| Walt Whitman High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 7100 Whittier Boulevard Bethesda, Maryland, USA | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public Secondary |
| Motto | Pride + Determination = Success |
| Established | 1962 |
| School district | Montgomery County Public Schools |
| Principal | Dr. Alan Goodwin |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1872 (2007-2008) |
| Number of students | 1,970 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Black, White, and Columbia blue |
| Mascot | Viking |
| Nickname | WWHS |
| Newspaper | The Black & White |
| Yearbook | 'Saga' |
| Information | 301-320-6600 |
| Website | Walt Whitman Home Page |
Walt Whitman High School is a public secondary institution serving roughly the western part of Bethesda--an unincorporated suburban area of Washington, DC, in Montgomery County, Maryland. The school is named in honor of the American poet. It is fed into by Thomas W. Pyle Middle School.
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The school opened in the fall of 1962 with 1,418 students. It was built on 17 levels, with a center courtyard and a geodesic dome for its gymnasium until renovation in 1992. A Ford Foundation grant underwrote the design and construction of the dome. During the first school year, Broadway composer and lyricist Meredith Willson visited the school to assist teacher Monica McMindes with her production of The Music Man, which was his creation. In 1981, a 1,200-seat auditorium was added to the school. Dr. Daryl Shaw served as the inaugural principal from 1962 until 1975. Dr. Jerome Marco was principal from 1975 until his retirement in 2004. Currently, the Principal is Dr. Alan Goodwin, who was Assistant Principal for several years before taking his current post. Six elementary schools feed Thomas W. Pyle Middle School, which in turn feeds to Walt Whitman. The elementary schools are Wood Acres, Bannockburn, Burning Tree, Carderock Springs, Bradley Hills, and Bethesda. The Bethesda area is served both by Whitman High School and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, one of the biggest rivalries in the state. It is one of the most highly esteemed high schools in the country, and was rated in the top fifty high schools in the nation as one of the few public schools included.
The Black & White is a national, regional and state award-winning newspaper that is student-financed and student-run. In addition to informing students, teachers, parents and community members of relevant issues and events, it also provides an open forum for an exchange of student ideas. It was established in 1961 and produces 12 issues each academic year. The newspaper was inducted into the National Scholastic Press Association Hall of Fame in 1991, during the tenure of longtime adviser Mr. Atwood. In 2001, the staff of the Black & White collaborated to launch the Spectator, a supplementary paper covering sports features and recreation. The newspaper has gathered numerous national awards for its print edition as well as its website, Black & White Online, established (at a different URL) in 2001 and remade in 2008, and again in 2009. The Black & White has over 80 staff members (print and online positions included) and the Spectator has more than 30 members. Some staff positions, like photographers, graphic artists, business and advertising managers, are shared by both papers. Louise Reynolds is currently the adviser to the Black & White, succeeding Dr. Jan Bowman, who retired in 2007.
The Choral Music department contains 5 regular ensembles and smaller chamber groups and is directed by Jeff Davidson. The Chamber Choir has been regularly recognized as one of the top groups on the East Coast for many years. Like the Instrumental Music department, the Choral Music department regularly wins straight 1's ("Superior"--highest rating) for Level VI (most advanced) choral arrangements in county, state, and national competitions. Combined, the Choral and Instrumental Music programs regularly place graduating students in top U.S. music schools and conservatories. The Walt Whitman Music department performs two annual concerts, a winter concert, and a spring concert held at Whitman's "Festival of the Arts." In 2009, the Chamber Choir was invited to perform with the Washington Chorus at Strathmore Performing Arts Center and at the Kennedy Center.
The Instrumental department was directed by Chris Allen for 19 years until his departure in 2009. Throughout his tenure, Whitman ensembles were recognized for their excellence, regularly receiving Superiors at county- and state-level festivals. He was succeeded in his position by Terry Alvey. Also staffing the instrumental music department are Vincent LoRusso, Associate Music Director, and Wayne Chadwick, Music Theory and Electronic Music teacher. Students regularly represent Whitman in honor ensembles and area youth orchestras including Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras (MCYO) and the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras (AYP). The Whitman Jazz Ensemble also provides community outreach, presenting biannual concerts and performing at community events. The Music Department takes its large performing ensembles on an annual spring trip to a music festival in the United States or in Canada, past destinations including Boston, Chicago, Toronto and Orlando. Every year, instrumental ensembles travel to the Montgomery County Festival and the Maryland State Festival. In 2009, the Symphonic Orchestra and Wind Ensemble earned straight ones in both festivals. The Instrumental Department also fields a pep band, marching band, and drum-line.
In April 2010, the Walt Whitman Music Department performed at Carnegie Hall. Participating groups included Treble Chorale, Advanced Women's Ensemble, Men's Chorus, Chamber Choir, Advanced Strings, Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Band.
Whitman Drama is an award winning theater department directed by theater professional Christopher Gerken and produces a fall musical (with a student Pit orchestra), a winter play, and a student-directed talent show in the spring. The home of the theatre program, the Daryl Shaw Auditorium, holds 1,200 seated audience members. The school is a member of the Critics and Awards Program for High School Students (Cappies) National Capital Area and has been nominated for and won several awards at the annual Gala. In June 2008, Whitman was awarded the Cappie award "Best Musical" for its production of Aida and graduating senior Andrea Carroll won the competitive Lead Actress in a Musical award for her performance in the title role. In June 2010, the school was awarded the award for "Best Play" for its production of Amadeus and another graduating senior, Sammy Zeisel, won the award for Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in the title role, and Emma Rackstraw won Best Female Vocalist for singing the "Queen of the Night" aria in the play.
In 2007 Whitman Drama was recognized as one of the top 50 American high school drama programs by the American High School Theater festival and invited to perform at the International Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Scotland in August 2008. 17 Whitman students traveled to Scotland to perform their production of Jason Robert Brown's "Songs For a New World".
The Walt Whitman Speech and Debate Team was recognized as one of the top 5 in the nation by both the Catholic Forensics League and the National Forensics League in the spring of 2009. The nationally acclaimed team is composed of over 100 members and was coached by Anjan Choudhury, who announced his resignation from the team in 2010. Anjan Choudhury is now the new coach for the Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas. Ari Parker has now taken the position of Head Coach since master debater Ben Lewis graduated in 2010. As the largest National Forensics League speech and debate chapter in the state of Maryland, the team strives to set a local and national precedent of top quality in performance, establishing a legacy of merit and distinction. The team attends around 3 local tournaments a month, coupled with around 30 travel tournaments spread all across the country throughout the year. In the 2009 Catholic Forensics League National Championship, a Walt Whitman student team was the runner-up in three different forensics categories. In 2010, Walt Whitman broke historical records by qualifying more than 20 debaters to the prestigious Tournament of Champions.
Shakespeare Festival Every other year, Whitman holds a schoolwide "Shakespeare Festival" one day in April honoring Shakespeare's life and his work. The festival is organized by both students and the school's English department.
Productions The Shakespeare Club began producing full, student run productions in the 2007-2008 school year. The first was The Taming of the Shrew, in March 2008, followed by Macbeth in October 2008 and A Midsummer Night's Dream in March 2009. They performed As You Like It in April 2010, and in May 2011 they put on Twelfth Night.
Walt Whitman High School was the subject of the 2006 best-selling book, The Overachievers. The non-fiction book concerns itself with several students who were members of Whitman's class of 2004, 2005 or 2006. From July 20, 2004 - December 9, 2005, the author, Alexandra Robbins, followed eight Whitman juniors and seniors through their daily lives. It uses the lives of the Whitman students to show pressure in academia and the negative effect in today's society. Robbins is a Whitman alum of the class of 1994.
In 2005, in wake of Hurricane Katrina, a Whitman student and her two younger sisters started Project Backpack, an organization which donated backpacks filled with toys to displaced children.[1] The project exceeded all expectations and received thousands of backpacks which were delivered to the New Orleans victims. To honor their deed, President Bush invited them to light the National Christmas Tree.
The December 15–22, 2008 edition of U.S. News & World Report, in which the nation's top 100 public high schools were unveiled, featured three Whitman students on the cover.
In December 2008, River Road, a street the school is located just off of in Bethesda Maryland, had a burst water main gain national attention. The burst cut off water to the school and community for the entire day, and flooded the road to such an extent that not only was traffic cut off for several blocks, but rescue teams were needed to help those stuck in their cars.
In April 2009, the school was the site for a protest by the Westboro Baptist Church. Seven members of the church traveled to the school in order to protest the sexual orientation of Walt Whitman, for whom the school was named. The students organized a counter protest, in which over 500 Whitman students and alumni participated. The protest was covered by national media.[2]
Helen Thomas was scheduled for June 2010 to be the commencement speaker at graduation. A few weeks before, she was asked to comment about Israel. She replied, "Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine," and that "they should go home" to Poland, Germany, America and "everywhere else". Thomas subsequently issued an apology on her personal web site, but Principal Alan Goodwin said, in an email to Whitman parents, "Graduation celebrations are not the venue for divisiveness." Thomas was subsequently replaced as speaker.[3]
In 2008, Newsweek ranked Whitman at #69 on its "Best High Schools in America" list.[4]
In 2009, US News & World Report ranked Whitman as the #44 best school nationwide on its list of "America's Best High Schools"[5]
Whitman boasts a strong athletic program, in which more than 70% of the student body will participate in at some point. Students can choose from 16 different varsity sports and several other club sports, such as ice hockey, rowing, and ultimate frisbee.
Athletic Championships
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