Walt Whitman High School - Bethesda, Maryland/MD

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Walt Whitman High School

7100 Whittier Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20817-6199 -

tel: (301)320-6600
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Definition of Terms

Walt Whitman High School

School Level

High school

Grades Offered

Grades 9 - 12

County

Montgomery County, MD

Students & Faculty

Total Students

1869 students

% Male / % Female

52% / 48%

Total Classroom Teachers

106 teachers

Students by Grade

Grade 9 - 439 students

Grade 10 - 489 students

Grade 11 - 472 students

Grade 12 - 469 students

This School

( MD ) School Average

Teacher : Student Ratio

1:18

1:16

Students by Ethnicity

This School

( MD ) School Average

% American Indian	n/a	n/a
% Asian	13%	5%
% Hispanic	6%	8%
% Black	4%	40%
% White	77%	46%

Additional Student Information

This School

( MD ) School Average

% Eligible for Free Lunch

23%

% Eligible for Reduced Lunch

n/a

% Migrant Students Enrolled

n/a

n/a

( MD ) Statewide Testing Performance

School Statewide Performance

View Education Department Test Scores

School District Name

Montgomery County Public s School District

This School's Agency

( MD ) District Average

Number of Schools Managed	199	27
Number of Students Managed	141,639 students	16,524 students
District Total Revenue	$2,068,665,000	$159,214,000
District Expenditure	$2,003,474,000	$153,923,000
District Revenue / Student	$14,605	$9,539
District Expenditure / Student	$14,145	$9,315
District Graduation Rates	92%	86%

Walt Whitman High School located in Bethesda, Maryland, is a public secondary institution serving roughly the western part of Bethesda--an unincorporated suburban area of Washington, DC, in the affluent Montgomery County, Maryland.
The school, which takes its name after the American poet, is closed; that is, students must have residency within the school's territorial boundary to attend.
History: The school opened in the fall of 1962 with 1,418 students and had a geodesic dome until renovation in 1992. In 1981, a 1,200 seat auditorium was added to the school. 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 becoming principal. 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. Students from Whitman were profiled, some under pseudonyms, in Alexandra Robbins' 2006 book 'The Overachievers.' She interviewed these students about the stress and level of work involved graduating from high school before moving on to a top college or university, often perceived as the goal of most Whitman students. 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 got thousands of backpacks. To honor their deed, President Bush invited them to light the national Christmas tree.
The Black & White: 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 13 issues each [[[academic term
academic year]]. The newspaper was inducted into the National Scholastic Press Association Hall of Fame in 1991, during the tenure of longtime adviser Robert 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 in 2001. The Black & White has approximately 70 staff members (print and online positions included) and the Spectator has 19 members. Some staff positions, like photographers, graphic artists, business and advertising managers, are shared by both papers. Dr. Jan Bowman is the newspaper's adviser.
Performing arts: WWHS is known for its successes in the performing arts. The Instrumental Music department oversees 6 standard ensembles and is directed by Chris Allen and Terry Alvey. The 19-member Jazz Ensemble has won the Chantilly Jazz Invitational for the past 6 years, and appears at many concerts around the DC area during the year (results and audio clips). The Symphonic Band has received a 1 (highest rating) at the county and state levels in grade VI literature for the past six years, and was the only school to perform grade VI music at State last year. The school has hosted various master classes, including the Air Force jazz band the Airmen of Note, the Shenandoah University Faculty Quintet and renowned conductor Anthony Maiello. Mr. Allen is the conductor of the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras Sinfonia and has conducted several honor groups including the 2006 Junior All-State Band.
The Choral Music department contains 5 regular ensembles and smaller chamber groups and is directed by Jeff Davidson. The Chamber Choir (formerly Chamber Singers) 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.
Whitman produces a fall musical (with a student pit orchestra), a student-directed talent show, and a spring play. The home of the theatre program, the Daryl Shaw Auditorium, holds 1,200 seated audience members and continues to see full houses despite extremely outdated electrical, sound, lighting, and rigging systems. 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. Last year, Whitman's production of West Side Story was nominated for Pit Orchestra, Tech Crew, Featured Actor in a Musical and Featured Actress in a Musical. This year Whitman will perform Funny Girl in the Fall and a version of Dracula written for Whitman's production. The Talent Show will be in April followed by a weekend of one-act student produced plays.
Whitman's visual arts program was also strong under the guidance of former Advanced Placement teacher Walt Bartman Sr. who led countless students to excel and over the years receive 10 presidential scholar awards in Visual Arts, scholastic awards, and other recognition.
Every other year, Whitman holds a schoolwide Shakespeare Festival for one day in April. It is based in student projects, which encompass posters, food, live performances, videos, demonstrations, costumes, and often a trebuchet. Everything is linked to some aspect of Shakespeare, his work, or the Renaissance. The festival is organized and run by students, with the aid of the English department.
The Overachievers: The 2006 book entitled The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids profiles the lives of several students from WWHS. The author, Alexandra Robbins, is a graduate of Whitman and Yale. Students from Whitman were profiled about the stress and level of work involved in graduating from high school.
Athletics: Boys Basketball Division 4A State Champions '06, Girls Field Hockey Regional Champions '06, Eren Pars Civan - Wrestling State Champion '04-'06, Will Sharbaugh - Wrestling State Champion '06, Wrestling State Champions '05, Girls Soccer State Finalists '05, Girls Soccer State Champions '04, Girls Field Hockey State Finalists '04, Boys Volleyball Regional Champions '03, Boys Soccer State Champions '00, Girls Volleyball State Champions '98, Greco-Roman Wrestling '68-69.
Notable alumni: Eric Pierpoint, '68, actor, "Star Trek: Enterprise".
Gordon Smith, '70, U.S. Senator, Oregon.
Mark Pryor, �81, U.S. Senator, Arkansas.
Lisa Pelikan, '82, actress, "Julia" and "Return to the Blue Lagoon".
Mark Halperin, '83, Political Director, ABC News.
Anthony Dilweg, '84, football player (1988 ACC player of the year, Duke University; former NFL quarterback).
Craig Bennett '87, architect.
Jeff Tremaine, '87, co-writer and director, "Jackass: The Movie" (2002) and the MTV show by the same name.
Spike Jonze, '87, movie director, "Being John Malkovich," "Adaptation." and co-writer, "Jackass: The Movie".
David Dobkin, '87, movie director, "Wedding Crashers", and "Shanghai Knights".
Ryan Kuehl, '90, football player (defensive tackle, New York Giants).
Giuliana "Julie" Depandi, '92, television host of "E News Live".
Alexandra Robbins, '94, author.
David Segal, '97, politician.
Andy Corno, '01, midfielder, New Jersey Pride.
Kirk Nathanson, '03, amateur bullfighter
Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL
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About This Zip Code (20817)

School Zip (20817)

(MD) State Average

Population (Approximate)

35,105 people

5,071,990 people

% (age 25+) w/College Degree

80%

32%

Population Average Age

43 years old

36.0 years old

Average Household size

2.7 persons

2.5 persons

Median Household Income

$113,788

$52,064

Avg. # of Rooms in Household

8.2 rooms

6.0 rooms

Median Age of Housing Structure

46 years old

42 years old

View current housing listings in this location

Median Value of Housing Unit
Zipcode (20817)

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% Owning / % Renting

86% / 14%

65% / 35%

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Nearby Schools:


1. Bethesda-chevy Chase High School - 1691 students - view location
2. Walter Johnson High School - 1983 students - view location
3. Richard Montgomery High School - 1944 students - view location
4. Albert Einstein High School - 1741 students - view location
5. Winston Churchill High School - 2146 students - view location
View all schools in: Bethesda Town, Montgomery County, Zip 20817

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Note: Data has been gathered from several government and commercial data sources. School data reflects years 2002-04 statistics (most recent years available). Area and demographic data reflects year 2000 statistics. Public School Review does not ensure the timeliness or accuracy of the information on this site.

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