Many, many people in the Jefferson community hate the fact that they were robbed of their community school. If they didn't hate it before, they do now:

"You can often find a posting on facebook indicating where the next Kilroys- Jefferson reunion will be held. On any given week friends of “Old Jefferson” or Regular Jefferson” , will gather together, at that familiar drinking hole to pay homage to days of old. Perhaps friends will gather simply out of nostalgia, or unfortunately to celebrate the life of another Jefferson alumnus who has graduated from this world to the next.

My memories of Jefferson are vast. I remember the first time I entered the building as a freshmen, nervously walking the halls trying to find my locker for the first time. I remember the first time I went to a Friday night football game, sock hop or participated in Spirit Week. I remember the first of several hundered times of falling in love, getting into fights, or mocking Coach Faulk. I remember when Ronald Regan came to our school after it was originally post-poned after the space shuttle strategy. I remember the very first time I put on that Jefferson football jersey and ran onto the field with my teammates.

I remember when we first heard that the school was changing to SCI Tech and that the class of 1987 would be the last “regular” graduating class.

While I remember these things now, at the time most of us held few thoughts as to what that meant for the future. We were too bogged down with the parties at Chucks house, trying to graduate, or who we would date next to began to understand the repercussions of what that meant.

We were too self imposed to understand what this decison meant for the class of 1988 who had to merge with our rival school down 236 west.

As a Father of 3 teenagers, it is only now when I go to watch my son play football at TC Williams does it dawn on me the injustice we “regular Jefferson” were dealt.

Two years ago I decided to take in a Jefferson Football game. At that time the sci tech football team had not only lost all their games, but they had not even scored a single point.

Our football teams seldom faired better, but it never determined the out pouring of students, staff, and community from attending the football games every Friday night.

When I attended the sci tech game the stands were dismally shallow. The few students who were there we more intrested in tossing footballs behind the bleachers while many of the parents in the stands were there to watch there son play. There was no community of yesteryear at the game because in 1987 Regualr Jefferson cease to exist. Gone with it, a sense of community.

Last season I attended TC Williams first night game in over 30 years. The bleachers were standing room only, as alumni from the schools early beginnings were on hand to watch the football game. There was laughter, tears, hugs, as friends and loved ones gathered at their “ol school”.

You wanted to write a book about the history of the school. I think it’s important to understand that the decison makers did a poor job with the merger and eventual takeover. There was no reason that JHSST had to kill JH all together. There should have been more of an attempt to bridge the new with the old at least as far as alumni is concerned. AT the very least, we would could have a place to come home to during Home-Coming.

Sadly, our reunions are held at Kilroys in Springfield- our surrogate home."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


I'm always very dubious of people who claim the collective "we" when they really mean "me" or "I."

You don't speak for anyone but yourself. The rest of the county is very happy to have a TJ and the national cachet it brings.

You were wrong before and you are wrong again.

The Edsall Park and Bren Mar Park communities were united in opposition to being sent to Edison and forcing our kids to cross major interstate roads.

We are very close to Jefferson, some within walking distance.

It doesn't bother you that our children were first forced to attend a vastly overcrowded school (Annandale) and now will have to cross 495 and possibly 395 to get to another school (Edison).

We get treated like crap. The wealthy want TJ. The Asians newcomers with all their tutors and Tiger Moms want TJ. Don't speak for the "rest of the county" when you don't.

We are the 99%, not you.

You are quite seriously a moron, and a repetitive one at that.

What's with this 99% business anyway? You don't speak for Occupy either, and, guess what? The rest of the county isn't the 1%. Do you even know what the breakpoint is, financially, for the 1%? Tell me, please. Here's a hint: It's not two GS14s.

You speak for no one but yourself. You don't speak for your community even -- there's no "unity" there, and odds are that if anyone DOES agree TJ should be converted back into a neighborhood school, they believe that for pragmatic reasons, not for the racist, political, and radical ones you articulate.

We are the 99%, not you.

This is an anonymous board. How do you know what anyone makes. You sound like an idiot. Think before you type.

TJ is not a neighborhood school. Why do you treat it as such?

If your children go to TJ and feel miserable because the curriculum isn't well-suited to their interests/abilities, will you then force the school to adjust to their levels?

Lastly, what is your evidence that you are speaking for the rest of the county? Did you poll people? Conduct focus groups? Other than the burning desire to speak for the people, where is the evidence that you do?

Anonymous wrote:


I'm always very dubious of people who claim the collective "we" when they really mean "me" or "I."

You don't speak for anyone but yourself. The rest of the county is very happy to have a TJ and the national cachet it brings.

You were wrong before and you are wrong again.

The Edsall Park and Bren Mar Park communities were united in opposition to being sent to Edison and forcing our kids to cross major interstate roads.

We are very close to Jefferson, some within walking distance.

It doesn't bother you that our children were first forced to attend a vastly overcrowded school (Annandale) and now will have to cross 495 and possibly 395 to get to another school (Edison).

We get treated like crap. The wealthy want TJ. The Asians newcomers with all their tutors and Tiger Moms want TJ. Don't speak for the "rest of the county" when you don't.

We are the 99%, not you.

Anonymous wrote:I'm always very dubious of people who claim the collective "we" when they really mean "me" or "I."

You don't speak for anyone but yourself. The rest of the county is very happy to have a TJ and the national cachet it brings.

Claiming to speak for "the rest of the county" is no different than using the "collective 'we'." You don't speak for anyone but yourself.

Maybe your post was meant to be ironic?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

yeah, the pp is wrong.

Here's the map for annandale high school. TJ is the unshaded outlined shape.
http://www.fcps.edu/images/boundarymaps/annandalehs.pdf

Everyone walking distance to TJ is zoned for Annandale. There is no one who has to cross a highway to get to Annandale who wouldn't have to cross a highway to get to TJ.

No. You don't know what you're talking about.

Areas very close to TJ, in walking distance, are being reassigned from Annandale to Edison.

http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/annandalestudy/regional/pdfs/approved/high/adoptedhigh.pdf

Our children will have to cross 95 and 495 to get to Edison.

We were given little notice that we would be impacted by this zoning change. We asked to have our old neighborhood school (Jefferson) returned to us. No one listened except Sandy Evans but she was only one person. We are not wealthy and cannot afford TJ prep courses.

We do not think this is fair or right. Change is needed in this country, this county, this school district.

I'm always very dubious of people who claim the collective "we" when they really mean "me" or "I."

You don't speak for anyone but yourself. The rest of the county is very happy to have a TJ and the national cachet it brings.

Anonymous wrote:Students living close to TJ will be forced to cross both 395 and 495 to attend Edison next year.

We want our neighborhood school back.

Enough is enough.

But it hasn't been a neighborhood school for 25 years or so.

Anonymous wrote:

No. You don't know what you're talking about.

Areas very close to TJ, in walking distance, are being reassigned from Annandale to Edison.

http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/annandalestudy/regional/pdfs/approved/high/adoptedhigh.pdf

Our children will have to cross 95 and 495 to get to Edison.

We were given little notice that we would be impacted by this zoning change. We asked to have our old neighborhood school (Jefferson) returned to us. No one listened except Sandy Evans but she was only one person. We are not wealthy and cannot afford TJ prep courses.

We do not think this is fair or right. Change is needed in this country, this county, this school district.

So it's noting to do with motivated hardworking smart educated middle class White/Asian people?
Hardworking education middle class is all good for this country.

Anonymous wrote:

yeah, the pp is wrong.

Here's the map for annandale high school. TJ is the unshaded outlined shape.
http://www.fcps.edu/images/boundarymaps/annandalehs.pdf

Everyone walking distance to TJ is zoned for Annandale. There is no one who has to cross a highway to get to Annandale who wouldn't have to cross a highway to get to TJ.

No. You don't know what you're talking about.

Areas very close to TJ, in walking distance, are being reassigned from Annandale to Edison.

http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/annandalestudy/regional/pdfs/approved/high/adoptedhigh.pdf

Our children will have to cross 95 and 495 to get to Edison.

We were given little notice that we would be impacted by this zoning change. We asked to have our old neighborhood school (Jefferson) returned to us. No one listened except Sandy Evans but she was only one person. We are not wealthy and cannot afford TJ prep courses.

We do not think this is fair or right. Change is needed in this country, this county, this school district.

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/todays_paper
A racial gap for criminals seeking mercy
Review of selection process over the past decade shows results have heavily favored whites
By Dafna Linzer, Sunday, December 04,12:20 AM

This is a great article in Post Today...and so analogous to current TJ admissions process. Truth is, the admissions office does not ask or consider race, but the results are highly scewed in favor of whites and asians. You must have a family that is able and motivated to give you a whole lot of support, lots of extra resources in time/money/discipline/transport to extracullicular activities, to be successful in the TJ admissions process.

Be that true as it may, why do you want to penalize families for giving their children every opportunity? Do you want to be operated on by a surgeon who got admitted into med school on merit or on something else?

Anonymous wrote:Students living close to TJ will be forced to cross both 395 and 495 to attend Edison next year.

We want our neighborhood school back.

Enough is enough.

I see. So if you lived in walking distance to a public school for special-needs, arrested-development children, would you fight for your right to attend that too?

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/todays_paper
A racial gap for criminals seeking mercy
Review of selection process over the past decade shows results have heavily favored whites
By Dafna Linzer, Sunday, December 04,12:20 AM

This is a great article in Post Today...and so analogous to current TJ admissions process. Truth is, the admissions office does not ask or consider race, but the results are highly scewed in favor of whites and asians. You must have a family that is able and motivated to give you a whole lot of support, lots of extra resources in time/money/discipline/transport to extracullicular activities, to be successful in the TJ admissions process.

Arguably, you need those things to be successful in the TJ educational process too.

Anonymous wrote:Aren't the homes around TJ assigned to Annandale HS?

yeah, the pp is wrong.

Here's the map for annandale high school. TJ is the unshaded outlined shape.
http://www.fcps.edu/images/boundarymaps/annandalehs.pdf

Everyone walking distance to TJ is zoned for Annandale. There is no one who has to cross a highway to get to Annandale who wouldn't have to cross a highway to get to TJ.

Aren't the homes around TJ assigned to Annandale HS?