Lewis Academy - community input?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just think how in-demand (and expensive!) good plumbers, painters, electricians, auto mechanics, home builders, etc. are in the DC metro area. Imagine that high school students can get practical training in these trades while earning their HS diploma. Employers would be lining up to hire them after graduation.

We already have several academies that are under enrolled

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The solution for Lewis is this: allow academically inclined/college prep students to transfer to other schools and make Lewis a Vocational/Technical high school for students who want to learn building trades like HVAC, become an electrician or stone mason, or an auto mechanic, or heavy equipment operator. Those are well paying skills that are truly needed and would change the lives of students and their families by providing marketable skills. That’s what the vast majority of Lewis students need most!

A full VoTech school or two would be awesome and greatly needed. Don't make it an academy but a flat out VoTech school that students can apply to attend. Put the core classes for graduation at the school with the VoTech classes, I bet it would take off and full up fast.

I think a full VoTech high school would be much in demand, and far better than the scattered academy approach. My DS would have loved to take some Academy classes, but it would have required space in his school schedule that he just didn’t have, and the bus ride back and forth to the base school would have been a pain. I think there are many students who would greatly benefit from a VoTech focused education, but they are forced into the traditional FCPS “college or bust” mindset and made to feel like the only goal that matters is college. Meanwhile, employers are begging for workers who have trade skills and HS graduates can make good money rather than go into debt for college programs that they really don’t want or aren’t suited for.

It’s time that FCPS pays attention to who it’s students are and what they need to be successful and make a living. College (and often its associated debt) is not for everyone.

Your kid could have easily transfered to an academy. Your kid would have loved some academy classes, bout would you have been happy with them taking a full academy course load?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The solution for Lewis is this: allow academically inclined/college prep students to transfer to other schools and make Lewis a Vocational/Technical high school for students who want to learn building trades like HVAC, become an electrician or stone mason, or an auto mechanic, or heavy equipment operator. Those are well paying skills that are truly needed and would change the lives of students and their families by providing marketable skills. That’s what the vast majority of Lewis students need most!

A full VoTech school or two would be awesome and greatly needed. Don't make it an academy but a flat out VoTech school that students can apply to attend. Put the core classes for graduation at the school with the VoTech classes, I bet it would take off and full up fast.

I think a full VoTech high school would be much in demand, and far better than the scattered academy approach. My DS would have loved to take some Academy classes, but it would have required space in his school schedule that he just didn’t have, and the bus ride back and forth to the base school would have been a pain. I think there are many students who would greatly benefit from a VoTech focused education, but they are forced into the traditional FCPS “college or bust” mindset and made to feel like the only goal that matters is college. Meanwhile, employers are begging for workers who have trade skills and HS graduates can make good money rather than go into debt for college programs that they really don’t want or aren’t suited for.

It’s time that FCPS pays attention to who it’s students are and what they need to be successful and make a living. College (and often its associated debt) is not for everyone.

Your kid could have easily transfered to an academy. Your kid would have loved some academy classes, bout would you have been happy with them taking a full academy course load?

Say what? You know nothing about my kid. Don’t make assumptions. If the academy offerings were adequately publicized when my kids were in middle school, they may have considered attending one. The way the academy programs are run now, it’s very inconvenient for anyone who doesn’t already attend the school where the academy is located. Most students aren’t able to take academy classes until their junior or senior years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Maggie Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies down in Richmond is the perfect model for this type of program. At Maggie Walker they require 140 hours of community service, four years of one language and two years of another language (they offer 10 languages at the school), and they offer sponsored spring and summer travel abroad opportunities. Their social studies department focuses on global society and government with unique courses in those topics.

I even remember one of the school board members mentioned Maggie Walker during the meeting last December when this academy was discussed. So much potential exists to create a useful academy.

There is zero chance of a new school offering that unless all schools offer it. The last thing that will happen is expensive special perks for a single school because no board member is going to want to explain why these kids get to do a semester abroad while their constituents' kids don't

Lewis is the stark outlier in FCPS with 1685 students. The supposed purpose of this academy is to draw families back with a rigorous program that is open to full-time enrollment for voluntary transfers. They would need to pull out all the stops. Travel abroad included in a global-focused civics and language academy would be an excellent perk that could make that happen.

Any and all constituents are open to apply. Of course, that's assuming they're able to create something that is actually attractive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Maggie Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies down in Richmond is the perfect model for this type of program. At Maggie Walker they require 140 hours of community service, four years of one language and two years of another language (they offer 10 languages at the school), and they offer sponsored spring and summer travel abroad opportunities. Their social studies department focuses on global society and government with unique courses in those topics.

I even remember one of the school board members mentioned Maggie Walker during the meeting last December when this academy was discussed. So much potential exists to create a useful academy.

There is zero chance of a new school offering that unless all schools offer it. The last thing that will happen is expensive special perks for a single school because no board member is going to want to explain why these kids get to do a semester abroad while their constituents' kids don't

Lewis is the stark outlier in FCPS with 1685 students. The supposed purpose of this academy is to draw families back with a rigorous program that is open to full-time enrollment for voluntary transfers. They would need to pull out all the stops. Travel abroad included in a global-focused civics and language academy would be an excellent perk that could make that happen.

Any and all constituents are open to apply. Of course, that's assuming they're able to create something that is actually attractive.

There are less expensive ways to increase Lewis's enrollment without paying for travel abroad. It's absurd to read the lengths to which some would go to try and entice kids into a school that would have an enrollment within an acceptable window if only it got rid of IB and stopped giving people an option to transfer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Maggie Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies down in Richmond is the perfect model for this type of program. At Maggie Walker they require 140 hours of community service, four years of one language and two years of another language (they offer 10 languages at the school), and they offer sponsored spring and summer travel abroad opportunities. Their social studies department focuses on global society and government with unique courses in those topics.

I even remember one of the school board members mentioned Maggie Walker during the meeting last December when this academy was discussed. So much potential exists to create a useful academy.

There is zero chance of a new school offering that unless all schools offer it. The last thing that will happen is expensive special perks for a single school because no board member is going to want to explain why these kids get to do a semester abroad while their constituents' kids don't

Lewis is the stark outlier in FCPS with 1685 students. The supposed purpose of this academy is to draw families back with a rigorous program that is open to full-time enrollment for voluntary transfers. They would need to pull out all the stops. Travel abroad included in a global-focused civics and language academy would be an excellent perk that could make that happen. Assuming that a lot of the 1685 students at Lewis would choose to stay at a magnet VoTech, students wanting to leave for a traditional high school could be absorbed into the surrounding schools without much difficulty.

Any and all constituents are open to apply. Of course, that's assuming they're able to create something that is actually attractive.

There are less expensive ways to increase Lewis's enrollment without paying for travel abroad. It's absurd to read the lengths to which some would go to try and entice kids into a school that would have an enrollment within an acceptable window if only it got rid of IB and stopped giving people an option to transfer.

I don’t think a globally focused curriculum with study abroad is what Lewis needs. Many of Lewis’ students ARE from other countries but are here now and looking to get a diploma and make a decent, honest living. VoTech would best serve the needs of most current Lewis families. Those families in the Lewis pyramid who are looking for something different should be given the opportunity to go elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Assuming that many of Lewis’ current students would choose to remain at Lewis for a magnet VoTech, those wishing to leave and go elsewhere could be absorbed by surrounding schools. If an attractive, high-quality VoTech program were developed, Lewis would likely draw students from other schools thereby helping to alleviate overcrowding.