You think you have been here for a long time? Try 30 years! Some of our favorite teachers have been a part of the school community for that long. Some of your teachers have even taught other teachers at school when they went there. Our high school community is a truly special place with many fun traditions and a welcoming atmosphere. Why would you ever want to leave? Some aspects of the school have really changed over the years, and some teachers have noticed new trends from our students.
Mr. Philip Krauth is an IB HL English, English 11, and IB Philosophy teacher. He began teaching at the school in 1997. The thought of becoming a teacher had not crossed his mind. He was in between jobs right out of college, and a long-term substitute teaching position opened up at the school in 1994. He went on to get his Master’s in Teaching.
“I was in the [education] center, which was then the annex, and there was an advertisement for a teaching opening,” Mr. Krauth said. “So I went to the principal and told him, ‘I’m interested’, and he asked if I could interview that day, and then he called me a few hours later and told me I got the job. He told me the only catch is we need you to start tomorrow! I didn’t know the kids, but I pulled it together and started from scratch.”
Throughout his time here at school, he has noticed a continuous diversity of thought and background. The school community was very welcoming and comforting. Apart from noticeable generational differences, the school has not changed all that much since he started.
“Students haven’t changed much since I started teaching,” Mr. Philip Kauffers said. “Some things were different. For example, cell phones weren’t out, chalk boards were used, the only computers were in the library. Otherwise, I’ve found that I still connect with kids the same. They have definitely become more empathetic and the overall school community has become less clique-ish.”
The one significant change to the school started the year before he arrived in 1996. The school became an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. It came from staff members and community members who noticed other local schools adding it to their curriculum.
“At W-L there [are a lot] of opportunities and choices for you in our community,” Mr. Krauth said. “Yes, we need to act on that and look outward, but what can we do to improve the school? What choices do we have? Are we gonna sit here and complain? Why do we just accept things? Questioning things and realizing things is something I try to encourage my students to do. You have the choices, you just have to choose to try.”
Mr. Krauth loves having large discussions in his class, going on long tangents and having this shared consciousness with his students he calls “making the school disappear”. Outside of teaching, one of Mr Krauth’s favorite school memories was the 2023 spring musical “The Prom.”
“I was playing drums in the pit band,” Mr. Krauth said. “I’ve been to a lot of plays here, but this one was different. At the end it felt like people were leaping out of their seats, the energy was so powerful, I had never seen anything like it before.”
Mr. David Peters is an IB HL English, AP English Literature, and IB theory of knowledge teacher at the school , and this is his 30th year teaching. He went to college in D.C. at George Washington University and did his student teaching in Northern Virginia. He had heard great things about Arlington County and decided to seek a position at the school..
“I think that in all my time living in Northern Virginia, specifically in Arlington, I was struck by this sense of empathy from students,” Mr. Peters said. “The students have always impressed me by how concerned they are with the world and the injustices they find it in. The willingness to take steps to address those injustices as well.”
The main change he has noticed from students is more of a sense of activism. While a higher usage of cell phones could be considered unhealthy now, it helps students get involved with different causes. There is more access to the world, and it is easier to gain. In his time teaching, he has made great relationships with fellow staff and students.
“I wouldn’t want to work where people were not willing to care about their job,” Mr. Peters said. “Somewhere without that kind of sense of community and purpose. That we are here to be a part of the future making the world better. The students are always brilliant. High school is a good time in young people’s lives.”
Mr. Peters has been a General through and through. He has been a part of so much history at the school. His favorite memory was the visits from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
“It galvanized the whole school,” Mr. Peters said. “At my high school, we never got any famous people like that. It was so amazing to have them here with us. I try not to take advantage of the fact we are so close to D.C. and we have so many opportunities right around us.”
Mr. Peter’s piece of wisdom he always tells his students is that it is important to seek their truth. For when they encounter injustice, they need to fight against it because young people are willing to fight.
Mr. Derek Parsons has been a ceramics teacher at the school since 2014, a crew coach at the school 1996-2023 and attended then Washington-Lee High School in the 70s.
“The school has changed a lot since I was a student here,” Mr. Parsons said. “Not only the physical building, which was originally half the size, but the students. The focus has gone more onto GPA and grades than they were in the 70s. I believe there is the same amount of interest in academics and sports, just different motivations to do well with higher college pressures now.”
Mr. Parsons stresses how important it is to enjoy your high school experience and to be motivated by the right reasons. Not always to be focused on getting into college, but to learn and explore the extensive opportunities given to students at the schoolL. The high expectations are good for students to push them, not to stress about making a life immediately after high school.
“It’s important to get involved in the school community, have some fun, learn about the real world, and do your homework,” Mr. Parsons said.
Another teacher who is now faculty is Ms. Patrice Splan. Ms. Splan teaches 9th-grade English and is the sophomore class sponsor. She came back to teach here because she loves Arlington and the school community.
“What I love about the school is the spirit,” Ms. Splan said. “The spirit of staff and students, all of the sports, clubs, theater programs, and the individual spirit everyone contributes. I always loved spirit weeks when I was a student here. I love seeing people dress up and see the friendly competition.”
A repeating trend found is the overall focus on school, such as o grades, college and the future. This environment prepares students well. Students, while given more responsibility, are also given additional freedom.
“Now there are more classes options, more students, the school is a lot bigger now too,” Ms. Splan said. “[There is] a lot more freedom now. Things as little as the dress code, where you can eat lunch, extended deadlines (for better or worse), and more pride in school. You all are more independent, going to Ballston after school, with jobs and several extracurriculars. The way students interact with teachers is [also] very different now as the overall culture has gotten more informal.”
Although most students would want their high school experience to be short-lived and move on to bigger things like college, the school is truly a special place.
“Give everyone grace, yourself and your teachers,” Ms. Splan said. “Give yourself grace, it’s okay if you can’t always do everything, and remember the teachers and staff are always trying their best. It could help to make W-L a more understanding community.”
