| Westfield High School | |
|---|---|
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United in Excellence, Committed to Achievement
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| Address | |
| 4700 Stonecroft Boulevard Chantilly, Virginia, 20151 United States |
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| Information | |
| School type | Public, high school |
| Founded | 2000 |
| School district | Fairfax County Public Schools |
| Principal | Tim Thomas |
| Asst. Principal | Dave Jagels Harry Van Trees Patricia Williams Brian Grainer Eric Johnson Kim Greer |
| Staff | approximately 300 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 2,926 (2010-11[1]) |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Black, gold, and white |
| Athletics conference | Concorde District Northern Region |
| Mascot | Bulldogs |
| Rival | Centreville High School Chantilly High School Oakton High School Herndon High School |
| Feeder schools | Ormond Stone Middle School Rachel Carson Middle School Rocky Run Middle School |
| Website | http://www.fcps.edu/WestfieldHS |
Westfield High School is a public high school in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, west of the Chantilly CDP.[2]
It is a part of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), serving students from the communities including Chantilly and Centreville as well as areas with Herndon addresses in grades 9–12. Opened in 2000, it is the head of the Westfield High School Pyramid in Cluster VIII. At 3,260 students, it is one of the largest four-year high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia.[3]
The school was listed as the 46th best high school in the United States by Newsweek magazine in 2002[4] and 27th in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area by The Washington Post in 2006[5] due to a high percentage of students enrolled in Westfield's Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Westfield shares a business partnership with Northrop Grumman's business IT group that entails sharing of buildings, as well as financial donations and gifts of supplies.[6] It also shares an education partnership with Centreville Presbyterian Church to improve student achievement.[7]
Contents |
Westfield was first conceived to help deal with the extensive overcrowding at adjacent schools, primarily Centreville and Chantilly High Schools. Plans for Westfield High school might of originated back in 1995 when it was conceived as West County High School.[8] Westfield's colors and mascot were chosen by the local community in the months before its grand opening in 2000.[9][10][11] By 2005, Westfield had grown so large that it had become one of the largest four-year high schools in Virginia.[3] An additional wing was planned to help deal with the overcrowding,[12] and was completed in summer of 2006.
| "Assembly topics should relate to the general goals of the instructional program and address areas of special significance. Assemblies that promote a particular enterprise or whose main purpose is entertainment should not be scheduled during the school day. Time for assemblies should be made available through schedule modifications that cause the least disruption to the instructional program." |
| "Although pep rallies may contribute to school spirit, they should not be allowed to interfere with the instructional program. Pep rallies should be scheduled before or after school, with the period after school being the preferred time." |
| —Fairfax County Public Schools Regulation 1320.1[13] |
Regulation 1320.1 (also known as Guidelines for Restricting Interruptions to Instructional Time—Middle and High Schools) was implemented on April 21, 2004, as an FCPS directive.[13] It was adopted by the county school board to ensure that instructional time in middle and high schools meet limits set by the Virginia Department of Education. The directive limited events such as assemblies and pep rallies by categorizing them as after-school events, with the exception of homecoming pep rallies.
Local radio station DC101's Elliot in the Morning show held a contest in fall 2004 for area high school students whose winners were to host alternative rock band Taking Back Sunday at their school. Westfield students won this contest, whose result was approved by former principal Mike Campbell with the concert date set for Tuesday, November 16.[14] However, students soon learned that a clause in Regulation 1320.1 prohibiting assemblies by business-sponsored groups prevented plans for the concert from being carried out. On Monday, November 15, students began a Taking Back Tuesday movement advocating a schoolwide skip day on the day of the cancelled concert, but it dissolved after Campbell's schoolwide address that afternoon.[14]
Following the incident, students and parents appealed to the school board to return pep rallies to the instructional period and to reconsider the regulation. In a review by the Parent Teacher Student Association, it was found that the school was only allowed one pep rally during the year, adding to the confusion of the situation.[15] In February 2005, FCPS clarified its policy stating that the regulation on pep rallies was not meant to limit school spirit, but the concert remained cancelled.[16]
Westfield has come under scrutiny because two unrelated murders perpetrated by alumni occurred within one year.[17]
Michael Kennedy, who suffered from schizophrenia, shot and killed Master Police Officer Michael Garbarino and Detective Vicky Armel of the Fairfax County Police Department on May 8, 2006, in an attack on the Sully District Police Station, less than one-half mile from Westfield.[18] On April 5, 2007, Kennedy's father was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of drug possession and six counts of weapons charges. The indictment mentioned charges that Kennedy's father illegally possessed marijuana, which made it illegal for him to possess the weapons or ammunition used by Kennedy in the police station attack.[19]
The 2007 Virginia Tech massacre by gunman Seung-Hui Cho, an alumnus of Westfield High School, killed thirty-two people, including two Westfield alumnae, Erin Peterson and Reema Samaha.[17] There is no evidence that Cho singled either out during the attack or even knew them.[20] Although Cho's motivation for the shooting is unknown, his suicide note mentioned vague references to his emotional turmoil.[21][22] While a few students recall instances of Cho being teased and mocked at Westfield, most left him alone and were not aware of his anger.[23][24] It is unknown if or how much his experience at Westfield contributed to his mental breakdown. Journalists from the international media arrived at Westfield the day Cho's identity was announced,[25] prompting a ban on reporters at six athletic games due "the impact… on school children, academics and other important activities."[26] Criticism of the school's learning environment also prompted students and alumni to rally against the media's biased reporting by emphasizing their many achievements.[27] As a way to honor the two deceased alumnae, the Erin Peterson Fund and Reema J. Samaha Memorial Scholarship Fund were established with the school's support to award scholarships for graduating seniors who best exemplify their personalities.[28]
In 2008, incidents involving Westfield alumni purchasing and distributing heroin made local headlines. The first was the death of 19-year-old Alicia Lannes,[29] a graduate of Westfield in 2007, as a result of heroin overdose, which helped spark a federal investigation on heroin and other hard drugs and traffickers in the area.
The second incident occurred on November 20, when ten young adults and teenagers (six of them being Westfield High School alumni, and others attending Virginia Commonwealth University) were arrested as part of the shutdown of a major heroin ring responsible for the deaths of multiple students from Westfield and other local high schools.[30]
It is believed that the death of multiple students (including Alicia Lannes) and the heroin ring were linked.[29]
Westfield's main structure was designed by Swirnow Structures LLC.[31] The same design was later used for the construction of South County Secondary School in the southern part of Fairfax County, but former Westfield principal Dale Rumberger denied claims of establishing a "mini-Westfield" despite becoming the principal at South County after leaving Westfield in 2004.[32][33]
The school campus occupies 159 acres (0.64 km2) and is composed of the main building (the "school"), the sports complex including all fields, and the parking lots. The main building currently comprises two levels, with seven main hallways for the classrooms on each level. There are also 18 trailers located around the school. The hallways are listed alphabetically from A-G, and an additional hallway, "R" (for "renovation"), was added onto the school for use beginning in the 2006–07 school year.[34] The heart of the school is the library and media center which currently holds over 21,000 books with room for an additional 4,000. There are over 40 computer stations for student use in the library.
There are four computer labs in Westfield, two on each level, making it among the most technologically advanced of any FCPS high school at the time it was built. There were 1,545 computers at Westfield as of June 2006.
Beyond the main building, there is the sprawling Westfield Sports Complex, including the football stadium, a baseball field, a softball field, six tennis courts, a track which encircles a field for track and field, soccer, and lacrosse, and multiple practice fields. Adjacent to the complex is the Cub Run RECenter, home to Westfield's swim and dive team, although it is not part of the school.
Westfield is often criticized as grossly crowded.[12] The building design provided for a capacity of 2,500 students, a number that was reached in its third year of opening.[11] When the school opened, the unincorporated communities of Centreville and Chantilly experienced a population and real estate boom that was not projected by the county.[35] By the 2004–2005 academic year, the school was over its capacity by 25 percent, and 26 trailers filled the parking lot originally designated for faculty and staff along with additional ground space surrounding the school's main building.[36]
In April 2003, FCPS proposed a bond referendum for the construction of a 24-room addition to Westfield's main building to alleviate the rapid growth of the student population. The bond referendum provided for the construction of the new addition at a cost of $8.7 million.[37] The bond was approved in November of the same year,[38] and construction for the massive new wing began in summer of 2005. Construction was completed in time for the 2006–2007 school year, increasing capacity to 3,100.[39] It has two levels and a basement.[12] It is called the R-hallway. Due to Westfield's overpopulation, however, 18 trailers still remain.
Some former feeder communities of Westfield were re-zoned to the attendance boundary of South Lakes High School,[12][40] located in the unincorporated community of Reston.
Northern Virginia's New Life Christian Church holds services at Westfield after relocating its main campus from Stone Middle School.[41] Two services are held each Sunday with an attendance of 1,400.[42]
In 2003, the Work Awareness and Transition (WAT) class opened a branch of the Apple Federal Credit Union for students and faculty. The branch is operated by student tellers in WAT.[43]
Hope Chinese School, a Chinese language school in the Washington area, designated Westfield as the site of its Chantilly campus in fall 2006.[44] Chinese language and cultural elective classes are held on Sunday afternoons in the new building addition.
The local area pro women's softball team Washington Glory will call the Westfield Sports Complex home for its 2008 season. The Glory played the 2007 season at George Mason University's softball complex which is undergoing a renovation during the 2008 season. The stadium will have increased seating for not only the Glory but also for the Virginia State Softball Championships which will also be hosted at the site along with baseball, lacrosse, soccer and track.[45]
Westfield's faculty is divided into 10 departments: English, ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), Fine and Performing Arts, Foreign Language, Health and Physical Education, Mathematics, Professional and Technical Studies, Science, Social Studies, and Special Education.[46]
As one of 16 Fairfax County high schools that offer the Advanced Placement (AP) Program, Westfield will offer 22 of the 32 AP courses that are offered by the College Board as of the 2007–2008 school year. (The other 8 high schools are designated for the International Baccalaureate Program). In addition, the curriculum also offers Honors courses to prepare students for the rigorous workload associated with AP courses.[47]
Fairfax County's academy system also allows Westfield students to take alternate classes at Chantilly, Edison, Fairfax, Marshall, and West Potomac High Schools with transportation provided.[48]
When the school opened, Westfield possessed the newest computer labs and electronic equipment in the county. Westfield's Aerospace Science class is the only one of its kind in FCPS,[49] and its Television Production Lab is the most advanced of any FCPS school. Westfield also offers among the highest number of business-related, technology, and computer classes for any FCPS school, including its notable cooperative education program offered by the Professional and Technical Studies department.[50] The photography and computer graphics labs are among the most complete and advanced in FCPS and provide an extensive array of equipments available for student use.[51] The music technology lab is designed for music theory, and has special software for composing music.[52]
The Foreign Language department offers six languages for students to study: American Sign Language,[53] French, German, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish.[54] Human Anatomy and Physiology is a unique course offered for Westfield science students who are interested in pursuing a career in the medical field and would like a more in-depth coverage on human systems than AP Biology.[55][56]
Westfield's English department provides a number of unique elective courses such as forensics and debate, film study, and a course on William Shakespeare.[57] The Fine and Performing Arts department produced a news program which broadcasts information and upcoming events at or involving Westfield over the school's televisions on a daily basis.
Westfield is known throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area for the success of its sports and fine and performing arts programs, made more notable by the fact that the school is among the newest in Northern Virginia.
Due to Westfield's large enrollment, the school is categorized AAA-class, as defined by the Virginia High School League. It belongs to the Concorde District within Northern Region.
Westfield has athletic teams in 19 different sports: baseball, basketball, cheerleading, crew, cross country/track and field, dance team, field hockey, football, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey (club), lacrosse, soccer, softball, swim and dive, tennis, volleyball and wrestling.[58][59]
The school's athletic program is one of the most successful in the area, having earned numerous titles and championship berths in a wide range of varsity sports since 2000.[60] In fact, Westfield won two state championships in its first year of existence, when both a boy and a girl from the Swim and Dive Team captured individual state swimming honors in Westfield's inaugural winter sports season.
Westfield's football program has been recognized as one of the top programs in the state and has earned two state titles, both seasons ending with perfect records.[61] The boys' outdoor track and field team earned its first Virginia AAA state title in 2004.[62] In 2004, the varsity baseball team reached the state championship final.[62] The boys' soccer team won the district and regional titles in 2005, overall becoming state semifinalists.[63] On October 23, 2009, at halftime of the Chantilly vs. Westfield football game, Eddie Royal became the first Westfield football alumnus to have his number (5) retired.
On November 26 2011, the Bulldogs lost to rival Centreville in which Centreville blocked Westfield's field goal with a minute left. The field goal would have sent the game into overtime. This was Centreville's first victory over Westfield since 2001.
One of the most successful athletics programs at Westfield is the wrestling team, having won six consecutive district championships from 2004–2009, two consecutive Northern Region titles, and placing several times in the top ten at the State Tournament.[64] Westfield's Track Team also won regionals indoor season of 2007 and outdoor season of 2007.
On October 11, 2002, a tremendous downpour postponed a Westfield varsity football game against rival Centreville for the Concorde District championship. Head coach Tom Verbanic, desperate to keep the game on time, had the field covered with tarps and hired a helicopter in an attempt to dry the field. Several thousand dollars later, the game was still postponed until November 17. The match resulted in a win for Westfield, earning the school's first district championship title.[65] The use of the helicopter for drying grass was later criticized heavily.[66]
| Football State Championship Games | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Location (all in Virginia) | Class | ||
| 2003 | Westfield | 35 | Landstown | 14 | University of Richmond Stadium, Richmond | AAA Div. 6 |
| 2007 | Westfield | 42 | Woodbridge | 14 | Scott Stadium, Charlottesville | AAA Div. 6 |
| Baseball State Championship Games | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Location (all in Virginia) | Class | ||
| 2004 | Western Branch | 3 | Westfield | 2 | War Memorial Stadium, Hampton | AAA |
| Boys' Lacrosse State Championship Games | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Location (all in Virginia) | Class | ||
| 2007 | Robinson | 11 | Westfield | 3 | Westfield High School, Chantilly | AAA |
| Golf State Tournaments | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Boys' Team | Girls' Open | Location (all in Virginia) | Class | ||||||
| 2003 | 2nd | — | AAA | |||||||
| 2004 | 4th | 53rd | Chesdin Landing Golf Course, Chesterfield (boys) Two Rivers Country Club, Williamsburg (girls) |
AAA | ||||||
| 2005 | 2nd | — | AAA | |||||||
| 2006 | — | 17th, 26th, 39th | Forest Greens Golf Course, Dumfries (girls) | AAA | ||||||
| 2007 | 3rd | 5th, 13th, 24th, 29th | Dominion Valley Country Club, Haymarket (boys) Fairfax National Golf Club, Centreville (girls) |
AAA | ||||||
| 2008 | 3rd | Independence Golf Course, Midlothian (boys) | AAA | |||||||
| 2009 | Champions | Waterfront Country Club, Moneta (boys) | AAA | - | Virginia High School League does not rank teams overall in the girls' open. Each school fields individual players. | |||||
| Track & Field State Tournaments | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Boys | Girls | Locations (all in Virginia) | Class | ||
| Indoor | Outdoor | Indoor | Outdoor | |||
| 2001 | Unranked | — | 27th | 24th | George Mason Fieldhouse, Fairfax (indoor) Sports Backers Stadium, Richmond (outdoor) |
AAA |
| 2002 | 30th | n/a | 23rd | n/a | George Mason Fieldhouse, Fairfax (indoor) Sports Backers Stadium, Richmond (outdoor) |
AAA |
| 2003 | 9th | 5th | 14th | 29th | George Mason Fieldhouse, Fairfax (indoor) Sports Backers Stadium, Richmond (outdoor) |
AAA |
| 2004 | 2nd | 1st | 25th | 24th | George Mason Fieldhouse, Fairfax (indoor) Todd Stadium, Newport News (outdoor) |
AAA |
| 2005 | 40th | 41st | 23rd | 3rd | George Mason Fieldhouse, Fairfax (indoor) Todd Stadium, Newport News (outdoor) |
AAA |
| 2006 | 13th | 54th | 6th | 8th | George Mason Fieldhouse, Fairfax (indoor) Todd Stadium, Newport News (outdoor) |
AAA |
| 2007 | 18th | 22nd | 13th | 7th | George Mason Fieldhouse, Fairfax (indoor) Todd Stadium, Newport News (outdoor) |
AAA |
| Virginia State Champions (Individuals) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Year | Event | Sport/Competition |
| Laura Ullrich | 2001 | Girl's 100 m Butterfly | Girl's Swim |
| Richard Eddy | 2001 | Boy's 100M Breaststroke | Boy's Swim |
| Rick Eddy | 2002 | Boy's 100M Breaststroke | Boy's Swim |
| David Miller | 2003 | Longest Field Goal Made | Football |
| Yeng Lan Beller | 2003 | Girl's 100 m Backstroke | Girl's Swim |
| Yeng Lan Beller | 2003 | Girl's 100 m Butterfly | Girl's Swim |
| Yeng Lan Beller | 2003 | AAA State Meet Record 100 m Butterfly | Girl's Swim |
| Kathryn Pettine | 2003 | Girl's Pole Vault | Girl's Indoor Track and Field |
| Yeng Lan Beller | 2004 | Girl's 100 m Butterfly | Girl's Swim |
| Louis Corum | 2004 | Boy's Shotput | Boy's Outdoor Track and Field |
| Louis Corum | 2004 | Boy's Discus | Boy's Outdoor Track and Field |
| Philippe Tondereau | 2004 | Boy's 300 m Hurdles | Boy's Outdoor Track and Field |
| David Groff | 2004 | Boy's 1000 m Run | Boy's Indoor Track and Field |
| Scott Seymour | 2004 | Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking | Forensics |
| Scott Seymour | 2004 | Student Congress | Debate |
| Louis Corum | 2004 | Boy's High Jump | Boy's Track and Field |
| MaryLynne Schaefer | 2005 | Girl's Most Three-Point Shots Career | Girl's Basketball |
| Betsy Alter | 2005 | Girl's Outdoor Track and Field | Girl's Pole Vault |
| Brian Randall | 2006 | Outstanding Acting Award | Theatre |
| Branson Reese | 2006 | Outstanding Acting Award | Theatre |
| Lauren Burt | 2006 | Student Congress | Debate |
| Paul Grinups | 2007 | 145 lbs Weight Class | Wrestling |
| Andrew Freidah | 2007 | Student Congress | Debate |
| Yillian Zhang | 2007 | Girl's Singles Champion | Girl's Tennis |
| Jake Carey | 2008 | 145 lbs Weight Class | Wrestling |
| Tasia Potasinski | 2008 | 1600 meter run | Outdoor Track and Field |
| Tasia Potasinski | 2008 | 800 meter run | Outdoor Track and Field |
| Andrew Freidah | 2008 | Student Congress | Debate |
| Austin Fallon | 2009 | 189 lbs Weight Class | Wrestling |
| Austin Fallon | 2010 | 189 lbs Weight Class | Wrestling |
| Shane Grannum [67] | 2010 | Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking | Forensics |
| Shane Grannum [68] | 2010 | Student Congress | Debate |
| Kurtis Ratcliff | 2011 | Boy's 100M Butterfly | Boy's Swim |
| CJ Fiala | 2011 | Boy's 100M Freestyle | Boy's Swim |
| Shane Grannum | 2011 | Extemporaneous Speaking | Forensics |
Since the showing of its first production, an original creation of The Glass Menagerie,[69] Westfield's theatre arts department has received numerous distinctions. Productions of Godspell and Fiddler on the Roof won Best Musical at the National Capital Area Cappies awards, and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead won Best Play. Playwright Sheila Callaghan's Star-Crossed Lovers, a one-act rendition of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, was conceived by director Scott Pafumi and premiered at Westfield in 2004.[70]
In 2007/08, Westfield's production of The Wiz received a record 17 Cappies nominations. The department's production was the subject of an ABC News 20/20 special entitled "Drama High" which aired on December 15, 2008. <http://abcnews.go.com/2020/dramahigh> After a successful season (the 2008/2009 "Season of Change"), the 2009/2010 "Season of Coming of Age", the Westfield High School Theatre Department will be presenting Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs, West Side Story, and Merchant of Venice.
Westfield Theatre has also been invited to perform its own renditions of Romeo and Juliet[71] and The Tempest at the Folger Shakespeare Library, an internationally renowned stage and research center devoted to the life and works of William Shakespeare.[72]
Westfield Summer Stage is an annual training program for middle and high school student actors in Fairfax County. In 2010, the program held the production of 42nd Street. Past programs featured well-known productions such as High School Musical, Bye Bye Birdie, Beauty and the Beast, Grease, Peter Pan, Snoopy, Annie,South Pacific, Guys and Dolls and 42nd Street.[73]
The shows for the 2011-2012 school year are: Richard III (play) in the fall, The Crucible in the spring and the musical, Crazy For You as the final show of the year in the spring. Tickets can be bought at www.westfieldtheatreboosters.com Crazy For You will be the school's CAPPIES show.
Westfield High School's music program includes Band, Chorus, Guitar, and Orchestra.[74]
The Band program, headed by Stephen Panoff, is a nationally recognized program which comprises eight performance groups including the Wind Symphony, the Symphonic Band, the Concert Band, Jazz 1 Band, Jazz 2 Band,the Percussion Ensemble, the Colorguard and the Marching Bulldogs. Westfield's band has been named a Virginia Honor Band six times for both its marching band and concert band.[75] The Westfield Percussion Ensemble has performed, by invitation, at a national festival.[76] NSO director Leonard Slatkin has also visited Westfield in 2007 as a guest conductor.[77] Both jazz band and jazz guitar have received awards at the Chantilly Invitational Jazz Festival, where several students were also named for the All-Star Band.[78] Recently, the band has traveled to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall, received top awards twice at Myrtle Beach, and also won top awards at a Disney competition in Orlando, Florida.[79]
Marching Band, which takes place in the summer and fall only and is not an official class, was noted by local TV station WUSA 9 for its exemplary talent.[80] There are also color and winter guards that perform with the marching band and in regional tournaments.
The Westfield High School Choral Program, headed by David Reimschussel, consists of students in four different choral ensembles, spanning grades 9 through 12. The choirs have performed for the Governor of Virginia, for an audience of hundreds of music educators at the Virginia Music Educators State Conference, and have performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and at Strathmore Hall through a partnership with The Washington Chorus.
The orchestra is headed by Gregory Rupert, co-principal viola of the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra.[81] The program includes beginning, freshman, concert, chamber, and symphony orchestras. Every Westfield orchestra that has gone to Festival has received a final rating of "Superior"—the highest score possible. Orchestra members have also held principal positions in the VBODA Senior Regional and All-State Orchestras.
Westfield hosted the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Guitar Ensemble Festival. The festival featured guitar performances by various schools and learning clinics with noted area musicians such as Andrew York.[82]
Westfield's English department is home to three publications.
Calliope not only accepts submissions for its literary and art magazine, but it also hosts Coffeehouses in the fall and spring, where student bands, guitarists, and poets perform live. Each year, it also hosts a film festival for videos made by Westfield students.[83] The magazine has been awarded the Gold Circle[84] by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for its design.
The Guardian yearbook in particular has been named a Yearbook Pacemaker Award[85] by the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and has been awarded the Silver Crown[86] by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Between 2002–04, the NSPA considered it one of the Best of Show winners in its annual national journalism conventions.[87]
The Watchdog newspaper has received an All-Southern rating[88] from the Southern Interscholastic Press Association. It also has one of the largest circulations for a high school newspaper in the western Fairfax County area because the newspaper is mailed home to families of students free of charge.
All three publications are noted for their journalistic qualities[89] and their capability in raising a large amount of funding from business advertisement to offset the cost of printing. Workshops on fundraising strategies have been presented by publication advisers at journalism conferences in Virginia.[90]
Honor societies at Westfield include: National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, National English Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, French National Honor Society, German National Honor Society, Japanese Honor Society, National Latin Honor Society, History Honor Society, Mathematics Honor Society, Science Honor Society, Marketing Honor Society, Tri-M, International Thespian Society, and Quill and Scroll.[91]
Both Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA-PBL) and DECA have their own chapters for business and marketing students.[91] The DECA chapter, along with chapters at other FCPS high schools, began a pilot G.O.A.L. (Gaining Occupational Awareness and Learning) Zone internship program in 2003 between FCPS schools and D.C. United.[92]
There are several academic teams competing in regional tournaments as part of the Virginia High School League (VHSL). Westfield's It's Academic team annually competes in tournaments hosted by the VHSL and NBC 4 as well as tournaments hosted by other area schools. The team won its first television match on NBC 4 in the show's 44th season after only its third appearance.[93] The Science Club holds after-school experiments that all students can participate in, and the Science Olympiad team annually competes in the Division C state tournament and has won several medals.[94] The Fellowship of Christian Athletes annually sponsors See You at the Pole for students and faculty.[95]
The Westfield Debate and Forensics teams have received numerous awards and distinctions. The Debate team has been ranked in the top five teams since 2004,[96][97][98][99] and Forensics placed fourth overall in the 2004 VHSL state tournament.[100] The Forensics team also won second place in the Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking individual event at the 2007 state tournament.[101]
In 2007, Westfield and its business partner Northrop Grumman teamed with NASA to participate in the school's first FIRST Robotics Competition at Virginia Commonwealth University for a regional event.[102]
The largest racial group at Westfield is whites (60%), followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders (18%), Hispanics (10%), Blacks (7%), and others (5%).[103]
As a commitment to the diversity of the Westfield community and to incorporate an FCPS mandate on ethics instruction, the school annually hosts an Ethical Decision Making seminar for sophomores.[104] Sponsored by the Herndon-Dulles Chamber of Commerce and hosted by Westfields Marriott, the seminar has been well-received by the community, winning a Blue Ribbon Award for Outstanding Event.[105] The seminar aims at educating students about the dilemma of making ethical decisions by inviting guest speakers from the local community speak to students on race, sexuality, prejudice, and other issues.[106]
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