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Battlefield High School
Address
Map
15000 Graduation Drive

Haymarket
,
Virginia
20169
Information
School typePublic high school
MottoSuccess Is A Choice
Founded2004
School districtPrince William County Schools
PrincipalAmy Ethridge-Conti
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,605 (2007–08)
Color(s)      Purple, Black, and Silver
Athletics conferenceAAA Cedar Run District
AAA Northwest Region
MascotBobcat
Websitewww.BattlefieldHighSchool.org
The atrium in the central stairwell.
BHS' location and the area it serves.

Battlefield High School is a public secondary school within the Gainesville District of unincorporated Prince William County, Virginia, United States, and is part of Prince William County Public Schools. The school is located north of the town of Haymarket and bears a "Haymarket, Virginia" address. Battlefield is one of two Centers for Information Technology in the school division.

The site, surrounded by the Toll Brothers-developed housing plan of Dominion Valley, erected a sign reading "Future Site of Dominion Valley High School" prior to groundbreaking. However, the official school naming committee ultimately elected to avoid options that included "Dominion Valley," "Haymarket," or "Gainesville" as it was felt the school name should not ostracize any of the communities or developments it would ultimately serve. Due in large part to the school's proximity to local historic Civil War sites, "Battlefield" was successfully proposed and subsequently adopted.

While even some school district documents refer to the school with the acronym "BFHS," because Battlefield is one word, the acronym "BHS" is preferred.

The rapid construction of homes in the area surrounding Battlefield has resulted in a tremendous population increase, which guarantees that at least for now, the school will operate well over its intended capacity. Communities served by Battlefield include Bridlewood, Bristow, Bull Run Mountain Estates, Carterwood, Catharpin, Crossroads, Coverstone, Dominion Valley, Evergreen, Gainesville, Glenkirk, Heritage Hunt, Hopewell's Landing, Lake Manassas, Parks at Piedmont, Piedmont, Rocky Run, Somerset, Town of Haymarket, and West Market.

In May 2007 Newsweek magazine ranked Battlefield High School 1068th in the nation on its annual list of "Best High Schools in America."[1]

History

Battlefield High School was opened in September 2004 as the ninth high school in Prince William County.

The school's first principal was Jack W. Parker, who served briefly when the school opened in 2004.

The current principal is Amy Ethridge-Conti. Assistant Principals include L. Edward Stephenson, Maria McDonald, Chris McMillan, and Lisa Zdravecky. Jane Sumner is the Specialty Program Coordinator. Catherine Porter-Lucas serves as Administrative Intern, and former Special Education department chair Judith Lester serves as the Teacher on Administrative Assignment. Ben Stutler serves as Director of Activities, and Danielle "Dani" Gately serves as Head of Security along with the School Resource Officer, Officer John Tillman.

Prior school leaders have included Jack W. Parker (Principal 2004-2004), Natalie K. Bonshire (Assistant Principal 2005-2007), and Major R. Warner, Jr. (Assistant Principal 2004-2007), the latter of which is now principal at Kettle Run High School in neighboring Fauquier County.

In both the 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 school years, Battlefield High School was named a "School of Excellence" by Prince William County. According to PWCS, "a School of Excellence must be fully accredited by the state and ... must ensure that ninety-five percent of students beginning the year on or above grade level pass the SOL tests. They must also ensure that fifty percent of students beginning the year below grade level pass the SOL tests."[2]

Accreditation

Battlefield High School is a fully accredited high school based on its performance on the Standards of Learning tests in Virginia since its opening in 2004.[3]

Battlefield High School has made "Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP) each year it has been open, according to the Virginia Department of Education's benchmarks set by the mandate of the No Child Left Behind Act.

School Seal

The school seal, illustrated in the school colors of purple, black, and silver, was designed by Carl Kielbasa of Herff-Jones, Inc. The center of the seal is a representation of "graduation" with the traditional mortarboard and rolled diploma. Around the outside of the seal are representations of "the arts" (a drama mask, a lyre, and a palette), "academics" (the traditional "torch and tome"), "Information Technology" (the words wrapping the globe), and "athletics" (the winged shoe of Hermes (stylized as a modern sneaker) and the traditional laurel). The crest of the seal is a disembodied Bobcat head superimposed upon mountains, representing the Piedmont region of the Appalachian Mountains, a prominent local geographic feature. At the base of the seal on the tasseled scroll are the keywords "Courage," "Honor," and "Integrity."

Campus

Battlefield High School, exterior.
The school seal, painted in the foyer.
An interior "road sign".

Originally simply "High School #9," the campus includes one primary academic building, a separate security residence, an observation tower overlooking the large student parking lot, and the athletic stadium complex. (The stadium does not currently bear a specific name.) Located on Graduation Drive, the school is within the Dominion Valley subdivision. The academic facility ("the school") is approximately 276,000 square feet (25,600 m2) in size, is located on a 79.77-acre (322,800 m2) site, and was designed by Moseley Architects, formerly Moseley Wilkins, and Wood. Construction took place beginning in March 2002, with the facility opening on 19 August 2004.[4]

Many of the interior trim aspects were originally painted a salmon color, but after the selection of the school colors (purple, black, and silver), many trim sections were repainted in school colors. The floors of the school feature black tile borders along wall edges and school-colored purple lockers, configured "over-under" to provide two lockers per bay. The walls are white and power-efficient fluorescent lighting is used throughout, supplemented by natural light that enters through windows both in classrooms and in stairwells, as well as through the courtyard. Additionally, a large atrium at the center of the school is a functional architectural detail that allows natural light into the surrounding areas.

During Summer 2008, three years of effort by the Technology Committee, in tandem with the Office of Instructional Technology and support from the administration, led to the installation of ceiling-mounted DLP video projectors for use in classroom teaching in almost every instructional space, with the remainder anticipated over the following school years as budget allows. Approximately half of those rooms equipped with these projectors feature interactive whiteboard technology.

As is common practice with many modern schools, corridors are labeled with "road signs," helping students to navigate the large structure. At Battlefield, "east-west" roads are numbered First, Second, and Third streets on the ground level, beginning closest to the front of the school. On the upper level, Fourth and Fifth streets follow the same pattern. "North-south" corridors are "avenues," each beginning with an ascending letter of the alphabet and each named for something relevant to Battlefield's community. "Antioch Avenue" is the first on the ground floor, followed by "Bristow," "Catharpin," and "Dominion Valley" Avenues. On the upper floor, "Evergreen, "Freedom," "Gainesville," and "Haymarket" Avenues complete the grid.

Further identifying monikers for exterior routes were published in 2007 as part of a revised traffic pattern plan. The high volume of traffic on Graduation Drive and Route 15 has been concern not only for the school but for the local department of transportation as well. (According to an administration comment during a faculty meeting, BHS school officials counted over 1,300 automobiles passing through the campus during a single morning in September.) Several of the exterior roads carry the unofficial names "Bobcat Trail," "Senior Drive," and "Spirit Way."

The on-paper capacity of the school is approximately 2,050, though the school's current enrollment (2,714) is contained within the existing facility, including the four added temporary classrooms. As previously predicted, the enrollment has outgrown the facility, necessitating innovative uses of space, teachers frequently changing classrooms, and students learning in nontraditional spaces, illustrating the rapid pace of growth in the region. There are preliminary plans in place to open the county's eleventh high school, tentatively named Kettle Run High School, in the nearby Brentsville Magisterial District near Vint Hill, which was originally slated to be designed for approximately 2,050 students by reusing the same design as that of Battlefield and its "sister schools," Forest Park and Freedom. [5] The plan originally called to open this new high school by 2009, but due to budget concerns, this was pushed back to 2011 during the 06-07 school year.

Students

As of 30 September 2006, using the terms from the reporting instrument, the student body was 64.3% White, 11.9% Asian / Pacific Islander, 11.4% Black, 9.7% Hispanic, 2.6% unspecified, and less than 1% Indian/Alaskan. English is the predominantly-spoken first language of the population, followed by Korean. Over twenty countries of origin are represented in the student body.

Enrollment

Upon its opening for the 2004–2005 school year, the student population was approximately 1,100 students. With the addition of the senior class for 2005–2006, that number was approximately 1,750. The enrollment during 2006–2007 rose to 2,276 students, with 736 students in 9th, 605 in 10th, 514 in 11th, and 421 in 12th grades respectively.[6] According to a report by the Guidance Department of 26 March 2007, there were 2,262 students enrolled, with 713 students in 9th, 608 in 10th, 508 in 11th, and 415 in 12th grades respectively.

The anticipated enrollment for opening day of the 2008–2009 academic year was estimated in July 2008 at 2,698. (9th with 733 student, 10th with 729, 11th with 651, and 12th with 585.) By August, this number had risen to 2,714 according to SASI, the school's primary student information database.

2008-2009 marks the third consecutive year Battlefield has operated over capacity with an excess of students number in the hundreds. The school will open 2008-2009 at 135% of its intended capacity. (2,714 students for a facility designed for 2,051.) As a consequence, four temporary classrooms ("trailers") were added to the Battlefield campus in July of 2008.

Dropout rates have been less than 2% since the school opened in 2004.

For 2006–2007, the school began hosting its Air Force JROTC program, which currently has 135 students. The program is led by Lt. Col. R. Cartee and Chief Master Sergeant D. Woodiel, and instructs both aerospace history and engineering as well as leadership and community skills.

For 2007–2008, the school began hosting its Criminal Justice program. The program is led by Mark Fletcher, a former Fairfax County SWAT commander, and serves as a "miniature police academy," instructing essential constitutional law and criminal justice practices.

The iT Specialty Program at BHS stood at 415 students for 2006–2007.

Attendance

Average daily attendance for 2004–2005 was 94.7%, and for 2005–2006 was 94.18%, with any duration departure from the instructional setting constituting an absence for purposes of reporting this statistic.

Standardized test scores

As reported by the school division to the Virginia Department of Education, English Performance pass rates were 91% of 99% tested in 2004–2005, and 92% of 100% tested in 2005–2006. Mathematics Performance pass rates were 93% of 99% tested in 2004–2005, and 90% of 99% tested in 2005–2006. Science Performance pass rates were 89% throughout 2004–2006. Social Studies Performance pass rates were 95% for 2004–2005 and 92% for 2005–2006.

The average composite SAT score for a Battlefield High School student in 2005–2006 was 1035.

Post-graduation

In the 2005–2006 school year, 90% of graduating students matriculated to a college or university, 49% to a four year program and 41% to a two year program. 95% of seniors graduating from Battlefield at the end of the 2006-2007 school year went on to attend a two- or four-year college, while graduates following the 2007-2008 academic year saw a rate of approximately 93%.

Faculty and staff

Battlefield High School employs over 250 total staff members, approximately 163 of whom are members of the instructional faculty with another dozen serving as paraprofessionals. The counseling center employs approximately 20 people. PWCS facilities were recently ranked the cleanest and best maintained on the eastern seaboard by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. As reported to the Virginia Department of Education, in 2005–2006, only four teachers in the building did not meet Federal standards for the definition of "Highly Qualified," less than the Commonwealth average of five teachers per school. As of 2005–2006, 48% of the staff had completed at least one graduate degree beyond the Bachelor level. Many teachers at Battlefield hold multiple graduate degrees and/or professional certifications, and several are actively involved in doctoral studies. It was anticipated that approximately 20 to 25 new teacher positions were to be added for the 2007–2008 academic year. This number rose to over 30 before the school year began.

There are currently several committees operating at the school, including the Freshman Transition Committee, the Technology Committee, the Social Committee, the Principal's Advisory Council, and the STAR Program Committee.

The iT Medal, featuring the logo for the Center for Information Technology.

Curriculum

Battlefield offers a county wide IT-specialized program for qualified students. The program offers courses in computer science and programming, as well as advanced certification programs including A+, Oracle, Cisco, Microsoft Certified Systems, and is a certification center for the Certified Internet Web Professional program.[7]

In 2006, the Virginia Department of Education conferred an award upon the iT team of business partners for collaboration between the iT program at Battlefield and local industry.[8]

Extracurricular activities

File:Battlefieldbobcats.gif
Battlefield Bobcats logo.

The school mascot is the bobcat and the sports teams currently play in the AAA Cedar Run District and Northwest Region.

The athletic team logo for Battlefield is a reproduction of the logo used by the Charlotte Bobcats NBA team. Public schools' use of professional athletic logos has been an historically-accepted practice, with professional leagues going so far as to say they often encourage it, as it is essentially free marketing. Detractors of this practice may view it as lazy or a missed opportunity to craft a community-based image or involve students in the creation of insignia. In either case, the resemblance is not merely passing, but nearly identical to the Charlotte logo.

As of June 2007, the roster of clubs and activities at Battlefield High School included the following:

The Battlefield Robocats robotics team received the "Rookie All Star" award during both the FIRST 2006 Richmond, Virginia preliminary competition and the FIRST 2006 Columbia, North Carolina preliminary competition, qualifying the Robocats for the FIRST Robotics World Championship held in Atlanta, Georgia. The Robocats took the "Rookie All Star" award a third time during the Atlanta World Championships, making them the 2006 Rookie Team of the Year.[9] The team is led by teachers Gail Drake and Michael Piccione.

The girls tennis team won the 2006 Cedar Run District[10] and the Northwestern Regional title. Coach Lisa Rucker was named Coach of the Year by The Washington Post as a result.[10]

The Battlefield Band is a Virginia Honor Band, and is affiliated with the Virginia Band and Orchestra Director's Association, or VBODA.[11] The band is under the direction of Matt Brodt.

In 2008, the Bobcats Softball Team won Cedar Run Regular Season and Tournament Championships as well as the Northwest Region Championship. They played for the first time in Bobcats Softball History in the AAA State Championships where they competed for the State Championship and lost 2-4 to Hickory (19th in the Nation).

Graduation traditions

Following suit with other PWCS schools, Battlefield began holding graduation at nearby Nissan Pavilion for the 2007 commencement exercises. This semi-outdoor amphitheater (reminiscent of similar facilities, such as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center) seats 25,000 and is located in Bristow. The ceremony is conducted in full Academic dress, with students wearing undergraduate-style gowns in school colors (specifically purple and silver) with corresponding mortarboards, and teaching and administrative faculty wearing black Master gowns (regardless of their actual degree) with the option of wearing their own hoods, either conferred by their institutions or purchased through BHS prior to graduation.

Other Photographs

References

  1. ^ "America's Top Public High Schools" (HTML). MSNBC. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  2. ^ "Twenty-Eight County Schools Named Schools of Excellence" (Press release). Prince William County Public Schools. November 16 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-16. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Virginia AYP Status for 2006–2007" (Microsoft Excel). Virginia Department of Education. 2006/2007. Retrieved 2007-03-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Battlefield High School Opens..." (Microsoft Excel) (Press release). Prince William County Public Schools. 17 August 2004. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  5. ^ "Staff Report: Public Facility Review #PLN2007-00079" (Adobe Acrobat). County of Prince William Planning Commission. January 31 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "2006-2007 Fall Membership: School Summaries by Ethnicity, Grade, and Gender" (Microsoft Excel). Virginia Department of Education. September 30 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Certified Internet Web Professional" (HTML). Prosoft Learning. 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  8. ^ "Certified Internet Web Professional" (HTML). Prosoft Learning. 5 June 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Catz, Chelle (January 10 2007). "Chit Chat: Patrick Boyd - 'See you in Vegas!'". The Gainesville Times. Retrieved 2007-03-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b "Spring 2006 All-Met". The Washington Post. 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
  11. ^ "Virginia Honor Bands" (HTML). Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association. 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  • Dept. of Communications and Technology Services, Prince William County Schools (2006), 2005-2009 Strategic Plan, Prince William County Schools
  • Fruhwirth, S (2007), Battlefield High School Enrollment, BHS Guidance Department
  • McClelland, J. (2007), Clubs and Sponsors, Battlefield High School
  • Reeves, KD (2006), Printed SASI Reports, BHS Office of Instructional Technology
  • Zaboth, J (2007), Battlefield High School 2008 Budget Worksheet, BHS Bookkeeper's Office

See also

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