Anonymous wrote:BCC has major problems; anyone who denies this is understandably defending the school their kids go to. The kids roam around aimlessly, there’s no lunchroom, and it seems like it’s basically an IB degree mill for parents who enrich heavily at home and a four year purgatory for those who don’t. The kids we’ve met fall into these categories as well; the rich, enrichment focused parents in east Bethesda push their kids hard and they do well, and then there’s a big divide to a lot very underwhelming, poor discipline kids. Pot has become a huge problem, too, but we can’t talk about that because marijuana is good now, or something. I’d put BCC below WJ and WC at this point.

You’re ridiculous. I doubt you even know BCc. BCC has a lunch room, but it’s too small to fit the entire student body of 2300. When BCC did have a functioning lunchroom a bajillion years ago when I went there, there were 3 or 4 “lunch periods” some of which started really early (who wants to eat lunch at 10:30) or really late. Scheduling classes was even more of a nightmare because everyone had to have a lunch but there is no longer a clear grade cohort structure because kids have so many class options. A 10th grader might be taking AP Lang with 11th and 12th graders. It also was a nightmare to arrange to see teachers at lunch.

BCC long ago ditched the idea of everyone eating together in the cafeteria. BCC now has 1 “open” lunch period for everyone. “Open” means you can go off campus and eat at one of the many Bethesda takeout places. If you pack your lunch, you can eat anywhere with anyone. Or you can see teachers or participate in lunchtime club meetings. Lunch is still served in the cafeteria for those who want to buy it or get it for free. During the pandemic boxed lunch was free for all, which was great!

You are complaining about lunch accommodations that no one at BCC - neither teachers, parents nor students - thinks is problematic.

FWIW, the IB program is not just for rich kids. Unlike RM Magnet, BCC IB is open to all- including BCC’s immigrant, international and FARMS students. You can take a full IB load and get the degree or you can just take 1 or 2 classes. There is no tracking into IB - some bright kids do IB, some take APs, either way college outcomes are good.

As for pot - well it’s legal in MD and DC over age 21, so like alcohol now.

Also - who calls Churchill “WC” - do you even live in MoCo?

Anonymous wrote:BCC has major problems; anyone who denies this is understandably defending the school their kids go to. The kids roam around aimlessly, there’s no lunchroom, and it seems like it’s basically an IB degree mill for parents who enrich heavily at home and a four year purgatory for those who don’t. The kids we’ve met fall into these categories as well; the rich, enrichment focused parents in east Bethesda push their kids hard and they do well, and then there’s a big divide to a lot very underwhelming, poor discipline kids. Pot has become a huge problem, too, but we can’t talk about that because marijuana is good now, or something. I’d put BCC below WJ and WC at this point.

Student behavior was so bad at the end of the school year that BCC's principal had to issue a smackdown: https://bcctattler.org/3287/news/administration-implements-new-policies-to-address-student-misconduct/

The B-CC administration released new policies to quell students’ “destructive behavior,” according to Dr. Mooney. The new policies include random hall sweeps and requiring students to sign out when leaving a classroom. “In the event of a hall sweep, we will make an announcement that we are conducting a hall sweep and ask teachers to lock their doors,” Dr. Mooney told teachers in an email sent on June 6.

“We have seen a marked increase in destructive behaviors at B-CC over the past few days, including graffiti and vandalism in several areas of the building,” wrote Dr. Mooney in the May 30 community message while explaining the new protocols’ reasoning, adding, “As we look to maintain the safety and security for everyone in the building, we will be implementing the following protocols for the remaining days of school.”

Another story highlights that kids are showing up to BCC drunk or high and lighting trash cans on fire so they can throw unauthorized parties on school property during the school day: https://bcctattler.org/3246/news/uptick-in-student-misbehavior/

In the past two weeks, two ambulances have been called to B-CC (or B-CC sponsored events) over drug-related incidents, students have shown up to school intoxicated, a trash can was lit on fire, and red paint was splattered on four B-CC bathrooms.

Principal Dr. Mooney released a community message on Tuesday, May 30, indicating that B-CC will have a change in protocols for hall passes “due to the increase in destructive behaviors at B-CC over the past few days.” Mooney explained to Tattler, “the last straw was on Tuesday when we had someone go around to several bathrooms and take what looked like red ink and just throw it all over the place. Building service then had to repaint four of our bathrooms.” Mooney continued, “My initial hope was that we just had to get the seniors out, but clearly when it continued happening on Tuesday it was not necessarily the seniors.”

A B-CC senior who wishes to remain anonymous showed up to school intoxicated on Friday and explained that “What made me feel like this was acceptable was the fact that at B-CC it’s quite difficult to get in trouble for just about anything. I figured the worst thing that could happen was maybe I couldn’t walk at graduation, and I saw that as highly unlikely. So I just went through with getting drunk.” Additionally, a video circulated the school of seniors taking shots in the boys’ bathroom.

Students being intoxicated at school wasn’t the only issue that occurred Friday. Students carried out a series of vandalism and rioting across the school. A B-CC senior who wishes to remain anonymous, confirmed that a trash can was lit on fire in the B3 hallways between the 6th and 7th periods. “The whole hallway smelt like something was burning while I was walking to 7th period,” junior Annie Isaacson told Tattler staff.

The fire was a solid distraction for the party that was occurring in F3 [hallway]

Security confirmed that a trashcan was lit on fire.

“The fire was a solid distraction for the party that was occurring in F3 [hallway],” said an anonymous student who participated, referring to the large gathering of students in the F3 hallway that were chanting and throwing garbage cans around, causing a major disruption to the passing period.

Anonymous wrote:BCC has major problems; anyone who denies this is understandably defending the school their kids go to. The kids roam around aimlessly, there’s no lunchroom, and it seems like it’s basically an IB degree mill for parents who enrich heavily at home and a four year purgatory for those who don’t. The kids we’ve met fall into these categories as well; the rich, enrichment focused parents in east Bethesda push their kids hard and they do well, and then there’s a big divide to a lot very underwhelming, poor discipline kids. Pot has become a huge problem, too, but we can’t talk about that because marijuana is good now, or something. I’d put BCC below WJ and WC at this point.

This is greatly exaggerated. The IB program is great (my kid wasn’t interested because she was eager to be done with foreign language and didn’t want more) but it’s small and does not at all comprise all of the serious students at B-CC. Tons of other regular kids taking regular classes, honors classes and AP classes and doing well. There is a lunchroom but it doesn’t fit everyone which is why there’s open lunch. Groups of friends find their own spaces inside and outside to eat or they go places in Bethesda, which increases self-sufficiency IMO.

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Anonymous wrote:BCC has major problems; anyone who denies this is understandably defending the school their kids go to. The kids roam around aimlessly, there’s no lunchroom, and it seems like it’s basically an IB degree mill for parents who enrich heavily at home and a four year purgatory for those who don’t. The kids we’ve met fall into these categories as well; the rich, enrichment focused parents in east Bethesda push their kids hard and they do well, and then there’s a big divide to a lot very underwhelming, poor discipline kids. Pot has become a huge problem, too, but we can’t talk about that because marijuana is good now, or something. I’d put BCC below WJ and WC at this point.

Every HS in MCPS has major problems.

Every HS in MCPS (and most of the country( has some problems). Whether they are major or not depends on definition.

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Anonymous wrote:20% of the kids at B-CC are lower middle class or poor. That scares a good chunk of the residents of the area.

Really? My friends and I moved to BCC area instead of Whitman BECAUSE it's more diverse. The people hating on BCC are mostly people at Whitman I think...

more than likely, yes.

Why do Whitman parents hate on BCC?

Envy.

100

Anonymous wrote:BCC has major problems; anyone who denies this is understandably defending the school their kids go to. The kids roam around aimlessly, there’s no lunchroom, and it seems like it’s basically an IB degree mill for parents who enrich heavily at home and a four year purgatory for those who don’t. The kids we’ve met fall into these categories as well; the rich, enrichment focused parents in east Bethesda push their kids hard and they do well, and then there’s a big divide to a lot very underwhelming, poor discipline kids. Pot has become a huge problem, too, but we can’t talk about that because marijuana is good now, or something. I’d put BCC below WJ and WC at this point.

Every HS in MCPS has major problems.

BCC has major problems; anyone who denies this is understandably defending the school their kids go to. The kids roam around aimlessly, there’s no lunchroom, and it seems like it’s basically an IB degree mill for parents who enrich heavily at home and a four year purgatory for those who don’t. The kids we’ve met fall into these categories as well; the rich, enrichment focused parents in east Bethesda push their kids hard and they do well, and then there’s a big divide to a lot very underwhelming, poor discipline kids. Pot has become a huge problem, too, but we can’t talk about that because marijuana is good now, or something. I’d put BCC below WJ and WC at this point.

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Anonymous wrote:20% of the kids at B-CC are lower middle class or poor. That scares a good chunk of the residents of the area.

Really? My friends and I moved to BCC area instead of Whitman BECAUSE it's more diverse. The people hating on BCC are mostly people at Whitman I think...

more than likely, yes.

Why do Whitman parents hate on BCC?

Envy.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:20% of the kids at B-CC are lower middle class or poor. That scares a good chunk of the residents of the area.

Really? My friends and I moved to BCC area instead of Whitman BECAUSE it's more diverse. The people hating on BCC are mostly people at Whitman I think...

more than likely, yes.

Why do Whitman parents hate on BCC?

Anonymous wrote:It's a W that refuses to be W. Everyone hates it for that.

It's the W that tries to hide its inherent W-ness. It's the hypocrisy.

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Anonymous wrote:I don't know that B-CC gets a lot of hatred. I do think that all of MCPS has issues these days. I know lots of kids who are not getting the basic academic counseling they need at B-CC. Parents at the other schools provide that for their kids.

Academic counseling. What is that?

It's something that needs to exist at schools that draw from neighborhoods that aren't wealthy. It's unbelievable how screwed up MCPS is that they don't even look at what kids are signing up for to see if it puts them on a track to graduate.

Its something that should exist for all students regardless. Not just to put them on track to graduate, but to ensure they are taking a well rounded curriculum for THEM, and not just dong whatever seems most advance or keeping up with others. But because counselors have 100’s of kids and are also responsible for behavior and mental health it doesn’t get done or not done well.

The school system has grown a lot but it seems like some of the issues in academic counseling could be solved with automation. For example, don't let kids sign up for too many PE classes when they need another Fine Arts credit to graduate on time. The system should prevent kids from doing that. I am truly disgusted with what happens to kids who have limited home support. They end up in summer school or worse for no good reason other than nobody could be bothered helping them prepare their schedule.

The guidance counselors review the kids schedules.

In theory

My B-CC kid’s did.

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Anonymous wrote:I don't know that B-CC gets a lot of hatred. I do think that all of MCPS has issues these days. I know lots of kids who are not getting the basic academic counseling they need at B-CC. Parents at the other schools provide that for their kids.

Academic counseling. What is that?

It's something that needs to exist at schools that draw from neighborhoods that aren't wealthy. It's unbelievable how screwed up MCPS is that they don't even look at what kids are signing up for to see if it puts them on a track to graduate.

Its something that should exist for all students regardless. Not just to put them on track to graduate, but to ensure they are taking a well rounded curriculum for THEM, and not just dong whatever seems most advance or keeping up with others. But because counselors have 100’s of kids and are also responsible for behavior and mental health it doesn’t get done or not done well.

The school system has grown a lot but it seems like some of the issues in academic counseling could be solved with automation. For example, don't let kids sign up for too many PE classes when they need another Fine Arts credit to graduate on time. The system should prevent kids from doing that. I am truly disgusted with what happens to kids who have limited home support. They end up in summer school or worse for no good reason other than nobody could be bothered helping them prepare their schedule.

The guidance counselors review the kids schedules.

In theory

Review may be an over exaggeration of what the counselors do with kids schedules.

Anonymous wrote:20% of the kids at B-CC are lower middle class or poor. That scares a good chunk of the residents of the area.

The truth is the pains and challenges are different and that matters. Exposure to them does not mean inclusion of the population. Not sure if there is empathy built in a way that the best intentions wish. Economic inclusion is difficult, but MCPS forces it every which way in the name of equity.
I personally believe that tax dollars would be better spent improving those communities, strengthening schools there and providing services that aide families with the conversation and struggles true to them.

Anonymous wrote:I went to Whitman, but on this board and in real life, I have seen/heard of a lot of B-CC bashing. People saying it’s not as good as Whitman/Churchill/Wootton/Walter Johnson, Whitman parents scoffing at the idea of their kids being redistricted to B-CC, people on DCUM saying that B-CC is mediocre for its demographics, etc.

I just don’t get it. To me, B-CC seems like a great schools. It’s high-performing, it’s diverse (I know a lot of you will argue otherwise, but the demographics of the school are reflective of the country as a whole, and it is by far more diverse than the surrounding schools).

My kids go elsewhere but, I think BCC is a fine school. I'm sure you can get a great education there. It offers more or less the same courses and curriculum as every other HS and even has an IB program that many seem to like.

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Anonymous wrote:20% of the kids at B-CC are lower middle class or poor. That scares a good chunk of the residents of the area.

Really? My friends and I moved to BCC area instead of Whitman BECAUSE it's more diverse. The people hating on BCC are mostly people at Whitman I think...

more than likely, yes.