Both stunned and saddened by last week's tragedy at Virginia Tech, Westfield High held a special rally last Friday on its football field. It was originally scheduled as a pep rally, but Principal Tim Thomas renamed it a "large, family gathering."
And returning for this homecoming, of sorts, were the school's first two principals, Mike Campbell, now heading Centreville High, and Dale Rumberger, now at the helm of South County High.
And ringing the entire field were posters made by the SGA and art students illustrating most of Westfield's accomplishments in the last seven years. These included scholarship money received, National Merit Scholar finalists, student competitions in national championships, sports championships won and teachers-of-the-year honored.
Most of the faculty and students wore the Hokie colors of maroon and orange, and all the students sat on the home side of the field. Directly across from them, in the opposite stands, on the 50-yard line, was a huge sign saying, "We'll miss Reema and Erin," in honor of slain Westfield grads Reema Samaha and Erin Peterson.
Thomas welcomed the crowd, Rumberger asked for a moment of silence and then the Bulldog band played. Rumberger and Campbell both spoke, as did some Centreville students.
"The proudest moment and the one most touching for me was when a Centreville student presented Westfield with a drawing of a bulldog with tears in his eyes and a wildcat [representing Centreville] with his hand on the bulldog's shoulder," said Campbell. "It said, 'Today we're all bulldogs' and was drawn by Centreville art teacher Kris Killinger."
Despite any criticism of the school that may come because the Virginia Tech villain also came from Westfield, Thomas said the school will rise above it. Saying bulldogs are loyal and Westfield is a family, he told the students, "Make us proud."
Samaha and Peterson were recognized with long, standing ovations. Then everyone went to the buses, and all the Westfield faculty and staff members lined the sidewalk in front of the school and waved goodbye as the students left for home. As they waved, they chanted, "We are Westfield!"
<tgl> — Bonnie Hobbs