Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School

Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School, commonly known as W.T. Woodson High School or simply Woodson, is a high school located in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the east end of the city of Fairfax, opposite the shopping center on Main Street.

The school opened in 1962 and was once the largest school in the state. It is named for W. T. Woodson, who served as Fairfax County School Superintendent from 1929 to 1961. As of 2016, the student population was roughly 2,400. Woodson has the largest campus in Fairfax County in size of area, and also houses Woodson Adult High School, a separate education facility run by FCPS that allows adults to earn their GEDs and HS diplomas. Woodson has appeared multiple times on ''Newsweek'' magazine's lists of top or best high schools, including #23 (2003), #34 (2005), #90 (2006), and #74 (2008). Woodson has also appeared on the top high schools lists from '' U.S. News & World Report'': #90 (2008), #116 (2013), #200 (2016), #365 (2019), and 280 (2020) https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/districts/fairfax-county-public-schools/w-t-woodson-high-school-20458

Following the retirement of Jeff Yost, Dan Meier, the former principal of Robinson Secondary School, took over as interim principal for most of the 2014–15 school year. The current principal as of October, 2017 is Dr. Carlyn Floyd.

Demographics

For the 2018–19 school year, Woodson High School's student body was 51.84% white non-Hispanic, 25.03% Asian, 12.62% Hispanic, 4.60% black, and 5.91% "Other."

Renovation

Woodson began the process of renovating all of its facilities in 2005 and adding several classrooms. The project was 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 when the structure was built. The renovations nearly doubled the square footage of the school.

The project was completed in 2009. The renovation consisted of complete renovation to all existing interior spaces, as well as adding to the performing arts and athletic wings, creating a new administration wing with a new front entrance, highlighted by a large tower and the addition of a new science classroom wing and two student drop off areas.

Activities, groups, and programs

Woodson's mascot is a Cavalier and the sports teams play in the AAA Patriot District and the Northern Region. In 1976, the Washington Diplomats of the North American Soccer League used the school's stadium as their home field.

Publications

''The Cavalcade'' is the school newspaper. ''The Cavalier'', Woodson's yearbook, is a AAA publication.

Communities served by Woodson

Several unincorporated areas, such as Mantua," Olde Creek, Canterbury Woods, Truro, Rutherford, Long Branch, and Wakefield Forest are served by Woodson.

Woodson in the news

*On April 1, 1973, a strong tornado struck Woodson High School and ripped off the roof. It was hit on a Sunday and no injuries were reported among the 65-75 people playing basketball in the school gymnasium. The students did a split shift with Oakton High School to finish out the school year. Graduation ceremonies were held on their home football field.
*A second tornado spawned by the remains of Hurricane David severely damaged the school's stadium on September 5, 1979, causing an estimated $45,000 in damage.

Notable alumni

*Dave Aitel, CTO and Founder of Immunity, Inc.
*Tommy Amaker, point guard for Duke University (1983–1987) and men's basketball coach for Seton Hall (1997–2001), the University of Michigan (2001–2007) and Harvard University (2007–present)
* Bob Cesca, columnist/blogger for The Huffington Post, creator of anime series ''Kung Fu Jimmy Chow'' and web cartoon Napster Bad
*Catherine Coleman, astronaut
* Robert F. Godec, U.S. ambassador to Tunisia and Kenya
*Clarence Goodson, former member of the United States men's national soccer team
*Andy Heck, pro-football player (1989–2002), currently the offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs
*Michael Lahoud, former professional soccer player
* Steve Marino, professional golfer
*Christopher McCandless, Alaskan traveler, subject of the nonfiction work '' Into the Wild'' by Jon Krakauer and subsequent film.
* Michael P. Mullin, Virginia House of Delegates Representative for the 93rd District.
*Thomas J. Perrelli, Associate Attorney General of the United States under former President Obama
*Jessica Rogers, Founder of iSACRA, American wheelchair racer, basketballer, and swimmer
*Austin St. John, (born September 17, 1975) an American actor best known for his role on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as Jason Lee Scott, the Original Red Power Ranger.
*Tommy Steenberg, U.S. Figure Skater
* Abe Thompson, former professional soccer player, all-time leader scorer at the University of Maryland, College Park with 112 points, last played with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
*Michael Weiss, U. S. skating and Olympic champion
* Jennifer Wilson, Opera Singer

References

External links

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Who is Wilbert Tucker Woodson?

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodson, Wilbert Tucker High School
Educational institutions established in 1962
High schools in Fairfax County, Virginia
Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League teams
Public high schools in Virginia
1962 establishments in Virginia