Stafford Senior High School

Stafford High School
Address
Stafford High School Show map of Northern Virginia Stafford High School Show map of Virginia Stafford High School Show map of the US
63 Stafford Indian Lane Falmouth, Virginia 22405 United States
Coordinates	38°21′42″N 77°27′50″W / 38.36167°N 77.46389°W / 38.36167; -77.46389Coordinates: 38°21′42″N 77°27′50″W / 38.36167°N 77.46389°W / 38.36167; -77.46389
Information
Type	Public High School
Established	1972
School district	Stafford County Public Schools
Superintendent	W. Bruce Benson
Principal	Joseph Lewis
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,000 (Fall 2008)
School colour(s)	Royal Blue and Gold
Fight song	Across the Field
Athletics conference	Virginia High School League AAA Northwest Region AAA Commonwealth District
Mascot	Indians
Rival	North Stafford High School
Newspaper	The Smoke Signal
Yearbook	Indian Legend
Feeder schools	Edward E. Drew Jr., Middle School (Majority) Dixon-Smith Middle School (Majority) T. Benton Gayle Middle School (Minority)
Website	www.staffordschools.net/Domain/36

Stafford Senior High School (often mistakenly called South Stafford High School, colloquially known as "Stafford High School") is a public secondary school located in Falmouth, Virginia, just north of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Stafford is a comprehensive secondary school for students in grades 9 through 12. It serves students in the southern portion of Stafford County, Virginia.

History

Across the pond at Stafford High School

The first Stafford High School opened in 1926. The school was located near the Stafford County Courthouse in what is now part of the Alvin York Bandy Administrative Complex. In 1952 Stafford High School and Falmouth High School merged in to one school. Prior to the merge, the mascots for the respective schools were the "Pioneers" and the "Indians." While Stafford High School was retained as the official name for the school, the mascot chosen was the "Indians." The combined school was located in what is now Edward E. Drew, Jr. Middle School. It was the only Stafford County high school from 1952 until 1981, when North Stafford High School was opened. In 1975, Stafford High School moved to 33 Stafford Indian Lane.^[1] This building was built with an experimental open concept design and thus had no windows and open classrooms that later had to be divided up with thin walls to make individual classrooms. A new building began construction in June 2013 just behind the existing school. The new Stafford High School opened to students on September 14, 2015, a week later than the rest of the county schools. This delayed start was due to the failure of the construction company to substantially complete the school on time. With the move to the new school, the address was changed from 33 to 63 Stafford Indian Lane.

In 2005, the Native American mascot controversy prompted the National Education Association to recommend schools with Native American-based mascots change their team names. Stafford High School’s administration considered a name change until meeting with the local Patawomeck tribe, for whom the mascot was named. Tribal leaders overwhelmingly supported keeping the team name “Indians,” but were unhappy with the mascot's historical inaccuracy. The original mascot featured a full-feathered headdress more common to the Plains Idians than to the ancestral Patawomeck tribes native to the Stafford area. Stafford High School art teacher Nick Candela drafted the artwork for the new mascot and obtained support and approval from Tribal leaders and various school organizations.^[2] The new mascot was unveiled in late 2014 and is now prominently featured on the school's website.

Athletics

Stafford High fields varsity teams in 14 different sports as a member of the AAA Commonwealth District and Northwest Region of the Virginia High School League.

State Champions

• Field Hockey 2005^[3]
• Cross Country 1996, 2011
• Softball 1982
• Outdoor Track and Field 1968

Commonwealth Governor's School

Stafford High serves as one of the five base schools for the Commonwealth Governor's School. Students from both Stafford and King George High School attend half day classes which include all the highest level courses available in literature, mathematics, science, and history. These classes are all weighted: honors, AP, and DE. Culminating, is a four-year research project on a topic of choice, similar to a college thesis.^[4]

Governor's STEM Academy

Stafford High also serves as one of three locations (with Brooke Point High School and North Stafford High School) supporting the Stafford Academy for Technology (STAT), a program which focuses on information technology, mathematics, and engineering.

Goals of the STAT program include incorporating workplace experiences, implementating industry assessments, providing hands-on learning experiences, aligning curriculum to emerging job opportunities, and maintaining a strong partnership network, such as the Dual Enrollment agreement the program maintains with Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).^[5]

Notable alumni

• Mark Lenzi, Class of 1986, Olympic Diver 1992 and 1996^[6]
• Jeff Rouse, Class of 1988, Olympic Swimmer 1992 and 1996^[7]
• Jessica Player, Class of 2000, child actress^[8]
• Torrey Smith, Class of 2007, NFL wide receiver^[9]
• Dexter McDougle, Class of 2009, NFL cornerback

References