Reply to Lewis HS: Is it really that bad?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'll put the lede right up front for you: no, Lewis is not that bad. Yes, your kid can get a good education and a wonderful high school experience there.

Pros of Lewis:
- The teachers and administration. Hands down the best teachers and administration we've experienced in FCPS. This is where the school's small size comes into play, as the teachers really get to know their students, with smaller class sizes and fewer kids overall. Teachers do not go easy on their students, but they will reach out to parents if they see students struggling or if coursework is missing. The teachers really want their kids to succeed.

- More opportunities for participation. Be it sports or drama or music, there are more chances for your kid to join in. Several talented freshmen took to the stage in starring roles in the spring musical last year. The marching band encourages its players to take on leadership roles. The sports teams aren't the best, but those kids get out there and work hard. And your kid will most likely make the sports team. All of those things will look great when applying to colleges.

Negatives of Lewis:
- The size. It's both a pro and a con, as the smaller size means less of a population to draw from for donations, for parent participation. It's hard getting volunteers. Many parents don't speak English, and it can be a struggle to navigate the school environment, but I will say that those parents still want their kids to succeed.

I think a big worry parents have about going to Lewis is whether the large ESOL population holds more advanced students back, or even regular students back, and I will say no. My kid's getting pass-advanced on tests, and I'm not doing any supplemental work. My child's not the only one doing well there.

The test scores look bad, yes, but again, remember that Lewis has one of the highest ESOL populations of schools. It's not easy doing standardized testing in another language. Those scores do not reflect the hard work and dedication of the teachers, but rather, the challenges of an international student population.

The school also has some of the nicest, most hardworking kids I've encountered. They're the ones who hold the door for you and notice when someone enters the room and needs a chair. My kid went to a different, larger middle school, and my kid has said many times that they feel safer walking the hallways of Lewis than at the other school.

Ultimately, I realize this won't change the minds of people. I wish people would just walk the halls or meet the community before forming conclusions. I'm also aware that right next door to Lewis, there's a school pyramid that had a drug overdose death earlier this school year and has problems with middle schoolers rampaging through the shopping centers, which people have rather shrugged away. Apparently test scores mean more? All schools can have problems. But Lewis has already been painted negatively, and it's like those medieval paintings done by some monk who's obviously never seen a lion. Whatever picture folks have painted off Lewis, let me tell you, it's really far off. [/quote]

Maybe you should try modeling for your kids and painting a better picture of Lewis without tearing others down?  [/quote]

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