February 3: Starr resigns as MPCS superintendent
Dr. Joshua Starr resigned midway through the last year of his four-year contract as MPCS superintendent. The BOE attributed this parting to a need for a new direction. Chief operating officer Larry Bowers replaced Starr as interim superintendent. The search for a permanent replacement is still underway.
February 10: MCPS pushed back start times 20 minutes
The BOE voted to push back school start times by 20 minutes for the 2015-2016 school year with the intention of promoting a healthier amount of sleep for teenagers. The Whitman community had mixed reactions to the modification: while some felt rejuvenated by the extra minutes, others found the change insignificant.
March 7: bRAVE faces complications
The annual dance-a-thon raised almost $30,000 for LLS, but faced dilemmas. In addition to the dance being postponed due to winter weather, six then-sophomores were caught and penalized under the zero tolerance policy for underage drinking.
March: PARCC testing debuted
PARCC assessments replaced HSA tests in high schools for the first time in the 2014-2015 school year, beginning with all English 10 and Algebra 2 students taking a pilot version. In its first year, scores did not count as a graduation credit, leading some students to not try on the test and resulting in lower scores than expected.
April 19: Dee’s Dash hosted first event
800 people attended the now-annual race that premiered this year in memory of Denise Schaefer, Magruder counselor and the wife of English teacher Geoff Schaefer. She passed away May 2014 from a blood infection. The 2016 event will be held April 3.
May 19: Parallel parking removed from driver’s license test
The MVA removed parallel parking from the driver’s license test, leaving only one parking task: the 2-point reverse turn. Rejecting assertions that the change attempted to increase passing rates and decrease waiting times, the MVA claimed that a single parking task adequately assessed driver ability. The removal relieved some future test-takers, but left others disappointed because they feel it’s a necessary skill.
August: Gym floor redone
After a flood in late July, the gym required floor and roof refurbishing. Fall sports were forced to relocate temporarily, and implications extended into the beginning of basketball season.
August: Open parking instituted
A change in parking policy allowed students who applied for and received a parking spot to park freely, compared to previous years when students were required to park in an assigned spot.
September 13: MCPS discontinued finals
The BOE voted to discontinue final exams beginning in the 2016-2017 school year. While the grading policy is yet to be decided, semester finals will be replaced with county-made quarter exams.
October 12: Lunch passes discontinued
Prompted by an increase in underclassmen and juniors with fake lunch passes, security began to require seniors to present their senior ID instead of school-distributed lunch passes to leave campus.
November 6: Whitman beat B-CC in final football game
To close the season, Whitman football defeated B-CC in the Battle of Bethesda, 26-20. The team finished their second consecutive season with a 4-6 record.
November 8: Goodwin emailed parents about underage drinking
Enough was enough for principal Alan Goodwin when he sent a strongly-worded email discouraging parents from hosting illegal drinking parties for their children. Goodwin challenged them to find “other ways to bond with [their] children.”
