Loudoun County High School

Loudoun County High School
Address
415 Dry Mill Road, SW
Leesburg, Virginia, 20175
Information
School type Public high school
Founded 1954
School district Loudoun County Public Schools
Superintendent Dr. Eric Wiliams
Principal Michelle Luttrell
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 1,483 (2014)
Language English
Campus Suburban
Color(s) Navy Blue and Gold          
Mascot Raiders
Nickname County
Communities served Woodlea Manor
Leesburg Country Club
Catoctin View
Feeder schools Catoctin Elementary, Evergreen Mill Elementary, Sycolin Creek Elementary, Fredrick Douglass Elementary, Kenneth W. Culbert Elementary, J.L. Simpson Middle School
Rival Schools Heritage High School
Loudoun Valley High School
Tuscarora High School
Athletic Conference Dulles District
Region II
Website http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/lchs

Loudoun County High School is a public secondary school in Leesburg, Virginia. It is located on 415 Dry Mill Road SW in the Town of Leesburg and is part of Loudoun County Public Schools. It currently serves students who live in western and southern Leesburg.

History

The school is the oldest operating high school in Loudoun County which opened in 1954. County has served a mostly rural population, and remained this way especially after Broad Run High School's opening in 1969 took sections in the more suburban eastern half of the county. However, as the growth of Loudoun County hit further west beginning in the 1980s, and because of rapid growth from that time on, most of County's population has become suburban.

After over 45 years of being the sole high school for the central part of the county, in 2000, County sent most of its eastern Leesburg student base to Stone Bridge High School after its student body ballooned to 1,600 students from about 1,200 for most of the 1990s. Two years later, County fed the remainder of its eastern Leesburg student base into Heritage High School. In 2005, a small number of County students were relocated to Freedom High School and Briar Woods High School.[1] In 2010, Tuscarora High School opened up and took County's Lucketts area students.

The mascot for the school, the Raider, was named in honor of Mosby's Raiders. The original school seal depicted the Raider on horseback with a Confederate Battleflag in his hands. This logo was changed in 1980 to the current design in the face of racial criticism over the emblem. However, when the first new gym was built and the logos were painted on the floor, the original design was accidentally used and had to be removed and repainted. Choosing the name "Raiders" rather than "Rangers" is odd since Mosby's 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry was formed under the Partisan Ranger Act.

In 1957 murals that illustrate important events and times in Loudoun County's history were painted in the Auditorium by the Loudoun Sketch Club. Two subsequent murals were created, one in the 1970s, the other in 2004 (commemorating the school's fiftieth year in operation).

Renovations

County has undergone several renovations and expansions since it was opened. The first expansion occurred in 1966, with the addition of a Vocational Education Wing attached to the side of the front portion of the building (Vocational Education has since moved to C.S. Monroe Technology Center). In 1976, a second gym space was added (which is now used as the wrestling room). In 1990, a new science wing and cafeteria were built in the back of the high school, which allowed the old cafeteria to become the new site of the current band and chorus rooms. One large problem with the science wing was that it was located upstairs from the cafeteria, but was unconnected to the rest of the school's second story. In 1996, a new main gymnasium and girls locker rooms were completed. The new gymnasium can carry about 1,300 people, and the old main gym (which could only carry about 500) became the auxiliary gymnasium. Six foundation based trailers were built to replace classrooms that were displaced by the project.

In 1999, additional parking spaces were built around County because of the addition of eight temporary trailers that were placed on a faculty parking lot due to overcrowding; the trailers were moved to Loudoun Valley the next year when Stone Bridge opened. In 2002, two high school seniors set an assistant principal's office on fire, closing school for a week.[2] Because of the fire's damage, the school had to replace its old-fashioned bell system with an electronic one that the other five high schools at that time used. The main office was renovated before the end of the 2001-2002 school year.

In 2005, Loudoun County underwent its most extensive project in school history, an eighteen million dollar endeavor, which included the building of another auxiliary gym to replace the older one. The old auxiliary gymnasium turned into a new library, which used to be on the second floor. The library's area turned into a new section of classrooms, which eliminated the need for the six foundation based trailers. Additional classrooms were built adjacent to the science wing. Aerial walkways were built, connecting the separated second floors. The renovation was completed in late 2006. It is now one of 3 high schools in the Town of Leesburg.

Segregation

County originally opened up as a segregated school for whites. Black students went to Douglass High School. In the 1968-1969 school year, County became fully integrated.[3]

NJROTC

The NJROTC Program at Loudoun County High began in the 2009-2010 school year, after an application for the program was approved.[4] The program draws from the entire county. The program is the first JROTC in Loudoun County, and is currently the newest program in the nation.[4]

Accreditation and test scores

Accreditation

Loudoun County High School is a fully accredited high school based on its overall performance on the Standards of Learning tests in Virginia.

In 1958, The school was evaluated and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

SAT Scores

The average SAT score in 2006 for Loudoun County was a 1,582 (530 in Math; 537 in Critical Reading; 515 in Writing).

Athletics

State championships

References

  1. ↑ "2012-13 Ashburn & Dulles North Area Planning Zones" (PDF). www.lcps.org. Loudoun County Public School. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  2. ↑ Helderman, Rosalind. "Fire Damages Loudoun High School; Building Closed at Least Till Monday; Cause of $350,000 Blaze Under Investigation"
  3. ↑ Thompson, Elaine. "Douglass High School: Legacy of a Changing Era"
  4. 1 2 , additional text.

Coordinates: 39°6′37.89″N 77°34′47.02″W / 39.1105250°N 77.5797278°W / 39.1105250; -77.5797278

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