Montgomery County Public Schools Winston Churchill High School 11300 Gainsborough Rd. Potomac, MD 20854
thechurchillobserver.com
September 28, 2016
Volume 40 - Issue 8
A National Blue Ribbon School
Hogan Mandate Puts School Calendar in Flux By Nathan Deychman Online Editor-in-Chief Brandon Li Circulation Manager
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued an executive order Aug. 31 requiring all Maryland public schools to start after Labor Day and end no later than June 15. The change will be implemented beginning with the 2017-18 school year, and many school systems are trying to figure out how to adjust their calendars in order to meet the requirements of the mandate. Schools are allowed to apply for a waiver to start before Labor Day, but must have legitimate evidence to change the start date. “Governor Hogan is a man who does his homework,” CHS principal Joan Benz said. “I think people will appeal, but it’s probably a done deal.” According to Benz, MCPS was aiming to start the school year even earlier than it currently starts, but this mandate completely negates that plan. However, Benz believes that MCPS will make the later date work and fit all educational activities into the new calendar. The post Labor Day start will supposedly save energy costs as August is the second hottest month. In addition, the change could possibly
boost the economy in the tourism industry and for small businesses across the state. According to an Aug. 31 WTOP article, a 2013 study found that a later start date could save the state $74.3 million. School systems in the state of Maryland are still required to have 180 instructional days a year. To meet the new mandate, schools might have to shorten breaks and get rid of holidays. The mandate could affect the amount of days off during the school year, including spring and winter break. This could also impact the Muslim holiday and Jewish holidays later in the fall that MCPS allocated days off for earlier this year. “If MCPS changed the Muslim holidays, they would have to change all of other religious holidays,” Benz said. “If that happens, it will become much larger than just the start time of the school year.” Math teacher Christopher Tappis believes the late start will be problematic for teachers. “I think it will affect PARCC testing and AP testing because there will be one less week of school,” Tappis said. “There is less time to prepare the students for these tests.” Opponents of the mandate argue that students will lose more information acquired
PHOTO BY SARA HEIMLICH.
Hogan’s mandate could have CHS students returning to school after Labor Day. during the school year due to the longer summer, which would lead to a decrease in academic performance. Although the mandate has stirred some controversy among Maryland school
systems, as long as it stays in place, Maryland public schools are going to see a lot of changes regarding their days off and the pacing of their curriculum for years to come. “I think the students will
love starting school after Labor Day,” NSL teacher Lallitha John said. “I think we teachers have to gear ourselves up to plan accordingly for the school year so students are ready for the May AP exams.”
International Students to Enrich CHS Community By Lauren Roseman News Editor
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS.
Students from Denmark and India will be hosted by CHS families during the month of October.
CHS students will be hosting 29 visiting students from Denmark and 10 from India Oct. 7 to Oct. 21. The visiting students will do activities with their host families and attend CHS to learn more about American culture. The students from Denmark will arrive in Maryland Friday, Oct. 7, and stay until Wednesday, Oct. 12. The students from India will arrive Oct. 14 and leave Oct. 21. “I think it’s a great opportunity for students to enhance their cultural experiences,” Assistant Principal Doreen Brandes said. According to Brandes, students from the Denmark school, Alssundgymnasiet Sondberg, have been visiting schools in Frederick for many
years. CHS became part of the program when the program expanded. “I met with representatives from the school. We planned the framework for this to happen, and now it’s coming to fruition,” Brandes said. The students from India are from the Tagore International School. Brandes and Principal Joan Benz heard about this school from a CHS student who once attended it. Brandes and Benz established this partnership with it when they visited the school in December. While in Maryland, the visiting students will attend CHS with their host students and participate in evening activities with their host families. “The students will probably take their visitors around Montgomery County and show them the beautiful resources we have here, like DC and Great Falls,” Brandes said. “Also, the visitors can enjoy home meals and festivities that go on in the everyday home, or participate in the religious services that the family may or may not
attend.” According to junior Sadia Demby, she is excited to meet with her visiting student and may take them to the National Harbor, the movies, or on a hike. “I’m extremely interested in becoming a more active member of our global community and I feel that by reaching out to those who are from different countries and have different cultures, I will develop a more holistic viewpoint on life,” Demby said. According to Brandes, after their stay with their host families, the students from India will go to NYC and the students from Denmark will go to DC to experience more of the US. According to Brandes, she is hopeful that after they leave, the visiting students will stay connected with their host families. “These students will have lifelong friends and contacts, and hopefully the CHS students can visit them in their home countries,” Brandes said.