Anonymous wrote:I still can’t believe they missed the opportunity to use Landmark Mall redevelopment for a second high school…

Because a hospital is such a poor use of that land...

Will MH still be 9th grade only once the new building opens?

The highschool buildings are 0.7 miles away. A 16 minute walk.

Anonymous wrote:They have built a second giant highschool building at minnie Howard. Have you driven by lately? It is huge! The school board and superintendent is just refusing to separate the two schools and instead wants students to waste their time, be out in danger and commute back and forth. It makes NO sense.

Will there be a shuttle for the students between the buildings? Or some infrastructure like a pedestrian bridge. How long is the walk between the two school buildings? I hope they figure the logistics out so things run smoothly.

Anonymous wrote:I still can’t believe they missed the opportunity to use Landmark Mall redevelopment for a second high school…

You, me and every single person I talk too. Meanwhile Wilson was privately lobbying for a concert venue. Pathetic.

They have built a second giant highschool building at minnie Howard. Have you driven by lately? It is huge! The school board and superintendent is just refusing to separate the two schools and instead wants students to waste their time, be out in danger and commute back and forth. It makes NO sense.

I still can’t believe they missed the opportunity to use Landmark Mall redevelopment for a second high school…

Yes! 2 high schools please!!!!!!! It's like they are just trying to save money by not having to build enough fields for 2 high school or hiring enough coahes for 2 high schools worth of teams. It's really disgusting. Where is the equity in that!!!

Anonymous wrote:The school is just.too.big.

We could have 3 or 4 soccer teams, 3 or 4 first chair violins, etc etc. So many fewer kids get to be part of quintessential high school “stuff” at this school. They don’t even hold as many dances as other nearby schools. It matters.

They glossed over all of the important stuff related to youth development, connecting to your school community through activities like sports and arts when they forced us to continue to have only one high school. Again, it matters for kids.

Exactly! It’s a failure at the most basic level in terms of meeting kids’ needs. Many drown and get lost in the shuffle of a single nearly 5,000 student high school. Imagine how different it could be in Alexandria City with 2-3 high schools of 1,500-2,500 where kids can actually sit and have lunch in a cafeteria, connect more with teachers and peers, engage with their community and get involved in different activities.

ACHS is like Lord of the Flies and one school creates a very real scarcity complex. Why are we still stuck with this?

The school is just.too.big.

We could have 3 or 4 soccer teams, 3 or 4 first chair violins, etc etc. So many fewer kids get to be part of quintessential high school “stuff” at this school. They don’t even hold as many dances as other nearby schools. It matters.

They glossed over all of the important stuff related to youth development, connecting to your school community through activities like sports and arts when they forced us to continue to have only one high school. Again, it matters for kids.

Anonymous wrote:ACPS still can’t even figure out a new logo. Take three!

https://www.alxnow.com/2024/01/29/school-board-yet-again-sends-alexandria-city-public-schools-logo-back-to-drawing-board/?fbclid=IwAR2WZ1836KmJ9TfZjnSs7FABC1yAsXp16d_dcELf4duQyE22cGc-uokQlYc_aem_AZYib-wJNTJPbU3Hw0jsR6MTTQE9vzba_XQm1ocieWElfg_frNHmNVXuxDLjcehlQQc

How can we trust them to create and roll out a whole new high school program/experience based on academies?

Priorities. What a total waste of time by the bloated central office. But the teachers get overstuffed classrooms and homophobic slurs hurled at them.

ACPS still can’t even figure out a new logo. Take three!

https://www.alxnow.com/2024/01/29/school-board-yet-again-sends-alexandria-city-public-schools-logo-back-to-drawing-board/?fbclid=IwAR2WZ1836KmJ9TfZjnSs7FABC1yAsXp16d_dcELf4duQyE22cGc-uokQlYc_aem_AZYib-wJNTJPbU3Hw0jsR6MTTQE9vzba_XQm1ocieWElfg_frNHmNVXuxDLjcehlQQc

How can we trust them to create and roll out a whole new high school program/experience based on academies?

They didn't have a Golf coach until a month before school started. And then, 82 kids tried out for 12 spots.

Wow, I would not have expected so many kids to try out for golf. My son was on the tennis team last year, for 20 spots I think something like 35 kids tried out. And of those who did not make the team, a number didn't play tennis in any serious sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Having all these “academies” won’t alleviate overcrowding when they’re still all housed within a single high school.

To be fair, they will be housed in part in the new and larger Minnie Howard building. But I don't see how it is going to help the issue of a single giant high school not being the best set up for kids who want to participate in sports, certain competitive clubs etc.

They don't care. They didn't have a Golf coach until a month before school started. And then, 82 kids tried out for 12 spots. That's 70 kids that had their heart broken because ACPS would rather play social justice then let kids be kids. It's appalling, really.

wow. That’s great. At some Northern Va public high schools, just forming a golf team is very difficult due to lack of interest.

ACHS is so large they could have water polo tryouts with lots of cuts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Having all these “academies” won’t alleviate overcrowding when they’re still all housed within a single high school.

To be fair, they will be housed in part in the new and larger Minnie Howard building. But I don't see how it is going to help the issue of a single giant high school not being the best set up for kids who want to participate in sports, certain competitive clubs etc.

They don't care. They didn't have a Golf coach until a month before school started. And then, 82 kids tried out for 12 spots. That's 70 kids that had their heart broken because ACPS would rather play social justice then let kids be kids. It's appalling, really.

wow. That’s great. At some Northern Va public high schools, just forming a golf team is very difficult due to lack of interest.