Quince Orchard High School

Public secondary school in Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States

Quince Orchard High School

Address

15800 Quince Orchard Road

Gaithersburg, Maryland

20878

United States

Coordinates| 39°6′56″N 77°15′15″W﻿ / ﻿39.11556°N 77.25417°W﻿ / 39.11556; -77.25417
Information
Type| Public secondary
Established| September 6, 1988; 35 years ago (1988-09-06)[1]
School district| Montgomery County Public Schools
Principal| Elizabeth L. Thomas[2]
Number of students| 1,927
Campus| Suburban
Color(s)|  Red, black, and white
Mascot| Cougar
Rival| Northwest High School
Damascus High School
Newspaper| The Prowler
Yearbook| Tracks
Website| www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/qohs/

Quince Orchard High School (QOHS), also known as Q.O. High School, is a secondary school located on Quince Orchard Road in the Quince Orchard neighborhood of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.

## Academics[edit]

According to materials from the school, Quince Orchard "encourages advanced studies in both the arts and books." To this end, 31 Advanced Placement courses are offered, ranging from the arts to world history to science and math.[3] The school boasts higher-than-average SAT (544 verbal, 558 math) and ACT (22 composite) scores, and requires 75 hours of community service for graduation.[4]

In 2006, Quince Orchard High School was the 456th highest-rated school according to Newsweek magazine's list of the top 1,300 high schools in the United States.[5]

In 2014, Quince Orchard was ranked the sixth best high school in the state of Maryland and 176th in the United States by U.S. News & World Report on their list of best high schools.[6]

## Arts[edit]

Over the years, the theater department has staged nearly 50 productions, including Up the Down Staircase[7] and the musical Grease.[8]

Students produce The Prowler newspaper and the yearbook Tracks.

The Quince Orchard High School Marching Band went to the inaugural USSBA National Championship and achieved a Montgomery County-record score of 90.275.[9] The next year,[when?] the band received their second record-breaking score for Montgomery County, Maryland, of 92.325, and placed 9th out of 18 national groups. In 2008, the marching band won the USSBA Group IV Open Maryland State Championships with the show "Jekyll and Hyde". More recently, the varsity football team won the 2022 Maryland State Championship.[9]

## Student demographics[edit]

For the 2015–2016 school year, Quince Orchard had a total enrollment of 1,926 students. During the 2015–2016 school year, the school's student body was 51.3% non-Hispanic white, 15.6% African American, 15.7% Asian American, 17.1% Hispanic and Latino American, and 0.3% Native American.[4]

## Zone[edit]

Quince Orchard's incoming freshmen come from Lakelands Park and Ridgeview Middle School, as well as Roberto Clemente Middle School's magnet program.

Until the end of the 2007 school year, Quince Orchard also enrolled students who had graduated from Kingsview Middle School.

Starting in 2010, Quince Orchard High School enrolled students who graduated from Parkland Middle School.

## History[edit]

U.S. Army recruiter at QOHS in 2022

In 1984, the Montgomery County Council voted to build Quince Orchard High School in order to reduce crowding at Gaithersburg High School, and it allocated $20 million for its construction in 1984.[10][11][12] The school was expected to have 1,680 students upon opening, and it was designed to have a capacity of 2,000 students.[13] In 1987, a group of parents asked the Board of Education to name the school Potomac Falls High School instead, but the Board of Education decided to name it Quince Orchard High School because it was being built on Quince Orchard Road.[14] Construction costs ended up totaling $26 million by the time the school opened on September 6, 1988.[1]

Quince Orchard High School did not have a senior class during its first school year open, which made it difficult for its athletic teams to compete with other high schools in sports where size and experience are particularly advantageous.[15] Its football team's record was 1-8 in its first season. The softball field was not built in time for the first school year, and the school used the baseball field for field hockey.[15] Despite tennis courts not being completed until midway through the first school year, the tennis team finished 5-7 that year.[15]

Quince Orchard became the first public school in the state of Maryland to have a Sports Broadcasting Network in 2019. The QO Sports Network, founded by student Adam Gotkin, broadcasts select Quince Orchard athletic events.[16]

## Notable alumni[edit]

* Jason Ankrah, NFL football player[17]
* Baiyu, singer
* Astrid Ellena, Miss Indonesia 2011, Indonesia's representative in Miss World 2011 (Top 15)
* Johnny Hodges, college football linebacker for the TCU Horned Frogs[18]
* Paul James, actor[19]
* Zach Kerr, NFL football player[20]
* Jordan Goldberg, director & film writer[21]
* Charles Lee, basketball coach
* John Papuchis, college football coach[22]
* Chop Robinson, college football defensive end for the Penn State Nittany Lions[23]
* Wale, rapper[24]
* Darnell Wilson, boxer
* Jesse Tittsworth, DJ/Producer
* Mary Wiseman, Star Trek: Discovery actress
* Jared Bush, director & film writer
* Ashley Blaine Featherson, Dear White People (TV series), Dear White People actress

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Goldstein, Amy (August 24, 1988). 21st Century School Awaits Pupils; Montgomery County's Newest Facility Accentuates High Tech. The Washington Post. August 24, 1988. p. A1.
2. ^ "NEW PRINCIPALS ANNOUNCED AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING". mymcmedia.org. May 8, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
3. ^ "Quince Orchard HS School Profile (PDF)" (PDF).[dead link]
4. ^ a b "Quince Orchard HS at a Glance (PDF)" (PDF).
5. ^ "Newsweek names MCPS high schools among best in nation[permanent dead link]". The Bulletin. May 8, 2006. p. 1, 3.
6. ^ "Best High Schools Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. 2014. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014.
7. ^ "Montgomery Entertainment". The Washington Post. November 8, 2007. p. T24.
8. ^ "Curtain Calls". The Washington Post. April 10, 2008. p. 20 MN MS.
9. ^ a b "Quince Orchard Band Milestones". Quince Orchard High School. Montgomery County Public Schools. Archived from the original on November 21, 2007.
10. ^ Brisbane, Arthur S. (November 23, 1984). "Upcounty Montgomery: Unfulfilled Promises Thwart Residents Upcounty Reality Falls Short of Promises County Turns to New Focus for Growth". The Washington Post. p. A1.
11. ^ Melton, R.H.; Spolar, Chris (December 20, 1984). "Montgomery Executive To Chop School Fund: $100 Million to Be Cut in Bond Program". The Washington Post. p. C1.
12. ^ McAllister, Elisabeth (April 11, 1985). "2 Upcounty High Schools Approved". The Washington Post. p. MD2.
13. ^ "School Board Actions". The Washington Post. May 23, 1985. p. MDA4.
14. ^ "School Board Actions". The Washington Post. November 26, 1987. p. M4.
15. ^ a b c Brady, Jim (December 29, 1988). "Quince Orchard High Survives Growing Pains: New School Overcomes 1st-Year Challenges". The Washington Post. p. DC8.
16. ^ "Player Profile: Quince Orchard High School's Adam Gotkin". PressBox. 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
17. ^ Phillips, Doug (August 10, 2019). "Meet Coach Jason Ankrah". Schuyler Sun.
18. ^ "TCU football: How linebacker Johnny Hodges came to Fort Worth". Houston Chronicle. December 24, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
19. ^ Jensen, Michael (August 5, 2007). "Interview with Greek's Paul James, page 2". AfterElton.com. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
20. ^ Simms, Brandy L. (August 23, 2018). "Kerr returns to Quince Orchard for football camp". Montgomery County Sentinel.
21. ^ "Jordan Goldberg". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
22. ^ Giambalvo, Emily (December 24, 2019). "Maryland special teams coordinator John Papuchis joins Florida State staff". The Washington Post.
23. ^ Quince Orchard Star Demeioun Robinson Commits to Maryland
24. ^ Everett, John Burgess (August 12, 2009). "The DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) finds its voice". The Gazette. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009.

## External links[edit]

* Official website

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