In the MCPS district, WJ might be one of the most unique schools. From its location, its community, the open lunch system, course rigor and endless extracurricular opportunities, there are a multitude of factors that make this school stand out. Sometimes, the student body takes the resources and WJ as a whole for granted, even when we really shouldn’t.
Open lunch is a privilege many other schools in the area do not offer. WJ has so many open spaces to go enjoy lunch at, such as G-Square and Wildwood. Schools such as Winston Churchill High School do not have the same opportunity to walk over to a nearby shopping center but instead have to sneak out, according to students at Churchill.
Having the ability to utilize open lunch and enjoy a treat at Starbucks during this time is uncommon in most schools in the district. Not to mention, the hour-long lunch period provided to do so is something that is uncommon. Many schools have to quickly eat their lunch with little time to enjoy or socialize in a 40-50 minute time period. The added 10-20 minutes given at WJ is something not a lot of students truly appreciate. Having the ability to socialize with friends, grab lunch, retake an assessment, or ask your teachers for help are privileges not a lot of other schools have.
Open lunch isn’t the only difference WJ has from other communities or schools in this area. Looking at the student body, there is an underlying privilege found. There’s an immense privilege in our academics compared to countless other states or districts. With the hundreds of resources available, the copious amount of students being able to get into top 20 schools after graduation, and overall the community being so close to DC and having the opportunity to acquire extracurriculars in spaces that involve governmental positions for example. Many rural areas, such as Damascus, do not have the same access to all the internships or opportunities that are available to WJ students right at their fingertips.
The education provided at WJ isn’t just different from other schools in the county but other states as well. Especially looking at more rural areas and underfunded schools, the education quality isn’t as high. In other states and districts, not all APs can be offered, or AP exams aren’t paid for like they are here. Being able to have the freedom to build your own schedule and take the courses that will inherently benefit each student is a privilege that can be easily taken for granted. The course rigor is also much more challenging and fast-paced. In schools like Northwood, an honors class is as hard academically as an on-level class at WJ, a truth I faced transferring from the Northwood to WJ cluster.
While the course rigor can be exhausting and extensive, the difficult workloads often end up helping WJ students in the long run. The intensive course rigor at WJ can help prepare students for the amount of studying they’ll need to do in college and acts as a sort of prerequisite to the elite universities many WJ students aspire towards. which is especially evident in students with tougher high-school schedules such as AP or honors-heavy schedules.
When it comes down to extracurriculars, it seems as if there are almost a thousand of them offered at WJ. Ranging from DECA to countless honors societies, there’s a club for almost any niche and passion imaginable. Clubs such as fashion, taekwondo, and self care are rare to see in other high schools, but WJ is sure to offer one. The unique honors societies such as Psi Alpha or Rho Kappa are pretty special to WJ. Not all schools in the MCPS district offer them, adding to the benefits of the extracurriculars provided at WJ.
This is extremely beneficial as it gets almost every student involved, as there is always something or an opportunity to boost school involvement. This huge variety also helps students build their resumes for college applications, as student involvement is even greater than in different local schools.
With all of these factors combined, students should start appreciating the things that make WJ unique, as all of these privileges significantly differ from other schools in the area.
