This graduation season Montgomery County schools have tapped local news reporters, county government and business leaders and school staff as commencements speakers.
Graduations begin Friday, with five scheduled, and continue through June 13, headlined by National Geographic Partners Chairman Gary Knell and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen.
Many of the ceremonies will be held at DAR Constitution Hall in the District, which will provide a free online live stream of events, while others will occur at home sites or local college campuses.
Montgomery County Public Schools will graduate approximately 11,000 seniors this year from its 25 high schools, along with hundreds more from the school system’s special schools, which provide services to special education and adult learners.
Here are the MCPS high school graduation dates and speakers:
May 24
Gaithersburg High School: Melissa Mollet, Channel 4 news broadcaster
Paint Branch High School: David Ritzer, teacher
Poolesville High School: Clayton Traver, social studies teacher
Wheaton High School: Jeremy Gelling, teacher, and Althea Davey, student
Stephen Knolls School: Kelly Speck, PTSA president
May 28
Winston Churchill High School: Andrew Friedson, Montgomery County Council member
Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA): Emily Russ, administrative secretary
May 29
Sherwood High School: Admiral Robert Chadwick, commandant of midshipmen
Thomas S. Wootton High School: Renee Wynn, chief information officer, NASA
May 30
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School: Gary Knell, Chairman of National Geographic Partners
May 31
Damascus High School: Brian Isaac, United States Naval Academy alumni and artistic director at the Alexandria Choral Society
Col. Zadok Magruder High School: Koki Adasi, of Compass Realty
Quince Orchard High School: Jeffrey Jernigan, math resource teacher
Rock Terrace School: Marge Parrott, transitions office
June 3
Clarksburg High School: Wallace Loh, President of the University of Maryland, College Park
June 6
James Hubert Blake High School: Omari Daniel, English teacher
Albert Einstein High School: Nina Parraway, senior student
Walter Johnson High School: Janan Slough, senior class administrator
Northwest High School: Steven Krempasky, social studies teacher
Walt Whitman High School: Gabe Albornoz, Montgomery County Council member
June 7
Alternative Education Programs: Karen Edmunds, founder of Clinical Solutions
Montgomery Blair High School: Hillary Howard, WTOP reporter
John F. Kennedy High School: Leon Harris, news anchor for Channel 4
Longview School: school system staff
Model Learning Center: TBD
Richard Montgomery High School: U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen
Watkins Mill High School: Christopher Smith, English teacher
June 11
Northwood High School: Students
June 12
Springbrook High School: June 12, Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, D -Silver Spring
June 13
Rockville High School: Audra Esper, RHS alumni
Seneca Valley High School: Isaac Cudjoe, alumni and co-founder of the ReTurn Movement
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
