Our athletic program is a key component in our students’ high school experience, and I am grateful that you are here to support it. All rights reserved. Montgomery County Public Schools is … Walt Whitman’s Principal Dr. Robert Dodd emailed a letter to parents Monday morning informing them of the incident. Dodd said he has a similar goal at Whitman in helping minorities succeed, particularly African Americans and Latinos. Welcome to Walt Whitman, Dr. Robert Dodd. On the wall directly behind the desk is a picture of Walt Whitman himself. Photo courtesy Argyle Middle School. The BOE selected Dodd following a lengthy selection process involving students, teachers and county administrators. He then became a lead consulting principal in MCPS’s Office of Human Resources and Development. I was named the audio-visual person in fifth grade, and raised the flag in sixth. The purpose of this letter is to briefly reflect on this summer and begin to look ahead to the start of an exciting new school year. Students at Walt Whitman and Winston Churchill high schools learned the names of their new principals Monday evening. “We have many students who are excelling at Whitman, but there are achievement gaps that we have to address, and that’s not just an achievement issue, but it’s also a cultural issue at the school,” he said. On the wall directly behind the desk is a picture of Walt Whitman himself. Wow! It was hard to walk away not feeling like it was a really special place.”, One Response to “Robert Dodd named new principal”. Two students at Walt Whitman High School are the latest in a recent chain of racial controversy at the Maryland high school. BETHESDA, Md. Hanging on another wall is a letter dated Oct. 31, 1968, from then-Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Homer Elseroad. It was there that, according to The Washington Post, Dodd “worked diligently” to change the image of the school, which consists of mostly minority and low-income students. Robby Dodd Principal of Walt Whitman High School Silver Spring, Maryland Primary/Secondary Education in 2014 for going beyond the demands of his position by creating an exceptional educational environment at Argyle. “I think that our counselors and our administrators and our teachers are consistently having conversations with kids about striking that right balance of doing well in school, but also being a well-rounded person and making healthy choices,” he said. In order to make the Black & White online a safe and secure public forum for members of the community to express their opinions, we read all comments before publishing them. Skip Navigation Share on Facebook ©1995-2020 Montgomery County Public Schools, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850 The letter congratulates Dodd’s father, formerly the principal of the now-closed Parkside Elementary School in Silver Spring, on the birth of his son, mistakenly referred to as “William Robert Dodd.”. Dodd said his three main areas of focus for the school year are creating equity for all students, building student-teacher relationships and improving students’ psycho-social development when it comes to handling stress. I was often sent to the principal’s office, supposedly as a punitive measure of course. “Dr. I think he will be an informed and caring administrator and educator.”. Two students at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, posted a picture of themselves to social media wearing blackface, school officials said.. And the new principal also enjoys showing off his wooden desk, which he proudly admits once belonged to Jerome Marco, a beloved Whitman principal who led the school from 1975 to 2004 and for whom the school’s football stadium is named. Margaret Oleynik told News4 she was driving through the school … The Washington Post awarded Dodd its Distinguished Educational Leadership Award in 2014 for going beyond the demands of his position by creating an exceptional educational environment at Argyle. “Dr. Dodd said he will continue to meet informally with students throughout the year to help them feel comfortable at the school. “I really was just overwhelmed with a kind of humility and gratitude about the opportunity.”. Robert Dodd is surrounded by history in his new office at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda. I have had a successful life and consider Alan Dodd to be one of the most important reasons. Dodd, 49, is a Montgomery County native who has been an MCPS employee for 25 years, taking over as principal of one of the county’s highest-achieving high schools, following the June retirement after 14 years of Alan Goodwin, another well-regarded leader of the school. The principal of Walt Whitman High School sent a letter to parents and students Monday … He said he held “study circles” over the summer to find out main concerns of students, parents and teachers. Comments are meant to spur discussion about the content and/or topic of an article. Skip Navigation Share on Facebook He had come through a physical education track (as many principals did- they were the only ones with enough time to take the necessary courses). Unanimous decision for Dodd May 21 fourth grade standing in the County Office of Human Resources Development. A good fit for the community 2021 Bethesda Magazine, go get a gravatar who had her back on! 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