Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter went to Wakefield for freshman year before we moved out of the area. Like so many things in life everyone has a different experience. So, please take our experience as just a single point of view.
How our daughter identifies: conservative, outgoing, involved
The good: dd took AP World History and this was probably the most valuable class she took in all of high school. It was challenging and involves many hours of work outside of class. She gained a confidence in how to write essays for AP classes, how to answer questions for AP classes and how to manage her time. This has continued to benefit her even now that she is in college. All of dd's teachers were great. They all taught with passion, encouraged discussions and were available to students outside of class time.
The bad (for dd): At the time dd was at Wakefield the students were rumored to be open and inclusive to all. And from what we observed that was true unless you wanted to be a a conservative heterosexual. DD was constantly questioned on how she knew she was hereosexual. She was repeatedly asked to go to the restroom at lunch with girls to try out the other side. It seemed like the group she had lunch with were challenged with converting her. It got to the point that she ended up eating lunch in a teacher's room everyday.

Your daughter was a homophobe and her peers were calling her out on it.

Seriously?!

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter went to Wakefield for freshman year before we moved out of the area. Like so many things in life everyone has a different experience. So, please take our experience as just a single point of view.
How our daughter identifies: conservative, outgoing, involved
The good: dd took AP World History and this was probably the most valuable class she took in all of high school. It was challenging and involves many hours of work outside of class. She gained a confidence in how to write essays for AP classes, how to answer questions for AP classes and how to manage her time. This has continued to benefit her even now that she is in college. All of dd's teachers were great. They all taught with passion, encouraged discussions and were available to students outside of class time.
The bad (for dd): At the time dd was at Wakefield the students were rumored to be open and inclusive to all. And from what we observed that was true unless you wanted to be a a conservative heterosexual. DD was constantly questioned on how she knew she was hereosexual. She was repeatedly asked to go to the restroom at lunch with girls to try out the other side. It seemed like the group she had lunch with were challenged with converting her. It got to the point that she ended up eating lunch in a teacher's room everyday.

That's just weird. Fortunately, I've not heard of that happening from my kids. Hopefully that's in the past?

I will say, though, that the inclusivity does get questionable if you have a more conservative political view. One of our kids is much more politically conservative than we are and often feels out-of-place, or that they can't express their views because everyone else in the class shares the other view and the teachers tend to clearly agree with the other students. I'm sure some teachers try not to show their own biases; but few are good at hiding their opinions. What my child has learned is to just not say anything. Occasionally, they choose very carefully when and what comments to offer to the class "discussions" or choose to discontinue their participation in the exchange.

I would cite this as the #1 problem with Wakefield.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP Geography is also offered to freshman.

The AP Network they advertise is not an actual thing. It just means that the school offers AP classes.

Our kid is a junior. It's a pretty poor educational experience and if we had had the option of sending them to W-L would have taken it in a heartbeat.

The AP classes and intensified classes are ok but any student can sign up for them so there are still a lot of disruptive students in them which is a pain.

The teachers have been ok - some great -some so/so - like any high school.

They encourage participation in sports and clubs for students.

The do very little in terms of preparing students for college. We hired a private college counselor. We got the name from other parents.

They are very big on sending kids to NOVA. They push it constantly.

The PTA finally sponsored a mock SAT test this year. I am pretty sure it was the first time. Yorktown seems to offer them on the regular every year for comparison.

Lots and lots and lots of talk about equity and inclusion. Very little conversation on academics or academic achievement. This is from both the admin side at school and from the parent side. Sometimes I wonder if they remember that it's actually a school and the point is education not a nonprofit dedicated to social justice.

While there is a lot of promotion of NOVA, that's because almost half the school is potential first-generation college and students with limited financial means. It's not like it's a bad thing to promote, especially since it also promotes the "early start" program and other opportunities that require a 3.0 GPA to participate in. Nevertheless, if you're not in that particular demographic, you can easily plan and get information and assistance for the colleges you're interested in. College and military representatives visit the school throughout the year and lots of scholarship opportunities are also promoted - many are specific to students of color; but again, the majority of students are students of color and that's a good thing to be encouraging.

The PTA doesn't have the resources of Yorktown; but Yorktown tends to open up its mock exams and other programs to all the high school communities.

If you're hiring a private college counselor, you're likely someone who would do that even if your kid were at WL or YHS.

I agree the AP Network isn't a big deal - though I honestly don't really get what it is; but the AP Capstone is a positive and they have a sufficient offering of AP classes relative to the other schools. There is a great deal of equity and inclusion speak and the teachers and students clearly lean pretty far left politically (like a lot of Arlington).

If you want a more pressure-cooker atmosphere for your child, WL is your best bet. If you're not so uptight about your kid taking 5 AP classes at once and being on the most competitive teams and accept that a less-pressure, less-competitive, still-among-the-top-2% of high schools in the country is perfectly fine and won't ruin your child's entire future, Wakefield is absolutely fine.

Parents not talking and boasting about their kids' extraordinary brilliance and academic achievement doesn't mean they do not emphasize academics or believe them to be important. Personally, I'm grateful not to be surrounded by competitive parents living vicariously through their children, stressing their kids out, and insisting anything less than the best and an ivy league degree is failure. I can't speak to the level of anxiety or pressure at Yorktown; but even though WL is an excellent school, I find the Wakefield environment pleasantly less stressful for us as parents and for our kid v. our kid and others we know at WL.
We have not heard of any problems with "disruptive" kids in any of our kid's classes of any level. I'm not aware of policies at any of the schools precluding students from taking an AP class - all students register for classes through their counselor and teachers make recommendations; but you can always discuss those recommendations with the teachers if you disagree. Generally, though, if a student is a good student and performing well, they will be recommended for the appropriate level courses.

I also much prefer the "senior project" over the "senior experience" at the other high schools. It's a year long project of the student's choosing with a "mentor" guiding them along the way, culminating in a written piece and a presentation.

Since the poster asked for real world experiences, not a bunch of fluff to promote the school -

Wakefield could never be a pressure cooker. It can't even be a boiling pot. Maybe not even a simmering pot. The academic expectations are low even in the AP and Intensified classes. So stop making it about pressure cooker and start listening to parents who have the average, in the middle kids. We are just trying to get a decent, appropriate high school level education for our kids to prepare them to actually go to college, and be able to do the work once there.

Writing is non existent. I feel terrible for kids who go off to college who never received any outside preparation. Can you image getting slammed with writing multi-page papers in freshman year but your only experience was writing one 5 paragraph essay in your entire high school career?

Nothing wrong with NOVA except first gen students can and should be offered the chance to go to 4 yr colleges right out of high school. It takes help and planning to find the right fit for them. No one has time for that. NOVA is easier.

Most of the scholarships announcements that are sent out are nothing more than a lottery. Send in a bunch of essays and recommendations, wait months and months, and nothing. Or maybe $500. Never once I have seen any helpful information regarding merit aid, why it matters, how to get it, how to target schools most likely to provide it to a student.

The college counselor we hired isn't to get our kid into an ivy league. It is to help them apply to public universities, understand the application process, help with their essay, and stay on track. It doesn't matter if the counselors are nice at the school, they have a lot of students with a lot of issues. They don't have time to really discuss college or the college process. It's not their fault. It's just how it is.

First of all, the responder was clearly speaking about direct real world experience.

Second of all, speaking as a parent of middle average and above average but not the very top kids: They will be just as prepared for college as any of their cohorts at the other high schools.

From what I gather, NONE of the high schools are good at teaching writing or expecting long (or even short-to-medium) papers. It's a nationwide problem, not just a Wakefield problem. Employers - and colleges - complain about the lack of writing skills coming out of schools (including college graduates) all the time. Even those advanced kids at what you consider better high schools often have to re-take the calculus class they took in high school because they aren't properly prepared for college mathematics. My kids wrote longer essays in 5th and 6th grades than any of their general ed or intensified high school classes have required so far; but the AP classes have at least emphasized better writing - grammatically and substantively.

I really don't see a problem with "lottery" type scholarships. I'm happy to accept any scholarship aid my kids can get. And I know for a fact they are not all (or even most) that way anyway. Similarly, I think NOVA is a valuable resource and very viable option for all kinds of students, including mine. My oldest has no idea what they want to do and also hasn't been the highest-achieving student. It's very likely they will opt to start at NOVA, get core classes or even a two-year degree under their belt, and take the time to figure out what they want to do. And we'll be happy to not waste the tuition at a 4-year school and only pay for 2 years if they subsequently transfer after NOVA (and enjoy the guaranteed admission to a Virginia public university, if they choose that. That's another reason pushing NOVA for Wakefield students is a good idea, btw.) We are very fortunate to have such a high quality community college at our disposal and I know several people who started off there and are now PhDs and similar level professionals in their fields. If it's not good enough for your kid, that's fine. Don't diss it for others -- except the first gen kids, of course. I do agree, however, that Wakefield could encourage 4-year tracts more to all the students. But they are right -and probably more effective - to not overlook the realities, to encourage every student to take at least one AP class and to at least consider some post-secondary education v. just pushing them all into cosmetology or automechanics at the career center.

If you haven't seen the information you want about financial aid, applying to other colleges, etc., you could always ASK. They do offer financial aid information sessions and assistance/information about the process and filling out forms. It also includes the college application process, though I think they could have provided more on that part. I was aware of that information session through the PTA listserv and emails sent out by Wakefield.

I hope your disappointment hasn't contributed to your child's miserable high school experience.

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter went to Wakefield for freshman year before we moved out of the area. Like so many things in life everyone has a different experience. So, please take our experience as just a single point of view.
How our daughter identifies: conservative, outgoing, involved
The good: dd took AP World History and this was probably the most valuable class she took in all of high school. It was challenging and involves many hours of work outside of class. She gained a confidence in how to write essays for AP classes, how to answer questions for AP classes and how to manage her time. This has continued to benefit her even now that she is in college. All of dd's teachers were great. They all taught with passion, encouraged discussions and were available to students outside of class time.
The bad (for dd): At the time dd was at Wakefield the students were rumored to be open and inclusive to all. And from what we observed that was true unless you wanted to be a a conservative heterosexual. DD was constantly questioned on how she knew she was hereosexual. She was repeatedly asked to go to the restroom at lunch with girls to try out the other side. It seemed like the group she had lunch with were challenged with converting her. It got to the point that she ended up eating lunch in a teacher's room everyday.

Your daughter was a homophobe and her peers were calling her out on it.

Our daughter went to Wakefield for freshman year before we moved out of the area. Like so many things in life everyone has a different experience. So, please take our experience as just a single point of view.
How our daughter identifies: conservative, outgoing, involved
The good: dd took AP World History and this was probably the most valuable class she took in all of high school. It was challenging and involves many hours of work outside of class. She gained a confidence in how to write essays for AP classes, how to answer questions for AP classes and how to manage her time. This has continued to benefit her even now that she is in college. All of dd's teachers were great. They all taught with passion, encouraged discussions and were available to students outside of class time.
The bad (for dd): At the time dd was at Wakefield the students were rumored to be open and inclusive to all. And from what we observed that was true unless you wanted to be a a conservative heterosexual. DD was constantly questioned on how she knew she was hereosexual. She was repeatedly asked to go to the restroom at lunch with girls to try out the other side. It seemed like the group she had lunch with were challenged with converting her. It got to the point that she ended up eating lunch in a teacher's room everyday.

If you do the AP Capstone program it includes two additional AP level classes focused on independent research, writing and presentation skills to prepare for college. As a former Wakefield parent I never felt any slant towards NOVA, and even if I did, it is a great CC with links to multiple 4 years.

Wake is a great community and wonderful support systems.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP Geography is also offered to freshman.

The AP Network they advertise is not an actual thing. It just means that the school offers AP classes.

Our kid is a junior. It's a pretty poor educational experience and if we had had the option of sending them to W-L would have taken it in a heartbeat.

The AP classes and intensified classes are ok but any student can sign up for them so there are still a lot of disruptive students in them which is a pain.

The teachers have been ok - some great -some so/so - like any high school.

They encourage participation in sports and clubs for students.

The do very little in terms of preparing students for college. We hired a private college counselor. We got the name from other parents.

They are very big on sending kids to NOVA. They push it constantly.

The PTA finally sponsored a mock SAT test this year. I am pretty sure it was the first time. Yorktown seems to offer them on the regular every year for comparison.

Lots and lots and lots of talk about equity and inclusion. Very little conversation on academics or academic achievement. This is from both the admin side at school and from the parent side. Sometimes I wonder if they remember that it's actually a school and the point is education not a nonprofit dedicated to social justice.

While there is a lot of promotion of NOVA, that's because almost half the school is potential first-generation college and students with limited financial means. It's not like it's a bad thing to promote, especially since it also promotes the "early start" program and other opportunities that require a 3.0 GPA to participate in. Nevertheless, if you're not in that particular demographic, you can easily plan and get information and assistance for the colleges you're interested in. College and military representatives visit the school throughout the year and lots of scholarship opportunities are also promoted - many are specific to students of color; but again, the majority of students are students of color and that's a good thing to be encouraging.

The PTA doesn't have the resources of Yorktown; but Yorktown tends to open up its mock exams and other programs to all the high school communities.

If you're hiring a private college counselor, you're likely someone who would do that even if your kid were at WL or YHS.

I agree the AP Network isn't a big deal - though I honestly don't really get what it is; but the AP Capstone is a positive and they have a sufficient offering of AP classes relative to the other schools. There is a great deal of equity and inclusion speak and the teachers and students clearly lean pretty far left politically (like a lot of Arlington).

If you want a more pressure-cooker atmosphere for your child, WL is your best bet. If you're not so uptight about your kid taking 5 AP classes at once and being on the most competitive teams and accept that a less-pressure, less-competitive, still-among-the-top-2% of high schools in the country is perfectly fine and won't ruin your child's entire future, Wakefield is absolutely fine.

Parents not talking and boasting about their kids' extraordinary brilliance and academic achievement doesn't mean they do not emphasize academics or believe them to be important. Personally, I'm grateful not to be surrounded by competitive parents living vicariously through their children, stressing their kids out, and insisting anything less than the best and an ivy league degree is failure. I can't speak to the level of anxiety or pressure at Yorktown; but even though WL is an excellent school, I find the Wakefield environment pleasantly less stressful for us as parents and for our kid v. our kid and others we know at WL.
We have not heard of any problems with "disruptive" kids in any of our kid's classes of any level. I'm not aware of policies at any of the schools precluding students from taking an AP class - all students register for classes through their counselor and teachers make recommendations; but you can always discuss those recommendations with the teachers if you disagree. Generally, though, if a student is a good student and performing well, they will be recommended for the appropriate level courses.

I also much prefer the "senior project" over the "senior experience" at the other high schools. It's a year long project of the student's choosing with a "mentor" guiding them along the way, culminating in a written piece and a presentation.

Since the poster asked for real world experiences, not a bunch of fluff to promote the school -

Wakefield could never be a pressure cooker. It can't even be a boiling pot. Maybe not even a simmering pot. The academic expectations are low even in the AP and Intensified classes. So stop making it about pressure cooker and start listening to parents who have the average, in the middle kids. We are just trying to get a decent, appropriate high school level education for our kids to prepare them to actually go to college, and be able to do the work once there.

Writing is non existent. I feel terrible for kids who go off to college who never received any outside preparation. Can you image getting slammed with writing multi-page papers in freshman year but your only experience was writing one 5 paragraph essay in your entire high school career?

Nothing wrong with NOVA except first gen students can and should be offered the chance to go to 4 yr colleges right out of high school. It takes help and planning to find the right fit for them. No one has time for that. NOVA is easier.

Most of the scholarships announcements that are sent out are nothing more than a lottery. Send in a bunch of essays and recommendations, wait months and months, and nothing. Or maybe $500. Never once I have seen any helpful information regarding merit aid, why it matters, how to get it, how to target schools most likely to provide it to a student.

The college counselor we hired isn't to get our kid into an ivy league. It is to help them apply to public universities, understand the application process, help with their essay, and stay on track. It doesn't matter if the counselors are nice at the school, they have a lot of students with a lot of issues. They don't have time to really discuss college or the college process. It's not their fault. It's just how it is.

One 5 paragraph essay in 4 years? What about in AP English? My 7th grader at GMS has already written more & longer essays than that. Is it really that bad?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP Geography is also offered to freshman.

The AP Network they advertise is not an actual thing. It just means that the school offers AP classes.

Our kid is a junior. It's a pretty poor educational experience and if we had had the option of sending them to W-L would have taken it in a heartbeat.

The AP classes and intensified classes are ok but any student can sign up for them so there are still a lot of disruptive students in them which is a pain.

The teachers have been ok - some great -some so/so - like any high school.

They encourage participation in sports and clubs for students.

The do very little in terms of preparing students for college. We hired a private college counselor. We got the name from other parents.

They are very big on sending kids to NOVA. They push it constantly.

The PTA finally sponsored a mock SAT test this year. I am pretty sure it was the first time. Yorktown seems to offer them on the regular every year for comparison.

Lots and lots and lots of talk about equity and inclusion. Very little conversation on academics or academic achievement. This is from both the admin side at school and from the parent side. Sometimes I wonder if they remember that it's actually a school and the point is education not a nonprofit dedicated to social justice.

While there is a lot of promotion of NOVA, that's because almost half the school is potential first-generation college and students with limited financial means. It's not like it's a bad thing to promote, especially since it also promotes the "early start" program and other opportunities that require a 3.0 GPA to participate in. Nevertheless, if you're not in that particular demographic, you can easily plan and get information and assistance for the colleges you're interested in. College and military representatives visit the school throughout the year and lots of scholarship opportunities are also promoted - many are specific to students of color; but again, the majority of students are students of color and that's a good thing to be encouraging.

The PTA doesn't have the resources of Yorktown; but Yorktown tends to open up its mock exams and other programs to all the high school communities.

If you're hiring a private college counselor, you're likely someone who would do that even if your kid were at WL or YHS.

I agree the AP Network isn't a big deal - though I honestly don't really get what it is; but the AP Capstone is a positive and they have a sufficient offering of AP classes relative to the other schools. There is a great deal of equity and inclusion speak and the teachers and students clearly lean pretty far left politically (like a lot of Arlington).

If you want a more pressure-cooker atmosphere for your child, WL is your best bet. If you're not so uptight about your kid taking 5 AP classes at once and being on the most competitive teams and accept that a less-pressure, less-competitive, still-among-the-top-2% of high schools in the country is perfectly fine and won't ruin your child's entire future, Wakefield is absolutely fine.

Parents not talking and boasting about their kids' extraordinary brilliance and academic achievement doesn't mean they do not emphasize academics or believe them to be important. Personally, I'm grateful not to be surrounded by competitive parents living vicariously through their children, stressing their kids out, and insisting anything less than the best and an ivy league degree is failure. I can't speak to the level of anxiety or pressure at Yorktown; but even though WL is an excellent school, I find the Wakefield environment pleasantly less stressful for us as parents and for our kid v. our kid and others we know at WL.
We have not heard of any problems with "disruptive" kids in any of our kid's classes of any level. I'm not aware of policies at any of the schools precluding students from taking an AP class - all students register for classes through their counselor and teachers make recommendations; but you can always discuss those recommendations with the teachers if you disagree. Generally, though, if a student is a good student and performing well, they will be recommended for the appropriate level courses.

I also much prefer the "senior project" over the "senior experience" at the other high schools. It's a year long project of the student's choosing with a "mentor" guiding them along the way, culminating in a written piece and a presentation.

Since the poster asked for real world experiences, not a bunch of fluff to promote the school -

Wakefield could never be a pressure cooker. It can't even be a boiling pot. Maybe not even a simmering pot. The academic expectations are low even in the AP and Intensified classes. So stop making it about pressure cooker and start listening to parents who have the average, in the middle kids. We are just trying to get a decent, appropriate high school level education for our kids to prepare them to actually go to college, and be able to do the work once there.

Writing is non existent. I feel terrible for kids who go off to college who never received any outside preparation. Can you image getting slammed with writing multi-page papers in freshman year but your only experience was writing one 5 paragraph essay in your entire high school career?

Nothing wrong with NOVA except first gen students can and should be offered the chance to go to 4 yr colleges right out of high school. It takes help and planning to find the right fit for them. No one has time for that. NOVA is easier.

Most of the scholarships announcements that are sent out are nothing more than a lottery. Send in a bunch of essays and recommendations, wait months and months, and nothing. Or maybe $500. Never once I have seen any helpful information regarding merit aid, why it matters, how to get it, how to target schools most likely to provide it to a student.

The college counselor we hired isn't to get our kid into an ivy league. It is to help them apply to public universities, understand the application process, help with their essay, and stay on track. It doesn't matter if the counselors are nice at the school, they have a lot of students with a lot of issues. They don't have time to really discuss college or the college process. It's not their fault. It's just how it is.

Anonymous wrote:AP Geography is also offered to freshman.

The AP Network they advertise is not an actual thing. It just means that the school offers AP classes.

Our kid is a junior. It's a pretty poor educational experience and if we had had the option of sending them to W-L would have taken it in a heartbeat.

The AP classes and intensified classes are ok but any student can sign up for them so there are still a lot of disruptive students in them which is a pain.

The teachers have been ok - some great -some so/so - like any high school.

They encourage participation in sports and clubs for students.

The do very little in terms of preparing students for college. We hired a private college counselor. We got the name from other parents.

They are very big on sending kids to NOVA. They push it constantly.

The PTA finally sponsored a mock SAT test this year. I am pretty sure it was the first time. Yorktown seems to offer them on the regular every year for comparison.

Lots and lots and lots of talk about equity and inclusion. Very little conversation on academics or academic achievement. This is from both the admin side at school and from the parent side. Sometimes I wonder if they remember that it's actually a school and the point is education not a nonprofit dedicated to social justice.

While there is a lot of promotion of NOVA, that's because almost half the school is potential first-generation college and students with limited financial means. It's not like it's a bad thing to promote, especially since it also promotes the "early start" program and other opportunities that require a 3.0 GPA to participate in. Nevertheless, if you're not in that particular demographic, you can easily plan and get information and assistance for the colleges you're interested in. College and military representatives visit the school throughout the year and lots of scholarship opportunities are also promoted - many are specific to students of color; but again, the majority of students are students of color and that's a good thing to be encouraging.

The PTA doesn't have the resources of Yorktown; but Yorktown tends to open up its mock exams and other programs to all the high school communities.

If you're hiring a private college counselor, you're likely someone who would do that even if your kid were at WL or YHS.

I agree the AP Network isn't a big deal - though I honestly don't really get what it is; but the AP Capstone is a positive and they have a sufficient offering of AP classes relative to the other schools. There is a great deal of equity and inclusion speak and the teachers and students clearly lean pretty far left politically (like a lot of Arlington).

If you want a more pressure-cooker atmosphere for your child, WL is your best bet. If you're not so uptight about your kid taking 5 AP classes at once and being on the most competitive teams and accept that a less-pressure, less-competitive, still-among-the-top-2% of high schools in the country is perfectly fine and won't ruin your child's entire future, Wakefield is absolutely fine.

Parents not talking and boasting about their kids' extraordinary brilliance and academic achievement doesn't mean they do not emphasize academics or believe them to be important. Personally, I'm grateful not to be surrounded by competitive parents living vicariously through their children, stressing their kids out, and insisting anything less than the best and an ivy league degree is failure. I can't speak to the level of anxiety or pressure at Yorktown; but even though WL is an excellent school, I find the Wakefield environment pleasantly less stressful for us as parents and for our kid v. our kid and others we know at WL.
We have not heard of any problems with "disruptive" kids in any of our kid's classes of any level. I'm not aware of policies at any of the schools precluding students from taking an AP class - all students register for classes through their counselor and teachers make recommendations; but you can always discuss those recommendations with the teachers if you disagree. Generally, though, if a student is a good student and performing well, they will be recommended for the appropriate level courses.

I also much prefer the "senior project" over the "senior experience" at the other high schools. It's a year long project of the student's choosing with a "mentor" guiding them along the way, culminating in a written piece and a presentation.

AP Geography is also offered to freshman.

The AP Network they advertise is not an actual thing. It just means that the school offers AP classes.

Our kid is a junior. It's a pretty poor educational experience and if we had had the option of sending them to W-L would have taken it in a heartbeat.

The AP classes and intensified classes are ok but any student can sign up for them so there are still a lot of disruptive students in them which is a pain.

The teachers have been ok - some great -some so/so - like any high school.

They encourage participation in sports and clubs for students.

The do very little in terms of preparing students for college. We hired a private college counselor. We got the name from other parents.

They are very big on sending kids to NOVA. They push it constantly.

The PTA finally sponsored a mock SAT test this year. I am pretty sure it was the first time. Yorktown seems to offer them on the regular every year for comparison.

Lots and lots and lots of talk about equity and inclusion. Very little conversation on academics or academic achievement. This is from both the admin side at school and from the parent side. Sometimes I wonder if they remember that it's actually a school and the point is education not a nonprofit dedicated to social justice.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you PP, for this amazing and detailed description, very much appreciated. Good point about the middle school dynamic, I had forgotten that. Hope your kiddo(s) continue to thrive there! FWIW, our IB program at the moment isn't that heavy in reading either but am hoping that the next year starts to shift in that direction. Somehow I feel like APS pre-IB and the IB diploma program would be hyper stressful, but that's likely another thread!

You're welcome! Glad it was helpful.
FWIW, there have been threads about the IB program at WL on this forum. You can try a search and look through them. Our middle school was Jefferson and even though I was looking forward to the IB curriculum, I can tell you that it wasn't anything to write home about. It did give an advantage on the world language front; but other than that, the rubrics and self-evaluating was more annoying than useful. The IB program breaks from middle school until the high school program in 11th; so the IB program in Arlington really isn't to the caliber of the real IB curriculum overall. By the time our family experienced the middle school year program, we didn't care about continuing it into high school. From everything I hear, it is a lot more work, yes. But for the most part, my impression from comments and parents I know is that having the IB diploma isn't all that critical.

If you are a transfer into WL, you are expected to do the full IB program. Students districted to WL get to pick and choose. Most do not do the full program and relatively few actually obtain the IB diploma.

Good luck. Hope to meet you at Wakefield next year!

Thank you PP, for this amazing and detailed description, very much appreciated. Good point about the middle school dynamic, I had forgotten that. Hope your kiddo(s) continue to thrive there! FWIW, our IB program at the moment isn't that heavy in reading either but am hoping that the next year starts to shift in that direction. Somehow I feel like APS pre-IB and the IB diploma program would be hyper stressful, but that's likely another thread!

Anonymous wrote:We are solidly within the boundary for Wakefield but have lived overseas for a while. We are looking at returning and our oldest would attend Wakefield. Any parents with students in the AP class track or regular curriculum willing to share insight about the school and life experience entering as a "new" 9th grader (e.g. did not attend middle school in Arlington to have a group of friends to identify with). How is the faculty? Do your kids feel comfortable, lost, engaged? I am aware of the challenges APS faces for overcrowding and lack of supports for learning disabilities, but we don't really have a choice of where to live or go to school (priced out, cannot afford private, waitlisted for HB, uncertain if we want to continue IB at W/L and that would require another miracle for double blind lottery). TIA

We have a Wakefield freshman this year, following social isolation through middle school due to their own shyness and insecurities. COVID didn't help; but it wasn't COVID that caused the social isolation. I will note that even if a rising freshman has a circle of friends from middle school, in Arlington, they don't necessarily end up at the same high school; so more kids than you might think actually start off like your child despite attending middle school in Arlington. AND, they aren't guaranteed to get into the same classes or lunch periods and may not see each other during the school day anyway. All of our older student's friends ended up at other high schools (or relocated out of the country due to parents' work reassignments....lots of transience here, as you know). Our freshman has been very fortunate to have lunch with one person from middle school and a few other kids that person knows through music class, one who is new to Arlington this year.

Wakefield uses a "house" system for freshmen. Essentially, each house is a "team" of teachers and the students are within that team for all of their classes (music and art excepted). So there's a higher chance you will have multiple classes with some of the same kids; there's a specific sub-set of teachers; etc. I don't know if the kids really notice anything different, but the house system is only in 9th grade and everyone's just out there with the entire grade and all the teachers in 10th and up.

The counselors also stay with the students throughout their years. We've been pleased with both kids' counselors - very approachable and (with the exception of the virtual learning year) very responsive. In our dealings, I have encountered a few admin I was not particularly impressed with and am glad are not permanent or prominent aspects of our kids' high school careers, though I'm sure others find them perfectly fine. It just may be that they didn't know my kid and weren't familiar enough to be helpful or effective.

Our freshman is taking AP World History - the only AP course offered to freshmen - as well as intensified classes in the other core subjects. IF your child is a top student who would take AP world history, I would recommend doing it as a freshman. It has been challenging in terms of workload relative to APS middle schools and is far better preparation for more demanding classes than the general ed or even some of the intensified classes. The teacher approaches it in a way to introduce the students to AP classes and demands, emphasizing the academic skills they will need and preparing them for future AP classes. A lot of parents are afraid for their 9th grader to take an AP class; but I think it has been very good experience for our freshman who was most un-challenged through middle school. They definitely had to learn some time management skills, and getting more experience earlier with writing and studying and delving deeper than the regular classes provide. Even though our child hasn't gotten straight A's in the class, they've done well and are better prepared for more advanced classes through the rest of high school.

Socially, our freshman still doesn't engage with any friends outside of school; but life in school has been really good. Good rapport with teachers and interacting with peers during lunch as well as within classes. Participating in marching band was a huge boost overall, IMO. Neither of our kids is a social butterfly or enthusiastically engaged in lots of activities (our older one isn't involved in any extra-curriculars); but neither has felt lost and both have peers to interact with. I feel our freshman is in a better place overall, having an interest and activity to engage in.

Last year's virtual year does not enable us to be as aware of the broader teacher pool quality as we otherwise would have been; but based on what we have seen through in-person school, like most places, there are outstanding teachers and very good teachers along with ok and one or two notably poor ones. Mostly, the teachers have been very strong or better. It's the APS curriculum within some of the classes that we take issue with - particularly English. Even intensified English is disappointingly (even alarmingly?) light on reading and writing. Better than general ed English as far as quality; but they just don't read very many books and don't write long papers. I would recommend the 2 AP Capstone courses which will teach the kids how to do a real in-depth research paper and presentation. AP English isn't offered until junior year and our junior isn't taking it. I'd love to hear from others who are familiar what the AP English curriculum includes!

If you're coming from a more demanding IB program, you might feel you want to continue that - given my comments about the English program. But Wakefield offers plenty of AP classes and the AP Capstone program. Even if freshman year ends up being a little lighter load than you anticipate, that affords your child the opportunity to really get engaged, try out different activities and clubs, and find their niche early. There's a lot of positives to be said for that!

Because of overcrowding at Wakefield, I believe W-L is accepting non IB transfers from the Wakefield zone but I’m not positive. You should inquire, and that would give your 9th grader the freedom to go the IB or AP track. W-L will have plenty of room next year as it takes over the renovated Ed Center building next door. Wakefield is a good school however, and making friends and adjusting to high school life and academics would be similar at any Arlington high school. If other families in your neighborhood attend Wakefield that might help with adjusting. I don’t have kids at Wakefield so I hope others chime in.

We are solidly within the boundary for Wakefield but have lived overseas for a while. We are looking at returning and our oldest would attend Wakefield. Any parents with students in the AP class track or regular curriculum willing to share insight about the school and life experience entering as a "new" 9th grader (e.g. did not attend middle school in Arlington to have a group of friends to identify with). How is the faculty? Do your kids feel comfortable, lost, engaged? I am aware of the challenges APS faces for overcrowding and lack of supports for learning disabilities, but we don't really have a choice of where to live or go to school (priced out, cannot afford private, waitlisted for HB, uncertain if we want to continue IB at W/L and that would require another miracle for double blind lottery). TIA