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
Lily Tapparo

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor

Senior Lily Tapparo is excited to participate in her first year with the Pitch as a Senior Sports Editor. In addition to writing for the Pitch, Lily plays soccer, is an officer for Best Buddies, and enjoys hanging with her friends.

All content by Lily Tapparo
Courtesy Lifetouch

Lily Tapparo’s Senior Reflection

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
May 21, 2024
Junior Elsa Santighian cradles the ball down the field as Kristina Einberg attempts to retrieve the ball. The Cats had a tough loss of 11-7 to the Whitman Vikings.

Vikings pounce on Cats in regional finals

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
May 21, 2024
Senior captain Natalya Krouse walks with her family on the Cats' senior night on May 1. Each senior was given a bouquet of flowers and was greeted by their coaches at the end of the walk.

Girls’ and boys’ lacrosse dominate on senior night

Lily Tapparo and Mateus Bouquet
May 9, 2024
Baseball extends victories to community through Miracle League

Baseball extends victories to community through Miracle League

Lily Tapparo and Joshua Singer
April 26, 2024
The Wildcats line up for the National Anthem before their game on April 16. The Cats were getting ready to begin their game against the Rockville Rams who they ultimately beat 15-4.

Girls’ lacrosse week in review

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
April 23, 2024
Girls' lacrosse played the Walt Whitman Vikings on Friday April 5 in an intense contest. Even with much effort and determination, the Cats were unable to tie the game and fell 6-5 to the Vikings.

Cats crush Bulldogs, marginally fall to Vikings

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
April 7, 2024
Team captain and starting pitcher Sami Rosenberg lifts the region champion plaque over her head as teammates celebrate. WJ softball won its region in 2023, a feat the team hopes to repeat this year.

Spring Sports Previews

Seyun Park, Anna Zucconi, Joshua Singer, Lily Tapparo, Hillevi Schine, Mateus Bouquet, Jeremy Silberglied, Elizabeth Finn, Cecilia Saltzman, Michelle Kim and Mackenzie Norris
March 20, 2024
Senior Karthik Shankar (right) open fences against his teammate during practice. During this round, he lunged to attack as the opponent tried to defend.

Fencer Karthik Shankar lunges to victory

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
March 8, 2024
Where did Wildcat wellness go?

Where did Wildcat wellness go?

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
February 12, 2024
Senior Captain Mackenzie Raue races in the 4x800 meter event at the 4A West Region Championships. Her relay group took the lead and ran this relay in 9:33.62.

Indoor track strides through Regionals

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
February 9, 2024
Senior captain of track and field Sarah Watson wins gold. She competed in the 2023 MCPS spring County Championships and won first place in discus, earning a 100-09.

Sarah Watson throws her way to triumph

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
February 2, 2024

Pitch Picks: Super Bowl LVIII Predictions

Lily Tapparo, Joshua Singer, Audrey Ring, Mateus Bouquet, Mackenzie Norris, Anna Zucconi and Elizabeth Finn
February 2, 2024
Senior Vance Bonior wins gold at the MCPS Championships on Tuesday, Jan. 23. He placed 1st in shot put and also placed first in the triple jump, earning a PR for both.

Indoor track dashes through their winter season

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
January 26, 2024
Sophomore Sophia Barrett runs a relay in the Polar Bear track meet on Tuesday, Dec.5 at Winston Churchill High School. Even though this meet didn't count towards their overall record, it prepared them for their upcoming invitational in Virginia Beach.

Track warms up at Polar Bear meet

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
December 12, 2023
Season 7 of Selling Sunset continues to be a drama-filled reality show with a touch of real estate. This season was released in early November and had a successful first few weeks on Netflix.

Show Review: Netflix’s season 7 of “Selling Sunset”

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
December 12, 2023
Winter sports previews

Winter sports previews

Jeremy Silberglied, Anna Zucconi, Mackenzie Norris, Peter Kahrl, Mateus Bouquet and Lily Tapparo
December 5, 2023
Senior Kimmi Shiau poses for a photo at Rutgers University. On this recruiting trip from Oct. 13-15, she was able to watch practice, received tours of the school and the athletic facilities and had a media photo shoot.

Star gymnast Kimmi Shiau beams with success

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
November 3, 2023
WJ Cheer stunts for the student section on Sept. 1 versus the BCC Barons. They made sure to excite the fans for this big rivalry game.

Cheer flips into their fall season

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
October 13, 2023
Students attend a Thursday night football game against Paint Branch high school on Sept. 22. Surprisingly, this game created a decent turnout for it being on a Thursday night. “All my friends stayed, but at halftime, people started to leave because it was a school night,” senior Oliver Simons said.

Friday Night Lights punted to Thursday

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
September 27, 2023
RASA's new location in Montrose Crossing Shopping Center offers a fun seating area for customers. I enjoyed eating my meal as I was able to feel the outside breeze.

RASA: New chic, fast-casual Indian food comes to Rockville

Lily Tapparo, Senior Sports Editor
June 14, 2023
"Keeping up with the Kardashians" has garnered record-breaking viewership. However, many have been embarrassed to admit they enjoy it because of the catty drama and controversy constantly surrounding the Kardashians. Because of this, the reality TV show is considered a guilty pleasure.

Guilty pleasures: Indulge in that trashy TV show

Lily Tapparo, Special To The Pitch
December 5, 2022
From left: Seniors Danna Taveras, Alison Razafimandimby, Shiima Nantulya and Yness Seidnaly write encouraging letters for Burundian refugees to boost their spirits.

Maison Shalom fundraises for Burundian refugees

Lily Tapparo, Special to The Pitch
November 23, 2022
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