Seniors Tackle College Applications after Affirmative-Action Ban

by Hannah Mushawar ‘24 Affirmative action was a pivotal process included within college admissions. It was viewed as a breakthrough in the advancement of educational equality, recognizing the unequal access to education throughout history. The June 29 Supreme Court decision on affirmative action effectively ends race-conscious admissions practices in higher education. “Affirmative action is one way to contextualize the opportunities … Read More

News Brief: November 2023 Current Events

Testing Platform Issues Lead to PSAT Shutdown by Katie Ng ’25 The College Board built a month-long testing window for administering the PSAT. Sherwood planned to administer the test on October 11 but had to reschedule it for October 24 due to challenges on the College Board’s testing site. The College Board released a statement apologizing for the late start … Read More

“Significant and Troubling:”

MCPS Confronts Systematic Failures in Light of Investigations into Farquhar Principal by Evelyn San Miguel ‘26 MCPS is currently under fire for the promotion of former Farquhar Principal Joel Beidleman, whose years of alleged bullying and harassment were made public in August in a lengthy investigative article by the Washington Post. In the following weeks, the county responded by hiring … Read More

Some AP Tests Move Digital

by Devin Kosiorowski ‘24 This year Sherwood had the option to voluntarily offer digital formats for some AP exams and among the classes that made the switch were AP Computer Science Principles, AP European History, AP Modern World History, and AP United States History. APUSH teacher Caitilin Thompson decided to have her students take the digital exam. “Potential pros [of … Read More

Test Optional Proves More Popular among College Applicants

by Alex Lacey ’24 In recent years, an increasing number of colleges and universities across the United States have moved towards becoming “test optional.” This means that applicants are not required to submit standardized test scores, such as the SAT or ACT, as part of their application. According to the publication The Hill, schools that require test scores are down … Read More

News Brief: June 2023 Current Events

Magruder Takes Steps To Change School Name by Alex Lacey ‘24 In February, MCPS received and accepted a petition requesting consideration to change the name of Magruder High School. In the fall, six schools in MCPS were identified for consideration of a name change if representatives of a school’s community requested it. In addition to Magruder, the other schools were … Read More

Growing Number of Teens Disinterested About Driving

by Briana Sisler ‘24 A phenomenon is sweeping the nation in which fewer teenagers are earning their driving licenses than in the past. The Federal Highway Administration reported data in 2021 that from 1983 there was a 20-percent decrease in 18 year olds that had licenses and a 25-percent decrease in 16 year olds with licenses. Out of 122 Sherwood … Read More

Festival Showcases Student Films

by Connor Pugh ‘24 The Sherwood Film Club held its annual film festival in the library during lunch on Friday April 28, showcasing student-made films. The festival is the biggest event of the year for the film club. “We were looking for good audio and visual quality, smooth transitions from scene to scene, multiple interesting characters, specifically for narrative, engaging … Read More

School Lacks Uniform Policy for Phone Use in Classrooms

by Ben Schoenberg ’24 Following the return to schools after the pandemic, teachers across the country have seen a troubling rise in phone use during class time. According to a recent Washington Post article, this has led many schools nationwide to implement measures that would regulate or ban mobile devices in the classroom. However, Sherwood has not taken a school-wide … Read More

Sherwood Student Takes Grad Stage with Hopes of Inspiration

by Alexis Booker ’23 Senior Semret Shiferaw is this year’s graduation speaker after being selected through a rigorous audition process, and she has plans to inspire her community in a way audiences haven’t seen before. “I didn’t want a boring graduation speech, I wanted [the audience to] sit through something that would motivate [them],” said Shiferaw. She is taking a … Read More