The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
Donate
Advertise
The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
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
The boys' and girls' team stand together on the podium after both winning a state title. "That was pretty much the goal the whole year, to have both teams win together so we can both celebrate together because we’ve won boys, we’ve won girls before but just never together so it was nice to go up there on the podium together at one," head coach Jamie Grimes said. (Courtesy Marcus Chen)
WJ swim conquer states, win co-titles
William Murphy, Print Sports Editor • Mar 7, 2025
The cost of an in-state college is significantly lower than an out-of-state or private university. This can be a challenge for students who wish to attend an out-of-state of private college.
By the numbers: the cost of college for WJ students
Maya Panicker, Print Editor-in-Chief • Mar 7, 2025
Decorative Background
Latest in Print
Meet the Staff
Maya Panicker
Maya Panicker
Print Editor-in-Chief

Senior Maya Panicker is thrilled for her second year on The Pitch as a Print Editor-in-Chief. In addition to writing articles, she enjoys playing soccer and listening to music 24/7.

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
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
The Prosecution team poses outside of Frederick County Courthouse after winning against Urbana High School, making them Circuit 6 champions.
Mock Trial to take historic trip to regional championship
Kareena Panicker, Print News Editor
Decorative Background
WJ Sports
Senior Noah Butterfly swims butterfly in a WJ Swim Meet. Although fly is his best stroke, Potter also medaled as an anchor of the 200 freestyle relay at the state championship, with a final leg of 45.1. Potter's time was enough to help break a school record, which people have come to expect from Potter.(Courtesy Marcus Chen)
The WJ bocce team uniquely features both people with and without disabilities. They've been able to build a positive team rapport and have a good time throughout the season, win or lose.
Allied softball swings into action
Junior Ruslan Titov backhands a shot against Oakdale goalie Charles Forino and defender Timothy Farley. The Cats struggled to get solid shots on goal during the game, and Oakdale's four goals went unanswered.
Listen to The Pitch Radio Network
wjpitch is on Mixlr
Tune in for select sports games with play-by-play commentary brought to you by Pitch commentators
Photos
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."
A student holds up her answer to a trivia question as her teammates look to the projector screen for the answer. Most of the questions were random, but the tiebreakers focused, appropriately, on the heart.
Videos
Engineering club showcases projects, educates students
William Murphy and Elizabeth Finn
A student’s pocket guide to the Burrito Mile
Josh Hananel, Online Editor-in-Chief
Best Buddies hosts Valentine’s Day cookie decorating party
Hugo Conquet and Kaina Sy-Savane
Best Buddies hosts karaoke dance party
Xavier Alexander-Pounds and Olivia Korita
Follow our Instagram
Feature
When you receive a roommate, there is a possibility to request a room change. Some schools have different requirements regarding how long after the beginning of the school year until requesting a change.
To room or not to room: The process of finding a college roommate
Aviva Katz, Copy Editor
Most people's Snap Maps consist of people they are friends with, acquaintances or even strangers. With just the press of a button, so many people are able to view their Snapchat friends' locations.
Snap Maps: Is it a trap?
Maayan Keren, Print Feature Editor
Students attend the college fair, where they can meet new people and find new clubs they would like to join. (Courtesy Occidental College)
How are seniors socially preparing for college
Isabella Suarez, Social Media/Marketing
Acceptance rates of colleges and universities across the nation are changing. To accommodate the expansive rising freshman class, many institutions need to reevaluate the number of students they are able to accept.
UMD competitiveness equates to increase in college stress
Cate Liu and Maayan Keren
Arts & Entertainment
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
WJ Jazz Ensemble prepares for next song. The ensemble performed on The Bijou stage at the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, Feb. 15. “When I first auditioned I wasn't really familiar with [the genre], but I feel like I’ve really grown a lot. As a jazz musician it’s pretty natural,” senior pianist Meley Ghermey said.
All that jazz at WJ
Marie-Isabelle Nachega, Print Opinion Editor
Transforming from paper to screen
Transforming from paper to screen
Olivia Stokes, Print A&E Editor
Dr. Michael Helgerman leads the Symphonic Band, one of the five ensembles that performed at the instrumental music department's winter concert on Thursday, Dec.12. The performance was highlighted with many Christmas classics such as "The Polar Express" and "Let It Snow."
Photo Gallery: Instrumental music performs winter concert
Mateus Bouquet, Online Managing Editor
Opinion
Point/Counterpoint: Are WJ students overinvolved in APs?
Point/Counterpoint: Are WJ students overinvolved in APs?
Pitch Opinion: The fall of Leadership
Pitch Opinion: The fall of Leadership
Pitch Editorial Board
Students visit a college campus. Despite the growing popularity of virtual tours, in-person visits are still the most popular method of touring for prospective students. (Courtesy Ed Uthman)
When is the right time for college visits?
Mia Halper, Print Editor-in-Chief
There are many different ways in which teachers choose to educate their students, with some teachers lecturing and others having students lead the class discussion. This forces students to adapt to their different classes, but is that such a bad thing? (via Word Cloud)
Different teaching styles aren’t such a bad thing
Finn McArdle, Staff Writers
Donate to The Pitch
$481
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal