Spartan pride seems to have gone incognito.

WS has quickly become one of the most infamous high schools in northern Virginia. Our school’s track record of the past few years has been less than pleasant thanks to a bomb threat, a food fight, and the recent sex scandal.

Due to these events that have tarnished our school’s reputation, we would like to call attention to the positive aspects of WS that seem to have been forgotten.

We are tired of WS being portrayed on the news negatively—there is so much more to our school than the actions of a few of the students.

We think it is a shame that all of the accomplishments by the 99.99% of our school are overshadowed by the scandalous actions of a few.

Why is it that events like Relay for Life are forgotten? Our school has hosted this highly lucrative cancer fundraiser for the past four years, raising unbelievable amounts of money for the American Cancer Society. It has impressively large numbers of student participants, and that number increases each year. However, this amazing event our school hosts and contributes to is completely neglected by the community.

Not to mention, each year all of our seniors all have to complete a Capstone Project, where they participate in a community service to benefit the cause of their choice. This project, a WS original, has really caused students to make a difference.

Also, our extracurricular activities are phenomenal. In its history, our school has won over 45 VHSL State Championships—not to mention our school’s district and regional titles, which number to over 200.

Our Dance Team is three time National Champions, and have appeared on national television on America’s Got Talent.

We also would like to call attention to our school’s academic successes, as there have been many.  Last year, 826 students took 1784 AP exams, with 81.5% of those students earning passing scores (3 or higher). 305 of these students earned AP Scholar recognition from College Board. Scores like these would not be possible if it weren’t for the outstanding students and staff we have at WS. It is a great place to learn, and we hope that this is not forgotten.

While our school has gotten some negative press, it is important to remember that there is more to our student body, staff, and community than has been let on recently. Our school has a lot going for it, and that’s something to be proud of.