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Woodberry Forest School

Coordinates: 38°17′31.9″N 78°7′19.5″W / 38.292194°N 78.122083°W / 38.292194; -78.122083
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Woodberry Forest School
Address
Map
898 Woodberry Forest Rd

Woodberry Forest
,
Madison County
,
Virginia
22989-9998

United States
Coordinates38°17′31.9″N 78°7′19.5″W / 38.292194°N 78.122083°W / 38.292194; -78.122083
Information
TypeIndependent boarding high school
MottoTemplate:Lang-la
(From Possibility to Actuality)
Religious affiliation(s)Nonsectarian[1]
Established1889; 135 years ago (1889)
FounderRobert Stringfellow Walker
StatusCurrently operational[1]
CEEB code472455
NCES School ID01433725[1]
HeadmasterByron Hulsey
Faculty60.9 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades9-12
GenderAll-boys
Enrollment403[1] (2021-2022)
 • Grade 994
 • Grade 1098
 • Grade 11109
 • Grade 12102
Average class size10
Student to teacher ratio6.6:1[1]
Hours in school day7.2[1]
Campus size1,200 acres (490 ha)
Campus typeFringe rural[1]
Color(s)Orange & Black   
NicknameTigers
Teams16 interscholastic sports
38 teams
PublicationThe Talon
NewspaperThe Oracle
Endowment$432 million
Annual tuition$65,350
AffiliationsNAIS, TABS
Websitewoodberry.org

A view of the school's Walker Building from Robertson Lake

Woodberry Forest School is a private, all-male boarding school located in Woodberry Forest, Madison County, Virginia, in the United States. Woodberry's current enrollment is 391. Students come from 34 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and 36 countries. The school's endowment and managed funds total $432,000,000 as of June 30, 2023. Comprehensive tuition for 2023–2024 is $65,350; 41% of the students receive financial aid.

History

The school was founded in 1889 by Captain Robert Stringfellow Walker, who had been a member of the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry (Mosby's Rangers) during the American Civil War.[2] The school occupies approximately 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) in Madison, Virginia.[3] The campus is bounded on one side by the Rapidan River. It was originally the estate of William Madison, brother of President James Madison. The headmaster's residence, known as The Residence, is taken entirely from an architectural design by Thomas Jefferson. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[4] The property eventually passed to the Walker family. The school was founded when Walker hired a tutor to teach his six sons and other local children because of the lack of adequate schooling in the surrounding area. Today, the campus is known for its historic Jeffersonian brick buildings and state-of-the-art science and arts facilities.

J. Carter Walker, son of Captain Walker and a school graduate, graduated from the University of Virginia in 1897. According to Elizabeth Copeland Norfleet in A Venture in Faith, his plans to go on to law school were interrupted by his father's request that he serve as "head teacher." Carter Walker later explained his decision to his brother: "I always did what Father and Mother told me to."

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Woodberry Forest Gymnasium Team, ca. 1905, Library of Congress

Woodberry, nicknamed the Tigers, competes in the Virginia Prep League in a variety of sports, including basketball, soccer, baseball, golf, swimming, lacrosse, wrestling, cross country, tennis, track, and football.[5]

The longest-running high school football rivalry in the Southern United States takes place annually between Woodberry Forest and Episcopal High School of Alexandria, Virginia. The schools first played against each other in 1901, competing in over 100 games. "The Game," as it is known, draws back many alumni and is considered the homecoming game for both schools. The 100th contest, which Woodberry won, took place in 2000 and drew nearly 15,000 spectators. Before every game between the two schools, Woodberry has a bonfire reaching heights of four stories, where students line up to throw torches into a tower of logs. The bonfire draws nearly as many Woodberry fans as The Game itself.

The school's facilities include an on-campus 9-hole golf course designed by Donald Ross, an indoor track/pool complex, two turf football/lacrosse fields, two baseball fields, three competition-level soccer fields, and three other grass fields for football, soccer, and lacrosse.

The Tigers send numerous athletes to play college sports at all levels, including multiple NCAA Division I recruits each year.

Honor system and prefect board

A principal feature of life at Woodberry is its student-run honor system. A Prefect Board of roughly 18 senior students adjudicates the case of any students who "lie, cheat, or steal" and make a recommendation to the headmaster. The Prefect Board may recommend an honor warning, honor probation, or honor dismissal.[6] Anyone found violating the honor code severely is dismissed from the school. The Prefect Board is determined through a process involving students, faculty, and administration. In the spring trimester, an election among the students is held where students are given a roster of the rising senior class and asked to select the 18 they feel are best suited to the role. Faculty undertake a similar process, and later, the administration interviews the individual candidates as determined by the initial elections. Finally, the headmaster decides the final composition of the board, and they are announced publicly to the student body before the year's close.

Aside from maintaining the honor system, the Prefect Board guides the new students through orientation. Prefects also serve in roles similar to that of resident assistants, organizing dormitory events and informing students of news and events. The Prefect Board elects a Senior Prefect from among its members; his role is similar to that of a student body president, giving a speech at the assembly commencing the school year and at graduation in spring.

Notable alumni

Former headmasters

  • J. Carter Walker (1898–1948)
  • Shaun Kelley Jr. (1948–1952)
  • Joseph M. Mercer (1952–1961)
  • A. Baker Duncan Jr. (1961–1970)
  • Charles W. Sheerin Jr. (1970–1973)
  • Gerald L. Cooper (acting) (1973–1974)
  • Emmett W. Wright Jr. (1974–1991)
  • John S. Grinalds (1991–1997)
  • Dennis M. Campbell (1997–2014)
  • Byron C. Hulsey (2014–present)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Woodberry Forest School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Rosni: A Working Farm, Orange County Historical Society, Orange County Historical Society News". Orangecovahist.org. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "Discover Woodberry Forest | A Top Private School in Virginia". www.woodberry.org. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  4. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  5. ^ "Teams and Schedules". Woodberry Forest School. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  6. ^ The Honor System 2018–19 (PDF). Woodberry Forest School. 2018. pp. 6, 7.
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