Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thomas,
> I forgot to add, my 'spawn' (as you call them in
> your oh-so-polite manner) will never go to South
> Lakes. They go to TJ. My base school is not
> involved in any boundary issue.

So you're using the limited amount of time left in your life to participate in a blog that has nothing to do with your family or neighborhood by insulting and denigrating people who frequently agree with you.

truth seeker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Democrats: Stu Gibson, Kathy Smith Must GO!!!...


I'm an older Democrat and extremely disgusted - odd boundaries dev under Lou Zone and Dranesville's Stu Mendelsohn. Scary thought that Stu M is on the Tysons Task Force. Maybe his school board tenure was influenced by his place of residence - along Route 7 near Tysons [an area that could go to Marshall but is at Langley]. StuM/LZone built the Route 7 Corridor to Langley. StuG/Strauss expanded and perpetuated it.

The point is when politics get down to a very local level I don't see Dems or Repubs but rather core integrity issues...some Repubs we've had are more likely to not vote as sheep and are willing to engage in debate on instruction, etc. Personally, I think Tisdadt is doing a good job - successfully routed out why so few schools get work done under boards renovation plans. Transporation is hamstrung by political boundaries and programs ...

Many on the board last boundary cycle should be canned after they CANCELLED THE TO LAKE BRADDOCK FROM SOUTH COUNTY BOUNDARY PROCESS.

Unfortunately, that portion never even made it to the hearings...the public gets so focussed issues [ie where their house goes to school] that we often lose sight of the bigger picture in a COUNTY WIDE SCHOOL DIVISION.

Based on Tisdadt's memo, the unneeded langley addition, the overbuilding on Glasgow, the cancellation of the South County boundary process, politicians committing to building an unneeded school [Va law separates board of supervisors from schools on facilities yet Gerry Connelly is lobbying for South County MS] etc ...add up all the modulars, additions, etc and we had an amount approaching a school. Check enrollments and get really creative like FCPS was in the eighties - flip buildings grade levels etc.

SECONDARY SCHOOL AT BARON CAMERON?

VOTE NO ON THE BOND REFERENDUM?

I agree with taxpayer--democrat vs republican has very little to do with local politics. I see no relationship of political party to who I would vote for.

And Neen, Thomas is right about your rudeness. It undermines your credibility. If you really want to have a voice here, clean up your act. If you respond to this with more rudeness hurled at me, as I predict, you will just prove my point.

My difficulty with the political parties are the positions they hold and the subsequent adherence to these positions by local politicians. That is to say, if I favor the current laws on handguns and a woman's right to fetus termination, I really have no choice with the Commonwealth senate candidates. Yes, where are my priorities? Very difficult with competing priorities. I'm still waiting for the League of Women Voters or the local Connections to provide the candidates and the issues they support.

Msg to Bob James....
a real man would not be waiting on the League of Women Voters to tell him what to do

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> According to the Superintendent, it is likely to
> be a domino. Chantilly kids sent to Westfield,
> Westfield students to Oakton, and Oakton students
> sent to South Lakes along with students from the
> Madison Island and the North End of Reston.
> Obviously our school board, Smith, Gibson,and
> Straus, agreed to this or it wouldn't be the plan.



I have heard that the domino is going the other way--Chantilly to Oakton, Oakton to SL. Westfield to who knows, SL or Herndon.

South Lakes Pyramid parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cricket,
> What is Steve Hunt's position on Langley?


I didn't ask about Langley. My question had to deal with why wasn't Centreville included in the study since Westfield is supposedly soooooo over crowded. Nobody has a good answer for that except that Centreville is too crowded. Ok, well Chantilly is overcrowded too, but they are included in the study..So I asked about that, and that is when I got the domino explanation. Chantilly kids get sent to Oakton, since some of Oakton is going to SL. If we are dominoing---why can't we domino some kids from Westfield back into Centreville and send some Centreville to Fairfax?

Also, McNair and Floris are in Hunter Mill District...So with Stu were screwed as McNair has been from the get go.

"I'm an older Democrat and extremely disgusted - odd boundaries dev under Lou Zone and Dranesville's Stu Mendelsohn. Scary thought that Stu M is on the Tysons Task Force. Maybe his school board tenure was influenced by his place of residence - along Route 7 near Tysons [an area that could go to Marshall but is at Langley]. StuM/LZone built the Route 7 Corridor to Langley. StuG/Strauss expanded and perpetuated it."

In fact, that corridor was under the Marshall pyramid. Let's see if politics had anything to do with changing to Langley/McLean. Marshall is within 4 mile from there. Langley is a good 10 miles down treacherous and congested Georgetown Pike. I'm interest to see where the attendance area for Maymont, the multi million $ home development off Beulah Rd that is being built.

word, very weak and disingenuous repartee:

Msg to Bob James....
a real man would not be waiting on the League of Women Voters to tell him what to do

My sincere rejoiner:

lol...attacking ones manhood, discrediting the League of Women Voters, and demonstrating one of Fairfax County's critical thinking failures doesn't reflect too well on you, word

Sound decision making is based upon obtaining and understanding facts (issues). The League of Women Voters, in some jurisdictions, provides that information.

Bob James Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
League of Women Voters

this is off topic slightly but I'm interested in your perspective

My Mom, God rest her, was a charter member of the League in my home town up north and when they
opened up to men I join because when my Mom had hosted unit coffees at our home I had always found the discussion equal to or better than my college semianrs in poli sci.

I joined the League when I first moved here and to my shock found the local practice of development closed minded dictatorial authoritarian and overly cnetralize. On hearing my impressions, my Mom said the experience was definitely not the League but probably a local practice that reflected the local political culture.

What's been your experience, have you experienced League practices elsewhere. If this gets to elaborate we can take this to a new forum.

Okay, I'm going to give you lady's and gentlemen some background information about myself before writing this post. I am currently a 10th grade student at south lakes high school. And personally i LOVE the school. Of course south lakes gets a terrible completely stereotypically bad rep. You know why? because of the minority's. Now im not saying that these are acceptable or true because there not, in fact there are extremely incorrect. But of you are sooooo worried about them...let me let you in on a little secret. If your worried about your child being around "gangs" or any other bad things in south lakes then take the ib program... Its challenging, looks good, and separates you from all that don't have some form of intelligence. Also get involved in sports the teams starting to get better even though we have such a small amount of people (great coaches). In fact the football teams strive to keep you from bad things and influence you to do good!

Andrew,

You sound like a real good kid who's got his act together. And I'm sure there are plenty more like you at South Lakes.

I think the real problem is that everyone at the neighboring schools like where they are going to school too. Imagine if you were selected to go to another school where you didn't know anyone. You probably wouldn't like that given that most of your friends got to stay at South Lakes, but not you. Gone would be all of the friends, teachers, coaches, etc.

The kids at Oakton, Chantilly and Westfield are all very close because they play in the same sports leagues. No one really knows the kids from Reston because they have their own leagues. It's maybe the fear of the unknown.

I hope you continue to do well in school.

Andrew Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Okay, I'm going to give you lady's and gentlemen
> some background information about myself before
> writing this post. I am currently a 10th grade
> student at south lakes high school. And
> personally i LOVE the school. Of course south
> lakes gets a terrible completely stereotypically
> bad rep. You know why? because of the minority's.
> Now im not saying that these are acceptable
> or true because there not, in fact there are
> extremely incorrect. But of you are sooooo worried
> about them...let me let you in on a little secret.
> If your worried about your child being around
> "gangs" or any other bad things in south lakes
> then take the ib program... Its challenging, looks
> good, and separates you from all that don't have
> some form of intelligence. Also get involved in
> sports the teams starting to get better even
> though we have such a small amount of people
> (great coaches). In fact the football teams strive
> to keep you from bad things and influence you to
> do good!

Your right. The greatest strength of South Lakes is its diverse and mutually supportive student body. Clicks are few and not demeaning to others. The student body is comfortable in each others company and truly happy for each other's success on the field (which happens too rarely), in the classroom and in the college acceptance paper chase.

I'm very glad your happy at SL and with the football team.

The swim team coach is outstanding. The band was nationally rank last year.
The new women's basketball coach is impressive. The new vollleyball coach is personable. The new basketball coach is also a good man and appears ready to compete relying on boys who went to Reston elementary schools and less on transfers from outside the attendance area.

The former cheering coach was great. Her successors are very young. One of them has college experience in gymnastics. Hopefully they will mature as they gain experience.

I cannot speak to the soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, track or other coaches. Perhaps others can speak to those sports.

But please get real about the football coach. Five straight losing season. The teams have not gotten any better over those five years. We have former pro and college players watching in the stands every week and they cannot believe how poorly the team has been coached. The players don't know how to do the basics: blocking and tackling. Ellenbarfer never played above the D-II level. I could go on at length as some of the non-sense he's pulled and he needs to go now.

The baseball coach never graduated college, never played minor league ball and refused an offer from former DSA Bob Grauman to have FCPS pay for him to finish his Bachelors degree. Despite repeated complaints from parents, he and his players continued to use snuff on school property for many years. Not only is snuff a proven cancer causing substance, using it on school property is a misdemeanor. He only stopped after he was called on the carpet by the principal.

He makes no attempt to help his players move on to play in college. Despite his neglect, three of his players are playing college ball, exclusively based on their own efforts and those of their parents.

The jv baseball coach was so abusive that the fastest player in the class of '06 quit the team after sophomore year. The smartest player on that team also quit after sophmore year. This student received multiple academic honors at graduation and is at William & Mary now. His family was so disgusted with the non-responsive reaction of the DSA and the principal to their complaints about this punk coach that they moved out of Reston taking one of the best baseball players in the class of 2010 with them. Multiple baseball players have since used the AP excuse to get pupil place out of South Lakes. This behavior came as no surprise to many in the Reston baseball community. This person is a 2000 SL grad. but missed most of his senior season because early in the scheduke he broke his hand punching the masonry dugout wall. Like the varsity coach, he also has yet to complete college and never played minor league ball. The jv coach was still in place in spring 2007.

The SRO at Hughes had been the assitant jv coach but when he tried to get changes made he was blown off. He didn't come back.

The baseball announcer, father of the jv coach, shouted out criticism of a pitcher being brought in to relieve the starter at a play-off game at Langley. The player's mother, sister, girlfriend and the girlfriend's sister were sitting directly in front of this man. Even after this was pointed out to him, he continued and offered not apology. He was so loud that SL parents sitting on the other side of the Langley press box heard him and apolgized to the parents of the player the next day. Repeated attempts to talk to the DSA about this incident were dismissed.

And if you really want to curl your hair ask about the goings on when the current DSA she was coaching the girls basketball team.

Mr. Butler, the principal, has promised to improve the coaching staff at South Lakes but this is his third year and the changes have been too few and have taken too long.

More later.

capys Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Andrew,
>
> You sound like a real good kid who's got his act
> together. And I'm sure there are plenty more like
> you at South Lakes.
>
> I think the real problem is that everyone at the
> neighboring schools like where they are going to
> school too. Imagine if you were selected to go to
> another school where you didn't know anyone. You
> probably wouldn't like that given that most of
> your friends got to stay at South Lakes, but not
> you. Gone would be all of the friends, teachers,
> coaches, etc.
>
> The kids at Oakton, Chantilly and Westfield are
> all very close because they play in the same
> sports leagues. No one really knows the kids from
> Reston because they have their own leagues. It's
> maybe the fear of the unknown.
>
> I hope you continue to do well in school.

Thank you for your gracious words to an SL student.

two hopefully mildly stated points of disagreement.

First, Gibson has given every indication that the reassignments will be implemented with rising freshman in the fall of '08. I intend to hold him to that if he gets re-elected.

Second, as I described in an earlier post, kids from Armstong, Aldrin, Fox Mill and Crossfield have all interacted with kids going to SL throughout their grammar school years in Reston Little League, Reston Youth Basketball, swimming lessons and other youth activites at RCC and the camps and other youth activities offered by Reston Association. One of the misfortunes of the current alignment is that friendships made during these youth activities cannot be continued during the high school day.

I understand this experience may not exist between other schools in the study area but I would think some kids from Navy who wind up at Oakton participate in CYA activities during their grammar school days. Others can speak to these parts of the study area better than me.

Thank you for your kindess

More later.

Well as a Player i think very highly of my coaches, We recently have had new additions too our coaching staff of great former players. Coach Edwards a D-I scholarship player, who is very knowledgeable of the game. Coach Wooten added this year, a D-I player at Howard University. Ellenberger in my opinion is a great coach that unfortunately is faced with small numbers of committed players. We have had players quit. and also we face injury's to crucial players and don't have great back ups because of our small numbers. This will change as soon as we get more players when the boundaries are extended. Also the William and Marry player for the baseball team.. i believe you are talking about Spencer very cool guy...very intelligent also.

capys Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Andrew,
>
> You sound like a real good kid who's got his act
> together. And I'm sure there are plenty more like
> you at South Lakes.
>
> I think the real problem is that everyone at the
> neighboring schools like where they are going to
> school too. Imagine if you were selected to go to
> another school where you didn't know anyone. You
> probably wouldn't like that given that most of
> your friends got to stay at South Lakes, but not
> you. Gone would be all of the friends, teachers,
> coaches, etc.
>
> The kids at Oakton, Chantilly and Westfield are
> all very close because they play in the same
> sports leagues. No one really knows the kids from
> Reston because they have their own leagues. It's
> maybe the fear of the unknown.
>
> I hope you continue to do well in school.

My understanding was we would take upcoming freshman from schools and then put them in our schools, so that they wouldn't have met people at the high school and come to the school with others that are in the same situation.

Andrew Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well as a Player i think very highly of my
> coaches, We recently have had new additions too
> our coaching staff of great former players. Coach
> Edwards a D-I scholarship player, who is very
> knowledgeable of the game. Coach Wooten added this
> year, a D-I player at Howard University.
> Ellenberger in my opinion is a great coach that
> unfortunately is faced with small numbers of
> committed players. We have had players quit. and
> also we face injury's to crucial players and don't
> have great back ups because of our small numbers.
> This will change as soon as we get more players
> when the boundaries are extended. Also the William
> and Marry player for the baseball team.. i believe
> you are talking about Spencer very cool guy...very
> intelligent also.

If the plan is adopted to add students to South Lakes one class at a time over four years, you'll be in college before the school is at full enrollment. Hopefully, you're not suggesting that Reston's kids have to wait until 2013 or later to field a winning team, never mind participate in the recently expanded playoffs.

I hope you noticed I had nothing critical to say about Coach Edwards who I agree is a good man. I'd be happy if he succeeded Ellenberger. It may not be know by your teammates but both of Ellenberger's predessecor's took their teams to the playoffs within their first three years when enrollment was only slightly higher than it is now and only four teams from D-5 went to the playoffs.

Coach Randolph had the greater challenge because he did it while SL played in the Concorde District. I'll never understand why Railly fired him as head coach.
Maybe someone else could enlighten me on these circumstances.

Spence is a great kid who never was given a chance in either Little League or on the high school team. You're lucky to know him and his wonderful family.

Thomas More you present some fascinating insider information and I thank you for this candor and lucidity. Separating the "significant few from the confusing many" is indeed a critical skill in this thread.

I'm disheartened to learn that the local League of Women Voters has a hidden agenda and apparently is dominated by politicos. They must be colleagues of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's--infamous for his rush to judgment and the attack on Rush Limbaugh [www.rushlimbaugh.com]. And now the majority leader is trying to put a positive spin on his faux pas.

Ooops, sorry folks...I moved off-topic. I shall repair.

I asked the "boundary study" email ID (boundaries@fcps.edu) a while ago about the "grandfathering" of existing students, and received a nice reply from Dee Sharrocks, Administrative Assistant, Facilities Planning Services, saying in part:

"we never pull children out of a school they are attending so your [child} will be fine if your address is even considered."

Now, I realize that's no guarantee, but it did make me feel somewhat more confident that my [child] will not be moved as a Junior or Senior.

Thomas More said "your right". Your right to do what? Or did you mean you're right, meaning YOU ARE right?

Just wondering. Did you graduate from South Lakes?

Stu Gibson told Crossfield PTA parents, and Herndon parents, that there no one would be grandfathered other than rising seniors. If your child is a freshman or sophomore at Herndon or Oakton, next year he goes to South Lakes.

Can someone explain this? Stu has said that he will not permit any kind of academy at South Lakes because they drain off the top kids from other schools. Yet, he has no problem draining off the top kids from Herndon, or Oakton, or Westfield,by forcing them to go to South Lakes. What's the difference between top kids choosing to go to South Lakes and Stu Gibson forcing them to go there? Isn't the result the same? And isn't that the result that school board wants, more top kids in South Lakes? Why is it better for Stu Gibson to decide which top kids go to South Lakes, rather than the top kids choosing to go there because of a good magnet program?

Bob James Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thomas More you present some fascinating insider
> information and I thank you for this candor and
> lucidity. Separating the "significant few from
> the confusing many" is indeed a critical skill in
> this thread.

You are too kind. Thank you.
>
> I'm disheartened to learn that the local League of
> Women Voters has a hidden agenda and apparently is
> dominated by politicos.

I wasn't suggesting that at all but rather that the Fairfax LWV deviated from my prior experience of League procedure. In my prior experience, League positions were only developed after unit meetings at the neighborhood level, consensus was developed at the precinct level and then at the municipal level, before anyone could address the governing body speaking on behalf of the League. In FFX it appeared that the League position was promulgated by the County-wide level board of directors first and position papers distributed to the local units with the instruction that members be informed of the League position with the expectation that individual members would lobby members of the governing body to adopt the League position,

This top down rather than bottom up development and dissemination of League issue positions struck me as contrary to very core principals of the League.

> They must be colleagues
> of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's--infamous
> for his rush to judgment and the attack on Rush
> Limbaugh . And now the majority leader is trying
> to put a positive spin on his faux pas.

Are you referring to the rebuke directed at that drug addicted lying demogogue for calling a Iraq war veteran, who had publicly criticized the President's conduct of that war, a "poor soldier". That pariah long ago earn permanent ostracism from the public square from every respectable citizen. To paraphrase my neighbor from long ago, "At long last sir, have you no shame? Have you no sense of decency?"

What is it about authoritarian wing nuts that they so frequently find it necessary to engage in substance abuse during their campaign's of hate. Is it self-loathing for the depths of depravity to which they have to descend to continue to feed raw meat to their idolatrous camp followers.

Oh my. Now we are really far afield.

> I shall repair.

I look forward to it.

S/N ratio improvement Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I asked the "boundary study" email ID
> (boundaries@fcps.edu) a while ago about the
> "grandfathering" of existing students, and
> received a nice reply from Dee Sharrocks,
> Administrative Assistant, Facilities Planning
> Services, saying in part:
>
> "we never pull children out of a school they are
> attending so your will not be moved as a Junior
> or Senior.

In 24 years I've never heard of the FFX School Board forcing upper class members to change schools in a boundary realignment. So I would not spend much time worrying about that.

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Stu Gibson told Crossfield PTA parents, and
> Herndon parents, that there no one would be
> grandfathered other than rising seniors. If your
> child is a freshman or sophomore at Herndon or
> Oakton, next year he goes to South Lakes.

For any one who might read this posting and become confused, please be advised that Gibson has said multiple times that while the grandfathering will not be adopted until after the attendance area boundaries are adjusted. He has followed that statement for his preference that rising sophomores, juniors and seniors be allowed to stay at their existing school

Correcting all of these immflamatory and inaccurate comments is going to be a full time job. But someone's just got to do it.

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Did you graduate from South Lakes?

In case this issue is a matter of curiosity for other readers of this blog, South Lakes did not exist when I graduated from high school.

Sorry Tom, but you need to ask the parents at Crossfield. Stu Gibson said that South Lakes would be different and most likely ALL kids would go next fall, except for SENIORS. He repeated the statement at a Herndon PTA meeting and repeated it to South Lakes PTA officers this past week. I know that is NOT how FCPS has done it in the past, but Stu wasn't in charge then, as he is now. South Lakes is STU's school, he gets to do what he wants. I've seen NO evidence that he cares what the students or their parents want. Have you?

Thus spake Thomas More

Are you referring to the rebuke directed at that drug addicted lying demogogue for calling a Iraq war veteran, who had publicly criticized the President's conduct of that war, a "poor soldier". That pariah long ago earn permanent ostracism from the public square from every respectable citizen. To paraphrase my neighbor from long ago, "At long last sir, have you no shame? Have you no sense of decency?"

What is it about authoritarian wing nuts that they so frequently find it necessary to engage in substance abuse during their campaign's of hate. Is it self-loathing for the depths of depravity to which they have to descend to continue to feed raw meat to their idolatrous camp followers.


...and a keen sense of humor, Thomas More




You didn't tell us that you were Honorable Harry's staffer (I kid you).

Now I repair.
Attachments:

Hi Kathy Smith...There is a grass roots campaign to distribute this flyer to over 10,000 families. You're not going to be voting on Redistricting.

Stu... We have one for you too. I'll post it later.
Attachments:

Neen and Word == two four letter words.

Word tries to attack Bob James' manhood and the League or Women Voters, which is a "Nonpartisan political membership organization [that] encourages informed, active participation of citizens in government [and] works to increase understanding of major issues".

I notice Word frequently folds after one or two sentences, thus exhausting his thought for the moment. He apparently sees informed, active participation and increased understanding as the feared enemy.

Neen goes after Thomas More, a model man of letters, and loses woefully in the effort.

More from Thomas, please.

Thomas More said:

One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled but few are educated.

Another great quote:

...Thomas More, a model man of letters,... --See Hawks

And Thank You! SullyDistrictVoter for your posting. My manhood is restored! I am repaired.


Thomas More
Attachments:

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Stu Gibson said that South Lakes
> would be different and most likely ALL kids would
> go next fall, except for SENIORS. He repeated the
> statement . . . .
> to South Lakes PTA officers this past week.

So that other readers of this blog can evaluate the credibility of this poster and as someone who was actually was present at the SL PTA mtg, his craveness did not say this. Several of my earlier posts reported Gobson's statements at the meeting.

> I've seen NO evidence that he cares what
> the students or their parents want. Have you?

Anyone who has followed this thread who know that I have a very low opinion of that person

See Hawks Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Neen and Word == two four letter words.
>
> Word tries to attack Bob James' manhood and the
> League or Women Voters, which is a "Nonpartisan
> political membership organization encourages
> informed, active participation of citizens in
> government works to increase understanding of
> major issues".
>
> I notice Word frequently folds after one or two
> sentences, thus exhausting his thought for the
> moment. He apparently sees informed, active
> participation and increased understanding as the
> feared enemy.
>
> Neen goes after Thomas More, a model man of
> letters, and loses woefully in the effort.
>
> More from Thomas, please.

Dear fellow Sea Hawk, your kid words are a salve to my scars, but I beg you, please try to keep our postings to facts and opinions relating to the redistricting. Ad hominem attacks are, at the end of the day, a diversion from the exploratioin of solutions to this problem.

Be assured More later.

Thomas More Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Neen Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Stu Gibson told Crossfield PTA parents, and
> > Herndon parents, that there no one would be
> > grandfathered other than rising seniors. If
> your
> > child is a freshman or sophomore at Herndon or
> > Oakton, next year he goes to South Lakes.
>
> For any one who might read this posting and become
> confused, please be advised that Gibson has said
> multiple times that while the grandfathering will
> not be adopted until after the attendance area
> boundaries are adjusted. He has followed that
> statement for his preference that rising
> sophomores, juniors and seniors be allowed to stay
> at their existing school
>
> Correcting all of these immflamatory and
> inaccurate comments is going to be a full time
> job. But someone's just got to do it.



Well Stu is not the only one on the school board and so there are others on the school board including Steve Hunt who say "yes, this will affect risign soph, jr and possilby sr. classes."

S/N ratio improvement Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I asked the "boundary study" email ID
> (boundaries@fcps.edu) a while ago about the
> "grandfathering" of existing students, and
> received a nice reply from Dee Sharrocks,
> Administrative Assistant, Facilities Planning
> Services, saying in part:
>
> "we never pull children out of a school they are
> attending so your will not be moved as a Junior
> or Senior.



Bring your email from Facilities (In multiple copies) to the town hall meetings

Cricket Wrote:

> Steve Hunt who say "yes, this will
> affect risign soph, jr and possilby sr. classes."

So do am I to understand that Steve Hunt wants to transfer the Class of '09, '10 and '11 to a different school in the fall of '08?

Incredulously More Later

Steve Hunt wants NO redistricting! He wants to improve South Lakes, not simply force students to go there.

I'll ask again, what's the difference between having a good magnet at South Lakes that draws top kids from other schools, and Stu Gibson simply forcing top kids from other schools to go to South Lakes? Does Stu's opposition to a magnet make sense when is argument is that it draws top kids from other schools and thus not fair to the other principals? How does the principal at Herndon feel about Stu taking his top students and making them go to South Lakes?

Neen,
Not sure what your question is--drawing students based on proximity is not the same as drawing the top 1-5% of the students from all surrounding communties, Magnets add more administrative costs and are not conducive to making a community. So, I'm not sure a magnet would be "improving" South Lakes.

Also, I got the impression at the SL PTA neeting that only ninth graders would go in the first year. According to Maria Allen, since SL is not a new school, it doesn't need to start with more than ninth graders, so there will be grandfathering. I thought Stu concurred with this.

Thomas, is my recollection correct?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2007 05:09PM by South Lakes Pyramid parent.

I think with the current level of angst in the affected areas a "conducive community environment" will be a long time coming, not just at South Lakes but at all of the schools involved.

Thomas More Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cricket Wrote:
>
> > Steve Hunt who say "yes, this will
> > affect risign soph, jr and possilby sr.
> classes."
>
> So do am I to understand that Steve Hunt wants to
> transfer the Class of '09, '10 and '11 to a
> different school in the fall of '08?
>
> Incredulously More Later



I am not saying this is what he wants. I am saying that he has told people this could happen. But this has been said by a number of people, not just Steve. This should not be so hard to believe, given everything else that is being considered. The principal at Westfield is not making any guarantees that his freshman class of '11 will remain intact. (I guess its wise for a principal to make no guarantees at this point).

The principal at Herndon is leaving.

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Steve Hunt wants NO redistricting!

So he's intentionally spreading around misinformation which is contary to both School Board regulation and all precedent which conveniently induces panic in students for whom the redistrictng will have no impact. There's a responsible public official. But that's an oxymoron isn't it. We all know what an oxymoron is right: honest lawyer, jumbo shrimp, military intelligence, compassionate conservative.

> He wants to
> improve South Lakes

Could his spokesperson give us the details of how Mr. Hunt proposes to do that since I've never seen Mr. Hunt within two zip codes of South Lakes. Reminds us of Sen./Dr. Bill Fritz diagnosing Teri Schiavo by video tape. Then the autopsy proves the attending physician was right all along - Teri had been brain dead for a decade. Oops there goes the Fritz presidential and the beginning of the end for the Republican control of both houses. Long distance diagnosis is oh so dangerous.

> I'll ask again, what's the difference between
> having a good magnet at South Lakes that draws top
> kids from other schools,

Since Neen has two kids at TJ, it's no surprise she advocates that solution. Not everyone thinks magnet schools in geographically large, wealthy suburbs are a good idea. Many taxpayers resent TJ's existence as a subsidy of already very well off kids whose parent's ought to be paying for private school if they want that kind of specialized instruction.

TJ already suffers from reduced extra-curricular participation because of the distance kids have to travel after their games/activities end at 10:30 p.m., then, after away games, they have to bus back to TJ before being release to their parents for their ride home and then the kids have to get up at 5:30 to get from Great Falls or Clifton back to school the next morning. When do they get dinner, midnight? Result disproportionately lower participation, less school spirit, more kids feeling isolated at TJ. Freshman jv and varisty home game crowds consisting of only those moms and dads who work near by. Visiting crowds out-numbering the TJ crowd at most of home games. Fabulous for school and community spirit.

Furthermore, I know scores of kids who got accepted to TJ from Reston but chose to stay or return to their base school because they didn't like the long commute; placed a higher value of preserving the friendships they developed in grade and middle school; felt isolated and unsupported or found the ultra-competitve atmosphere depressing.

BTW what is the latest cumulative count on suicides, attempted suicides and psycotic breaks among TJ students since it opened?

SL already has an Army JROTC magnet program (in liberal Reston, who'da thunk that!) It also has a magnet MR program that draws almost 150 kids from other schools and results in reduced participation rates in extra-curicular activities participation and lower test scores.


Please describe with some specificity a magnet program that gets 500-700 kids to South Lakes?

> How does the principal at Herndon
> feel about Stu taking his top students and making
> them go to South Lakes?

These kids don't live in Herndon. They live in Reston. Why should Herndon be allowed to continue to strip Reston's "top kids" to prop up Herndon tests scores? Why shouldn't Reston's top kids go to Reston's high school?

Cricket Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> The principal at Herndon is leaving.

Again! Won't that make it three principals in four years! What's up with that?

South Lakes Pyramid parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thomas, is my recollection correct?

I concur and so did Gibson. If you can rely on anything he says.

Good points, Thomas,
I'm sure Neen, and many others who are so willing to leave SL high and dry, hate it when you turn their arguments around to the other side.

I hope this makes everyone see that all of our high schools deserve to be successful and one should not be sacrificed for another. That doesn;t mean that all of us get exactly what we want, because that is clearly impossible, but we should realize that we are all a part of a larger community and compromises have to be made.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2007 06:11PM by South Lakes Pyramid parent.

Cricket Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> South Lakes Pyramid parent Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Cricket,
> > What is Steve Hunt's position on Langley?
>
>
> I didn't ask about Langley. My question had to
> deal with why wasn't Centreville included in the
> study since Westfield is supposedly soooooo over
> crowded. Nobody has a good answer for that except
> that Centreville is too crowded. Ok, well
> Chantilly is overcrowded too, but they are
> included in the study..So I asked about that, and
> that is when I got the domino explanation.
> Chantilly kids get sent to Oakton, since some of
> Oakton is going to SL. If we are dominoing---why
> can't we domino some kids from Westfield back into
> Centreville and send some Centreville to Fairfax?
>
>
> Also, McNair and Floris are in Hunter Mill
> District...So with Stu were screwed as McNair has
> been from the get go.




Centreville's overcrowding problems were solved by building a modular building. The school also has several trailer classrooms, but nowhere near as many as Westfield. I cant recall if Westfield has a modular building, but if they did The only place for it would be around back by the soccer field. Westfield needs its boundarys adjsuted. Send some of its kids to herndon or chantilly. Kids from herndon or chantilly can go to South Lakes, Oakton, or Fairfax.

Basically all the HS boundarys need to shift east. A lot of the schools in the eastern part of the county are undercrowded. Give them all teh extra kids from the West.

Westfield just finished an edition to the school. The capacity is 3100 (without trailers). As of this Sept 07 they have 3171 students. (It's on the website.) Projections are for the Westfield population to decrease over the next 4 years. (It's on the boundary study doc.)

There seems to be some remorse from the Board on building the edition to Wesfield. Now they like having smaller schools. (The board says the optimum school size is 2000). The taxpayers are left holding the bag.

Honestly I think we were better off without having elected school board officals. The quality of these folks is lacking and it shows.

Thomas More - my daughter goes to TJ and benefits from the fact that she likely could not be as competitive as she is at the varsity level at another school due to TJ's lesser competitiveness in her sport. I think on balance she is very happy with the result. And I don't think the place lacks school spirit by any means - there is an intense TJ grapevine that it is difficult to intuit on the outside. So just as with SLHS - a place with both positive and negative elements - a balanced look is in order.

Then again, she is a student who truly belongs at TJ. We certainly never pushed to take the TJ test, study for it, or do anything of the sort - and she is doing exceedingly well. I have another daughter with SAT scores well over the TJ mean (yes, that high) who attends a nationally ranked university on an academic scholarship - she could have done well at TJ, but felt more comfortable at Oakton. She would freely admit Oakton was not that much work - but she is stepping up at university, so Oakton at least passably prepared her. So the in the end the problem is with parents who want to live vicariously through their kids and don't look in a focused way at where their child will be most happy.

I must say some of the negative statements you make about TJ have kernels of truth. This is of course why it was so wrongheaded to establish an affirmative action program at TJ - driven by white guilt, of course - but the place, as I say, is only for those that truly belong, both from an academic, intellectual and personality perspective - the kids that like it there really embrace competition - it is the way they are. Given the pressure of the place, it is hardly a environ for yet another social engineering experiment. But make no mistake about it - TJ is an asset to the county - and quite bluntly, given the economic and intellectual contributions that the truly gifted make in our society, the last thing we want to do is chase them to private schools - as Darwinian as it sounds, spending money on the truly gifted is truly a force multiplier in terms of human capital.

In any event, I do have some degree of apprehension about SLHS. Right now, they have 30 IB graduates - with presumably a bandwidth of teacher supply consistent with that number. Oakton had about 130 AP graduates in my daughter's final year. Query whether South Lakes will have the bandwidth to handle the influx of students in terms of a supply of qualified and experienced AP teachers. This is not an idle question - the redistricting will be a reality in my view - the gravitational pull of racial balancing is by and far and away the strongest force in American education right now - and having a supply of competent AP teachers, particularly given the rancor that will surround the redistricting, is absolutely essential.

quantum Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
This is the level of dialogue I have been yearning for on this blog. If only all of us could aspire to this level of exchange with every post.

> Thomas More - my daughter goes to TJ and benefits
> from the fact that she likely could not be as
> competitive as she is at the varsity level at
> another school due to TJ's lesser competitiveness
> in her sport. I think on balance she is very
> happy with the result.

I am very happy for her and for you. In a jurisdiction of 1 million people with a school district of 165,000 is there 1% of students who benefit for TJ's intensive instruction. Maybe. I didn't call for shutting TJ down.

> And I don't think the
> place lacks school spirit by any means - there is
> an intense TJ grapevine that it is difficult to
> intuit on the outside.

Humans are physical social beings. Physical presence is important. I can't tell you how often SL kids come back to support their schoolmates in their afterschool activities. It just doesn't happen at TJ. SL has played TJ for most of the last ten years. I actually felt bad for the TJ teams for their lack of support for their fellows. I understood how hard it was for the athletes' schoolmates to get back for the game. Too much travel - too much home work.

> So just as with SLHS - a
> place with both positive and negative elements - a
> balanced look is in order.

Agreed. My point is that a magnet program is not a panacia for the under-enrollment problem at SL.

> Then again, she is a student who truly belongs at
> TJ. We certainly never pushed to take the TJ
> test, study for it, or do anything of the sort -
> and she is doing exceedingly well. I have another
> daughter with SAT scores well over the TJ mean
> (yes, that high) who attends a nationally ranked
> university on an academic scholarship - she could
> have done well at TJ, but felt more comfortable at
> Oakton. She would freely admit Oakton was not
> that much work - but she is stepping up at
> university, so Oakton at least passably prepared
> her.

Your Oakton daughter made the right choice for her & still got into a challenging college that brought out the best in her.

So the in the end the problem is with
> parents who want to live vicariously through their
> kids and don't look in a focused way at where
> their child will be most happy.

Amen. Amen. Halleuja. And this is also part of the resistance to transferring some elementary school to SL. Just not enough oreceuved prestige to satisfy the parents.

> I must say some of the negative statements you
> make about TJ have kernels of truth.

Thank you.

> But make no mistake about it - TJ is
> an asset to the county - and quite bluntly, given
> the economic and intellectual contributions that
> the truly gifted make in our society, the last
> thing we want to do is chase them to private
> schools - as Darwinian as it sounds, spending
> money on the truly gifted is truly a force
> multiplier in terms of human capital.

Just like the service academies are not for everyone yet they are definitely are a necessary asset for the country. But this is only true so long as it is for the truly gifted and not another trophy chase for the overwhelming number of Type A parents in this County, which is what to many taxpayers TJ appears to have become.
>
> In any event, I do have some degree of
> apprehension about SLHS. Right now, they have 30
> IB graduates - with presumably a bandwidth of
> teacher supply consistent with that number.
> Oakton had about 130 AP graduates in my daughter's
> final year. Query whether South Lakes will have
> the bandwidth to handle the influx of students in
> terms of a supply of qualified and experienced AP
> teachers. This is not an idle question - the
> redistricting will be a reality in my view - the
> gravitational pull of racial balancing is by and
> far and away the strongest force in American
> education right now

Its more about socio-economic background than race.

>- and having a supply of
> competent AP teachers, particularly given the
> rancor that will surround the redistricting, is
> absolutely essential.

And Raiily chased so many good, veteran teachers away. This went on for more than 5 years. Gibson knew about it and did nothing for too many years which is unforgivable. This problem would exist regardless of boundaries or AP/IB.

As to the samll number of IB diplomas, in order to get the IB diploma a kid has to have at least 5 years of one foreign language, meaning a kid has to take it in 8th grade. (I can understand this for European kids for whom IB was created but English is the language of science and commerce, and not everyone's strengths is foriegn language.) Algebra 1 in the 8th grade is highly recommended. Somehow, parents of 7th graders at Hughes have not been apprised of this, so large numbers of potential IB diploma students get eliminated before they even start SL.

Then there is the limited number of teachering slots available to teach foreign languages and Alegbra I at Hughes. If the only 8th grade spanish teacher at Hughes is a lemon who can't speak English the year your child is at Hughes, your choices are no IB diploma, private tutoring or change to another language in the middle of the school year, if there's even room in that class.

Also because of the consistent euro-centrisim and socialist leaning of the materials, I prefer my kids avoid the IB program.

Then there is the problem of the scoring of the IB exams after senior year not coming back for Zurich or whereever in Switzerland until after your kid has registered for freshman college classes. Thus, making it impossible to avoiding the "intro to whatever" level class that is the very purpose of ADVANCED PLACEMENT class in the first place.

Finally teachers who have tought both AP and IB tell me that IB is less challenging than AP but requires more homework (makework).

Net, net, lots of work, lots of stress for limited pay-off at a limited number of colleges. Thus, 80-90% of SL students make the economically rational decision, it ain't worth it. Most of these 80-90%, just like your Oakton daughter, are still getting into the most selective colleges.

Sl should never have dropped AP and gone to IB. Another Railly gift.

More cordially later.

TM - very wordy

= by word

>>>Stu claims that School Board regs preclude adding Forestville to the study.<<<

How silly. How did Langley get the regulation to read that none of their schools can be part of the redistricting? I bet Oakton and Madison wish they had that deal too! haha

School board can change the regs since they made the regs. They can start the boundary process all over. They can do anything they want since they're in charge. Aren't they?

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >>>Stu claims that School Board regs preclude
> adding Forestville to the study.<<<
>
> How silly. How did Langley get the regulation to
> read that none of their schools can be part of the
> redistricting? I bet Oakton and Madison wish they
> had that deal too! haha
>
> School board can change the regs since they made
> the regs. They can start the boundary process all
> over. They can do anything they want since
> they're in charge. Aren't they?

LET ALL OF THE CONGREGATION SAY AMEN!!