At a Glance
McLEAN HIGH SCHOOL
1633 Davidson Road
703-714-5700
Orientation for freshmen and new students: 9 a.m. to noon
on Friday, Aug. 30
First Home Football Game: Thursday, Sept. 5, vs. Stuart High School
Back to School Night: 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26
• Principal: Don Weinheimer
• Assistant Principals: Stephen Wojciechowski, Ed Tabish, Jan Whitfield
• PTA President, Nancy Keener
• School colors: Red and silver
• School nickname: McLean Highlanders
• Mascots: Highland Warrior; Scottish terrier
Bright white tile with a vivid red horizontal stripe now decorates the main hall at McLean High School, where the second phase of renovation has been completed in time for the first day of school on Sept. 3.
Workers were finishing improvements that included updating the auditorium, 15 classrooms, the band room, weight room, the small auditorium, and a two-story addition for foreign languages at the school.
As the renovation progressed during the last school year, students seemed unperturbed by the disorder of construction, said administrative assistant Sue Robinson.
“We can put up with anything,” she said. “As long as the kids are fine, that’s the critical piece right there.”
A black box theater, orchestra room, choral room and the library were completed earlier in the year, said assistant principal Stephen Wojciechowski. “It’s very dramatically different,” he said. “Having new, updated facilities is nice for students and staff.
When Phase III is completed, each of four halls will have a different color theme: red, orange, blue and green. Two of those are now complete, he said.
Also included in the third phase are renovations of the remaining classrooms, the gymnasium, and the cafeteria. Construction will begin in October, said Wojciechowski.
However, basic programs remain the same, he said. About 1550 to 1600 students are expected to enroll this year.
McLean High is a comprehensive school for students enrolled in grades nine through 12 enrolled last year.
Because of the presence of members of diplomatic corps in the community, McLean enjoys a broad cultural perspective, say staff members.
More than 60 percent of the school’s professional staff members hold advanced degrees.
Joe McCaffrey is a self-described “brand new teacher” at McLean this year. On the day before he was scheduled to report for the first day of work, he was already working to get his English classroom ready and preparing lesson plans.
“I’ve very excited,” he said. “I’m fresh out of college.”
McCaffrey, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, graduated from Harvard University last year, he said.
McLean High offers electives such as comparative religion, anatomy and physiology, Chinese, culinary arts, law enforcement, student leadership, and film study. Programs for science interns and museum partnerships take advantage of the school’s proximity to Washington, D.C.
Enrollment last year was 1,396 students in general education and 130 special education, self-contained, for a total of 1,526. About 90 were enrolled in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and 204 received special education resource assistance.