Senior class sponsor and teacher Victoria McCarthy has always had a passion for health and student planning. Having previously taught at Cabin John Middle school as a PE teacher, McCarthy now primarily teaches health.
Growing up McCarthy was a class officer for all four years of high school, helping plan her school’s prom and homecoming dances as well as other fundraising events. “That’s kind of where my passion started,” McCarthy said.
Following high school McCarthy attended the University of Maryland receiving her undergrad degree in community health. After securing a desk job out of college, McCarthy soon realized it wasn’t for her and went back to school to earn her teaching degree.
In her first years of teaching high school, McCarthy taught yoga/stretching, a favorite class among students looking to complete their PE credit. With the stress, anxiety and workload of school, yoga offers much needed relaxation not to mention physical benefits . Yoga students find that over the course of the year as the class gets more advanced their bodies gain better posture, sleep, flexibility, balance and overall stress management.
Starting with the class of 2025 and beyond, one of MCPS’s newer graduation requirements is a full year of health as opposed to one semester. Students may opt to take health online over the summer or in person during school. “I took it over the summer… I think it was a really great way to free up space in my schedule,” sophomore Meara Liebetrau said.
With McCarthy being one of the few teachers at this school certified to teach health and underclassmen opting to get the credit out of the way early, she made the switch this year from yoga to primarily teaching health.
Health covers a variety of topics including mental and emotional health, substance use and prevention, family life/human sexuality, disease prevention, safety, violence prevention and healthy eating. “As a teacher I think Mrs. McCarthy keeps you really involved with the lessons,” sophomore class treasurer and health student Benedict Santos said.
With splanning once again returning as a class period, senior class officers Noah Friedman, Naima Cho- Khaliq , Joseph Lee, Justin Kim and other members work closely with McCarthy and co – sponsor Keith Schwartz to make senior year possible. “You don’t realize how much you need [a class period]. There is so much to do and it helps to have that built in time,” McCarthy said.
While splanning makes McCarthy busy throughout the day, she is grateful for the group of senior planning students. “They are so self-sufficient every day they know what they need to be doing and do what they need to do,” McCarthy said.
According to McCarthy this school’s culture is one she resonates with having been academically driven in high school. “There’s a lot of diversity, everybody seems to have long term goals in mind and pathways that they are interested in and futures that they can see for themselves which I think is really nice,” McCarthy said.
Since returning to teaching after having her first child McCarthy feels that she has more of a purpose, “It’s definitely an adjustment… but it’s not just me that I’m providing for anymore it’s also for her,” McCarthy said.
