Recently, five parents and I went on a tour of South Lakes High School.  Since we were from the Oakton High School pyramid and had heard the wide gamut of perceptions being circulated regarding South Lakes High School, we felt it was very important to have first-hand knowledge of the school in order to knowledgeably participate in the upcoming redistricting process.  Half of our group has eighth graders at Rachel Carson Middle School, one person has a child who is a freshman at Oakton High School and two people have children who are still at Fox Mill Elementary School.  By the time we completed the tour, all of us left South Lakes High School with an extremely high impression of the school.  I wanted to share some of the impressions we had of the tour.
 
Two seniors, who were very friendly and engaging, were waiting for us outside the school doors and guided us through the construction to the Main Office where we met Bruce Butler, the Principal. He, then, proceeded to spend the better part of two hours showing us around the school discussing life at South Lakes, and introducing us to administrators, teachers, and students. He answered our questions, allowed us to view classes in session, and let us talk to students, who also answered questions. All the students we met or saw were very courteous and many wanted to share information about their daily life at South Lakes with us.
 
Despite the large amount of construction occurring throughout the school, it was impeccably clean and bright. The new Media Center/Library that has recently been completed was AMAZING. It was outfitted with a striking amount of digital technology that is available for the student’s’ use and the entire space was bright, spacious, and inviting. I believe it is fairly indicative of what the remainder of the school will be like after construction has been completed. South Lakes has a wonderful Music and Fine Arts department and the IB program is extraordinary. Both are a big part of the culture in the school. Over 50% of all the students at South Lakes take at least one IB class during their high school years.
 
Out of everything we saw, I was most impressed by the Mentor “Taking Flight” Program that is offered by the school. Every freshman that comes into South Lakes is assigned a mentor who is either a junior or a senior. The mentors are responsible for introducing the freshmen to South Lakes and assisting them with their transition to high school. This includes showing the freshmen around the school, introducing them to upper classmen, answering questions and helping the freshmen with any concerns they may have as they adjust to high school life.  This program begins before the first day of school and continues well into the freshman’s first year of school. The administration at South Lakes is totally committed to this program and supplies the mentors with all the necessary resources that are needed to make this program a success. This includes time, training, materials, and support and guidance. This mentoring program began only four years ago, but I believe the program has profoundly affected the culture of the school across all levels. In a school that has an extremely diverse student body, it has created an incredible culture of acceptance and support that can truly be felt when one is in the school. I have continually heard that South Lakes does not have cliques and now I understand why. The really wonderful thing about the program is that the freshmen are not the only ones who benefit.  The mentors also benefit from being in a leadership role, and ultimately the entire school benefits from the positive role modeling that occurs within the program and the friendships that are made. South Lakes is very excited about the prospect of having more freshmen so they can further expand the program and give more upperclassmen the ability to participate in this program.
 
I was equally inspired by Bruce Butler. As a school principal, he is totally committed to South Lakes High School, the programs it offers, the people within the walls, and the community that supports the school. He was a delight to speak with and genuinely cared about everyone in the school.  It was plainly obvious that everyone in the school totally respected him and was very happy to be there.