Walter Johnson High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Walter Johnson High School |
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| Established | 1956 |
| Type | Public Secondary |
| Principal | Dr. Christopher S. Garran |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | Bethesda, Maryland, USA |
| District | Montgomery County Public Schools |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Green and White |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
| Newspaper | The Pitch |
| Website | http://walterjohnson.com |
Walter Johnson High School, (WJHS) is located at 6400 Rock Spring Drive in Bethesda, an unincorporated region of Montgomery County, Maryland.
As of 2006, the school principal is Dr. Christopher S. Garran and the assistant principals are Ms. Amye Lang, Ms. Nicole Morgan, Mr. Christopher Merrill, and Ms. Janan Slough.
WJHS serves areas in Bethesda and Rockville as well as the towns of Garrett Park and Kensington.
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[edit] History
Walter Johnson High School was founded in 1956 as part of the Montgomery County Public School system (MCPS). The school is named in honor of the late Washington Senators' baseball pitcher, Walter Johnson, who resided in his Bethesda house just a few short miles away from the school on Old Georgetown Road. WJHS became the second high school in Bethesda, after Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, and a fierce cross-town rivalry was born. The "Battle of Bethesda," as it came to be known, was the hot point of sporting events between the two schools. At its start, WJ was a country school, surrounded by farms and cows. During the tremendous growth of the DC metro area, however, the school's environment changed from countryside to a major metropolitan suburb. Enrollment has increased from just a few hundred to 2000 students in early 2005. Despite numerous renovations, the original building still stands. Additional wings have been added to the school on either end and classrooms have been modernized. A new student common area and cafeteria were added to the school in 2003. "The Clock," well-known to students, is still in working order and resides in the front hallway above the two golden plaques of the Wildcat and Spartan. Walter Johnson High School is undergoing a renovation set to be completed in 2010.
[edit] Traditions
[edit] Mascots
When it first opened in 1956, its original mascot was the Spartan. Two decades later in 1987, neighboring Charles W. Woodward High School merged into WJHS, bringing their mascot, "Wild Thing the Wildcat", with them. WJHS retained their fight song and school colors (green and white). The unofficial, but better known, mascot is "Mighty Moo", a large brown cow. Early in Walter Johnson's history cows used to roam onto the football fields at various times, and turning lemons into lemonade, Walter Johnson adopted the cows as their unofficial mascot. As the area became more urbanized, the cows left, but Mighty Moo stayed.
[edit] Fight song
(To the tune of "Across the Field")
Walter Johnson, now's the time to lead us to our fame! Alma Mater, sing our praises and we'll take this game. RAH! RAH! RAH! Hit 'em hard and hit 'em again. Show 'em now that we're gonna' win. Wildcats you've shown your might, So we'll cheer for the green and white.
Words by Mrs. Jane Grube - PE teacher 1956-1964
[edit] Chimney Painting
For decades, the senior class would climb up on the roof of the school and paint their names on the large brick chimney. At the start of each school year, the names would be painted over with the new senior class. This practice was even school-sponsored until the Fall of 2002 when the administration determined it was too dangerous for students to be up on the roof of the school. Instead of painting their names on the chimney, the senior class of 2003 was instructed to paint their names on the athletic shed. Many seniors, however, were upset at the sudden change and continued the tradition of painting their names on the chimney against the new school policy. In the Fall of 2003, the administration allowed the chimney to be painted once again, but only if each student had a signed permission slip.
[edit] Hazing
Like many schools in America, Walter Johnson had its share of hazing. In earlier times, if a freshman were to step on the golden plaques in the main hallway, upperclassmen would make the freshman get down on their hands and knees and scrub the plaques with a toothbrush. This practice was stopped in the mid 1990s when school administrators put up a velvet rope around the plaques. Another hazing practice was that of "F-ing." "F-ing" involved an upperclassmen drawing the letter "F" on the face of incoming freshman. This was done with either a marker, pen, or paint. Most freshman went along with the practice, but those who avoided getting the "F" were hunted down and given a larger "F" to mark their disobedience. The practice of "F-ing" was abruptly haulted in 2003 when principal Kevin Maxwell set precedent that suspended anyone caught "F-ing" a freshman. For 'Freshman Friday' (the first Friday of the school year, traditionally when freshman would be 'F-ed') of 2005, principal Chris Garran instituted a pseudo-hazing system, where upperclassmen would 'lei' a freshman student by putting a Hawaiian Lei around their necks. Many students decided to, instead, make stickers that had an F on them and stick them on unsuspecting freshmen. This is not encouraged, but nobody ever gets in trouble for it since freshmen can just peel it off.
[edit] Curriculum
APEX Walter Johnson’s signature program, Advanced Placement Experience, is in its ninth year. The APEX Scholars Program is designed to be a highly competitive four-year course of study. Prospective students apply during their eighth grade year, and are notified of their admission in the early spring prior to their ninth grade year. The application process includes making a list of activities, getting 4 teacher recommendations, and taking an essay test. The program offers a select group of students a comprehensive curriculum combining accelerated honors and intensive advanced placement level coursework. The program is run by T.G. Finkbinder, who is also an English teacher at the school.
[edit] Accomplishments
[edit] Academic
Walter Johnson High School was rated as one of "America's Best High Schools" by Newsweek magazine and was named the 45th best public high school in the nation for 2004. The It's Academic team won the Washington Area Championship and the mid-Atlantic Superbowl in 2005.
The College Board ranked Walter Johnson's AP World History class as the best in the world. Details at http://www.nbc4.com/news/6815919/detail.html?subid=10101441
Walter Johnson High School was rated as one of "America's Best High Schools" by Newsweek magazine and was named the 75th best public high school in the nation for 2006.
Walter Johnson Debate and Forensics team also achieved notable results. The Walter Johson Debate Team were County Champions from 1993-2000, and 2003-2006. They achieved Second Place in the county leage for years 2001 and 2002. The Forensics Team have been county champions since 2001-2006 and achieved either 2nd, 3rd or 4th Place in the County League from 1990 to 2000.
[edit] Athletic
All tournaments and finals are conducted by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA).
[edit] Soccer
Maryland Class A State Champions 1978
Maryland Class 3A State Champions 2000
Maryland Class 4A State Co-Champions 2006
[edit] Cross Country
Maryland Class 3A State Champions (Girls) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
[edit] Hockey
Maryland Scholastic Hockey League Public School State Champions 2004-2005
[edit] Field Hockey
Maryland Class 4A State Champions 1989
[edit] Track and Field
Maryland Class 3A State Champions (Girls) 2003
[edit] Tennis
Maryland State Champions Mixed Doubles 2003, 2004, 2005
Maryland State Champions Girls Doubles 2003
[edit] Notable alumni
- Annie Kim, Class of 2006, Discovery Channel's "Endurance."
- Colleen Haskell, Class of 1994, CBS's "Survivor."
- Matt McCoy, Class of 1974, has had a career in film and television.
- Cal Thomas, Class of 1960, Syndicated Columnist and Author.
- Tim Kurkjian, Class of 1974, ESPN Baseball analyst and author.
- Elliot Berlin, Class of 1971, Director of "Paperclips."
- Jonathan Hadary, Class of 1966, was nominated for Broadway's 1990 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for a revival of "Gypsy."
- Tommy Keene, Class of 1976, singer/songwriter.
- Nathaniel Brooks, Class of 1980, game designer.
- Sophia Pallas, Pianist.
- Georgia Engel, Class of 1966, film and television actress best known from The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
- Nils Lofgren, singer/songwriter, attended Walter Johnson.
- Bruce Irvine, well known basketball player, graduated from the school in 1978.
- Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club
