Student Life at West Springfield in the 1990s was characterized by long-standing school traditions mixed with emerging trends in music, style, and technology. Throughout the decade, popular hangout spots included the nearby Bagel Bakery, Panera, and Denny’s Breakfast where, before and after school, students would eat, gossip, and share interests after major sporting events. Often times this gossip included drama that went down at traditional school events such as donkey basketball—a fundraiser in which students played basketball while, literally, riding a donkey. Additionally, music played at these hangout spots and events included a wide array of contemporary music genres, such as grunge, alternative, R&B, and rap.

Technology

The relevance of technology and popular devices at West Springfield reflected that which was relevant and popular in the United States. In the early 1990s, with the internet becoming available for widespread consumer use, students at WSHS could be seen using AltaVista, Netscape, and Yahoo to perform research for their classes on one of the few available Macintoshes.

Additionally with the popularization of the beeper, students at WSHS could be heard saying, “beep me,” to their friends on their way out from class or on their way out from school. In the mid-90s, students learning trigonometry and calculus could be seen using TI-80 graphing calculators to do their work. By the end of the decade, more and more students had access to cellular telephones. All in all, new technologies not only impacted the everyday life of people around the world, but greatly affected the everyday interactions, reactions, and attitudes at West Springfield High School.

Feeling Faint

The first renovations to West Springfield High School began construction in the late 1980s and were completed in the early 1990s. In 1991, during construction, there were numerous accounts of WSHS students fainting at school. The rash of fainting spells quickly became an infamous phenomena across Northern Virginia, garnering significant media attention.

Shannon Nash, a 14-year-old freshman, said she wasn't all that scared about the problem until she walked out of a first-period class yesterday and saw a girl lying on the floor. Then, after second period, she walked up to her locker, felt woozy and collapsed into the arms of her friend, Kisharn Quartermain. "I was looking across the room and my eyes got blurry and I couldn't see much," she recalled after spending 40 minutes in the clinic. "People were yelling at me, but I couldn't really hear them... I was scared 'cause I didn't know what was going on."
~ The Washington Post, April 27, 1991

Specialists conducted air sample tests around the building, checked the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, and tested for potential fumes from newly installed carpeting, only to discover—nothing at all. Though a conclusion as to the cause of the fainting spells was never definitively reached, their occurrence during construction led many people to attribute the cause to the renovations.

I was a teacher there at the time. I was given a temporary assignment to visually monitor the situation and supposed fainting spells. My son was a sophomore in the school at the time. I had no concern for his health and safety. No faculty member ever fainted and the faculty did not believe there was a problem. Only one male student reported fainting; that was when he was discovered sleeping under a tree while cutting class. Another occurred when a surprise quiz was announced in class. In fairness, students were at the mercy of newspaper sensationalism and rumor for information.
~ John Reid

Despite these events, the renovations were completed, resulting in a new, beautiful school campus.

Homecoming

With the first homecoming occurring in the fall of West Springfield High School’s grand opening and being a huge hit, the excitement and extreme preparation surrounding homecoming was consistent throughout the 1990s. Choosing a theme was a huge part of preparing for each year’s Homecoming. Ranging from themes based on The Great Gatsby to Through the Looking Glass, different graduating classes made floats for their Homecoming parade, voted for members of the coveted-after Homecoming court, and thoroughly searched Kings Park Mall in hopes of finding an appropriate dress or suit.