Rockville Student Claims $10,000 Prize In National Poetry Contest

Maryland State Poetry Out Loud Champion Blessed Sheriff, a sophomore at Richard Montgomery High School and resident of Gaithersburg, finished second.

A student from Richard Montgomery High School claimed a $10,000 prize for being runner-up in the Poetry Out Loud National Finals. Blessed Sheriff, a sophomore and a resident of Gaithersburg, was the Maryland State Poetry Out Loud Champion, according to an announcement. Sheriff was one of nine finalists, selected from a pool of 53 students representing every state, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands at the national finals. Hosted at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium on Tuesday, Sherriff fell just short of the $20,000 grand prize for the poetry recitation contest. The event matches matches skills in reciting classic and contemporary poetry from Shakespeare to Brenda Cárdenas, according to the release. The …

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Richard Montgomery Students Earn National Achievement Scholarships

MCPS: Andie S. Berry, Kiera F. Givens and Channing N. Kimble-Brown will be awarded $2,500

Three Richard Mongtomery High School students are among 11 from the county’s public schools to receive National Achievement Scholarships, Montgomery County Public Schools announced Thursday. Andie S. Berry, Kiera F. Givens and Channing N. Kimble-Brown will be awarded $2,500 scholarships. The highly selective scholarship competition recognizes outstanding academic achievement of African-American high school seniors across the United States. The scholarships are privately financed by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and grants from corporate organizations and professional associations, according to MCPS. The other local recipients are: Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Angela S. White Montgomery Blair High School Henok A. Addis …

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Wootton Girls Win State Swim Championship

Rockville well represented at state swimming championship Saturday

Wootton High School girls’ earned the state title at the 2013 Maryland 4A/3A swimming and diving championship on Saturday. And as a recent post at Reach For The Wall points out, the Patriots nabbed the title without winning an individual event at the meet. Wootton won with 329 points. Richard Montgomery’s girls team placed third (237.5). The state championship was held at University of Maryland’s Eppley Recreation Center in College Park. For the boys, Richard Montgomery was the highest-placing Rockville team, coming in at third (179). Wootton’s boys placed fifth with 168 points. --- For more results from other races, see the PDF attached to this article.

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Rockville Speedskater Prepares for Competition in Warsaw

April Shin, a freshman at Richard Montgomery High School, will compete at the Junior World Short Track Speedskating Championships in Poland.

As a high school freshman, April Shin is already a silver medalist in what’s been dubbed “NASCAR on Ice.” On Saturday, the 14-year-old speedskater will head overseas to compete against the world’s top youth athletes, at the Junior World Short Track Speedskating Championships, on Feb. 22-24 in Warsaw, Poland. Shin, a student at Richard Montgomery High School, earned her berth on the Junior National Team in January when she won the silver medal at the 2013 US Junior National Short Track Speedskating Championship in Woodbridge, VA. In Poland, she’ll be joined by Thomas Hong, 15, of Laurel. Hong finished fourth at Junior Nationals. --- Related content:

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Rockville Teen Makes U.S. Junior Speedskating Team

Richard Montgomery High freshman won silver at last month's national championships.

April Shin, a 14-year-old freshman at Richard Montgomery High School, won the silver medal in the 2013 U.S. Junior National Short Track Speedskating Championships, held Jan. 25-27 in Woodbridge, VA, earning a spot on the U.S. Junior World team that will be competing at the Junior World Short Track Speedskating Championships in Warsaw, Poland on Feb. 22-24.  Four males and four females were selected to the team, according to a report by WTOP, which called the sport "NASCAR on ice." Related content:

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Richard Montgomery Names Klotz Football Coach

Former QO offensive coordinator will lead the Rockets, MocoVox.com reported.

  Richard Montgomery High School has a new football coach. Former Quince Orchard High School offensive coordinator Joshua Klotz will take the reins of the Rockets for the 2013 season, MocoVox.com reported. Click here to read the full story on MocoVox.com. RM Athletic Director John Freda said Klotz “blew everybody away in the interview,” The Gazette reported Wednesday. Click here to read the full story from The Gazette. In an interview with Gaithersburg Patch in November, Quince Orchard head coach Dave Mencarini credited Klotz with reviving the Cougars’ offense last season. Klotz worked with quarterback Matt Choi after starting quarterback Mikey Murtaugh was lost for the season to injury.  “Josh did a great job of putting a plan in place to…

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Teen Triggerman Pleads Guilty in Rockville Metro Shooting

Kevin Q. Nguyen, 17, of Rockville, faces up to 50 years in prison when sentenced.

  A 17-year-old Rockville boy pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Circuit Court on Monday to attempted second-degree murder in connection with a double shooting at the Rockville Metro station in May, The Gazette reported. Kevin Q. Nguyen, of the 300 block of North Van Buren Street, faces up to 50 years in prison. Nguyen’s defense attorneys told The Gazette that they will seek “the shortest sentence possible” for Nguyen, who faces a mandatory minimum five years in prison for pleading guilty to use of a handgun in a violent crime. Nguyen’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 12, The Washington Examiner reported. Nguyen waived his right to appeal his sentence or have the case transferred to the juvenile justice system, The Gazette …

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Teen Found Guilty in Rockville Metro Station Shooting

Tavares D. Harris, 18, was convicted on assault and handgun charges, according to reports.

An 18-year-old Rockville man was found guilty Tuesday of first-degree assault and use of a handgun in a violent crime for the shooting at the Rockville Metro station in May. Tavares D. Harris, of the 700 block of Fallsgrove Drive, was facing a number of charges in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, but the jury remained undecided on attempted first- and second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, The Gazette reported, after a third day of delibrations. Click here for coverage of the shooting by Rockville Patch. Prosecutors argued that Harris “aided and abetted” Kevin Q. Nguyen by providing the gun that Nguyen, 17, of the 300 block of North Van Buren Street in Rockville, used to open fire at the station on May 18. …

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Rockville Metro Station Shooting Trial Goes to the Jury

Tavares D. Harris is accused of providing the gun used in the May shooting.