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)
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
Liann Keren

Liann Keren, Online A&E Editor

Liann is a senior and she is the Pitch’s Online A&E editor. In her free time, she enjoys reading pop culture articles and doing yoga with candles.
All content by Liann Keren
Zoien Hall, Ciella Koebi and Kayla Jones (left to right) pose for an American Eagle photo shoot. This was the third American Eagle shoot Borissow had photographed.

Fashion Club rocks boho chic in its newest partnership with Altar’d State

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
April 11, 2023
SlumpMadi looks out into a crowd of flashing light and cheers. His set at Pain 1999 was his official live debut.

“All Time Low” becomes all time high in SlumpMadi’s onstage debut

Liann Keren, Online A&E Editor
February 27, 2023
A flyer posted to @wj_earthquakefundraiser on Instagram. Students have coordinated with the social studies department to collect money in classes during the week of Feb. 13. The proceeds will go to The Red Crescent, a humanitarian organization.

Students unite to aid victims of Kahramanmaras earthquake

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
February 13, 2023
Users can type and submit their questions and prompts and watch ChatGPT type out its response. ChatGPT has the capacity to write anything, from a poem about flying kittens, to a letter for a loved one, to instructions on how to undo a stuck zipper.

ChatGPT ignites concern, discussion on its implications for human writing

Allison Xu and Liann Keren
January 17, 2023
WJ alum Tim Kurkjian was enshrined in the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame in December.

WJ: A year in review

Joshua Singer, Liann Keren and Seyun Park
December 21, 2022
A Hanukkiah (Hanukkah Menorah) perches in the foreground of a cluster of glistening trees. In December, three major holidays are celebrated: Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. However, in the past and recently, the US hasn't done a good job in representing the diverse communities of people it prides itself on representing.

Think we can branch out this Holiday Season?

Liann Keren, Online A&E Editor
December 21, 2022
The auditorium stage where "The Twilight Zone" will be performed has a room below it for storage. Every school production has been performed on this stage, as it houses hundreds of seats and has an immense amount of storage.

WJ S*T*A*G*E pushes past obstacles, opens Twighlight Zone despite setbacks

Liann Keren, Online A&E Editor
December 2, 2022

An exclusive look: School Psychologist shares a day in her life

November 2, 2022
On Oct. 21, Taylor Swift released her tenth studio album "Midnights" two months after its initial announcement. Yet again, Swift dazzled in both marketing and creative aspects.

‘God rest my soul’ because Taylor Swift just killed me

Liann Keren and Zsuzsanna Juhasz
November 2, 2022
High school seniors face immense levels of stress during application season, especially with the task of the college essay. For the past six years, the English department has neglected to pursue an organized strategy to help all seniors with this difficult task. It's time to make a change.

Teachers helping with college essays: inequitable or unorganized?

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
September 23, 2022
Olivia Wilde and her star-studded cast pose on the red carpet at the world premiere of "Don't Worry Darling," at the Venice International Film Festival. In the past several months, the film has been at the center of celebrity drama — likely an attempt to stir up publicity for the film, which is set for release on Sept. 23.

An avid movie-goer’s scoop on “Don’t Worry Darling” preceding its release

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
September 22, 2022
Graph of MoviePass membership over time, in thousands.

AMC and Regal offer $3 movies

Liam Dorrien and Liann Keren
September 15, 2022
"Nope" (2022)

The Pitch selects the most highly anticipated movies of the summer

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
June 16, 2022
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

Dive into the most highly anticipated books of summer 2022

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
May 26, 2022

Interviewing the class of 2023 SGA officers

Liann Keren, Meron Berhe and Nicole Weaver
May 16, 2022

MCPS news blurbs: contact tracing and community officers

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
May 2, 2022
A poster advertising The 94th Academy Awards, or The Oscars. This prestigious award show has been around since 1928. Some predict it is losing traction and will soon become irrelevant to the general public.

Students react to Oscars comeback

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
April 8, 2022
Get off the internet and stop self-diagnosing

Get off the internet and stop self-diagnosing

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
April 2, 2022
Junior Isaac Malka hikes Har Arbel (a mountain in Israel) alongside his study-abroad classmates.

WJ students globalize: a trip to the world

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
March 21, 2022
Actress Brie Larson is called ¨annoying,¨ a ¨show-off,¨ and an ¨upstart,¨ while actor Ansel Elgort is called ¨brave,¨ ¨strong,¨ and ¨out-going.¨

Why does Hollywood hate women?

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
February 16, 2022

The Pitch’s Guide to a Romantic Valentine’s Day

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
February 10, 2022

Pitch Food Review: Pike & Rose Hotspots

Alexandra Jernell, Catherine Prado and Liann Keren
February 4, 2022
MCPS students march to demand transition to virtual learning

MCPS students march to demand transition to virtual learning

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
January 26, 2022
Taylor Swift sings her bridge in the SNL skit, "Three Sad Virgins" alongside Pete Davidson. Swift appeared as a guest on the show the night after "Red (Taylor's Version)" dropped. Her appearance on such a well-known talk show exposes "Red (Taylor's Version)" to wider audiences.

Taylor Swift: “America’s Sweetheart” becomes tactical entrepeneur

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
December 13, 2021
4

Spotlight Artist of the issue: senior Graysin Oh becomes published Webtoon artist

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
November 15, 2021
A student attempts to remain caught up in self-isolation while their classmates continue learning in the physical environment.

Students struggle to keep up with 10 day quarantine

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
November 15, 2021
Five anonymous game-runners stand over the two buttons that players press to determine if they want to keep playing "The Game." Players must play "The Game" until the end unless the majority press the green button to agree to finish it.

How Squid Game became Netflix’s most viewed show in under a month

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
October 29, 2021
One edition of "Dune." Yellow and orange colors alternate to mimic the look of the sandy Earth dunes.

Denis Villaneuve disappoints in 2021 “Dune” adaptation

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
October 27, 2021
A student rushes to finish their AP Physics exam. After an over 50% failure rate, the spotlight is on whether or not passing rates will decrease.

Returning AP students face new hurdles

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
October 18, 2021

WJ Pitch investigates the anonymous and new student-run social media accounts

Nicole Weaver and Liann Keren
October 7, 2021
Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse.

WJ students’ top 2021 Reads

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
May 6, 2021
Senior Abby Matson sews facemasks to distribute during the coronavirus pandemic. Matson has sewn about 400 facemasks in total.

Making the impossible, possible (#PandemicSeniors2021)

Niki Mallik and Liann Keren
March 15, 2021
A slide included in the meeting slideshow. A brief introduction was made about “The Art of a Shot” before going into the common shots and angles seen in a film.

Spotlight: Film Club

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
January 19, 2021
A map depicting the prevalence of COVID-19 by county in Maryland. As the virus spreads across Maryland and the rest of the United States, businesses have to adapt their practices to accommodate social distancing and at-risk individuals.

What will the country look like in four months?

Liann Keren, Staff Writer
June 27, 2020
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