Mount Vernon High School (Alexandria, Virginia)

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For other schools named "Mount Vernon High School", see Mount Vernon High School (disambiguation).
Mount Vernon High School
250px
Esse Non Videri
To be, not to seem to be
Address
8515 Old Mount Vernon Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22309
USA
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Information
School type Public, high school
Founded 1939, 1974 (relocated)[1]
School district Fairfax County Public Schools
Principal Esther Manns
Staff 245
Grades 9 – 12
Enrollment 1,918 (2015)
Language English
Campus Suburban
Color(s) Maroon and gray ██
Mascot Majors
Newspaper EmVeHi
Feeder schools Walt Whitman Middle School
Rival schools
Athletic conferences
Website fcps.edu/MtVernonHS
File:MVHS - Virginia.jpg
Mount Vernon High School building

Mount Vernon High School is a public high school in the Fairfax County Public Schools system located in Mount Vernon, Virginia.

History

Originally constructed to take the place of the Lee-Jackson High School, Mount Vernon High school first opened in November 1939.[2][3] With the opening of the school, Lee-Jackson principal G. Claude Cox moved to Mount Vernon, becoming the school's first principal, and Lee-Jackson became an elementary school.[4]

In 1945, Principal Cox resigned to become principal of Wythe High School in Wytheville, Virginia, and Lee-Jackson principal Melvin B. Landes moved to Mount Vernon to begin a nearly thirty year tenure there.[4][5]

The school's current location was built in 1961 as Walt Whitman Intermediate School. In 1973, Mount Vernon and Whitman swapped facilities, and the former intermediate school was enlarged to serve its new role as a high school. The original Mount Vernon High School continued to operate as the Walt Whitman Intermediate School until 1985, when Whitman was moved to the former Stephen Foster Intermediate School.[6]

Also in 1973, Principal Melvin Landes retired, and Thomas G. Hyer took over as Principal.[5]

Following the departure of Eric Brent to become principal at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, Nardos King became the principal of MVHS in 2006.[7]

After nine years as principal, Nardos King resigned in 2015 to take a position as Assistant Superintendent of High Schools with the Baltimore County Public Schools system. Assistant Principal Esther Manns became the interim principal of MVHS in September 2015.[8]

The original Mount Vernon High School is still standing on Richmond Highway, now a school for Islamic students, the Islamic Saudi Academy, which moved to the facility in 1989.[9]

Academic achievement

Students with individual needs are accommodated through special education programs, including English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) program, and advanced placement and International Baccalaureate programs. Mount Vernon is an accredited, with warning high school based on the failure to pass the mathematics portion of Standards of Learning tests in Virginia.[10] The average SAT score in 2013 for Mount Vernon was a 1417 (479 in Critical Reading, 474 in Math, and 464 in Writing).[11]

Demographics

For the 2014-15 school year, Mount Vernon High School's student body was 37.80% Hispanic, 29.56% Black, 20.91% White, 6.36% Asian and 5.37% Other.[12]

School nickname

The school takes its name from George Washington's estate, Mount Vernon, and is located a mile and a half from the historic site. The nickname is a reference to George Washington and his "beloved" half-brother, Lawrence Washington, who both served as Adjunct of Virginia Colony. This position came with the rank of "Major" and included a distinctive red uniform. The school colors are maroon and gray.

Athletics

School athletic programs feature fall, winter and spring sports, including cheerleading, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling, baseball, crew, lacrosse, softball, soccer, tennis, track and intramural sports.

In Mount Vernon's history, it has garnered five AAA State Championship titles. They won their first title in 1979, in basketball, their second in 1983, for football, their third in 2008 for the swim & dive team, and a fourth in 2013, for soccer, as well as one for wrestling.

Theater

Mount Vernon's "Little Theater," officially named "The Andrew Lee Pauley Theater," was dedicated to an English and Drama teacher who retired from the school in 1986. The Little Theater can hold a capacity of more than 500 students.

It is home to many plays, school events, and speeches. Notable events include "Mr. Mount Vernon" and "Miss Personality," model shows that are held annually. Another notable event, named "The Poetry Expo," was created in 2008 by an English teacher named Melinda Bloomquist, to express her love for poetry. It is held annually in April.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.This reference incorrectly states that Landes was principal of Lee-Jackson Elementary School in Mathews, Virginia. Landes was principal of Lee-Jackson Elementary in Alexandria.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Photo Gallery: Tony Perkins!
  16. ↑ [1]
  17. ↑ Bowl Championship Series - Cunningham, Ed
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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