Examiner column for January 14.
It all started with an email from a South Lakes parent who had read my column on the U.S. News ranking of Oakton High School. Beth didn’t dispute what I said about Oakton’s programs, but had a tale of her own about elitist attitudes exhibited by Oakton’s parents and students at local boundary change meetings.
My column had not tackled the sticky issue of the proposed boundary changes that has raged for months in Fairfax County, but Beth’s email documented some hurtful things that had been said about South Lakes, the school where her two children were getting a fine education. All I could say in reply was that I knew many Oakton parents and students who were neither elitist nor accusatory.
Her email stayed in my mind long after I had replied. I wished I could provide proof to her that not all Oakton students share the attitude she bemoaned.
Proof came in our school newspaper, Oakton Outlook, the day before winter vacation. The cover story compared Oakton and South Lakes High Schools, not in terms of rumors and test scores, but based on the findings of two editors who spent an entire day going to classes, eating lunch, and speaking with South Lakes students and teachers.
The story is journalism at its best. One of the Editors-in-Chief, Matt Johnson, and the Features Editor, Erica Wohlleben, decided that the best way to cover the huge story of the proposed boundary change was to become embedded reporters “behind ‘enemy’ lines.” The newspaper sponsor, Chad Rummel, told me the story was entirely their idea, and that they got permission from numerous administrators from both schools before their investigation.
What they find surprised them and everyone involved in the story. Matt and Erica attended classes that mirrored the ones they take at Oakton and compare the quality of those classes as well as many factors that any parent or student would want to know about a prospective school. How many incidents of violence are there? Are the students happy? Do they feel safe? How do the teachers feel about the school? Are the honors classes good? Do the administrators care about the students?
Using journalistic techniques far more professional than their years would dictate, Matt and Erica do not merely record their own impressions. They interview teachers, administrators, and students, both in prearranged settings and in unplanned moments. Consequently, their story has an authenticity to it that characterizes the best “from the trenches” feature stories.
Nowhere do Matt and Erica comment on the boundary change proposal; they simply reveal South Lakes as a reality and not a mythical place. Their thoughtful and upbeat appraisal can be accessed on the Oakton Outlook website: http://www.oaktonoutlook.com. Click on the Cougar or the words “When put side by side…”
Anyone who needs their faith restored in high school journalism or youth in general should read this story. I don’t know whether the boundary change process has been fair and equitable, or a complete fiasco, but I do know that Oakton students are capable of showing a maturity and fair-mindedness that sometimes eludes us adults.
Thank you, Matt and Erica.
Stephen Levitt calls him the "main character" in his TEDTalk on crack economics: Sudhir Venkatesh, the young grad student who infiltrated a Chicago crack-dealing gang. His research brought back reams of sociological data -- and offers an unfiltered glimpse into gang life. In his new book, Gang Leader for a Day, Venkatesh writes about his experiences during the six years he spent with the Black Kings gang in Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes. Venkatesh is interviewed on NPR, whose site also offers an excerpt from his book, while the Chicago Sun-Times has an MP3 of the author reading his work.
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