Poolesville High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"No one is blaming Whitman or Churchill. I used them as an example of schools that when parents snap their fingers the BOE acts. Example; When Churchill was scheduled for renovation the parents flat out refused to have their children moved to the holding school (Northwood) for fear of having them rubbing shoulders with the common folk in Wheaton. So the renovation went on with the students in the building while the holding school sat empty. Northwood was good enough for Sherwood whose students had to travel about 20 miles to attend school for two years but not good enough for the elite Churchill people."

You're apparently in need of a GPS. Sure Churchill itself sits about 10 miles from Northwood, but it's at least 15, if not 20, miles from most of Potomac to Northwood HS, and much of that is on the Capital Beltway. That's what every parent wants, their child on a bus inching along the Beltway for an hour in the morning rush. It's only 11 miles form Olney to Northwood, and that's on GA Ave., no Beltway needed. So before you make snarky assumptions about the motivations of the Churchill parents, I suggest you do a little bit of research. Otherwise you look like a fool.

Since you want to deflect the issue by nit picking over mileage and insulting me let me call your attention to the fact that Sherwood is located in Sandy Spring and not Olney. Perhaps you need a better GPS. Some students live in Brinklow, Brookeville, and Tridelphia.

You sidestepped the truth that Churchill parents refused to allow their children to be taken out of the their school while every single high school renovation before that used Northwood. Is there any doubt that they used their political clout to pressure the BOE?

The real issue here is the decrepit condition of Poolesville High School. It was built sixty years ago and had a minor renovation in 1978. The corridors are as wide was you might see in an elementary school. There is exposed wiring, mold, ceiling tiles missing, and the other defects that you can see on the video. This would never be tolerated in Potomac or Bethesda.

YOU were the one that brought up mileage, I just proved you wrong. BTW, some HS renovations both before and after Churchill have not used a holding school. Whitman back in the early 1990's and RM just recently come to mind.

One thing's for sure. Poolesville HS needs a reno.

Let me jump in here. "Whitman back in the 1990's and RM" do not apply to the discussion about the use of holding schools. The new Whitman and RM buildings were built while the students remained in the old school next door. When the new schools were finished the old buildings were demolished. There was no need to move anyone.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. There was no renovation involved. It was purely a demolition. In Whitman's case it was caused by inferior building materials and Richard Montgomery because the school was way too old.

So Churchill was the first where students stayed in the building during renovation. I remember that the nurses office complained to the Health Department because of the number of students who were reporting sick because they couldn't breathe because of the dust.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. There was no renovation involved. It was purely a demolition. In Whitman's case it was caused by inferior building materials and Richard Montgomery because the school was way too old.

So Churchill was the first where students stayed in the building during renovation. I remember that the nurses office complained to the Health Department because of the number of students who were reporting sick because they couldn't breathe because of the dust.

Fine. How about WJ? Total reno while the students remained in the building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. There was no renovation involved. It was purely a demolition. In Whitman's case it was caused by inferior building materials and Richard Montgomery because the school was way too old.

So Churchill was the first where students stayed in the building during renovation. I remember that the nurses office complained to the Health Department because of the number of students who were reporting sick because they couldn't breathe because of the dust.

Fine. How about WJ? Total reno while the students remained in the building.

You don't seem to get it. There was NO holding school when WJ was renovated. When Churchill was renovated there WAS a holding school and the Churchill parents said, Hell NO, we can remove you from office if you don't obey us".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. There was no renovation involved. It was purely a demolition. In Whitman's case it was caused by inferior building materials and Richard Montgomery because the school was way too old.

So Churchill was the first where students stayed in the building during renovation. I remember that the nurses office complained to the Health Department because of the number of students who were reporting sick because they couldn't breathe because of the dust.

Fine. How about WJ? Total reno while the students remained in the building.

You don't seem to get it. There was NO holding school when WJ was renovated. When Churchill was renovated there WAS a holding school and the Churchill parents said, Hell NO, we can remove you from office if you don't obey us".

Not a Churchill parent but wow, you seem really bitter. Who cares if there is a holding school or not - it is clearly more disruptive to bus 2100 kids a distance away, or worse have new drivers driving 20 miles a day to school. If there was a viable option to keep them in the school wouldn't that make more sense regardless or what their parents allegedly threatened (which sounds a little farfetched - they really said the BOE had to "obey" them?).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. There was no renovation involved. It was purely a demolition. In Whitman's case it was caused by inferior building materials and Richard Montgomery because the school was way too old.

So Churchill was the first where students stayed in the building during renovation. I remember that the nurses office complained to the Health Department because of the number of students who were reporting sick because they couldn't breathe because of the dust.

Fine. How about WJ? Total reno while the students remained in the building.

You don't seem to get it. There was NO holding school when WJ was renovated. When Churchill was renovated there WAS a holding school and the Churchill parents said, Hell NO, we can remove you from office if you don't obey us".

Not a Churchill parent but wow, you seem really bitter. Who cares if there is a holding school or not - it is clearly more disruptive to bus 2100 kids a distance away, or worse have new drivers driving 20 miles a day to school. If there was a viable option to keep them in the school wouldn't that make more sense regardless or what their parents allegedly threatened (which sounds a little farfetched - they really said the BOE had to "obey" them?).

I can help out here. What many people are missing is that during any high school renovation students went to the holding school (Northwood). When it was Churchill's time the parents did indeed refuse to allow their darlings leave the neighborhood. Look up the stories in the Gazette and Post archives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. There was no renovation involved. It was purely a demolition. In Whitman's case it was caused by inferior building materials and Richard Montgomery because the school was way too old.

So Churchill was the first where students stayed in the building during renovation. I remember that the nurses office complained to the Health Department because of the number of students who were reporting sick because they couldn't breathe because of the dust.

Fine. How about WJ? Total reno while the students remained in the building.

You don't seem to get it. There was NO holding school when WJ was renovated. When Churchill was renovated there WAS a holding school and the Churchill parents said, Hell NO, we can remove you from office if you don't obey us".

Not a Churchill parent but wow, you seem really bitter. Who cares if there is a holding school or not - it is clearly more disruptive to bus 2100 kids a distance away, or worse have new drivers driving 20 miles a day to school. If there was a viable option to keep them in the school wouldn't that make more sense regardless or what their parents allegedly threatened (which sounds a little farfetched - they really said the BOE had to "obey" them?).

This is an ad hominem response and does not address the substance of this discussion. As PP says, "during any high school renovation students went to the holding school (Northwood). When it was Churchill's time the parents did indeed refuse to allow their darlings to leave the neighborhood."

What's up with that? What made the Churchill community so special in the eyes of the BOE?

[Anonymous]

Its easy. The entire Poolesville school district, which includes, Barnesville, Dickerson, Beallsville, Boyds, and Poolesville has at the most 5000 people of voting age. Thus their high school is a wreck and a disgrace.

Churchill's voting block is in the tens of thousands so certain members of the BOE did not want to lose their votes.

[Anonymous]

Magruder and Sherwood were both renovated on site. Both took place well before Churchill was renovated and while Northwood was being used as a holding school.

Not accurate to say Churchill was the first, the only or got special treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Magruder and Sherwood were both renovated on site. Both took place well before Churchill was renovated and while Northwood was being used as a holding school.

Not accurate to say Churchill was the first, the only or got special treatment.

Sorry but you are wrong. Sherwood closed for two years and the students were bused to Northwood. I was involved in the move. I can't swear about Magruder but I believe that they moved also.

[Anonymous]

Magruder was renovated on site. Complete renovation of almost the entire building and a major addition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Magruder was renovated on site. Complete renovation of almost the entire building and a major addition.

All buildings are "renovated on site". The issue is whether the students stayed in the building. Its my recollection that they were moved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Magruder was renovated on site. Complete renovation of almost the entire building and a major addition.

All buildings are "renovated on site". The issue is whether the students stayed in the building. Its my recollection that they were moved.

Your recollection is wrong. The entire renovation was done while the students and staff remained on site.

[Anonymous]

According to the county site Magruder has never had a modernization but did have an addition put on.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/planning/PDF/CIP13_Ch4_Magruder.pdf

[Anonymous]

Then the site is wrong.

I worked there when the entire building was modernized. Most of the building was gutted and redone with major departments being relocated for long periods of time (except for the gym, auditorium and parts of the science wing). Library was moved and changed from 2 stories to 1.

There also was an addition put on at the same time.

A later addition was added a few years after.