Poolesville High School held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its modernization and expansion currently underway. Poolesville is adding 160,000 square feet and renovating 60,000 square feet of the existing school. When completed in December 2024, the school, which currently has 1,274 students, will be able to house 1,500 students.
Gaithersburg Middle School Hosts 90 Students for Model UN Conference
On June 2, Gaithersburg Middle School hosted the second annual joint Model UN Conference with Silver Spring International Middle School. Ninety students participated in the one-day event. The four committee sessions, run by seventh and eighth graders, debated climate change and press freedom. This was the first in-person middle school Model UN conference at an MCPS school. The program is in its seventh year and taught by Julie Sanders.
The keynote speaker was Daniel Neher, a retired foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department in Poland, Algeria and South Africa.
Delegates spent weeks researching their topics and countries, and writing position papers and speeches.
“Model UN is a fun experience where students can collaborate and work together to solve real world problems,” said Gaithersburg Middle School 8th grader Toze.
The program “has provided me with the skills needed to run large, organized events, and provides delegates with the ability to speak their minds and negotiate with others,” said Tulchin, another Gaithersburg 8th grader.
Model UN Advisors Julie Sanders from Gaithersburg and Delia Dunlap from Silver Spring International plan on opening their spring conference to other middle schools next year. For more information, email Sanders.
Leleck Students Create Community Garden
JoAnn Leleck Elementary School at Broad Acres unveiled the beginning of its community garden. The PTA and Impact Silver Spring are creating the garden in the school’s courtyard, which is being cared for by fifth graders and students in the Excel Beyond the Bell program. Students have had classroom lessons on caring for the garden and healthy eating habits.
Mobile Science Lab Visits Parkland Middle School
The mobile science lab, Curiosity Cube, visited Parkland Middle School students last month. Students explored the human microbiome through three interactive science experiments. The Cube is designed to spark scientific curiosity and passion early—paving the way to a future filled with innovative breakthroughs and encouraging students to pursue careers in STEM, which is one of the fastest growing job sectors in the U.S.
Winners Announced in Organ Donation Awareness Contest
Eight MCPS students are being recognized for videos they created to raise awareness about the need for more living organ donors. The video contest was sponsored by Maryland Delegate Pam Queen.
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, as of May, 105,960 U.S. residents are on the waiting list for lifesaving organs. Kidneys and portions of a liver can be donated while alive.
For the video contest, middle and high school students created 60-second videos about the donation process. Winners were chosen based on effective expression of the critical need for living organ donation, creativity and innovation of the video, and reflection of the students’ self-learning.
Watch the winning videos. Winners are:
- Best Individual Video: Alli Salo, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
- Best Team Video: Anagha Bhuvanagiri and Alma Zhong, Montgomery Blair High School
- Honorable Mention:
- Sia Sesay, Paint Branch High School
- Samriddhi Prasad, Lakelands Park Middle School
- Aditi Thakur, Isha Tripathi and Sophie Lin, Parkland Middle School
MCPS In the News
Special Needs Students Create Butterfly Sensory Garden in Gaithersburg
