The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
WJ Food4All serves community
WJ Food4All serves community
MCPS Board of Education members raise their hands in favor of delaying construction at Woodward and Crown High Schools. The plan specifically calls for delaying auditoriums at both schools until funds are appropriated for their construction.
A look at the winners of the Board of Education elections
NAHS brushes up creative murals
NAHS brushes up creative murals
Social studies teacher Mitchell Joy analyzes an AP World student's work using the timeline feature in the Brisk program. Brisk allows educators to see students type each word, making it much easier for teachers to ensure that students do not use AI or other students' work to cheat.
New academic integrity systems strengthen WJ grading system
With phase I of construction completed, Woodward High School now accommodates Northwood students. Phase II and III of the project have yet to be started, and will likely incorporate the construction of an athletics field and auditorium. (Courtesy MCPS)
MCPS miscalculation leads to $39 million construction deficit
(Courtesy Maryland GovPics - The Celebration of Maryland Black Excellence Reception via Wikimedia)
Alsobrooks wins major fight for Senate seat
A group of Israelis in the community rally together on Montrose Bridge. They decided to gather together around 6:30 a.m., marking the exact one-year anniversary of the war. (Courtesy Liann Keren)
Oct. 7: the impacts one year later
Two friends play video games together through their TVs. They met through social media, and have become best friends since thanks to the internet. Without it, their friendship wouldn't have been possible, as it is the case for many real life relationships.
How social media has changed relationships
AP Calculus teacher Rachel Zussman works on finishing up her grades prior to the end of the quarter. With many teachers wanting change in the MCPS pay system, a performance-based pay system is an intriguing idea.
Teachers reflect on performance-based pay system
Senior Mwape Sokoni (middle), junior Daniella Ngah (right) and senior Michelle Lett (left) practice a routine in the cafeteria. Step Team practices diligently, performing the routine until the entire group catches on.
A force for good: Mwape Sokoni’s social impact on WJ
Club president Sadie Morgenstern and treasurer Brady Chan embrace in a hug with his younger brother, Ryder, at the annual friendship walk last year. “The walk is a fun way to interact with people from other schools and everyone seems to really enjoy it,” Chan said.
Generational friendship: Best Buddies between siblings
A family happily enjoys a holiday meal together, with all the members seemingly enjoying themselves except for the only child in the image. We all know what she's going through and wish we had something-anything to talk to our extended family about.
No politics, just pie: seasonal dinner table topics
Ariana Grande as Ghilda whispering in Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba's ear. A fan edit of this poster caused controversy with Cynthia Erivo. (Courtesy Universal Pictures reused via Fair Use)
Wicked movie promotion causes mixed reactions
A group of kindergarteners sit on the carpet listening to their teacher tell them about the months of the year. Teenagers feel nostalgia when remembering how they used to sit on the carpet in elementary school. (Courtesy woodleywonderworks via Wikimedia Commons)
What nostalgia means to teenagers
Vijay Kannen (11), Bertie Bennett (11), Theo Hansen (11) and Idan Tzioni (12) pose for a photo at the Junior's Homecoming Hallway. Their performance caused a traffic jam as students stopped to listen to the music. (Courtesy Paul Gomes)
Jazz quartet reaches for the high notes
Pep Band plays a song at a home fall football game. "I think pep band is for people that want to go to football games a lot and maybe don't have people to go. It's a place to have fun with a lot of friends," pep band captain senior Theo Hansen said.
Putting the pep in WJ’s step: pep band rallies “juice,” builds community
Opening night's narrators, juniors Yuri Sternberg and Sasha Rotton, turn to watch as a wave of confetti is dropped onto the stage. The performance was unusually colorful, complementing its chaotic nature. "I’m really proud of the cast and the way we were able to come together and work towards putting on the show,” Rotton said.
STAGE salvages ‘Grimm’ choice of play
Backstage with WJ STAGE
Backstage with WJ STAGE
President-elect Donald Trump speaks to a crowd at a 2024 Arizona rally. Trump swept all seven swing states and won the popular vote en route to a victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. (Courtesy Gage Skidmore via Flickr)
Alienating Trump voters is counterproductive
The college application process is stressful for all seniors; many students work their way up the grades with stacked extracurriculars. However, student-athletes seem to be favored more than "regular" applicants. (Courtesy Empowerly)
Student-athlete or part-time worker; which weighs more?
Senior Ginger Fishberg defends the ball against an opposing player during a varsity girls' soccer game against Blair. Despite her obvious athleticism, as well as that of other varsity athletes, she is still required to take a full year of Physical Education to earn the credit. (Courtesy Lifetouch)
Varsity athletics should count as a gym credit
Almost every student takes the ACT or SAT and many take both. Preparation outside of school often correlates with high scores. (Courtesy Citrus County School District)
ACT/SAT prep should be accessible in class
The WJ Baby is held up for a photo by one of its fans during a football game in 2021. Unfortunately, the baby was only able to attend one football game this season before being incarcerated. (Courtesy WJ Baby)
Free the WJ Baby
Common slang ranked from best to worst
Common slang ranked from best to worst
Junior WR Corey Dooren checks with the referee that he is on the line of scrimmage. Dooren helped step up throughout the Wildcat's season and will continue to step up as he matures into a senior next year.
Panthers pounce Wildcats, ending football season
Day in the life of a student-athlete
Day in the life of a student-athlete
Senior Ginger Fishberg defends the ball against an opposing player during a varsity girls' soccer game against Blair. Despite her obvious athleticism, as well as that of other varsity athletes, she is still required to take a full year of Physical Education to earn the credit. (Courtesy Lifetouch)
Varsity athletics should count as a gym credit
Captain Patrick Murphy skates past a defender on a race to the puck. Murphy's defense was a huge contributor in the 1-9 win against Blair.
Icecats breakaway to 4-0 after win against Blair
The cheer squad struts to the floor to start their routine for regionals on Nov. 2 at Harford Community College. The team spent weeks working on their routine and were proud to get the chance to perform it at regionals. “Stepping on to the mat at regionals, I felt really nervous, but I was also very excited because I wanted to show the judges all the hard work we put into the routine,” junior Lyla Cho said. (Courtesy Candice Nsoga-Mahob)
Cheer closes season, scores 4th at regionals
Seniors Ellie Weinstein, Rhea Noumair, Naamiah Corke, and Natalie Annulis celebrate Weinstein's first touchdown of the game.
Girls’ flag football falls to Whitman in playoffs
Day in the life of a student-athlete
Day in the life of a student-athlete
ESOL hosts pumpkin carving event
ESOL hosts pumpkin carving event
Opening night's narrators, juniors Yuri Sternberg and Sasha Rotton, turn to watch as a wave of confetti is dropped onto the stage. The performance was unusually colorful, complementing its chaotic nature. "I’m really proud of the cast and the way we were able to come together and work towards putting on the show,” Rotton said.
STAGE salvages ‘Grimm’ choice of play
Support staff of WJ
Support staff of WJ
Backstage with WJ STAGE
Backstage with WJ STAGE
Homecoming hallways walkthrough
Homecoming hallways walkthrough
The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
Ellie Montemayor

Ellie Montemayor, Senior Arts and Entertainment Editor

Ellie is excited to be this year’s senior A&E editor in her second year of The Pitch. She can usually be found reading dusty old textbooks, spending egregious amounts of time on Science Olympiad, or ignoring schoolwork.

All content by Ellie Montemayor
2022 offers a wide selection of video games to play, from action-sports ("Nintendo Switch Sports") and cutesy platformer ("Kirby and the Forgotten Land") to existentialist adventure ("The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe") and brutal RPG ("Elden Ring").

Must-have video games of 2022

Ellie Montemayor, Senior A&E Editor
June 3, 2022
Over the decades, science fiction films have evolved in scope, script, theme and general relevance to the greater world as they become and increasingly intertwined part of popular culture. Each passing decade brings a different take on the concept of "science" and "science fiction," with films' development teams raised in the wake of the prior generations' development.

Hollywood’s rocky history with science fiction

Ellie Montemayor, Senior A&E Editor
May 10, 2022
The nine-episode docudrama miniseries "Inventing Anna" stars Julia Garner as the eponymous Anna Delvey/Sorokin and was released on Feb. 11 on Netflix.

Netflix’s “Inventing Anna” tells a binge-worthy tale of wealth and betrayal in New York City

Ellie Montemayor, Senior A&E Editor
March 9, 2022
The legacy of Roe v. Wade in today’s society

The legacy of Roe v. Wade in today’s society

Sophia Meytin and Ellie Montemayor
February 17, 2022
"The Beatles: Get Back" soars to the top of most-viewed charts last Thanksgiving weekend with its three-part release, for a total runtime of about eight hours.

“The Beatles: Get Back” restores a hint of humanity to the saga of The Beatles

Ellie Montemayor, Senior A&E Editor
January 10, 2022
Year in review: What did 2021 mean to us?

Year in review: What did 2021 mean to us?

Aya Hesham and Ellie Montemayor
December 21, 2021
Year in review: What did 2021 mean to us?

Year in review: What did 2021 mean to us?

Ellie Montemayor, Senior A&E Editor
December 21, 2021
Symphonic Orchestra students prepare for a rehearsal in the auditorium for their upcoming winter concert. Practice in the auditorium is especially useful this year as many students have not had experience playing live there.

Student instrumentalists prepare for winter concerts

Ellie Montemayor, Senior A&E Editor
December 9, 2021
“The Closer” should close out Dave Chappelle’s career: A commentary on comedy, free speech and the transgender experience

“The Closer” should close out Dave Chappelle’s career: A commentary on comedy, free speech and the transgender experience

Ellie Montemayor, Senior A&E Editor
November 10, 2021
Senior Eleora Ephrem dances in her bedroom. Ephrem began posting dance covers of songs at the beginning of quarantine.

Spotlight artist of the Issue: Eleora Ephrem

Ellie Montemayor, Senior A&E Editor
October 15, 2021
Overcrowding is common at WJ as thousands of students walk through the halls to get to classes. Some students did not wear masks properly, ignoring the school's masking requirements.

COVID-19 policy: overview and community reactions

Ellie Montemayor, Senior A&E Editor
September 15, 2021
Junior Sophia Meytin presents their research at a virtual student conference. Meytin worked on the research under the mentorship of Ford Combs, a graduate student at George Mason University.

WJ students prepare for summer internships

Ellie Montemayor, Print A&E Editor
June 1, 2021
WJ administration releases the school's AP testing schedule on Wed., Mar. 24th. Most AP exams will be administered digitally and at home with the exception of the music theory and world language exams.

WJ community reacts to 2021 AP exam schedule

Ellie Montemayor, Print A&E Editor
April 19, 2021
WJ S*T*A*G*E's lights department hold a meeting together over Discord. This meeting went on after a program-wide meeting with all S*T*A*G*E staff members to discuss their upcoming musical documentary.

Moving forward by looking back: WJ S*T*A*G*E performs music through the ages

Ellie Montemayor, Print A&E Editor
March 17, 2021
WJ Madrigals perform a piece for MLK Day on Jan. 18th. The audio and visuals were recorded separately per person and combined together with an editing application. (youtube.com/watch?v=pX4dTJgSpws)

Students build a community at WJ through the lens of music

Ellie Montemayor, Print A&E Editor
February 24, 2021
Brock Eastman studied environmental and animal science in college, soon finding himself in a variety of jobs relating to animal conservation. After taking on a graduate program with MCPS, Eastman is now an environmental science teacher and Science Olympiad club sponsor at WJ.

Litigation to lab work to the Lubee Bat Conservancy: Unexpected jobs WJ faculty had before WJ

Ellie Montemayor, Print A&E Editor
January 27, 2021
Members from WJ S*T*A*G*E's lights, sound and SFX set departments host a game night together online through video call. Many of the different departments have often done team-bonding activities like game nights to keep the spirit of S*T*A*G*E alive.

Rebirth of the Golden Age: WJ S*T*A*G*E goes virtual

Ellie Montemayor, Print A&E Editor
November 12, 2020
The future of CGI

The future of CGI

Ellie Montemayor, Print A&E Editor
October 25, 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to make history with each passing day, film studios are returning to produce movies, albeit with significant restrictions. Shooting locations are limited as many establishments and proprietors remain wary of the risk of infection, and many projects in production have been halted, delayed or cancelled. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Film industry returns to “normal” operations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic

Ellie Montemayor, Print A&E Editor
September 30, 2020
Load More Stories
Donate to The Pitch
$356
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal