Sign Up for Our Daily Update. In 2003 she graduated with a Master's degree in Administration and Supervision from Bowie State University and also joined the North Bethesda Middle School administrative team as a Student Support Specialist. I think that the walkout was a very necessary action that is vital towards change in the future; it definitely left a big impact, Walter Johnson senior Camille Lorillou said. Looking back to Season 1 of Last Chance U: Basketball, Media coverage of earthquakes in Turkey and Syria sparks more criticism. He sustained a traumatic brain injury as well as a broken neck, arm, leg, and pelvis, and was taken to R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland in Baltimore for surgeries and intensive care. The search uncovered an unloaded BB gun, the message said. The mother was able to escape to a nearby cornfield and call 911. Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you. I would also like to take this opportunity to request that parents speak with their children about the seriousness and danger of bringing any kind of weapon or weapon replica on to school property, Evans wrote. Check Full Reputation Profile Walter Johnson High School (also known as Walter Johnson or WJ) is a public upper secondary school located in the census-designated place of North Bethesda, Maryland ( Bethesda postal address). Graffiti bearing the same message was also found on a pedestrian bridge over the Capital Beltway, Bethesda Beat reported, as well as some local businesses, according to Fox 5. Many students and graduates took to social media to express their disapproval of S*T*A*G*E*s choice. 2023 Montgomery Community Media. Bos was always happy to let us goof around in his classroom during lunch or after school, creating a truly cherished safe space for us to grow and be ourselves.. Julia is currently a senior and is super excited for another year on The Pitch! As principal of Walter Johnson High School since 2011, Ms. Baker continues to provide excellent educational opportunities and a wide variety of co-curricular choices for all students. Shelton Mooneythe Read More. Like WTOP on Facebook and follow WTOP on Twitter and Instagram to engage in conversation about this article and others. Even though this was a BB gun, we are treating this as a very serious matter, Evans wrote, adding that an investigation involving Montgomery County police and MCPS security personnel is underway. Racist and homophobic vandalism was found spraypainted on the walls of Walter Johnson High School on Oct. 3, 2021. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Comments on the GoFundMe Page and the Caring Bridge profile echo Bakers message, highlighting Bos impact as a teacher and friend. Prior to speaking with them [the administration] and understanding the point [of them joining], I felt upset. people learn more about others, just like Yelp does for Post or read reviews for Walter Baker She then promised to give them one of her own kids if they help her because she knew they could not conceive kids. Principal Jennifer Baker Walter Johnson High School. Friday, May 23rd 2014. While students were voicing their frustrations with the absence of systemic changes at Walter Johnson, administration unexpectedly arrived at the meeting. In preparation for the joint meeting, club leaders created a presentation to give an overview of what had happened and where they felt administration needed to improve. Although the facts of this case read like the script of a bad horror movie, the defendants murderous plot was real and it posed a grave risk to their intended victim. Over and over again [these groups] said to me, do shows that are more culturally diverse, McAdory said. Complaints from students in Walter Johnsons theater program over the decision to produce The Wiz this spring prompted Principal Jennifer Baker to take an unprecedented measure: ask the drama department to change the show. We are very mindful ofhow such actions may evoke fear andanger and we have worked quickly to coverthe images. He is one of the four people accused in an attempt to kidnap five kids from their two respective homes and kill their parents in Dayton, Virginia last year. Theater directors said the show was chosen because it represents a diverse perspective and argued that it shouldnt be off limits just because white students end up playing most of the roles. Students expressed that no homeroom presentation or email was going to be good enough. Six days. . Theres a man (a father of a student at WJ) who has been trolling the WJPTSA listserv and insisting this vandalism is a hoax. All Rights Reserved. Students from the school have given passionate testimony at recent school board meetings, detailing their experience during the multi-hour lockdown. A meeting was held last Friday, September 21, where Baker and the theater directors announced the decision to change the show. She emphasized that such hate in the WJ community would "not be tolerated." Your donation will support the student journalists of Walter Johnson High School. below. Theres the ongoing knowledge that this was a traumatic event, and the support goes beyond the day of and the day after, Cram said. He said psychologists, counselors and county agencies are available. Amnotts sentencing is scheduled for May 26. Links are provided for reference only and MyLife.com does not imply any connection or relationship between MyLife.com and these companies. "Tommy's sudden death reminds us all of just how precious life is. Junior and former S*T*A*G*E* member Damir Pimenov called it ridiculous that the drama department would consider The Wiz as a show, given the small number of minority students in the program. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. this spring prompted Principal Jennifer Baker to take an unprecedented measure: ask the drama department to change the show. s, according to a news release from the United States Attorneys Office Western District of Virginia. Desert Vista High School website provides links to other websites as a convenience for our students, staff, and others who may visit our pages. Principal Jennifer Baker wrote in a message on Sunday that Thomas "Tommy" Silva, a junior, would be missed "tremendously" by the Bethesda school community. Also last year, hate-based graffiti was found at an elementary school in Clarksburg. The original announcement that S*T*A*G*E* was going to produce. I dont think its an understatement to say that Mr. Bos was one of the best teachers (and humans) many of us have ever known, wrote Gina Lorenzetti, a former student. He succumbed to those injuries on Thursday. Starting on the Monday following the vandalism, WJ Black Student Union, Minority Scholars Program, WJ Immigration Advocates Club and Uplift WJ decided to offer their meeting times as spaces for reflection and discussion. Another S*T*A*G*E member, who wished to remain anonymous, said the show was created as a response to white domination of the theater industry. They discussed their selection of, .it was written to give more opportunity to African-Americans at a time when they were underrepresented in musical theatre, director Colleen McAdory said. She is a graduate of American University and The George Washington University. Some have said they no longer feel safe at school. Anyone who knows anything about trauma knows it manifests itself in a variety of ways at any time. Doing The Wiz at WJ would enhance the idea that white people dominate the theater and thatthe people who were oppressing minorities in the first place can manipulate those works for their own advantage, the student said. Junior Angie Ciccarello and senior Maddie Osterman debate the pros and cons of performing The Wiz at WJ. Contact Information is currently not available. We will all miss his incredible wit & humor, never-ending thirst for knowledge, and unwavering love of Bob Dylan, wrote Bonnie Bos in a Caring Bridge post. Hayes convinced the Amnotts that her three children had been kidnapped and were being held by two families in Dayton along with two other children. Copyright 2022 by WTOP. The incidents come two months and two days following the shooting at Magruder, which stunned the school community on Jan. 21. In an effort to confront the problem, leaders from various Bethesda high schools came together for a town hall meeting at Walter Johnson High School Thursday evening to educate both parents and students about the impact of []. This profile was gathered from multiple public and Article written by Ruby Topalian of Walter Johnson High School, Photo courtesy of Ruby Topalian of Walter Johnson High School. Principal Jennifer Baker said the school was vandalized with . [] After marrying her husband and working for 11 years in the restaurant business, she went to college and graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in secondary mathematics education in 1995. Jennifer Baker, Principal of Walter Johnson high school, said. , meant to track recovery and to allow community members to send the Bos family words of encouragement. Whoops! Walter Johnson High School Vandalized with Homophobic and Racist Hate Speech, MCPS offers free SAT prep tutoring for high school students, Students bringing weapons to schools causes unrest in community, Substance abuse among youth presents an alarming countywide problem, Jacinda Ardern Continues to Lead Selflessly, New Years Eve machete attack brings fear as cases of public targeted violence rise across the nation, Senioritis measures detachment from school, Where are they now? When students wanted to share, they raised their hand and were passed a microphone. The notion which has been implied, that we cant reinterpret a show, flies in the face of what we do in theatre. Education. In this day and age its very rare you see black leads, and were replacing them with white people, who have been given many leads, Pimenov said. I appreciate our communitymembers who alerted me and thank ourstaff who took swift action to have thegraffiti removed. Article by Katherine Mahoney of Sherwood High School. pic.twitter.com/QPsKPGhea8, David Kaplan (@DKaplanFox5DC) October 4, 2021. We wanted to hold a walkout to reach as many students as we could and bring attention to the fact that little is being done to fix this problem, WJ Immigration Advocates Co-President and senior Catherine Prado said. 5425 Wisconsin Ave That evening, WJ principal Jennifer Baker sent out an email to staff, students and parents expressing how distroubled she was by these events. In 2020, three teenagers were charged in connection to racially-themed vandalisms at Walt Whitman High School. He passed Read More, Three students involved in altercations after a basketball game between Walter Johnson High School and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School were arrested at B-CC in Bethesda on Friday night. Anything about trauma knows it manifests itself in a variety of ways at any time ways at any.. 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