On July 28, the School Board voted to redistrict Bren Mar Park West and Wakefield Chapel. As a member of the Wakefield Chapel community, I was devastated because I knew that my future neighbors would not be able to attend AHS. Though I do not agree with the decision for many reasons, I think that without the two neighborhoods AHS will remain the wonderful school it is, if the remaining community is willing to participate in new activities.
One of the first arguments against redistricting was the possible impact on AHS programs. The PTSA released a study earlier in the year that showed the percentages of participation from the neighborhoods that could be redistricted. From my own neighborhood, 50 percent of the golf team, 36 percent of lacrosse, 33 percent of The A-Blast and 13 percent of IB students were Wakefield Chapel residents in 2010. A few members of the School Board contended that students who did not participate before would take the slots of those who leave. A poll on The A-Blast Online contradicted this idea, because the results showed that only 15 percent of students said they would try out for new activities.
Others in the community expressed similar pessimism. In a letter to the School Board, retired Principal John Ponton wrote about his qualms.
“To say that if these students (and parents) are removed and sent to another school that ‘others will step up’ is simply an opinion. There is no data to support such an opinion,” Ponton wrote in his e-mail.
Despite the worries about decreased extracurricular participation, students can still stand up and support AHS activities. There are extra-curricular activities for everyone- from sports, to chorus, to Model U.N. Since AHS programs will be losing future participants from these neighborhoods, I strongly encourage students to try out for something new. Again, there is a place for everyone among the multifarious activities the school offers. Students should talk to their favorite teachers and see if they have any recommendations for organizations they can participate in. This is an easy and convenient way to learn about new opportunities around school.
Another initial argument against the decision was the possible loss of parental involvement. Whenever I go to events at school, be it football games or Heritage Night, I see the faces of parents from my neighborhood. This is not at all to say that they are the only parents who volunteer, far from that. Again, Ponton seemed to share this worry when he wrote that the students and parents from these neighborhoods were the “lifeblood” of AHS.
This is also not a lost cause. The wonderful thing about AHS is that its diversity allows parents from any background, even those who speak English as a second language, to help out at events. Parents should come and volunteer at AHS because it is worth it to see students of all backgrounds function together cohesively. Parents from Wakefield Chapel and Bren Mar Park West who take an active role at AHS should talk to parents from different neighborhoods about volunteering for activities. If your child is in band, encourage other band parents who have not volunteered as much to start helping out. That can be a way to ensure more parental participation.
Finally, many expressed worries about the socioeconomic and racial diversity of the school being affected. A school can function best when all races and economic backgrounds are represented. With Broyhill Crest and Ravensworth, and now Bren Mar Park and Wakefield Chapel, four middle-class neighborhoods have been removed within two years.
On a racial diversity level, AHS was opened the same year as the Brown vs. The Board of Education decision, and it has become a symbol of what people in the Civil Rights movement fought for. After attending AHS, it is difficult for many students to believe that not too long ago schools in this area were segregated. I would hate to think that a decision to redistrict a few neighborhoods would cut away from the diversity.
Even with the elimination of these neighborhoods, AHS would still have much diversity on both levels. There are still neighborhoods of all economic backgrounds and all races will still be represented. As long as the school is diverse, it can continue to be successful.
Yes, I do believe that the dynamic of AHS will be changed because of this decision, as it was when Broy Hill Crest and Ravensworth were redistricted and as it would be if any neighborhood were to leave the school. The important thing about AHS is that all the neighborhoods play a major part in making the school successful. There is no doubt in my mind that there could be less participants in programs, but on the behalf of liberal grandfathering from the School Board it will be a couple of years before we will see any change. According to a recent poll on The A-Blast Online, 74 percent of voters share my opinion in disagreeing with the School Board’s decision. Only 13 percent supported the vote. With this being said, I refuse to believe that AHS will be impacted negatively and think that it is now time to move on from the vote. It just takes stepping up and trying out for new activities on the part of students and parents.
As to the younger students of Bren Mar Park West and Wakefield Chapel who face going to a different high school, I recommend you people-place for the IB Diploma if you would like to attend AHS and receive a unique education on an intellectual level, while learning what the world really looks like. I know that long after I graduate and have moved on to college my parents and I will continue to support the Annandale Atoms because we consider AHS’s continuing success a vital part of our community.
Finally, to the School Board, I hope this decision will deliver a long-term solution to the overcrowding, so that AHS does not have to go through losing another neighborhood for a long time to come.
Written by Annie Curran, Co-Editor in Chief
