wilson v bcc/blair/walter johnson
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
My oldest is at BCC. Great location and a lot of diversity (ethnic, racial, socioeconomic.) The IB program is a great asset but most kids don't opt into IB. I don't know if this is the norm for MCPS HS but BCC has a separate charitable foundation that spends a huge amount of money on teacher support and enrichment each year. I've been really impressed with the college planning - all the guidance counselors in MCPS are way overstretched but BCC seemed to offer a different info session every day for juniors and seniors. Cumulatively this proved more useful for our kid than the expensive college counselors we hired. Again, that may be the norm at all these school, I only know BCC.
Final point: I'm sure there are plenty of lax bro types at BCC. But I have a kid who isn't into sports but also doesn't fit into any of the other cliched groups (drama/music, debate/Model UN, etc) and he has been very happy at BCC. |
Anonymous
Not true. Blair will be doing honors for all. |
Anonymous
The plan for Woodward says that it is to relieve overcrowding from WJ and the DCC. There will be 4400 high school seats between WJ and Woodward, where there are now 2882 at WJ (which is over capacity by 500+ - should be 2321 ). When they open up the boundary study, there could be a lot of moving pieces to sort through. |
Anonymous
Inaccurate for Wilson. Crowding to be relieved in 2023 with me MacArthur high school to be open. |
Anonymous
Is it clear that the MacArthur high school will open in 2023? |
Anonymous
Wilson parent here... The Good: Wilson did a very good job during the virtual learning (which was unfortunately all of the 2020-2021 school year); there are a lot of really good, dedicated teachers, particularly starting in 10th grade; wide selection of AP classes (kids can take a total of 2 in 10th grade out of 4 or 5 options that are available to 10th graders and there are something like 25-30 available to 11th-12th graders), great clubs/activities, excellent diversity, not a pressure cooker (even for high stats/type A kids) The Bad: It has been a tough year this year. To the PP's point, the 4x4 schedule has been awful and the school is overcrowded. There is also an interim principal dealing with kids who have been locked down for a year and behavior has been an issue (though not as bad as people on DCUM say); lots of teacher vacancies, particularly earlier in the year (this is true across DCPS...I assume in MoCo too). Teacher turnover is getting worse (again, I think this is not isolated to Wilson). On the (somewhat) hopeful front: 1) the 4x4 is gone starting next year--Wilson is going back to it's old A/B schedule (i.e., almost all classes will be year-long again)...this is very, very good news; 2) hopefully, there will be somewhat less chaos overall in the school, as a result of a permanent (not yet named) principal and kids who have been reacclimated to normal school environment; 3) there are also now plans to open a new high school that should relieve the Wilson overcrowding. |
Anonymous
| Blair is a great school (for both magnets and non magnets alike). WJ and BCC are pretty wealthy kids IMO, and that means some are extremely hard working and others are very entitled. They are a bit out of touch, much like DCUM. |
Anonymous
As a new family at BCC I think people have a misconception of how many "wealthy" families there are there. Only about 80 percent of each graduating class goes on to a four year college, according to info from the school. It is not all highly educated well off families who send kids there. Very different than Whitman. |
Anonymous
All of this is right. My kids go to BCC, and we moved here because it offered the quickest commute into the city, and had at least minimal diversity. We came from a DC charter school, and so weren't put off by either racial or economic diversity. Had no interest in Whitman, which is even less diverse, and a real pressure cooker, by accounts of friends' kids. |
Anonymous
It's because the students there are so much more advanced than in other schools! 
|
Anonymous
There's lots of opportunities for enrichment there. My non-magnet child took 11 APs and 6 magnet classes when they were there. |
Anonymous
Enough with the politically correct BS. Call a spade a spade. Blair is horrible unless you are in a magnet program. |
Anonymous
Absolutely untrue, it's a fine school overall. You're feeding into the argument by essentially saying that magnet (which is mostly White and Asian) is the only good part of the school. It's not "political correctness", it's respect and common sense, especially from somebody who went to the system K-12. I even earned admission to TPMS as a 5th grader but declined it for Francis Scott Key (oh heavens!), not because I didn't think I could compete, but because I didn't want that long commute in and out. You don't just speak about any group of people willy nilly. |
Anonymous
Looks like 2025 based on construction funding. |