Magnet Life
What is it like being a magnet student?
Magnet Difference
Since all MCPS students have strong options with their local high schools, magnet programs provide unique opportunities.
An eight-period school day
The magnet program school day ends at 3:20pm instead of 2:30pm so that students can take one more class than in a traditional MCPS high school. After-school activities typically start around 3:30pm so students can participate in everything Blair has to offer.
Unique Courses
As Blair is a large school, there are more electives to take at Blair than any other school in MCPS. This includes a large range of STEM Electives that are specific to the magnet program.
Blocked Classes
During a student's freshmen year, core courses are blocked so that the same group os students takes all the core courses together. This allows for interdisciplinary projects to be given across content areas and supervised by multiple teachers.
Quality Instruction
MCPS high schools have a great number of excellent teachers across all subject areas. Within the magnet program, teachers are selected not only for their instructional approach, but also their content knowledge that goes well beyond typical course requirements. Teachers expect that students not only meet course objectives, but help students with independent work that expands beyond the scope of even the most advanced courses.
Year by Year Breakdown
9th Grade
Ninth grade students will take physics, chemistry, computer science, engineering and a math class as part of the magnet program. We use interdisciplinary projects and events to help encourage students to think across STEM Fields. Part of the ninth grade experience is a field trip with Poolesville High School to Lake Needwood to look at water chemistry and indirect measurement techniques, the construction of a trebuchet after careful mathematical modeling, and a Chemistry & Engineering research project to end the year.
10th Grade
Tenth grade students will take biology, earth-science, computer science, engineering and math. We look at the interplay with robotics and planetary exploration and take a four-day ecology field trip to the Chincoteague Bay in Virginia.
11th-12th Grade
Upper-classmen have a lot of their freedom in their schedule. They will finish out the required courses by the first semester of 11th grade and then be able to select from the numerous electives in STEM fields that Blair has to offer. Students will complete an internship between their junior and senior years at a local university or laboratory and write it up as their Senior Reseaarch Project. Some electives, like Entomology, will have field experiences. Each year ends with the premier high school puzzling tounrament, PuzzlePalooza.