Poolesville High School
Encyclopedia
Poolesville High School is a public high school
located in Poolesville
, Maryland
. It is home to a Global Ecology Studies Program, a Math Science/Computer Science Magnet Program, and a Humanities Program.
From the school's inception until 2002, the school's mascot was an Indian, and its logo was the profile of an Indian warrior in full head-dress. In 2001, amidst some controversy, the school's students and Poolesville Community voted on whether to keep the Indian mascot or to change the school's mascot to a Falcon. Although the students and community elected to keep the Indian, at the beginning of the 2001-2002 school year, they were overruled by the Maryland Bureau of Indian Affairs to change it. The students then chose the Falcon to be the school's mascot beginning with the 2002-2003 school year.
. "Creative scriptwriting" and "CAP photography" were semester-long courses in the humanities house, but as of the 2008-2009 school year, they have been incorporated into the Criticism in the Humanities course. Sophomore year, humanities students take AP NSL and Humanities English 10 as year-long courses. They also take Philosophy and Media Literacy as half year courses. Junior year, Humanities students take AP language and composition in literature, AP World History and AP Art History. The Humanities program faculty currently includes a teacher that had previously taught at the Richard Montgomery IB program, Mr. Daniel McKenna (AP Language and Composition in Literature). The Humanities House is currently headed by Mrs. Emily Sigman. Other teachers include; Lisa Kellert, Michael Shannon (Former mayor of Chevy Chase), Nori Thorne (A Fulbright recipient), Andrew Ward, and Terry Turner. Former Humanities teachers include Jennifer Yang, Jessica Douglass, and Mrs. Carol Solomon (the former coordinator of the RMIB program).
, it is currently coordinated by former Blair magnet teacher Mr. Mark Curran, who also teaches Research and Experimentation for Freshmen, and Research and Design/Senior Research Project for Juniors. Other teachers involved in this program are Dr. Teresa Mallow, who teaches Physics/Chemistry, Mr. Mark Estep, who teach computer science, Dr. Patricia Miller, teaching Biology, Ms. Erin Binns, teaching Earth Systems Science, and Mr. Kevin Lee, who teaches Principles of Engineering for Sophomores, and Research and Design/Senior Research Project for Juniors.
Before the start of second semester in 8th grade, students who reside in Montgomery County
are eligible to apply to the Magnet Program. The application process involves a written application including essays, teacher recommendations, and middle school transcripts. All applicants are required to take a multiple choice and written exam in the spring on math, humanities, and logical thinking. The program accepts only 50 students from across the county and students can only enter the program in 9th grade. In recent years, the number of applicants has reached record highs in the 400-650 students range. For the class entering in the fall of 2010, there were 650 students evaluated. It, along with the Magnet Program at Montgomery Blair High School
, and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Richard Montgomery High School
in Rockville, MD are the only countywide magnet programs at the high-school level in MCPS.
One of the main components of the Magnet Program is the Senior Research Project (SRP). While not strictly required, completing an SRP is strongly encouraged, and about 80% to 90% of the students choose to do so. Beginning in the spring of junior year, the students complete an internship in the sciences, participating in cutting edge research. Usually, the project will involve an internship of at least eight weeks in length at one of the many research institutions in and around Montgomery County, Maryland, including the National Institutes of Health
, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, various Naval Research Facilities
the University of Maryland
, the National Institute of Standards and Technology
, and the Carnegie Institute
. After completing their research, students write formal scientific papers and present their projects at the Magnet Research Convention, which takes place each year in early spring.
Since Magnet students have extra academic requirements, they have an additional class at the end of their school days (eight periods instead of the usual seven), causing Magnet students to end school 55 minutes later than most other county high-schoolers (At 3:05 instead of 2:10). Ninth and tenth grade Magnet students take four courses each semester within the Magnet curriculum—science, mathematics, research & experimentation (R&E), and computer science—and four courses each semester in other disciplines (English, fine arts, foreign language, physical education, social studies, etc.) with the rest of the Poolesville student body. Freshmen in the Magnet take accelerated honors-level physics first semester and chemistry second semester; sophomores take Earth System Science
followed by Biology
. In addition to science courses, freshmen in the Magnet are required to take Fundamentals of Computer Science
and sophomores are required to take Algorithms and Data Structures (ADS) where they learn how to program in Java
. Freshmen who pass a certain test are allowed to start ADS one semester early, although this path is rarely taken. Juniors and seniors have fewer required Magnet courses, and therefore complete their schedules with magnet electives, AP science classes, or other departments' electives. Some examples of unique elective classes offered in the Magnet Program are quantum physics, thermodynamics
, optics
, linear algebra
, discrete mathematics
, multi-variable calculus
with differential equations, complex analysis
with applications, genetics
, cell physiology
, biochemistry
, marine biology
, material science, astronomy
, origins of science, and origins of mathematics. Poolesville students not in the Magnet Program can and do enroll in Magnet classes.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Poolesville
Poolesville, Maryland
Poolesville is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland United States with a population of approximately 5000 people. It is surrounded by the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, and is considered a distant bedroom community for commuters to Washington, DC.The name of the town comes from the...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. It is home to a Global Ecology Studies Program, a Math Science/Computer Science Magnet Program, and a Humanities Program.
History
The core of the building was built in 1911 as an elementary school. The school housed Poolesville's middle school and high school up until 1997 when John Poole Middle School was built.From the school's inception until 2002, the school's mascot was an Indian, and its logo was the profile of an Indian warrior in full head-dress. In 2001, amidst some controversy, the school's students and Poolesville Community voted on whether to keep the Indian mascot or to change the school's mascot to a Falcon. Although the students and community elected to keep the Indian, at the beginning of the 2001-2002 school year, they were overruled by the Maryland Bureau of Indian Affairs to change it. The students then chose the Falcon to be the school's mascot beginning with the 2002-2003 school year.
Academics
Starting in the 2006-2007 school year, honor students in northern Montgomery County ("upcounty") have the opportunity to become a part of one of three "houses": Global Ecology; Humanities; or Science, Math, and Computer Science. Students who test to get in the Magnet Houses are "certificate" and are required to take the standard courses. Students who do not test in, but still go to Poolesville High School are able to become a part of a house called Independent Studies, but are "non-certificate" and can choose to take specialized courses.Humanities House
The Humanities program accepted its first "certificate" students for the 2006-2007 school year. First-year students take Humanities English and U.S. History courses with the other Humanities House students. They also have several specialised courses. "Criticism in the Humanities" attempts to encompass every aspect of the humanities, including ethics, theory of knowledge, and racismRacism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. "Creative scriptwriting" and "CAP photography" were semester-long courses in the humanities house, but as of the 2008-2009 school year, they have been incorporated into the Criticism in the Humanities course. Sophomore year, humanities students take AP NSL and Humanities English 10 as year-long courses. They also take Philosophy and Media Literacy as half year courses. Junior year, Humanities students take AP language and composition in literature, AP World History and AP Art History. The Humanities program faculty currently includes a teacher that had previously taught at the Richard Montgomery IB program, Mr. Daniel McKenna (AP Language and Composition in Literature). The Humanities House is currently headed by Mrs. Emily Sigman. Other teachers include; Lisa Kellert, Michael Shannon (Former mayor of Chevy Chase), Nori Thorne (A Fulbright recipient), Andrew Ward, and Terry Turner. Former Humanities teachers include Jennifer Yang, Jessica Douglass, and Mrs. Carol Solomon (the former coordinator of the RMIB program).
Global Ecology Studies House
The Global Ecology Studies Program (GESP), currently headed by Joyce Bailey, addresses environmental issues through coursework in science and social studies as well as field experience. In the senior year, each student completes a culminating project. , the senior class has about 100 students, and other classes are larger. GESP was co-founded by Mr. Jeff Laws and Mr. Thomas Reichenbaugh in 1990, and began in the fall of 1991 with a class of about 25 students. Jon Rogers heads the science department.Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science House
The Science, Math, and Computer Science (SMCS) program accepted its first students for the 2006–2007 school year. Modeled on the Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science magnet program at Montgomery Blair High SchoolMontgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States...
, it is currently coordinated by former Blair magnet teacher Mr. Mark Curran, who also teaches Research and Experimentation for Freshmen, and Research and Design/Senior Research Project for Juniors. Other teachers involved in this program are Dr. Teresa Mallow, who teaches Physics/Chemistry, Mr. Mark Estep, who teach computer science, Dr. Patricia Miller, teaching Biology, Ms. Erin Binns, teaching Earth Systems Science, and Mr. Kevin Lee, who teaches Principles of Engineering for Sophomores, and Research and Design/Senior Research Project for Juniors.
Before the start of second semester in 8th grade, students who reside in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
are eligible to apply to the Magnet Program. The application process involves a written application including essays, teacher recommendations, and middle school transcripts. All applicants are required to take a multiple choice and written exam in the spring on math, humanities, and logical thinking. The program accepts only 50 students from across the county and students can only enter the program in 9th grade. In recent years, the number of applicants has reached record highs in the 400-650 students range. For the class entering in the fall of 2010, there were 650 students evaluated. It, along with the Magnet Program at Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States...
, and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Richard Montgomery High School
Richard Montgomery High School
Richard Montgomery High School is a secondary public school located in Rockville, Maryland.Richard Montgomery High School is named for Richard Montgomery, an American General who died while attempting to capture the British-held city of Quebec...
in Rockville, MD are the only countywide magnet programs at the high-school level in MCPS.
One of the main components of the Magnet Program is the Senior Research Project (SRP). While not strictly required, completing an SRP is strongly encouraged, and about 80% to 90% of the students choose to do so. Beginning in the spring of junior year, the students complete an internship in the sciences, participating in cutting edge research. Usually, the project will involve an internship of at least eight weeks in length at one of the many research institutions in and around Montgomery County, Maryland, including the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, various Naval Research Facilities
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, the National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
, and the Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science is an organization in the United States established to support scientific research....
. After completing their research, students write formal scientific papers and present their projects at the Magnet Research Convention, which takes place each year in early spring.
Since Magnet students have extra academic requirements, they have an additional class at the end of their school days (eight periods instead of the usual seven), causing Magnet students to end school 55 minutes later than most other county high-schoolers (At 3:05 instead of 2:10). Ninth and tenth grade Magnet students take four courses each semester within the Magnet curriculum—science, mathematics, research & experimentation (R&E), and computer science—and four courses each semester in other disciplines (English, fine arts, foreign language, physical education, social studies, etc.) with the rest of the Poolesville student body. Freshmen in the Magnet take accelerated honors-level physics first semester and chemistry second semester; sophomores take Earth System Science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
followed by Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. In addition to science courses, freshmen in the Magnet are required to take Fundamentals of Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and sophomores are required to take Algorithms and Data Structures (ADS) where they learn how to program in Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
. Freshmen who pass a certain test are allowed to start ADS one semester early, although this path is rarely taken. Juniors and seniors have fewer required Magnet courses, and therefore complete their schedules with magnet electives, AP science classes, or other departments' electives. Some examples of unique elective classes offered in the Magnet Program are quantum physics, thermodynamics
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation...
, optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
, linear algebra
Linear algebra
Linear algebra is a branch of mathematics that studies vector spaces, also called linear spaces, along with linear functions that input one vector and output another. Such functions are called linear maps and can be represented by matrices if a basis is given. Thus matrix theory is often...
, discrete mathematics
Discrete mathematics
Discrete mathematics is the study of mathematical structures that are fundamentally discrete rather than continuous. In contrast to real numbers that have the property of varying "smoothly", the objects studied in discrete mathematics – such as integers, graphs, and statements in logic – do not...
, multi-variable calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
with differential equations, complex analysis
Complex analysis
Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates functions of complex numbers. It is useful in many branches of mathematics, including number theory and applied mathematics; as well as in physics,...
with applications, genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, cell physiology
Cell physiology
Cell physiology is the biological study of the cell's mechanism and interaction in its environment. The term "physiology" refers to all the normal functions that take place in a living organism. Absorption of water by roots, production of food in the leaves, and growth of shoots towards light are...
, biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, marine biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
, material science, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, origins of science, and origins of mathematics. Poolesville students not in the Magnet Program can and do enroll in Magnet classes.
Demographics
| Year | Enrollment | Native American/ Alaskan Native |
% | Asian/ Pacific Islander |
% | African American |
% | White | % | Hispanic | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 1150 | 6 | 0.5 | 243 | 21.1 | 70 | 6.1 | 768 | 66.8 | 63 | 5.5 |
| 2008-09 | 1049 | 8 | 0.8 | 186 | 17.7 | 60 | 5.7 | 750 | 71.5 | 45 | 4.3 |
| 2007-08 | 1012 | 8 | 0.8 | 127 | 12.6 | 50 | 4.9 | 790 | 78.0 | 37 | 3.7 |
| 2006-07 | 939 | 5 | 0.1 | 69 | 7.34 | 54 | 5.8 | 777 | 82.7 | 34 | 3.6 |
| 2005-06 | 861 | 3 | 0.2 | 32 | 3.44 | 46 | 5.3 | 757 | 87.9 | 23 | 2.7 |
| 2004-05 | 825 | 4 | |||||||||
| 35 | 3.34 | 35 | 4.2 | 728 | 88.2 | 23 | 2.8 | ||||
| 2003-04 | 776 | 3 | 0.1 | 35 | 3.21 | 29 | 3.7 | 696 | 89.7 | 13 | 1.7 |
| 2002-03 | 753 | 3 | 0.2 | 28 | 2.98 | 23 | 3.1 | 682 | 90.6 | 17 | 2.3 |
Sports
A Maryland Class 2A - West school, Poolesville fields teams in 14 different sports including:- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- CheerleadingCheerleadingCheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
- DivingDivingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
- Field HockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
- FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
- PomsPomsPOMS or Poms may refer to:* Pom-pons, a hand-held decoration used in cheerleading or a related sport also called "poms" or "pom-pons"* A slang term for British people...
- Soccer
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- TrackTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
Rivalries
- Richard Montgomery High SchoolRichard Montgomery High SchoolRichard Montgomery High School is a secondary public school located in Rockville, Maryland.Richard Montgomery High School is named for Richard Montgomery, an American General who died while attempting to capture the British-held city of Quebec...
- Clarksburg High School
- Brunswick High SchoolBrunswick High School (Maryland)Brunswick High School is a four-year public high school in Brunswick, Frederick County, Maryland, United States.-Overview:The school is near the Virginia border near the Potomac River, just off of Maryland Route 464, and a couple miles southeast of U.S. Route 340.The current building was...