Walt Whitman High School
Encyclopedia
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
.
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.
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 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.
(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".
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.
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. 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.
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.
In 2009, US News & World Report ranked Whitman as the #44 best school nationwide on its list of "America's Best High Schools"
Athletic Championships
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
serving roughly the western part of Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
--an unincorporated suburban area of Washington, DC, in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The school is named in honor of the American poet
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
. It is fed into by Thomas W. Pyle Middle School
Thomas W. Pyle Middle School
Thomas W. Pyle Middle School, colloquially known as Pyle Middle School, is a public school for students in grades 6, 7 and 8 located in Bethesda, Maryland. It was founded as a junior high school in 1962 and named after a longtime principal of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, who later became...
.
History
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
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
Meredith Willson
Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...
visited the school to assist teacher Monica McMindes with her production of The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
, which was his creation. In 1981, a 1,200-seat auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
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
Thomas W. Pyle Middle School
Thomas W. Pyle Middle School, colloquially known as Pyle Middle School, is a public school for students in grades 6, 7 and 8 located in Bethesda, Maryland. It was founded as a junior high school in 1962 and named after a longtime principal of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, who later became...
, which in turn feeds to Walt Whitman. The elementary schools are Wood Acres, Bannockburn, Burning Tree, Carderock Springs, Bradley Hills, and Bethesda. The Bethesda
Bethesda
Bethesda , originally referring to the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem , may also refer to:-United States:*Bethesda, Davidson County, North Carolina...
area is served both by Whitman High School and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School is a Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, public school named for two of the towns it serves along with Kensington and Silver Spring, Maryland. It is located at 4301 East-West Highway, in Bethesda, an unincorporated community in Montgomery County...
, 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
The Black & White is a national, regional and state award-winning newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
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
Forum (legal)
A public forum is a United States constitutional law term that describes a government-owned property that is open to public expression and assembly.-Types:Forums are classified as public or nonpublic....
for an exchange of student ideas. It was established in 1961 and produces 12 issues each academic year
Academic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
. The newspaper was inducted into the National Scholastic Press Association
National Scholastic Press Association
The National Scholastic Press Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 for high school and secondary school publications in the United States. The association is membership-based and annually hosts high school journalism conventions across the country...
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
in 1991, during the tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
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
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
members (print and online positions included) and the Spectator has more than 30 members. Some staff positions, like photographers, graphic artists
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
, 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.
Music
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
Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras
The Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras, or MCYO, is a youth orchestra program in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area founded in 1946 as the Montgomery County Youth Orchestras. Along with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the National Philharmonic, MCYO is affiliated with the Strathmore...
(MCYO) and the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras
American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras
The American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras is group of orchestras formerly known as Northern Virginia Youth Symphony Association. Comprising two full orchestras , a training orchestra , a string orchestra The American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras (AYPO) is group of orchestras formerly known as...
(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.
Theater
Whitman Drama is an award winning theater department directed by theater professional Christopher Gerken and produces a fall musicalMusical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
(with a student Pit orchestra
Pit orchestra
A pit orchestra is a type of orchestra that accompanies performers in musicals, operas, and other shows involving music. In performances of operas and ballets, the pit orchestra is typically similar in size to a symphony orchestra, though it may contain smaller string and brass sections, depending...
), a winter play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, and a student-directed talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
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
Critics and Awards Program for High School Students
The Cappies ' is an international program for recognizing, celebrating, and providing learning experiences for high school theater and journalism students and teenage playwrights....
(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
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
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
Amadeus
Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...
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
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
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".
Speech and Debate Team
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 Club
Shakespeare FestivalEvery 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
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
, in March 2008, followed by Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
in October 2008 and A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
in March 2009. They performed As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
in April 2010, and in May 2011 they put on Twelfth Night.
Role in popular culture
Walt Whitman High School was the subject of the 2006 best-sellingBestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
book, The Overachievers
The Overachievers
The Overachievers or The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids is a nonfiction book written by Alexandra Robbins. Using the example of some American teenagers, it centers upon overachievement in high school, emphasizing its negative effect in modern American society...
. 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
December 2005
-Portal:Current events:-News collections and sources:See: Wikipedia:News collections and sources....
, 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
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, a Whitman student and her two younger sisters started Project Backpack, an organization which donated backpacks filled with toys to displaced children. The project exceeded all expectations and received thousands of backpacks which were delivered to the New Orleans victims. To honor their deed, President Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
invited them to light the National Christmas Tree
National Christmas Tree (United States)
The National Christmas Tree is a large evergreen tree located in the northeast quadrant of the The Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D.C. Each year since 1923, the tree has been decorated as a Christmas tree. The grand illumination of the Christmas lights on the tree by the President of...
.
The December 15–22, 2008 edition of U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
, in which the nation's top 100 public high schools were unveiled, featured three Whitman students on the cover.
In December 2008, River Road
Maryland Route 190
Maryland Route 190, or River Road, is a major state highway through southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.-Route description:MD 190 begins at MD 112's western terminus in Seneca, and ends at the Montgomery County/Washington, D.C. border...
, 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
Westboro Baptist Church
The Westboro Baptist Church is an independent Baptist church known for its extreme stance against homosexuality and its protest activities, which include picketing funerals and desecrating the American flag. The church is widely described as a hate group and is monitored as such by the...
. 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.
Helen Thomas
Helen Thomas
Helen Thomas is an American author and former news service reporter, member of the White House Press Corps and opinion columnist. She worked for the United Press and post-1958 successor United Press International for 57 years, first as a correspondent, and later as White House bureau manager...
was scheduled for June 2010 to be the commencement speaker at graduation. A few weeks before, she was asked to comment about Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. 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.
Statistics
In 2008, Newsweek ranked Whitman at #69 on its "Best High Schools in America" list.In 2009, US News & World Report ranked Whitman as the #44 best school nationwide on its list of "America's Best High Schools"
Athletics
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
- Soccer Division 4A State Champions (Boys)- '10
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
Division 4A State Champions (Boys)- '06 - Basketball Division 4A State Champions (Girls)- '95
- Basketball 4A West Region Champs (Girls)- '07
- CrewRowing (sport)Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
City Champions (Freshman Girls)- '08 - Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
Maryland State Champions (Boys)- '70, '86, '88, '90, '91, '92, '95 - Cross Country - Andrew Palmer won the state championship '07, '09
- Cross Country Montgomery County Champions (Girls)- 2010
- Cross Country 4A West Regional Champions (Girls)- 2010
- Cross Country Maryland State Champions (Girls)- '90, '91, '92, '10
- Cross Country- Anna Ryba won the state championship '10
- Field HockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
Regional Champions (Girls)- '06 - Washington Area Frisbee Club Champions- '08
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
State Champions- '99,'07 (new state record) - Soccer State Champions (Girls)- '85, '86, '92, '04
- Soccer State Champions (Boys)-
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
County Champions (Boys)- '07, '08 - Tennis Division I 1st Place (Boys)- '05, '06, '08
- Tennis State Champions- '06, '08, '09
- Tennis Division I 1st Place (Girls)-'08
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
State Champions (Girls)- '98 - Volleyball Regional Champions (Boys)- '03
- WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
State Champions- '05 - Will Sharbaugh- Wrestling State Champion- '06
- Eren Civan- Wrestling State Champion- '04,'05,'06
Notable alumni
- Eric PierpointEric PierpointEric Pierpoint is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as George Francisco on Fox Network's Alien Nation. He has appeared on all of the Star Trek spin-offs. He played five characters in the four series from 1993 to 2005.He is the son of retired CBS news correspondent Robert...
, '69, actor, "Star Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
". - Steven RalesSteven M. Rales-Education:Steven was a 1969 graduate of Walt Whitman High School, Bethesda, Maryland.He was a 1973 graduate of DePauw University, where he was in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.He was awarded a J.D. from American University in 1978.-Investments:...
, '69, entrepreneur and billionaire, Danaher CorporationDanaher CorporationThe Danaher Corporation , is a large global company headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. Its products are concentrated in the fields of design, manufacture, and marketing of industrial and consumer products....
. Brother of Mitchell Rales. - Gordon Smith, '70, U.S. Senator, Oregon.
- Ken NavarroKen NavarroKen Navarro is an Italian-American Contemporary Jazz guitarist and composer. He first received recognition as a solo artist in 1990 with his song "Try Again" from his debut CD The River Flows...
, '71, jazz guitarist, "Smooth Sensation" and "Love Coloured Soul". - Lisa PelikanLisa PelikanLisa Pelikan is an American stage, film and television actress.She was born in Berkley, California, the daughter of American parents Helen L., a psychologist, and Robert G. Pelikan, an international economist who served as the minister-counselor from the United States at the Organization for...
, '72, actress, "Julia" and "Return to the Blue LagoonReturn to the Blue LagoonReturn to the Blue Lagoon is a 1991 American romance and adventure film starring Milla Jovovich and Brian Krause, produced and directed by William A. Graham. The screenplay by Leslie Stevens was based on the novel The Garden of God by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The original music score was composed...
". - Bob RabaBob RabaRobert William Raba is a former American football tight end in the National Football League for the New York Jets, the Baltimore Colts, and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Maryland....
, '73, football player, (Tight End, New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
). - Mitchell RalesMitchell RalesMitchell Rales is an American businessman. He has been a director of Danaher Corporation since 1983.-Early life and education:Mitchell Rales grew up in Bethesda, Maryland and graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 1974...
, '74, entrepreneur and billionaire, Danaher CorporationDanaher CorporationThe Danaher Corporation , is a large global company headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. Its products are concentrated in the fields of design, manufacture, and marketing of industrial and consumer products....
. Brother of Steven Rales. - Steven E. Fassberg, '74, Caspar Levias Chair in Ancient Semitic LanguagesSemitic languagesThe Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa...
at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. - Robert A. HarrisRobert A. HarrisRobert A. Harris is a film historian and preservationist who specializes in restoring the large-format widescreen films of the 1950s. He has restored and reconstructed a number of classic films including Lawrence of Arabia , Spartacus , My Fair Lady , Vertigo Rear Window , as well as The...
, '74, Chair, Department of Bible and Semitic LanguagesSemitic languagesThe Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa...
at the Jewish Theological Seminary of AmericaJewish Theological Seminary of AmericaThe Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
. - Marc J. Wortman '74, author, "The Bonfire", "The Millionaires' Unit".
- Rodney Alan Greenblat, '78, artist.
- Chris Anderson, '79, editor of Wired Magazine and author of Free and The Long Tail.
- Kate SeelyeKate SeelyeKate Seelye is a journalist specializing in coverage of the Middle East. Seelye reports for NPR, and has contributed to the BBC, Channel 4, and PBS....
, '80, Middle-east reporter for National Public Radio. - Mark PryorMark PryorMark Lunsford Pryor is the senior United States Senator from Arkansas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and former Attorney General of Arkansas....
, '81, U.S. Senator, Arkansas. - Patrick ByrnePatrick M. ByrnePatrick M. Byrne is the president, CEO, and chairman of the board of directors of Internet retailer Overstock.com. In 1999, Byrne took control of the company, then called D2: Discounts Direct, and changed its name to Overstock...
, '81, founder of overstock.comOverstock.comOverstock.com , also known by its shortcut, O.co, is an online retailer headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, near Salt Lake City. Founded in 1997 by Robert Brazell, under the name D2: Discounts Direct, it was a pioneering online seller of surplus merchandise which, upon its failure in 1999,...
. - Mia Chung, '82, orchestral Pianist.
- Mark HalperinMark HalperinMark E. Halperin is the senior political analyst for Time magazine, Time.com, and MSNBC and serves as a board member on the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. He is the co-author of Game Change.-Personal:Mark Halperin is the son of Morton Halperin and Ina Young. He has...
, '83, political analyst, ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, Time Magazine, Time.com; former Political Director, ABC News. - Anthony DilwegAnthony DilwegAnthony Hume Dilweg was a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers who was last signed to the Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League...
, '84, football player, (1988 ACC player of the year, Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
; former NFL quarterback). - Susan Dynner, '84, movie producer/director, "Punk's Not Dead", producer, "BrickBrick (film)Brick is a 2005 American neo-noir film written and directed by Rian Johnson. It was Johnson's directorial debut and won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival...
". - Michael EisenMichael EisenMichael Eisen is an American biologist. He is currently an Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Associate Professor of Genetics, Genomics and Development at University of California, Berkeley...
, '85, noted proponent of open source scientific research. - Jeff TremaineJeff TremaineJeffery James "Jeff" Tremaine is an American film and television producer/director, and, along with Johnny Knoxville and Spike Jonze, one of the creators of MTV's Jackass. He directed Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, Jackass 3D, and Jackass spinoff Wildboyz...
, '85, co-writer, co-creator and director of MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
series Jackass (TV series)Jackass (TV series)jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
, its spin-off series WildboyzWildboyzWildboyz is a spin-off and follow-up to Jackass, which debuted in 2003 on MTV and moved to MTV2 in its third season. Steve-O and Chris Pontius are the stars of the show, who perform stunts and acts with animals, often putting themselves in situations for which they are not trained...
and its three subsequent movies, "Jackass: The MovieJackass: The MovieJackass: The Movie is a 2002 American reality film directed by Jeff Tremaine with the tagline "Do not attempt this at home." It is a riskier and uncensored continuation of the stunts and pranks by the various characters of the MTV television series Jackass, which had completed its unique series...
" (2002), Jackass: Number TwoJackass: Number TwoJackass Number Two is a 2006 American comedy film. It is the sequel to Jackass: The Movie , both based upon the MTV series Jackass. Like its predecessor and the original TV show, the film is a compilation of stunts, pranks and skits...
" (2006), and "Jackass 3DJackass 3DJackass 3D is a 2010 American 3D comedy film and the fourth film in the Jackass series. It was released on October 15, 2010 by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films to American theaters and marked the 10th anniversary of the franchise, which started in 2000...
(2010)." - Spike JonzeSpike JonzeSpike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
, '87, director, "Being John MalkovichBeing John MalkovichBeing John Malkovich is a 1999 American black comedy-fantasy film written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze. It stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, and John Malkovich, who plays a fictional version of himself...
," "Adaptation.Adaptation.Adaptation. is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman. The film is based on Susan Orlean's non-fiction book The Orchid Thief through self-referential events...
," "Where the Wild Things AreWhere the Wild Things Are (film)Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 American fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are. It combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery...
". - David DobkinDavid Dobkin (director)David Dobkin is an American film director, producer and former screenwriter best known for directing Clay Pigeons, Shanghai Knights, Wedding Crashers, Fred Claus and The Change-Up.-Early life and education:...
, '87, director, "Wedding CrashersWedding CrashersWedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell....
", "Shanghai KnightsShanghai KnightsShanghai Knights is a 2003 action-comedy film. It is the sequel to Shanghai Noon. It was directed by David Dobkin and written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.-Plot:...
", and "Fred ClausFred ClausFred Claus is a 2007 Christmas family-comedy film produced and directed by David Dobkin, written by Dan Fogelman and Jessie Nelson, and starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti.-Plot:...
". - Eric SteinbergEric SteinbergEric D. Steinberg is an American actor who most recently played the role of Emily Fields' father in the ABC Family hit seriesPretty Little Liars.Eric was born August 26, 1969 in Washington, D.C....
, '87, actor, "The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
", "Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
". - Matt OppenheimMatt OppenheimMatthew Jan Oppenheim is the managing partner of Oppenheim + Zebrak, LLP. The firm regularly represents content owners and technology companies, among others....
, '85, enforcer for the RIAA. - Ryan KuehlRyan KuehlRyan Philip Kuehl is an American football long snapper who is currently a free agent.-Early years:...
, '90, football player (defensive tackle, New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.) - Giuliana Rancic, '92, celebrity news personality, E! NewsE! NewsE! News, previously known as E! News Daily and E! News Live, is a nightly entertainment newsmagazine program airing on E!: Entertainment Television. The program debuted on September 1, 1991 and talks about Hollywood celebrities and gossip...
and co-star of "Giuliana and BillGiuliana and BillGiuliana and Bill is a reality show on the Style Network. It features E! News host, and host of Fashion Police Giuliana Rancic and her husband Bill Rancic, an American entrepreneur who won the first season of The Apprentice. The couple, who first met when Giuliana was interviewing Bill for E! News,...
" on the Style NetworkStyle NetworkThe Style Network is an American cable television network based in Los Angeles.Owned by NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of General Electric and Comcast, its sister channels include E! Entertainment Television, USA Network, Syfy, G4, Golf Channel, and Versus, among others.-Network Overview:Style's...
. - Dan ShanoffDan ShanoffDan Shanoff is a former writer for ESPN.com's Page2 section who now runs his own sports blog. Every weekday morning between January 6, 2003 and August 31, 2006 he put out a "Daily Quickie" article, in which he discussed the important sports happenings from the previous day and those due to be...
, '91, sports columnist for The Sporting NewsThe Sporting NewsSporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
, formerly of ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. - Gianluca Callini, '93, Test Director, Interpreter at the NASA Johnson Space Center.
- Alexandra RobbinsAlexandra RobbinsAlexandra Robbins is a journalist, lecturer, and author. Her books focus on young adults, education, and modern college life and its aspects that are often overlooked or ignored by college administrators...
, '94, author, "The OverachieversThe OverachieversThe Overachievers or The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids is a nonfiction book written by Alexandra Robbins. Using the example of some American teenagers, it centers upon overachievement in high school, emphasizing its negative effect in modern American society...
", "Pledged", and "Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis". - Bill WhiteBill White (neo-Nazi)William Alexander "Bill" White is the leader of the internet-based American National Socialist Workers' Party, and former administrator of Overthrow.com, a now-defunct website dedicated to anti-communist thought, and far-right interpretations of anti-Zionist and anti-capitalist speech.White came...
, '94, Neo-nazi activist
External links
- Walt Whitman Website
- Whitman's Award Winning Theater Program
- Whitman's Award Winning Newspaper Online
- Montgomery County Public Schools Home Page
- Whitman Athletics
- Walt Whitman Crew Website
- Walt Whitman Alumni Tracking Website
- Walt Whitman Alumni Class of 1969 REUNION Web site
- Walt Whitman Alumni Class of 1973 Website