7 local high schools make Newsweek list

Seven Peninsula public high schools were among 1,500 nationwide included on Newsweek magazine's 2009 list of top high schools.

The rankings, based on a ratio created by Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews, use the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a high school in 2008, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year.

Five Newport News high schools, Hampton High School and Tabb High School in York County were among 89 Virginia high schools on the list.

Warwick High School, which houses Newport News' baccalaureate program, ranked 304; Menchville came in at 638; Woodside at 907; Heritage at 1,237; and Denbigh at 1,478.

Hampton High has a baccalaureate program and ranked 654. Tabb High ranked 714.

The complete 2009 list can be found at www.newsweek.com/id/201160/?q=2009/rank/1

Restored Victorians

While Richmond is only a half hour away from Williamsburg, it is a separate MSA from Hampton Roads, with its own unique flavor. Hampton Roads and Richmond are the 2nd and 3rd largest metro areas in the state of VA. Northern VA, of course, is the largest.

Though Richmond is not exactly halfway between Nova and HR, it's close enough to equidistant that I sometimes I meet D.C. friends there. (I once drove to Richmond from D.C. to see Maxwell, when his D.C. shows were sold out. Ended up commiserating with a couple who had driven up from Hampton to find out the show had been canceled.) Awhile back, I met my best bud at Strawberry Street Cafe - the place with the bathtub salad bar, and the curry chicken salad to die for. I mentioned that J ordered creme brulee. We had a great brunch. The cafe is in the Fan, so named because of the way its streets spread out from Monroe Park, over by VCU, to Belvidere Street and Boulevard. I lived in the Fan when I went to VCU, on Grace Street. While I don't miss Richmond a bit, whenever I go back, I realize that I still love the Fan. Where else can you see so many lovingly restored Victorians? While waiting for my buds, I popped around the corner to check out one of two open houses I had spotted. See for yourself how lovely a restored Victorian in the Fan can be.

Looking for a restored Victorian in the Fan? Call me at 757-879-5830! I'll be glad to refer you to a knowledgeable agent in the Richmond area. How about a restored Victorian in the Hampton Roads area? What a super bargain on this restored Victorian in Newport News, one block from the harbor, under 150,000! And here are 20 more for you to check out. For the rowhouse effect, check out Ghent & Portsmouth, the city with the largest collection of historic homes between Alexandria, VA, and Charleston, SC. Want a little more land between you and your neighbors? Check out Hampton, Newport News, and Norfolk beyond Ghent. Call me at 757-879-5830 for more info on any of these homes.

Widgeon Point

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