West Springfield High School Needs Help!

West Springfield High School is a terrific school!
I should know, I went there a few years ago. So did six local elected leaders, according to Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity who also graduated from WSHS.

But our old school is in trouble. It's the oldest Fairfax County High School that has never received a major renovation. It did have a new wing added and a "patch and paint" job in the 1980's, says new principal Paul Wardinski, but never the whole thing. And it desperately needs it. Just take a tour like I did today.

I saw a large hole in the ceiling where a roof drain had leaked. Operational Engineer Dave Pyle says in the three years he's been there, he's filed 3000 work orders for repairs he cannot make. When it rains, there's usually a leak in the ceiling somewhere.

Pyle says the 43-year old windows are a problem because they interfere with the heating system. When a window in a door breaks, they have to get a replacement from a door taken out of another school that's already been renovated because they don't make them anymore.

Sinks in the old auxilary gym (never renovated) are taped to the wall. Another is clogged. The old gym (it used to be called the 'girl's gym'!) still have those old wooden bleachers that pull out. The gym has a very dingy odor and is dingy looking.

ON THE POSTIVE SIDE.... new Principal Wardinski has made lots of changes. He secured 2.4 million from the county for several improvements including gutting and totally renovating the sports lobby bathrooms which I'm told were horendous.

But PTA President Nancy Baldino says other bathrooms remain problematic. She says late in the day, they don't work right and squirt water onto the floor. She says there was a hallway that sunk and had to have spray-concrete put underneath to support it.

And the track is a problem. It's so cracked it's too dangerous to use for meets anymore. And what a shame, because the track is to be dedicated in the fall to Leslie Sherman, a former student who was killed the Virginia Tech shootings last year.

WSHS Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 6th at 7:00 pm in the WSHS cafeteria where Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity, Springfield School Board Representative Liz Bradsher and other officials will address the concerns of the WSHS community.

Proposed Changes Anger Parents

The Virginia Department of Education is proposing changes to special education. Several of the prosposals would strip parents' input and authority over their children's education.
One change would eliminate parental consent before a school terminates special services for a child.
Parents would also be unable to force a meeting to be held on their children's IEP, individualized education program. Before any changes are enacted, they will hear from the public.
Here is the information on the Public Hearings:

May 12, 2008
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Halifax Co. High School
310 High School Circle
South Boston, VA 24592
(434) 572-4977

May 13, 2008
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Abingdon High School
705 Thompson Drive
Abingdon, VA 24210
(276) 739-3200

May 14, 2008
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Hidden Valley High School
5000 Titan Trail
Roanoke, VA 24018
(540) 776-7320

May 15, 2008
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Freedom High School
25450 Riding Center Drive
South Riding, VA 20152
(703) 957-4300

May 27, 2008
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Clover Hill High School
13900 Hull Street Road
Midlothian, VA 23112
(804) 739-6230

May 28, 2008
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Norview High School
6501 Chesapeake Blvd.
Norfolk, VA 23513
(757) 852-4500

June 2, 2008
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Oakton High School
2900 Sutton Road
Vienna, VA 22181
(703) 319-2700

June 3, 2008
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Essex High School
833 High School Circle
Tappahannock, VA 22560
(804) 443-4301

June 4, 2008
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Performing Arts Center
1400 Melbourne Road
Charlottesville, VA 22901
(434) 295-2722

You can get more info from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/dueproc/regulationsCWD.html.

Medical Care for Children Partnership

More than 46 million Americans have no health injurance. Ten million of them are children.
While the debate rages on at the national level and in the presidential campaign about what to do... Fairfax County has a piece of the solution.

MCCP has provided medical and dental care for uninsured children for 22 years. It's unique public-private parnership cares for an average 4000 children every year. Fairfax County provides the money for the staff to run the program, and Kaiser Permanente is primary the medical partner. It costs just $325 a year to provide care for one child. Dozens of other private physcians also provide service.

This past Saturday, the MCCP's Advisory County held its annual Gala and I had the honor of being the emcee.

The highlight of the evening was the Royal family. Pearl Royal was a single mother raising seven children when she moved to Reston in the 1980s. Several of her children had life-threatening asthma. Had they not received care, it would've meant missing school and definitely sports, and would have kept Pearl from work.

But Pearl found MCCP. It gave her children a medical home, and helped them stay healthy to excel in school and sports. She brought several of her children with her to the gala, including Eddie, one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of Virginia Tech Football!

Pearl stood up and gave a powerful from-the-heart talk, pointing to her beautiful grown children, saying, "Take a look, this is what you helped me do!!"

Then Eddie Royal came to the podium, pledged $350 himself to give a child coverage for a year, and asked everyone to join him. One after another, people put their pledge numbers in the air... it looked like lights going off there were so many!

Thanks to Eddie Royal, the Royal Family, and the MCCP.

PLAY BALL!

Little League gets marching off to a great start!

April 5, at 8 a.m., the Mclean Little League kicked off its season with it's annual parade. And the weather could not have been better! It's my son's fourth year playing on a MLL team.

Lots of the Little League parades went on Saturday... how was yours and how does your team look? My daughter plays soccer and her team has its first game Saturday.

As a parent, I know these days watching our kids play do not last. My husband and I try to be involved and spend as much time as possible enjoying this time in our family's lives before its gone.

Hope you try to do the same!