The TidePod

For many high school athletes, getting recruited to a collegiate program is one of their main goals. Getting a chance to play at any division is a fun and competitive experience, with some athletes aiming to play for coveted Division 1 schools. While the recruiting process can open up a host of new opportunities for student-athletes, it can also be very stressful. To learn more about what the proc...

RM has a large variety of student-run clubs, ranging from arts clubs to sports clubs and even social justice organizations. There is something available for every student and getting involved in clubs is a big part of the RM experience for many students. The TidePod wanted to spotlight some of these clubs to make the student body more aware of the options and activities available to them, as well...

The TidePod's first episode of 2024 is another installment of Bella and Uma's Breakdowns. They discuss all the snow days from this January as well as MCPS's new Code Purple policy for virtual learning, and what students think about it. 

What we eat is obviously very important because we need food to survive. However, food can be so much more than just nutrients, and for episode four, we talk about what food can mean in our families and cultures, especially with so many holidays around the corner. 

This week, RM celebrated mental health awareness week in a few different ways. At lunch each day of the week, different activities were offered for students to participate in, including therapy dogs, a movie screening of Inside Out, and open gym activities. Another feature was included in morning announcements, when students and staff could share messages or stories about mental health awareness a...

Bella and Uma's Breakdowns is back for Season 6 of The TidePod. For this installment, we’re discussing the history behind Halloween and how it became the holiday it is today. When we think of Halloween now, the current traditions come to mind: trick-or-treating for candy, dressing up in costumes, using spooky decorations, and watching beloved Halloween movies. But what is the root of all thes...

The TidePod is back for its sixth season! For the first episode, we’re discussing an important and controversial topic at RM: the use of ChatGPT and generative AI at school. This year, RM teachers and administration established new rules strictly prohibiting the use of ChatGPT and generative AI for academic purposes or in the classroom. To gain more insights about what this looks like in classroom...

In the second installment of Bella and Uma's Breakdowns, the two discuss the issues with RM's bathrooms and solutions that have been taken, as well as the countywide attention and responses MCPS bathrooms have been receiving. 

On Sunday, Feb. 5, the annual Grammy awards were held at the Crypto.com arena, honoring artists old and new alike. Hosted by Trevor Noah for the third time, this year’s Grammys featured an array of performances and tributes, as well as some surprising results. We cover the recipients of the biggest awards as well as the standout performances. 

On Friday, January 13th, a lockdown took place at RM due to the report of a person with a gun on school property. Students were in lockdown, and then shelter-in-place from the end of fifth period until dismissal. We spoke with RM students and staff about their reactions to the situation and RM's response. 

The TidePod is back for 2023! We're introducing Bella and Uma's Breakdowns, a new recurring series where we cover something that’s been in the news recently! We’ll give you a quick summary of the events and talk about the opinions surrounding the topic.  Today we’re discussing TikTok, and whether or not it’s a national security threat. 

It’s been a big year in many ways, and the TidePod staff wanted to recap it with a little RM Wrapped, like the center spread article from last year. We cover the top music artists, fashion trends, movies, tv shows, and RM moments from 2022. Thanks for listening this year and happy new year! 

Everyone can agree that the World Cup is one of the most popular and entertaining sporting events to watch, occurring every four years and hosted by a different nation each time. But this year's world cup has been surrounded by controversy, especially pertaining to its location, which is Qatar. We break down all the scandals that have arisen regarding this World Cup, starting with the bidding...

One of RM's many clubs is a chapter of My Neuro Corner, lead by sophomore Jessica Wang. RM's My Neuro Corner has a podcast called Croak, which talks about neurodiversity and advocacy in that field. We spoke with Jessica as well as the hosts of Croak to learn more about what they do. You can find Croak on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

RM students are lucky to enjoy the option of open lunch throughout the year. Due to RM's proximity to places like Rockville Town Center and Ritchie Center, students are permitted to leave the campus during lunchtime. We spoke with RM students to learn more about their recommendations and favorite places to eat. 

The Montgomery County Board of Education passed a resolution allowing for the consideration of renaming six MCPS schools. RM is one of these schools; along with Montgomery County, it is named after Irish soldier Richard Montgomery. Recently, students and communities have been circulating petitions to take the further steps necessary in renaming RM and other MCPS schools. We spoke with US History t...

The RM TidePod kicks off its new season with introductions from the new hosts, as well as their tips for the new school year. 

March 20th is the official start of spring this year! To celebrate the blossoming of wildlife and the warm weather soon to come, our team decided to take a walk outdoors to capture the sounds of spring around us. We hope this episode will offer a few minutes of relaxation and reinvigoration after the long cold months of winter. We also encourage everyone to take some time outdoors and appreciate n...

This episode reviews the recently updated MCPS policy on Covid. Our team crafted a survey that was sent out to the entire RM student body to capture student opinion and status on mask and test kit usage, along with any difficulties with resuming a regular school life given the dramatic rise in Omricon cases. 

Attention freshmen, sophomores, and juniors! Course selections for the next school year are happening soon! RM offers a diverse range of unique classes, from LGBTQ studies to Quantitative Literature. In this episode, we invited several teachers and students to share their experiences with unique electives in RM. Featured guests are Ms. Kidd (Journalism & Yearbook), Cindy Le (Quantitative Liter...

As students return to the building for the first time in over a year, school events are back into full swing! Today, we spoke to the SGA president, Lulu August, who gave us an overview of school traditions, fundraisers, and other events to come. In our new series - A Beginner's Guide to RM - the TidePod offers a variety of helpful information about RM, academic advice, and fresh updates on ex...

In the twelfth episode of the TidePod’s third season, we gave seniors the opportunity to share their experiences at RM. We accepted audio recordings from any seniors who wanted to reflect on their lives in high school, give shout-outs to their friends and favorite teachers, share their future plans, give advice, and more. We captured the memories of the Class of 2021 in this podcast. It's als...

In the eleventh episode of the TidePod’s third season, we will be talking to the two candidates for School-wide President: Lulu August and Shayyan Ali Ahmed.  SGA election season is just around the corner, and all campaigns have been completely virtual. We'll get their insights on the virtual campaigning experience and what they have been doing to gain traction. We'll also give the candi...

In the tenth episode of the third season of the TidePod, we interviewed student leaders of the Black Maskers Drama club in Richard Montgomery High School, RMHS, to talk about their upcoming production, Clue: Stay at Home Edition . Normally, the Black Maskers put on a musical during the fall, produce the student-directed One Acts during the winter, and put on a play during the spring. While the Bla...

In the ninth episode of the third season of the TidePod, we interviewed Montgomery County Public School, MCPS, students involved in the American Sign Language, ASL, community about their experiences learning ASL and what it means to be an ASL user. In MCPS, ASL is offered as a world language and can be used to fulfill Maryland diploma requirements. Students in these classes learn much more than gr...