Martin Luther King Humanities magnet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP since you're leaning towards Parkland I think if your child goes there they would be eligible to apply for all the DCC magnets for high school. That opens up a huge number of possibilities including the two Wheaton engineering programs if you're looking at stem. you would be in a really rare position to have access to all the DCC offerings plus all the ones up county.

Are there buses from upcounty to the DCC schools?

Yes there are buses to DCC schools from neighborhood schools.

No there are not. No buses from upcounty to DCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Forgot to clarify, they take media every year, but it’s one class, like Media 6, Media 7, Media 8. It’s a required elective.

Also, the HS counselors said colleges want two years in HS regardless of how much they’d already done, so MLK kids have to go up to Spanish 5 or AP while others could get by with Spanish 2, 3, or 4 and still have two years in HS. Requiring a language all three years is something MLK does because of the IB program. Who knows though, your kid might love Spanish/French 🤷‍♀️ Mine didn’t and felt like it was unfair.

MLK doesn’t require Foreign Language all 3 years anymore. You can switch it for another elective. It would be nice if they upped the science though. It wouldn’t have to overtake the humanities but some kids would enjoy it. MS is too early to be making most kids choose a singular focus.

What are the electives? If Science is crappy there, how difficult is it to get into a Stem magnet track in high school? Can the Upcounty magnet kids apply to down county magnet schools for high school?

No you can't apply to downcounty magnet schools for high school from upcounty. You are not zoned for the DCC magnets and there are a lot of great ones beyond Blair magnet including 2 Wheaton engineerings which have standards as high as Blair magnet, Blair CAP, Kennedy IB, Kennedy leadership and I'm sure there's something I forgot.

The exception is if you go to a lottery magnet in the DCC like Parkland, Argyle. As long as you attend a DCC middle school you can apply to the DCC magnets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MLK sets kids up well for Humanities at Poolesville (almost like a third of PHS humanities also did MLK humanities), but also for other programs. There are a lot of MLK kids in Global and SMCS at PHS too. They do offer buses to convenient bus stops even if the length of the ride is annoying.

MLK does have the fighting and vaping/drug problem but Humanities is a bit sheltered from that. The academics were great, the media elective every year may suck for kids who are devoted to orchestra/band but it was the highlight of 8th grade.

The main pros are the academics and tight knit friends. Cons would be meh science (math is fine) and fighting.

Thanks!

Is the fighting generally among the non magnet kids? What are the media electives each year? When you say 8th grade was great, did you mean they band/orchestra in 8th grade?

Their presentation also showed some enactments of civilizations. Was that all it is hyped up to be?

At lunch, was there any fighting/bullying of the nerdy kids?

How diverse is the magnet crowd?

There is one media class required each year.
There is fighting and bullying of nerdy kids in every school.

I understand but am just wondering if magnet kids are targeted or anything like that.

MS fighting tends to be among neighborhood kids who bring their neighborhood beefs to school. (Happens at all MS). Kids are very myopic and really only know other kids in their classes. Since the magnet kids are mostly in their own classes, there’s not much mixing of groups except during PE.

Magnet kids are more likely to be bullied or excluded by other magnet kids (which does happen.)

Thank you! I'm also surprised that magnet kids would bully their peers. All of them are there because they are gifted in some way.

I don't think the students in the magnet are necessarily gifted. It's lottery with a low bar. I'm not trying to be mean but the idea that all the kids in the program are gifted and that they wouldn't bully each other is absurd. The biggest bully in DD's year was a magnet girl who was not well liked at all but liked to put down other kids who are even more socially awkward. She's now in HS and the biggest bully is a boy who goes around putting down other kids who he thinks are less smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP since you're leaning towards Parkland I think if your child goes there they would be eligible to apply for all the DCC magnets for high school. That opens up a huge number of possibilities including the two Wheaton engineering programs if you're looking at stem. you would be in a really rare position to have access to all the DCC offerings plus all the ones up county.

Agree, but if you live in the Gaithersburg area, that’s a hardcore commitment to 7 years of commuting pretty far, not just for school events, but every time your kid needs to get together with classmates to work on projects or even just to hang out with friends. We live in Gaithersburg DD’s MLK/Poolesville friends mean lots of trips to Germantown and Clarksburg. I guess you’d just make lots of trips to Silver Spring and Bethesda instead, so not that different, but the distance complicates things like doctors appointments too.

The world language issue isn’t that big of a deal if you choose MLK. THE 3 years in middle school don’t have to go on a high school transcript. It’s your choice. Your dc could take French in middle school and sign language in high school.

How often do the kids need to meet up? I never considered that. Meet up at Germantown and Clarksburg will definitely be more convenient.

It definitely depends on the friend group, but maybe like a few times a month? It sucks to live far away from friends, so that in addition to convenience would be another reason to choose the closer option.

Thank you! These meetups are for classwork or just socialization with friends? I asked around and no one from our school is going to either of these schools so making friends would be important too for my kid.

Socialization mostly. You don’t have to get together for school related projects very often.

[Anonymous]

Thank you PPs

I didn't consider that the very smart ones would put down other kids for their scores and bully them that way. My kid has a friend outside of school who tries to show off with the scores and how great they are and mine says it is getting annoying. I'm not sure how long that friendship is going to last given the way it is going.

I'm not sure if we could travel down county if there are no buses provided in high school, but if Parkland kids can apply to both up county and down county that seems like a good choice in case we can make things work. None of our friends kids who attended Parkland got into any high school magnet. They all went back to home school so I wonder how many Parkland kids actually get into magnets in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you PPs

I didn't consider that the very smart ones would put down other kids for their scores and bully them that way. My kid has a friend outside of school who tries to show off with the scores and how great they are and mine says it is getting annoying. I'm not sure how long that friendship is going to last given the way it is going.

I'm not sure if we could travel down county if there are no buses provided in high school, but if Parkland kids can apply to both up county and down county that seems like a good choice in case we can make things work. None of our friends kids who attended Parkland got into any high school magnet. They all went back to home school so I wonder how many Parkland kids actually get into magnets in high school./quote]
I’m the Gaithersburg parent with a child who attended MLK and is now at Poolesville. I have two in high school right now and the other one attends our home high school. I don’t know if you’ll have two kids in high school at the same time, but living in Gaithersburg and having one kid in a DCC school and the other somewhere else would be very, very hard logistically. I don’t schedule my kids’ well checks, dental, orthodontics or optometrist appointments separately. Joint appointments only work because only one attends school far from home. My Poolesville student isn’t old enough to have her driver’s license yet. If she misses the bus, it’s a long round trip drive. When students are taking AP exams, they can miss the rest of the school day and only attend their exams, but that’s only possible if we can drive dd. When she wants to attend a Friday night football game, that’s 2 round trip drives unless one of us also wants to attend the game. I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of living in Gaithersburg and having a child attend a DCC school without the benefit of bus service. I’d move downcounty before attempting that. On top of DD’s school events, every birthday party, sleepover, special events like Halloween, is either hosted by us or involves 2 round trip drives to other kids’ houses in other cities. That would be extremely taxing if we lived in Gaithersburg and had one kid attending school downcounty and another attending Poolesville.

More kids get into special programs in high school than in middle school, but even if they’re not in a special program, every high school has AP classes. I think you should choose the middle school that will be most beneficial to your child now, and then re-evaluate your choices when it’s time for high school.

[Anonymous]

Oops, I accidentally embedded my reply in your last post. This was my reply:

I’m the Gaithersburg parent with a child who attended MLK and is now at Poolesville. I have two in high school right now and the other one attends our home high school. I don’t know if you’ll have two kids in high school at the same time, but living in Gaithersburg and having one kid in a DCC school and the other somewhere else would be very, very hard logistically. I don’t schedule my kids’ well checks, dental, orthodontics or optometrist appointments separately. Joint appointments only work because only one attends school far from home. My Poolesville student isn’t old enough to have her driver’s license yet. If she misses the bus, it’s a long round trip drive. When students are taking AP exams, they can miss the rest of the school day and only attend their exams, but that’s only possible if we can drive dd. When she wants to attend a Friday night football game, that’s 2 round trip drives unless one of us also wants to attend the game. I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of living in Gaithersburg and having a child attend a DCC school without the benefit of bus service. I’d move downcounty before attempting that. On top of DD’s school events, every birthday party, sleepover, special events like Halloween, is either hosted by us or involves 2 round trip drives to other kids’ houses in other cities. That would be extremely taxing if we lived in Gaithersburg and had one kid attending school downcounty and another attending Poolesville.

More kids get into special programs in high school than in middle school, but even if they’re not in a special program, every high school has AP classes. I think you should choose the middle school that will be most beneficial to your child now, and then re-evaluate your choices when it’s time for high school.

[Anonymous]

I think OP's kid is an only child. It's less of an issue if you have one kid you're driving around. I can also see it working for her if the younger child is still in elementary at their local school and can take the bus or walk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you PPs

I didn't consider that the very smart ones would put down other kids for their scores and bully them that way. My kid has a friend outside of school who tries to show off with the scores and how great they are and mine says it is getting annoying. I'm not sure how long that friendship is going to last given the way it is going.

I'm not sure if we could travel down county if there are no buses provided in high school, but if Parkland kids can apply to both up county and down county that seems like a good choice in case we can make things work. None of our friends kids who attended Parkland got into any high school magnet. They all went back to home school so I wonder how many Parkland kids actually get into magnets in high school.

Yes parkland kids get into magnets. I don't think it's as popular as at MLK.
You should pick the school that has the subject your child is most interested in as long as you can make the commute work for your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP since you're leaning towards Parkland I think if your child goes there they would be eligible to apply for all the DCC magnets for high school. That opens up a huge number of possibilities including the two Wheaton engineering programs if you're looking at stem. you would be in a really rare position to have access to all the DCC offerings plus all the ones up county.

Agree, but if you live in the Gaithersburg area, that’s a hardcore commitment to 7 years of commuting pretty far, not just for school events, but every time your kid needs to get together with classmates to work on projects or even just to hang out with friends. We live in Gaithersburg DD’s MLK/Poolesville friends mean lots of trips to Germantown and Clarksburg. I guess you’d just make lots of trips to Silver Spring and Bethesda instead, so not that different, but the distance complicates things like doctors appointments too.

The world language issue isn’t that big of a deal if you choose MLK. THE 3 years in middle school don’t have to go on a high school transcript. It’s your choice. Your dc could take French in middle school and sign language in high school.

How often do the kids need to meet up? I never considered that. Meet up at Germantown and Clarksburg will definitely be more convenient.

It definitely depends on the friend group, but maybe like a few times a month? It sucks to live far away from friends, so that in addition to convenience would be another reason to choose the closer option.

Thank you! These meetups are for classwork or just socialization with friends? I asked around and no one from our school is going to either of these schools so making friends would be important too for my kid.

Both, but especially classwork (in MS -- HS is more socialization). In 6th, the students participate in CSPAN’s documentary contest in media class. It requires them to film and edit, which can take place after school partly. The Germantown library has study rooms and is a bus stop, so kids sometimes took the school bus there to work with their friends/partner. That project is the most major thing that *required* you to stay after (as in, everyone did at some point).

I’m glad people are finally posting about MLK, it never gets attention on here.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you all!

I am so confused now. The media classes sound very interesting. The Science part is the only thing making me doubtful about MLK.

If DC wants to get into Poolesville SMCS, would the not up to the mark Science classes be a hindrance? Will we need outside supplementation? We have never done that before but should I consider it? I don't know what outside resources are there yet.

DC is not an only child. DC has a sibling who wants to go to Parkland for the Aerospace and Robotics. I am not sure how that will work out if one is going up county and one down county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all!

I am so confused now. The media classes sound very interesting. The Science part is the only thing making me doubtful about MLK.

If DC wants to get into Poolesville SMCS, would the not up to the mark Science classes be a hindrance? Will we need outside supplementation? We have never done that before but should I consider it? I don't know what outside resources are there yet.

DC is not an only child. DC has a sibling who wants to go to Parkland for the Aerospace and Robotics. I am not sure how that will work out if one is going up county and one down county.

Don’t choose Parkland for that. Many middle schools have robotics now. Parkland is more general STEM based rather than anything truly aerospace. Students take more science classes, but they aren’t vastly different than what you take in any other school. They name them differently and condense things, but it’s the same education and the same curriculum as all other MCPS schools. Parkland isn’t a criteria-program. Anyone can take any science class they want, but most students who attend are from local neighborhoods and attend Kennedy, Wheaton, and Northwood upon high school. Not as many will be in any specialized programs. Parkland is not a bad school in any way, but its location and actual rigor may be a significant consideration in regard to high school choice and where DC would fit best. It also gets tiring over time making that commute!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all!

I am so confused now. The media classes sound very interesting. The Science part is the only thing making me doubtful about MLK.

If DC wants to get into Poolesville SMCS, would the not up to the mark Science classes be a hindrance? Will we need outside supplementation? We have never done that before but should I consider it? I don't know what outside resources are there yet.

DC is not an only child. DC has a sibling who wants to go to Parkland for the Aerospace and Robotics. I am not sure how that will work out if one is going up county and one down county.

Going to Parkland might help get a kid into SMCS, but going to MLK will not hinder their chances of getting in. There are plenty of MLK students who go on to SMCS.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all!

To the PP whose child went from Gaithersburg to MLK - where were the bus stops for your DD - in home middle school or elementary? How long was the commute by school bus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all!

To the PP whose child went from Gaithersburg to MLK - where were the bus stops for your DD - in home middle school or elementary? How long was the commute by school bus?

Here are the magnet bus routes for MLK/Clemente. Buses pick up students at home schools or in our case, public library, and then drop off Clemente students before dropping off MLK students.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/middle-schools/a-f/mlkms/uploadedfiles/bus-routes/king-ms---107---magnet-arr.pdf