Richard Montgomery High School

File:Rockville High School, c.1936 LCCN2016851318.jpg

Richard Montgomery High School is the oldest public high school in Montgomery County. It was first established in 1892 as "Rockville High School", when the state Board of Education first allocated funds to local school to educate high school students. The first class of twelve seniors graduated in 1897.{{Cite web|title=Richard Montgomery HS - HISTORY OF RICHARD MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL {{!}} Richard Montgomery HS|url=https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/rmhs/aboutus/HistoryofRM|website=www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org|access-date=2020-05-20}}

A new high school was constructed and opened for use in September 1905 on East Montgomery Avenue and Monroe Street. An addition was built in 1917, expanding the school to 19 classrooms. Rockville Colored High School was opened in 1927.[http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/carver/#HistorySec George Washington Carver High School] Retrieved November 2, 2017. The school for white students was renamed Richard Montgomery High School (after a Major General Richard Montgomery, who had been a slave holder{{Cite web |title=Richard Montgomery HS - HISTORY OF RICHARD MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL {{!}} Richard Montgomery HS |url=https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/rmhs/aboutus/HistoryofRM |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org}}{{Cite web |last=Saha |first=Joy |date=2020-06-23 |title=Richard Montgomery High School students petition for name change |url=https://www.montgomerymag.com/petition-to-rename-richard-montgomery-high-school/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Montgomery Magazine |language=en-US}}) to distinguish between the two in 1935.[http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/rmhs/aboutus/HistoryofRM.aspx History of Richard Montgomery High School] Retrieved November 2, 2017.

After a fire destroyed the old high school building in 1940, the building was rebuilt on the current site in 1942, measuring {{convert|49167|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}. Additions to the school were made in 1952 at {{convert|39895|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}, 1959 at {{convert|37425|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}, in 1964 at {{convert|56703|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}, 1969 at {{convert|4000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}, 1975 at {{convert|35890|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}, 1976 at {{convert|8300|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}, and 1988 at {{convert|1938|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}. By this point, the campus had reached 26.2 acres (106,000 m²) in size.{{Cite web |url=http://peerlessrockville.org/peerless_places/peerless_places_richard_montgomery_1.htm |title=Richard Montgomery High School |access-date=2005-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051017003815/http://peerlessrockville.org/peerless_places/peerless_places_richard_montgomery_1.htm |archive-date=2005-10-17 |url-status=dead }}

In April 2008 stories appeared in The Washington Post,{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/09/AR2008040902212.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Principal's Side Business Raises Questions . .|date=April 10, 2008|access-date=November 2, 2017|first=Daniel|last=de Vise}} the Montgomery County Gazette,{{cite news|url=http://www.gazette.net/stories/041608/rocknew222435_32373.shtml|author=Melissa J. Brachfeld|title=MCPS officials investigate possible ethics code violation|date=April 16, 2008|access-date=November 2, 2017}} and the Montgomery Sentinel,[http://www.thesentinel.com/324621234032513.php The Sentinel] {{Dead link|date=November 2017}} alleging that the school principal, Moreno Carrasco, had been running a private business on school time and was using materials that appeared to be plagiarized from a seminar that he had attended at school district expense. Carrasco went on extended sick leave.

During Carrasco's absence, the student newspaper, The Tide, requested that administrators approve publication of an article about the investigation into Carrasco's alleged ethics violations and business endeavors. Assistant Principal Veronica McCall denied permission for publication of the article, but was overridden by Community Superintendent Dr. Sherry Liebes after The Tide editors announced that they would go public with news of the denial.{{cite news|url=http://gazette.net/stories/042308/rocknew211648_32355.shtml|author=Melissa J. Brachfeld|title=Students win right to write|date=April 23, 2008|access-date=November 2, 2017}} The article was finally published online on April 24, 2008.[http://rmtide.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=236&Itemid=37 The Tide Online- Richard Montgomery's Student Newspaper]{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

On June 10, 2008, Montgomery County Public Schools announced that Carrasco had been named the new director of secondary leadership training. The announcement also stated that the allegations about Carrasco's involvement in private consulting were "thoroughly investigated" and "not substantiated".{{cite web|url=http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?pagetype=showrelease&id=2353|title=MCPS Public Announcements|date=June 10, 2008|access-date=November 2, 2017}}

On June 23, 2008, Nelson McLeod II was named the new principal of Richard Montgomery High School.{{cite news|url=http://www.gazette.net/stories/062508/montsch221603_32362.shtml|author=Melissa J. Brachfeld|title=New principal tapped for Richard Montgomery|date=June 25, 2008|access-date=November 2, 2017}} He left the position in May 2014 due to a cardiac medical condition,{{cite web|url=http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/rmhs/McLeod%20Letter%20052814.pdf|title=Richard Montgomery High School|date=May 28, 2014|access-date=November 2, 2017}} and was replaced by Damon Monteleone in July 2014,{{cite web|url=http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/rmhs/Appointment%20Letter%20RM%20HS.pdf|title=Montgomery County Public Schools|date=July 1, 2014|access-date=November 2, 2017}} who in turn was replaced by Alicia Deeny in August 2021.

{{cite news|url=https://mocoshow.com/2021/08/20/alicia-deeny-is-the-first-latina-high-school-principal-in-mcps/|title=Alicia Deeny is the First Latina High School Principal in MCPS|date=August 20, 2021}}

In 2020, a petition was started to rename the school due to its namesake, Richard Montgomery, being a slave owner.{{Cite web|url=https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/petition-started-to-rename-richard-montgomery-high-school/|title=Petition started to rename Richard Montgomery High School|date=19 June 2020}}

Richard Montgomery opened a new $71 million building following the end of students' 2007 winter break. The new building features wireless internet for the teachers which has since been opened to student access, LCD projectors in every classroom, dozens of Promethean interactive whiteboards and learner response devices, a modern auditorium, and a recording and TV studio.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

The school has an artificial turf stadium next to tennis courts and a track.

Richard Montgomery serves students living in Rockville and a small portion in Potomac. It feeds from one middle school and five elementary schools:Division of Capital Planning, Montgomery County Public Schools. Superintendent's Recommended FY 2025 Capital Budget and the FY 2025–2030 Capital Improvements Program - [https://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/CIP25_Chapter4Montgomery.pdf Chapter 4: Richard Montgomery Cluster]. Accessed 3 June 2024.

• Julius West Middle School
• Beall Elementary School
• College Gardens Elementary School
• Ritchie Park Elementary School
• Bayard Rustin Elementary School
• Twinbrook Elementary Schol

As of the 2023-24 school year, RMHS projects to be over-enrolled for the next 15 years with its current attendance zones. To address these concerns, along with overutilization among other nearby schools, the county is conducting a boundary study for the new Crown High School,Division of Capital Planning, Montgomery County Public Schools. [https://gis.mcpsmd.org/boundarystudypdfs/CrownDamascusHS_BoundaryStudyScope.pdf Board of Education Adopted Boundary Study Scope] - to Determine the Service Area for the new Crown and Expansion of Damascus HS - March 19, 2024. Accessed 4 June 2024 which has an expected completion date of August 2027.

The school houses Montgomery County's first International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB). This competitive-entry magnet programme draws students from all over Montgomery County and has an IB diploma rate of 97%, the highest of its kind in the United States.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2009/12/09/americas-best-high-schools-top-international-baccalaureate-schools.html|title=America's Best High Schools: Top International Baccalaureate Schools|magazine=U.S. News & World Report|date=December 9, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213114255/https://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2009/12/09/americas-best-high-schools-top-international-baccalaureate-schools.html|archive-date=December 13, 2009|url-status=dead}} The IB programme has an approximately 12.5% acceptance rate for incoming freshmen. Entry is based middle school transcripts, and a personal essay.{{cite web |title=The International Baccalaureate Magnet Diploma Program at Richard Montgomery High School |url=https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/contentassets/791d9e3ecf514dffa7e5f8b8cffd2a27/5451_23_rmhs-profile-insert.pdf?usp=sharing |publisher=Richard Montgomery High School |access-date=29 April 2023}}

Incoming freshmen who have been accepted into the IB programme are first enrolled in a special two-year programme consisting of courses designed to prepare them for more rigorous IB courses they will take in their junior and senior years.{{cite web|title=IB Magnet Course of Study at Richard Montgomery High School|url=http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/rmhs/aboutys/2016-17%20IB_Insert.pdf|access-date=November 2, 2017}} This also serves as a continuation of the final two years of the Middle Years Programme (MYP). The first three years of the MYP programme are offered to all students who attend Julius West Middle School, which is the sole middle school that feeds into RM.{{Cite web|title=Richard Montgomery HS - MYP {{!}} Richard Montgomery HS|url=https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/rmhs/ib/myp/|website=www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org|access-date=2020-05-20}} The MYP curriculum stresses "life long learning," "critical thinking," and "responsible global citizenship." It is a five-year programme designed for students in grades 6–10, and all Richard Montgomery students participate regardless of whether they are in the IB programme or whether they participated in middle school. Upon completion, non-IB students can apply to enroll in the IB programme. Students are accepted each year through this secondary application process for the IB programme.

In 2007, Richard Montgomery was featured in Newsweek magazine as the 27th highest-rated high school in the nation.[https://web.archive.org/web/20060509181509/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678/site/newsweek/ America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com] In June 2002, it won its first award in National Scholastic Championship at George Washington University. Richard Montgomery High School won the 2003 Blue Ribbon in Education Award by the United States Department of Education. RM has been identified as the number one school in the D.C. metropolitan area in the Challenge Index for Rigor. Richard Montgomery has also had multiple Marian Greenblatt Education Fund award winner teachers.{{cite web|url=http://www.greenblatteducationfund.org/wp/category/winners/|title=Winners|access-date=February 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221183032/http://www.greenblatteducationfund.org/wp/category/winners/|archive-date=February 21, 2014|url-status=dead}}

As of 2024, Richard Montgomery is the 6th-ranked high school in Maryland and the 394th-ranked nationwide, according to U.S News and World Report.{{Cite web |title=Richard Montgomery High School |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/richard-montgomery-high-school-9144 |access-date=7 June 2024 |website=U.S. News and World Report}}

Richard Montgomery students average a score of 1236 on the SAT, averaging 621 on the verbal section and 615 on the math section.Montgomery County Public Schools. Schools at a Glance - [https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04201.pdf Richard Montgomery High School]. Accessed 7 June 2024

Richard Montgomery has a student newspaper, The Tide,[http://www.thermtide.com/ The Tide] Retrieved November 2, 2017. and a student literary magazine, Fine Lines. The Tide received First Place with Special Merit from the America Scholastic Press Association in 2013.[http://www.asan.com/asa/aspa1.htm American Scholastic Press Association] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080101085350/http://www.asan.com/asa/aspa1.htm |date=2008-01-01 }} Retrieved November 2, 2017. Fine Lines has received various Gold Crown Awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, including in 2003. {{Cite web |title=Local High School Publications Receive Awards |url=https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?pagetype=showrelease&id=998 |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=Montgomery County Public Schools |language=en}}

Richard Montgomery's quizbowl team (known as It's Academic) won the National Scholastics Championship in 2002.[http://pace-nsc.org/results/2002/index.html 2002 PACE NSC Results] Retrieved November 2, 2017. In 2006, they won the NAQT High School National Championship Tournament in Chicago.[https://www.naqt.com/hsnct/2006/2006-hsnct-results.html National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011181614/https://www.naqt.com/hsnct/2006/2006-hsnct-results.html |date=2017-10-11 }} Retrieved November 2, 2017.

Richard Montgomery's International Space Settlement Design Competition team won the 2008 cycle in Houston, Texas.[http://www.spaceset.org/p.past.mm ISSDC: Previous Finalist Teams] Retrieved November 2, 2017.

The Richard Montgomery Mock Trial team is the school's most decorated varsity team. Under longtime coach Daniel Evans, who retired in 2024, the team won twenty-six Montgomery County championships, reached fifteen statewide Final Fours, appeared in ten state finals, and won five state championships, most recently in 2019 and 2023.

[https://mocoshow.com/2023/03/26/the-richard-montgomery-hs-mock-trial-team-wins-state-championship/] Retrieved March 3, 2024. The team's margin of victory in the 2019 championship was the largest in state history.

https://www.msba.org/richard-montgomery-high-wins-mock-trial-championship/ Retrieved March 3, 2024.

{{unreferenced section|date=November 2018}}

Ensembles such as the Madrigals, a chamber choir, and the Jazz Band often travel off campus to perform at various venues. The Philharmonic/Chamber ensemble is the highest ranking orchestra in the school. The marching band, the Marching Rockets, is also a part of football season.

• Will Allen, former professional basketball player, urban farmer entrepreneur, and MacArthur Award winner{{cite web |title=Will Allen |url=http://www.umsportshalloffame.com/will-allen.html |website=University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=13 December 2019}}{{cite web |title=Richard Montgomery School Athletics Hall of Fame |url=http://www.rocketathletics.org/hall-of-fame/ |access-date=13 December 2019}}
• Tori Amos, singer{{cite book|title=Pretty Good Years: A Biography of Tori Amos|first=Jay S.|last=Jacobs|page=13|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2006}}{{cite news |last1=Harrington |first1=Richard |title=Tori Amos, Local Legend |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1998/05/17/tori-amos-local-legend/2b9f3367-9567-4af5-809a-5a653327c134/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 17, 1998}}
• Norman Bellingham, Olympic athlete{{cite news |last1=Forde Fisher |first1=Tina |title=For Bellingham, It Has Been More Than a Stroke of Luck |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-07-sp-1060-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 7, 1989}}
• Wolfgang Bodison, actor{{cite news|title=RM's Mike Curtis should be in the Hall of Fame|first=Brandy L.|last=Simms|url=http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/Simms-7-22|newspaper=Montgomery Sentinel|date=July 22, 2010|access-date=November 2, 2017}}
• Gordy Coleman, Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman{{cite news |last1=Driver |first1=David |title=Riggleman Remembers a Rockville Like a Rockwell |url=https://patch.com/maryland/rockville/riggleman-remembers-a-rockville-like-a-rockwell |work=Rockville Patch |date=May 17, 2011}}
• Mike Curtis, National Football League (NFL) linebacker
• Russell C. Davis, mayor of Jackson, Mississippi from 1969-1977{{Cite web|title=Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi on January 10, 1993 · Page 44|url=http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/182264259/?terms=Roy%20E%20Davis%20rockville%20md&match=4|access-date=2021-05-24|website=Newspapers.com| date=January 10, 1993 |language=en}}
• Mahan Esfahani, harpsichordist{{cite news|title=The Reliable Source|first=Lloyd|last=Grove|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/02/23/the-reliable-source/ace36f1a-d9bf-4491-b555-8b16c6e3f21b/|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 23, 2000|access-date=May 13, 2018}}
• Rhadi Ferguson, judo and MMA athlete{{cite news |title=Local Athlete Scores Upset at Judo Nationals |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2000/04/30/local-athlete-scores-upset-at-judo-nationals/b9ed3f51-86f1-44e6-8287-78d528b29ed4/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 30, 2000}}
• Dan Fishback, singer-songwriter{{cite news |last1=Jaggar |first1=Louisa |date=October 1, 2010 |title=Teens Coming Out |work=Bethesda Magazine |url=https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-magazine/march-april-2009/teens-coming-out-2/2/}}
• Julia Galef, writer and philosopher {{cite news|title=National Merit Scholarship Winners|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/07/05/national-merit-scholarship-winners/d11ed0e8-9392-40de-be3c-f29e2b2ce78a/|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 12, 2001|access-date=May 13, 2018}}
• Kyra D. Gaunt, ethnomusicologist, TED Speaker{{Cite news |last=Lemov |first=Penelope |date=June 8, 1978 |title=Fraternity Recognizes Black Youths |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/06/08/fraternity-recognizes-black-youths/85266b3f-2cac-47ac-9128-7eeaefbf6a35/ |access-date=April 12, 2024 |work=The Washington Post}}{{Cite web |title=AY24 Faculty-Graduate Seminar: "Black Movement :: Black Stillness" ft. Kyra Gaunt (University at Albany) |url=https://aas.princeton.edu/events/2023/ay24-faculty-graduate-seminar-black-movement-black-stillness-ft-kyra-gaunt-university |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Department of African American Studies |language=en}}
• Caroline Green and Gordon Green, figure skaters{{cite news |author1=Eileen Zhang |author2=Sophia Taur |title=Richard Montgomery High School RM athletes represent Team USA on national level |url=https://thermtide.com/8957/sports/rm-athletes-represent-team-usa-on-national-level/ |work=The Tide |date=November 1, 2019}}
• Marc Korman, state delegate{{cite news|last1=Broadway|first1=Donna|title=Korman finds realization of dream in latest election|url=http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1320%3Akorman-finds-realization-of-dream-in-latest-election&Itemid=766|publisher=The Sentinel|date=November 20, 2014}}
• Thuan Pham, former CTO of Uber{{cite magazine|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-how-did-i-get-here/thuan-pham.html|title=How Did I Get Here? - Thuan Pham|date=2016|magazine=Bloomberg Businessweek}}
• Zachary Pincus-Roth, author{{cite news|url=http://ww2.gazette.net/gazette_archive/1997/199708/chevy/news/a54507-1.html|title=B-CC training leaders|newspaper=Montgomery Gazette|date=February 19, 1997|access-date=November 2, 2017}}
• Tuan Wreh, Liberian triple jumper{{cite news |last1=Mendlowitz |first1=Andy |title=Wreh can play basketball, but now he is on track |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/02/21/wreh-can-play-basketball-but-now-he-is-on-track/a3bb9ea9-7081-4565-bbee-c9f51f0e73bc/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 21, 1998}}
• Jim Riggleman, MLB manager{{cite journal|journal=Bethesda Magazine|url=http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Magazine/May-June-2011/Touching-Base-with-Jim-Riggleman/|title=Touching Base with Jim Riggleman|first=Eugene L.|last=Meyer|date=May–June 2011|access-date=November 2, 2017}}
• Kurt Schork, journalist{{cite news |author1=Steven Pearlstein |author2=John Pomfret |title=Mightier Than the Sword |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/05/26/mightier-than-the-sword/3870849b-3af8-4a5a-a146-7b5aae6494f1/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 27, 2000 |quote=Slain Reuters war correspondent Kurt Schork graduated from Richard Montgomery High in Rockville. A May 26 Style article incorrectly reported what school he attended.}}
• Joseph Takahashi, neurobiologist, member of the National Academy of Sciences{{cite journal |last1=Marino |first1=Melissa |title=Biography of Joseph S. Takahashi |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=5 April 2004 |volume=101 |issue=15 |pages=5336–5338 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0401895101|pmid=15067124 |pmc=399313 |doi-access=free }}

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{{commons category|Richard Montgomery High School}}

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{{Montgomery County Public Schools}}

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Montgomery High School

Montgomery High School

Montgomery High School

Montgomery High School

Category:Schools in Rockville, Maryland

Category:1892 establishments in Maryland