Woodberry Forest School

Woodberry Forest Gymnasium Team, ca. 1905, Library of Congress

Woodberry, nicknamed the Tigers, competes in the Virginia Prep League in a variety of sports, including basketball, soccer, baseball, golf, swimming, lacrosse, wrestling, cross country, tennis, track, and football.[5]

The longest-running high school football rivalry in the Southern United States takes place annually between Woodberry Forest and Episcopal High School of Alexandria, Virginia. The schools first played against each other in 1901, competing in over 100 games. "The Game," as it is known, draws back many alumni and is considered the homecoming game for both schools. The 100th contest, which Woodberry won, took place in 2000 and drew nearly 15,000 spectators. Before every game between the two schools, Woodberry has a bonfire reaching heights of four stories, where students line up to throw torches into a tower of logs. The bonfire draws nearly as many Woodberry fans as The Game itself.

The school's facilities include an on-campus 9-hole golf course designed by Donald Ross, an indoor track/pool complex, two turf football/lacrosse fields, two baseball fields, three competition-level soccer fields, and three other grass fields for football, soccer, and lacrosse.

The Tigers send numerous athletes to play college sports at all levels, including multiple NCAA Division I recruits each year.

A principal feature of life at Woodberry is its student-run honor system. A Prefect Board of roughly 18 senior students decides the fate of any students who "lie, cheat, or steal" and make a recommendation to the headmaster. The Prefect Board may recommend an honor warning, honor probation, or honor dismissal.[6] Anyone found violating the honor code severely is dismissed from the school. The Prefect Board is determined through a process involving students, faculty, and administration. In the spring trimester, an election among the students is held where students are given a roster of the rising senior class and asked to select the 18 they feel are best suited to the role. Faculty undertake a similar process, and later, the administration interviews the individual candidates as determined by the initial elections. Finally, the headmaster decides the final composition of the board, and they are announced publicly to the student body before the year's close.

Aside from maintaining the honor system, the Prefect Board guides the new students through orientation. Prefects also serve in roles similar to that of resident assistants, organizing dormitory events and informing students of news and events. The Prefect Board elects a Senior Prefect from among its members; his role is similar to that of a student body president, giving a speech at the assembly commencing the school year and at graduation in spring.