Every year, students and staff wish for renovations for our prehistoric school, and in the summer of 2016, our dreams will finally come true.
Until now, despite sagging facilities and dire conditions, the school has simply relied on temporary quick-fixes to legitimate problems. The renovation plans have continually been placed on the back burner while other projects are given greater importance.
“The county has misplaced priorities,” said Dave Albo, Fairfax County’s representative in the Virginia House of Delegates and WS graduate, on his Web site. “Fairfax County has spent more bond funding on government housing and county administration buildings than it has on schools and roads combined.”
Current freshmen will have renovations start the summer after their sophomore year, meaning they will spend their junior and senior years in a school under construction, but ultimately will never get to enjoy the finished product. Many of them will be pushed into trailers as the school undergoes construction.
“We might have as many as 40 trailers coming onto the property,” said Andy Muir, director of student activities. “The impact is going to be depending on what subjects you take.”
The new school will have modern classrooms, new practice facilities for the performing arts, and a third floor featuring the “skybox”, a glass enclosure that will be featured at the front of the school.
“If you asked each department individually, they will be excited about what they’re going to get,” said Muir. “But the one group that’s going to be above and beyond excited is the science department. They’re going to get classrooms that are almost double the size that they have now, and they will be state-of-the-art in terms of everything that’s in them.”
At the town hall meeting regarding the renovations, students voiced concerns that while renovations are taking place, less parking will be available to students due to the space being taken up by trailers and equipment.
“It’s not a priority,” said Muir. “Ultimately the building takes precedence over parking. If there’s any [parking] left I’m sure that will go to students.”
The good news is that when construction is finished in 2019, there will be 100 more parking spaces on the property than there are now.
The final plans will be ready by January, at which point they will be sent off to the county government for review, and it will take about 12 months for this paperwork to be completed. The final cost of the renovation is predicted to be between $70 and 80 million.
“I don’t want to graduate having all my classes in trailers,” said freshman Jocelyn Highsmith. “It’s just kind of hard to get excited about a new school when we’re never even going to be able to use it.”