Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007
The success of the whole-school magnet program at Poolesville High School will determine if the model will be introduced at other high school magnets in Montgomery County.
Poolesville began operating as a whole-school magnet in August 2006, allowing students not admitted in the intensive study areas to enroll in the same classes magnet students take.
‘‘It’s really an exciting time at the school,” said Billie Bradshaw, the school’s magnet coordinator. ‘‘... Every student at this school is valued and not all of them will test to get in, so we want to make sure there’s something special for each child.”
The program is organized into three houses of study – the Humanities and Computer, Math and Computer Sciences houses and the 17-year-old Global Ecology program – made up of teams of teachers that offer on-level and advanced courses to all students. To receive an achievement certificate, students apply and test into the magnet program and complete required courses.
The magnet program at Silver Spring’s Montgomery Blair High School and the International Baccalaureate magnet at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville only allow students enrolled in the magnets to take magnet classes. Students who participate in Poolesville’s Interdisciplinary Studies Program, which is open to all students, sample classes from all three houses as underclassmen and choose a house or a combined studies path as juniors if they want to earn an ISP certificate.
The magnet program began with last year’s incoming freshman, with another grade added every year. There are 292 freshmen in the magnet program and 289 sophomores, Bradshaw said.
Interest is expected to grow as the project evolves, said Marty Creel, director of enriched and innovative programs at MCPS.
‘‘Expanding the program has expanded people’s interest,” he said, adding that Poolesville’s program, the only upcounty magnet, has allowed more students to get in. About 2,100 students applied to the county’s three high school magnets last year and roughly 350 students from outside of the three high schools’ attendance areas were accepted for the 2007-2008 school year, Creel said, noting that many students apply to multiple programs. Poolesville accepts an unlimited number of students from John Poole Middle School and 150 out-of-area students — 50 per house — each year, Bradshaw said.
The program has caused the small school’s population to skyrocket from the low 800s three years ago to 1,013 this year, Bradshaw said. There are four new portable classrooms to accommodate students.
But the increase has meant new opportunities, too. Poolesville now offers journalism and theater courses and has three new computer labs, Bradshaw said. Construction on a $7.7 million science wing that will increase capacity from 936 students to 1,094 students is expected to begin in the summer and conclude in August 2009, according to Brian Edwards, a county schools spokesman.
Making connections
Poolesville is working to avoid division between students in different programs, Bradshaw said. Solutions include field trips and yearlong team competitions to bring together magnet and non-magnet students and foster school spirit.
Activities for freshmen this year involved the science fiction novel ‘‘Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card. Staff created a quiz show featuring questions about the book and other subjects, and the team with the most points by the end of the competition will have its name engraved on the ‘‘Ender’s Cup” trophy on display in the media center.
