The Downcounty Consortium (DCC) is a group of five high schools in part of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. The high schools are Albert Einstein High School, John F. Kennedy High School, Montgomery Blair High School, Wheaton High School and Northwood High School. Some parts of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase cluster were also considered to be rezoned to Blair, and therefore become part of the consortium, but there was strong public opposition and the proposed change did not occur. Introduced in 2004, each Downcounty Consortium high school offers different academy programs catered to the interests of a student. These academies are open to all students in the Downcounty Consortium area. After a student chooses one academy and takes four of that particular academy's classes, the student is eligible for a special certificate. Students also participate in internships as they are referred through the program. The schools that feed into the Downcounty Consortium are Argyle Middle School, Eastern Middle School, Odessa Shannon Middle School, A. Mario Loiederman Middle School, Newport Mill Middle School, Parkland Middle School, Sligo Middle School, Silver Spring International Middle School and Takoma Park Middle School.