Douglas S. Freeman High School
| Douglas S. Freeman High School | |
|---|---|
 Douglas S. Freeman High School in Henrico County, Virginia | |
| Address | |
 | |
8701 Three Chopt Road, , 23229 | |
| Coordinates | 37°36′5.7″N 77°33′29.7″W / 37.601583°N 77.558250°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| Founded | 1954 |
| School district | Henrico County Public Schools |
| Principal | Mr. Andrew P. Mey |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,660 |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Blue and Gray |
| Mascot | Rebels |
| Newspaper | The Commentator |
| Yearbook | The Historian |
| Literary Magazine | The Educator |
| Rival Schools | Mills E. Godwin High School Deep Run High School |
| Atlhetic Conference | Virginia High School League 5A South Region Conference 11 |
| Website | Official Site |
Douglas S. Freeman High School is an American educational institution located in the western part of Virginia's Henrico County.[1]
History
Part of Henrico County Public Schools system,[2] the institution is named for Pulitzer Prize-winning Virginia author, newspaper editor, historian and pioneering radio broadcaster Douglas Southall Freeman (1886–1953).[3] It opened in 1954,[3] slightly more than one year after Freeman's death.
Academics
The principal of the school is Andrew P. Mey.[4] Henrico County runs a system in which each high school contains a specialty center, a separate but integrated entity within the school that functions as a magnet program. The centers offer advanced courses to students who have clear interests and specific educational and/or career goals.[5] Douglas Freeman High School's center is the Center for Leadership, Government and Global Economics, led by Robert Peck.[6]
Athletics
Freeman is a member of the Virginia High School League. It competes in the 5A Central Region and 5A Colonial District. The school colors are blue and gray and the teams are nicknamed the "Rebels".[7] The colors and mascot were devised as a tribute to Douglas Freeman's extensive study of the Civil War.
Virginia High School League AAA State Championship Teams
- Boys' Cross Country: 1969, 2014[8]
- Girls' Cross Country: 1999[8]
- Football: 1967 (shared title with Annandale and Princess Anne)[8]
- Golf: 1963[8]
- Softball: 1980[8]
- Boys' Tennis: 1982, 1985, 1989, 2001[8]
- Girls' Tennis: 1983[8]
- Boys' Outdoor Track: 1970[8]
- Girls' Volleyball: 2005[8]
The boys' volleyball team has been VHSL AAA State Semi-Finalists in 2011 and 2012. The girls' soccer team also was in the state tournament in 2013. The baseball team won the last ever Central Region championship in 2013 and as a result advanced to the state tournament.
Notable alumni
- John Aboud—Founder of Modern Humorist, and commentator on VH1's Best Week Ever
- Kevin Aviance—Dance music artist and performer
- Steve Bassett—co-author of Virginia's popular state song (with Robbin Thompson)
- Bill Leverty—Guitarist for the American rock band Firehouse
- Bernard Siegel—Founder and Executive Director of the Genetics Policy Institute
- Barty Smith—Player for NFL's Green Bay Packers (1974–1981) and member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 1999[9]
- Peter Hamby—Head of News at Snapchat and former CNN political correspondent
- Elliott Yamin—Third-place finisher on the fifth season of the popular TV show American Idol.[10] Yamin was a student at Freeman High but never graduated[11]
- Ellen Spiro—Award-winning documentary filmmaker and member of the class of 1982.
- Waleed Suliman—Award winning Boys' cross-country runner and member of the class of 2017.[12]
- Constance Wu—Actress, Fresh Off the Boat
- Tommy Siegel—Guitarist and Vocalist in pop band Jukebox the Ghost
- Joey Williams- Director of the Godfather series
- Robert Watkins- Actor General Hospital
Media
The school publishes a newspaper (The Commentator), a literary magazine (The Educator), and a yearbook (The Historian). Douglas Freeman High School was mentioned in a Washington Post article referring to the school's revival of the historic "Rebel Man" mascot.[13]
In popular culture
James E. Ryan's book Five Miles Away, A World Apart: One City, Two Schools, and the Story of Educational Opportunity in Modern America explores the issue of economic school segregation by comparing Freeman to nearby Thomas Jefferson High School, located in the city of Richmond. Arguing for more freedom in school choice, Ryan cites findings that "high-poverty" schools (like Thomas Jefferson) consistently under-perform "low-poverty" schools (like Freeman) academically, regardless of the financial resources allocated to them. He concludes: "The truth is that separating the poor and politically powerless in their own schools and districts is antithetical to the idea of equal educational opportunity."[14]
References
- ^ Douglas S. Freeman High School Homepage.
- ^ Henrico County High School Information.
- ^ a b Douglas S. Freeman High School Information.
- ^ Brunswick County Taps Pruden as Superintendent
- ^ Henrico County School System Organization.
- ^ Henrico County Specialty Center Information.
- ^ Virginia High School League School Bios.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Virginia High School League Record Book
- ^ Class of 1999 VSHF Inductee Page-Barty Smith.
- ^ Entertainment Weekly Q&A with Elliot Yamin.
- ^ Richmondmagazine.com Elliot Yamin Article.
- ^ "Freeman's Waleed Suliman running toward bright future". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ^ "In Richmond, students seek to revive 'Rebel' mascot". Washington Post. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ^ Kahlenberg, Richard. "The Nixon-Obama Compromise".