Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) is a public school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is named for two of the towns it serves; it also serves Kensington and Silver Spring. It is located at 4301 East-West Highway, in Bethesda. In May 2012, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School was ranked #6 in the state of Maryland, and #151 in the nation.
Bethesda-Chevy Chase is a part of Montgomery County Public Schools.
The school serves the Chevy Chase and Bethesda areas including the towns of Chevy Chase, Chevy Chase View, Chevy Chase Village, and Somerset; and the villages of Chevy Chase Section Three, Chevy Chase Section Five, Martin's Additions and North Chevy Chase. Schools within the Bethesda-Chevy Chase cluster include Westland Middle, Silver Creek Middle, Bethesda Elementary, Chevy Chase Elementary (3-6), North Chevy Chase Elementary (3-6), Rock Creek Forest Elementary, Rosemary Hills Elementary (Pre-K-2), Somerset Elementary, and Westbrook Elementary.
Academics
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Demolition Underway - Video shot on June 13, 2017. Credit: Katherine Grover, provided to Bethesda Beat.
B-CC is a public senior high school with various academic programs, including learning and academic disabilities education and English as a second language. The school has an honors program, an Advanced Placement program, and a signature program â€" the International Baccalaureate program. B-CC is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the Maryland State Department of Education. The school offers 28 Advanced Placement Courses, and the International Baccalaureate Middle Years and Diploma Programs.
In 1960, the school was rated "Best School in America" by Time magazine. In 2005, the school was ranked 29th in Newsweek magazine's top 1000 High Schools in the U.S. It ranked 34th in the 2006 edition, and 44th in the 2007 edition. B-CC was ranked 64th on Newsweek's Top 100 High Schools of 2008. In 2010, B-CC was ranked by Newsweek as the third best public school in the state of Maryland, and as the 63rd best public school nationwide.
In May 2011, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School was ranked #1 in the state of Maryland, and #59 in the nation.
Courses
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School offers courses in many fields.
Foreign languages
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School offers languages including:
- Arabic, level 1 (on-level), 2 (on-level), 3 (on-level), and 4 (on-level)
- Mandarin Chinese, level 1 (on-level), 2 (on-level), 3 (on-level/IB/honors), 4 (on-level/IB/honors), 5 (on-level/IB), and 6 (on-level/IB)
- French, level 1 (on-level), 2 (on-level), 3 (on-level/honors), 4 (on-level/honors), 5 (on-level/IB), 6 (IB), 7 (IB), and AP French Literature
- Spanish, level 1 (on-level), 2 (on-level), 3 (on-level/honors), 4 (on-level/honors), 5 (on-level/IB), 6 (on-level/IB), 7 (IB), AP Spanish Language, and AP Spanish Literature
Mathematics
In addition to courses such as Algebra and Geometry, which are required by many colleges as well as by Montgomery County, B-CC offers a variety of upper-level math courses. The Mathematics department is one of the strongest at B-CC, mainly because of the faculty which includes highly educated professors and award-winning teachers. The Mathematics department offers the following courses:
- Geometry (on-level/honors)
- Algebra, level 1 (on-level), 2 (on-level/honors), and a special program called Bridge to Algebra
- Precalculus (on-level/honors/IB)
- Calculus with Applications (on-level calculus course), AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations
- IB Mathematical Studies (Standard Level), IB Mathematics (standard level and higher level)
- Statistics, Statistics and Mathematical Modeling (on-level statistics course), AP Statistics, and Advance Statistics (more advanced statistics course)
Science
B-CC offers college-level science courses, including:
- AP Environmental Science
- IB Environmental Science (standard level)
- AP Physics C (teacher recommendation required)
- IB Physics
- AP Biology (double period)
- IB Biology
- AP Chemistry (double period)
- IB Chemistry (standard level)
In addition to the numerous electives offered by the Social Studies Department, courses exploring history and the social sciences at the college level are offered, including:
- AP and IB Standard Level Psychology
- AP U.S. History (with sufficient student interest)
- AP European History (with sufficient student interest)
- AP Macro and Microeconomics (each is one semester)
- AP World History
- AP Comparative Government
- IB History (higher level only)
- East Asian History
- AP Modern World and standard level Modern World
- AP United States Government and Politics
English
Many students in 11th and 12th grade opt to challenge themselves by taking college-level English courses offered at B-CC. These include:
- AP English Language
- AP English Literature
- IB English (higher level only)
Other
AP and IB courses are also offered by the Theater, Art, Music, and Technology Departments.
Music
B-CC's Music Department has earned two Grammy Foundation awards for their ensembles.
Led by Marshall White, the department boasts a Symphonic and Concert Orchestra and Band, Advanced Band, Pep Band, Jazz Band, Drumline, and a number of chamber groups such as a string quartet, brass group, string ensemble, pit orchestra (for the theatre program), and jazz combo. It also has several choral groups, led by Lisa Itkin, and individual instrument courses such as guitar and piano. The department also offers a rigorous IB Music course as a regular period during the day.
History
Begun as a two-story, 14-room facility on Wilson Lane in 1926, B-CC High School opened at its current location on East-West Highway in 1935 at 44,995 ft² in a building designed by Howard Wright Cutler. New buildings or additions to existing buildings were constructed over the years:
- 1936 â€" 36,515 ft² added
- 1950 â€" 49,616 ft² added
- 1952 â€" 22,396 ft² added
- 1959 â€" 32,408 ft² added
- 1966 â€" 29,023 ft² added
- 1970 â€" 20,295 ft² added
- 1975 â€" 8,378 ft² added
- 1976 â€" 9,616 ft² added
These additions made the total school area 253,242 ft².
In the summer of 1994, parents, teachers, administrators, business people and other supporters of B-CC High School formed the Community Coalition for Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. Its charge was to re-engineer and refocus the high school in an increasingly urbanized and cosmopolitan area. CC-B-CC representatives were encouraged to think broadly and innovatively to create programs that would lead B-CC High School and Montgomery County Public Schools into the next century.
Because of this effort, in February 2002, B-CC High School re-opened its doors after a two-and-a-half year, multimillion-dollar, comprehensive modernization that, among other things, combined the historic 1935 and 1936 structures into one building. It had a 213,499 ft² addition, 94,716 ft² of renovations of the original 1935, 1936 and part of the 1950 buildings, and 158,526 ft² of demolitions of most of the 1950 building, 1952, 1959, 1966, 1970, 1975, and 1976 buildings. The building now encompasses 308,215 ft².
Facilities
The school has 80 classrooms, a media center with 30 computer workstations and TV studio and media production facilities, a greenhouse, a music laboratory and choral room, two gymnasiums and a weight training room, a 900-seat auditorium, and a cafeteria that serves breakfast and lunch. B-CC also has two "firsts" among Montgomery County Public Schools - a Cyber Café, opened in March 2003, and a state-of-the-art Language Lab, installed in the summer of 2004.
In 2008, B-CC High School was equipped with 80 digital classroom Promethean boards.
Athletics
B-CC fields more than 25 athletic teams, known as the Barons.
Fall sports
- Cheerleading (2nd place in the county '09, 1st place in the county '11, Varsity - Division 1)
- Cross country (girls') (2011 and 2012 Maryland 4A Girls' State Champions)
- Cross country (boys') (2007 Maryland 3A Boys' State Champions)
- Field hockey (State Champions 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004; State Finalists 1987, 1989, 1991, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2011, and 2014)
- Football
- Golf
- Poms (2008 and 2011 County Champions, 2013 Mid-Atlantic Champions)
- Rowing (boys') (club sport)
- Rowing (girls') (club sport)
- Soccer (boys') (State Champions 1980, 1982, 1984, 2001, 2007, 2017)
- Soccer (girls') (State Champions 2001, 2004, State 2008, 2009; 48 place in the Nation; State Champions 2010, 2011; State Finalists 2012)
- Tennis (girls') (County Division 1 Champions '09)
- Volleyball (girls')
- Equestrian
- Handball
Winter sports
- Basketball (boys') (State Champions: 1959, 1984)
- Basketball (girls')
- Bocce (2014, 2015, 2016 Division 4 Champions; 2014, 2015 Montgomery County Champions; 2013, 2015, 2016 Maryland State Champions)
- Cheerleading
- Ice hockey (club sport)
- Indoor track (girls') (State Champions: 1980, 2008)
- Indoor track (boys')
- Poms
- Swimming & diving
- Wrestling
- Equestrian
Spring sports
- Baseball
- Gymnastics (State Champions 2007-2010)
- Lacrosse (boys')
- Lacrosse (girls')
- Outdoor track & field
- Rowing (boys') (club sport)
- State Champions - 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
- National finalists - 2000 (2nd), 2001 (1st), 2003, 2004 (3rd), 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- Rowing (girls') (club sport)
- State Champions - 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
- National finalists - 2002 (2nd), 2003, 2004 (1st), 2005, 2007 (3rd), 2008, 2012 (3rd), 2013, 2014, 2015 (1st)
- Softball
- Tennis (boys')
- County Champions- 2015
- State Champions-2015 (Doubles)
- Volleyball (boys') 2015
- Volleyball (coed)
- Ultimate frisbee (club sport)
- State champions - 2014, 2015, 2016
- Equestrian
Activities
B-CC High School offers more than 80 clubs and student organizations.
Academic
B-CC High School has a state championship varsity physics team.
Publications
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School actively publishes seven publications:
- The Banter, the PTSA's bimonthly newsletter
- Chips, B-CC's award-winning magazine currently in its 75th edition; a Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown winner
- College/Career Crier, a newsletter from the College & Career Coordinator containing information for students
- The Pine Tree, B-CC's yearbook, first organized by B-CC Class of 1932
- The Tattler, the oldest student-run newspaper in the county (begun in the 1920s) and, for the 2000â€"2001 school year, winner of a gold medal awarded by the Columbia School of Journalism
- IB Newsletter, a newsletter about the IB Program at BCC and its developments
Music and theatre
B-CC is a Grammy Foundation signature school. In 2005, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School won the Maryland State Theatre Society's award for best musical for its production of Urinetown.
In April 2008, B-CC attended the Boston Heritage Festival. All of its music groups received golds as well as several trophies and plaques. They also received soloist awards for a number of their musicians. The 2010 music department went to New York City, where B-CC won multiple awards, including the "Heritage Sweepstakes" award (for being the overall best competing music department) and the "Best Individual Ensemble" Award, which went to the Symphonic Orchestra.
Previous music department trips have taken students to Montreal, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, and Orlando. Each trip has seen B-CC's ensembles participate in the Heritage Festival, with the notable exception of the 2013 trip to New York, in which groups attended clinics and were coached by professional musicians.
Activism
Protests
B-CC students have participated in several protests over the years. In more recent history, protests have included environmental activism and political activism. In 2014 students staged a sit-in to bring attention to the "Black Lives Matter" movement. In 2016 students protested the abrupt cutting of trees in the front of the school.
Administrators
- Principal: Dr. Donna Redmond Jones
- Assistant Principal: Sharif Robinson
- Assistant Principal: Amy Councilman
- Assistant Principal: Tim Britton
- Assistant School Administrator: Sam Levine
Notable staff
- Colman McCarthy, peace studies teacher
Notable alumni
Government and politics
- Andy Billig, Washington state senator from the 3rd District
- David Boren, U.S. Senator and Governor of Oklahoma; President of University of Oklahoma
- Chet Culver, Governor of Iowa, 2007-2011
- Daniel Dominguez, federal judge
- William Frick, member of the Maryland House of Delegates
- L. Craig Johnstone, U.S. Ambassador to Algeria, and Deputy-High Commissioner for Refugees
- Peter Jo Messitte, federal judge
- Peter Navarro, Director of National Trade Council
- Bryan Pagliano, former IT specialist with the State Department during Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State who set up Clinton’s private email server
- Neal Potter, county executive of Montgomery County, 1990â€"1994
- Ruy Teixeira, political scientist
- Roger W. Titus, federal judge
Business
- Jose Ferreira, CEO of Knewton
- Philip J. Kaplan (aka Pud), internet personality
- Frank Radice, media businessman, former President of National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
- Jonathan I. Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems
Academia
- Alfredo Jocelyn-Holt Letelier, Chilean historian
- David Stuart, Mayanist scholar, youngest recipient of MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant"
Sports
- Mitchell Bobrow, karate fighter, 1969 All American Karate Grand Champion Madison Square Garden
- Moise Fokou, football player, linebacker for NFL's Tennessee Titans
- Frank Funk, MLB player (Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Braves)
- Bill Guckeyson, 1937 NFL Draft; killed as a fighter pilot in World War II; namesake of the school's athletic field
- Collin Martin, Major League Soccer midfielder for D.C. United
- Elliana Pogrebinsky, figure skater
- Joe Urso, arena football player (Baltimore Blackbirds, Chesapeake Tide, Maryland Maniacs)
- Ethan White, Major League Soccer defender for D.C. United
Arts and media
- Geralann Dillon, Clothing Brand Model Calvin Klein
- Martin Blank, playwright, screenwriter, and producer
- Rita Braver, TV broadcaster, CBS News correspondent
- Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with a Pearl Earring
- Gaelan Connell, star of the movie Bandslam
- Tommy Davidson, comedian, cast member of TV series In Living Color
- Andy Duncan, founding member of band OK GO
- Neal Fredericks, cinematographer, notably for The Blair Witch Project
- Robert Gordon, rockabilly singer
- Joe Haldeman, science-fiction writer, author of The Forever War
- John Harwood, Chief White House Correspondent for CNBC
- Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit: An American Legend and Unbroken
- Si Kahn, singer and songwriter
- Daniel Kessler, guitarist and founder of the band Interpol
- Austin H. Kiplinger, journalist and philanthropist
- Charles Lane, columnist for the Washington Post; former editor of The New Republic magazine
- Kati Marton, journalist
- Robert Mercurio, bassist and founder of the band Galactic
- Andy Pollin, radio personality, sports talk station WTEM
- Jeff Raines, guitarist and founder of the band Galactic
- Peter Rosenberg, radio and TV personality, Hot 97
- Andy Serwer, journalist and former managing editor of Fortune magazine
- David Simon, creator and executive producer of HBO series The Wire
- Becky Stark, actress and lead singer of Lavender Diamond
- Daniel Stern, actor, appeared in two Home Alone movies
- Laurie Strongin, author of Saving Henry: A Mother's Journey
- David Tate, former CEO of Rantel Research, Inc.; current Director of Analytical Associates of Bethesda
- Mark Wenner, singer and harmonica player for blues band The Nighthawks
References
External links
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School alumni page