Walter Johnson High School
Walter Johnson High School (also known as Walter Johnson or WJ) is a public upper secondary school located in the census-designated place of North Bethesda, Maryland (Bethesda postal address).[2][3] The school was founded in 1956 and named after Walter Johnson, a famous baseball player who was also a native of Montgomery County, Maryland. The high school was the first to be named after a player of Major League Baseball. WJHS serves portions of Bethesda, North Bethesda, Potomac, and Rockville, as well as the towns of Garrett Park and Kensington.[4] It is a part of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
| Walter Johnson High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The front of the school, as viewed from Rock Spring Drive. | |
| Address | |
6400 Rock Spring Drive North Bethesda CDP (Bethesda postal address) , 20814 United States | |
| Coordinates | 39°01′34″N 77°08′06″W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | 1956 |
| School district | Montgomery County Public Schools |
| Principal | Jennifer Baker |
| Teaching staff | 140.40 (FTE) (2019-2020)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 2,587 (2010-2020)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 18.43:1 (2019-2020)[1] |
| Campus type | Suburban[1] |
| Color(s) | Green White |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
| Nickname | WJ |
| Newspaper | The Pitch |
| Yearbook | The Windup |
| Website | www2 |
Aerial photograph of WJHS taken during construction on April 7, 2002 – credit USGS.
History
The school first opened to grades 10-12 in 1956,[5] and was named after the local baseball pitcher and politician, Walter Johnson. The school's original team name was The Spartans; as the student body chose the school colors based on the colors and name of Michigan State University, Spartans. The school mascot was named in 1963 as Mighty Moo, a dairy cow, named after the cows that roamed the fields before the school was built.[5] After a 1987 consolidation with nearby Charles W. Woodward High School, Walter Johnson maintained its school colors of white and green, but adopted Woodward's mascot, "Wild Thing" the Wildcat.[6]
Notable alumni
- Jonathan Allen – political journalist [7]
- Robb Austin – politician, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, (Class of 1968)[8]
- David John Doukas – physician and medical ethicist (Class of 1975)[9]
- Anita Dunn – advisor to President Barack Obama (class of 1976)
- Jeremy Ebobisse – professional soccer player for the Portland Timbers (Class of 2014)[10]
- Georgia Engel – actress[11]
- Florent Groberg – Medal of Honor recipient (class of 2001)[12]
- Jonathan Hadary – actor (class of 1966)[13]
- Colleen Haskell – actress and 1st season contestant of reality TV show Survivor (class of 1994)[14]
- Stephen Herek – film director and producer, Broadway producer (class of 1976)
- John Michael Higgins – actor/director (class of 1981)[15]
- Tommy Keene – singer/songwriter (class of 1976)[16]
- Ariana Kelly – politician, Maryland House of Delegates (class of 1994)[17]
- Candace Kovacic-Fleischer - law professor (class of 1965)
- John Kronstadt – district judge (class of 1969)
- Tim Kurkjian – ESPN baseball reporter and analyst (class of 1974)[18]
- Roy Lee – film producer (class of 1987)
- Jeffrey S. Lehman – former President of Cornell University, scholar and lawyer (class of 1973)
- Jeffrey C. Hall - Nobel Prize in Medicine recipient, geneticist and chronobiologist (class of 1963)
- Nils Lofgren – rock musician, composed Jhoon Rhee Karate Theme (class of 1969 - did not graduate)[19]
- Rudy Maxa – consumer-travel expert; host/producer of PBS travel shows; Wheel Club officer (class of 1967)
- Matt McCoy – actor (class of 1974)[20]
- Caroline Miller – professional soccer player (class of 2009)[21]
- Alain Nu – mentalist and magician (class of 1983)
- Jody Olsen – Peace Corps Director (class of 1961)[22]
- Carl Pope – ex-Executive Director of the Sierra Club (class of 1963)[23]
- James Risen – Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and author (class of 1973)
- Tommy Smith — rugby player for the United States national rugby sevens team, baseball shortstop player (class of 1974)[24]
- Cal Thomas – syndicated columnist, radio commentator, and author (class of 1960)[25]
- Brian Transeau – electronic musician and composer (class of 1988)[26]
- David J. Williams – science-fiction and video game author (class of 1989)
- Gedion Zelalem – professional soccer player for New York City FC (entered with class of 2015 - did not graduate)[27]
- Gerald Zerkin – senior assistant federal public defender; defended Zacarias Moussaoui (class of 1967)
References
- "Search for Public Schools - Walter Johnson High School (240048000942)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- "Walter Johnson High School". Montgomery County Public Schools. Retrieved August 12, 2020. - Compare the street address with the map.
- "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: North Bethesda CDP, MD" (Archive). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 30, 2014. Compare them map with the street address.
- Kraut, Aaron (June 20, 2016). "Parents Want to Reopen Old Woodward High School to Ease Walter Johnson Capacity Problems". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- "WJ HS - History". www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- Wisnia, Saul (November 11, 1993). "The Legend Behind a School's Name". The Washington Post.
- Kaplan, Melanie D.G. (April 24, 2017). "Political Journalist Jonathan Allen Releases New Book About Hillary". MoCo360. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- Olivares, Beatriz (May 29, 2018). "50 years later: an interview with '68 senior". The Pitch.
- "David Doukas at Tulane".
- Goff, Steven (August 15, 2016). "Duke's Jeremy Ebobisse signs with MLS". The Washington Post.
- Nyren, Erin (April 15, 2019). "Georgia Engel, 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' Star, Dies at 70". Variety.
- Metcalf, Andrew (November 12, 2015). "President Obama Praises Walter Johnson Grad's Courage at Medal of Honor Ceremony". Bethesda Magazine.
- Hadary, Jonathan (July 2, 1995). "Have Script, Will Travel". The Washington Post. p. G1.
- Maynard, John (August 11, 2000). "Pagong! Now Colleen Is Cast Away". The Washington Post. p. C5.
- "Star actor and WJ alumnus reminisces on student life at WJ". The Pitch. February 23, 2018.
- Augenstein, Neal (November 24, 2017). "DC guitar pop hero Tommy Keene dies at 59". WTOP News.
- "Ariana B. Kelly, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- Kurkjian, Tim (October 25, 2019). "Senators, Nationals and the Big Train: Why this World Series is special". ESPN. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Causey, James Michael (June 8, 2015). "Nils Lofgren Is Coming Home". Washingtonian Magazine.
- Bell-Stockman, Teresa (August 14, 1998). "For Matt McCoy, making movies is a wonderful life". Frederick News-Post.
- Goff, Steven (January 18, 2013). "Washington Spirit drafts local players". The Washington Post.
- Straehley, Steve (January 19, 2018). "Director of the Peace Corps: Who Is Jody Olsen?". AllGov.com.
- Valtin, Tom (April 2003). "A Conversation With Carl Pope". the planet newsletter. Sierra Club.
- "Thomas Smith, Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- Java, Theresa (July 18, 2018). "Love is patient". Keys News.
- Brace, Eric (August 22, 1997). "Organically Electronic, Dude". The Washington Post. p. N10.
- Goff, Steven (September 19, 2011). "High school freshman Gedion Zelalem may join Arsenal in two years". The Washington Post.
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