Warhill High School

Warhill High School
Address
4615 Opportunity Way Williamsburg , Virginia 23188 United States
Information
School type	Public high school
Founded	2007
School district	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
Principal	Dr. Dianna Lindsay
Grades	9–12
Language	English
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Carolina Blue, Black and Silver
Athletics conference	Virginia High School League Bay Rivers District Region I
Mascot	Lions
Website	Official Site

Warhill High School is a public high school operated by the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (WJCC). Serving the joint school division of the independent city of Williamsburg and James City County, Virginia, the school is located at 4615 Opportunity Way, in the Lightfoot area of the county.

Historic site

The entire Historic Triangle area of the Virginia Peninsula is steeped in history dating back to the era of the British Colony of Virginia (1607-1776) and later. West of the colonial capital (now Colonial Williamsburg), the old stage coach road to New Kent County and Richmond (which became U.S. Route 60 in the 1920s), as well as Centerville and Longhill roads, all date to the pre-Revolutionary War period. The area where Lightfoot is now was known as the location of Six Mile Ordinary. (An ordinary was a colonial-era tavern with food and lodging for travelers and their horses).

By tradition, the land at War Hill (or as it came to be called, Warhill) is named for a American Revolutionary War battle which took place there on June 26, 1781 between British troops under Lord Cornwallis and Allied forces under the Marquis Lafayette. Nearly 150 men were killed or wounded in the conflict, which occurred during the campaign that led to the victory at Yorktown, establishing independence for Virginia and the United States.

By the late 20th century, the 588-acre (2.38 km²) Warhill tract was one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land in the area. In 1996, it was purchased for public use. Located on Centerville Road near the interchange of U.S. Route 60 and State Route 199, the land was envisioned as multi-purpose in James City County's "Master Plan." In 1999, the Warhill Sports Complex opened adjacent to the site of the new high school. In 2005, construction began on the new Warhill High School.

School history

File:W16.JPG

Warhill High School, opened in 2007

Warhill High School is Williamsburg-James City County's third high school, the newest since Jamestown High School's completion in 1997. The construction of Warhill was in response to the overcrowding issue at both Jamestown and Lafayette High School. Serious talks about building a third high school began in 2001. In April 2007, Jamestown was reported to be about 350 students over the effective capacity, and Lafayette even more.

Warhill High School opened to the public on August 28, 2007 and opened for the first day of school on September 4, 2007. 707 students were enrolled at Warhill High School; the number is expected to rise considerably into the early 1,000s as the first senior class forms next during the 2008-2009 school year.

Career and Technicial Education Center

When it opened in 2007, the 243,000-square-foot (22,600 m²) facility at Warhill High School included a new state-of-the-art technology specialty center, offering Career and Technical Education (CTE) in the following career clusters:

• Health, Human and Public Services
• Electronics, Engineering and Scientific Technology
• Information Technology and Communication

Students from all three WJCC high schools are eligible to attend the new Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses at Warhill, which are offered in partnership with Sentara Health System, which opened the modern Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center nearby in Lightfoot in August 2006, and Thomas Nelson Community College.

Marching/Concert Band

The Director of Bands is Mr. T. Jonathan Hargis, former President of the Virginia Band Directors Association, past director of numerous all state marching bands and competitive marching bands. The Marching Lion's Band during their first year was made up of 49 members with the majority of the students coming from Lafayette High School under the redistricting of James City County. Of these 49 students the junior class made up of 11 students took the challenge to transform this small band of mostly 9th and 10th graders into a cohesive marching and concert band. During the first year local area schools, residents and rival bands took notice of the confidence and pride that this young band had right out the gate. The current year has shown the growth of the band to 90 members with the addition of mostly freshmen. With the overnight doubling in size the now Senior Class of 11 has again stepped up to the challenge of leadership, instilling pride, discipline, and ensuring morale is kept at a high level. This class of students has set the platform at a high level for future classes to follow. With the leadership quality shown by the class of 2009 this will most assuredly set the stage for the next class to further the progress made in these two short years. As the class of 2009 looks back onto their high school years they can be proud with the foundation they have provided and at the many accomplishment they have achieved in their short tenure.

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Theatre

Warhill High School follows a WJCC district tradition by performing a fall play, a competition piece, and a spring musical. The inaugural play Cut! was performed November 16 and 17, 2007. Cut! is a glimpse into the often surreal life of the actor; each actor portraying up to 7 characters throughout the play. The premiere musical was Disney's Beauty and the Beast performed March 13 - 16, 2008. Both shows were directed by Robert Cannon. The Warhill High School Theatre Guild webpage is[2]

Directors

Robert Cannon (2007 - 2008)

Mr. Cannon brings 23 years of theatre experience to Warhill. His background spans 4 states, more than 50 shows, and 14 different venues. Highlights of his career include Actors Equity Stage Manager for Arizona Theatre Company and Northern Arizona University Summer Theatre, Production Coordinator for the UPN television series 'Legend' [3], summers at Utah Shakespearean Festival and Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Other roles Mr. Cannon has performed in the theatre include assistant director, technical director, actor, and tour manager. He holds a B.F.A. in Stage Management/Production from the University of Arizona in Tucson and an M.Ed. from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Previously, he was the director at James Blair Middle School where he created the theatre program and introduced the 'Shakespeare in the Spring' series. The Series included Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Julius Caesar. Other shows produced at James Blair include Little Shop of Horrors, School House Rock Live Jr., The Outsiders, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Beth Wigley (2008 - Present)

Mrs. Wigley brings tremendous energy to the WHS Theatre Department as well as a background in Acting/Directing. Formerly the Theatre Director at Jamestown High School and the Director of Theatre for York County's School of the Arts for 13 years, her first production at Warhill was Neil Simon's Rumors. The spring musical will be You're Good Man Charlie Brown. Mrs. Wigley has both acted and directed for The Williamsburg Players, local television commercials, and worked with the Virginia Shakespeare Festival. Her focus both on the theatre and youth is represented in her summer workshops. Mrs. Wigley's directing credits at Jamestown include A Midsummer Night's Dream, A Chorus Line, and Museum.

Athletics

The school's athletic teams compete in the AA Bay Rivers District in Region I.