Re: High School Redistricting II
Date: February 04, 2008 09:52PM
TheGreaterGood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for continuing this.
>
> One issue that keeps coming up is the following:
>
> > 'Reston Kids' to Reston High school, South
> Lakes.
>
> By this logic, where would folks send all the
> other communities in the county pyramid system?
>
> McLean residents to McLean High School? What,
> exactly, is McLean? What is Westfield's "town"
> from which it would draw its students? Shouldn't
> Floris go to Herndon because so many residents
> there shop at the Clock Tower Plaza? Or would its
> homeowner association residents have to build,
> say, a "Monroe Manor" elementary school because
> the system should be established via HOAs? What is
> Oakton's "town" or HOA? What about Crossfield?
> Part of that considers itself "Oak Hill" -- which
> is really a Herndon zip -- but it goes to Oakton.
> Many there shop at Franklin Farm shopping center
> or Fox Mill or Hunters Woods or the Clock Tower or
> Metrotech. Another section of Crossfield goes to
> South Lakes, and shops at Hunters Woods or South
> Lakes or Fox Mill shopping centers. It is divided
> quite evidently by West Ox Road. And Fox Mill?
> Those high school kids all hang out at Five Guys
> or Starbucks in Fox Mill shopping center, three
> miles from South Lakes.
>
> What, exactly defines "Oakton" or "Vienna" or
> "Sully" or "McLean" or "Great Falls" or "Langely"
> or "Chantilly" ?? It would be hard to draw a map
> based on these notions of "town."
>
> In the end, it can be argued, communities are far
> more united by local road connections -- ease of
> transportation -- than by HOAs or zip codes.
>
> This county school system is not based on HOAs or
> incorporated towns. We have a very loose sense of
> "place" here. Our school system is based on a
> county-wide system and the community in question
> is Fairfax County.
>
> I posit that, often, the high school defines the
> community, and not the other way around. At least
> for families with school-age kids. For example,
> the folks in "Madison Island" are bracketed to the
> north by a community that goes to Forest Edge,
> then Hughes and SL. To the south by a community
> that goes to Sunrise Valley, Hughes, and SL. Those
> families have become immersed in the "South Lakes
> pyramid" community, so to speak. Once the "island"
> section of the Madison pyramid changes pyramids,
> those families will begin to make new ties -- and
> probably keep the old ones, as we often do.
> (Remember your college buddies that you still see
> once in awhile?) Their community will soon become
> the "South Lakes pyramid" community. The
> transition will take some work, but a positive
> attitude, the knowledge that kids really are
> resilient, and maybe even a sense of adventure
> should help enormously.
FYI, Vienna is a town and everyone in the town goes to Madison. Ditto Herndon. Everyone in the town of Herndon goes to Herndon high.
>>>I really believe that if we embrace this concept
> of a county-wide "place," it strengthens our
> entire county, its economic system, and our
> overall sense of community and satisfaction with
> it.<<<
Could you explain how that works? If I never leave Vienna to shop, how would that hurt or help those in Mount Vernon or Reston? If Reston people only shop in Reston, how does that hurt Vienna? Do I need to shop at Springfield mall rather than Tyson's to help the county? Help it to do what exactly?
Please don't encourage people to come to Vienna to shop. Our roads and stores are crowded enough now.
Thanks!