cluster. Accessed 3 June 2024
  17. ^ Division of Capital Planning, Montgomery County Public Schools. Board of Education Adopted Boundary Study Scope - to Determine the Service Area for the Reopening of the Charles W. Woodward High School - March 28, 2023. Accessed 31 May 2024
  18. ^ 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: Downcounty Consortium. Accessed 31 May 2024
  19. ^ "Walter Johnson High School". Walter Johnson High School. December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  20. ^ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Walter Johnson High". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  21. ^ Kaplan, Melanie D.G. (April 24, 2017). "Political Journalist Jonathan Allen Releases New Book About Hillary". MoCo360. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  22. ^ Olivares, Beatriz (May 29, 2018). "50 years later: an interview with '68 senior". The Pitch.
  23. ^ "David Doukas at Tulane".
  24. ^ Goff, Steven (August 15, 2016). "Duke's Jeremy Ebobisse signs with MLS". The Washington Post.
  25. ^ Nyren, Erin (April 15, 2019). "Georgia Engel, 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' Star, Dies at 70". Variety.
  26. ^ Metcalf, Andrew (November 12, 2015). "President Obama Praises Walter Johnson Grad's Courage at Medal of Honor Ceremony". Bethesda Magazine.
  27. ^ Hadary, Jonathan (July 2, 1995). "Have Script, Will Travel". The Washington Post. p. G1.
  28. ^ Rees, Ian. "WJ Alum wins Nobel Prize in Medicine". The Pitch. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  29. ^ Maynard, John (August 11, 2000). "Pagong! Now Colleen Is Cast Away". The Washington Post. p. C5.
  30. ^ "Star actor and WJ alumnus reminisces on student life at WJ". The Pitch. February 23, 2018.
  31. ^ Augenstein, Neal (November 24, 2017). "DC guitar pop hero Tommy Keene dies at 59". WTOP News.
  32. ^ "Ariana B. Kelly, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  33. ^ Kurkjian, Tim (October 25, 2019). "Senators, Nationals and the Big Train: Why this World Series is special". ESPN. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  34. ^ Causey, James Michael (June 8, 2015). "Nils Lofgren Is Coming Home". Washingtonian Magazine.
  35. ^ Bell-Stockman, Teresa (August 14, 1998). "For Matt McCoy, making movies is a wonderful life". Frederick News-Post.
  36. ^ Goff, Steven (January 18, 2013). "Washington Spirit drafts local players". The Washington Post.
  37. ^ Straehley, Steve (January 19, 2018). "Director of the Peace Corps: Who Is Jody Olsen?". AllGov.com.
  38. ^ Valtin, Tom (April 2003). "A Conversation With Carl Pope". the planet newsletter. Sierra Club.
  39. ^ "Thomas Smith, Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  40. ^ Java, Theresa (July 18, 2018). "Love is patient". Keys News.
  41. ^ Brace, Eric (August 22, 1997). "Organically Electronic, Dude". The Washington Post. p. N10.
  42. ^ Goff, Steven (September 19, 2011). "High school freshman Gedion Zelalem may join Arsenal in two years". The Washington Post.
  43. ^ "Royal Birthday Anniversary of Her Royal Highness Princess Siribhachudabhorn, 8 October".

27. https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/stephen-herek

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