Hampton High School is a public secondary school in
Hampton, Virginia. It is the oldest of the four current
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
s in
Hampton Public Schools, built in 1956. It is an
International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...
World School with the Diploma Programme. Hampton High is the first high school in the Hampton city high school division.
History
Hampton High School traces its roots to the first free school founded in the
American Colonies, the
Syms-Eaton Academy, which opened on February 12, 1634, as the Syms Free School. Syms is the oldest free school and the first endowed educational institution in the United States. In 1634 Benjamin Syms left and eight cows to provide a free school for children of the parish.
In 1659 Thomas Eaton, a 'cururgeon' (surgeon), left , buildings, livestock, and two slaves for a school to serve Elizabeth City County. The schools were so popular that in 1759 an act was necessary to provide for the attendance of only poor children at Eaton School.
In 1805 the schools were merged by act of the General Assembly and called Hampton Academy, which in 1852 became part of the public school system. Its building was burned in 1861 and rebuilt after the war, taking the official name of Hampton High. The first graduating class was in 1896, consisting of two students: Miss Bessie Birdsall and Miss Blance Bullifant.
From the early 20th century, Hampton High was ranked in the top ten of schools in Virginia, and the West Point Military Academy acknowledged that it accepted Hampton graduates without requiring them to take the West Point entrance exam. The current building for Hampton High dates to 1956; due to the layout of the building, it earned the nickname "Little Pentagon" because of its "seemingly endless hallways."
Hampton High is the oldest public school still in use. The school was featured in national news in the summer of 1995 for the celebration of the centennial graduating class (1996). There is a section of seating at football games for the alumni who are in their 70s and 80s.
Accreditation and rankings
Hampton High School is fully accredited by the
Virginia Department of Education
The Virginia Department of Education is the state education agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is headquartered in the James Monroe Building in Richmond. The department is headed by the Secretary of Education (currently Aimee Guidera), w ...
based on its performance on the Virginia
SOL Tests. It was included in ''Newsweek'' magazine's "Top 1200" high schools in 2008 and 2009 and the "Top 1600" (top 6%) in 2010.
In March 2019, for the first time in Hampton's history, the Band and Chorus earned Superior ratings at State Assessments, establishing Hampton High School as Blue Ribbon School, which the highest musical honor a Band and Choral program can receive.
Demographics
In the 2005-2006 school year, Hampton was 81% Black; 14% White; 3% Hispanic; and 2% Asian.
Athletics and extracurricular
The school's official mascot is a
crab, and athletic teams are referred to as the "Crabbers." Occasionally, Freddie the Crab can be found on the sidelines at football games. The Crabbers compete in Group AAA, the largest group in the state,
Peninsula District and
Eastern Region of the
Virginia High School League
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) is the principal sanctioning organization for interscholastic athletic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VHSL first sponsored debate and also continues to sponsor sta ...
.
Football
In the 1980s the Crabbers appeared in the state championship game 8 times in 10 years, winning 5. 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, & 1991. The Crabbers have the Peninsula District/Eastern Region/State Record for most consecutive wins. Their most recent title was in 2005. The Crabbers have won 18 state titles the first in 1912 and two National High School titles 1996 and 1997. Hampton High School is ranked the #10 dynasty in the country in the history of football, 836 wins.
Basketball
Hampton is also known for its basketball teams. The girls' team is a perennial contender in the district, winning the district title more often than not in the last decade, including all of the last seven. The Lady Crabbers are the 2006-07 Eastern Region Champions and the VHSL Group AAA State Champions. The Hampton High boys' team finished first in the district in the 2011-2012 season going on to win the AAA state championship.
Scholastic Bowl
The 2006-07 season marked Hampton's first trip to the VHSL Eastern Region Scholastic Bowl. After finishing second in the PD Regular Season and Tournament, the Crabbers advanced to the regional meet and placed third, losing to frequent regional-champion
Princess Anne High School
Princess Anne High School (PAHS) is one of 11 high schools in the Virginia Beach City Public School System. Opened in 1954, it is the oldest remaining high school in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. The school is named after the now extinc ...
by a mere 15 points — one question away from qualifying for the VHSL State meet.
Drama club
In 2011, the Hampton High School Drama Club competed in the District One Act Play competition, where they were second only to Menchville. They then went on the Regional level and took sixth place.
Concert and marching bands
In 2010-2011, the Hampton High School Band earned their first VBODA Virginia honor band title, which is the highest award any school in the state of Virginia can earn. In 2012 the Hampton High School band earned the title of Virginia Honor Band for the second year in a row, becoming the second school in Hampton to earn the title twice. In 2010 the band, for the first time in school history, attended State Marching Band Assessment. The bands earned superior ratings in their first attempt at assessment. In the spring, the concert bands performed grade 2 and grade 4 literature at State Concert Assessment and earned unanimous superior ratings.
In 2011, the marching bands earned 16 high awards and the Grand Championship award at the first annual Warhill Classic. In 2012, the Crabber Band earned 29 first place awards and the second place "Grand Champion" at the Warhill Classic, while going undefeated in class throughout the season. The Crabber marching band at the Hanover Hawk Invitational competed in the "AAA" class and earned Grand Champion, competing against 24 bands across the Commonwealth ranging from members 40-180. In spring 2012, the Symphonic Band earned straight superior ratings at State Concert Assessment in all categories from all four judges for the second year in a row. The band traveled to the Kings Dominion Festival of Music concert band competition and earned "Best High School Band" and "Grand Champion."
In 2012 The Crabbers once again continued their success in competitive marching band, earning over 26 first place awards, two grand championships and superior ratings with the concert groups at State Concert Assessment. Hampton hosted VBODA District 8 Concert Assessment. Hampton was only one of seven groups to earn superior ratings and only one of two schools (Grafton HS and Hampton HS) to have all performing groups earn unanimous superiors.
In 2013, the Crabbers earned VBODA Virginia Honor Band again. Both of the concert bands earned Superior Ratings in grade 4/5 and 3 music respectively. The marching band earned a combined score of 98 at State Marching Assessment, as well as all "A"s in all captions. The Percussion section went undefeated for the second year in a row in class. The bands earned Grand Championships at the Menchville Monarch Competition, the Hermitage Classic, and the Hanover Hawks Marching Invitational. This is in addition to winning their class at every competition in the 2013 season. The Band also participated in a concert band clinic at the University of Virginia, before the State Concert Assessment.
For four consecutive years, from 2010 to 2013, the Pride of the Peninsula has been the highest scoring band out of the City of Hampton at the annual Holiday Parade.
From 2010 to 2014 the bands were under the instruction of Justin Ratcliff. From 2014 to 2016 the bands were under the direction of Steven Kunka. The bands are currently under the direction of Ronzel Bell.
State championships
Hampton has won 35 state championships, which are:
*2 High School Football National Championships (1996, 1997)
*17 in football
*7 in boys' outdoor track (six in the now defunct Division B in 1926-30 and 1932; one in IA in 1961)
*5 in boys' basketball (one in the now defunct Division I in 1939; one in the now defunct IA division in 1969; two in AAA in 1989 and 1997 and also one in 2012)
*3 in AAA boys' cross country (1957, 1962, 1967)
*2 in AAA girls' basketball (2001, 2007)
Notable alumni
*
Robert Arthur Jr., author, creator of
The Three Investigators
The Three Investigators is an American juvenile detective book series first published as "''Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators''". It was created by Robert Arthur Jr., who believed involving a famous person such as movie director Alfr ...
and contributor to several
Alfred Hitchcock anthologies
*
Robert Banks, former NFL linebacker/defensive end
*
Cat Barber
Anthony Ynique "Cat" Barber (born July 25, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Porto of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol (LPB). He played three seasons of college basketball for NC State, where he earned first-team All-Atlan ...
, professional basketball player
*
Elton Brown
Elton Gillett Brown (born May 22, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played college football for the University of Virginia, and was recognized ...
, former NFL offensive lineman of the
Arizona Cardinals
*
Ronald Curry
Ronald Antonio Curry (born May 28, 1979) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the S ...
, NFL wide receiver and receiver coach of the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
*
Chris Finwood
Chris Finwood (born January 20, 1966) is an American baseball coach and former shortstop, who is the current head baseball coach of the Old Dominion Monarchs. He played college baseball at the Virginia Military Institute for coaches Donny White ...
, college baseball coach
*
Marques Hagans
Marques Hagans (born December 29, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia.
Hagans was also a member of the Kansas C ...
, former
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
quarterback/receiver with the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
*
Chris Hanburger
Christian G. Hanburger, Jr. (born August 13, 1941) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire 14-year career with the Washington Redskins, from 1965 through 1978, and was elected to t ...
, nine-time pro bowl linebacker for the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, elected to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
in 2011
*
Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy
Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy is Dean and Distinguished Professor of Education in the School of Education at American University in Washington, DC. Previously, she was Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), and a professor of C ...
, dean of American University School of Education
*
Michael Husted
Michael James Husted (born June 16, 1970) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League. He played nine seasons with four teams. His first six seasons were with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also played for ...
, NFL kicker who played nine seasons in the NFL with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
and other teams
*
John P. Jumper
John Phillip Jumper (born February 4, 1945) is a retired United States Air Force general, who served as 17th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from September 6, 2001 to September 2, 2005. He retired from the Air Force on November ...
, retired 4-star General, former Chief of Staff of the US Air Force (1962)
*
Petra Kelly
Petra Karin Kelly (29 November 1947 – 1 October 1992) was a German Green politician and ecofeminist activist. She was a founding member of the German Green Party, the first Green party to rise to prominence both nationally in Germany and wo ...
, founder of the
German Green Party
Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (fo ...
*
Christopher C. Kraft Jr., retired
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
engineer and manager
*
Darren W. McDew, 4-star General, United States Air Force
*
Felonious Munk
Arif Bilal Shahid (born August 4, 1972) better known by his stage name Felonious Munk is an Ethiopian-American comedian, writer, actor, playwright, and social commentator. He is best known as Hassan on the ABC show For Life.
Career
After lea ...
(as Dennis Banks), comedian known for ''
The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore
''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore'' is a 2015–16 American Late night television, late-night panel discussion, panel Late-night talk show, talk show hosted by Larry Wilmore that aired for two seasons on Comedy Central. The show was a spin-o ...
'' on
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...
*
Robin Olds
Robin Olds (July 14, 1922 – June 14, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). He was a " triple ace", with a combined total of 17 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. ...
,
triple ace and retired
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in the United States Air Force
*
Steve Riddick, 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist, Fastest Man in the World
*
Tabitha Soren
Tabitha Soren (born August 19, 1967) is an American fine art photographer and former reporter for MTV News, ABC News and NBC News.
Early career
As a 19-year-old college student at NYU, Soren appeared in the 1987 music video for " (You Gotta) Figh ...
(Tabitha Sornberger), reporter for
MTV News
*
Dwight Stephenson
Dwight Eugene Stephenson (born November 20, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1987. He played college football for the Alabama C ...
, former NFL center for the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
and a member of the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
*
Tyrod Taylor
Tyrod Diallo Taylor (born August 3, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Virginia Tech, leading the Hokies to the 2009 Orange Bowl as a Sophomore ...
,
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
with the
New York Giants
*
Jill S. Tietjen (born 1954),
electrical engineer and consultant
*
Al Vandeweghe
Alfred Bernard Vandeweghe (October 25, 1920 – February 2, 2014) (1920–2014), professional football player for the
All-America Football Conference's
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...
in 1946
*
David Watford
David Watford (born June 16, 1993) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Virginia for three seasons before transferring to Hampton.
Early years
Watford attended Hampton High School in Hampton ...
, NFL wide receiver
*
Lew Worsham
Lewis Elmer Worsham, Jr. (October 5, 1917 – October 19, 1990) was an American professional golfer, the U.S. Open champion
Life and career
Worsham was born on October 5, 1917, in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. He grew up in Long Island, Vi ...
(1917–1990), professional golfer
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Educational institutions established in 1875
Public high schools in Virginia
Schools in Hampton, Virginia
International Baccalaureate schools in Virginia
1875 establishments in Virginia