MCPS Class of 2026 Graduations Move to UMBC

by Nisha Khatri ‘26 Sherwood’s Class of 2026 graduation will be at UMBC on May 28 at 6 p.m., as announced by administration in early October. Sherwood’s graduations have been at UMBC for the past three years, creating a sense of familiarity with the location. Students, staff, and parents have generally expressed approval for the location over the past few years, … Read More

Adding Windows to a Windowless Room

by Taylor Adams ‘27 Art students take on a new project as English department teacher Christopher Goodrich hopes to enhance the environment in his room. Goodrich’s room has no windows, and he has turned to the help of students to paint a mural of trees on the walls and brighten the room up. Goodrich moved into his room last year … Read More

New Grading Policy Reflects Return To Rigor for MCPS

by Andrew Fenner ’27 In June, MCPS approved a new grading policy that abolished the old rounding system and pivoted to a less generous but more equitable averaging system for semester grades. In the new system, students’ semester grades are calculated by the numerical average of their two quarter grades. “We hope the impact will be negligible, but in reality, … Read More

Teachers Applaud New Stricter Phone Policies

by Gabriel Esteban ‘27 and Ryan Green ‘26 For the 2025-26 school year, MCPS has implemented a stricter phone policy than previous years. According to the official MCPS website, high school students are now allowed to use mobile devices only during passing periods, lunch, and before school. At Sherwood, teachers across departments have tightened their policies and expectations about students’ … Read More

MCPS Considers Addition of Regional Academic Programs

by Nisha Khatri ‘26 MCPS Board of Education is expected to vote by the end of December on a plan that would create geographic regions offering similar programs for high school students. According to the plan, Sherwood would be placed in a region with Blake, Springbrook, and Paint Branch. If the changes go into effect, they would be fully executed … Read More

Local Leaders Encourage Further Resistance Against Trump Admin

by Ziv Golan ‘26 In midst of the Second Trump Presidency, local leaders have grappled with how to respond to the administration. Many actions of the President have specifically affected Montgomery County, such as mass layoffs of federal workers and increased ICE raids. In a Democratic stronghold like Montgomery County, leaders have largely taken an approach to push back against … Read More

MCPS Websites Leave Much To Be Desired

by Kenzy Duda ‘28 When comparing Sherwood’s school website to its athletic website, there are noticeable differences in the appearance between the two. This is surprising since one might reasonably assume that the athletic pages of a high school would correspond to the home website. Although MCPS school websites utilize a template from a provider called Optimizely, the county’s athletic … Read More

Comp Assistants Offer Seniors Help with Their College Essays

by Makenna Babcock ‘28 With college application deadlines arriving as soon as next week on November 1, seniors are in the middle of a busy time. One of the most stressful aspects of the process is the one or more essays that are a requirement for submitted applications to most colleges and universities. Sherwood’s two English composition assistants, Jenn Schorr … Read More

Students Aren’t Reading Anymore

by Evelyn San Miguel ‘26 Reading scores are the lowest they’ve been in three decades, according to a test conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the 2024-2025 school year; demonstrating similar lows in math scores as students continue to struggle post-pandemic. Marginal gains for non-English speaking students in science are among one of the study’s few … Read More

MCPS Orders Schools to Stop Locking Bathrooms

by Charlie Weigand ‘27 Over the past few years boarding and locking up the bathrooms has been a common practice at Sherwood and other high schools across Montgomery County. The intention was for security reasons to try to prevent vandalism, to stop students from vaping or using other drugs, and to deter students from skipping class and hanging out in … Read More