Why is Lewis such an undesirable high school?

[Anonymous]

darnesville

[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?

A different former teacher and I would not. It has nothing to do with renovations. It’s because I can vividly remember my students who I know have died or the ones who became teen parents when I taught them. That’s why I would not send my children there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Dranesville.

And I just had to laugh that you think Robin Lady represents anyone outside of Herndon where she lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

Dranesville.

And I just had to laugh that you think Robin Lady represents anyone outside of Herndon where she lives.

Lady wasn't around when Langley was renovated

[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?

A different former teacher and I would not. It has nothing to do with renovations. It’s because I can vividly remember my students who I know have died or the ones who became teen parents when I taught them. That’s why I would not send my children there.

Those are societal issues, not school issues. Imagine how much more productive your time in the classroom would’ve been if you weren’t expected to solve societal issues as well as teach your lessons.

[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.

Why do I have a hard time believing your story of benevolent residency fraud?

SMH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

A different former teacher and I would not. It has nothing to do with renovations. It’s because I can vividly remember my students who I know have died or the ones who became teen parents when I taught them. That’s why I would not send my children there.

Those are societal issues, not school issues. Imagine how much more productive your time in the classroom would’ve been if you weren’t expected to solve societal issues as well as teach your lessons.

Tone deaf much? This person didn't feel like he/she was expected to solve those problems, he/she is simply pointing out these problems existed at Lewis and negatively impacted the experience there. FCPS is a multi-billion $ institution that is funded by tax payers who are willing to pay top dollar to reside in this HCOL county, and it is a reasonable expectation that our children have less exposure to teen pregnancies, gangs, drugs, and violence at their public high school.

[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?

A different former teacher and I would not. It has nothing to do with renovations. It’s because I can vividly remember my students who I know have died or the ones who became teen parents when I taught them. That’s why I would not send my children there.

I went looking on Google, as I figured a death of a local teenager would've made news, but I couldn't find any reference to the deaths you're talking about. I continually hear people talk about "gangs, drugs, violence, teen pregnancies, etc." but I can't find reports. It starts to feel like playing into stereotypes of low-income people, that they're all just a bunch of violent immigrant gangsters.

As someone who is a Lewis parent right now, I'm not seeing any of that with the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

A different former teacher and I would not. It has nothing to do with renovations. It’s because I can vividly remember my students who I know have died or the ones who became teen parents when I taught them. That’s why I would not send my children there.

I went looking on Google, as I figured a death of a local teenager would've made news, but I couldn't find any reference to the deaths you're talking about. I continually hear people talk about "gangs, drugs, violence, teen pregnancies, etc." but I can't find reports. It starts to feel like playing into stereotypes of low-income people, that they're all just a bunch of violent immigrant gangsters.

As someone who is a Lewis parent right now, I'm not seeing any of that with the school.

Really, you thought you could google search a child's death and find public information? I teach at a different school and we've had several high school students die over my time here, but the only ones you could find would be if you knew their names. You aren't going to find "xxx high school death", you'll find "larla jones's obituary" where it will just say she "died suddenly" on October 1. Nowhere will it say it was a drug OD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

A different former teacher and I would not. It has nothing to do with renovations. It’s because I can vividly remember my students who I know have died or the ones who became teen parents when I taught them. That’s why I would not send my children there.

I went looking on Google, as I figured a death of a local teenager would've made news, but I couldn't find any reference to the deaths you're talking about. I continually hear people talk about "gangs, drugs, violence, teen pregnancies, etc." but I can't find reports. It starts to feel like playing into stereotypes of low-income people, that they're all just a bunch of violent immigrant gangsters.

As someone who is a Lewis parent right now, I'm not seeing any of that with the school.

Really, you thought you could google search a child's death and find public information? I teach at a different school and we've had several high school students die over my time here, but the only ones you could find would be if you knew their names. You aren't going to find "xxx high school death", you'll find "larla jones's obituary" where it will just say she "died suddenly" on October 1. Nowhere will it say it was a drug OD.

Um, yes. A quick Google search shows just last year there were two FCPS deaths on the news, from Centreville HS and Justice HS, both of which happened at home and not even on school grounds. FCPS even made a tribute video on their YouTube for drug awareness. There was also the shooting of two underage South County kids in 2021 on a drug deal gone wrong. These are definitely in the news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

A different former teacher and I would not. It has nothing to do with renovations. It’s because I can vividly remember my students who I know have died or the ones who became teen parents when I taught them. That’s why I would not send my children there.

I went looking on Google, as I figured a death of a local teenager would've made news, but I couldn't find any reference to the deaths you're talking about. I continually hear people talk about "gangs, drugs, violence, teen pregnancies, etc." but I can't find reports. It starts to feel like playing into stereotypes of low-income people, that they're all just a bunch of violent immigrant gangsters.

As someone who is a Lewis parent right now, I'm not seeing any of that with the school.

Really, you thought you could google search a child's death and find public information? I teach at a different school and we've had several high school students die over my time here, but the only ones you could find would be if you knew their names. You aren't going to find "xxx high school death", you'll find "larla jones's obituary" where it will just say she "died suddenly" on October 1. Nowhere will it say it was a drug OD.

Um, yes. A quick Google search shows just last year there were two FCPS deaths on the news, from Centreville HS and Justice HS, both of which happened at home and not even on school grounds. FCPS even made a tribute video on their YouTube for drug awareness. There was also the shooting of two underage South County kids in 2021 on a drug deal gone wrong. These are definitely in the news.

Some are some aren't. I know of a cancer death that wasn't reported anywhere. I'm sure in a system as large as FCPS there are more

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

A different former teacher and I would not. It has nothing to do with renovations. It’s because I can vividly remember my students who I know have died or the ones who became teen parents when I taught them. That’s why I would not send my children there.

I went looking on Google, as I figured a death of a local teenager would've made news, but I couldn't find any reference to the deaths you're talking about. I continually hear people talk about "gangs, drugs, violence, teen pregnancies, etc." but I can't find reports. It starts to feel like playing into stereotypes of low-income people, that they're all just a bunch of violent immigrant gangsters.

As someone who is a Lewis parent right now, I'm not seeing any of that with the school.

Really, you thought you could google search a child's death and find public information? I teach at a different school and we've had several high school students die over my time here, but the only ones you could find would be if you knew their names. You aren't going to find "xxx high school death", you'll find "larla jones's obituary" where it will just say she "died suddenly" on October 1. Nowhere will it say it was a drug OD.

Um, yes. A quick Google search shows just last year there were two FCPS deaths on the news, from Centreville HS and Justice HS, both of which happened at home and not even on school grounds. FCPS even made a tribute video on their YouTube for drug awareness. There was also the shooting of two underage South County kids in 2021 on a drug deal gone wrong. These are definitely in the news.

We had two students die at my FCPS high school last year. I do not teach at centreville or justice.

[Anonymous]

Violent or drug-related deaths are the type you'd expect to appear in the news, thus appearing in a Google search. Sometimes fatal car accidents also appear.

Tragic accidents or health-related issues (like cancer) are the ones that tend to be more private.

[Anonymous]

It is such a shame that Lewis exists in a county that taxes it's "wealthy" residents so much.

[Anonymous]

I am a former FCPS teacher and used to have a few friends who taught at Lewis (then Lee). I even applied for a job there once myself. It was a few years ago, but it wasn't the students that were the real problem. I mean sure, low income populations have their issues, but I didn't know anyone who was worried about getting stabbed or anything like that. However, those issues do make teaching there more difficult, and the administration was absolutely awful at that time (he's gone, thank goodness), so the culture of the school was just really stressful and all around miserable. The poor admin was what really brought the school down, and it's the reason I didn't take that job - the principal was not only inept, but also very unprofessional on many levels, especially to women. Hopefully the current admin is better, but it takes a long time to undo a reputation like that, to get better teachers in there and change the school culture. So I think its bad reputation comes not only from the population and the academic challenges of that, but also from a history of neglect and incompetence on the part of the administration that was assigned to that school.