what is the big deal about Woodson?

[Anonymous]

You can't really judge a school by what it looks like on the outside. I drive past Langley on the way to Clemyjontri park and it's nothing impressive, but it always tops the list of SAT scores. I drive by TC Williams on the way to a friend's house and that building is gorgeous and new, but you hear "yale or jail" about TC. So physical exterior isn't the best indicator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No poor kids.

And this makes it that much better? Come on.

Yes.

You can come up with any PC way you want of saying it but it comes down to the fact that people are happy that their kids are no longer in a school with a large population of poor kids.

[Anonymous]

From what I've heard, there are a lot of unhappy kids at Woodson who feel like robots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't really judge a school by what it looks like on the outside. I drive past Langley on the way to Clemyjontri park and it's nothing impressive, but it always tops the list of SAT scores. I drive by TC Williams on the way to a friend's house and that building is gorgeous and new, but you hear "yale or jail" about TC. So physical exterior isn't the best indicator.

Langley is long (over) due for a major renovation and that is coming in the next 2 years. It is currently about the oldest and smallest high school (measured square foot per student) in the county. True, you can't judge a book by its cover. Langley has had awesome test scores and high AP numbers for years and years.

[Anonymous]

Renovations at Langley aren't scheduled to begin any earlier than 2015.

And, it has the least space per student because students from western Fairfax who logically should attend high schools far closer to their homes are allowed to attend Langley. While they may prefer to attend Langley since it has good academics and high test scores, they don't deserve any sympathy for the overcrowding, since it is a situation of their own making.

[Anonymous]

I have a child in 8th grade a Frost, so we're not at Woodson yet.

I agree about the demographic - hardly any poor kids. The boundaries are quite strange, so a lot of kids from way out in Fairfax Station go to Woodson. It's almost as if the boundaries were drawn purposely to concentrate the wealth at Woodson as much as possible.

From my observations, the only reason why Woodson gets all the hype is because of test scores -- which studies have shown are mostly correlated with family income and education, NOT with the quality of teaching.

From what I hear about the teachers, there are some good ones and some horrible ones -- just like at any school.

The homework load for kids on the competitive-college track is incredibly excessive. Many parents have complained to the principal about this, especially big homework projects assigned over vacation breaks, but I don't know if any changes have been made.

[Anonymous]

I went to Woodson and I am 37 now. I did not think it was that great when I went there. I got beat up a lot and there were gangs. Girls really bullied me. Maybe it's improved. There were not many minorities there and I don't think that has changed. I thought the teachers were decent -- some I really liked. Others were OK. I remember only a hand full of African AMericans and very few Asians. All a bunch of white anglo saxon types.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Woodson and I am 37 now. I did not think it was that great when I went there. I got beat up a lot and there were gangs. Girls really bullied me. Maybe it's improved. There were not many minorities there and I don't think that has changed. I thought the teachers were decent -- some I really liked. Others were OK. I remember only a hand full of African AMericans and very few Asians. All a bunch of white anglo saxon types.

Unfortunately that was 20 years ago so....irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Renovations at Langley aren't scheduled to begin any earlier than 2015.

And, it has the least space per student because students from western Fairfax who logically should attend high schools far closer to their homes are allowed to attend Langley. While they may prefer to attend Langley since it has good academics and high test scores, they don't deserve any sympathy for the overcrowding, since it is a situation of their own making.

Let me guess. You're a Reston or Herndon family living geographically closer to Langley than some houses in Great Falls that feed to Langley? And "allowed to attend Langley"? It is the designated school after all. Maybe your beef is with the school board. At any rate, the oldest school buildings will be renovated in turn. No need to punish the students and teachers and staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Renovations at Langley aren't scheduled to begin any earlier than 2015.

And, it has the least space per student because students from western Fairfax who logically should attend high schools far closer to their homes are allowed to attend Langley. While they may prefer to attend Langley since it has good academics and high test scores, they don't deserve any sympathy for the overcrowding, since it is a situation of their own making.

Let me guess. You're a Reston or Herndon family living geographically closer to Langley than some houses in Great Falls that feed to Langley? And "allowed to attend Langley"? It is the designated school after all. Maybe your beef is with the school board. At any rate, the oldest school buildings will be renovated in turn. No need to punish the students and teachers and staff.

You guessed wrong. I don't live in these areas. But Langley parents should wait their turn for renovations and not complain about the current space situation, which is one of their own making. The School Board wouldn't have drawn the Langley boundaries as it did without a lot of advocacy from parents in Western Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Renovations at Langley aren't scheduled to begin any earlier than 2015.

And, it has the least space per student because students from western Fairfax who logically should attend high schools far closer to their homes are allowed to attend Langley. While they may prefer to attend Langley since it has good academics and high test scores, they don't deserve any sympathy for the overcrowding, since it is a situation of their own making.

Let me guess. You're a Reston or Herndon family living geographically closer to Langley than some houses in Great Falls that feed to Langley? And "allowed to attend Langley"? It is the designated school after all. Maybe your beef is with the school board. At any rate, the oldest school buildings will be renovated in turn. No need to punish the students and teachers and staff.

You guessed wrong. I don't live in these areas. But Langley parents should wait their turn for renovations and not complain about the current space situation, which is one of their own making. The School Board wouldn't have drawn the Langley boundaries as it did without a lot of advocacy from parents in Western Fairfax.

Why all the hate? Langley is the oldest and over crowded. It is waiting its turn. The building is substandard. The test scores are awesome. People flock there. It is what it is. Who is complaining, except for you? And you're not affected by the boundaries? Why don't you complain about something where there is a need for advocacy and you can affect change? Not Langley's old building or boundaries.

[Anonymous]

It's not hate, but either you or another poster seemed to be taking pains to emphasize that Langley had the least square feet per student of any high school in the county, as if parents and students there were getting the short end of the stick. To which my response is that this didn't happen by accident.

If your point is simply that Langley families put up with a crowded school that's awaiting renovation because they like it, fine. That's been the case at other schools in the county as well, such as Frost.

[Anonymous]

My point, as stated, was you can't judge a book by its cover. It's a fact that Langley has top test scores and an awful building. You seem to be the one who then jumped all over Great Falls families in the Langley boundaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My point, as stated, was you can't judge a book by its cover. It's a fact that Langley has top test scores and an awful building. You seem to be the one who then jumped all over Great Falls families in the Langley boundaries.

You were the one who was initially whining about Langley's being "long (over) due" for a renovation. It's about where it should be in the renovation queue, and the building, while a 1960s structure that is showing its age, is far from awful. Have you seen what schools in other parts of the state and country look like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My point, as stated, was you can't judge a book by its cover. It's a fact that Langley has top test scores and an awful building. You seem to be the one who then jumped all over Great Falls families in the Langley boundaries.

You were the one who was initially whining about Langley's being "long (over) due" for a renovation. It's about where it should be in the renovation queue, and the building, while a 1960s structure that is showing its age, is far from awful. Have you seen what schools in other parts of the state and country look like?

Again, you miss the point. But you were able to find a soap box. Go for it.