Academic Sucess

WJ’s hardworking intellectuals have brought the school pride and recognition with their triumphs in It’s Academic and the “Build Your Dream Vehicle” competition, to name a few. WJ, coached by Mark Whipple, won against Richard Montgomery High School and Blake High School in the It’s Academic finals. Senior captain Zach Hommer said, “When RM had a 70 point lead going into the last round, I was nervous. But we refused to give up and played with an intensity we lacked in earlier rounds.” The Wildcats were then able to overtake Centennial High School and Robert E. Lee High School in the It’s Academic Superbowl, and the victory was much deserved. The team started preparing for the competition far in advance. Junior Alex Price said, “Our win on the show is the culmination of years of practice that began our first week of school freshman year. Upon realizing we won, we were so overjoyed that all our hard work was finally paying off.” Another intellectual success was led by four WJ students who, under the sponsorship of Kelly Dunston, redesigned the Nissan 350Z at the “Build Your Dream Vehicle” contest, held in Detriot from May 22, 2005 through May 29, 2005. Seniors Sarah Bettigole, Maya Brod, Julianna Su, and junior Anthony Breen were rewarded for their ingenuity. “It was a great thrill to win second place and a prize of $4,000,” said Breen.

Different Faces at WJ

This year brought about many changes in administration. Former principal Kevin Maxwell left WJ to become a community superintendent, and Christopher Garran took over WJ as the acting principal and then became the permanent principal. When asked what his goals are for the upcoming year, Garran said, “To spend more time getting to know students and gathering their input to make WJ better and to have more shortbread.” Garran is also known for his sense of humor and interest in the students’ wellbeing; thus, it comes as no surprise when he said, “[I have brought to WJ] my charming good looks and sense of humor. I want to explore other options for seniors. I don’t think the senior year should look like grades nine to 11.” Junior class vice president Julian Stern has worked closely with Garran during his time here. “Dr. Garran is a really nice guy and he has a passion for the students that I think is really necessary in a principal. If you go in his office, you can still see the autographed picture of me on his bulletin board. Man, he begged for that thing, and I don’t normally do autographs, but for Garran, I’m willing to make some exceptions,” said Stern. Other changes in faculty are the departures of Elaine Parker, Jim Gorman, Mike Laukaitis, and Kelly Dunston.

Every 15 Minutes

Julie Feldman’s senior project, the “Every 15 Minutes” program, which started April 12, 2005 and ended April 14, 2005, emphasized a shocking statistic: every 15 minutes of the day, a person dies in a drunk driving accident. Students were taken out of class and proclaimed dead for the rest of the day, a mock car accident was staged in the front bus loop, and a school-wide assembly had an emotional effect on students. In response to the program, senior Kelyn Soong said, “I don’t think any assembly or one person has made such a long lasting impact on our school as Julie did in just a couple days with her senior project.”

Homecoming

The halls were decorated with the theme: different cities for each grade. Seniors had Las Vegas, juniors had Miami, sophomores had New York, and freshman got good old Bethesda. The Homecoming football game rolled around and a loud, spirited crowd gathered to cheer on their Wildcats. Looking back at Homecoming, “Prince” Chas Holden said, “Homecoming went way beyond my expectations. The best part was when they took all the beautiful people in the school a.k.a the ‘court’ and paraded us around the football field in golf carts for all to see and be envious of. I really think it was the highlight of that football game.”

Athletic Success

All teams worked (and played) hard during the year, and many were able to compete at high levels against dominating and illustrious opponents. The WJ ice hockey team became the state champion after winning 2-1 against Winston Churchill High School. After an exhilarating game, the winning goal was scored by senior Geoff Thompson and assisted by senior Josh Cohen, with 2:08 left in the game. “To me, scoring that goal was more than a statistic. It was a demonstration of our team’s dedication and perseverance through tough times, and yet another success to make Rod and his family proud to be Wildcats,” said Thompson. Another successful team was the varsity cheerleading squad, who showed their spirit and dedication with a great performance at the MCPS Cheerleading Competition, held on Dec. 3, 2004. Coach Meredith Jewell said, “We placed second in the County Competition for the division, behind Poolesville [High School]. This was a big success because Poolesville girls have cheered ever since they learned to walk. It’s the best we could have done.” The outdoor track team has been immensely successful this year with its outstanding runners, and both the girls’ and boys’ lacrosse teams won regionals, making it the boys’ second consecutive regional title, and girls’ first ever regional title.

Powderpuff

The junior class brought back Powderpuff this year on May 7, 2005. The weeks before the game took place, both teams practiced with their respective coaches and developed plays. Said juniors’ coach Butch Worden, “I thought we were going to get eaten alive, like lamb going to get slaughtered.” However, the game turned out to be quite a surprise to those who shared Mr. Worden’s fears, with a 14-6 win by the junior girls. “[The game was a success because of] the turnout, the competitive nature of the game, and the positive involvement of a large number of people. Everyone had fun and was good sports, and it was a team effort by a bunch of different girls,” said Worden.

PRO.M.O Concert

The Proceeds Music Organization (PRO.M.O) was started this year by junior Russell Markus. The show occurred on Jan. 28, 2005 and 500 tickets were sold for the show, with a total of $3,500 raised for charity and to contribute to building a recording studio in school. Markus said, “After months and months of planning, the show turned out amazing. To see everyone having a great time, enjoying the music, meant more then the money raised. I think it was good to introduce a new type of event to the school and because of the response shown there is no doubt in my mind that we will have several shows similar to the Winter Jam Sessions next year.”

Stefan Malcolm

The loss of Stefan Malcolm, a former WJ student, came as a shock to the WJ community. Malcolm died on Jan. 19, 2005, and the cause of his death was suicide. He was nicknamed “El Flaco” and although had stopped attending WJ, he still had many close friends who loved him for his sense of humor and sweet personality. Garran sent out a letter on Jan. 20, 2005 explaining Malcolm’s death, and a moment of silence was requested by Malcolm’s friends over the PA system. The students respectfully thought of Malcolm and his friends and family, with those who had never met him wondering how it must feel to lose a close friend. Malcolm’s friends designed black shirts to wear in his memory, and put up posters for all to sign with their love and regrets. Junior Alejandra Chipana said, “It feels like it was yesterday when he was in my room picking out an outfit for me to go to that night’s party because the one I already had on was ‘whack’. And then that day came, when I got that phone call, and I refused to believe what I heard. Then, like everyone else, my eyes watered up because I had lost a good friend. Today when I think about Stefan it’s always with laughter because he was a comedian. I keep him in my prayers and I always will.”