Silver Creek Middle School opened its doors for the first time on September 5, 2017. Named after the “natural winding stream” nearby, the new Kensington school is a four-story, 163,000 square foot building. Now home to hundreds of middle school students, Silver Creek MS stands as the newest addition to MCPS.
In constructing the massive new school, the county footed a bill of upwards of forty million dollars. An effort to minimize the footprint of this building caused Silver Creek to be one of the largest middle schools in MCPS on one of the smallest sites.
With four gymnasiums, a spacious courtyard, and a multi-purpose room set to function as the cafeteria, Silver Creek is excited to make use of the opportunities presented by the space. True to its name, the school is exposed to copious amounts of natural light and the surrounding environment, while remaining one of the most modern facilities in MCPS.
The school also boasts 11 laboratories, each serving science, technology, and other purposes. MCPS has employed 65 staff members to serve the students.
The school is open to only 6th and 7th grade students this year, with the enrollment count being approximately 560 students. The number of those enrolled is projected to increase to roughly 800 students during the 2018-2019 school year, largely in part because Silver Creek will permit 8th graders to attend as well.
The impressive facility is headed by principal Mrs. Traci Townsend. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, and a subsequent graduate of Ohio University as a biology major, Townsend eventually relocated to Maryland and worked as a biology teacher. Townsend worked at Gaithersburg High School for 21 years, the latter seven of which were spent in an administrative position.
This new middle school will alleviate the overcrowding in the Bethesda Chevy Chase cluster, thereby allowing the previously overcrowded Westland Middle School to facilitate students to the best of its ability.
The following elementary schools will be feeding into Silver Creek Middle School: North Chevy Chase, Rosemary Hills, Chevy Chase, and Rock Creek Forest.
(Photo courtesy of Bethesda Magazine)
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Sreelekha Chillanki of Richard Montgomery High School