Letters to the Editor: March 18 – 24, 2021
More People Live Outside F.C. City, So School Name Belongs There
Editor,
Regarding a reader’s recent suggestion that Fairfax County change the name of Falls Church High School, according to Virginia demographic/zip code statistics, more than twice as many people live in the “Falls Church” part of Fairfax County served by “Falls Church High School” than live in the City of Falls Church.
In my view, the City lost any rights to the name “Falls Church High School” back in 1948 when it incorporated so as to have a school system separate from Falls Church High School and the rest of the Fairfax County public schools.
Henry Petri
Falls Church
Beyer’s Praise of Covid Relief Bill Belies Its Cronyism
Editor,
Don Beyer’s referring to “It goes to show that the Republican Party stands for one thing: Trying to foil Joe Biden and the Democratic agenda” is a correct statement, and sadly he did not bother to look at why Republicans would have voted against this bill that handed each American a check for $1400 while also handing us a future bill of over $5000.
A nice chunk of this money is to go to bail out states’ underfunded union pensions, direct relief to Democrat run cities, etc. In other words, a wealth transfer from well run states and cities to poorly run ones.
Maybe if Don Beyer were in Congress to represent Virginians he would have voted against it too.
Jeff Walyus
Arlington
F.C. High Could’ve Gone To City If Not For Its Segregation
Editor,
Falls Church City should have the name Falls Church High school, but only if they reincorporate the parts of the city they segregated.
Falls Church City used to encompass a much broader area than it currently does. However in 1887, Falls Church City annexed the area south of Lee Highway, which was known as the ‘colored settlement’ back to Fairfax County. Falls Church City would have been much larger, and much more diverse, than it currently is if they had not annexed this part of the city to Fairfax County.
Falls Church City, just like most of the U.S., should recognize their past and try to make right the wrongs they previously made. As such, they have no right to the name ‘Falls Church High School’, as they have a pro segregation past they have to own up to. Falls Church High School belongs to those who were wrongfully discriminated against just because of the color of their skin.
Mark Hill
Via the internet
New High School In F.C. City Deserves Its Own Name, Not Ours
Editor,
No stealing of our Falls Chruch High name.
The former George Mason High deserves its own new original name. Suggesting/demanding a neighboring (and an established/thriving) school’s name is…rude or at the very least stunningly unfeeling!
Why dare to ignore the damaging angst this demand would cause the other school’s community and students?!
This idea is so wrong and rude. Speaking of wrong, FCHS was not “lost” to Fairfax County back in the late 1940s, as the writer said. The county owned both the land and the building!
Ironic is the fact the City did make a windfall gain when the county gave, for just $1 (one dollar) the land so as to help the City negotiate the VA Tech/UVA Grad Center!
Falls Church High School, home of the Jaguars since 1945, is proudly located at 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church, VA 22042.
The name is not available.
Craig Day
Falls Church
