Reply to Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So it is not crossfield issue then, it is Franklin Farm issue.

Franklin Farm does not need to persuade anybody else that they want to go to KAA because of a shorter commute.

Franklin farm just needs to figure out what your whole community needs.[/quote]

I'm a Franklin Farm resident. My neighbors need to get a grip. Western HS/KAA is going to be a dream school.

The only thing that might be crappy is for elite athletes who could be Varsity starters all four years of high school but who might not have access to Varsity-level sports at the new school in the first year or two.

Otherwise, it's a dream! New schools often draw top talent with regard to teachers and admin, the resources (e.g., robotics lab, ceramics lab, pool, and auditorium) available are top-tier, and the commute is significantly less scary for a teen driver.

Oakton has been great, as has Chantilly for the other side of Franklin Farm. I'm sure Western/KAA will be just as good.[/quote]

Academy-wise, the best Western HS could do is perform close to Chantilly.  I don't see Western HS coming out of the gate (next 10 years) and getting even close to Oakton level.  There is no incentive for Oakton people to leave an excellent school and go to an unknown.

I see there are gains from quality of education for Fox Mills moving to Western HS.  Let's go Option B.

[/quote]
I'm so confused about what is just sooooo amazing about Oakton. Please share.[/quote]

#6 in Virginia High Schools (660+ public and 300 private)
#9 in Washington, DC Metro Area High Schools (64 metropolitan DC HS)
#4 in Fairfax County Public Schools High Schools (FCPS has 30 HS)

So, you basically have one of the top high schools in the area.  It's number 3 in FCPS if you don't count the crown jewel of the DC area, Thomas Jefferson which is a govenor's school. If given the option, why wouldn't you want to attend a top high school? Generally top high schools have a combination of a high performing student body coupled with outstanding teachers.  This combination pushes the students to achieve higher and provides additonal opportunites for excellence.

To downplay it means you're either unaware of its excellence, or your kids are mediorcre.

[/quote]

Serious question: can an above average kid who wasn't in AAP stand out and feel successful somewhere like Oakton, or will they just kind of fall through the cracks? Of course schools like you describe are great for the kids who have always been high achievers. But as a parent of a younger child I see schools like Oakton as a potential "rich get richer" situation where my kid will always lose out to those same kids who have always been at the top of the heap either through natural talents and/or from parents willing to push them much harder than I am willing to push my own kid for the sake of their long-term mental health.[/quote]

Yes, an above average student can do well at Oakton, or any school in FCPS. Is she going to win the awards? Probably not. Is she going to make the newspaper for winning the competition? Probably not. Is she going to have strong honors and AP choices where she can do well? Yes. Is she going to have clubs that she can join and finding leadership opportunities? Yes.

Most kids are not going to be in the spotlight, they are focused on their academics and their activities and find their friends. If she does well in school, she will go to a good college. If she does better then you think, she can go to a great college.

My first HS graduating class had 200 kids in it, we moved before my Junior year. There were a handful of kids that won all the academic awards. They were smart and had parents who helped them supplement. We knew the kids who were going to Harvard and Yale and Princeton. But other kids went to Dartmouth and Brown and Wesleyan and Boston College and Amherst. My second HS had 600 kids and there were a handful of kids who won all the academic awards, you were less likely to know them personally because there were 600 kids and you probably never had a class with them. They went to great schools and other kids went to very good schools or good schools. [/quote]

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