In Montgomery County, honors classes may become an endangered species.

This year, the school elimated the Honors US History course. Students will now be able to take either on-level or AP US History.

Since there are now only two levels instead of three, student abilities within each class are more divserse. Most freshmen currently taking the course are not bothered by being in a class with mixed skill levels.

Ring! 6AM. Montgomery County teenagers are waking up before the sun rises, but studies show that they are naturally inclined to stay awake until 11:30 PM because of biorhythms. And 6.5 hours of sleep doesn’t seem reasonable.

But what happens if school starts later each day? That is what Seniors John Rothman and Rajarshi Chattopadhyay, creators of a Facebook group called “Start MCPS Schools One Hour Later”, want to know. During their summer internship with Dr. Linda Berg-Cross of Howard University, they were asked to "come up with ways to spread the news about how sleep deprivation is severely detrimental to the health", says Chattopadhyay.

MCPS has seen environmental issues take center stage on the list of county-wide issues to be addressed. Recently, the Board of Education has found a set of eco-conscious activists from a very unlikely source: the elementary school playground.

Started by students at Piney Branch Elementary School, the Young Activist Club (YAC) was created by a group of elementary school students intent on removing the wasteful use of Styrofoam lunch trays in their cafeteria. The YAC has self-funded a $10,000 pilot program that will eliminate these environmentally hazardous trays.

Most students take advantage of the school’s open lunch policy, but the Rockville City Police is now ensuring that with the freedom comes responsibility. When students leave campus, safety becomes an issue, and the police are stepping in.

This year, the City of Rockville has received a record number of complaints of students not using crosswalks and endangering themselves and others, before, during, and after school. These concerns have prompted the police to take a more involved role.