Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School, commonly known as W.T. Woodson High School or simply Woodson, is a high school located in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the east end of the city of Fairfax, opposite the shopping center on Main Street.
The school opened in 1962 and was once the largest school in the state. It is named for W. T. Woodson, who served as Fairfax County School Superintendent from 1929 to 1961. As of 2016, the student population was roughly 2,400. Woodson has the largest campus in Fairfax County in size of area, and also houses Woodson Adult High School, a separate education facility run by FCPS that allows adults to earn their GEDs and HS diplomas. It was ranked #74 on Newsweek's Top 1000 U.S. High Schools in 2008.
Following the retirement of Jeff Yost, Dan Meier, the former principal of Robinson Secondary School, took over as interim principal for most of the 2014-2015 school year. The current principal as of October, 2017 is Dr. Carlyn Floyd.
Video Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School
Demographics
For the 2016-2017 school year, Woodson High School's student body was 53.1% White non-Hispanic, 23.95% Asian, 11.7% Hispanic, 5.12% Black, and 6.12% "Other."
Maps Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School
Principals
- Emory Chelsey 1962-1965
- Robert Phipps 1965-1968
- William P. Ladson 1968-1972
- Robert Phipps 1972-1981
- James Wilson 1981-1986
- Charles E. "Chuck" Billak 1986-1991
- Gary Miller 1991-1999
- Robert Elliot 1999-2007
- Jeff Yost 2007-2014
- Dan Meier 2014-2015 ( interim principal)
- Scott F. Poole 2015-2017
- Carlyn Floyd 2017-current
Renovation
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 addition 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.
Publications
The Cavalcade is the school newspaper. The Cavalier, Woodson's yearbook, is a AAA publication.
Communities served by Woodson
Several unincorporated areas, such as Mantua, Olde Creek, Canterbury Woods, Truro, Rutherford (http://rutherfordcommunity.com/), Long Branch, 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 among the 65-75 people playing basketball in the school gymnasium. The students did a split shift with Oakton High School to finish out the school year. Graduation ceremonies were held on their home football field.
- A second tornado spawned by the remains of Hurricane David severely damaged the school's stadium on September 5, 1979, causing an estimated $45,000 in damage.
- 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.
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) an American actor best known for his role on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as Jason Lee Scott, the Original Red Power Ranger.
- Tommy Amaker, point guard for Duke University (1983-1987) and men's basketball coach for Seton Hall (1997-2001), the University of Michigan (2001-2007) and Harvard University (2007-present)
- Catherine Coleman, astronaut
- Andy Heck, pro-football player (1989-2002), currently the offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs football team
- Joe Easley, former Dismemberment Plan drummer
- 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
- Matt Abts, drummer for the band Gov't Mule
- Tommy Steenberg, U.S. Figure Skater
- Rae Amitay, professional drummer/educator and vocalist for Immortal Bird
- 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 FC Cincinnati
- Thomas J. Perrelli, Associate Attorney General of the United States
- Clarence Goodson, member of the United States National Soccer Team
- Jennifer Wilson, opera singer
- Dave Aitel, CTO and Founder of Immunity, Inc.
- Robert F. Godec, U.S. ambassador to Tunisia and Kenya
- Jessica Rogers, Founder of iSACRA, American wheelchair racer, basketballer, and swimmer
- Michael P. Mullin, Virginia House of Delegates Representative for the 93rd District.
References
External links
- Home page
- Who is Wilbert Tucker Woodson?
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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