The early 2000s saw a completely new Washington-Lee emerge where the old one used to be, the property familiar to all alumni, the block bounded by Quincy, Stafford, and Washington Blvd. There was a lot of interest from classes (typically in concert with reunions) to see the new building. In order to alleviate school administration from this extra work, the Alumni Association took over this function in 2009. Pete High (1953) and Betsy [Zimmerman] Lockman (1960) ably coordinated and led most of the tours. The reactions from alumni at seeing the new building was overwhelmingly positive.
After nearly a decade of running these tours, interest from classes is waning, and the Alumni Association no longer has the manpower to run the tours. If there is interest in a school tour from your class, we urge you to utilize the included material and organize their own tour.
A roadmap for self-tour:
- Download the W-L Self-guided Tourguide pdf file. This is the material used by the Alumni Association in conducting its last guided tour in May 2018. It provides information about the new building, the student body, the curriculum, and some background info on Arlington and its public school system. Determine whether it provides the information you need to conduct a tour.
- Select a date for your tour. Typically, a tour should be scheduled for a Saturday morning.
- Call the main office at W-L (703-228-6200), tell them you are interested in setting up a class tour of the building, and you would like to be connected to the person responsible for scheduling (the Facilities Manager).
- Work out the detailed date and time with the Facilities Manager. Be aware that (especially in the Fall, when most reunions take place) several Saturdays are pre-scheduled for standardized testing, and may not be available for tours, or certain areas may be restricted from the tour.
- Arrive at the front entrance (Door #1, on Stafford St.) at the chosen time, meet with the Facilities Manager, and begin your tour. Did you remember to bring your Tourguide?