The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
Students exit WJ after school on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Exiting through the front door in the afternoon often involves waiting in a long line. “We got way too many kids here; it’s ridiculous,” freshman Veer Anand said.
WJ surpasses 3,000 students for first time
A ballot box sits just outside of the WJ school building in May, right before the 2024 primary election. Ballot boxes like this will be used by many WJ seniors this November to cast their votes for the first time.
WJ students share opinions, take action before 2024 election
Denmark students and teachers from Fredrica High School come together to pose for a photo alongside WJ administrators and student ambassadors. The photo was held in the commons after everyone enjoyed their pizza-provided lunch.
WJ welcomes Danish students
The Pinstripes building in Pike and Rose featuring its outdoor terrace. Pinstripes is in the middle of a popular outdoor shopping center close to WJ. (Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
Prom to be held at Pinstripes
Instagram announces 'built-in protections' for teen accounts
Instagram announces ‘built-in protections’ for teen accounts
Newly built Woodward High School, currently occupied by Northwood High School, sits empty after a long September school day. The building's construction recently concluded, allowing it to be used for this school year.
Woodward’s building opens for Northwood
From the left: Ellie Macfarlan, Charlotte Kuperstein, Alice Frank, Olivia Crawford, Lucia Kanazir, and Daniele Perez. They all intend to attend Homecoming again this year and have fun
Students plan for Homecoming
Karen Generose reviews practice sentences with her Latin Two students. Each day Generose teaches five different levels of Latin.
Language teachers cope with packed classes
Michael Laukaitis explains a calculus concept to students during lunch. He has always made himself available for help outside of class, something many students appreciate.
Behind mathematical maestro Michael Laukaitis
(Courtesy Hildi Altman)
Homecoming: Is it best to go with a date or friends?
A line of students stretches far past the door at Flippin' Pizza, an almost daily occurrence during the school year. Inside, employees work hard to quickly serve their customers.
G Square, Wildwood employees react to start of school year
Internship coordinator Emily Fleisher leads an internship meeting in the auditorium. Check-ins like this are one of the ways Fleisher has added more structure and guidance to this program.
Putting the work in Work Based Learning: behind the modified internship system
The VMA's is an annual Video Music Award ceremony hosted in the month of September. The award show was available for fans around the world to tune in and watch their favorite artists get the chance to receive many outstanding awards. (Wikimedia Commons)
Performance ranking of the VMA’s
Bradley plays at the Global Strings Program at Berklee College of Music. She learned about several different styles of music and got a chance to perform them live, last summer. (Courtesy Alice Bradley)
Hard work, passion talent compose student musician
Sophomores, sisters and Hadestown cast and crew members Kelsee (left) and Kylee (right) Solt-Linville never get bored of one another and can be found socializing together throughout the school.
Acting in harmony: Balancing the demands of school and theater
Leads Yuri Sternberg, Sasha Rotton and Mason Lee rehearse lines. Preparations for the play require a mix of running lines and blocking scenes.
WJ STAGE tackles “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon”
The woman poses for her fall photo shoot in an outfit she found inspiration for on Instagram. She wore ripped jeans, a jacket and statement sneakers, showing how the trends from the early 2010s have continued for years. (Courtesy PickPik)
Flipping through fall fashion trends
Senior Hal Fischer plays bass for his band The Haze. Fischer is excited to play with The Haze at BabyCat again once the other members return. (Courtesy Sam Deichman Caswell)
Fischer’s soundtrack: Senior finds harmony across instruments
WJ students sit in the school's library in the morning. There are already many students, with even more coming to study for upcoming tests or relax before the school day.
Classes should be made longer for WJ students
I visited the German government in Berlin with fellow exchange students from America. Our presidential election was frequently debated and I was often asked about my political beliefs.
Looking back on my year abroad in Germany
Is PDA too public in schools?
Is PDA too public in schools?
Students begin a practice Kahoot for French class. Walter Johnson offers a total of six languages including American Sign Language, Chinese, Italian and more, giving students the opportunity to explore different languages and cultures. “I switched [from Spanish] to Latin freshman year and I love it,” junior Abigial Samuels said.
Beat the American stereotype, stick with your language class
Pitch Opinion: It's time for The Juice
Pitch Opinion: It’s time for The Juice
Students, especially seniors, respond to the new AP exam no-show fee policy of MCPS. The policy requires those who do not attend an exam to pay $40.
Students shouldn’t pay for exams they don’t take
The team poses for a photo before beginning their tour with Johnson. The Cats were given a full tour of the University of Maryland football facilities. "My favorite part of the tour was getting to meet players from the actual team. They were all so nice and we got to take pictures with them," senior Mimi Dietrich said.
Photo Gallery: Girls’ flag football visits UMD
The Change-Up: Capitals Edition
The Change-Up: Capitals Edition
The team completes a breathtaking stunt in a pyramid. The high-risk nature of Cheer is always something for the athletes to keep in mind. "Cheerleading is very, very, hard," head coach Vanessa Barnes said. It's one of the most dangerous sports. A lot of people don't know that because it's overlooked, but it is very difficult. Any minute, someone can be dropped from all the way up in the air. That's probably one of the things I would think people need to know about cheerleading."
Photo Gallery: Cheers first competetion
Cats bounce back, beat undefeated school rival
Cats bounce back, beat undefeated school rival
Seniors Ellie Weinstein and Naamiah Corke celebrate their win over the Northwood Gladiators with a final score of 34-0.
Ellie Weinstein makes history as first WJ flag football quarterback
Senior captain Ella Hoban attempts a free kick, which was awarded to the Wildcats after a foul on junior Haley Prindle. The Wildcats took down reigning state finalists Montgomery Blair 2-0 on Monday. (Courtesy Lifetouch)
Girls’ soccer defeats Churchill, Blair, looks towards challenging matches
Up at bat: Length of classes
Up at bat: Freshmen Homecoming
The team poses for a photo before beginning their tour with Johnson. The Cats were given a full tour of the University of Maryland football facilities. "My favorite part of the tour was getting to meet players from the actual team. They were all so nice and we got to take pictures with them," senior Mimi Dietrich said.
Photo Gallery: Girls’ flag football visits UMD
Healthy relationships 101
Healthy relationships 101
The Change-Up: Capitals Edition
The Change-Up: Capitals Edition
The team completes a breathtaking stunt in a pyramid. The high-risk nature of Cheer is always something for the athletes to keep in mind. "Cheerleading is very, very, hard," head coach Vanessa Barnes said. It's one of the most dangerous sports. A lot of people don't know that because it's overlooked, but it is very difficult. Any minute, someone can be dropped from all the way up in the air. That's probably one of the things I would think people need to know about cheerleading."
Photo Gallery: Cheers first competetion
The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
Caleb Kasten

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer

Caleb Kasten is a staff writer. He is a senior and enjoys watching sports.
All content by Caleb Kasten
"I plan to watch with family and friends and root for the underdogs because Maryland already lost." -Evie Avillo, 9

Up-At-Bat: What are your March Madness plans?

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
March 28, 2023
This bathroom is one of the only private bathrooms in the school which many students take advantage of to avoid the drama in the other bathrooms. This is located near the auditorium.

Security monitoring bathrooms creates discomfort

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
March 9, 2023
One of few Southwest airplanes that was able to takeoff during winter break. The company caused many delays, cancellations and overall chaos.

Widespread Southwest cancellations disrupt winter break plans

Caleb Kasten and Peter Kahrl
January 17, 2023
Senior Nik Avillo stops for a picture while skiing at Heavenly Mountain in California. Avillo enjoyed skiing more than snowboarding as you can see the poles in hand and skis on feet.

Skiing vs Snowboarding: Which is more popular at WJ

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
December 21, 2022
Aaron Judge trots after hitting one of his 62nd homers in the regular season. Judge is the favorite for AL MVP for the 2022 season.

Who will win? Students predict the upcoming MLB awards

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
November 10, 2022
Netflix's new hit show, Dahmer, sparks controversy over whether this show should have been created. Many viewers have said they felt the show is insensitive to the victims families and shouldn't have been created at all.

Point/Counterpoint: Does ‘Dahmer’ raise awareness or create controversy?

Caleb Kasten and Peter Kahrl
October 31, 2022
Senior Patrick Adams flies a plane as a part of his flight program. Adams plans to get his pilots license by the spring, so he can apply to a college with a Navy ROTC program to continue his flight training.

From classroom to cockpit: senior takes his abbreviated schedule to the next level

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
October 25, 2022
A student arrives too late to get a parking space. This student was forced to park on the side of the road.

Parking lot mayhem causes frustration

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
September 22, 2022

People of WJ at Graduation

Andrew Plotnick, Luke Liden, Alex Wolfson and Caleb Kasten
June 14, 2022
Thomas Bryant yelling after ending the Wizards game with a win and played the game of his life. He covered many of his spreads in this game.

Illegal addiction: Students bet on sports games

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
June 13, 2022

The People of WJ challenge

Andrew Plotnick, Alex Wolfson, Luke Liden and Caleb Kasten
June 8, 2022

People of WJ interrupt AP exams?

Alex Wolfson, Andrew Plotnick, Luke Liden and Caleb Kasten
June 7, 2022

People of WJ: The Health Fair

Alex Wolfson, Luke Liden, Andrew Plotnick and Caleb Kasten
June 6, 2022

People of WJ 3: Students “Pushing P”

Alex Wolfson, Caleb Kasten, Luke Liden and Andrew Plotnick
May 18, 2022
Junior captain Seba Sani jumps up for a spike to help his team add points to their score. Sani helped WJ win this game to add to their impressive record.

Seba Sani takes his talents to Long Beach

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
May 16, 2022

People of WJ: Episode 2

Alex Wolfson, Caleb Kasten, Andrew Plotnick and Luke Liden
May 12, 2022

People of WJ: Prom edition

Alex Wolfson, Andrew Plotnick, Luke Liden and Caleb Kasten
May 5, 2022
Tom Brady announced his un-retirement from football through social media on March 13th. The news have caused many reactions in the NFL world and the WJ hallways.

Students reactions to Tom Brady unretiring

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
March 29, 2022
Netflix has been a popular TV medium among WJ students for years, being considered the original streaming service. But with the rise of competing streaming services, Netflix has lost a lot of beloved content and, consequentially, a lot of fans.

How WJ students are watching TV in 2022

Caleb Kasten and Jack Stashower
March 29, 2022
Alabama head coach Nick Saban shouts at his players during their practice, preparing for last season's playoffs. Despite hopes by many, college football playoffs will not be revamped next year.

Should the CFB playoff structure change?

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
March 3, 2022
The start of March brings excitement for March Madness. Students enjoy making brackets and eagerly follow the tournament.

Students excitement builds as March Madness approaches

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
March 3, 2022
Walter Johnson students show their school spirit in a varsity basketball game against the Wooton Patriots. After recent Covid-caused rule changes, students are no longer able to attend sporting events.

WJ winter sports seasons are in jeopardy

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
January 31, 2022
Senior Zeke Ross is running in a meet and trying to pace himself so his team can win the competition. Ross' reflection about bieng on cross country is " Being in xc is all about being with your friends and pushing your body further than you think you can."

Seniors experience their last sports season

Noel Haptemariam and Caleb Kasten
January 11, 2022
Junior CJ Newman speaks with school counselor Ashley Weddle. They discuss new classes for next year and how they can fit into his schedule.

New classes offered for 2022-2023 school year

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
December 20, 2021
Bardia Hormozi was shocked when he saw the blocked screen after searching up Cool Math games. He was finished with his classowork and was looking to do something to kill time.

Reactions to coolmath games being blocked

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
November 12, 2021
Students visit their counselors in this part of the building. This is where all the schedule changes get made for students.

WJ students rethink course choices

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
October 12, 2021
The WJ student section represented the school at Churchill with a white out theme. The students were loud and proud as the Wildcats prevailed from a deficit.

How WJ students feel about the return of sports

Caleb Kasten, Staff Writer
September 27, 2021
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