Anonymous
03/05/2026 19:49
Subject: Experience at Key Middle School and Lee High School in Springfield
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I'm an actual teacher at Lewis. We don't have a single student that transfered from their base school to be in the leadership program.
Since you are a teacher there, can you summarize the meeting that Dr. Ponce held at Lewis in January?
I'm a Lewis parent who is doubting whether the person claiming to be a Lewis teacher is, in fact, a Lewis teacher. There are Leadership transfers to the school. I've talked to the parents of students who have transferred to the Leadership program. I've talked to teachers who've mentioned the transfers. Perhaps it doesn't play into the narrative people have formed regarding Lewis? But the transfers are there.
The meeting with Dr. Ponce talked about what was good at Lewis, and what the Lewis community would like to see changed. Things like more AP classes, more options for advanced classes, more languages, etc. Better renovations for the school. A larger student population to better support sports and activities. An end to the stigma against Lewis. Nothing really new or surprising.
Ultimately, it doesn't really matter what was discussed because Dr. Ponce is leaving come this summer: https://www.news-gazette.com/news/unit-4s-next-superintendent-geovanny-ponce/article_fb1bd9d2-7aae-4c98-8a80-984a6bc8df38.html
Anonymous
03/05/2026 18:08
Subject: Experience at Key Middle School and Lee High School in Springfield
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I'm an actual teacher at Lewis. We don't have a single student that transfered from their base school to be in the leadership program.
Since you are a teacher there, can you summarize the meeting that Dr. Ponce held at Lewis in January?
No idea, I wasn't there. I was there to hear Dolores Huerta talk to all the students about how important it is for women to be able to have abortions.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 10:27
Subject: Experience at Key Middle School and Lee High School in Springfield
Anonymous wrote:I'm an actual teacher at Lewis. We don't have a single student that transfered from their base school to be in the leadership program.
Since you are a teacher there, can you summarize the meeting that Dr. Ponce held at Lewis in January?
Anonymous
03/05/2026 10:05
Subject: Experience at Key Middle School and Lee High School in Springfield
I'm an actual teacher at Lewis. We don't have a single student that transfered from their base school to be in the leadership program.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 10:01
Subject: Experience at Key Middle School and Lee High School in Springfield
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Hi. Thanks for reaching out for a perspective from actual parents at these schools. My first daughter graduated from Lee in 2017. She is in her second year at VCU in their nursing program. My second daughter who just graduated from Lee last year (2018) is in her first year at UVA in their nursing program. We have had a great experience at Lee. Principal Lavery is great and the students are full of life. The teachers are great and the teacher to student ratio is one of the lowest in the County. Both of my daughters participated and excelled in varsity sports also.
They both also attended Key Middle School and we had no problems there.
What I have found generally is the people who are speaking negatively about these schools do not have children that attend these schools. Due to the negative talk, this pyramid has lost good students who have pupil placed to other schools. That's unfortunate. Of course, this affects the overall test scores.
In a lot of those circumstances, we have lost more wealthier parents that affects fundraising and other school activities. Also, a few school boundary adjustments implemented by the FCPS Board in 2005 and one in 2015 that moved some of the most wealthiest Lee families to West Springfield high school had a detrimental effect.
So there are some challenges, but they are manageable. Fighting the unwarranted negative discussions has been annoying.
I completely agree. Although my kids go to Twain/Edison (which is routinely bashed here), we have a lot of friends from baseball/softball/basketball/swim who go to Key/Lee and the parents are happy with it.
+1 I feel you both as a South Lakes High School pyramid parent.
Anonymous
03/04/2026 18:50
Subject: Experience at Key Middle School and Lee High School in Springfield
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How many students have transferred into Lewis to join this program? Is it working to help grow the student population?
Only 1 did and they already left.
No, actually, contrary to what you claim, more than one student has transferred, as I know several students from other schools who are in the program. I do not know the exact number of transfers, but it is more than one.
The one who departed left because of challenges with transportation, not because of any problem with the program or school.
That's what they said, but I don't believe it. She was the only one, no other student transfered from their base school to Lewis because of the Leadership program.
"They" said? Who is "they"? Why do you not believe it?
I'm actually a parent of a student at Lewis who knows kids who have transferred for the Leadership Program. I've talked to their parents. I guess you can choose to believe it or not, but they exist.
Anonymous
03/04/2026 18:18
Subject: Experience at Key Middle School and Lee High School in Springfield
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How many students have transferred into Lewis to join this program? Is it working to help grow the student population?
Only 1 did and they already left.
No, actually, contrary to what you claim, more than one student has transferred, as I know several students from other schools who are in the program. I do not know the exact number of transfers, but it is more than one.
The one who departed left because of challenges with transportation, not because of any problem with the program or school.
That's what they said, but I don't believe it. She was the only one, no other student transfered from their base school to Lewis because of the Leadership program.
Anonymous
03/04/2026 17:16
Subject: Experience at Key Middle School and Lee High School in Springfield
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How many students have transferred into Lewis to join this program? Is it working to help grow the student population?
Only 1 did and they already left.
No, actually, contrary to what you claim, more than one student has transferred, as I know several students from other schools who are in the program. I do not know the exact number of transfers, but it is more than one.
The one who departed left because of challenges with transportation, not because of any problem with the program or school.