Any chance for Skyview (previously Western) High School opt-in out of current boundaries?

[Anonymous]

We really ought to know how much money FCPS would save if it delayed opening Skyview until it was ready for three grades and could offer sports. Of course we’ll never get that information because who needs scrutiny of Michelle Reid’s vanity projects.

But there’s something truly vile about their changing boundaries and leaving some kids without transportation while they open Skyview prematurely, give some kids options denied to others, and then run extra buses to shuttle Skyview kids back and forth to other schools for sports. It’s like the complaints people have with AAP being replicated all over again.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Yes my snowflake will be fine with non AAP kids - my point was that Skyview is attracting magnet school type kids and that will elevate the entire school. And the kids are excited. So yes it is likely to be a very strong 9th grade because of the profile of those who would opt in to this school- risk taking, tech forward kids.

What I really like is my kid keeps his middle school group (Carson) which is from multiple ES- but also branch to multiple HS. They are all going together and they are a great group of kids.

FCPS only has one magnet - TJ - and Reid has been given a specific order to operate Skyview as a community school. Just because some kids don't care about the sports Skyview can't offer at first doesn't make them "magnet school type kids."

So you're admitting that the sole reason you're against Skyview is because for ONE YEAR, they won't have sports. Some sports parents are CRAZY.

They should have opened as a real school with boundaries and offered JV sports. My kid wouldn't even consider it b/c they didn't have sports.

Agree. We did not opt in initially in part because of sports. However, DD feels comfortable now knowing she can play on her “base” school’s team next year so she will be connected to both schools.

The coaches are NOT going to want the hassle of dealing with Skyview kids coming over for practices and games. I think the "Skyview" kids will get cut unless they are spectaucular athletes. Of course, for girls nothing is particularly competitive compared to boys so it might not be as much of an issue.

I'm just curious. If freshmen usually don’t make the team anyway, what would they actually be missing?

Freshman football is usually non-cut. You may not play much but you will practice. It is very rare for a freshman to make varsity. Actually, it is pretty rare to make varsity in most of the sports.

Skyview is not going to have football for a while. They will have the other sports first.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Yes my snowflake will be fine with non AAP kids - my point was that Skyview is attracting magnet school type kids and that will elevate the entire school. And the kids are excited. So yes it is likely to be a very strong 9th grade because of the profile of those who would opt in to this school- risk taking, tech forward kids.

What I really like is my kid keeps his middle school group (Carson) which is from multiple ES- but also branch to multiple HS. They are all going together and they are a great group of kids.

FCPS only has one magnet - TJ - and Reid has been given a specific order to operate Skyview as a community school. Just because some kids don't care about the sports Skyview can't offer at first doesn't make them "magnet school type kids."

So you're admitting that the sole reason you're against Skyview is because for ONE YEAR, they won't have sports. Some sports parents are CRAZY.

They should have opened as a real school with boundaries and offered JV sports. My kid wouldn't even consider it b/c they didn't have sports.

Agree. We did not opt in initially in part because of sports. However, DD feels comfortable now knowing she can play on her “base” school’s team next year so she will be connected to both schools.

The coaches are NOT going to want the hassle of dealing with Skyview kids coming over for practices and games. I think the "Skyview" kids will get cut unless they are spectaucular athletes. Of course, for girls nothing is particularly competitive compared to boys so it might not be as much of an issue.

I'm just curious. If freshmen usually don’t make the team anyway, what would they actually be missing?

Freshman football is usually non-cut. You may not play much but you will practice. It is very rare for a freshman to make varsity. Actually, it is pretty rare to make varsity in most of the sports.

Skyview is not going to have football for a while. They will have the other sports first.

Football is a non-cut sport and won’t be at Skyview yet, so freshmen can go to their base schools to participate. Non-traumatic sports will be offered at Skyview, and since freshmen rarely make varsity, they won’t be missing out as a freshman.

[Anonymous]

Skyview is going to get placed in the Concorde District and get a rude awaking in sports its first few years. After that it will rebound in most sports, but probably not football. Hard to get kids out for that sport when they think they'll get destroyed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Skyview is going to get placed in the Concorde District and get a rude awaking in sports its first few years. After that it will rebound in most sports, but probably not football. Hard to get kids out for that sport when they think they'll get destroyed.

Part of the reason they are worried about varsity football is the District they will be in an the possibility of injury by putting too many younger students on the varsity team. They were pretty upfront that the first couple of years of sports would be challenging given the size of the student body and the initial age of the student body but it will even out a few years after sports start at the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Skyview is going to get placed in the Concorde District and get a rude awaking in sports its first few years. After that it will rebound in most sports, but probably not football. Hard to get kids out for that sport when they think they'll get destroyed.

Part of the reason they are worried about varsity football is the District they will be in an the possibility of injury by putting too many younger students on the varsity team. They were pretty upfront that the first couple of years of sports would be challenging given the size of the student body and the initial age of the student body but it will even out a few years after sports start at the school.

Don't really care, but they could switch Herndon to the Concorde District and put Skyview into the less competitive Liberty District to replace Herndon. Concorde and Liberty would then each end up with seven schools. If was OK to put Herndon into a district that includes schools in eastern Fairfax and Arlington (Liberty), it should be OK to put Skyview in that district. It's one thing to play Westfield in football, and another thing to play McLean or Wakefield.

[Anonymous]

They shouldn't put Skyview in Concorde. They should be playing against other small, less competitive schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Skyview is going to get placed in the Concorde District and get a rude awaking in sports its first few years. After that it will rebound in most sports, but probably not football. Hard to get kids out for that sport when they think they'll get destroyed.

Part of the reason they are worried about varsity football is the District they will be in an the possibility of injury by putting too many younger students on the varsity team. They were pretty upfront that the first couple of years of sports would be challenging given the size of the student body and the initial age of the student body but it will even out a few years after sports start at the school.

Don't really care, but they could switch Herndon to the Concorde District and put Skyview into the less competitive Liberty District to replace Herndon. Concorde and Liberty would then each end up with seven schools. If was OK to put Herndon into a district that includes schools in eastern Fairfax and Arlington (Liberty), it should be OK to put Skyview in that district. It's one thing to play Westfield in football, and another thing to play McLean or Wakefield.

Also, based on enrollment numbers, they could put Skyview in Class 4 or 5 at first to play smaller schools in Loudoun, and then do a VHSL realignment later when Skyview is closer to 2000 students. There was a period when Lewis, Marshall, and TJ were smaller and all in Class 5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school is very exciting. The admin team is full of energy and having an all-opt in class means that every kid wants to be there. You could feel the energy at the school earlier this week - these kids are like starting their own school in a modern beautiful school - AND they will have AI and Robotics right away. Future generations are going to be thrilled to be in zone for this school. I do think they will have traditional boundaries because there are no math requirements to get in and to be a magnet they would need everyone accelerated. That said, my sons AAP class have largely all opted in - they are all interested in AI/Engineering, etc.

What ES?

I'm not the PP, but my son and his friends feel the same way and they went to Floris.

[Anonymous]

Skyview is pulling from Concorde district neighborhoods and the Concorde has the fewest schools. That’s where they will be placed. The D6 cut line is just under what Skyviews projected enrollment will be so they won’t be a D5 school. Also looking more and more likely that the VHSL will move to a 4 division setup except for football which will remain 6 in the near future. With the neighborhoods Skyview will likely be pulling from they should be able to be competitive after a couple initial seasons in most sports, but football will take a lot longer to be competitive and may become a tough hole to dig out of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Skyview is pulling from Concorde district neighborhoods and the Concorde has the fewest schools. That’s where they will be placed. The D6 cut line is just under what Skyviews projected enrollment will be so they won’t be a D5 school. Also looking more and more likely that the VHSL will move to a 4 division setup except for football which will remain 6 in the near future. With the neighborhoods Skyview will likely be pulling from they should be able to be competitive after a couple initial seasons in most sports, but football will take a lot longer to be competitive and may become a tough hole to dig out of.

If they moved Herndon to Concorde and Skyview to Liberty each would have seven schools, and Herndon would be in the same district as its arch rival, South Lakes, again. Liberty would be a softer landing for Skyview than Concorde, where they'll probably be the doormat for years competing against Madison, Oakton, South Lakes, and Westfield. They'd have a better shot against Centreville and Chantilly, assuming those schools lose kids when kids are moved to Skyview.

[Anonymous]

Herndon isn’t going to voluntarily be forced into the Liberty after getting smashed for a decade+ in the Concorde previously.

[Anonymous]

Herdon does not want to move to Concorde. They simply aren't competitive in sports other than soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Herdon does not want to move to Concorde. They simply aren't competitive in sports other than soccer.

OK. Then just set Skyview up to be the bottom dweller in Concorde for many years to come, other than maybe tennis.

[Anonymous]

The new school with the shiny facilities won’t get much sympathy from the other Concorde schools. Especially those that lost coveted neighborhoods to them. Football games could get ugly.