Douglas S. Freeman High School is an American educational institution located in the western part of
Virginia's
Henrico County.
[Douglas S. Freeman High School Homepage](_blank)
History
Part of
Henrico County Public Schools system,
[Henrico County High School Information](_blank)
. the institution is named for
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning Virginia author, newspaper editor, historian and pioneering
radio broadcaster Douglas Southall Freeman (1886–1953).
[Douglas S. Freeman High School Information](_blank)
. It opened in 1954,
slightly more than one year after Freeman's death.
Academics
The principal of the school is John Marshall.
/ref>
Henrico County runs a system in which each high school contains a specialty center, a separate but integrated entity within the school that functions as a magnet program. The centers offer advanced courses to students who have clear interests and specific educational and/or career goals.
.
Athletics
Freeman is a member of the Virginia High School League. It competes in the 5A Central Region and 5A Colonial District. The school colors are blue and gray and the teams are nicknamed the "Mavericks".[Virginia High School League School Bios](_blank)
. The colors and mascot were devised as a tribute to Douglas Freeman's extensive study of the Civil War.
Virginia High School League AAA State Championship teams
*Boys' cross country: 1969, 2014
Media
The school publishes a newspaper (''The Commentator''), a literary magazine (''The Educator''), and a yearbook (''The Historian'').
Douglas Freeman High School was mentioned in a '' Washington Post'' article referring to the school's revival of the historic "Rebel Man" mascot.
Notable alumni
*John Aboud
John Aboud III (born March 7, 1973) is an American writer and comedian. With Michael Colton, he was a regular commentator on ''Best Week Ever'' and other VH1 shows. From 2000 to 2003, the two founded Modern Humorist, a parody website based in Br ...
— founder of ''Modern Humorist
''Modern Humorist'' was a United States-based humor webzine founded in 2000 by John Aboud and Michael Colton (who later became panelists on VH1's ''Best Week Ever''), and managed by CEO Kate Barker. Its board of directors included feature film ...
'', and commentator on VH1's '' Best Week Ever''
* Kevin Aviance — dance music artist and performer
* Steve Bassett — co-author of Virginia's state popular song (with Robbin Thompson
Robert Wickens "Robbin" Thompson (June 16, 1949 – October 10, 2015) was an American singer-songwriter based in Richmond, Virginia. Since 1976 he recorded several albums which included guest appearances by Melissa Manchester, Steve Cropper, ...
)
*Dean Fleischer Camp
Dean Fleischer Camp is an American film director, film producer, screenwriter and film editor. He created the ''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (short film series), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On'' short films with Jenny Slate, whom he was married ...
- filmmaker and co-creator of '' Marcel the Shell with Shoes On''
*Peter Hamby
Peter Hamby (born August 21, 1981) is an American political journalist. He is the host of ''Good Luck America'' at Snapchat and a contributing writer for Puck News and Vanity Fair. He began his journalism career at CNN. Hamby has been describe ...
— head of News at Snapchat
Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before the ...
; Vanity Fair columnist; former CNN political correspondent
* Rich Landrum- Well known radio and TV announcer for WXEX (now WRIC) TV, as well the weekly syndicated (World Wide Wrestling TV show) www.midatlanticgateway.com
*Sheri Holman
Sheri Holman (born 1966) is an American novelist and screenwriter.
Biography
Holman was born in Hanover County, Virginia. Following graduation from The College of William & Mary in 1988 with a degree in theatre, she moved to New York. After trans ...
— bestselling novelist, screenwriter, and founding member of The Moth
*Bill Leverty
William G. Leverty II (born January 30, 1967) is an American guitarist. He is best known as a founding and current member of the rock band, FireHouse. Leverty is responsible for writing many of the band's hit songs. Throughout the 2000s, Leverty ha ...
— guitarist for the American rock band Firehouse
* Bernard Siegel — founder and Executive Director of the Genetics Policy Institute
* Tommy Siegel — guitarist and vocalist in pop band Jukebox the Ghost
* Barty Smith — player for NFL's Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
(1974–1981); member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 1999[Class of 1999 VSHF Inductee Page-Barty Smith](_blank)
.
* Ellen Spiro — award-winning documentary filmmaker; class of 1982
* Constance Wu — actress, '' Fresh Off the Boat'' and '' Crazy Rich Asians.''
*Elliott Yamin
Efraym Elliott Yamin ( he, אפרים אליוט ימין; born July 20, 1978) is an American singer known for his hit single "Wait for You" and for placing third on the fifth season of '' American Idol''.
His self-titled album, released Marc ...
— third-place finisher on the fifth season of the TV show '' American Idol''; was a student at Freeman High but never graduated
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."
References
External links
Douglas S. Freeman High SchoolDSF Alumni Association
{{authority control
Freeman, Douglas S. High School
Freeman, Douglas S.
Educational institutions established in 1954
1954 establishments in Virginia