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Winston Churchill High School (Montgomery County, Maryland)
Encyclopedia
Winston Churchill High School, often referred to as WCHS or Churchill, is a high school in Potomac
, an unincorporated section of Montgomery County, Maryland
.
The school is named after Winston Churchill
, British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
during and after the Second World War. The school was founded in 1964 and is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools
system. The majority of the students come from Herbert Hoover Middle School
(75%) and Cabin John Middle School
(25%). The principal, as of the 2010–2011 school year, is Dr. Joan C. Benz.
called the school to inquire about the changed grades.
, Computer Science
, English
, Foreign Language
, Mathematics
, Performing Arts
, Physical Education
, Science
and Social Studies
.
in which many students are able to participate. Theater classes at three levels and a television production class are taught.
In 2007, Churchill's fall production of Singin' in the Rain
was nominated for 6 Cappies High School Theater Awards, winning Best Orchestra (for the third consecutive year), Best Cameo Actor, and Best Cameo Actress. Only one other school received more awards.
In 2009, Churchill's fall production of Rent: School Edition
was nominated for 4 Cappies High School Theater Awards: Best Male Vocalist, Best Female Vocalist, Best Orchestra, and Best Song. Churchill won awards for Best Female Vocalist as well as Best Orchestra.
Churchill is well known for its annual Blast from the Past production, in which more than 200 student singers, dancers and musicians perform a variety of popular songs. These songs range from the 1920s to modern day, and they all relate to a selected theme for each school year.
David Levin and Kristofer Sanz conduct Churchill's bands and orchestras. Levin is also the conductor of the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras
(MCYO) Philharmonic Orchestra.
Many students form their own bands, typically of a rock variety, and the school occasionally facilitates this by sponsoring a battle of the bands
or band performance. Sometimes, the school has sponsored day-long concerts to take place on school grounds. For example, The Merritthon, a fundraising event for Leukemia
research, occurred annually from 2002 to 2004.
In 2009, the instrumental music program won four awards at the Windy City Classic, including Best Symphonic Band, Best Orchestra, Best Classical Soloist and Best Overall Program. The jazz band received second place in that category. All three groups received a gold rating.
topics.
Potomac, Maryland
Potomac is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named for the nearby Potomac River. The population was 44,822 at the 2000 census. The Potomac area is known for its very affluent and highly-educated residents. In 2009 CNNMoney.com listed Potomac as the fourth...
, an unincorporated section of Montgomery County, Maryland
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...
.
The school is named after Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
during and after the Second World War. The school was founded in 1964 and is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools ' is a school district that serves Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. It is the largest school district in Maryland. As of the 2009–2010 school year, the district had 11,500 FTE teachers serving 141,777 students at 200 schools.Students in the district score among the...
system. The majority of the students come from Herbert Hoover Middle School
Herbert Hoover Middle School (Potomac, Maryland)
Herbert Hoover Middle School is a public school for students in grades 6, 7 and 8 located in Potomac, Maryland. The school was built in 1966 and is located in a residential neighborhood. The school is separated from Winston Churchill High School by the sixth grade play area and the upper and lower...
(75%) and Cabin John Middle School
Cabin John Middle School
Cabin John Middle School, colloquially known as CJMS, is a public school for students in grades 6, 7 and 8 located in Potomac, Maryland....
(25%). The principal, as of the 2010–2011 school year, is Dr. Joan C. Benz.
School awards and recognition
Churchill has been in the top 100 High Schools in the United States, as ranked by US news, for years, climbing to as high as 42 in 2007. Churchill earned the 2007 Maryland Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence, and it was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2007 National No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School.Misconduct
In January 2010, a criminal investigation opened in a grade changing scandal at Churchill. Police, prosecutors, and school officials examined the actions of at least eight students who allegedly used a USB device to steal teachers' passwords and change grades of 54 students. Three of the eight students identified as ringleaders have left the school. The others, however, were expelled from the school. On Tuesday May 18, 2010, the State of Maryland had a formal meeting with Montgomery County Public Schools, and they decided that the students should be allowed to return for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year. Most of the students who had left the school will be returning, but the future of a select few is undetermined. In a letter sent to parents, the principal confirmed that disciplinary action against the five students who still attend Churchill is ongoing. The grade changing scandal has drawn concern from colleges. The University of MarylandUniversity of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
called the school to inquire about the changed grades.
Departments and programs
Churchill has nine academic departments: ArtArt
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Foreign Language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Performing Arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
, Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
, Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and Social Studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
.
Signature Program
The school also has a Signature Program, which allows students the opportunity to follow one of several course paths to specialize in a particular career field. The Signature Program comprises three academies: The Academy of Math, Science, & Technology; The Academy of International Studies; and The Academy of Creative and Performing Arts.Bridge Program
The Bridge Program provides a program for adolescents and young adults with learning/emotional disabilities. The program's intention is on fostering academic skill development and altering behaviors that interfere with academic learning. It is supervised by an interdisciplinary team intended to meet the needs of socially vulnerable Middle and High School students who may be challenged by problem-solving abstract thinking, organizing and planning, interpreting social cues, establishing relationships with peers, coping with anxiety, changes in routine, and transitioning.Performing arts
Churchill is well known for its outstanding performing arts programs. Many theater productions are put on regularly, including several nights of one-act playsOne act play
A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. In recent years the 10-minute play known as "flash drama" has emerged as a popular sub-genre of the one-act play, especially in writing competitions...
in which many students are able to participate. Theater classes at three levels and a television production class are taught.
In 2007, Churchill's fall production of Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain (musical)
Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown.Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original...
was nominated for 6 Cappies High School Theater Awards, winning Best Orchestra (for the third consecutive year), Best Cameo Actor, and Best Cameo Actress. Only one other school received more awards.
In 2009, Churchill's fall production of Rent: School Edition
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
was nominated for 4 Cappies High School Theater Awards: Best Male Vocalist, Best Female Vocalist, Best Orchestra, and Best Song. Churchill won awards for Best Female Vocalist as well as Best Orchestra.
Churchill is well known for its annual Blast from the Past production, in which more than 200 student singers, dancers and musicians perform a variety of popular songs. These songs range from the 1920s to modern day, and they all relate to a selected theme for each school year.
David Levin and Kristofer Sanz conduct Churchill's bands and orchestras. Levin is also the conductor of the 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) Philharmonic Orchestra.
Many students form their own bands, typically of a rock variety, and the school occasionally facilitates this by sponsoring a battle of the bands
Battle of the Bands
Battle of Bands is a contest in which two or more bands compete for the title of "best band". The winner is determined by a panel of judges, the general response of the audience, or a combination. The winning band usually receives a prize in addition to bragging rights. Traditionally, battles of...
or band performance. Sometimes, the school has sponsored day-long concerts to take place on school grounds. For example, The Merritthon, a fundraising event for Leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
research, occurred annually from 2002 to 2004.
In 2009, the instrumental music program won four awards at the Windy City Classic, including Best Symphonic Band, Best Orchestra, Best Classical Soloist and Best Overall Program. The jazz band received second place in that category. All three groups received a gold rating.
Publications
Churchill produces three publications, all of which have won awards: its newspaper, The Churchill Observer; its yearbook, Finest Hours, and its literary magazine, Erehwon. Each publication is accompanied by three levels of instruction in the related publishingPublishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
topics.
Fall
- Cheerleading
- Boys Cross-Country
- Girls Cross-Country
- Field Hockey
- Football
- Golf
- Poms
- Boys Soccer
- Girls Soccer
- Girls Tennis
- Girls Volleyball
- Crew
Winter
- Boys Basketball
- Girls Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Ice Hockey
- Poms
- Indoor Track & Field
- Swimming and Diving
- Wrestling
- Crew (ERG training)
Spring
- Baseball
- Softball
- Cheerleading
- Austin Ihm's special Cheerleading
- Boys Lacrosse
- Girls Lacrosse
- Poms
- Boys Tennis
- Track and Field
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Boys Volleyball
- Coed Volleyball
- Crew
State Championships
| State Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
| Fall | Cross Country, Boys Cross country running Cross 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... |
4 | 1968, 1975, 1977, 1978 |
| Cross Country, Girls Cross country running Cross 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... |
2 | 1979, 1991 | |
| Football American football American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by... |
2 | 1976, 1977 | |
| Field Hockey Field hockey Field 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... |
2 | 1978, 1983 | |
| Golf Golf Golf 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.... |
12 | 1976, 1987, 1988, 1995, 1998, 2002–2006, 2008, 2010 | |
| Soccer, Boys | 7 | 1980, 1985, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2002 | |
| Winter | Basketball, Girls Basketball Basketball 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... |
2 | 2002, 2003 |
| Basketball, Boys | 1 | 1978 | |
| Ice Hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
2 | 2006, 2011 | |
| Indoor Track, Boys | 1 | 1976 | |
| Swimming and Diving, Girls Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
1 | 2009 | |
| Spring | Outdoor Track, Boys | 1 | 1976 |
| Total | 38 | ||
Notable alumni
- Mike SacksMike SacksMike Sacks is an American author, humor writer, and magazine editor based in New York City. Sacks was born in Virginia and raised in Maryland before attending Tulane University in New Orleans.-Career:...
– Magazine Editor/Humor Writer - Marc ZellMarc ZellL. Marc Zell is a Washington, DC born attorney, currently based in Israel.Graduated with an A.B. from Princeton University in Germanic Languages and Literatures with a concentration in theoretical linguistics and a J.D. with honors from the University of Maryland at Baltimore...
(1970) – Attorney - Susan C. LeeSusan C. LeeSusan Clair Lee , is a member of the Maryland General Assembly. She represents District 16, which is located in Montgomery County, and includes parts of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, Kensington, Cabin John, Glen Echo, and Rockville. She has served on the House Judiciary Committee since she joined...
(1972) – State Legislator- Maryland House of Delegates of Maryland General Assembly - Sterling HarwoodSterling HarwoodSterling Voss Harwood is an American professor, lecturer, author and attorney based in San Jose, California. His law practice primarily concerns family law, real estate law, personal injury cases, criminal law, and debtor/creditor/bankruptcy law.-Education:Prof. Harwood received his M.A. and Ph.D...
(1976) -- Philosopher, Attorney and Author - Brian HollowayBrian HollowayBrian Douglass Holloway is a former professional American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Raiders from 1981 to 1988. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft out of Stanford University...
(1977) – NFL Football player - Jeffrey Allan Kemp (1977) – NFL Football player QB LA Rams, Seattle Seahawks, SF 49ers; son of Jack KempJack KempJack French Kemp was an American politician and a collegiate and professional football player. A Republican, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, having previously served nine terms as a congressman for Western New York's 31st...
- Michael HardtMichael HardtMichael Hardt is an American literary theorist and political philosopher perhaps best known for Empire, written with Antonio Negri and published in 2000...
(1978) – Philosopher - Darren StarDarren StarDarren Bennett Star is an American producer, director and writer for film and television. He is best known for creating the hit TV shows Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sex and the City.-Career:...
(1979) – Television (Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, Melrose Place, Sex and the CitySex and the CitySex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
) creator and producer - Marti LeimbachMarti LeimbachMarti Leimbach is an American fiction writer. Her first novel, Dying Young , was an international bestseller and the basis of the film, Dying Young, starring Julia Roberts, Campbell Scott and Vincent D'Onofrio....
(1980?) – Novelist - Paul PalmerPaul Palmer (American football)Paul Woodrow Palmer is a former professional American football running back. He played in the National Football League for three seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Detroit Lions, and the Dallas Cowboys. He was the runner-up to Vinny Testaverde for the 1986 Heisman Trophy and holds rushing...
(1983?) – NFL Football player - Bruce Murray (1983) – US Soccer player
- Lori AlanLori AlanLori Alan , sometimes credited as Lori Allen, is an American voice actress who provides the voice of news anchor Diane Simmons on Family Guy, various voices on Hey Arnold!, and SpongeBob SquarePants as Pearl....
Denniberg (1984) – Actress/Voice Overs - Mike BarrowmanMike BarrowmanMichael Ray Barrowman is an American former swimmer, one of the pioneers of the "Wave-Style" Breaststroke technique. Prior to attending University of Michigan, he trained with Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club and Curl-Burke Swim Club in Maryland.He placed 4th in the 1988 Summer Olympics in the...
(1987) – 1992 Olympic Gold Medal winner, 200 meter breaststroke - Jimmy KempJimmy KempJimmy Kemp is a former CFL quarterback. He is the brother of former NFL quarterback Jeff Kemp and the son of the late American Football League Most Valuable Player and U.S. Congressman Jack Kemp...
(1989) – CFLCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
Football player - Rachel NicholsRachel Nichols (reporter)Rachel Michele Nichols is an ESPN reporter. A regular part of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown shows, as well as a regular on ESPN's NBA coverage, Nichols is also a correspondent for E:60. She worked for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and Washington Post...
(1991) – 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....
reporter - Jeff HalpernJeff HalpernJeffrey C. Halpern is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Washington Capitals.-Playing career:...
(1994) – NHL Hockey player - Dhani JonesDhani JonesDhani Makalani Jones is a former American football linebacker who played for eleven seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, earning All-Big Ten honors for three straight seasons. He was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of...
(1995) – NFL Football player - Ben FeldmanBen Feldman (actor)Ben Feldman is an American television and film actor. He has done stage acting, including the Broadway play The Graduate along with Alicia Silverstone and Kathleen Turner. He also played a leading character in The Perfect Man and portrayed Fran Drescher's son on the television series Living with...
(1998) – Actor - Neil VranisNeil VranisNeil Menelaos Vranis is a Canadian-born American soccer player currently playing for Crystal Palace Baltimore in the USSF Division 2 Professional League.-Youth and college:...
(2008) – Soccer Player - Shinsaku UesugiShinsaku Uesugiis a FIDE Master of Japan and played for Japan at the 38th Chess Olympic in Dresden, Germany in November 2008. He won the 40th Japan National Chess Championship in May 2007 and became youngest ever National Champion . He also became Co-Champion of the U.S...
(2010) – Olympic Chess Player (Chess OlympiadChess OlympiadThe Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
) - Kamie CrawfordKamie CrawfordKameran "Kamie" Crawford is a pageant titleholder from Potomac, Maryland who was crowned Miss Teen USA 2010 on July 24, 2010 at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas...
(2010) – Miss Teen USA 2010 - Taylor MomsenTaylor MomsenTaylor Michel Momsen is an American actress, musician and model who portrays the character of Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl and portrayed the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless.-Early life and career:Taylor...
(Former class of 2011) – Actress, Plays Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl