Walter Johnson High School

Walter Johnson High School (also known as Walter Johnson or WJHS) is a public upper secondary school located at 6400 Rock Spring Drive in the census-designated place of North Bethesda, Maryland (Bethesda postal address).[2][3] WJHS serves portions of Bethesda, North Bethesda, 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) , Maryland 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) (2018–19)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2,587 (2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	18.40:1 (2018–19)[1]
Campus	Suburban[1]
Colour(s)	Green   White
Mascot	Wildcat
Newspaper	The Pitch
Yearbook	The Windup
Website	www.walterjohnson.com

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 mascot was the Spartan, and it became the Mighty Moo in 1963, named after the cows that roamed the fields before the school was built.[5] After consolidating with nearby Charles W. Woodward High School in 1987, Walter Johnson maintained its school colors of white and green, but adopted Woodward's mascot, "Wild Thing" the Wildcat.[6]

Notable alumni

• Robb Austin – politician, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, (Class of 1968)[7]
• David John Doukas – physician and medical ethicist
• Anita Dunn – advisor to President Barack Obama (class of 1976)
• Jeremy Ebobisse – professional soccer player for the Portland Timbers (Class of 2014)[8]
• Georgia Engel – actress[9]
• Florent Groberg – Medal of Honor recipient (class of 2001)[10]
• Jonathan Hadary – actor (class of 1966)[11]
• Colleen Haskell – actress and 1st season contestant of reality TV show Survivor (class of 1994)[12]
• Stephen Herek – film director and producer, Broadway producer (class of 1976)
• John Michael Higgins – actor/director (class of 1981)[13]
• Tommy Keene – singer/songwriter (class of 1976)[14]
• Ariana Kelly – politician, Maryland House of Delegates (class of 1994)[15]
• Candace S. Kovacic-Fleischer - law professor (class of 1965)
• John Kronstadt – district judge (class of 1969)
• Tim Kurkjian – ESPN baseball reporter and analyst (class of 1974)[16]
• Roy Lee – film producer (class of 1987)
• Jeffrey S. Lehman – former President of Cornell University, scholar and lawyer (class of 1973)
• Nils Lofgren – rock musician, composed Jhoon Rhee Karate Theme (class of 1969 - did not graduate)[17]
• Rudy Maxa – consumer-travel expert; host/producer of PBS travel shows; Wheel Club officer (class of 1967)
• Matt McCoy – actor (class of 1974)[18]
• Caroline Miller – professional soccer player (class of 2009)[19]
• Jody Olsen – Peace Corps Director (class of 1961)[20]
• Carl Pope – ex-Executive Director of the Sierra Club (class of 1963)[21]
• 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)[22]
• Cal Thomas – syndicated columnist and author (class of 1960)[23]
• Brian Transeau – electronic musician and composer (class of 1988)[24]
• 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)[25]
• Gerald Zerkin – senior assistant federal public defender; defended Zacarias Moussaoui (class of 1967)

References

1. "Search for Public Schools - Walter Johnson High School (240048000942)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
2. "Walter Johnson High School". Montgomery County Public Schools. Retrieved August 12, 2020. - Compare the street address with the map.
3. "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.
4. 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.
5. "WJ HS - History". www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
6. Wisnia, Saul (November 11, 1993). "The Legend Behind a School's Name". The Washington Post.
7. Olivares, Beatriz (May 29, 2018). "50 years later: an interview with '68 senior". The Pitch.
8. Goff, Steven (August 15, 2016). "Duke's Jeremy Ebobisse signs with MLS". The Washington Post.
9. Nyren, Erin (April 15, 2019). "Georgia Engel, 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' Star, Dies at 70". Variety.
10. Metcalf, Andrew (November 12, 2015). "President Obama Praises Walter Johnson Grad's Courage at Medal of Honor Ceremony". Bethesda Magazine.
11. Hadary, Jonathan (July 2, 1995). "Have Script, Will Travel". The Washington Post. p. G1.
12. Maynard, John (August 11, 2000). "Pagong! Now Colleen Is Cast Away". The Washington Post. p. C5.
13. "Star actor and WJ alumnus reminisces on student life at WJ". The Pitch. February 23, 2018.
14. Augenstein, Neal (November 24, 2017). "DC guitar pop hero Tommy Keene dies at 59". WTOP News.
15. "Ariana B. Kelly, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
16. Kurkjian, Tim (October 25, 2019). "Senators, Nationals and the Big Train: Why this World Series is special". ESPN. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
17. Causey, James Michael (June 8, 2015). "Nils Lofgren Is Coming Home". Washingtonian Magazine.
18. Bell-Stockman, Teresa (August 14, 1998). "For Matt McCoy, making movies is a wonderful life". Frederick News-Post.
19. Goff, Steven (January 18, 2013). "Washington Spirit drafts local players". The Washington Post.
20. Straehley, Steve (January 19, 2018). "Director of the Peace Corps: Who Is Jody Olsen?". AllGov.com.
21. Valtin, Tom (April 2003). "A Conversation With Carl Pope". the planet newsletter. Sierra Club.
22. "Thomas Smith, Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
23. Java, Theresa (July 18, 2018). "Love is patient". Keys News.
24. Brace, Eric (August 22, 1997). "Organically Electronic, Dude". The Washington Post. p. N10.
25. Goff, Steven (September 19, 2011). "High school freshman Gedion Zelalem may join Arsenal in two years". The Washington Post.

External links

• Official website