Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former classmate of accomplished VA politician Hung Cao.

Cautiously optimistic about this new TJ principal.

“Accomplished VA politician”

As long as you don’t count actually winning elections. Attending TJ was Cao’s greatest accomplishment.

Really?
Retired US Navy Captain.
Naval Academy grad and served with Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He also received his Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and fellowships at MIT and Harvard.

I don't think he ever had much of a chance at beating Kaine but I thought he did well in the debate and I thought he did better than he should have in the Virginia election against a relatively popular incumbent.

I agree and he clearly has an impressive record.

It is really saddening to repeatedly encounter a few people on DCUM who harbor so much open hatred and hostility toward TJ students, past and present. To those people: what is your problem and why are you even on these threads?

I mean, I am the parent of a current TJ student; can you say the same?

They're liberal racists who hate Asians. They also hate TJ because TJ's majority isn't white.

I just hate liars who misrepresent the truth and push RWNJ propaganda.

That’s exactly what the liberals on this forum do. They demonize Asian as being being robots with zero creativities, etc. Why are all FCPS Regeneron winners Asians if they don’t have any creativity? The liberal hate on Asians on this forum is insane and encouraged.

It is acceptable and even encouraged to discriminate against asians

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former classmate of accomplished VA politician Hung Cao.

Cautiously optimistic about this new TJ principal.

“Accomplished VA politician”

As long as you don’t count actually winning elections. Attending TJ was Cao’s greatest accomplishment.

Really?
Retired US Navy Captain.
Naval Academy grad and served with Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He also received his Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and fellowships at MIT and Harvard.

I don't think he ever had much of a chance at beating Kaine but I thought he did well in the debate and I thought he did better than he should have in the Virginia election against a relatively popular incumbent.

I agree and he clearly has an impressive record.

It is really saddening to repeatedly encounter a few people on DCUM who harbor so much open hatred and hostility toward TJ students, past and present. To those people: what is your problem and why are you even on these threads?

I mean, I am the parent of a current TJ student; can you say the same?

They're liberal racists who hate Asians. They also hate TJ because TJ's majority isn't white.

I just hate liars who misrepresent the truth and push RWNJ propaganda.

That’s exactly what the liberals on this forum do. They demonize Asian as being being robots with zero creativities, etc. Why are all FCPS Regeneron winners Asians if they don’t have any creativity? The liberal hate on Asians on this forum is insane and encouraged.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former classmate of accomplished VA politician Hung Cao.

Cautiously optimistic about this new TJ principal.

“Accomplished VA politician”

As long as you don’t count actually winning elections. Attending TJ was Cao’s greatest accomplishment.

Really?
Retired US Navy Captain.
Naval Academy grad and served with Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He also received his Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and fellowships at MIT and Harvard.

I don't think he ever had much of a chance at beating Kaine but I thought he did well in the debate and I thought he did better than he should have in the Virginia election against a relatively popular incumbent.

I agree and he clearly has an impressive record.

It is really saddening to repeatedly encounter a few people on DCUM who harbor so much open hatred and hostility toward TJ students, past and present. To those people: what is your problem and why are you even on these threads?

I mean, I am the parent of a current TJ student; can you say the same?

They're liberal racists who hate Asians. They also hate TJ because TJ's majority isn't white.

I just hate liars who misrepresent the truth and push RWNJ propaganda.

That’s exactly what the liberals on this forum do. They demonize Asian as being being robots with zero creativities, etc. Why are all FCPS Regeneron winners Asians if they don’t have any creativity? The liberal hate on Asians on this forum is insane and encouraged.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former classmate of accomplished VA politician Hung Cao.

Cautiously optimistic about this new TJ principal.

“Accomplished VA politician”

As long as you don’t count actually winning elections. Attending TJ was Cao’s greatest accomplishment.

Really?
Retired US Navy Captain.
Naval Academy grad and served with Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He also received his Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and fellowships at MIT and Harvard.

I don't think he ever had much of a chance at beating Kaine but I thought he did well in the debate and I thought he did better than he should have in the Virginia election against a relatively popular incumbent.

I agree and he clearly has an impressive record.

It is really saddening to repeatedly encounter a few people on DCUM who harbor so much open hatred and hostility toward TJ students, past and present. To those people: what is your problem and why are you even on these threads?

I mean, I am the parent of a current TJ student; can you say the same?

They're liberal racists who hate Asians. They also hate TJ because TJ's majority isn't white.

I just hate liars who misrepresent the truth and push RWNJ propaganda.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former classmate of accomplished VA politician Hung Cao.

Cautiously optimistic about this new TJ principal.

“Accomplished VA politician”

As long as you don’t count actually winning elections. Attending TJ was Cao’s greatest accomplishment.

Really?
Retired US Navy Captain.
Naval Academy grad and served with Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He also received his Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and fellowships at MIT and Harvard.

I don't think he ever had much of a chance at beating Kaine but I thought he did well in the debate and I thought he did better than he should have in the Virginia election against a relatively popular incumbent.

I agree and he clearly has an impressive record.

It is really saddening to repeatedly encounter a few people on DCUM who harbor so much open hatred and hostility toward TJ students, past and present. To those people: what is your problem and why are you even on these threads?

I mean, I am the parent of a current TJ student; can you say the same?

Cao has the double whammy of being a conservative. This board hates non liberals. It is probably more about him being center right rather than his TJ status.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best part is in the email they had to make sure to talk of the former failed principals fake promotion to gatehouse! Lmao "following Dr. Ann Bonitatibus' promotion to a central office position."

Here is a better article calling out how awful the previous tj principal was pushing racial quotas causing TJ to fall form #1 in the nation to 14. More info on the new principal and an endorsement from the Republican nominee fellow classmate https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/fcps-selects-tjhsst-alum-michael-mukai-to-be-new-principal/article_675df76c-cee9-11ef-9b2a-ab958f33eb91.html

Letter from gatehouse:

January 9, 2025

Dear FCPS Community,

I am writing today with exciting news regarding the future leadership of TJHSST.

As you know, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) launched a nationwide search for a new principal earlier this fall
After several weeks of extensive and diligent consideration of numerous highly-qualified candidates, we are delighted to share that we have found an exceptional leader - and TJHSST alum - close to home. Michael Mukai has accepted the position and will begin later this month. Mukai has been the principal of West Springfield High School since 2014, and has held a variety of FCPS school-based positions since 1995 when he began his career as a math and science teacher. He has also coached wrestling and volleyball.

In a full circle moment, Mukai was in the very first class of TJHSST when it converted to a magnet STEM school in 1985. He majored in Chemistry at Virginia Tech and he has a Masters of Curriculum and Instruction, Math Education also from Virginia Tech. He has also completed post-master's graduate work in the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge through the Department of Science Technology and Society of Virginia Tech.

During the recruitment process, Mukai impressed all with his passion for TJHSST, his innovative vision for the future, and his track record of elevating academic excellence.

His many accomplishments at WSHS include:

Significant gains in advanced academic access and success which has resulted in gold recognition by the College Board for the AP School Honor Roll.

Increasing the number of students recognized through the National Merit Scholarship program.

Cappies recognitions for theater arts, honor band recognitions, Virginia Music Educators Association recognitions, district, region, and state championships in Virginia High School League athletics and activities.

Thank you for your continued support of FCPS.

Dr. Geovanny Ponce
Chief of Schools

You are spreading RWNJ misinformation.

There are no quotas.

And TJ went from #5 to #14 out of 25,000 schools on the USNWR rankings. It was only #1 twice in the preceding decade.

NP TJ was always in the top ten of the nation's high schools in the preceding decade -- this latest year is the first time it was out of the top ten.

Top ten vs. #14? Out of 25,000 high schools?

GMAFB.

DP
Ranking on USNWR is pretty meaningless but the drop in SAT score is pretty significant.

But the reason for the USNWR drop is that TJ had multiple students failing their SOL exams post-freshman/sophomore admission changes, something that had not happened previously.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Realistically, what can he to actually improve TJ that is 100% within his control?

He can shift the focus back to STEM academics and recognizing students' merit-based efforts, rather than DEI and woke stuff.

Be really specific in describing exactly how Bonitatibus focused on “DEI and woke stuff” in matters of educational policy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0wJYHnOyJM&t=3s

At about 13:30 Bonitatibus speaks on this subject during the debate about the admissions change.
She cosigns the whole diversity and representation rationale the board presents for its racial discrimination.

Oh, Asra. I can’t be the only one who is surprised that you have nothing better to do with your time. You were a person of such significance, and now… still tilting at this situation with absolutely no results after four years. Except maybe, just maybe, you got your nemesis a big raise.

The school is entirely populated with students chosen by the new admissions process, and eight of them - the first class of the new process - just made the top 300 in the Regeneron competition. Compared with seven in the class of 2024, and five in the class of 2023.

A staggering objective measure of the top researchers in America’s high schools and the new process has the arrow trending upward.

Go back to picking on the black kids at Hayfield. More people like you when you do that.

Wait you think that what happened with hayfield's football team was OK? After all the evidence and text/email traffic that has come out, you still think that hayfield didn't break the rules?

You're definitely not going to like the new principal:

"This past fall, Mukai, a former football, wrestling, lacrosse, and volleyball coach, demonstrated his willingness to engage with controversy. Mukai walked into the superintendent’s offices at the FCPS headquarters on Gatehouse Road in Falls Church as one of the few administrators joining district football coaches to address concerns over a football recruiting scandal at Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria.

The controversy has sparked frustration across the district, with Mukai’s West Springfield football team being the first to face a lopsided defeat at the hands of the Hayfield Hawks. The meeting underscored a collective demand from area head football coaches for clarity and fairness in the district's sports programs. A week later, Hayfield’s football team withdrew from the post-season playoffs amid new revelations about the recruiting violations, marking a significant development in the district’s handling of the issue.

To observers, Mukai’s involvement in the meeting highlighted his readiness to stand with his school community and advocate for fair competition and transparency. Local parents say this quality would be a welcome change in navigating the challenges at TJ."

Mukai is amazing.

He is principled and a moderate, one of the few left in FCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it seems like a good pick. people seem really happy with WSHS so he must be doing a good job there and it seems positive he was a student at TJ back in the day.

I really really hope he continues Dr B’s effort to make the school less stressful for kids than it needs to be. I think that shift has been positive (from what I have heard of before vs what DD there has experienced) and that the kids put enough pressure on themselves already for all As and the hardest classes - the leadership doesn’t need to feed into that frenzy further.

nice try. if fcps was indifferent to the academic decline, they wouldnt be getting rid of Bonita. Th new principal is being brought to change the current course and restore academic excellence. The nonsensical days of convincing students to stay back at TJ and accept Cs and Ds in least rigor courses are coming to end.

?
I'm not arguing about WHY Dr. B left or what FCPS wants from it. I also happen to agree it didn't do kids any favors to convince them to stay if they were getting Cs and Ds in multiple things Freshmen year. But i have a kid there now in junior year who's gotten all As so far (and started out in Math 3 so having done geometry already and therefore "middle of the pack" not behind in math). I have heard that in the past it was a much more stressful school environment than the atmosphere Dr B intentionally tried to cultivate. I think you can tweak some of the things that aren't working well without throwing out the effort to pay more attention to students' mental health at a highly competitive school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former classmate of accomplished VA politician Hung Cao.

Cautiously optimistic about this new TJ principal.

“Accomplished VA politician”

As long as you don’t count actually winning elections. Attending TJ was Cao’s greatest accomplishment.

Really?
Retired US Navy Captain.
Naval Academy grad and served with Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He also received his Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and fellowships at MIT and Harvard.

I don't think he ever had much of a chance at beating Kaine but I thought he did well in the debate and I thought he did better than he should have in the Virginia election against a relatively popular incumbent.

I agree and he clearly has an impressive record.

It is really saddening to repeatedly encounter a few people on DCUM who harbor so much open hatred and hostility toward TJ students, past and present. To those people: what is your problem and why are you even on these threads?

I mean, I am the parent of a current TJ student; can you say the same?

They're liberal racists who hate Asians. They also hate TJ because TJ's majority isn't white.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former classmate of accomplished VA politician Hung Cao.

Cautiously optimistic about this new TJ principal.

“Accomplished VA politician”

As long as you don’t count actually winning elections. Attending TJ was Cao’s greatest accomplishment.

Really?
Retired US Navy Captain.
Naval Academy grad and served with Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He also received his Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and fellowships at MIT and Harvard.

I don't think he ever had much of a chance at beating Kaine but I thought he did well in the debate and I thought he did better than he should have in the Virginia election against a relatively popular incumbent.

I agree and he clearly has an impressive record.

It is really saddening to repeatedly encounter a few people on DCUM who harbor so much open hatred and hostility toward TJ students, past and present. To those people: what is your problem and why are you even on these threads?

I mean, I am the parent of a current TJ student; can you say the same?

NP. I'm a bit of an FCPS historian and my understanding is that TJHSST was created because of temporary low enrollment in the mid-1980s that led the School Board at the time to conclude that one of Annandale, Stuart (now Justice) or Jefferson (now TJHSST) should be closed. Jefferson was geographically in the middle of that area, and a newer school with less vocal parents, so it got the short end of the stick and was converted to a magnet.

The school obviously has some good qualities, but three things about it make me wish they'd just had a bit more patience and kept "old" Jefferson open.

1. If they'd kept Jefferson open, we could now have multiple schools (Annandale, Edison, Jefferson, Justice, and Woodson) with lower enrollments; instead, we ended with a number of schools with higher than desirable enrollments and multiple boundary changes.

2. Closing Jefferson meant concentrating poverty along Route 236 (Little River Turnpike) that had previously been shared between Annandale and Jefferson at one school - Annandale - instead. Over time, this led to overcrowding at Annandale, and multiple single-family areas redistricted out of Annandale to other schools (Falls Church, Lake Braddock, Woodson, and Edison) while Annandale retained most of the poverty. Net result - TJHSST benefitted at the expense of the surrounding neighborhoods and AHS, which have declined.

3. TJHSST sucks up a disproportionate amount of FCPS time and resources, and its existence sends the message that as long as there is one "flagship" or "crown jewel" whose achievements FCPS can herald, it really doesn't matter what happens at the rest of FCPS's 25 high/secondary schools. In a school system that claims to prioritize "equity," TJHSST students get access to resources that are denied to over 95% of FCPS students; the only development of note is that, with the recent admissions changes, those resources are allocated slightly more evenly to students who attended every FCPS middle school. That doesn't change the fact that less than 1 in 20 FCPS high students derives any benefit from TJ's existence. Even now, you can see that the appointment of a new principal at TJ gets a lot more attention than, say, the recent appointments of the new principals at Langley and Justice.

The larger TJ community is very good at making the case that it's essential to the county, the state, the nation, etc. The people associated with the school are often incredibly self-promoting to the point of being vain. Any critic of the school is harshly attacked and marginalized by people who enjoyed their TJ experience or derive a lot of their self-worth from having (or having had) a kid at TJ. So I've no illusion that it will get wound down, but I still wish it had never come into existence.

You have complete misunderstanding of why TJ was created in the first place.

I was going to criticize this person's representation of the history behind TJ as well, but then I went through the school board minutes from 1984 and it turns out they're actually not wrong.

The first mention of a magnet school I can find is on January 26th, 1984 (https://insys.fcps.edu/schoolboardapps/ArchivedSBMinutes/1980-1989/1980-1984/1984/19840126r.pdf), where it's proposed (pg. 138) as a solution to falling school enrollments due to the boomers aging out of the school system. At the top of pg. 140, there's also a mention of a school board member who didn't believe a magnet school would be helpful for that purpose. By February 9th (https://insys.fcps.edu/schoolboardapps/ArchivedSBMinutes/1980-1989/1980-1984/1984/19840209r.pdf) we see a mention of a "proposed School for Science and Technology" at Annandale HS (pg. 149). The location selection appears to have been controversial, and they seem to have considered Falls Church, Marshall, and Stuart/Justice as well before settling on Jefferson sometime before June 13th (https://insys.fcps.edu/schoolboardapps/ArchivedSBMinutes/1980-1989/1980-1984/1984/19840613r.pdf, pg. 68). It seems like FCPS also had a trend of increasingly close relationships with local industry, and they formed an industry advisory council in keeping with that (https://insys.fcps.edu/schoolboardapps/ArchivedSBMinutes/1980-1989/1980-1984/1984/19840524r.pdf, pg. 246).

Basically, TJ was the result of both FCPS struggling to keep its schools open in the wake of declining enrollments and trying to cozy up with local high-tech industry. You can disagree about whether the school is a net positive (I think it is), but the history isn't wrong in this case.

DP. That has always been the reason for TJ's creation. I'm not sure what competing explanation you think has been defeated by your post? This is why it was created, and it's fine, not a bad or embarrassing or shameful reason.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best part is in the email they had to make sure to talk of the former failed principals fake promotion to gatehouse! Lmao "following Dr. Ann Bonitatibus' promotion to a central office position."

Here is a better article calling out how awful the previous tj principal was pushing racial quotas causing TJ to fall form #1 in the nation to 14. More info on the new principal and an endorsement from the Republican nominee fellow classmate https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/fcps-selects-tjhsst-alum-michael-mukai-to-be-new-principal/article_675df76c-cee9-11ef-9b2a-ab958f33eb91.html

Letter from gatehouse:

January 9, 2025

Dear FCPS Community,

I am writing today with exciting news regarding the future leadership of TJHSST.

As you know, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) launched a nationwide search for a new principal earlier this fall
After several weeks of extensive and diligent consideration of numerous highly-qualified candidates, we are delighted to share that we have found an exceptional leader - and TJHSST alum - close to home. Michael Mukai has accepted the position and will begin later this month. Mukai has been the principal of West Springfield High School since 2014, and has held a variety of FCPS school-based positions since 1995 when he began his career as a math and science teacher. He has also coached wrestling and volleyball.

In a full circle moment, Mukai was in the very first class of TJHSST when it converted to a magnet STEM school in 1985. He majored in Chemistry at Virginia Tech and he has a Masters of Curriculum and Instruction, Math Education also from Virginia Tech. He has also completed post-master's graduate work in the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge through the Department of Science Technology and Society of Virginia Tech.

During the recruitment process, Mukai impressed all with his passion for TJHSST, his innovative vision for the future, and his track record of elevating academic excellence.

His many accomplishments at WSHS include:

Significant gains in advanced academic access and success which has resulted in gold recognition by the College Board for the AP School Honor Roll.

Increasing the number of students recognized through the National Merit Scholarship program.

Cappies recognitions for theater arts, honor band recognitions, Virginia Music Educators Association recognitions, district, region, and state championships in Virginia High School League athletics and activities.

Thank you for your continued support of FCPS.

Dr. Geovanny Ponce
Chief of Schools

You are spreading RWNJ misinformation.

There are no quotas.

And TJ went from #5 to #14 out of 25,000 schools on the USNWR rankings. It was only #1 twice in the preceding decade.

NP TJ was always in the top ten of the nation's high schools in the preceding decade -- this latest year is the first time it was out of the top ten.

Top ten vs. #14? Out of 25,000 high schools?

GMAFB.

DP
Ranking on USNWR is pretty meaningless but the drop in SAT score is pretty significant.

But the reason for the USNWR drop is that TJ had multiple students failing their SOL exams post-freshman/sophomore admission changes, something that had not happened previously.

How come people who care about STEM don't know that US News changed the calculations significantly over the years? What the rankings value has changed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former classmate of accomplished VA politician Hung Cao.

Cautiously optimistic about this new TJ principal.

“Accomplished VA politician”

As long as you don’t count actually winning elections. Attending TJ was Cao’s greatest accomplishment.

Really?
Retired US Navy Captain.
Naval Academy grad and served with Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He also received his Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and fellowships at MIT and Harvard.

I don't think he ever had much of a chance at beating Kaine but I thought he did well in the debate and I thought he did better than he should have in the Virginia election against a relatively popular incumbent.

I agree and he clearly has an impressive record.

It is really saddening to repeatedly encounter a few people on DCUM who harbor so much open hatred and hostility toward TJ students, past and present. To those people: what is your problem and why are you even on these threads?

I mean, I am the parent of a current TJ student; can you say the same?

NP. I'm a bit of an FCPS historian and my understanding is that TJHSST was created because of temporary low enrollment in the mid-1980s that led the School Board at the time to conclude that one of Annandale, Stuart (now Justice) or Jefferson (now TJHSST) should be closed. Jefferson was geographically in the middle of that area, and a newer school with less vocal parents, so it got the short end of the stick and was converted to a magnet.

The school obviously has some good qualities, but three things about it make me wish they'd just had a bit more patience and kept "old" Jefferson open.

1. If they'd kept Jefferson open, we could now have multiple schools (Annandale, Edison, Jefferson, Justice, and Woodson) with lower enrollments; instead, we ended with a number of schools with higher than desirable enrollments and multiple boundary changes.

2. Closing Jefferson meant concentrating poverty along Route 236 (Little River Turnpike) that had previously been shared between Annandale and Jefferson at one school - Annandale - instead. Over time, this led to overcrowding at Annandale, and multiple single-family areas redistricted out of Annandale to other schools (Falls Church, Lake Braddock, Woodson, and Edison) while Annandale retained most of the poverty. Net result - TJHSST benefitted at the expense of the surrounding neighborhoods and AHS, which have declined.

3. TJHSST sucks up a disproportionate amount of FCPS time and resources, and its existence sends the message that as long as there is one "flagship" or "crown jewel" whose achievements FCPS can herald, it really doesn't matter what happens at the rest of FCPS's 25 high/secondary schools. In a school system that claims to prioritize "equity," TJHSST students get access to resources that are denied to over 95% of FCPS students; the only development of note is that, with the recent admissions changes, those resources are allocated slightly more evenly to students who attended every FCPS middle school. That doesn't change the fact that less than 1 in 20 FCPS high students derives any benefit from TJ's existence. Even now, you can see that the appointment of a new principal at TJ gets a lot more attention than, say, the recent appointments of the new principals at Langley and Justice.

The larger TJ community is very good at making the case that it's essential to the county, the state, the nation, etc. The people associated with the school are often incredibly self-promoting to the point of being vain. Any critic of the school is harshly attacked and marginalized by people who enjoyed their TJ experience or derive a lot of their self-worth from having (or having had) a kid at TJ. So I've no illusion that it will get wound down, but I still wish it had never come into existence.

You have complete misunderstanding of why TJ was created in the first place.

I was going to criticize this person's representation of the history behind TJ as well, but then I went through the school board minutes from 1984 and it turns out they're actually not wrong.

The first mention of a magnet school I can find is on January 26th, 1984 (https://insys.fcps.edu/schoolboardapps/ArchivedSBMinutes/1980-1989/1980-1984/1984/19840126r.pdf), where it's proposed (pg. 138) as a solution to falling school enrollments due to the boomers aging out of the school system. At the top of pg. 140, there's also a mention of a school board member who didn't believe a magnet school would be helpful for that purpose. By February 9th (https://insys.fcps.edu/schoolboardapps/ArchivedSBMinutes/1980-1989/1980-1984/1984/19840209r.pdf) we see a mention of a "proposed School for Science and Technology" at Annandale HS (pg. 149). The location selection appears to have been controversial, and they seem to have considered Falls Church, Marshall, and Stuart/Justice as well before settling on Jefferson sometime before June 13th (https://insys.fcps.edu/schoolboardapps/ArchivedSBMinutes/1980-1989/1980-1984/1984/19840613r.pdf, pg. 68). It seems like FCPS also had a trend of increasingly close relationships with local industry, and they formed an industry advisory council in keeping with that (https://insys.fcps.edu/schoolboardapps/ArchivedSBMinutes/1980-1989/1980-1984/1984/19840524r.pdf, pg. 246).

Basically, TJ was the result of both FCPS struggling to keep its schools open in the wake of declining enrollments and trying to cozy up with local high-tech industry. You can disagree about whether the school is a net positive (I think it is), but the history isn't wrong in this case.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former classmate of accomplished VA politician Hung Cao.

Cautiously optimistic about this new TJ principal.

“Accomplished VA politician”

As long as you don’t count actually winning elections. Attending TJ was Cao’s greatest accomplishment.

Really?
Retired US Navy Captain.
Naval Academy grad and served with Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He also received his Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and fellowships at MIT and Harvard.

I don't think he ever had much of a chance at beating Kaine but I thought he did well in the debate and I thought he did better than he should have in the Virginia election against a relatively popular incumbent.

I agree and he clearly has an impressive record.

It is really saddening to repeatedly encounter a few people on DCUM who harbor so much open hatred and hostility toward TJ students, past and present. To those people: what is your problem and why are you even on these threads?

I mean, I am the parent of a current TJ student; can you say the same?

NP. I'm a bit of an FCPS historian and my understanding is that TJHSST was created because of temporary low enrollment in the mid-1980s that led the School Board at the time to conclude that one of Annandale, Stuart (now Justice) or Jefferson (now TJHSST) should be closed. Jefferson was geographically in the middle of that area, and a newer school with less vocal parents, so it got the short end of the stick and was converted to a magnet.

The school obviously has some good qualities, but three things about it make me wish they'd just had a bit more patience and kept "old" Jefferson open.

1. If they'd kept Jefferson open, we could now have multiple schools (Annandale, Edison, Jefferson, Justice, and Woodson) with lower enrollments; instead, we ended with a number of schools with higher than desirable enrollments and multiple boundary changes.

2. Closing Jefferson meant concentrating poverty along Route 236 (Little River Turnpike) that had previously been shared between Annandale and Jefferson at one school - Annandale - instead. Over time, this led to overcrowding at Annandale, and multiple single-family areas redistricted out of Annandale to other schools (Falls Church, Lake Braddock, Woodson, and Edison) while Annandale retained most of the poverty. Net result - TJHSST benefitted at the expense of the surrounding neighborhoods and AHS, which have declined.

3. TJHSST sucks up a disproportionate amount of FCPS time and resources, and its existence sends the message that as long as there is one "flagship" or "crown jewel" whose achievements FCPS can herald, it really doesn't matter what happens at the rest of FCPS's 25 high/secondary schools. In a school system that claims to prioritize "equity," TJHSST students get access to resources that are denied to over 95% of FCPS students; the only development of note is that, with the recent admissions changes, those resources are allocated slightly more evenly to students who attended every FCPS middle school. That doesn't change the fact that less than 1 in 20 FCPS high students derives any benefit from TJ's existence. Even now, you can see that the appointment of a new principal at TJ gets a lot more attention than, say, the recent appointments of the new principals at Langley and Justice.

The larger TJ community is very good at making the case that it's essential to the county, the state, the nation, etc. The people associated with the school are often incredibly self-promoting to the point of being vain. Any critic of the school is harshly attacked and marginalized by people who enjoyed their TJ experience or derive a lot of their self-worth from having (or having had) a kid at TJ. So I've no illusion that it will get wound down, but I still wish it had never come into existence.

You have complete misunderstanding of why TJ was created in the first place.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best part is in the email they had to make sure to talk of the former failed principals fake promotion to gatehouse! Lmao "following Dr. Ann Bonitatibus' promotion to a central office position."

Here is a better article calling out how awful the previous tj principal was pushing racial quotas causing TJ to fall form #1 in the nation to 14. More info on the new principal and an endorsement from the Republican nominee fellow classmate https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/fcps-selects-tjhsst-alum-michael-mukai-to-be-new-principal/article_675df76c-cee9-11ef-9b2a-ab958f33eb91.html

Letter from gatehouse:

January 9, 2025

Dear FCPS Community,

I am writing today with exciting news regarding the future leadership of TJHSST.

As you know, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) launched a nationwide search for a new principal earlier this fall
After several weeks of extensive and diligent consideration of numerous highly-qualified candidates, we are delighted to share that we have found an exceptional leader - and TJHSST alum - close to home. Michael Mukai has accepted the position and will begin later this month. Mukai has been the principal of West Springfield High School since 2014, and has held a variety of FCPS school-based positions since 1995 when he began his career as a math and science teacher. He has also coached wrestling and volleyball.

In a full circle moment, Mukai was in the very first class of TJHSST when it converted to a magnet STEM school in 1985. He majored in Chemistry at Virginia Tech and he has a Masters of Curriculum and Instruction, Math Education also from Virginia Tech. He has also completed post-master's graduate work in the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge through the Department of Science Technology and Society of Virginia Tech.

During the recruitment process, Mukai impressed all with his passion for TJHSST, his innovative vision for the future, and his track record of elevating academic excellence.

His many accomplishments at WSHS include:

Significant gains in advanced academic access and success which has resulted in gold recognition by the College Board for the AP School Honor Roll.

Increasing the number of students recognized through the National Merit Scholarship program.

Cappies recognitions for theater arts, honor band recognitions, Virginia Music Educators Association recognitions, district, region, and state championships in Virginia High School League athletics and activities.

Thank you for your continued support of FCPS.

Dr. Geovanny Ponce
Chief of Schools

You are spreading RWNJ misinformation.

There are no quotas.

And TJ went from #5 to #14 out of 25,000 schools on the USNWR rankings. It was only #1 twice in the preceding decade.

NP TJ was always in the top ten of the nation's high schools in the preceding decade -- this latest year is the first time it was out of the top ten.

Top ten vs. #14? Out of 25,000 high schools?

GMAFB.

DP
Ranking on USNWR is pretty meaningless but the drop in SAT score is pretty significant.

But the reason for the USNWR drop is that TJ had multiple students failing their SOL exams post-freshman/sophomore admission changes, something that had not happened previously.

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Anonymous wrote:Former classmate of accomplished VA politician Hung Cao.

Cautiously optimistic about this new TJ principal.

“Accomplished VA politician”

As long as you don’t count actually winning elections. Attending TJ was Cao’s greatest accomplishment.

Really?
Retired US Navy Captain.
Naval Academy grad and served with Special Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
He also received his Master’s degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and fellowships at MIT and Harvard.

I don't think he ever had much of a chance at beating Kaine but I thought he did well in the debate and I thought he did better than he should have in the Virginia election against a relatively popular incumbent.

I agree and he clearly has an impressive record.

It is really saddening to repeatedly encounter a few people on DCUM who harbor so much open hatred and hostility toward TJ students, past and present. To those people: what is your problem and why are you even on these threads?

I mean, I am the parent of a current TJ student; can you say the same?

NP. I'm a bit of an FCPS historian and my understanding is that TJHSST was created because of temporary low enrollment in the mid-1980s that led the School Board at the time to conclude that one of Annandale, Stuart (now Justice) or Jefferson (now TJHSST) should be closed. Jefferson was geographically in the middle of that area, and a newer school with less vocal parents, so it got the short end of the stick and was converted to a magnet.

The school obviously has some good qualities, but three things about it make me wish they'd just had a bit more patience and kept "old" Jefferson open.

1. If they'd kept Jefferson open, we could now have multiple schools (Annandale, Edison, Jefferson, Justice, and Woodson) with lower enrollments; instead, we ended with a number of schools with higher than desirable enrollments and multiple boundary changes.

2. Closing Jefferson meant concentrating poverty along Route 236 (Little River Turnpike) that had previously been shared between Annandale and Jefferson at one school - Annandale - instead. Over time, this led to overcrowding at Annandale, and multiple single-family areas redistricted out of Annandale to other schools (Falls Church, Lake Braddock, Woodson, and Edison) while Annandale retained most of the poverty. Net result - TJHSST benefitted at the expense of the surrounding neighborhoods and AHS, which have declined.

3. TJHSST sucks up a disproportionate amount of FCPS time and resources, and its existence sends the message that as long as there is one "flagship" or "crown jewel" whose achievements FCPS can herald, it really doesn't matter what happens at the rest of FCPS's 25 high/secondary schools. In a school system that claims to prioritize "equity," TJHSST students get access to resources that are denied to over 95% of FCPS students; the only development of note is that, with the recent admissions changes, those resources are allocated slightly more evenly to students who attended every FCPS middle school. That doesn't change the fact that less than 1 in 20 FCPS high students derives any benefit from TJ's existence. Even now, you can see that the appointment of a new principal at TJ gets a lot more attention than, say, the recent appointments of the new principals at Langley and Justice.

The larger TJ community is very good at making the case that it's essential to the county, the state, the nation, etc. The people associated with the school are often incredibly self-promoting to the point of being vain. Any critic of the school is harshly attacked and marginalized by people who enjoyed their TJ experience or derive a lot of their self-worth from having (or having had) a kid at TJ. So I've no illusion that it will get wound down, but I still wish it had never come into existence.

You have complete misunderstanding of why TJ was created in the first place.