Centreville High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)

Centreville High School (CVHS) is a public high school located in unincorporated southwestern Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, north of the town of Clifton and east of the Centreville CDP.[2] Having opened in 1988 to serve the rapidly growing population of the Clifton/Centreville region, CVHS is the top of the Centreville High School Pyramid in Region 4 of the Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) system. In 2010 the school was ranked as the 4th best high school in Fairfax County, and the 18th best high school out of 172 schools rated in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.[3] On a national level, in 2010 CVHS was ranked as the 130th best of all high schools in the United States.[4]

Centreville High School
Address
6001 Union Mill Road

Clifton
,
Virginia
20124

United States
Information
School typePublic, high school
MottoStrive for Perfection, Settle for Excellence
FoundedFebruary 29, 1988 (1988-02-29)
School districtFairfax County Public Schools
SuperintendentDr. Michelle Reid
PrincipalMr. Chad R. Lehmam
Staff247
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,535 (2016-17)[1]
LanguageEnglish
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Carolina blue, black, and silver      
Athletics conferenceConcorde District
Northern Region
MascotWildcat
RivalChantilly High School
Westfield High School
Feeder schoolsLiberty Middle School
Rocky Run Middle School
Websitehttp://www.fcps.edu/CentrevilleHS
Centreville High School

Centreville High School currently enrolls approximately 2700 students in grades 9–12. The school's students work with over 200 faculty and staff members, with the population divided between five sub-schools. The school colors are Columbia blue, black, and silver. The school is within the Clifton, Virginia zip code jurisdiction, but its physical location is closer to the unincorporated community of Centreville. Residents in the town of Clifton attend Robinson Secondary School east of Centreville.

History

In the early 1980s construction of an intermediate school serving grades 7 and 8 was proposed for Braddock Park to deal with the westward population shift in the county.[5] Funds for the construction of the proposed Braddock Park Intermediate School were included as part of the $57.2 million school bond issue approved by a voter referendum on November 3, 1981, with the intent of the school opening in 1984.[6]

However, fluctuating enrollment figures led the Fairfax County School Board to consider delaying construction of Braddock Park Intermediate school for a 1988 opening before finally voting on January 13, 1983, on a compromise that would see the school open in 1986.[7][8]

By April 1984, Superintendent William J. Burkholder was recommending that a high school should be constructed instead of an intermediate school. Burkholder's plan was that the school would open as an intermediate school in 1988, and gradually transition to becoming a high school.[9] This change required the addition of 10 acres to the 25-acre school site to comply with state high school property requirements.[10]

$43.2 million of the $74.87 million school bond issue approved by a voter referendum on November 6, 1984, was earmarked for construction of what was then called Braddock Park High School, as well as several elementary schools.[11]

In 1986, the $22.6 million contract for construction of the school was awarded to A.S. McGaughan Company. Construction of the school was temporarily shut down in August 1987 following the discovery of cancer-causing mineral asbestos in the soil.[12] Despite early reports that the asbestos was not dangerous, it was later discovered that a large amount of the soil in Western Fairfax County is contaminated with fibrous asbestos.[13]

In March 1988, the Fairfax County School Board set the enrollment area for the new school, based on the plan of Springfield district board member Anthony Cardinale following controversy over the plan submitted by Superintendent Robert R. Spillane.[14]

The school board voted to name the new high school Centreville High School at its May 12, 1988 meeting, rejecting the Braddock Park name as a source of potential confusion with Lake Braddock Secondary School, although the chosen name was also the source of controversy due to Centreville being the poorer of the two communities (the other being wealthy Clifton) served by the new high school, with a reputation of being "a redneck burg".[15][16]

Despite the controversy, it was as Centreville High School that the new school opened in the Fall of 1988 with a class of slightly over 1000 seventh through tenth graders.[17] Over the next few years, the seventh and eighth grades were phased out and Centreville finally had a complement of ninth through twelfth grades.

Administration

The principal of Centreville High School is Chad Lehman. Before being appointed in January 2019, Lehman was the principal of Luther Jackson Middle School.[18] Centreville High School has students assigned alphabetically to one of five sub-schools for administration and school counseling purposes. Assistant principals Angela Florio (Blue Ridge), Mike Parker (Shenandoah), Tracy Bromberg (Chesapeake), Alexis Wenzel (Commonwealth), and Sarah Lutes (Dominion) each administer one of the sub-schools and oversee a portion of the student body. In addition, the assistant principals act as administrators of the various academic departments in Centreville High School.

Principals of Centreville High School:

  • William E. Trussel, Jr. (1987-1993)
  • Pamela Latt (1993-2004) (died 2022)
  • Peter Noonan (2004-2006)
  • Michael Campbell (2006-2012)
  • Martin E. Grimm (2012-2014)
  • David E. Jagels (2015-2018)
  • Chad R. Lehman (2019–present)

Demographics

The CVHS population includes students who were born in 84 different countries.

In the 2015–16 school year, Centreville High School's student body was 37.56% White, 32.36% Asian, 17.36% Hispanic, 8.82% Black and 3.90% Other.[19]

In her column from September 10, 2010—the day before the 9th anniversary of 9/11—Washington Post columnist Petula Dvorak highlighted Centreville's diversity, referring to it as an example of how racial and ethnic tolerance should be celebrated.[20]

Theatre Centreville

Centreville's theatre program, currently directed by Patrick McGee,[21] has won awards, including Cappies in several categories under the direction of prior director Mike Hudson.[22] The Cappie awards held by Centreville Theatre:

  • Anthony Ingargiola, Supporting Actor in a Musical, "Working", 2011
  • Best Song, Confrontation, Jekyll and Hyde, 2007
  • Nate Betancourt, Lead Actor in a Musical, Jekyll and Hyde, 2007
  • Sarah Villyard, Lead Actress in a Musical, Fame, 2004
  • Eric St. Peter, Lead Actor In a Play, "Rumors", 2003
  • Best Play, Rumors, 2003
  • Tony Moreno, Cameo Actor in a Musical, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", 2001
  • Ali Miramany, Best Male Vocalist, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", 2001
  • Best Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, 2001
  • Nicole McCarthy, Best Sound, "Macbeth", 2000

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Centreville High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  2. "Centreville CDP, Virginia." United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 30, 2009.
  3. ""Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-18. Retrieved 2010-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)." ' '"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-18. Retrieved 2010-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)' '. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  4. "." ' '' '. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  5. Moore, Molly (8 October 1981). "School Bond Pan in Fairfax County Pits Old Vs. New". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  6. Hodge, Paul (12 November 1981). "Fairfax County: High Rates Slow Sales". The Washington Post. ProQuest 147284059.
  7. Zibart, Eve (14 January 1983). "Fairfax Board Agrees to 1986 School Opening". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  8. Zibart, Eve (16 March 1983). "Fairfax Board Votes $3 Million For Renovation of Marshall High". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  9. Latimer, Leah Y. (13 April 1984). "Burkholder Urges Building New High School in Fairfax". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. "School Board Agenda: Fairfax County". The Washington Post. 12 July 1984. ProQuest 138233866.
  11. Hockstader, Lee (7 November 1984). "School Bond Issue Passes in Fairfax". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  12. Cohn, D'Vera (24 September 1987). "Asbestos at Fairfax Building Sites Discussed". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  13. Richardson, Lynda (9 October 1987). "New Fairfax Asbestos Discovery Involves 10-Square-Mile Area". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. Bohn, John (11 March 1988). "Boundaries Set for New High School in Centreville". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  15. "School Board Actions". The Washington Post. 19 May 1988. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  16. Bohn, John (2 June 1988). "School Name Stirs Furor by Parents". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  17. Baker, Peter (22 May 1989). "Building School Spirit From Scratch". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. "Welcome, Principal Lehman! | Centreville High School". centrevillehs.fcps.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  19. "FCPS – School Profiles – Centreville HS – Demographics". Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  20. Dvorak, Petula. "As Sept. 11 anniversary nears, learning lesson on tolerance at Centreville High". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  21. "About Us". Theatre Centreville. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  22. "Cappies through the yearsC". Theatre Centreville. June 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-01-07.
  23. Jayson Blair case study
  24. Allen, Scott. "Ludacris tells Lindsay Czarniak that he attended Centreville High School for a year". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  25. Farhi, Paul (23 June 2011). "Lindsay Czarniak, sports anchor, to leave NBC4 for ESPN". The Washington Post.
  26. "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE 43rd ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS" (PDF). 2023-03-01.
  27. "The Official Site of the Tennessee Titans". Retrieved 2019-01-01.
  28. "Broncos agree to terms with Montgomery". 2 April 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2017.

38°49′30″N 77°24′39″W

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