Comparing and contrasting the culture at different FCPS high schools

[Anonymous]

Lake Braddock is just wonderful. There is a place for everyone. Plenty of high achieving kids, but not a stressful atmosphere. A top choice for many fcps teachers to send their own kids. Diverse, stable, and welcoming. Great school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock is just wonderful. There is a place for everyone. Plenty of high achieving kids, but not a stressful atmosphere. A top choice for many fcps teachers to send their own kids. Diverse, stable, and welcoming. Great school.

And big. Really, really big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock is just wonderful. There is a place for everyone. Plenty of high achieving kids, but not a stressful atmosphere. A top choice for many fcps teachers to send their own kids. Diverse, stable, and welcoming. Great school.

And big. Really, really big.

Big in a good way. There is something for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock is just wonderful. There is a place for everyone. Plenty of high achieving kids, but not a stressful atmosphere. A top choice for many fcps teachers to send their own kids. Diverse, stable, and welcoming. Great school.

And big. Really, really big.

Big in a good way. There is something for everyone.

More kids trying out for teams and other activities with a fixed number of slots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Madison=band/goth/emo
Langley=drugs
Oakton=poor kids
Marshall=gangs
McLean=competition

And your evidence for this would be what, exactly? Have had 3 kids at GCM in last 7 years and never heard of a "gang" issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock is just wonderful. There is a place for everyone. Plenty of high achieving kids, but not a stressful atmosphere. A top choice for many fcps teachers to send their own kids. Diverse, stable, and welcoming. Great school.

And big. Really, really big.

Big in a good way. There is something for everyone.

More kids trying out for teams and other activities with a fixed number of slots.

It is pretty competitive, that's true. Our DC loved it. Ours played sports but had friends who didn't make the teams who were able to find other things to get involved in that they enjoyed. Lots of different extracurriculars there.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Langley: good school but drug problem.

Seriously? You, again?

My kids have all gone to Langley. There is no "drug problem" there - any more than there is at any high school on this list, or in this country, for that matter.

We found Langley to be large enough for all our kids to find their various niches and people. None of them were particularly athletic, and yet all found groups of like-minded kids in theatre, academics, band, and other extracurriculars. Lots of interesting and nice kids, mostly fantastic teachers, and a fabulous academic experience. Highly recommend.

This is the first time I have ever posted about Langley. But EVERY PARENT, every single one that I have talked with says this. I have yet to talk with a single parent that does not say this. they all act relieved that their kids are out and have not been in the drug culture.

Interesting. I've had kids at Langley for twelve years and haven't heard of this so-called "drug culture." Are there kids there who do drugs? Sure. Same as any high school. But to claim there is some kind of drug "culture" is just sheer fabrication.

are the kinds bringing alcohol to school or are they coming to school drunk? same about drugs...bring it to school? I dont get what people mean by there is a drug problem.

Langley is more alcohol than drugs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock is just wonderful. There is a place for everyone. Plenty of high achieving kids, but not a stressful atmosphere. A top choice for many fcps teachers to send their own kids. Diverse, stable, and welcoming. Great school.

And big. Really, really big.

Big in a good way. There is something for everyone.

More kids trying out for teams and other activities with a fixed number of slots.

It is pretty competitive, that's true. Our DC loved it. Ours played sports but had friends who didn't make the teams who were able to find other things to get involved in that they enjoyed. Lots of different extracurriculars there.

Lots extra curriculars offered, and when your child does make the team, win an award, get the lead in the play, it feels like a great accomplishment. We had a great experience at LB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock is just wonderful. There is a place for everyone. Plenty of high achieving kids, but not a stressful atmosphere. A top choice for many fcps teachers to send their own kids. Diverse, stable, and welcoming. Great school.

And big. Really, really big.

Big in a good way. There is something for everyone.

More kids trying out for teams and other activities with a fixed number of slots.

It is pretty competitive, that's true. Our DC loved it. Ours played sports but had friends who didn't make the teams who were able to find other things to get involved in that they enjoyed. Lots of different extracurriculars there.

Lots extra curriculars offered, and when your child does make the team, win an award, get the lead in the play, it feels like a great accomplishment. We had a great experience at LB.

So you liked it because your kid beat out the competition at a huge school, and you assume all the kids who never got the same opportunities were thrilled to be in the Latin Club. I'd still be concerned about the huge size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock is just wonderful. There is a place for everyone. Plenty of high achieving kids, but not a stressful atmosphere. A top choice for many fcps teachers to send their own kids. Diverse, stable, and welcoming. Great school.

And big. Really, really big.

Big in a good way. There is something for everyone.

More kids trying out for teams and other activities with a fixed number of slots.

It is pretty competitive, that's true. Our DC loved it. Ours played sports but had friends who didn't make the teams who were able to find other things to get involved in that they enjoyed. Lots of different extracurriculars there.

Lots extra curriculars offered, and when your child does make the team, win an award, get the lead in the play, it feels like a great accomplishment. We had a great experience at LB.

So you liked it because your kid beat out the competition at a huge school, and you assume all the kids who never got the same opportunities were thrilled to be in the Latin Club. I'd still be concerned about the huge size.

Not the PP but all kids do get the same opportunities. However, not everyone gets picked for everything they try out for. An important lesson for kids, especially once they reach high school, is that lots of things in life are competitive. So seeing people work really hard and be successful is not a bad thing. Neither is learning how to bounce back after not after getting something you wanted and exploring other interests. Or seeing what skills are needed and working hard to try out again the next year. They will see this over and over in life whether it is getting into certain colleges, going on job interviews, etc.

The kids at LB typically don't have issues with the huge size. Usually it is the parents of much younger kids who are overwhelmed by it.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock is just wonderful. There is a place for everyone. Plenty of high achieving kids, but not a stressful atmosphere. A top choice for many fcps teachers to send their own kids. Diverse, stable, and welcoming. Great school.

And big. Really, really big.

Big in a good way. There is something for everyone.

More kids trying out for teams and other activities with a fixed number of slots.

It is pretty competitive, that's true. Our DC loved it. Ours played sports but had friends who didn't make the teams who were able to find other things to get involved in that they enjoyed. Lots of different extracurriculars there.

Lots extra curriculars offered, and when your child does make the team, win an award, get the lead in the play, it feels like a great accomplishment. We had a great experience at LB.

So you liked it because your kid beat out the competition at a huge school, and you assume all the kids who never got the same opportunities were thrilled to be in the Latin Club. I'd still be concerned about the huge size.

Not the PP but all kids do get the same opportunities. However, not everyone gets picked for everything they try out for. An important lesson for kids, especially once they reach high school, is that lots of things in life are competitive. So seeing people work really hard and be successful is not a bad thing. Neither is learning how to bounce back after not after getting something you wanted and exploring other interests. Or seeing what skills are needed and working hard to try out again the next year. They will see this over and over in life whether it is getting into certain colleges, going on job interviews, etc.

The kids at LB typically don't have issues with the huge size. Usually it is the parents of much younger kids who are overwhelmed by it.

Actually, there is substantial academic research funding that, controlling for other factors, smaller high schools lead to higher academic achievement than larger schools.

[Anonymous]

^ finding

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Any other thoughts about Woodson aside from the stress issue?

Also, very little has been said about Marshall aside from comments on its demographics. What's the culture like there and how does it compare to the other schools mentioned?

Again, there is no over-riding "culture" at any of the HS, they are too large and too diverse. You will find the "culture" you seek at any of them.

If you want IB, then you want Marshall. If you want AP, then you do not want Marshall.

This. My DD is at madison, I see different cultures. There is a sports culture, a band culture, a drama culture, a chorus culture, etc. They all interact during classes.

+2
I'm so glad there are some people with common sense here. My DC is at Langley. Just like all the other schools mentioned, there are various cultures within the school - which is why it's easy to find your group. There's something for everyone at any of these schools. It's silly to ask about the "culture" at one school or another, or how they vary, because there honestly isn't that much difference between any of them. They're all good schools with plenty to offer. And - it's high school. We've all been there, so it's not too hard to imagine what it's like nowadays.

So you would disagree, for example, that Woodson is any more stressful or competitive than any other FCPS HS?

Since I don't have a child at Woodson, I'm in no position to make sweeping generalizations about this school. Do you have a child there? If not, I'd say you know as much about it as I do.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Langley: good school but drug problem.

Seriously? You, again?

My kids have all gone to Langley. There is no "drug problem" there - any more than there is at any high school on this list, or in this country, for that matter.

We found Langley to be large enough for all our kids to find their various niches and people. None of them were particularly athletic, and yet all found groups of like-minded kids in theatre, academics, band, and other extracurriculars. Lots of interesting and nice kids, mostly fantastic teachers, and a fabulous academic experience. Highly recommend.

This is the first time I have ever posted about Langley. But EVERY PARENT, every single one that I have talked with says this. I have yet to talk with a single parent that does not say this. they all act relieved that their kids are out and have not been in the drug culture.

Interesting. I've had kids at Langley for twelve years and haven't heard of this so-called "drug culture." Are there kids there who do drugs? Sure. Same as any high school. But to claim there is some kind of drug "culture" is just sheer fabrication.

Langley is more alcohol than drugs.

No more than any other high school, you dolt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I would agree that Woodson is not any more stressful -overall- than any FCPS HS.

I disagree with this statement as this has not been our experience. Our kids have attended both Woodson HS and another FCPS HS and the stress at Woodson was far greater than the other FCPS high school.

Why not say the name of the other HS?

I'm happy to. The other FCPS high school is Lake Braddock SS.