Watkins Mill High School Parking

2) Address

• 10301 Apple Ridge Rd, Gaithersburg, MD

• closest main street intersection is Watkins Mill Rd. and Apple Ridge Rd.

  • Intersection is not shown in the Aerial View but is off to the right.

  • It has 4-way traffic-lights and a large WMHS electronic billboard sign on the corner.

3) General Layout (school has 3 connected buildings in a row)

• A = Main

  • “Watkins Mill High School” is in large letters above front entrance

  • Contains classrooms, offices, center courtyard, cafeteria

• B = Auditorium / Theater

  • “Timothy O’Shea Theater” is in large letters above front entrance

  • Music dept. rooms are on a theater-hallway underneath the theater-seating

• C = Gymnasium

  • “Gymnasium” is in large letters above front entrance

  • Contains areas/rooms for athletics and dance

4) Parking (3 options) 

• D = Smaller parking lot for staff/visitors, along the front of the buildings.

• E = Larger general parking lot, on the right side of the school buildings.

• K = Limited curbside parking behind the school (only 8 marked parking spaces).

  • See item 8 below which discusses “Access from the rear of the building.”

5) Street Access is from Apple Ridge Rd. (2 options)

• F = Enter at back perimeter of the larger general parking lot

  • closest to school’s Track & Field (large dark oval on Aerial View)

  • the perimeter roadway also connects to the back-roadway (H) that goes behind the school

• G = Enter from the small round-about

  • closest to the school buildings and to the front parking lot

  • also provides access to larger general parking lot

6) Front access to the Auditorium (B) and Theater-stage (for a concert)

a. Enter B (building on right) through its front entrance (3 sets of double-doors).

b. There is a front lobby with doors leading into the upper section of the theater area.

c. The theater area has rows of fixed seats and several aisles of stairs (with center handrails) leading down to the stage.

d. To get onto the raised stage, there are steps on either side of the front of the stage.

7) Front access to the Bandroom (for a rehearsal)

a. Enter the Main building (A) using the entrance doors (2 double doors) located just to the left of the flagpoles (J). The flagpoles are on the left-front of the Auditorium/Theater (B).

b. Walk straight ahead toward a stairwell leading to upper and lower floors.

c. Walk down the stairs. After reaching the 1st floor landing, continue down the next short set of stairs (8 steps).

d. Turn right to go through a set of double-doors leading to the theater-hallway.

e. The doors to the Bandroom (room T006) are on the right, about halfway down the hallway.

8) Access from the rear of building (to the Bandroom or Theater-stage)

a. Entering from the back of the Main building (A) provides easier access (fewer stairs) for folks who have difficulty with stairs and/or are carrying large equipment/instruments.

b. To access the back-roadway (H), follow the back perimeter roadway of the large general parking lot (E).

c. The back-roadway dead-ends at a small circular drive (I) which sits in front of the rear loading docks and rear entrances. 

On the Aerial View, the path around the circular drive is outlined as a white square box.

d. Back-parking (K) is curbside along the back-roadway. Only 8 spaces are marked.

e. To the far-left of the loading docks is a school entrance (L) with double doors. As you enter, look to your left and there are 3 ways to go:

1. Straight-ahead: through double-doors and down the theater-hallway, with the Bandroom (room T006) on the right (as described in item 6).

2. Left: through double-doors and down a short hallway. At the end of the hallway on the right are double-doors that open onto the bottom of the theater area at the stage-right front corner of the stage. This is next to the stage-right steps leading  up onto the stage.

3. Right: up flights of stairs to the ground-level floor; straight-ahead will be 3 sets of double-doors to the outside (as described in item 7).

(Last updated on April 27th, 2023)