The Black & White Online

12/17/2020

“Quarantine fatigue hits Whitman; students open door to virus”

“Some names have been changed for anonymity.”

“Even as the year comes to a close, the United States’ battle with the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. Infection rates are rising in 43 states, including Maryland. On November 28, the U.S. surpassed a new milestone: 13 million overall cases, with 4 million of those cases happening in November alone. As winter approaches, colder temperatures are forcing people to spend more time indoors, where the virus is more easily transmitted. Experts fear the pandemic will become even worse throughout the next few months.
Many students, however, seem oblivious to the public health crisis. “

Click the link to read the full article.

https://theblackandwhite.net/68612/news/quarantine-fatigue-hits-whitman-students-open-door-to-virus/

10/19/2020

Students and alumni create virtual businesses in quarantine

Students and alumni create virtual businesses in quarantine

Read more here:

https://theblackandwhite.net/68206/feature/students-and-alumni-create-virtual-businesses-in-quarantine/#

A global pandemic can bring panic, disorientation, unemployment and frustration, but for some Whitman students, it brought opportunity. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, students and alumni have taken advantage of the lengthy quarantine to construct virtual businesses that give back to their...

10/14/2020

“It brings back the old days where nothing really mattered”: Whitman students crave nostalgia over quarantine

“It brings back the old days where nothing really mattered”: Whitman students crave nostalgia over quarantine

Read more here:

https://theblackandwhite.net/68164/feature/it-brings-back-the-old-days-where-nothing-really-mattered-whitman-students-crave-nostalgia-over-quarantine/#

In the back of Topher Leonard’s bedroom, the echoes of Fall Out Boy pour out of an old radio. The then nine-year-old Leonard sits hunched over at his desk, fixated on his iPad. He’s playing Minecraft, the three-dimensional adventure game that has taken the gaming community by storm. The outside ...

10/07/2020

South Lake Elementary School was denied renovation for over 8 years

South Lake Elementary School was denied renovation for over 8 years

Shining a spotlight on systemic racism in MCPS

Read more here:

https://theblackandwhite.net/68105/opinion/south-lake-elementary-school-was-denied-renovation-for-over-8-years/#

Every school day, the 890 students of South Lake Elementary School would hustle through the overcrowded, sparsely heated hallways and into its rodent-infested classrooms, including 14 portables that consume the school parking lot. MCPS students should be entitled to a physically safe and comfortable...

10/03/2020

MCPS approves increased sports budget to fight countywide access disparities

“MCPS approves increased sports budget to fight countywide access disparities”

Read more here:

The Montgomery County Council unanimously approved $1.55 million in spending to increase youth sports accessibility on September 15. The budgetary decision comes after the Montgomery County Office of Legislative Oversight published a report revealing higher income areas have easier access to sports....

10/03/2020

One year later, Prince Cutchember faces legal battle from Whitman “panning” incident

One year later, Prince Cutchember faces legal battle from Whitman “panning” incident

Read more here:

Dubbed the “frying pan incident,” students and staff likely remember the event that occurred September of last year. A plethora of memes and jokes circulated around the school and on social media, making fun of “pan man.” But few recognize the name of the 19-year-old arrested for assaulting ...

07/06/2020

Senior Destinations 2020

Senior Destinations 2020

How to use the Senior Destinations Map: Click the upper left button or the markers on the map to view students and schools. Clicking the upper right full-screen button will bring you to the full feature map which contains the search function. Below is the full list of students and destinations: Last...

05/30/2020

Walt Whitman High School senior writes about missing graduation

Our very own Katie Hanson was recently published in Bethesda Magazine! Give it a read!

Read what this student has to say about missing senior-year milestones like prom and graduation during the coronavirus pandemic.

05/28/2020

Last week, my grandfather passed away from COVID-19. This is my story.

Last week, my grandfather passed away from COVID-19. This is my story.

“There’s always a time to say goodbye, and this is that time,” he said to us as we huddled around the phone on our kitchen table. He was leaving us, possibly forever, and yet it was the first peace that I had felt in weeks. When my grandfather was diagnosed with COVID-19 in early May,...

05/24/2020

Students find ways to fight COVID-19

Students find ways to fight COVID-19

For most students, the past few months have consisted of sleeping in, watching Netflix and scrolling aimlessly through social media feeds for hours on end. “Before quarantine, I used my phone for maybe two or three hours per day,” senior Henry Stoner said. “Now, I spend at least five hours on ...

05/23/2020

2020 NFL Draft winners and losers

2020 NFL Draft winners and losers

As the 2020 NFL Draft came to an end on Saturday, April 25, fans of teams across the NFL were either rejoicing or sulking based on their favorite team’s picks. Before I head into the details of the draft, let it be said that no one can predict the future –– for all we know...

05/22/2020

Volume 59 Staff

Volume 59 Staff

Online Editor-in-Chief: Taylor Haber Print Editor-in-Chief: Sammy Heberlee Online Managing Editors: Matt Mande and Jocie Mintz Print Managing Editors: Holly Adams and Emily London Online Copy Editor: Bella Learn and Ben Waldman Print Copy Editor: Eleanor Taylor Opinion editors: Celina Fratzscher, Ja...

05/22/2020

“It sometimes feels like you’re set back in time”

“It sometimes feels like you’re set back in time”

While most of her classmates slept in on a Saturday morning last summer, junior Alexa Maupin was hard at work picking berries on her family farm. It was particularly hot and the sun was beating down, but she kept going until she had a full bucket of bright red wineberries, a type of small, wild...

05/18/2020

Letter From the Editors: May 2020

Letter From the Editors: May 2020

On March 11, we drafted the following: We published a staff editorial a year ago: Forget Whitman’s reputation; Let’s talk about racism. It was our way of responding to an incident where Whitman students posted a photo on social media in what appeared to be blackface, captioning the photo with th...

05/17/2020

Reteaching myself to play the recorder ends on a high note

Reteaching myself to play the recorder ends on a high note

I hit the peak of my musical career playing the recorder in third grade music class. I practiced tirelessly, annoying my dog nightly with the instrument’s high-pitched squeaks and eventually mastering my performance of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for the school’s end-of-year showcase. Unfortunat...

05/15/2020

“A second set of family”: Whitman sound team builds close community

“A second set of family”: Whitman sound team builds close community

When senior Caroline Hatcher first joined Whitman Drama’s sound team two years ago, she had absolutely no experience working with microphones, speakers or soundboards. Now, she wants to pursue sound design professionally. Being part of Whitman’s sound team has not only enabled her to find a craf...

05/15/2020

As you all know, we’re currently in the midst of an extremely trying time for many members of our community. If you or someone you know has a story to tell, we urge you to write. Send us a blog, preferably 300 words minimum, at theblackandwhite[email protected]. This goes for all Whitman students—you don’t have to be affiliated with b&w in any way. We might be isolated, but we’re certainly not alone.

05/14/2020

BOE decides on policy for second semester grades, gives students a choice

BOE decides on policy for second semester grades, gives students a choice

MCPS students now have the choice between a pass/incomplete or one letter grade above their third marking period grade on their second semester transcript. Board of Education members adopted the policy during a May 12 board meeting after moving to a pass/incomplete grading system for the fourth mark...

05/13/2020

New LGBTQ+ studies course in development for 2020-21 school year

New LGBTQ+ studies course in development for 2020-21 school year

Ten Montgomery County schools, not including Whitman, will pilot a semester-long LGBTQ studies course during the 2020-21 school year in hopes of establishing a more inclusive curriculum. Chief Academic Officer Dr. Maria Navarro approved the course development November 12, 2019. The Office of Curricu...

05/13/2020

On my own terms: my experience dealing with pregnancy and abortion as a teenager

On my own terms: my experience dealing with pregnancy and abortion as a teenager

Alone in my closet, I was afraid of what was going to happen tomorrow. I couldn’t hold back the gushing stream of tears, knowing that the moment I walked inside, that would be my decision. There was no going back. I was scared: not for my own safety, but because I was going to lose...

05/11/2020

“I just got back up and skated it over again”

“I just got back up and skated it over again”

“We got this guys! Let’s get out there and crush it!” junior Abbie Hall shouted as she took to the freshly paved ice with 15 other Team USA skaters. When Hall was six, she skated for the first time at her mom’s college alumni skating event at Cabin John Ice Rink. Hall said she instantly...

05/10/2020

More information here: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2019-2020/coronavirus-update-20200510.html

05/07/2020

Maryland public schools closed for remainder of 2019-20 school year due to COVID-19 outbreak

Maryland public schools closed for remainder of 2019-20 school year due to COVID-19 outbreak

Schools State Superintendent Karen Salmon announced in a May 6 press conference that all Maryland public schools, including MCPS, are now closed for the rest of the 2019-20 school year. MCPS has been closed since March 16 and teachers have been conducting distance learning since March 30. In a lette...

05/05/2020

“We have bills to pay”: Local businesses struggle during pandemic

“We have bills to pay”: Local businesses struggle during pandemic

In 2012, a couple of months after Jennie Yu (‘18) and her family moved from upstate New York to Bethesda, her parents bought Firehouse Deli, which Yu describes as being between a convenience store and a small restaurant, from its previous owners. The family-run business has only one other employee...

05/05/2020

The dangers of schadenfreude in the era of COVID-19

The dangers of schadenfreude in the era of COVID-19

A few weeks ago, a text from one of my friends interrupted my daily quarantine routine of watching Netflix and playing Xbox: “Harvey Weinstein got Corona. That’s good news.” Immediately, other people in the group chat began to celebrate Weinstein’s diagnosis. This wasn’t the first time I.....

05/02/2020

A Viking in France, part 3

A Viking in France, part 3

This is my first time writing while not in a café and it’s heartbreaking. I’m back home, but I should still be in Europe. The school work was finally slowing down, summer was approaching and I was looking forward to my final three months in France. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus outbreak...

05/01/2020

“It was the biggest thing that had ever happened to us”

“It was the biggest thing that had ever happened to us”

To a passerby, Rick Berke (‘76) and Michael Gill (‘76) would have looked like any other Whitman seniors going out for a quick meal at a diner in Bethesda in 1976. But they weren’t just any old high schoolers craving french fries or a chocolate shake — the two Black & White reporters were eag...

04/28/2020

04/28/2020

Six Maryland High School Students On A Senior Year Like No Other | WAMU

Take a look at WAMU's piece on senior year during a pandemic, featuring six Whitman seniors (including three bdubbs editors)!

A group of students from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda talk about how their senior year plans have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic.

04/24/2020

Virtual town hall addresses COVID-19-related student concerns

Virtual town hall addresses COVID-19-related student concerns

Montgomery County councilmember Tom Hucker and county council candidate Lynne Harris co-hosted a virtual student town hall April 21 where student leaders voiced their concerns for the rest of the school year and shared how their organizations are moving forward through the COVID-19 pandemic. During....

04/23/2020

I was cut from a varsity sport; here’s what I took away

I was cut from a varsity sport; here’s what I took away

“I’m gonna keep this short and sweet. I don’t think we have a spot for you on the team this year.” Those words from my former baseball coach signified that my days of playing Whitman baseball had likely come to an end — I had been cut from the varsity team. For most people, this...

04/19/2020

Whitman Staff Spirit

We love our Whitman staff!! Thanks for bringing a smile to our faces during this difficult time 😊
https://youtu.be/_w9XCCXmzy8

Showing some love to our Whitman students while we're out of school. We miss you!

04/19/2020

MCPS moves to a pass/incomplete grading framework for fourth marking period

MCPS moves to a pass/incomplete grading framework for fourth marking period

MCPS will move to a pass/incomplete grading framework for the fourth marking period for middle and high school students, Deputy Superintendent Monifa B. McKnight announced in an April 19 email to community members. The change comes two days after State Superintendent Karen Salmon extended school clo...

04/18/2020

State Superintendent extends school closures through May 15 due to COVID-19 outbreak

State Superintendent extends school closures through May 15 due to COVID-19 outbreak

MCPS schools will remain closed through May 15 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, State Superintendent Karen Salmon announced in an April 17 press conference. Previously, schools were scheduled to open on April 24. State and local school officials have been developing further plans for digital learning a...

04/18/2020

Rape in pop culture isn’t always reality

Rape in pop culture isn’t always reality

Content warning: This story contains language that pertains to rape. I had always known the textbook definition of rape — “an act in which a person sexually engages another person without that person’s consent” — but lately it’s become a dramatic, violent plotline to garner views, likes ...