News: FDA regulates Juul pods to ensure student health p. 3
Pano: Students of different cultures celebrate the holidays pp. 8-9
Sports: Rajuan and Je’shaud: basketball captains and best friends p. 14
AMPAGE 2100 Baltimore Road, Rockville, Maryland 20851
Volume 51 Number 3
December 18, 2018
Report Finds That MCPS Fails to Support, Prepare Latino Students By ZOE MOSER Editor-in-Chief Despite being the fastest growing demographic and largest racial group in Montgomery County, H i s panic
and Latino students continue to struggle academically in MCPS as the achievement gap widens, according to a Nov. 8 report. The report by the University of Maryland (UMD) School of Public Health reveals how Hispanic and Latino students are continuing to lag behind in school, creating a prevalent racial divide in academic achievement in MCPS. The study details that a growing number of Latino students are lacking reading skills and college readiness while also being unprepared for primary education, accord-
ing to a Nov. 15 Washington Post article. Dropout rates among Latino students have increased slightly, from 11.1 to 13.8 percent since 2014, and graduation rates have decreased slightly from 80 to 78.5 percent despite graduation rates increasing for other racial groups, the article notes. “Latino youth in Montgomery County are exceptionally vulnerable, facing significant barriers to success in their studies, work, and life: starting school unprepared for kindergarten, reading below grade level throughout elementary school, experiencing the school system’s highest dropout rates, struggling to earn a post-secondary credential, and experiencing high rates of adversity and psychological distress,” the study states. The Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) 2018 report card released Dec. 4 further highlights the staggering differences in English and math proficiency. Only 29.2 percent of Hispanic or Latino high schoolers are considered proficient in math compared to 76.4 percent of White high schoolers
and 82 percent of Asian high schoolers. Hispanic and Latino students exhibit the lowest overall proficiency in math and English language arts of all ethnic and racial groups in elementary, midd l e
Photo Courtesy of Bethesda Magazine MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith spoke at a monthly press conference. Smith addressed the DHS incident.
MCPS Addresses Recent Hazing By ZOE MOSER Editor-in-Chief
Following the alleged hazing and sexual assault at Damascus High School Oct. 31, MCPS is giving renewed attention to hazing and its implications. Four 15 year-old Damascus HS junior varsity JV football players were charged on five different counts each: one count of first-degree rape, three counts of attempted first-degree rape and one count of conspiracy to commit rape after an alleged locker room attack on other JV players. The players were then indicted Nov. 29, adding an additional three counts of conspiracy charges, according to a Nov. 30 Washington Post article. All four are being tried as adults. A fifth student is also being charged as a minor. The alleged assaults have shed light on the existence of hazing in MCPS and have prompted calls for renewed awareness in adult supervision of after-school activities. “There have been a handful of reported cases of hazing over the last decade, though none have come close to the behavior alleged at Damascus High School,” MCPS Director of the Department of Communications Derek Turner said. “Hazing is typically treated as an incident of bullying and harassment,
a n d h i g h schools and have the lowest median household income in Montgom- ery County. “It is [Hispanic achievement gap] an issue that we struggle with as a school, as a school system and as a nation,” principal Billie-Jean Bensen said. At RHS, only 22.5 percent of Hispanic or Latino students are considered proficient in math, as compared to 41.9 percent of African-American students, 71.8 percent of Asian students and 75.9 percent of White students. Hispanic and CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Graphic by Delaney Potter
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
3 Seniors Received Posse By ANNA STEWART News Managing Editor The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) unveiled an accountability report card Dec. 4, designed to measure the success of every public school in Maryland and identify areas for improvement. Under the revamped model, Rockville High School (RHS) was awarded four out of five stars. This year’s school report card varies significantly from previous versions, measuring each school’s success based on six factors: school quality and student success, graduation rates, readiness for post-secondary success, academic progress, progress in achieving English language proficiency and academic achievement on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests. After awarding points for each factor, each school was then assigned a star rating ranging from one to five stars. Schools with 75 percent or more of the possible points were awarded five stars, and cutoffs were 60 percent for four stars, 45 percent for three stars, 30 percent for two stars and less than 30 percent for one star. Each school was also given a percentile rank, comparing its performance to all other Maryland schools of the same level. RHS received a total of 60.2 points, ranking in the 63rd percentile, but strug-
gling in both academic achievement (16.8 out of 30 points) and school quality and student success (15.9 out of 25 points). After scores were released, the RHS leadership team met Dec. 11 to review the data. “We looked at where in the report card we scored the lowest and what our data is and where our work is,” staff development teacher Lisa Gerhardt said. “That’s all we’ve done at this point. But as we move through the spring and begin looking at our school improvement plan, we will use that information to guide us.” Most Montgomery County schools received three or more stars, according to data released by the MSDE Dec. 4. MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith said at a November press conference that he doesn’t believe the report card is indicative of a school district’s success. “While the Report Card does provide important information about our schools, its selected data points must be comparable to other districts and therefore, provides a limited view into the progress of our nearly 163,000 students,” Smith said in a message emailed to the MCPS community Nov. 30. Other critics believe the star rankings are too simplistic and could unfairly brand struggling schools, rather than help them improve. “Ratings don’t turn around schools,” said president of the Maryland State Education Association Cheryl Bost in a Dec. 4 Washington Post article.
By ZOE MOSER & ELENNA MACH Editors- in- Chief “‘I think I lost it, I think I blacked out, but I remember I was shaking and crying,’” senior Emily Weerasinghe said when reacting to the news of being named one of three RHS Posse Scholars. Seniors Christian Melgar, Stefan Piedrasanta and Weerasinghe have all been named Posse Scholars and will receive full tuition scholarships to either Sewanee University of the South or Bucknell University. The Posse Foundation identifies, recruits and trains individuals with extraordinary leadership potential, accord- i n g to their website. A l l three
have been active leaders and diligent members of the student body during their time at RHS and have made lasting contributions to the community through clubs and projects. Piedrasanta and Weerasinghe are currently enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma program, and Melgar is enrolled in the IB Certificate program. Piedrasanta has been an active leader in various extracurriculars and president of the Hispanic Leadership Club as well as having participated in extracurriculars such as LearnServe, an international organization that teaches young people how to create change. Weerasinghe has been a part of the Student Government Associa-
tion (SGA) since middle school and currently serves as vice president of the Class of 2019 SGA as well as president of the Key Club. Melgar recently recited the Gettysburg Address at the Library of Congress Nov. 19 and is being interviewed by Bethesda Magazine after being named one of its The process of becoming a Posse Scholar is long and tedious since students must first be nominated by a posse-approved nominator. College & Career Information Coordinator Janet Harris nominated 10 seniors based on their academics, leadership, extracurricular activities CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Photo by Emily Nagy