H-B Woodlawn received the highest ranking of all Washington-area high schools on Newsweek’s latest list of the top high schools in the country.
H-B Woodlawn placed 27th on the annual list, which ranks high schools by dividing the number of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests taken by students by the number of graduating seniors.
Willmore is a recent graduate of University of Virginia’s Doctor of Education program. He began his career with Arlington Public Schools in 1995 and has served as assistant principal at Wakefield since 2002.
Willmore is fluent in Spanish and has taught abroad.
The $104.6 million project was fast-tracked by the school system and the county board in order to take advantage of more favorable bids from construction companies hurt by the recession. Originally, the county’s 2008 Capital Improvement Plan called for the school’s bond referendum to take place in 2012.
“By moving the project forward we will realize significant savings through reduced construction costs,” board Chairman Jay Fisette said in a statement.
Voters May Be Asked to Approve New High School — The fate of a proposed new $104.6 million building for Wakefield High School may be put to voters. Assuming debt limit concerns can be addressed, Arlington Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy would like to fund the project through a bond issue that would need to be approved by voters in November. More from the Sun Gazette.
Nordstrom Rack Sets Pentagon City Opening Date — A Nordstrom Rack clearance store is coming to the Pentagon Centre shopping center (which houses Costco, Best Buy and others, across from Pentagon City mall). The store will open on August 26, according to the company’s web site.
Donnellan Proposes Capital Improvement Plan — Outgoing Acting County Manager Barbara Donnellan has proposed a six-year, nearly $1 billion Capital Improvement Projects plan. The plan would fund county projects, including critical maintenance at parks and aging county facilities, but it does not include funding for the new Wakefield High School (below). More from the Arlington County website.
New Wakefield High Moving Forward — The county board approved a use permit for the proposed new Wakefield High School. While the move theoretically clears the way for construction to begin, the county is still trying to figure out how to fund the project. More from the Sun Gazette.
Wakefield High School was evacuated this afternoon due to a report of a strong odor of gas coming from a science lab.
Firefighters investigated and determined the gas odor was actually coming from lawnmowers that were being used outside. The odor had wafted into the school from an open door, according to principal Doris Jackson.
At around 7:00 tonight Arlington firefighters responded to a call about a fire on the practice field at Wakefield High School. Turns out it was a candlelight vigil.
Appropriately, considering this winter’s historic snowfall, the design features a snow-covered bridge over the W&OD trail.
The winner was chosen from a pool of 19 designs submitted by local high school students. It will soon be featured on the 155,000 vehicles garaged in Arlington.
