As MCPS residents under t 18, WCHS students have many opportunities and benefits within the county. Many unknown student benefits include gym passes, free buses and newspaper subscriptions. This article will cover the multitude of benefits students can get.
MCPL Library
With an MCPL library card students can get free subscriptions to the New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal; in addition to using the library card to check out books. The New York Times allows for 24-hour unlimited use until the access code needs to be redeemed, The Wall Street Journal provides for 3 days, and The Washington Post for seven days.
This information can be found under Online Resources on the MCPL website. It gives access to language learning resources such as Mango and Rosetta Stone. s well as practice tests for the ACT, SAT, GED, college placement tests, TOEFL, TOEIC and the US citizenship exam among other resources.
SmartPass
MCPS students can obtain a free SmartPass, which allows them to have unlimited access to Maryland’s bus transit system as well as free access to the Metro. Students can pick up Youth Cruiser cards at area schools and libraries that offer free bus fare for all Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MC-DOT) Ride-on buses and most Metro buses. To get this, students simply go to their school’s business office register, and get a free card. This is only available for MCPS students until they reach the age of majority (18).
Gym Pass
Montgomery County Recreation allows Montgomery County residents under the age of 18 to have access to its facilities for free. Those 15 and younger can get the Youth Pass for free. Those old or older can get the Rec-Fit pass for free. Those applying for this pass have to visit a center location and register through that. Appliers must show proof of residency, and youth aged 14-15 can only use a fitness room when accompanied by an adult with a pass, according to the Montgomery County Recreation website. This does not, however, apply to the Aquatics Center.
Movie Theaters
AMC Theaters has student discounts on movie tickets that are only valid when students buy a ticket and show their student ID while purchasing it. Regal Cinema also allows for student discounts at certain locations; upon purchasing tickets, students must display their school ID at the time of ticket purchase. These locations can be found on the Regal website.
Restaurants and Clothing Stores
Many restaurants and clothing stores offer discounts to all students, which are non-specific to Montgomery County residents. These range from fast food places such as Burger King and Pizza Hut to Ann Taylor and Urban Outfitters stores. For example, Banana Republic offers a 10% in-store discount for students in the U.S. At J.Crew. students can get a 15% discount. There are many other examples, so students should check the website of the place they are ordering from to check their specific discounts, or when ordering or purchasing something, show their student ID in person to get a discount.
Be Well 365
MCPS’s Be Well 365 program offers student support services counseling, psychological services, and pupil personnel workers to address challenges faced by low-income students. Having psychological services can help student’s mental health.
Title I
Schools with a high percentage of low-income students receive extra funding through Title I to improve educational programs. These extend learning opportunities and professional development, encourage parent involvement, assist students from low-income families with meeting state assessments and overall ensure all students receive a quality education.
