Why is Lewis such an undesirable high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Renovations are done in a queue.

Lewis will get their turn when they move up in the queue.

If it makes you feel any better, those of us with kids at WSHS before, during and after construction can vouch that Lewis was a veritable palace compared to WSHS before WSHS was renovated. WSHS was a slum. Holes in walls, faulty wiring, structural issues like walls separating from floors, dated dirty facilities.

Resenting WSHS families for finally having a nice school, especially for those families who sent kids there during the 4 years of active construction, just sounds awfully petty. Eventually Lewis will make its way up the queue, and will have a nice school too. The only difference might be that WSHS had the good fortune to get its renovation during the 2016- 2020 era of almost no inflation, inexpensive materials, and low interest. Renovating post 2020 is very expensive, with far less bang for your buck.

Former Lewis teacher here: Lewis hasn’t been renovated since the year started with a “1” and is not currently in the listed queue. The plumbing doesn’t work correctly, the HVAC is sketchy at best (despite a major replacement over the summer), the roof leaks, there’s major building settling and there are cockroaches everywhere.

When central office folks come to the school, they always seem surprised how bad the building is. But then they also seem shocked that the school doesn’t have all the fancy furniture and tech that Gatehouse & Willow Oaks has.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the anti-Lewis crowd on this thread and others on this site would have Lewis set aside as a permanent high-poverty school for THOSE people...

No. If you have been following the issue for years, Lewis has been an issue for a long time. There have been various more-or-less-serious proposed solutions including turning it into an IB magnet or closing it entirely. The new school board seems to be going with the rezoning solution, which is probably the worst solution that will be chaotic and ineffective.

The best first step would be replacing school leadership with someone who’s not clearly biding their time until they get a region or central job, someone more interested with substance over surface-level image. Maybe even start with someone who lives in Fairfax County and not another county.

+1 to all of above. Principal has high office staff turnover. Mediocre principal at best, promoted beyond his skills.

At least 2 APs he hired primarily because they went to the same frat. Predictably, they ended up being generally despised for their incompetence.

But hey let’s blame the kids!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Renovations are done in a queue.

Lewis will get their turn when they move up in the queue.

If it makes you feel any better, those of us with kids at WSHS before, during and after construction can vouch that Lewis was a veritable palace compared to WSHS before WSHS was renovated. WSHS was a slum. Holes in walls, faulty wiring, structural issues like walls separating from floors, dated dirty facilities.

Resenting WSHS families for finally having a nice school, especially for those families who sent kids there during the 4 years of active construction, just sounds awfully petty. Eventually Lewis will make its way up the queue, and will have a nice school too. The only difference might be that WSHS had the good fortune to get its renovation during the 2016- 2020 era of almost no inflation, inexpensive materials, and low interest. Renovating post 2020 is very expensive, with far less bang for your buck.

Former Lewis teacher here: Lewis hasn’t been renovated since the year started with a “1” and is not currently in the listed queue. The plumbing doesn’t work correctly, the HVAC is sketchy at best (despite a major replacement over the summer), the roof leaks, there’s major building settling and there are cockroaches everywhere.

When central office folks come to the school, they always seem surprised how bad the building is. But then they also seem shocked that the school doesn’t have all the fancy furniture and tech that Gatehouse & Willow Oaks has.

I agree that Lewis should be renovated. Lewis parents should start lobbying their school board rep and Gatehouse to get moved up in the renovation queue.

However, I stand by my statement that Lewis was in far better condition than WSHS at the time of renovations.

[Anonymous]

Just an additional note to Lewis teacher's post, WSHS also had infestations of rodents and bugs, that were taken care of during renovations. If Lewis can get moved up in the renovation queue, the work will likely also take care of your bug problem.

That being said, if the Lewis campus is in as bad of condition as you say, WSHS families who sent kids to school during the renovation, paying lots more money to buy in WSHS instead of Lewis, are going to be doubly pissed if their kids are One Fairfax rezoned to a campus with bugs, leaks and no AC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Renovations are done in a queue.

Lewis will get their turn when they move up in the queue.

If it makes you feel any better, those of us with kids at WSHS before, during and after construction can vouch that Lewis was a veritable palace compared to WSHS before WSHS was renovated. WSHS was a slum. Holes in walls, faulty wiring, structural issues like walls separating from floors, dated dirty facilities.

Resenting WSHS families for finally having a nice school, especially for those families who sent kids there during the 4 years of active construction, just sounds awfully petty. Eventually Lewis will make its way up the queue, and will have a nice school too. The only difference might be that WSHS had the good fortune to get its renovation during the 2016- 2020 era of almost no inflation, inexpensive materials, and low interest. Renovating post 2020 is very expensive, with far less bang for your buck.

Former Lewis teacher here: Lewis hasn’t been renovated since the year started with a “1” and is not currently in the listed queue. The plumbing doesn’t work correctly, the HVAC is sketchy at best (despite a major replacement over the summer), the roof leaks, there’s major building settling and there are cockroaches everywhere.

When central office folks come to the school, they always seem surprised how bad the building is. But then they also seem shocked that the school doesn’t have all the fancy furniture and tech that Gatehouse & Willow Oaks has.

Why hasn't it made the renovation list with all those issues?

As a former teacher there, would you send your kids there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Renovations are done in a queue.

Lewis will get their turn when they move up in the queue.

If it makes you feel any better, those of us with kids at WSHS before, during and after construction can vouch that Lewis was a veritable palace compared to WSHS before WSHS was renovated. WSHS was a slum. Holes in walls, faulty wiring, structural issues like walls separating from floors, dated dirty facilities.

Resenting WSHS families for finally having a nice school, especially for those families who sent kids there during the 4 years of active construction, just sounds awfully petty. Eventually Lewis will make its way up the queue, and will have a nice school too. The only difference might be that WSHS had the good fortune to get its renovation during the 2016- 2020 era of almost no inflation, inexpensive materials, and low interest. Renovating post 2020 is very expensive, with far less bang for your buck.

Former Lewis teacher here: Lewis hasn’t been renovated since the year started with a “1” and is not currently in the listed queue. The plumbing doesn’t work correctly, the HVAC is sketchy at best (despite a major replacement over the summer), the roof leaks, there’s major building settling and there are cockroaches everywhere.

When central office folks come to the school, they always seem surprised how bad the building is. But then they also seem shocked that the school doesn’t have all the fancy furniture and tech that Gatehouse & Willow Oaks has.

I agree that Lewis should be renovated. Lewis parents should start lobbying their school board rep and Gatehouse to get moved up in the renovation queue.

However, I stand by my statement that Lewis was in far better condition than WSHS at the time of renovations.

I doubt that, and the schools built in the 1950s got cheap renovations compared to those built in the 1960s. The West Springfield parents just made a bigger stink about the condition of WSHS to give the then-head of FCPS facilities, a WSHS graduate, a rationale for spending so much on its renovation.

So Lewis then gets hit from every angle, since people will fight their kids getting moved there both for its demographics and its building.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps what is needed is a massive pupil placement drive for parents at Lewis. Put in hundreds of applications to pupil place to South County, Lake Braddock, Hayfield, or any others. Make it much larger than what is happening naturally now. Make the county eat this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps what is needed is a massive pupil placement drive for parents at Lewis. Put in hundreds of applications to pupil place to South County, Lake Braddock, Hayfield, or any others. Make it much larger than what is happening naturally now. Make the county eat this.

That won't work. All of those schools were closed to transfers in the last transfer window.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps what is needed is a massive pupil placement drive for parents at Lewis. Put in hundreds of applications to pupil place to South County, Lake Braddock, Hayfield, or any others. Make it much larger than what is happening naturally now. Make the county eat this.

That won't work. All of those schools were closed to transfers in the last transfer window.

Looks like at least South County has room now. Put the applications in and force the county to acknowledge them. In large numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Renovations are done in a queue.

Lewis will get their turn when they move up in the queue.

If it makes you feel any better, those of us with kids at WSHS before, during and after construction can vouch that Lewis was a veritable palace compared to WSHS before WSHS was renovated. WSHS was a slum. Holes in walls, faulty wiring, structural issues like walls separating from floors, dated dirty facilities.

Resenting WSHS families for finally having a nice school, especially for those families who sent kids there during the 4 years of active construction, just sounds awfully petty. Eventually Lewis will make its way up the queue, and will have a nice school too. The only difference might be that WSHS had the good fortune to get its renovation during the 2016- 2020 era of almost no inflation, inexpensive materials, and low interest. Renovating post 2020 is very expensive, with far less bang for your buck.

Former Lewis teacher here: Lewis hasn’t been renovated since the year started with a “1” and is not currently in the listed queue. The plumbing doesn’t work correctly, the HVAC is sketchy at best (despite a major replacement over the summer), the roof leaks, there’s major building settling and there are cockroaches everywhere.

When central office folks come to the school, they always seem surprised how bad the building is. But then they also seem shocked that the school doesn’t have all the fancy furniture and tech that Gatehouse & Willow Oaks has.

Why hasn't it made the renovation list with all those issues?

As a former teacher there, would you send your kids there?

If anyone can decode the logic of what does and doesn’t get added to the renovation schedule, I’d love to hear it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Renovations are done in a queue.

Lewis will get their turn when they move up in the queue.

If it makes you feel any better, those of us with kids at WSHS before, during and after construction can vouch that Lewis was a veritable palace compared to WSHS before WSHS was renovated. WSHS was a slum. Holes in walls, faulty wiring, structural issues like walls separating from floors, dated dirty facilities.

Resenting WSHS families for finally having a nice school, especially for those families who sent kids there during the 4 years of active construction, just sounds awfully petty. Eventually Lewis will make its way up the queue, and will have a nice school too. The only difference might be that WSHS had the good fortune to get its renovation during the 2016- 2020 era of almost no inflation, inexpensive materials, and low interest. Renovating post 2020 is very expensive, with far less bang for your buck.

Former Lewis teacher here: Lewis hasn’t been renovated since the year started with a “1” and is not currently in the listed queue. The plumbing doesn’t work correctly, the HVAC is sketchy at best (despite a major replacement over the summer), the roof leaks, there’s major building settling and there are cockroaches everywhere.

When central office folks come to the school, they always seem surprised how bad the building is. But then they also seem shocked that the school doesn’t have all the fancy furniture and tech that Gatehouse & Willow Oaks has.

Why hasn't it made the renovation list with all those issues?

As a former teacher there, would you send your kids there?

If anyone can decode the logic of what does and doesn’t get added to the renovation schedule, I’d love to hear it.

I would say wealth- Oakton, Langley, and West Springfield now have great facilities, but Herndon is as nice as any now. I think the Board and gatehouse have favorites and it really shows.

[Anonymous]

My coworker's kids attended Lewis, and the school infrastructure is so bad on top of the quality of students at the school. According to them, Lewis is like a sh*t hole. After one year at Lewis, I let her use my address so that her kids could attend Langley HS this year, and the kids are so happy at Langley HS. It is so much more competitive at Langley than Lewis, but that's what they like. My coworker said Langley HS is like a four-seasons hotel, while Lewis is like Motel 6.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My coworker's kids attended Lewis, and the school infrastructure is so bad on top of the quality of students at the school. According to them, Lewis is like a sh*t hole. After one year at Lewis, I let her use my address so that her kids could attend Langley HS this year, and the kids are so happy at Langley HS. It is so much more competitive at Langley than Lewis, but that's what they like. My coworker said Langley HS is like a four-seasons hotel, while Lewis is like Motel 6.

FCPS has no problem letting parents pay for extras during renovations and it shows. One Fairfax goes out the window when the PTA is willing to cut checks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say wealth- Oakton, Langley, and West Springfield now have great facilities, but Herndon is as nice as any now. I think the Board and gatehouse have favorites and it really shows.

Wrong, McLean HS is bad too with trailers. The infrastructure is old, and the bathroom did not work back in 2019 when my DD was there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say wealth- Oakton, Langley, and West Springfield now have great facilities, but Herndon is as nice as any now. I think the Board and gatehouse have favorites and it really shows.

Wrong, McLean HS is bad too with trailers. The infrastructure is old, and the bathroom did not work back in 2019 when my DD was there.

OK? McLean is in the same district as Langley and the Darnestown rep has always favored Langley. Vote for someone who represents you, not the school down the street