Walt Whitman High School

Walt Whitman High School is a public secondary institution serving roughly the western part of Bethesda—an unincorporated suburban area of Washington, D.C., in Montgomery County, in Maryland. The school is named in honor of the American poet, Walt Whitman. Thomas W. Pyle Middle School feeds into Walt Whitman High School.HistoryThe school opened in the fall of 1962 with 1,418 students. Designed by local architect Anthony Ferrara, it was built on 17 levels, with a center courtyard and a geodesic dome for its gymnasium. A Ford Foundation grant underwrote the design and construction of the dome. During the first school year, Broadway composer and lyricist Meredith Willson visited the school to assist with the production of The Music Man, which he had created. In 1981, a 1,176-seat auditorium was added to the school. In 1992, the geodesic dome and all other buildings except for the auditorium were demolished and construction began on a new school building, which opened in fall 1993.Daryl Shaw served as the inaugural principal from 1962 until 1975. Jerome Marco was principal from 1975 until his retirement in 2004. Today, the Principal is Alan Goodwin, who was assistant principal for several years before taking his current post.