Tell me about Herndon High

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who actually have kids there say it’s fine. The rest of DCUM loves to hate on the Herndon pyramid.
It’s like two schools - one for middle class families and one for low income.

Which are in the same physical location, so how do you avoid your kid interacting with the stupid thuggish types?

By the courses your child takes. In 9th grade. all students will take PE, so your child may be in class with "stupid thuggish" types. Also, depending on what electives they choose, they could also be in class with the "stupid thuggish" types. But if your child is taking any honors classes, and once they get to 11th and 12th grade and taking AP classes, they most likely will be in classes with more motivated, college bound students.

My children are not at Herndon, we're at another one of the high poverty FCPS high schools but I'm sure it's very similar - it is definitely a school within a school. My children have found that the "stupid thuggish" types never bother them. They aren't in class with them.

Simple, do online summer PE before 9th and 10th

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS needs to add LLIV AAP to Herndon MS. Part of the reason so many (over 150) Herndon kids pupil place to South Lakes is because of the AAP kids who attend Hughes and then naturally want to stay in the South Lakes pyramid.

If Elaine Tholen cared about anyone in Dranesville other than the Cooper/Langley families, she would have made this a priority.

Agree that HMS needs formal AAP designation. It does exist informally as the Honors classes have sections for the AAP kids who opted not to go to Hughes. My sons being some of them. It’s great that the school has a good deal of social-economic diversity. Other schools have racial diversity but not all of them have both.

Is he reading assigned novels in English like the Outsiders or Fahrenheit? I know HMS eliminated them a few years ago. Don't know if they brought them back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS needs to add LLIV AAP to Herndon MS. Part of the reason so many (over 150) Herndon kids pupil place to South Lakes is because of the AAP kids who attend Hughes and then naturally want to stay in the South Lakes pyramid.

If Elaine Tholen cared about anyone in Dranesville other than the Cooper/Langley families, she would have made this a priority.

Agree that HMS needs formal AAP designation. It does exist informally as the Honors classes have sections for the AAP kids who opted not to go to Hughes. My sons being some of them. It’s great that the school has a good deal of social-economic diversity. Other schools have racial diversity but not all of them have both.

Is he reading assigned novels in English like the Outsiders or Fahrenheit? I know HMS eliminated them a few years ago. Don't know if they brought them back.

Whoosh. 1980s time warp. You do know books have been published since the last century, right? BTW My child has read them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS needs to add LLIV AAP to Herndon MS. Part of the reason so many (over 150) Herndon kids pupil place to South Lakes is because of the AAP kids who attend Hughes and then naturally want to stay in the South Lakes pyramid.

If Elaine Tholen cared about anyone in Dranesville other than the Cooper/Langley families, she would have made this a priority.

Agree that HMS needs formal AAP designation. It does exist informally as the Honors classes have sections for the AAP kids who opted not to go to Hughes. My sons being some of them. It’s great that the school has a good deal of social-economic diversity. Other schools have racial diversity but not all of them have both.

Is he reading assigned novels in English like the Outsiders or Fahrenheit? I know HMS eliminated them a few years ago. Don't know if they brought them back.

Whoosh. 1980s time warp. You do know books have been published since the last century, right? BTW My child has read them.

In the last 2 years? What novels have been assigned at HMS? Or is it read whatever you want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids did k-8 private and are at Herndon now. Yes, the school within a school is a thing. Graduates we know have gone onto UVA, William and Mary, Northwestern, JMU, Penn St, Florida, VT, WVU, Georgia, Miami, Tenn. I have not heard complaints about fights or other discipline issues. The school does seem to lack in spirit - low attendance to sporting events- compared to PVI. My kids have had some outstanding teachers, even during distance learning.

Standardized test scores are lower due to higher percentage of English learners. That does not mean the teachers are weak or that the more academic students are at a disadvantage. FCPS AP classes follow the same curriculum. There might be fewer sections of AP BC Calculus at Herndon, but they all fcps students are receiving the same instruction. If the rumors are true that colleges have to cap the number of students they can admit from one same school, then being a Herndon student might even give them an edge.

Did your children go to SJS for K-8? If so, how was the transition from SJS to HHS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids did k-8 private and are at Herndon now. Yes, the school within a school is a thing. Graduates we know have gone onto UVA, William and Mary, Northwestern, JMU, Penn St, Florida, VT, WVU, Georgia, Miami, Tenn. I have not heard complaints about fights or other discipline issues. The school does seem to lack in spirit - low attendance to sporting events- compared to PVI. My kids have had some outstanding teachers, even during distance learning.

Standardized test scores are lower due to higher percentage of English learners. That does not mean the teachers are weak or that the more academic students are at a disadvantage. FCPS AP classes follow the same curriculum. There might be fewer sections of AP BC Calculus at Herndon, but they all fcps students are receiving the same instruction. If the rumors are true that colleges have to cap the number of students they can admit from one same school, then being a Herndon student might even give them an edge.

Any idea if all of the AP classes in the course catalog actually run each year or are there some that don't have enough interest to fill a class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids did k-8 private and are at Herndon now. Yes, the school within a school is a thing. Graduates we know have gone onto UVA, William and Mary, Northwestern, JMU, Penn St, Florida, VT, WVU, Georgia, Miami, Tenn. I have not heard complaints about fights or other discipline issues. The school does seem to lack in spirit - low attendance to sporting events- compared to PVI. My kids have had some outstanding teachers, even during distance learning.

Standardized test scores are lower due to higher percentage of English learners. That does not mean the teachers are weak or that the more academic students are at a disadvantage. FCPS AP classes follow the same curriculum. There might be fewer sections of AP BC Calculus at Herndon, but they all fcps students are receiving the same instruction. If the rumors are true that colleges have to cap the number of students they can admit from one same school, then being a Herndon student might even give them an edge.

Did your children go to SJS for K-8? If so, how was the transition from SJS to HHS?

Yes. They are involved in sports and other extracurriculars. Made new friends. They do miss the “close-knitness” of SJS though.