The school is separated into two distinct campuses; the Lower School campus houses pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students, while the Upper School houses sixth through twelfth grade students. The two campuses are distinct yet interrelated, and school functions take place regularly at both locations. The two campuses are located less than two miles from one another.
The building has three levels. The oval Beit Midrash located at the entrance is regularly used for tefilah. Other notable facilities include the Great Books Reading Room, "Field of Dreams" Playground, technology labs, science classrooms, and a library with two designated working classrooms. Since 1976, the Lower School has undergone three major renovations. The school now occupies approximately on and houses over 700 Lower School students.
The Upper School
The central hallway, the "Cardo", is bracketed by arches modeled on the archways in the ancient Jewish Quarter of ByzantineJerusalem. The main thoroughfare showcases student art and other projects. Throughout the structure are pieces of Jewish history and acknowledgments of the foundation of pluralism on which the school was established. The Beit Midrash features rounded stained glass windows circling a cupola based on Eastern European synagogue design, with each panel representing an essential principle of Judaism, including Torah, Neshamah, Kavanah, Tikkun Olam and Rachamim. A woodworking motif frames the room and Jerusalem stone is featured throughout. The doorposts in the school have distinct mezuzot. Spaces for the arts and athletics include the Daniel PearlMemorial Gym which holds 700 and encompasses full-court basketball play. Art spaces include a ceramics studio with six pottery wheels and state-of-the-art kiln, a professionally equipped photography studio, dark room, and a recording studio.
History
Solomon Schechter School of Greater Washington opened in September 1965. Operating under the auspices of United Synagogue of America, classes were held near Chevy Chase, Maryland. During the school's first year in operation, two teachers, Masha Spiegel and Masha Cohen, taught seven children in kindergarten and first grade. Gershon W. Gross became the school's administrator in 1967. Throughout the school's history, it had operated in various rented spaces in Maryland, but it had long wanted a permanent location of its own. In 1971, the United Jewish Appeal asked the Greater Washington Jewish Community Foundation to raise funds to build a permanent location for the school. The Greater Washington Jewish Community Foundation searched for a site with about of land that was as close to Washington, D.C., as possible. In 1974, the Greater Washington Jewish Community Foundation took an option on a $500,000 property located on Montrose Road in Rockville. The Rockville property was adjacent to the new location of B'nai Israel Congregation, which had moved there in 1970. A few months later, the Marjorie Webster School was put up for sale. The private Webster School's campus was located at 17th Street and Kalmia Road NW in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Colonial Village. An option was taken on the Webster School, but it was later determined that the Webster School would require a more costly renovation than was financially practical. The site selection committee decided to move forward with the Montrose Road site in Rockville. Some families were unhappy with that decision, as the majority of students lived closer to the Colonial Village site than to the Rockville site. On April 24, 1977, the school dedicated its new building at 1901 E. Jefferson Street in Rockville. The $2.7-million building became the first permanent location for the school. The building is owned by the Greater Washington Jewish Community Foundation, and the school has a renewable 99-year lease. Charles E. Smith was the chairman of Greater Washington Jewish Community Foundation, and Smith had helped raise the funds to build the facility. In 1980, the school was renamed in honor of Charles E. Smith, who had been a generous donor and fundraiser for the school. The upper school was built in 1998, and the lower school was expanded in 2001. In April 2006, three seniors who were participating in the school-sponsored program in Israel through the Alexander Muss High School were arrested by Israeli police for marijuana possession. The marijuana was discovered by program guides, and the quantity was judged to be large enough to necessitate involving governmental authorities, according to Muss headmaster Chaim Fischgrund. Drug experts cited in a Jewish Standard article theorized that the students had intended to sell the marijuana. These three students were expelled from the program; additionally, six other students were expelled on the basis of either having bought or used marijuana during the program. Local police arrested two students on drug charges who were held overnight.
