BOE Adopts Magruder and Wootton Parent Proposals
ROCKVILLE, Md. — The Montgomery County Board of Education announced today it will acquiesce to parent demands and initiate major renovations at both Thomas S. Wootton High School and Colonel Zadok Magruder High School, starting in 2027. Crown High School will serve Gaithersburg students as originally planned, the BoE also revealed.
The Wootton and Magruder student bodies will be merged under a single institution, Magrootton High School, when their respective school renovations begin. BoE officials say the move meets PTSA demands to maintain neighborhood identities and ensures equity between communities.
Magrootton students will occupy a retired 390,000-square-foot building at the Shady Grove Transfer Station complex, selected for its cavernous space, classroom-ready surge pits, and central location midway between Wootton in Rockville and Magruder in Derwood. "Magrootton at Shady Grove offers equitability through putrescibility," Board President Grace Rivera-Oven boasted.
Rivera-Oven said that the merger concept was inspired by the collaborative statements issued by the Wootton and Magruder PTSAs opposing Option H in the boundary study. "The PTSAs emphasized the importance of addressing infrastructure issues without unnecessary disruption," Rivera-Oven said. "By creating Magrootton at Shady Grove, we follow their guidance by providing a neutral and accessible site that already smells like a school."
While City of Gaithersburg officials were quick to praise the BoE decision, elected officials in Rockville expressed concerns in a 4-page letter outlining 38 reasons to call it Wootgruder.
Once renovations are complete and Wootton and Magruder return to their original sites, in 2037, the Shady Grove Transfer Station holding facility will be renamed Damasherwood and the school system will begin its next round of major renovations.
The City of Rockville’s letter to the school board is reprinted below.
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CITY OF ROCKVILLE
Office of the Mayor and Council
111 Maryland Avenue | Rockville, Maryland 20850
February 18, 2026
VIA ELECTRONIC DELIVERY
Grace Rivera-Oven, President
Montgomery County Board of Education
850 Hungerford Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
RE: Formal Objection to the Proposed “Magrootton” Nomenclature
Dear President Rivera-Oven and Members of the Board:
While the City of Rockville appreciates the Board’s willingness to finally address the structural integrity of our aging high schools—and we acknowledge the “creative” utility of the Shady Grove Transfer Station as a holding facility—the Mayor and Council must express our collective distress regarding the proposed name of the merged institution. To put it plainly, “Magrootton” is a phonetic and civic catastrophe. As the primary stakeholders in the Wootton community, we find the proposed portmanteau lacks the prestige, aerodynamic syllabic structure, and "Winning-W" branding essential to our ZIP codes. Therefore, we formally demand the immediate adoption of Wootgruder High School.
Our reasoning is exhaustive, as outlined in the following thirty-eight points:
The 38 Reasons for "Wootgruder"
I. Phonetic & Branding Superiority
1. The "Maggot" Factor: “Magrootton” begins with a syllable that too closely resembles “maggot,” which is PR suicide for a school located at a trash transfer station.
2. The "Woot" Factor: Starting with “Woot” creates an immediate celebratory atmosphere (e.g., “Woot woot!”).
3. Syllabic Weight: “Wootgruder” ends on a hard “R,” providing a sense of gravitas and closure.
4. The "Root" Problem: “Magrootton” contains the word “root,” suggesting the students will be permanently planted in the surge pits.
5. Vowel Harmony: The double “o” in Wootton is iconic and must lead the charge.
6. Mascot Alliteration: “The Wootgruder Wolverines” flows; “The Magrootton Mammoths” sounds like a brand of attic insulation.
7. Merchandise ROI: “Woot” looks better in 72pt Varsity font on a hoodie.
8. TikTok Compatibility: “Woot” is a pre-existing positive exclamation; “Mag” is just one letter away from a conspiracy theory.
II. Industrial & Environmental Synergy
9. Industrial Synergy: “Wootgruder” sounds like “Wood-grinder,” which honors the heavy machinery operating 50 feet from the cafeteria.
10. Scent Association: “Magrootton” sounds like a type of artisanal mulch.
11. Acoustics: The “G” in the middle of Wootgruder mimics the sound of a reversing garbage truck, helping students habituate to their environment.
12. Visibility: The letter “W” is easier to spot from the Shady Grove Metro platform during a power outage.
13. Psychological Shielding: “Wootgruder” sounds like a Scandinavian architect; “Magrootton” sounds like a 19th-century soil disease.
III. Geopolitical & Suburban Primacy
14. Rockville Primacy: Wootton is in Rockville; therefore, “Woot” must come first. This is non-negotiable.
15. The "Derwood" Slight: Putting “Mag” first implies a pivot toward Derwood interests.
16. Real Estate Protection: “Wootgruder” sounds like a private academy; “Magrootton” sounds like a public utility.
17. Zoning Alphabetics: In a list of Montgomery County schools, “W” puts them at the bottom, where they can be ignored by budget hawks.
18. The "Crown" Factor: Gaithersburg got Crown High School; Rockville must get “Woot-prefix” rights.
IV. Bureaucratic & Linguistic Logic
19. Acronym Stability: WGHS is easier to write than MGHS (which people confuse with Montgomery Village).
20. Spelling Ease: It is harder to accidentally spell “Wootgruder” as “Macaroon.”
21. Email Header Efficiency: “Woot” is four letters; “Magr” is also four, but “W” is wider and more authoritative.
22. The "Gruder" Honorific: It preserves the “Gruder” of the Colonel more effectively than “rootton.”
23. Portmanteau Symmetry: The “t” in the middle of Wootgruder acts as a structural bridge between the two communities.
24. Historical Precedent: We cite the (newly discovered) 1974 “Woot-Mag” pact.
25. The "U" Factor: “Wootgruder” has a “U.” “U” stands for “Unity.”
26. The "I" Absence: “Magrootton” has no “I,” which Rockville officials claim feels “impersonal.”
27. Font Clearance: In Comic Sans (the official font of school flyers), “Wootgruder” looks 12% more professional.
V. Legacy & Miscellaneous Petitions
28. Twitter Handle Availability: @WootgruderWolverines was available; @Magrootton was already taken by a British compost enthusiast.
29. Rhyme Scheme: Nothing rhymes with Magrootton. Wootgruder rhymes with “Gooder.”
30. Legacy Preservation: If you say “Magrootton” fast, it sounds like “My-Groot-Tone,” which is a Marvel copyright lawsuit waiting to happen.
31. The "O" Count: Wootgruder has two O's. Magrootton has three. Three O's are “excessive and elitist.”
32. Stamp Costs: The “W” in “Wootgruder” uses slightly less ink than the “M” in “Magrootton” over a 10-year renovation cycle.
33. Uniform Recycling: You can just iron a “Gruder” patch over old Wootton jerseys.
34. The "Cool" Factor: Wootgruder sounds like a character from Lord of the Rings.
35. The "Gritty" Factor: “Gruder” sounds like “Gritty,” the NHL mascot, which appeals to the youth.
36. Psychological Impact on SATs: The “W” reminds students of “Winning.”
37. The "Yang" Amendment: To appease Board Member Yang, who likes things that sound "sturdy."
38. The Finality: Because we are the City of Rockville, and we have the stamps.
We look forward to seeing the "Wootgruder" signage installed at the Transfer Station no later than the 2027 move-in date.
Sincerely,
The Mayor and Council of Rockville
