WILBERT TUCKER WOODSON HIGH SCHOOL

'Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School', commonly known as 'W.T. Woodson High School' is a secondary school located in Fairfax, Virginia on 9525 Main St.
The school was opened in 1962 and once was the largest school in the state, with a one-time population of over 3,000 students. Currently, the student population is around 2,100. Woodson has the biggest campus in Fairfax county in size of area, and also houses Woodson Adult High School, a program designed to allow adults to earn their GED. It was ranked #34 on Newsweek's Top 1000 U.S. High Schools in 2004. The school is named after Wilbert Tucker Woodson, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools from 1929 to 1961.

Contents

Renovation

Demographics

Test Scores

Athletics and Extracurricular Activities

Trivia

Notable alumni

External links

Renovation

Woodson has recently begun the process of renovating all of its facilities and also adding lots of new classroom space. The project is being paid for in bonds that were established in 2003 by a voter referendum. The issue of whether to renovate had been debated for several years before the plan was approved. Woodson was one of the oldest schools in Fairfax County Public Schools, as the main facilities (plumbing, heating/cooling, floors, electrical) were still fundamentally the same as they were back in the 1970s when the school was new.
The school fields are now crowded with classroom trailers, storage containers, and construction equipment. Renovation will be completed hall-by-hall; two halls were closed for renovations during the 2006-2007 school year, and the classrooms were relocated to the trailers. This process is to be repeated with two different halls for the 2007-2008 school year, with classes returning to the previously closed halls and others rotating out to the trailers. Construction on the new additions to the school have begun as well. The project is expected to be completed between 2010-2011.

Demographics

Woodson High School's student body is 67% White, 4% Black, 6% Hispanic, 20% Asian, and 3% Other.

Test Scores

Woodson High School is a fully accredited high school based on the Standards of Learning tests in Virginia. The average SAT score in 2006 for Woodson High School was 1,711 (568 in Critical Reading, 584 in Math, and 559 in Writing).

Athletics and Extracurricular Activities

Woodson's mascot is a Cavalier and the sports teams play in the AAA Liberty District and the Northern Region. The girl's field hockey team won over Princess Anne High School in the state finals in 2004, and the girl's Lacrosse team won states in 2005. The band received the prestigious Sudler Flag of Honor in 1995. The choral department has distinguished itself as one of the finest programs in the state and the nation. [1]

Trivia

★ On April 1st, 1973, a strong tornado struck Woodson High School and ripped off the roof. It was hit on a Sunday and no injuries were reported.

★ In 2005, Newsweek rated Woodson as the 34th best high school in America according to the Challenge Index system developed by the Washington Post reporter Jay Matthews.

★ 1557 AP exams were taken in the 2004-2005 school year, with approximately 66% of students receiving a score of 3 or higher.

★ The class of 2005 had 8 National Merit semi-finalists, 2 National Achievement semi-finalists, and 35 Commended Students.

★ While Woodson was being constructed, equipment for the school began to arrive before the school was ready, and so all the chemistry equipment was placed in a storage room in the gym locker rooms. When the lockers were installed, they were put over the door to the storage room, and the room was forgotten. It was believed the the equipment had been stolen. During the renovation in the 1990s, the door was uncovered and the new, still-in-box equipment was found after the door was opened by a locksmith.

★ Woodson is one of the last Fairfax County public high schools to have a GLSEN-registered Gay-Straight Alliance. The few remaining include Annandale, Chantilly, Falls Church, and Robinson.

Notable alumni

★ Michael Weiss, U. S. skating and Olympic champion.

★ Christopher McCandless, Alaskan traveler; subject of the nonfiction work Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

★ Austin St. John, (Born September 17, 1975) is an American actor best known for his role on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as Jason Lee Scott, the Original Red Power Ranger.

★ Tommy Amaker, men's basketball coach for the University of Michigan (2001 - March 17, 2007)

★ Catherine Coleman, astronaut

★ Andy Heck, pro-football player (1989 - 2002), currently the tight ends coach for the University of Virginia's football team

★ Joe Easley, former Dismemberment Plan drummer

★ Giti Khalsa, Percussion for the band Seven Mary Three[2]

★ Terry Clark, Guitar for the band Carbon Leaf [3]

★ Kevin Harrison, Director and writer of the Hollywood movie "First Descent" [4]

★ Abe Thompson, professional soccer player, all-time leader scorer at the University of Maryland, College Park with 112 points, currently plays with FC Dallas of MLS [5]

★ Denny (Denise) Dowse, television actress [6]

★ Matt Abts, drummer for the band Gov't Mule[7]

External links

★ WTWoodson.com (An alumni site run by alumni)

★ Newsweek's top 1,000 High Schools 2005

★ Woodson Band Website

★ Woodson Chorus Website

★ Woodson Orchestra Website

★ Woodson Drama Website