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Winston Churchill High School, often referred to as WCHS or Churchill, is a high school in Potomac, an unincorporated section of Montgomery County, Maryland.

The school is named after Winston Churchill, British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during and after the Second World War. The school was founded in 1964 and is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools system. The majority of the students come from Herbert Hoover Middle School (60%) and Cabin John Middle School (40%). The principal, as of the 2009-2010 school year, is Dr. Joan C. Benz.

[edit] Departments and programs

Taken in January 2000

Churchill has been in the top 100 High Schools in the United States, as ranked by US news, for years, climbing as high as 42 as of 2009.^[1] It has several different departments, including Alternative Education, ESSO Program, Art, the Bridge Program, Computer Science, English, Family Science, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, and Theater.

The school also has a Signature Program, which allows students the opportunity to follow one of several course paths to specialize in a particular career field. The Signature Program comprises three academies: The Academy of Math, Science, & Technology; The Academy of International Studies; and The Academy of Creative and Performing Arts.^[2]

Churchill was given the 2006-2007 Maryland Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence by the Maryland State Department of Education.^[3]

Churchill was selected as a 2007 National No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Performing Arts

Many theater productions are put on regularly, including several nights of one-act plays in which many students are able to participate. Theater classes at three levels and a television production class are taught.

In 2007, Churchill's fall production of Singin' in the Rain was nominated for 6 Cappies High School Theater Awards: Best Orchestra, Best Cameo Actor, Best Cameo Actress, Best Featured Actor, Best Lead Actor, and Best Musical,^[4] winning Best Orchestra(for the third year in a row), Best Cameo Actor, and Best Cameo Actress.^{[citation needed]} Only one other school received more awards.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, Churchill's fall production of Rent: School Edition was nominated for 4 Cappies High School Theater Awards: Best Male Vocalist, Best Female Vocalist, Best Orchestra, and Best Song. Churchill won awards for Best Female Vocalist as well as Best Orchestra.^[5]

Churchill is well known for its annual Blast from the Past production, in which more than 200 student singers, dancers and musicians perform a variety of popular songs. These songs range from the 1950s to modern day, and they all relate to a selected theme for each school year.

David Levin and Kristofer Sanz conduct Churchill's bands and orchestras. Levin is also the conductor of the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras (MCYO) Philharmonic Orchestra.

Many students form their own bands, typically of a rock variety, and the school occasionally facilitates this by sponsoring a battle of the bands or band performance. Sometimes, the school has sponsored day-long concerts to take place on school grounds. For example, The Merritthon, a fundraising event for Leukemia research, occurred annually from 2002 to 2004.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, the instrumental music program won four awards at the Windy City Classic, including Best Symphonic Band, Best Orchestra, Best Classical Soloist and Best Overall Program. The jazz band got second place on that category. All three groups received a gold rating.

[edit] Bridge Program

The Bridge Program provides an intensive program for adolescents and young adults with emotional disabilities. The program's focus is on academic skill development and on altering behaviors that interfere with academic learning.^[6] It is supervised by an interdisciplinary team intended to meet the needs of socially vulnerable Middle and High School students who may be challenged by problem-solving abstract thinking, organizing and planning, interpreting social cues, establishing relationships with peers, coping with anxiety, changes in routine, and transitioning.

[edit] Publications

Churchill produces three publications, all of which have won awards: its newspaper, The Churchill Observer; its yearbook, Finest Hours, and its literary magazine, Erehwon.^[7][8][9] Each publication is accompanied by three levels of instruction in the related publishing topics.

[edit] Athletics

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[edit] Churchill Cross Country/Track and Field

State Championship Teams

• Boys Cross Country 1968, 1975, 1977, 1978
• Boys Indoor Track 1976
• Boys Outdoor Track 1976
• Girls Cross Country 1979, 1991

Montgomery County Team Titles

• Girls Indoor Track 2006, 2007, 2009
• Girls Outdoor Track 2007
• Girls Cross Country 2007

Regional Championships

• Girls Outdoor Track 2007, 2009
• Girls Indoor Track 2007
• Girls Cross Country 2007

[edit] Notable alumni

• Mike Barrowman - class of 1987, 1992 Olympic Gold Medal winner, 200 meter breaststroke
• Jeff Halpern - NHL Hockey player
• Michael Hardt - philosopher
• Brian Holloway- NFL Football player
• Dhani Jones - NFL Football player
• Jimmy Kemp - CFL Football player
• Jeffrey Allan Kemp - NFL Football player, son of Jack Kemp
• Don Kirkpatrick - Former guitarist for band Animotion
• Taylor Momsen - former class of 2011, plays Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl
• Bruce Murray - US Soccer player
• Rachel Nichols - ESPN reporter
• Paul Palmer - NFL Football player
• Mike Sacks - Magazine Editor/Humor Writer
• Darren Star - Television (Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Sex and the City) creator and producer
• Shinsaku Uesugi - Olympic Chess Player (Chess Olympiad), class of 2010
• Neil Vranis - USL Second Division soccer player, class of 2008
• Marc Zell - International Attorney

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Churchill statistics from MCPS