Stafford Senior High School

Stafford High School
Address
63 Stafford Indian Lane
Falmouth, Virginia, 22405
United States
Coordinates 38°21′42″N 77°27′50″W / 38.36167°N 77.46389°W / 38.36167; -77.46389Coordinates: 38°21′42″N 77°27′50″W / 38.36167°N 77.46389°W / 38.36167; -77.46389
Information
Type Public High School
Established 1972
School district Stafford County Public Schools
Superintendent W. Bruce Benson
Principal Joseph Lewis
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 2,000
School colour(s)          Royal Blue and Gold
Fight song Across the Field
Athletics conference Virginia High School League
AAA Northwest Region
AAA Commonwealth District
Mascot Indians
Rival North Stafford High School
Newspaper The Smoke Signal
Yearbook Indian Legend
Feeder schools Edward E. Drew Jr., Middle School (Majority)
Dixon-Smith Middle School (Majority)
T. Benton Gayle Middle School (Minority)
Website stafford.high.schoolfusion.us

Stafford Senior High School (often mistakenly called South Stafford High School, colloquially known as "Stafford High School") is a public secondary school located in Falmouth, Virginia, just north of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Stafford is a comprehensive secondary school for students in grades 9 through 12. It serves students in the southern portion of Stafford County, Virginia.

Across the pond at Stafford High School

The first Stafford High School opened in 1926. The school was located near the Stafford County Courthouse in what is now part of the Alvin York Bandy Administrative Complex. In 1952 Stafford High School and Falmouth High School merged in to one school. Prior to the merge, the mascots for the respective schools were the "Pioneers" and the "Indians." While Stafford High School was retained as the official name for the school, the mascot chosen was the "Indians." The combined school was located in what is now Edward E. Drew, Jr. Middle School. It was the only Stafford County high school from 1952 until 1981, when North Stafford High School was opened. In 1975, Stafford High School moved to 33 Stafford Indian Lane.[1] This building was built with an experimental open concept design and thus had no windows and open classrooms that later had to be divided up with thin walls to make individual classrooms. A new building began construction in June 2013 just behind the existing school. The new Stafford High School opened to students on September 14, 2015, a week later than the rest of the county schools. This delayed start was due to the failure of the construction company to substantially complete the school on time. With the move to the new school, the address was changed from 33 to 63 Stafford Indian Lane.

In 2005, the Native American mascot controversy prompted the National Education Association to recommend schools with Native American-based mascots change their team names. Stafford High School’s administration considered a name change until meeting with the local Patawomeck tribe, for whom the mascot was named. Tribal leaders overwhelmingly supported keeping the team name “Indians,” but were unhappy with the mascot's historical inaccuracy. The original mascot featured a full-feathered headdress more common to the Plains Idians than to the ancestral Patawomeck tribes native to the Stafford area. Stafford High School art teacher Nick Candela drafted the artwork for the new mascot and obtained support and approval from Tribal leaders and various school organizations.[2] The new mascot was unveiled in late 2014 and is now prominently featured on the school's website.

Athletics

Stafford High fields varsity teams in 14 different sports as a member of the AAA Commonwealth District and Northwest Region of the Virginia High School League.

State Champions

Commonwealth Governor's School

Stafford High serves as one of the five base schools for the Commonwealth Governor's School. Students from both Stafford and King George High School attend half day classes which include all the highest level courses available in literature, mathematics, science, and history. These classes are all weighted: honors, AP, and DE. Culminating, is a four-year research project on a topic of choice, similar to a college thesis.[4]

Governor's STEM Academy

Stafford High also serves as one of three locations (with Brooke Point High School and North Stafford High School) supporting the Stafford Academy for Technology (STAT), a program which focuses on information technology, mathematics, and engineering.

Goals of the STAT program include incorporating workplace experiences, implementating industry assessments, providing hands-on learning experiences, aligning curriculum to emerging job opportunities, and maintaining a strong partnership network, such as the Dual Enrollment agreement the program maintains with Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).[5]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ Executive Summary, Stafford Senior High School, Stafford County Public Schools. AdvancED. 19 February 2013.
  2. ↑ Amy Flowers Umble (27 March 2014). "Stafford High gets real with Indian mascot". The Freelance Star. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "VHSL Record Book 2006-2007" (PDF). Virginia High School League. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-09. Retrieved 2006-11-01.
  4. ↑ "Prospective Student Overview". Commonwealth Governor's School.
  5. ↑ "STAT Overview". VDOE.
  6. ↑ "Mark Edward Lenzi Obituary". Shannon Herald. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Jeff Rouse (USA) Honor Swimmer". International Swimming Hall of Fame. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Jessica Player in Fredericksburg, Virginia (VA)
  9. ↑ Broman, Ben. "2011 NFL Draft: Maryland WR Torrey Smith Drafted by Baltimore in Second Round". Testudo Times. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
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