- Douglas S. Freeman High School
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Douglas S. Freeman High School Address 8701 Three Chopt Road,
Henrico, Virginia 23229Coordinates 37°36′5.7″N 77°33′29.7″W / 37.601583°N 77.55825°WCoordinates: 37°36′5.7″N 77°33′29.7″W / 37.601583°N 77.55825°W Information School type Public high school Founded 1954 School district Henrico County Public Schools Principal Anne L. Poates Assistant Principals R. Warren Ahrens
Andrew P. Mey
Jeri Baskerville
Julia C. RoseGrades 9-12 Enrollment 1,600 Language English Campus Suburban Color(s) Blue and Gray Mascot Rebels Newspaper 'The Commentator' Yearbook 'The Historian' Literary Magazine The Educator Rival Schools Mills E. Godwin High School
Deep Run High SchoolAtlhetic Conference Virginia High School League
AAA Central Region
AAA Colonial DistrictWebsite Official Site Douglas S. Freeman High School is a Henrico County high school located in western Henrico County, Virginia.[1]
Contents
History
The school is named for Douglas S. Freeman[2] (1886–1953), a Virginia author, newspaper editor, historian, and pioneering radio broadcaster. The school opened in 1954,[2] slightly more than one year after Freeman's death.
The current principal of the school is Anne L. Poates.[3] The school is part of the Henrico County Public Schools System.[4]
Academics
Center for Leadership, Government, and Global Economics
Henrico County runs a system in which each high school contains a specialty center, a separate but integrated entity within the school that function as magnet programs. The centers offer advanced courses to students who have clear interests and specific educational and/or career goals.[5] Douglas Freeman High School's center is the Center for Leadership, Government, and Global Economics.[6]
The goals and objectives for the students of the Leadership Center, as it is commonly known, are as follows:
- Immerse themselves in an interdisciplinary program founded in the social sciences and language arts culminating in an advanced studies diploma;
- Explore conflicts between personal choice and community principles through literature, history, political science and economics;
- Compare and contrast human principles throughout world history and cultures;
- Observe and interact with leaders through partnerships, tailored programs and internships;
- Actively engage in community service;
- Develop formal communication skills necessary to excel in a technological society.[7]
The Leadership Center is directed by Robert Peck. There are roughly 50 students in each grade, placing 200 or so students in the program on any given year. Selection for the Leadership Center is competitive and entails an intensive application process. The Center is a comprehensive four-year curriculum consisting of either two (11th and 12th grade) or three (9th and 10th grade) classes for each student. Additionally, each student is required to complete a minimum of 100 hours of documented community service during their four years. Furthermore, each student must complete an internship the summer before their senior year, or during the first semester of their senior year. However, many students choose to complete the internship during the summer due to the fact that a fall internship would require the student to leave school mid-day, sacrificing a full course load.
Athletics
Freeman is a member of the Virginia High School League. It competes in the AAA Central Region and AAA Colonial District. The school colors are blue and gray. The teams are nicknamed the "Rebels."[8] The colors and mascot were devised as a tribute to Freeman's extensive study of the American Civil War.
Virginia High School League AAA State Championship Teams
- Boys Cross Country: 1969[9]
- Girls Cross Country: 1999[9]
- Football: 1967 (shared title with Annandale and Princess Anne)[9]
- Golf: 1963[9]
- Softball: 1980[9]
- Boys Tennis: 1982, 1985, 1989, 2001[9]
- Girls Tennis: 1983[9]
- Boys Outdoor Track: 1970[9]
- Girls Volleyball: 2005[9]
- Boys Basketball: 2011[9]
Notable alumni
- John Aboud -- Founder of Modern Humorist, and commentator on VH1's Best Week Ever
- Kevin Aviance -- Dance music artist and performer.
- Bill Leverty -- Guitarist for the American rock band Firehouse
- Bernard Siegel-- Founder and Executive Director of the Genetics Policy Institute
- Barty Smith -- Player for NFL's Green Bay Packers (1974–1981) and member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 1999[10]
- Elliott Yamin-- Third place finisher on the fifth season of the popular TV show American Idol,[11] Yamin was a student at Freeman High but never graduated[11]
Media
The official publications of the school honor Freeman's various jobs during his lifetime: The Commentator (school newspaper) reflects Freeman's work on WRVA radio during World War II, The Educator (school literary magazine) reflects Freeman's work at the University of Richmond and Columbia University, and The Historian (school yearbook) reflects Freeman's studies of various American history topics, including his Pulitzer Prize-winning literature.
In popular culture
James E. Ryan's book Five Miles Away, A World Apart: One City, Two Schools, and the Story of Educational Opportunity in Modern America explores the issue of economic school segregation by comparing Freeman to nearby Thomas Jefferson High School, located in the city of Richmond. Arguing for more freedom in school choice, Ryan cites findings that "high-poverty" schools (like Thomas Jefferson) consistently under-perform "low-poverty" schools (like Freeman) academically, regardless of the financial resources allocated to them. He concludes: "The truth is that separating the poor and politically powerless in their own schools and districts is antithetical to the idea of equal educational opportunity."[12]
References
- ^ Douglas S. Freeman High School Homepage.
- ^ a b Douglas S. Freeman High School Information.
- ^ Brunswick County Taps Pruden as Superintendent
- ^ Henrico County High School Information.
- ^ Henrico County School System Organization.
- ^ Henrico County Specialty Center Information.
- ^ Leadership Center Fact Sheet.
- ^ Virginia High School League School Bios.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Virginia High School League Record Book
- ^ Class of 1999 VSHF Inductee Page-Barty Smith.
- ^ a b Entertainment Weekly Q&A with Elliot Yamin.
- ^ Kahlenberg, Richard. "The Nixon-Obama Compromise". http://www.tnr.com/book/review/the-nixon-obama-compromise-education-reform.
External links
Categories:- Schools in Henrico County, Virginia
- High schools in Virginia
- Educational institutions established in 1954
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