by Holland McCabe ’11 For many juniors and seniors across the country, the college application process looms large and occupies much of students’ free time with researching colleges, writing essays and taking standardized tests. Parents, teachers and counselors push students to take AP courses and succeed at standardized tests, and throughout this process many do not pause to appraise the … Read More
With spring sport tryouts starting this week, it came to my attention that while the spring sports start, the winter sports have not finished. Many people play a variety of sports over the year, some play two seasons, some play all three. The date of tryouts for spring sports may bring up controversy in the world of Sherwood sports. The … Read More
by Brad Matthews ‘11 The international media has been swept up in recent months by the rise of WikiLeaks, which acquires diplomatic cables and classified documents (including those pertaining to our Mideast campaigns) and leaks them over the Internet for the entire world to see. WikiLeaks claims to be the final development in free speech and transparency, but one man … Read More
by Adam Kopp ‘11 Given America’s current involvement in the Middle East and the past century’s “Domino Theory”-inspired spats with communism, one might think that the United States would fully support a website with the stated purpose of “exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.” The website in question is WikiLeaks, … Read More
In 1999 Dr. Jerry Weast, then 52, was appointed Superintendent of Schools at MCPS. While in office, Weast led efforts to narrow Montgomery County’s achievement gap and to enroll more students in honors and AP classes. MSA scores rose 6.7 percent during Weast’s tenure. The rate of “highly qualified teachers” in MCPS rose 22.2 percent since 2004 and suspension rates … Read More
by Devin Cornelius ‘12 By enacting an open lunch policy, Sherwood would grant students a much-needed 40 minutes of freedom. It’s 10:53 and the bell finally rings, getting you out of a vapid history lecture. Ahh, lunchtime: your only free period to socialize, study, eat or even catch a quick nap. But strangely, you’re not as excited as you … Read More
by Jessica Carrera ‘12 With headlines like “Is China already the world’s No. 1 economy?” and “China a U.S. rival? Many Chinese think not- or not yet,” it is hard not to think that the United States, the world’s current “super power,” will one day (soon) lose its status. The problem? Education. With the United States’ economy not doing so … Read More
by Christopher Jou ‘12 Of the many issues up for debate in America today, perhaps the most important is education reform. While the country’s school systems are plagued with issues such as nonsensical scheduling, below-par performance and lack of innovation, one rarely discussed but fundamental shortcoming is the nonsensical scheduling of both the length of the school day and … Read More
by Arjun Singh ‘12 Students are all different and unique and so is their writing, but they can be better writers when they are given the freedom to explore any topic they want. Without many restrictions, students can put forth their best work, but this often is not the case. Many English classes force essay upon essay on students … Read More
by Max Simpson ‘11 Programming on the History Channel has taken a noticeable turn over the past few years. The recent premiere of “Only in America With Larry the Cable Guy” (although it is hilarious) did not seem to fit in with the programs you would expect on a channel previously dedicated to documentaries. Other recent shows such as … Read More