Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School

Wu Tang Woodson High School
File:WoodsonHS.jpg
Address
9525 Main Street Fairfax , Virginia 22031
Information
School type	Public, high school
Founded	1962
School district	Fairfax County Public Schools
Principal	Jeff Yost
Staff	approximately 260
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2,064 (2008)
Language	English
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Navy blue, red, and white ███
Mascot	Bruins
Feeder schools	Frost Middle School
Rival schools	Fairfax High School Oakton High School Lake Braddock Secondary School Robinson Secondary School Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Athletic conferences	Patriot District Northern Region
Website	http://www.fcps.edu/woodsonhs

Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School, commonly known as W.T. Woodson High School, is a high school located in Fairfax County, Virginia, east of the city of Fairfax.

The school opened in 1962 and once was the largest school in the state. As of 2008 the student population is around 2,100. Woodson has the biggest campus in Fairfax county in size of area, and also houses Woodson Adult High School, a program designed to allow adults to earn their GEDs. It was ranked #74 on Newsweek's Top 1000 U.S. High Schools in 2008. The school is named after Wilbert Tucker Woodson, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools from 1929 to 1961.

Robert Elliott, the school's principal, retired in late November 2007. The new principal is Jeff Yost, former assistant principal.

Academics and statistics

Woodson High School is a fully accredited high school based Standards of Learning tests in Virginia. The average SAT score in 2007 for Woodson High School was 1,741.

VDOE accreditation summary

The following table shows the passing rates of all Woodson students in their respective years and academic subjects, as determined by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

Subject Area	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
English	97	95	98
History	95	95	99
Mathematics	93	91	94
Science	92	91	96

SOL test scores

SOL Passing Rates by Year and Subject

Subject	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
English
English: Reading	98.3	98.3	98.7
English: Reading/Literature And Research	86.8	NA	NA
English: Writing	95.3	96.3	98.9
Social Studies
Virginia And United States History (2001 Standards)	97.6	97.4	97.6
World History / Geography II	94.9	98.0	97.7
World History And Geography I	95.1	96.4	97.0
Mathematics
Algebra I	94.7	94.3	97.8
Algebra I (Plain English) (2001 Standards)	NA	TS	83.3
Algebra II (2001 Revised)	90.5	93.2	95.4
Algebra II (2001 Standards)	63.0	NA	NA
Geometry (2001 Standards)	93.6	93.2	93.5
Science
Biology	92.1	93.0	95.2
Chemistry	89.9	93.9	94.7
Earth Science	94.9	88.1	89.0

Demographics

Woodson High School's student body is 63.03% White, 3.20% Black, 6.30% Hispanic, 22.09% Asian, and 5.38% Other for the 2008-2009 school year.

Principals

Mr. Emory Chelsey 1962-1965
Mr. Robert Phipps 1965-1968
Mr. William P. Ladson 1968-1972
Mr. Robert Phipps 1972-1981
Dr. James Wilson 1981-1986
Mr. Charles E. "Chuck" Billak 1986-1991
Dr. Gary Miller 1991-1999
Mr. Robert Elliot 1999-2007
Mr. Jeff Yost 2007-

Renovation

File:Woodson5.jpg

Renovations at Woodson

Woodson began the process of renovating all of its facilities in 2005 and adding several classrooms. The project was paid for in bonds that were established in 2003 by a voter referendum. The issue of whether to renovate had been debated for several years before the plan was approved. Woodson was one of the oldest schools in Fairfax County Public Schools, as the main facilities (plumbing, heating/cooling, floors, electrical) were still fundamentally the same as they were when the structure was built. The renovations nearly doubled the square footage of the school.

The project was completed in 2009. The renovation consisted of complete renovation to all existing interior spaces, as well as adding to the performing arts and athletic wings, creating a new administration wing with a new front entrance, highlighted by a large tower and the additon of a new science classroom wing and two student drop off areas.

Activities, groups, and programs

Woodson's mascot is a Cavalier and the sports teams play in the AAA Patriot District and the Northern Region. In 1976, the Washington Diplomats of the North American Soccer League used the school's stadium as their home field.

Sports department

The girl's field hockey team defeated Princess Anne High School in the state finals in 2004, and the girl's lacrosse team won states in both 2004 and 2005. Both the Girl's Tennis team and the Girl's Lacrosse teams came in second place in the state in the 2006-2007 school year. The school's competitive fall Varsity Cheerleading team took 1st in their invitational, as well as 3rd in their district in the 2007-2008 school year. The team also moved on to Regionals.

In 2005 the men's varsity soccer team under the captains Jack Wolfe, Michael Lahoud, and Sean McCarthy reached the state finals but lost in additional overtime. They were, however, able to perform a herculean feat by dominating Robinson High School in 2000 to capture the coveted Virginia State Soccer Title. Several players went on to play at the next level including Michael Lahoud who went on to win a national championship in 2008 with Wake Forest. Lahoud was picked 9th overall in the 2009 Major League Soccer SuperDraft by the soccer club Chivas USA.

Performing arts department

Woodson features a Band, Choral, and Orchestral Departments. In its band program, there are three different leveled ensembles, as well as a Marching Band that performs in the fall and a Jazz Band that plays during the winter. The current director is Melinda McKenzie Hall. The band received the prestigious Sudler Flag of Honor in 1995, and has been named a Virginia Honor Band 16 times.

The Choral program features two Women's Ensembles and two Men's Ensembles, as well as a Chorale and a Select Vocal Ensemble, which has performed at the Kennedy Center. The choral department is the largest in the state of Virginia, with over 300 members each year since 2006. The current director is Michael Ehrlich. He celebrated his 20th anniversary of teaching choir at Woodson in 2008.

The Orchestra Department features two different leveled ensembles, advanced and intermediate.

In 2009, Woodson will be adding a Guitar class with three different levels of skill. The class will be taught by the Orchestra teacher, Mrs. Simms.

Academic clubs

The school's Model UN club won the Best Small School cup at the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference in 2006. In 2009 Woodson MUN earned the Honorable Small School Award at the Ivy League Model United Nations and the Outstanding Large School Award at Mid-Atlantic Simulation of United Nations. In 2008, Woodson beat Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in the District It's Academic competition, the first time Jefferson has lost in over five years. In the 2008-2009 season, the Woodson team, led by Luke Nicastro, Quan Do, and Tim Planert, made it to the semifinal round in the It's Academic television show, the furthest the school has ever gotten in its history. Woodson was the only team from Virginia to make it to the semifinal round.

Communities served by Woodson

Several unincorporated areas, such as Mantua, and Wakefield Forest are served by Woodson.

Woodson in the news

• On April 1, 1973, a strong tornado struck Woodson High School and ripped off the roof. It was hit on a Sunday and no injuries were reported.
• In 2004, Newsweek rated Woodson as the 22nd best high school in the United States according to the Challenge Index system developed by The Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews. In 2005, the school placed 34th; in 2006, it placed 92nd; and in 2007 the school was ranked 65th in the United States.
• In 2008 Woodson was ranked the 90th best public high school in America by the U.S. News & World Report, the first time Woodson has made the list.

History

The W. T. Woodson High School opened its doors to students for the first time in the fall of 1962, it was not only the largest school in Fairfax County, but it was also the largest in the state of Virginia. The Woodson campus consists of a seventy-nine acre tract of land that was an operating dairy farm until the school was built. The size of the site was, and remains, the largest school campus in Fairfax County. Two farm buildings remain, the white house known as "Woodson House" and the one-time dairy barn still used by the county maintenance department.

The original cost of building W. T. Woodson was $3,300,000, a bargain by today’s standards. A unique feature of the new high school was a full planetarium of both the northern and southern hemispheres. Students from elementary and middle schools continue to visit the Woodson planetarium as part of their science curriculum. A vocational wing housed a program drawing students from all over the county for classes in auto mechanics, cosmetology, carpentry, veterinary science, and electricity. The vocational programs were gradually phased out over the years and students interested in such classes now attend Chantilly Academy, a professional technical center located at Chantilly High School. The original athletic facilities included two softball fields, a practice field, two baseball fields, a hockey field, a 5,000-seat stadium, and ten tennis courts. Added to over the years, the stadium now seats 15,000.

The budget for the new school did not include money for stadium lighting. The entire community joined in a fund-raising plan called "The Light Brigade." Local businesses contributed so generously that for at least fifteen years Woodson school activities did not solicit funds from the Fairfax business establishment. Patrick J. Cunningham, the first Director of Athletics at WTW, led this massive fund-generating campaign. Within a year, the stadium was lighted. The stadium is now named the Patrick J. Cunningham Stadium. In 1962, the main gymnasium was considered huge with a capacity to seat 1,400. In addition to the main gym, there was an auxiliary gym then called "The Girl's Gym," and a "corrective exercise gym." During the 1998-99 school year, the gymnasium was named in honor of Paul "Red" Jenkins, a health and physical education teacher who coached basketball at WTW for thirty-five years. The auditorium, the largest in Northern Virginia at that time, had a capacity for 1,200. The auditorium is now called Bedinger Auditorium for long-time drama teacher Joan Bedinger. The W. T. Woodson High School originally opened its doors to 1,800 Cavaliers. By the 1965-66 school year, enrollment reached 3,300, including 150 minority students brought to Woodson as a result of the integration of schools.

The W. T. Woodson High School was named for Mr. Wilbert Tucker Woodson, superintendent of Fairfax County Schools from 1929 to 1961. Naming the school after Mr. Woodson broke a school board rule which prohibited the naming of a school for a living person. The board made an exception for Mr. Woodson, and, when he was told the new school was to be named after him, Mr. Woodson replied, "I appreciate the honor very much, but I think you made a mistake. I still think the old policy was good." Until just a few months before his death in 1983, Mr. Woodson was a frequent and honored guest at Woodson activities and he continued to make his influence felt in the school that so proudly bears his name. Making sure the proper name, "The W. T. Woodson High School," was used took a major effort. Any faculty member referring to the school name without including the "The" was assessed a twenty-five cent fine which went to "The Light Brigade."

The first principal of Woodson High School was Mr. Emory Chelsey. Mr. Chesley handpicked the faculty for Woodson, luring away from other Fairfax County schools some of their most talented teachers. He sought diversity, ability, and strength of character. Not only did Mr. Chesley recruit Fairfax County teachers, he also hired teachers who had been teaching at places such as Duke University, the University of South Carolina, and Johns Hopkins University, in addition to a number of retiring military officers. With his dedicated Cavalier staff and enthusiastic students, Mr. Chelsey established a school tradition of academic excellence, competitive spirit, and school pride that still exists today.

After just one year, Woodson grew by 1,000 students, and, in 1964, Mr. Chelsey proudly held the first commencement exercises for Woodson students in the stadium. In 1965, Mr. Chelsey left Woodson and the assistant principal for instruction, Mr. Robert Phipps, assumed the role of principal. He held this position until his promotion to Assistant Superintendent of Schools in 1968. At that time, Woodson’s third principal, Mr. William P. Ladson, took command. Mr. Phipps returned to the principal’s position at Woodson in 1972 and remained there until his retirement in 1981.

Many may remember "Hall Duty" from the early years when a group of boys, known as "The Cavalier Corps," maintained order in the halls. Chosen for their leadership ability and their reputation for high character, the boys wore blue Cavalier sweaters as they kept order in the hallways. Others may remember the lunch shifts beginning with a member of the Student Government ringing a chime to signal the students to stand to repeat in unison an ecumenical grace. Those days are long gone and a loud bell now signals the beginning of the three lunch shifts. Grace is no longer part of the Woodson day, but the 1998-99 school year brought the return of the Pledge of Allegiance, now said at the beginning of morning announcements.

The 1960’s saw a dramatic change in the student body at Woodson. As the population rose, so did the hemlines. Mini-skirts came into fashion, as did longer hair on the boys. This caused quite a stir in the school community as questions arose over just how short was "too short" and how long was "too long." The faculty had to deal with girls with shrinking skirts and boys with hair beyond collars. Parent and teacher groups met to make a decision about whether to allow boys to wear collarless shirts called "surfer shirts." The dress code mandated that boys wear shirts with collars that were tucked into trousers worn with a belt. Girls were required to wear dresses or skirts - no slacks. One athletic highlight of the 60’s was Woodson’s championship basketball team, which made it all the way to the state semi-finals in 1966. The community united with students and faculty groups in 1963-64 to oppose the building of the Tank Farm that now exists on Pickett Road.

An increasing interest in the world’s ecology in the 1970’s brought the celebration of Earth Day to Woodson. For a number of years, each April, students were released from class to view and participate in varied ecology-oriented activities. However, an Earth Day celebration was not to be the most memorable event of the decade. On April 1, 1973, at about 3:00 p.m., a disastrous tornado struck the school and surrounding area. Fortunately, the incident occurred on a Sunday afternoon when there were no students in the building. The tornado caused such extensive damage that, for the remainder of the year, Cavaliers attended classes at Oakton High School. Oakton students attended morning classes and Woodson students used the building in the afternoon. Round-the-clock work crews completed repairs and The W. T. Woodson High School re-opened in the fall of 1973. Woodson, which sits in what is known as "Tornado Alley," was hit by another tornado several years later. Today, students are often reminded of Woodson's tornado history and take their twice-yearly tornado drills quite seriously.

The Bicentennial year in 1976 brought a sense of patriotism to the Woodson community. Throughout the year, various activities highlighted the national celebration. The 1970’s also brought a new championship team to Woodson’s roster, the nationally prominent W. T Woodson Latin Team under the sponsorship of Mrs. Maureen O’Donnell. Mrs. O’Donnell would bring further recognition to Woodson in 1980 when she was selected as Teacher of the Year for the state of Virginia and awarded an honorary doctorate from Yale University.

With Mr. Phipp’s retirement in 1981, Dr. James Wilson became principal. Dr. Wilson oversaw the renovation of the school which modernized the library and added the business wing. Under Dr. Wilson’s leadership, the focus toward academic excellence grew, as students became increasingly competitive in many areas. Woodson welcomed the addition of GT and AP classes to its curriculum and Woodson’s academic profile intensified. The results were reflected in 1984 when Woodson’s "It’s Academic" team made it to the All-Met finals and the math and English teams each took first place in the Superintendent’s Academic Competition. In the early 1980s WTW actually ranked first in the area due to its number of National Merit Scholars and outstanding test scores. Outside of class, Woodson students adopted the "Preppie" look in fashion so popular in the 80’s.

Charles E. "Chuck" Billak, who had been a biology teacher, WTW's first football coach, and an administrator, became principal in 1986. He led the school until his retirement in 1991. Mr. Billak was followed by Dr. Gary Miller. Under his direction, Woodson saw the development of the Student Leadership class during the 1990s. Dr. Miller was a familiar face in Leadership as he co-taught the class. The annual highlight of this group was the summer retreat to set goals for the new school year. This decade also brought air-conditioning to WTW and the addition of the "block schedule" with ninety-minute classes that meet every other day.

Since its beginning, Woodson has had a strong tradition of student activities. In the 1980s, Woodson was ranked first and received the Washington Post Athletic All-Around (all sports) Award. Fall football games are still held on Friday nights and are well attended by students, parents, and community members. The highlight of each fall is Homecoming Week. Activities take place each day with evening activities such as a bonfire and Powder Puff game. Each class builds a float and Saturday morning brings the traditional parade through the Woodson community followed by the carnival, football game, and Homecoming dance. Many alumni members plan their visits home to coincide with Homecoming. Athletics continues to be a part of the "Woodson Way" and in 1999, both the girls' and boys' lacrosse teams won state championships.

Music has also had a strong tradition at WTW. During the 1960’s, the music department presented a mammoth production each February known as the "Extravaganza." This tradition continues with the choral event, "Dessert on Broadway." The Cavalier Band, always an impressive organization, has won top honors in national competitions. The orchestra performs at many school events and is renown for its talented musicians. The spring musical, originally called the "Senior Play," has always been a major part of student life at Woodson. The choral group traveled to Vienna and Paris this past summer and students actually performed at Notre Dame.

In addition to the many good and contributing citizens that Woodson has produced, some graduates have gone on to incredible accomplishments. They include Andy Heck, a pro-football player, now with the Redskins; Tommy Amaker, an All-American basketball player at Duke who now coaches at Seton Hall University; and Michael Weiss, U. S. skating and Olympic champion. Lynn Herring has played Lucy Coe on television's soap opera "General Hospital" for many years and Tommy Perelli is an assistant to Janet Reno, the Attorney General, at the Justice Department. Cady Coleman, astronaut, recently returned to Woodson to share with students a video of her July 1999 space shuttle mission. Many WTW graduates probably remember Mrs. Ruth Opp, chemistry teacher. At the age of 87, Mrs. Opp now lives in a retirement home and returned to Woodson for an emotional reunion with Cady, one of her students from the 1970s. Mrs. Opp's words of wisdom for the current student body were to "Think positively and you can do anything." Graduate Maribeth Luftglass is now an assistant superintendent with the county incharge of information technology.

As The W. T. Woodson High School begins the new millennium, it does so with some changes. Robert Elliott replaced Dr. Miller as principal in 1999. In 1999-2000, the parents worked to raise funds for technology as part of a matching gift campaign funded by Texaco. The total technology effort includes a state of the art video conferencing laboratory, as well as other technological innovations.

Woodson's vision continues to look toward academic excellence. Woodson is now home to a center for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and a center for students with emotional disabilities. The building is one of the most used in Fairfax County, as it houses both Adult Education and Night School. There is more diversity in the student population, now over 1,700. Prom is still held before graduation, but now only a few days before. Graduation itself is no longer held in the stadium, but in the field house at Robinson Secondary School, and there is the "Cavalier Cruise," an all-night graduation celebration. Soon, the campus itself will change with the building of a new wing for the Woodson Center which serves students with emotional disabilities. Students continue to earn remarkable honors in all endeavors, winning four state athletic titles in 1998-1999 and 1999-2000, grand prizes at the county Science Fair, and numerous scholarships.

But for all of these changes, there are still some things that remain the same. The W. T. Woodson High School continues to be a spectacular school known for its great scholars, musicians, and athletes. Alumni who return to the Woodson campus often remark that things "look the same," as staff members and students continue to follow the outstanding tradition of the "Woodson Way

Notable alumni

• Michael Weiss, U. S. skating and Olympic champion.
• Christopher McCandless, Alaskan traveler; subject of the nonfiction work Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and subsequent film.
• Austin St. John, (Born September 17, 1975) is an American actor best known for his role on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as Jason Lee Scott, the Original Red Power Ranger.
• Steve DiAntonio, CEO Color Me Beautiful, CNN/Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
• Tommy Amaker, men's basketball coach for the University of Michigan (2001 - March 17, 2007) and Harvard University (2007 - present)
• Catherine Coleman, astronaut
• Andy Heck, pro-football player (1989 - 2002), currently the tight ends coach for the University of Virginia's football team
• Joe Easley, former Dismemberment Plan drummer
• Giti Khalsa, Percussion for the band Seven Mary Three
• Terry Clark, Guitar for the band Carbon Leaf
• Kevin Harrison, Director and writer of the Hollywood movie "First Descent"
• Abe Thompson, professional soccer player, all-time leader scorer at the University of Maryland, College Park with 112 points, currently plays with Kansas City Wizards of MLS
• Denny (Denise) Dowse, television actress
• Matt Abts, drummer for the band Gov't Mule
• Jaclyn (Raveia) Schmitt, former professional soccer player, WUSA North Carolina Courage and New York Power, First female soccer player to be inducted to the University of Richmond's sports hall of fame
• JP Lacy, noted college debate coach
• Tommy Steenberg, U.S. Figure Skater
• Bob Cesca, columnist/blogger for The Huffington Post; creator of anime series Kung Fu Jimmy Chow and web cartoon Napster Bad
• Steve Marino, Professional golfer
• Michael Lahoud, professional soccer player for Chivas USA
• Thomas J. Perrelli, Associate Attorney General of the United States
• Clarence Goodson, member of the United States National Soccer Team

External links

• Home page