It’s no secret that WS has been in the news a lot in the last few years.
What was a surprise was the administration telling us at the beginning of this school year that the only thing they wanted was no scandals in our school.
WS is one of the top-rated schools in the nation; why does it matter if we get in the news a few times a year?
As a school, we still offer wonderful academics and the student population is not that obscene. It’s not that the stuff that appears about our Spartan community in the newspapers and on TV is not true; it’s just that the world does not recognize the other things we do as a school.
It seems this school is seen as a joke by a few, even though it is rated 11th in the state of Virginia and the Advanced Placement participation is at 71 percent.
These statistics get buried, however, when a scandal comes along.
For WS, our breaking news stories seem to have negative connotations. The news outlets do not seem to pick up on the splendid things that WS does for the community. We have a number of programs that get students out and working to make WS and the surrounding area a better place.
The National Honor Society does a number of volunteer projects; so where are the news stories on that? What about mission trips to Honduras and Mississippi; tutoring on behalf of the other school honor societies? Why does the world not recognize the stupendous things we do?
In fairness, we sometimes do get recognized for the good things we do, but it seems that they have to be stupendously magnificent for the Spartans to get the positive spin in the press.
The dance team was featured in national newspapers and magazines, online and on countless TV programs for making the semifinals on “America’s Got Talent.” They have also been the number one dance team six years running in the nation.
What an accomplishment, right? But the little people should be recognized, too.
Yes, there are always going to be a few bad eggs; however, the rotten ones should not spoil the whole basket. The fact that we make the news—both good and bad—does not mean that we’re bad people.
Yes, we could use some good news around here. But the bad news should not take away from the fact that WS is a special place.