The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

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The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
Freshman pitcher Lizzie Robinson high fives freshman second baseman Logan Strbak. Strbak was the starting pitcher for the Wildcats but was subbed for Robinson in the fifth inning.
Softball records biggest win in three years
Seyun Park, Editor-in-Chief • Mar 27, 2025
KPRO members pose for a group photo after their Hallyu performance. They started practicing two months before the performance, and met up one per week for two hours to practice all together. "We all put in so much effort, and I am so grateful for those who came and supported us," senior Vice President Alexis Batac said.
K-pop dance team performs at Hallyu showcase
Mia Magone, Business Manager • Mar 22, 2025
MCPS Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor pretends to take a phone call in the middle of a Board meeting as part of a humorous illustration about the distraction of cell phones. Taylor and MCPS staff will soon be revising MCPS's regulation on the use of personal mobile devices in school.
County, state policymakers take aim at cell phones in schools
Seyun Park and Elli Karistinou • Mar 7, 2025
Junior Norah Youssef shoots a three-pointer in the first half of the regional semifinals loss against Churchill High School. Although stars such as Youssef helped cut the early deficit down to one, it wasn't enough as the Cats' season came to a close.
Girls’ basketball ends season with frustrating loss against Churchill
Jeremy Silberglied, Print Sports Editor • Mar 7, 2025
Social studies teacher Christopher Merrill helps AP Human Geography students at lunch. Merrill consistently makes himself available for help outside of class, providing students opportunities to catch up or reinforce a topic they don't understand.
Traveling, Twitter graphics and Thai food: Getting to know social studies teacher Christopher Merrill
Riley Berkowitz, Print News Editor • Apr 2, 2025
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Latest in Print
News
U.S President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. On Feb. 4, Trump doubled down to relocate the Palestinians from the Gaza strip.
World reacts to Trump’s Gaza reconstruction plan, Trump looking to turn strip into beach resort
Ethan Pletter, Online Sports Editor
Thousands of Jewish teens gather at BBYO's International Convention in Denver, Colorado. The four-day event took place over Presidents Day weekend and hosted over 5,000 teens from all over the world.
Jewish teens react to recent surge in antisemitism
Jonathan Bahat, Print Opinion Editor
A group of students of various student organizations dance and laugh. “It turned out really amazing," senior and BSU President Mwape Sokoni said. "It’s always really stressful, but by the time I actually got to watch it I was really blown away with all the work everyone had done.”
Black History Month assembly highlights cultural diaspora, promotes unity
Liam Barrett, Gabby Davids and Meher Parsinni
SMOB candidates (left to right), Montgomery Blair High School junior Anuva Maloo, WJ junior Sebastian Hernandez, WJ junior Anna Jhon, Northwest High School junior Peter Boyko and John F. Kennedy High School junior Richa Tripathi sit on stage at the nominating convention, discussing their goals for MCPS. (Courtesy Arjun Rao)
SMOB finalists selected at nominating convention
Kareena Panicker, Print News Editor
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WJ Sports
Senior captain Ginger Fishberg facilitates offense against a Whitman defender to create opportunities offensively. Fishberg played a prominent role in the Cats' win, scoring 1 goal; however, she drew countless defenders to her, leaving other players open.
Sophomore Martin Popa sets up for a backhand slice in a practice. Popa is one of the many sophomores who make up the majority underclassmen team.
North Bethesda and Tilden face off in a middle school basketball game, but soon these competitors will join forces at WJ. The merging of both these middle schools brings many competitive athletes together.
Senior captain Ginger Fishberg dodges by Blair's defender for a shot on goal. Fishberg scored two of the Cat's opening goals for the season and led them to their first win.
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Photos
All the Minority Scholars Program facilitators gather on stage for a group photo. Students ranging from elementary school to high school arrived through buses and participated in the program.
Freshman Renu Vijayaraj dances to Kannazhaga, a South Indian song. "We worked on it for four months,” Vijayaraj said. "I was happy with how it went, it was really fun."
Videos
Protestors rally at NIH against DOGE cuts
Josh Hananel and Jay Resnik
Spring Sports Preview: Boys’ Lacrosse
Spring Sports Preview: Softball
Spring Sports Preview: Baseball
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Feature
Samuel Álvarez-García teaches the fourth period AP Spanish Literature and Culture class about "San Manuel Bueno, Mártir," one of the 38 course texts.
WJ’s APs you didn’t know about
Gil Gordon, Online Editor-in-Chief
Puerto Rican Spanish teacher Samuel Álvarez-García steps onstage during the 2025 Hispanic Cultural Assembly. Álvarez-García is part of WJ's large and diverse immigrant community.
Coming to Bethesda: the immigrant experience at WJ
Jay Resnik, Online Opinion Editor
The College Career Center has SAT and ACT prep books that help students prepare for past SATs and ACTs as well as the upcoming tests in the future.
How students prep for the SAT and ACT
Megha Mohanty, Staff Writer
Zurich, Switzerland is known for being one of the happiest cities in the world. It hosts the largest techno street party in Europe. It is the first destination on the spring break trip (Courtesy Aleksandar Greorgiev via Filckr.)
Yearly WJ spring break trip is back!
Cate Liu, Social Media/Marketing
Arts & Entertainment
Beyoncé is on a horse and holding an American flag. Cowboy Carter debuted first place in the country charts, making her the first black woman, to dominate this field.
Cowboy Carter Causes Controversy
Vania Charo, Online A&E Editor
KPRO members pose for a group photo after their Hallyu performance. They started practicing two months before the performance, and met up one per week for two hours to practice all together. "We all put in so much effort, and I am so grateful for those who came and supported us," senior Vice President Alexis Batac said.
K-pop dance team performs at Hallyu showcase
Mia Magone, Business Manager
This was the title screen for the first two seasons of "Euphoria." It is unknown in the third season if the logo, or the show's aesthetic, will change.
All for us: HBO Max’s ‘Euphoria’ makes a return
Billie Lieber, Podcast Editor
Fans were so excited for Tate McRae's third studio album that they just couldn't wait and leaked the "So Close To What" weeks before the drop. Now that the album is out, it really makes sense why.
“So Close to” Perfection: Tate McRae album Review
Shae McCloskey, Print Feature Editor
Opinion
Senior Shaun Rudick multitasks during class using his phone and computer to complete his work in a timely manner and make the best use of his time.
Should cellphones be allowed in class?
Zack Roach, Social Media/Marketing
Lots of familiar faces in this image, holding memories since birth. Ty toys were a very popular thing while I was growing up, beady eyes, names and birthdays; mainly kept because my mother refuses to let go of them. Each of these toys came into my life in different stages but still hold strong emotional connection.
Save the stuffies: stuffed animals are beneficial to teenagers
Gabby Davids, Layout and Design Editor
Homeroom is the shortest class of the day, making it difficult to work on any assignment in the brief class period. To fit the 10 minute homeroom into the class schedule, 20 minutes are taken away from lunch. (Courtesy Rawpixel)
Homeroom is unnecessary, harmful to student wellness
Mia Magone, Business Manager
Runners start warmup laps for winter track tryouts after school. Tryouts are held every year in November with the season closing in late March. Runners wear jogging pants and sweatshirts to protect from the cold and the wind.
Winter track is running out of style
Ben Goodstein, Business Manager
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