Study Shows Achievement Gap in MCPS

by Will Van Gelder ’16 A study conducted by Montgomery County Council’s Office of Legislative Oversight found that Caucasian and Asian Americans in MCPS have much higher test scores on achievement tests than do African Americans and Latinos, with the gap widening as students enter high school.  This gap distressed many educators and leaders in the county, especially since African … Read More

Sherwood Makes Challenge Index

by Dylan Craig ’16 Washington Post columnist Jay Matthews recently ranked the 50 best high schools in the DC area as part of his annual Challenge Index. Sherwood was ranked at 44, with an average SAT score (for the class of 2012) of 1622 and a challenge rating of 3.406. A challenge rating is calculated by the number of AP … Read More

Heintze and Awkard To Leave Sherwood

by Mary Macrae ’14 Principal Bill Gregory informed staff earlier this month that Assistant Principal Terry Heintze and Assistant School Administrator George Awkard will be departing from Sherwood at the end of the school year. Heintze has been with Sherwood for the past three years and Awkard for four. An Assistant School Administrator position is a four-year position and Awkard … Read More

How Can You Tell When Students Are Learning?

School administrators search for ways to define ‘student engagement’ and subsequently increase participation during classroom instruction. by Nick Mourtoupalas ‘13 Since last year, Superintendent Joshua Starr has shifted MCPS’ instructional improvement focus toward better student engagement in the classroom. According to Starr, focusing on engaging students more actively in the classroom is the key to better teaching, yet Sherwood’s Instructional … Read More

Sequester Impacts Families

by Alex Porter ’13 On March 1, $85 billion in automatic federal government spending cuts began. Weeks later, the full effects of these cuts, commonly referred to as either sequestration or the sequester, are beginning to be felt, particularly in areas like Montgomery County, where federal agencies are some of the largest employers. In 2011, the U.S. Departments of Health … Read More

Seniors Prepare for Art Show

 by Emma Hierholzer ‘15 The hallways of Sherwood see almost two thousand students every day and among those students is a wide array of talents, ranging from musical gifts to amazing athletic ability. But a talent that may not be as widely recognized is showcased for a day in Sherwood’s annual Student Art Show. Students from all of the fine … Read More

Carroll Rachefsky Wins Mr. Sherwood 2013

The annual Mr. Sherwood competition took place on Saturday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in the Ertzman Theatre. With a full house, the crowd awaited the opening group dance number, featuring songs like “Fergalicious” by Fergie and “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore.  As the swimwear and talent events came up, the crowd favored Carroll Rachefsky and Sean Prin. Rachefsky’s talent portion … Read More

Sherwood Celebrates National Poetry Month

by Daniel Hatfield ’13 National Poetry Month, held each April since 1996, is intended to celebrate poetry and its place in American culture. At Sherwood, students celebrated National Poetry Month through their English classes by writing poetry with sidewalk chalk around the school. AP Literature teacher Debbie Reier suggested the idea to English department head Shelley Jackson and Principal Bill Gregory. “I … Read More