Walter Johnson High School

Aerial U.S. Geological Survey photo of WJHS taken during construction its construction in April 2002

Walter Johnson High School (also known as Walter Johnson, WJHS, or WJ) is a public high school located in the census-designated place of North Bethesda, Maryland with a Bethesda postal address.<ref>Template:Cite web - Compare the street address with the map.</ref><ref name=NBethCDP>"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.</ref> The school was founded in 1956 and named after Walter Johnson, an American baseball player who resided in 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is a part of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

History

20th century

The school first opened with grades 10-12 in 1956,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> and was named after a famous American baseball pitcher and politician, Walter Johnson, who lived in the area and had died 10 years prior. 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. Originally, the school only educated 11th and 12th graders.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1963, Mighty Moo, a dairy cow named after the cows that roamed the adjacent fields of the Davis farm until the early 90s, named the school mascot.<ref>Uncovering the mysteries of WJ’s local abandoned house https://wjpitch.com/top-stories/2024/12/13/abandoned-house/</ref><ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1963, a group of Seniors's painted Mighty Moo onto the school chimney where it remains to this day.<ref name=":0" />

21st century

In 2024, total enrollment expanded to over 3,000 students, with over 700 in each grade.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> To reduce overcrowding, local school leaders scheduled the reopening of Woodward High School for August 2027.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Budgeting for the construction of Woodward High School has been problematic, with up to 39 million dollars lost in funding due to "due to errors in calculating prevailing wage and bid award across the multiple phases of the project".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Academics

Walter Johnson High School established their APEX-Reach Signature Program in 1996.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> This APEX-Reach Program leads students through a more rigorous curriculum through a combination of honors and Advance Placement (AP) classes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The school offers Advance Placement (AP) classes since pre-1996 with a total 28 AP classes.<ref name=":2" /> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

WJ students average a score of 1192 on the SAT, with 604 on verbal and 588 on math.<ref>Montgomery County Public Schools. Schools at a Glance - Walter Johnson High School. Accessed 6 June 2024</ref>

As of 2024, Walter Johnson is the 15th-ranked high school in Maryland and the 855th-ranked nationally, according to U.S. News & World Report.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Construction

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.<ref name=":0" />

At the start of the 2001-2002 school year began construction plans to renovate the school.<ref name=":0" /> The construction took ten years which included 19 more classrooms, 4 more science labs, a new cafeteria, a stadium, a media center, a new gym, and a new auditorium.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> The renovation also includes 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 representing the nationalities of the student population.<ref name=":1" />

School Articulation Patterns

Walter Johnson serves two middle schools, each of which serve three elementary schools.<ref>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</ref>

North Bethesda Middle School

• Ashburton Elementary School
• Kensington Parkwood Elementary School
• Wyngate Elementary School

Tilden Middle School

• Farmland Elementary School
• Garrett Park Elementary School
• Luxmanor Elementary School

Expected Changes

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.<ref>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</ref> 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.<ref>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</ref>

Activities

Athletics

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's, 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Writing

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.<ref name=":0" />

Music

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

As of 2022-2023:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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

• Jonathan Allen, political journalist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Robb Austin, politician, Pennsylvania House of Representatives<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Siribha Chudabhorn, princess of Thailand<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• David John Doukas, physician and medical ethicist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Anita Dunn, former advisor to President Barack ObamaTemplate:Citation needed
• Carol Dysinger, professor, filmmaker, editor, Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject winner at the 92nd Academy Awards
• Jeremy Ebobisse, professional soccer player for LAFC<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Georgia Engel, actress<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Florent Groberg, Medal of Honor recipient<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Jonathan Hadary, actor<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Jeffrey C. Hall, Nobel Prize in Medicine recipient, geneticist, and chronobiologist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Colleen Haskell, actress and Season One Survivor contestant<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Stephen Herek, film director and Broadway producerTemplate:Citation needed
• John Michael Higgins, actor and director<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Tommy Keene, singer and songwriter<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Ariana Kelly, politician, Maryland House of Delegates<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Candace Kovacic-Fleischer, law professorTemplate:Citation needed
• John Kronstadt, district judgeTemplate:Citation needed
• Adriana Kugler, economist, member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, former executive director of the World Bank
• Tim Kurkjian, ESPN baseball reporter and analyst<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Roy Lee, film producerTemplate:Citation needed
• Jeffrey S. Lehman, former Cornell University president, scholar, and attorneyTemplate:Citation needed
• Nils Lofgren, rock musician, member of the E Street Band (did not graduate)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Rudy Maxa, host and producer of PBS travel showsTemplate:Citation needed
• Matt McCoy, actor<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Caroline Miller, professional soccer player<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Matt Murray, journalist, editor-in-chief of The Washington Post
• Alain Nu, mentalist and magician
• Jody Olsen, Peace Corps director<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Carl Pope, former Sierra Club executive director<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• James Risen, investigative reporter and authorTemplate:Citation needed
• Francesco Sani, professional volleyball player for Italy men's national volleyball team<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Tommy Smith, U.S. National Rugby Sevens player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Cal Thomas, syndicated columnist, radio commentator, and author<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Brian Transeau, electronic musician and composer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• David J. Williams, science fiction and video game creatorTemplate:Citation needed
• Gedion Zelalem, professional soccer player<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Gerald Zerkin, senior assistant federal public defender who defended Zacarias MoussaouiTemplate:Citation needed

References

Template:Reflist27. https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/stephen-herek

External links

• Template:Official website