Good News

Karl Heimbach, former athletic director at Col. Zadok Magruder High School, will be inducted into the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Class of 2023 Hall of Fame at the group’s convention later this month in Orlando, Fla. Heimbach, who retired in 2017, spent 32 years at Magruder as a social studies teacher, soccer coach, assistant athletic director and athletic director.

Peg Keiller
Peg Keiller, girls’ soccer coach at Quince Orchard High School, has been named the 2022 All Metropolitan Girls High School Coach of the Year by the Pigskin Club of Washington, Inc.
Congratulations to the following MCPS high schools that won recent athletics championships:
Basketball County Champions
- Boys’ – Winston Churchill
- Girls’ – Winston Churchill
Indoor Track Champions
- State Finalist – Boys’ – Montgomery Blair
- State Finalist – Girls’ – James Hubert Blake
Swimming State Champions
- 4A-3A Boys – Walt Whitman
- 4A-3A Girls – Walter Johnson
- 3A-2A-1A Boys – Rockville
- Sportsmanship Awards – Richard Montgomery and Damascus
Student Leaders Meet with State Legislators
Last month, 51 student leaders from the Montgomery County Regional Student Government (MCR) and the Montgomery County Junior Council (MCJC), the countywide high school and middle school student government associations, traveled to Annapolis to meet with legislators that represent Montgomery County. The students researched upcoming legislation in the general assembly, wrote a one-pager on their advocacy centered around the legislation, and scheduled meetings with the legislators to advocate for these bills and share the student experiences and impact related to them. Among the topics of legislation they supported: composting; Child Victims Act of 2023; Gun Safety Act of 2023; and the Janet L. Hoffman Loan Assistance Repayment Program—Mental Health Professionals in Public Schools.
Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller also met with the student leaders, as did Delegates Lorig Charkoudian and Joe Vogel, and Senator Craig Zucker.
Bestselling Author Speaks to Northwood Students

Sheree Renee Thomas speaks to students at Northwood High School. She spoke on afrofuturism and careers in writing.
New York Times bestselling author Sheree Renee Thomas spoke to Northwood High School students during a visit to Maryland last month. Thomas wrote Marvel’s Black Panther: Panther’s Rage novel, adapted from the legendary comics. She is the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, founded in 1949, and Obsidian, founded in 1975. Last year, she co-curated Carnegie Hall’s historic, citywide Afrofuturism Festival. She also spoke at the Rockville Library on afrofuturism and diversity in sci-fi.
Northwest Student Named Finalist in Black History Essay Contest
Dwarakesh Baraneetharan, a junior at Northwest High School, was one of 20 finalists in a Black history essay contest sponsored by WJZ-TV, CBS Baltimore. Read his essay.
Shout Out to Great Staff
Shout out to Rashanne Johnson, paraeducator at East Silver Spring Elementary School, whose strong rapport with her prekindergarten class boosts their enthusiasm for learning and makes them feel they’re a part of the classroom community.
—Stephanie Murphy, short-term substitute
MCPS In The News
3 principals to watch: Reshaping learning landscapes through creative solutions
Montgomery Co. native Solomon Parker III steps into Lola’s ‘Kinky Boots’ at Olney Theatre
Germantown’s Kahlil Greene Premieres as Nickelodeon News Correspondent