Wheaton High School is a U.S. four-year public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-design ...

. It is located in the unincorporated Wheaton- Glenmont section of Montgomery County, near Silver Spring, about 5 miles north of Washington, D.C. The high school is a part of the Montgomery County Public School system and a member of its Downcounty Consortium. The school is named for the Wheaton area, which is in turn named for

Frank Wheaton Frank Wheaton (May 8, 1833 – June 18, 1903) was a career military officer in the United States Army during the American Civil War and Indian Wars. He also was military commander over south Texas during the Garza Revolution. Early life and ca ...

(1833–1903), a career officer in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

who rose to the rank of

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

while serving before, during, and after the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

. The school used to be physically connected to the Thomas Edison High School of Technology, named in honor of the famous American inventor.

Academies

Wheaton High School has four main

academies An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

of education: the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

Biosciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, th ...

and

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

, the

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

(voted the top CTE program in Maryland), the

Information Technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology syste ...

, and the Academy of International Global and Cultural Studies.

Magnets

The Wheaton High School

magnet program In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

was launched at the beginning of the 2012–2013 school year. There are two magnet programs,

Biomedical Biomedicine (also referred to as Western medicine, mainstream medicine or conventional medicine)

and

. Biomedical *Rigorous math, science, medicine sequence of courses *Hands-on, collaborative approach to learning *Exploration into disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment *Challenge of solving problems in forensic science Engineering *Rigorous math, science, engineering sequence of courses *Hands-on, collaborative approach to learning *Gives the opportunity to use

3D Software 3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for t ...

used by companies such as

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

and

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 ser ...

*Trains in using the design process to solve problems through innovation

Music

The Institute of Global and Cultural Studies has a state of the art digital music lab featuring 34 new iMac computers and Roland Fp-4 keyboards equipped with studio microphones and such software as Garageband, Logic, Final Cut, Sibelius, and Synthesia. The lab is unique in music education because it incorporates the composition, production, and performance of popular music styles like electronic music and rap into the curriculum.

Academics

In 2017, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Wheaton High School the 27th best school in Maryland, and 1,019th nationally.Wheaton High School
. '' U.S. News & World Report''. 2017. ''U.S. News & World Report'' noted that Wheaton High School's

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

participation rate is 70 percent. In 2018, Wheaton High School won the state Science Bowl competition and represented the state of Maryland at the

National Science Bowl The National Science Bowl (NSB) is a high school and middle school science knowledge competition, using a quiz bowl format, held in the United States. A buzzer system similar to those seen on popular television game shows is used to signal an an ...

Sports

Wheaton High School stadium MCPS MD 2022-07-28 16-41-28

The school mascot is the Wheaton

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

, representative of

valor Valor, valour, or valorous may mean: * Courage, a similar meaning * Virtue ethics, roughly "courage in defense of a noble cause" Entertainment * Valor (band), a Christian gospel music group * Valor Kand, a member of the band Christian Death * ' ...

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed b ...

, and

bravery Courage (also called bravery or valor) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in battle. Physical courage is bravery in the face of physical pain, ...

. Wheaton's athletic teams have brought home several state championships. The football team captured a 2A state championship in 1996 and was a state finalist in 1994. It also was state semifinalist in 1979 and 1980. A decade earlier, before the state championship system was implemented, Wheaton earned back-to-back county co-championships in football by upending highly ranked Richard Montgomery in the season finales of both 1969 and 1970. The girls' basketball team won state championships in 1985, 1997 and 1998. It also was state finalist in 1976 and 1982. The boys' gymnastics teams of the 1970s, coached by Bernie Michels, regularly dominated competition in Montgomery County. Wheaton's primary rival is John F. Kennedy High School, located down Randolph Road. The rivalry is fueled by the schools' close proximity to one another. The Wheaton-Kennedy competitive rivalry is one of the oldest in Montgomery County. Wheaton's main rival in the 1960s was Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, before Kennedy High School was built.

Fall sports

* Cross country *

Cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

Field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

Pompon A pom-pom – also spelled pom-pon, pompom or pompon – is a decorative ball or tuft of fibrous material. The term may refer to large tufts used by cheerleaders, or a small, tighter ball attached to the top of a hat, also known as a ...

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

* Girls Volleyball

Winter sports

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

Indoor track Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping event ...

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and diving *

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

Bocce (, or , ), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball, bocci or boccie, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to British bowls and French , with a common ancestry from ancie ...

Wheaton High School has produced several titles in winter sports to include multiple boys' and girls' basketball State Championships and Wrestling State Champions. In Wrestling, Wheaton has the longest running tradition of state qualifiers in the entire state of Maryland that has not been broken since 1970. The next closest in comparison is Damascus High School, with a 27-year-long run from 1982 to 2009.

Spring sports

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

Track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

* Boys and coed volleyball

Renovation

Wheaton High School along with the adjoining Thomas Edison High School of Technology were entirely reconstructed where Wheaton's football and baseball fields were previously located. Since other schools were too full to accommodate Wheaton's student body, the original building was not demolished until the new buildings were completed. After initial debate, construction was completed by building the two high schools in separate buildings instead of being joined as it was previously. Wheaton High School had its last home football game during the 2012-2013 season before construction began on the site where the football field was located. In January 2016, Wheaton High School took up residence in the new building located at the corner of Randolph Road and Dalewood Drive. In September 2019, Wheaton had its first football game after the construction of the new field was completed.

Project-based Curriculum

Along with the upcoming renovation, curriculum changes are being integrated into Wheaton High. The current Engineering and Biomedical Magnets are curricula based on Project Lead The Way standards. This is the basis for a project-based curriculum which is to be integrated into as many subjects as possible. This project-based curriculum will give students more hands-on projects and fewer

lecture A lecture (from Latin ''lēctūra'' “reading” ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical infor ...

s and quizzes. If successful, the curriculum technique is expected to influence other high schools in the Montgomery County school system.

History

The school opened its doors on September 7, 1954, as Wheaton Junior–Senior High School. The building sat on 27.4 acres of land. Its first principal was Elwood B. Mason. During its first school year, it had 1,400 students enrolled in grades seven to eleven. The school cost $3 million to build.

Notable alumni

Chloe Arnold Chloe Arnold is an American dancer and Emmy-nominated choreographer, actress, director, and producer. She is best known internationally as a tap dancer, and was seen on Season 11 of FOX's '' So You Think You Can Dance'' with her company Chl ...

, tap dancer * Clay Huffman, silk-screen artist *

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

, rock star, ''Joan Jett & the Blackhearts'' *

Elliot Levine Elliot Brett Levine (born September 28, 1963) is an American pianist and keyboardist. He had two record releases on the Nashville-based Artifex records label between 1999 and 2004. His CD projects have been reviewed in the Wall Street Journal O ...

, keyboard player ''Heatwave'' *

Debra Monk Debra Monk (born February 27, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and writer, best known for her performances on the Broadway stage. She earned her first Tony Award for the 1993 production of ''Redwood Curtain'' and won an Emmy Award for sev ...

, television and stage actress * Rachel Stevens (sculptor), sculptor and art professor Rachel Stevens about Info
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External links

* * * *

References

{{authority control Public high schools in Montgomery County, Maryland Educational institutions established in 1954 1954 establishments in Maryland Wheaton, Maryland