Chantilly High School

Chantilly High School
Address
4201 Stringfellow Road Chantilly, Virginia, 20151  United States
Information
School type	Public, high school
Founded	1972
School district	Fairfax County Public Schools
Superintendent	Dr. Jack Dale
Asst. Principal	John Vdovjak Kay T. Lynch Teresa Johnson Shawn Frank Michael Burch Tim O'Reilly
Staff	approximately 356
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2,661  (2010-11[1])
Language	English
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Purple and white
Athletics conference	Concorde District Northern Region
Mascot	Chargers
Rival	Centerville High School Westfield High School Oakton High School
Feeder schools	Franklin Middle School Rocky Run Middle School Rachel Carson Middle School
Website	http://www.fcps.edu/ChantillyHS http://chantillysports.org/

Chantilly High School (CHS) is a high school located in the Chantilly CDP in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.^[2] It is part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system.

Overview

Chantilly High School is home to four years of study, 9th–12th grade. It is organized into five different "subschools" which each provide administration for a different group of students. Subschools 1–4 are divided by student surnames. Subschool 5 consists of the Chantilly Center, a special-education co-facility which serves students from a wider geographical area than the rest of Chantilly High School. The school uses a block scheduling system.

Chantilly was listed in Newsweek in 2003 as the 72nd^[3] best public high school in America. Chantilly has a high percentage of students enrolled in advanced placement (AP) and honors classes. Chantilly is also a member of the largest public school bus system in the nation, recently overcoming New York City and Los Angeles, with currently over 45+ buses servicing the school daily.^{[citation needed]}

Chantilly High School is also home to Chantilly Academy. Chantilly Academy offers classes for students in the FCPS school district, including culinary, engineering, Auto Tech, Cisco Networking, and Cosmetology.^[4] A full listing of classes may be found at their web site. The Academy is home to Chantilly Robotics,^[5] a FIRST robotics team participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition, composed of students from around FCPS. Chantilly Academy is also home to VA-20012, Chantilly Academy Air Force Junior ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp). The mission of the program is to build better citizens through the practice of leadership. The program is also proud to have one of the states highest achieving Drill Team and Color Guards.

History

Chantilly High School was built in 1973 as part of the "Superschool" or "open classroom/no wall high school" idea. It was also built as a temporary school, made to last for only five years or so. As such, it was built with modules (similar to the modular additions currently being constructed at other FCPS schools), and the school was built in only three months. Parts of the school were brought to the site on flatbed trucks and placed together with several cranes. As such, many of the rooms fell into disrepair because they were designed to be temporary, and so Chantilly received a renovation in the early 1990s. Initially, Chantilly High school opened in 1973 with students ranging from grades 7 through 10, with four sub schools (Red, Blue, Orange and Yellow), each having color coordinated lockers. The first graduating class was the class of 1976. Grades 7 and 8 were included in Chantilly High's initial student population due to overcrowding in the intermediate schools. Grades 7 and 8 were moved out when the new intermediate school was built.

The original school colors, as determined by a group of students selected to represent the incoming classes, were orange, white and brown, with the athletic teams named the Chantilly Crusaders. These colors and team name were rejected by the student body and prior to the opening day of the new school, a special vote was held to change the colors and team name. Out of the three options provided by the Fairfax County School Board the purple and white Chantilly Chargers were selected by the student body.

Demographics

As of the 2008–09 school year the school's demographic breakdown is:^[6]

• 80% White
• 20% Asian/Pacific Islander
• 0.1% African-American
• 15% Hispanic
• 1% Other

Arts & activities

Many of the sports teams have qualified for district, regional, and/or state competitions. Various clubs and honor societies are active throughout the school year. In December 2007, The Odyssey's adviser/teacher, Mary Kay Downes, won the National Yearbook Adviser of the Year award for her work for yearbooks all over the county.^[7]

The string orchestra has won and placed highly in competitions among some of the top high school orchestras of North America. Each March the school hosts the Chantilly Invitational Jazz Festival which showcases middle and high school bands from across the region as well as distinguished guest performers. Chantilly Jazz won the Down Beat Magazine award for Best High School Jazz Band for 1985 that included groups from across the entire United States. Chantilly Jazz placed 2nd in the Down Beat Magazine competition in 1986.

The Chantilly High School Fine Arts department has received many awards over the years. The CHS Mighty Marching Chargers have received many awards, including Grand Champion at the Virginia Showcase of Bands and Grand Champion between 2003 and 2006 at the JMU Parade of Champions. The Mighty Marching Chargers were undefeated in the state of Virginia from 2000–2005. Chantilly's indoor drumline has won eleven Atlantic Indoor Association championships (1997, 1999, 2001 – 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011). The indoor drumline has also won five Winter Guard International regionals (Nashville 2003 and Richmond 2011 in PSA class; Coatesville 2006, Richmond 2007, and Dayton 2008 in PSO), and is the current WGI Percussion Scholastic A class world champion. Chantilly is also noted for having an excellent choral music program, including the award winning Touch of Class, run by Glenn Cockrell. With seven choirs the Chantilly Choral program features both award winning show choirs and concert ensembles. In 2006, the show choir won 2nd place at a national show choir competition in San Antonio, TX. Also, Touch of Class and Jazz Band join together every Memorial Day weekend for their hit show "Jazz and Pizazz". The school also has Light Touch and Magic Touch Choirs, the beginning and middle level show choirs. These choirs are run by Mrs. Pramstaller, a former Broadway performer. As an alumnae, she was in Touch of Class under the direction of Mr. Cockrell. Touch of Class was featured on Fox News after the Glee TV show premiere on September 9, 2009.^[8] In November, 2010 the Touch of Class Show Choir was named America's Favorite Show Choir In a National Contest hosted by Parade Magazine.

Awards

Chantilly is also renowned for its achievement in inter-scholastic competitions. In 2006, Chantilly won the VHSL AAA division's Wachovia Cup in academics, beating out rivals Westfield High School and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The cup has competitions in 8 different areas, including Newspaper, Newsmagazine, Yearbook, Scholastic Bowl, Debate, Forensics, Literary Magazine, and Theater. This will have been the 8th time Chantilly has won the Wachovia Cup in 12 years. The Chantilly Speech and Debate team has competed on the national level, having finalists at Princeton, Harvard and UC Berkeley tournaments, as well as VHSL State winners and qualifiers for Nationals.

The varsity golf team has been successful. Great players including Ji Soo Park, Victor Monte, and Jack Dargle played on the 2009 fall varsity golf team. Jack Dargle, along with some other great young players, are poised capture the 2010 state championship title. They were Concorde District Champions in 2005, 2006 and 2007, Northern Region Champions in 2005 and 2007, and finished 4th, 6th and 2nd in the state tournament in 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively.

Recently, the Chantilly HS football team won the VHSL Division 6 AAA Northern Region Finals against rival Westfield High School only two years after having a winless regular season. The Chargers fell short of the championship with a 42–20 loss to Osbourn High School. Chantilly was also the 1996 VHSL AAA State Football Champions led by future NFL player, Bhawoh Jue.

In 2006 the theater department took second place in the One-Act play Regionals, winning a number of first and second place awards in the VHSL competition, including best duo, monologue, and readers theater. In 2007, the theater sports team won first place. Over the years, the department has won Cappies for Best actor/actress, best set, best lighting, and best cameo actor/actress. They have been the only National Capital Area high school to have been nominated for Costumes for a play and have had numerous student critics been published in The Washington Post over the years. In 2007, Chantilly was nominated for 12 Cappies awards, including featured actress, featured actor, critics team, graduating critic, costumes, hair and makeup, and more. They went on to win Comic Actor in a play, Best Set and Best Play for The Man Who Came to Dinner. In 2011, the department took first place in the VHSL State One-Act Play competition for the second time in school history.

In 2007, Chantilly won the Varsity Cheerleading Concord District Championship, the Northern Region Championship, and the AAA Virginia State Championship. Chantilly currently holds the highest score ever received in the State Championship, with a 281.

In 2008, Chantilly won the Varsity Boy's Lacrosse Concord District Championship, the Northern Region Championship, and the AAA Virginia State Championship.

In 2009, Chantilly Varsity Girls Soccer won the Concord District Championship, the Northern Region Championship, and the AAA Virginia State Championship.

The Girls Varsity Lacrosse Team won the AAA Virginia State Championship and the Boys Varsity Lacrosse Team were AAA Virginia State Finalists.

In 2011, Chantilly's One Act Play "AP Theatre," written and directed by Ed Monk, won the AAA Virginia State Championship with a perfect score.

In 2011, Chantilly's Indoor Drumline won the world championship in WGI's PSA group.

Test scores

Chantilly High School is a fully accredited high school based on the Standards of Learning tests in Virginia. The average SAT score in 2006 for Chantilly was 1628 (535 in Critical Reading, 565 in Math, and 528 in Writing). Won District, Regional, and State Championship in softball in 1990 and 1991.

Controversies

Learning Seminar

Prior to the 2006–2007 school year, Chantilly High School implemented what is now known as "Learning Seminar" (LS). According to Principal James Kacur its primary purpose is to provide extra time for remediation and enrichment of students. The outlined plan established 2 rotating periods on "A" days that would be used for teachers to allow students to make up work, do activities that normally wouldn't fit in class time, and allow students to go to other classes in case they needed extra remediation. It has also been used to fit in assemblies and pep rallies that would normally take time out of the normal day. The plan, however, has been criticized by students and faculty alike for its vagueness, most notably what teachers can and can not do during "LS". As of the 2008–2009 school year, Principal James Kacur has identified the problems with LS and is looking to resolve them with a new system for the 2009–2010 school year.^[9]

Teacher scandals

Thomas Newlun, 53, a special education teacher allegedly gave a small amount of marijuana to a 17-year-old student about during a break between classes. Newlun was charged with distribution of marijuana to a minor, drug distribution on school property and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.^[10]

In 2003, AP English teacher Richard Tucker allegedly asked students to repeat profanity during a reading of Catcher in the Rye. One student, working for a conservative think tank, wrote an article online about the matter that gained national attention.^[11] Local news outlets covered the story extensively.^[12][13]

On January 11, 2008, Spanish teacher Matthew McGuire was arrested on charges of using his computer to solicit sex with a minor. McGuire also coached track at Chantilly. Arlington County police said they arrested McGuire on Wednesday at his Alexandria home after investigating his online activities for several months. According to Alexandria court records, a detective posing as a 13-year-old girl named Jessica had several conversations with McGuire between March and December 2007.^[14]

Notable alumni

• Rob Balder ('87) Syndicated cartoonist, graphic novel author and comedy musician^[15]
• Bhawoh Jue ('97), NFL football player drafted by the Green Bay Packers, played for 5 teams.^[16]
• Tehran Ghasri The current host of I Love Tehran the highest rated international Iranian satellite TV show and radio programs on Ti (Formerly Tapesh or Persian Broadcasting Company) and Radiojavan. Also a comedian on tour with international greats Maz Jobrani and Ahmed Ahmed of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour.
• Mike Kohn ('90) U.S. Olympic Bobsledder, won Bronze medal in Salt Lake Winter Games 2002, Competed in Vancouver Olympics 2010.^[17]
• Nicholas Kohn ('93) Broadway star in the Tony Award Winning Musical Avenue Q, nominated for a Kevin Kline Award in 2007.
• Joe Koshansky ('00), Milwaukee Brewers^[18]
• Jon Link ('02), pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers^[19]
• Jimmy Martin ('01), NFL football player drafted by the San Diego Chargers
• Yoochun Park, member of South Korean pop group Dong Bang Shin Ki and JYJ.^[20]
• Scott Secules ('84), was an NFL quarterback (1988–93) drafted by the Dallas Cowboys who played most of his career with the Miami Dolphins.^{[citation needed]}
• Stephen Tomajczyk ('78) American author and poet.
• Mark Dain ('97) CEO of TRM which is responsible for the largest Mortgage Fraud case in North Carolina and Virginia history ^[21][22][23]
• Sean Parker ('98), co-founder of Napster, founder of Plaxo, and former president of Facebook ^[24]

References

1. ^ "School Report Card" (PDF). Virginia Department of Education. https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=29&schoolName=1492. Retrieved 2009-09-06. 
2. ^ "Chantilly CDP, Virginia." United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 30, 2009.
3. ^ MSN.com Newsweek: 2003 List: The Top High Schools
4. ^ FCPS.edu Chantilly Academy – Courses
5. ^ Chantilly Robotics
6. ^ Demographics, Chantilly High School (Actual) Profile, 2007–08; accessed 20 February 2009
7. ^ Yearbooks.biz
8. ^ http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/090909_chantilly_highs_premiere_show_choir.
9. ^ FCPS.edu
10. ^ Washingtonpost.com
11. ^ "Virginia Teacher Tells Students to "F*** Off"". http://www.opinioneditorials.com/contributors/daybell_20031124.html. Retrieved May 2, 2009. ^{[dead link]}
12. ^ "'F-Word' assignment draws controversy". http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2003/11/26/F-word-assignment-draws-controversy/UPI-77881069898099/. Retrieved September 19, 2009. 
13. ^ "'Catcher in the Rye' assignment evokes shock". http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2003/nov/25/20031125-094636-6696r/. Retrieved September 19, 2009. 
14. ^ Washingtonpost.com
15. ^ Adam Toobin (December 22, 2008). "#36, Balder, Rob, Filk Performer Balder Wins Pegasus Award". CentreView. http://connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=313609&paper=82&cat=104.  Retrieved November 10, 2009.
16. ^ Paul Frommelt (August 3, 2006). "#35, Bhawoh Jue, Chantilly Football, 1997". Arlington Connection. http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=308849&paper=60&cat=105.  Retrieved October 21, 2009.
17. ^ [1]
18. ^ [2]
19. ^ [3]
20. ^ Kang, Cecilia. "Riding the Seoul Train". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400257_pf.html. 
21. ^ [4]
22. ^ Jackman, Tom (October 9, 2010). "In reversal, judge adds Bank of America to fraud case". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/09/AR2010100904038.html?nav=rss_nation/special. 
23. ^ http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/crime-and-punishment/teachers-principals-caught-fraud-case
24. ^ "Genius from Class '96". http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/articleprint.asp?article=311523&paper=63&cat=104. Retrieved 2011-02-20. 

Gina DePalma, pastry chef at Mario Battali's restaurant Babbo in NYC. Author of Dolce Italiano. Dawn Codyalum 1988 played a major role in the movie Pleasantville in 1998. She has also appeared on Knots Landing and Cold Case.

External links

• FCPS.edu
• K12.va.us
• FCPS.edu
• The Purple Tide
• [5]
• Chantillyband.org
• ChantillyChoral.org
• Chantillydrama.com
• Chantillyrobotics.org
• VHSL-Reference.com

Coordinates: 38°52′49″N 77°24′23″W / 38.880300°N 77.406500°W / 38.880300; -77.406500