Any Walls boosters / haters these days?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of one about to graduate offering my thoughts on Walls.

Administration? Bless their hearts, they're trying (if we're being generous), but it feels like they're steering the ship with a broken compass. Their master plan? Convincing DC's finest students and their hopeful parents to partake in a battle royale for a golden ticket—150 spots in the Wonka factory. Their next move? Seemingly to kick back and let the school run itself.

Navigating teacher quality feels like spinning the wheel of fortune, where the outcomes can range from jackpot to bust in what's acclaimed as the district's educational pinnacle. Our workaround? Augmenting the curriculum with external expertise to bridge the voids.

The campus? Picture this: No theater, no gym, metal detectors and elbow to elbow without a locker in sight and sports logistics that make you yearn for a simpler life.

The students are the highlight, stars, but let's not pretend they wouldn't shine just as bright elsewhere.

Landed a spot? Pop the champagne! No need to relocate or sell a kidney for private school fees. But let's be clear: this isn't Hogwarts. Your kid won't be conjuring up academic spells overnight.

Deciding between JR or Walls? How splendid for you! Envious parents are lined up, ready to trade in their treasures for your dilemma.

Pondering private over public? If it's feasible, your choice could very well be the lifeline to maintaining another parent's sanity in this community. (Holy S**t people are on edge)

Missed out on the coveted spot but found a place at Banneker, McKinley, or Basis etc.? Your child's future is still as bright as ever.

Here's to rooting for all DCPS high schools and bidding farewell to the educational scarcity games.

LOL....The admin is fine. The relationship with GW is the real issue. Not sure what they can do about that. The kids seem to be getting more access but it's always a fight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of one about to graduate offering my thoughts on Walls.

Administration? Bless their hearts, they're trying (if we're being generous), but it feels like they're steering the ship with a broken compass. Their master plan? Convincing DC's finest students and their hopeful parents to partake in a battle royale for a golden ticket—150 spots in the Wonka factory. Their next move? Seemingly to kick back and let the school run itself.

Navigating teacher quality feels like spinning the wheel of fortune, where the outcomes can range from jackpot to bust in what's acclaimed as the district's educational pinnacle. Our workaround? Augmenting the curriculum with external expertise to bridge the voids.

The campus? Picture this: No theater, no gym, metal detectors and elbow to elbow without a locker in sight and sports logistics that make you yearn for a simpler life.

The students are the highlight, stars, but let's not pretend they wouldn't shine just as bright elsewhere.

Landed a spot? Pop the champagne! No need to relocate or sell a kidney for private school fees. But let's be clear: this isn't Hogwarts. Your kid won't be conjuring up academic spells overnight.

Deciding between JR or Walls? How splendid for you! Envious parents are lined up, ready to trade in their treasures for your dilemma.

Pondering private over public? If it's feasible, your choice could very well be the lifeline to maintaining another parent's sanity in this community. (Holy S**t people are on edge)

Missed out on the coveted spot but found a place at Banneker, McKinley, or Basis etc.? Your child's future is still as bright as ever.

Here's to rooting for all DCPS high schools and bidding farewell to the educational scarcity games.

LOL....The admin is fine. The relationship with GW is the real issue. Not sure what they can do about that. The kids seem to be getting more access but it's always a fight.

For those of us who are new, can you share more?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why worry, OP, your odds of admission to Walls aren't good. Moreover, the school is going downhill without standardized test scores in admissions for three years now. The new head doesn't have a clear vision for the place, and that's putting it mildly. Some good teachers, yes, good crew team, not much else to cheer about at Walls these days.

This is incredibly inaccurate. I have a child at Walls and they love it and I am very please with it as well. Nothing is perfect but so far almost all of their teachers have been great. Also, they don't have a crew team. They used to be allowed to row for Jackson Reed but stopped offering that as an option two years ago I believe.

Not inaccurate. Embarrassingly and painfully accurate.

Incorrect, a bunch of Walls students still row for J-R, including first-year students.

I completely disagree with your assessment of Walls but am happy we have had a great experience.

Yes, current rowers are allowed to stay on the JR team but they stopped allowing Walls students to join this year.

How are first-year Walls students rowing then?

There are two first-year Walls students rowing on JR's crew team this year because they were in the 8th grade learn-to-row program that JR runs last year, and were grandfathered in.

[Anonymous]

Walls has zero extra space. And using any of the GW facilities (theater, gym, etc.) is difficult/impossible. Sports teams travel long distances to practice, performing arts uses other facilities to perform. You’d think there’d be an actual partnership between GW and Walls, but other than the dual-enrollment program, there isn’t much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can't Walls have its own rowing team?

Exactly. It would seem they are closest to the facilities, after all!

Why don’t you get right on that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can't Walls have its own rowing team?

Crew is a club sport that is entirely self-funded by parents/kids. You probably need close to $50k+ to recreate the equipment that JR has, plus pay to use a boathouse. On top of that, you probably have $25k+ of annual expenses for coaches and what not (and out of pocket for travel to regattas).

JR crew was started in the 1980s. The regattas told HS teams they could no longer mix HSs as private schools were creating super teams.

Uh, you would need more than $50k to recreate the JR program. Each boat costs around $60k. JR is the only DCPS high school that can support a crew program, unlike the multiple high schools in Moco and Arlington that can afford their own crew teams. It is a real shame, as DCPS policy says if a sport isn't offered at the high school where you're enrolled, you're eligible to join a team at another DCPS high school. But because the JR crew team is run and funded entirely by JR parents, they set the rules, not DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walls has zero extra space. And using any of the GW facilities (theater, gym, etc.) is difficult/impossible. Sports teams travel long distances to practice, performing arts uses other facilities to perform. You’d think there’d be an actual partnership between GW and Walls, but other than the dual-enrollment program, there isn’t much.

Apparently, years ago, there was an understanding between GW and Walls, where GW allowed Walls to use its facilities when feasible. (there might have even been an MOU?). But the current principal at Walls has done nothing to strengthen that connection between the school and GW. This is a case where if you had a dynamic school leader, she might be able to leverage that relationship to benefit the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walls has zero extra space. And using any of the GW facilities (theater, gym, etc.) is difficult/impossible. Sports teams travel long distances to practice, performing arts uses other facilities to perform. You’d think there’d be an actual partnership between GW and Walls, but other than the dual-enrollment program, there isn’t much.

Apparently, years ago, there was an understanding between GW and Walls, where GW allowed Walls to use its facilities when feasible. (there might have even been an MOU?). But the current principal at Walls has done nothing to strengthen that connection between the school and GW. This is a case where if you had a dynamic school leader, she might be able to leverage that relationship to benefit the kids.

In 2009, DCPS gave GW its back parking lot so that GW could build a residence hall on it. In exchange, GW agreed to fund a modest expansion at Walls. As part of the deal, GW agreed to give SWW students and faculty access to its Gelman Library, the Marvin Center and the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center. Today, Walls students can use the Marvin Center (that's the GW student center) and when they're seniors I think they can get access to the library. But that's basically it.

[Anonymous]

Looking at college admissions so far this year, walls is doing great! @sww2024decisions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walls has zero extra space. And using any of the GW facilities (theater, gym, etc.) is difficult/impossible. Sports teams travel long distances to practice, performing arts uses other facilities to perform. You’d think there’d be an actual partnership between GW and Walls, but other than the dual-enrollment program, there isn’t much.

Apparently, years ago, there was an understanding between GW and Walls, where GW allowed Walls to use its facilities when feasible. (there might have even been an MOU?). But the current principal at Walls has done nothing to strengthen that connection between the school and GW. This is a case where if you had a dynamic school leader, she might be able to leverage that relationship to benefit the kids.

The former GW president was really into the partnership. When leadership changed so did the interest in supporting the HS. I do wish DCPS/city government put more pressure on GW to share some resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking at college admissions so far this year, walls is doing great! @sww2024decisions

I just saw! Wow! I wonder what’s the percentage of students who get in a college they want and how many get scholarships. We got into SWW this year and we definitely would need the financial help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking at college admissions so far this year, walls is doing great! @sww2024decisions

Didn’t that class take the old entrance exam?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at college admissions so far this year, walls is doing great! @sww2024decisions

Didn’t that class take the old entrance exam?

Yes. I have a kid in that class and an 8th grader that didn't get an interview this year.

As much as I'm upset about kid's not getting an interview (lack of transparency, unintended consequences, and not actually moving towards purported goals so at least it feels like there was a bigger upside, etc), I don't think the quality of the students is going to tank. The kids coming in have a GPA of at least 3.7. And based on the teacher recs, they're all great kids - who perhaps have even more of the 'soft' skills that will serve them well in college admissions and life in general than prior grades who were based primarily on test or GPA as the 'cut' factor.

[Anonymous]

I don't agree. Post above is just whitewashing the problem with wishful thinking. It's just not difficult to earn a 3.7+ from any DCPS middle school, not by any stretch of the imagination. When kids had to submit DC-CAS, PARCC or PSAT scores AND take the Walls test, there was far more quality control. BS that soft skills are the basis for elite college admissions. Academics are the basis while soft skills don't hurt of course. The top urban magnet high school programs across the country run differently for good reason.

[Anonymous]

Post above is just Bitter Betty again