Briar Woods High School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Briar Woods High School
Address
22525 Belmont Ridge Road Ashburn, Virginia, 20148, United States
Website
http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/bwhs
Information
School district	Loudoun County Public Schools
Principal	Edward Starzenski
School type	Public high school
Grades	9–12
Language	English
Campus	Suburban
Mascot	Falcon
Colors	Navy Blue and Orange
Founded	2005
Enrollment	808 (2006)
Communities served	Brambleton Broadlands Arcola
Rival School	Freedom High School
Athletic Conference	Dulles District Region II

Briar Woods High School is a public secondary school located in Ashburn, an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, and is part of Loudoun County Public Schools. The school is located in the Brambleton community and also serves students who live in Broadlands and Arcola.

Contents 1 History 2 Demographics 3 Curriculum 3.1 Test scores 4 Extracurricular activities 4.1 Athletics 4.2 Music 4.3 Drama 4.4 Student Council 4.5 Clubs 5 References 5.1 Citations 5.2 Sources 6 External links

[edit] History

Briar Woods High School opened on August 29, 2005 with its student body coming from Stone Bridge High School and Eagle Ridge Middle School. The first and current principal is Edward Starzenski who served as principal of Loudoun County High School from 1991 to 2004. The school was officially dedicated on October 14, 2005 at a ceremony presided over by school district superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III.^[1]

[edit] Demographics

In 2006-2007 Briar Woods High School's student population was 67% White; 10% Black; 7% Hispanic; and 16% Asian.

[edit] Curriculum

See Main Discussion: Loudoun County Public Schools – Curriculum

[edit] Test scores

Briar Woods is a fully accredited high school by the Virginia Department of Education. No average SAT scores will be available until the first senior class graduates in 2007.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

[edit] Athletics

Briar Woods is a member of the AA Dulles District and Region II. As with most schools in their first year, Briar Woods' athletic teams did not fare well. Due to the lack of a senior class and a small junior class, most sports teams were at a disadvantage competing against established schools. Unlike when other area schools Heritage and Stone Bridge opened, the football team played a junior varsity schedule instead of an independent varsity schedule. The junior varsity football team ended their year with a 9-1 record. All other sports fielded varsity-level teams and competed in the AA Dulles District. As with newly opened Freedom, Briar Woods ended their seasons low in the standings.

After completing their first varsity football season, they finished 6-4. They did however, place first in their division (Dulles Independent).

Also while in their second year, the young Briar Woods golf team won the Dulles AA district title. The team was led by a young sophomore who shot a 47, which was good enough for 3rd place overall. Other people chipping in were a boy with and another boy with an 84 and one last boy with an 85. The team then headed to regionals where they finished 4th.

[edit] Music

Briar Woods has four bands: the Symphonic-Winds Band, the Symphonic Band, the Falcon Regiment Marching Band, and a Jazz Band. The latter two, are not available as classes, and as such, meet before school to practice. The Briar Woods Band Program started their first year with only forty members. As of the 2006-2007 school year, the band program has more than doubled in size, with about 90% of band students participating in the Falcon Regiment Marching Band. The 2006-2007 show is a four part show entitled "Reflections of the Imagination: The Music of Sergei Prokofiev". Selections include:

1. Fun & Games: "Peter and the Wolf Fanfare" - "March, Opus. 99"
2. Romance: "Love"
3. Nightmare: "Dance of the Spirits of Darkness"
4. Heroic Adventure: "Troika"

There has also been a preliminary decision made on the content of the 2007-2008 show. The show will most likely consist of music from the movie "The Mask of Zorro", and so will be appropriatley Spanish-themed.

The Symphonic-Winds contest repetoire for the 2006-2007 school year is comprised of:

1. Symphonic Dance #3
2. To Dance in the Secret Garden
3. Bravura

At the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA) District Festival on Saturday, March 3rd, 2007, The Symphonic-Winds Band received a controversial 'excellent' on stage and a 'superior' in sight-reading while performing this music.

In the school's first year, the Symphonic-Winds Band was selected to go to the New York Wind Band Festival and perform in Carnegie Hall the following spring. All bands are under the direction of Duane Minnick. There is also a chorus program, a string ensemble, and a guitar ensemble.

[edit] Drama

Briar Woods Drama performed two shows during the 2005-2006 school year. Their fall play was "Icarus All Over Again" while the Spring Musical was "The Wizard of Oz", both under the direction of Marina Levi. Marilyn Gilligan was hired in 2006 to take over the drama department.

In the 2006-2007 school year, the drama department was formally named Briar Woods' Black Forest Production. They will be putting on a production of Meredith Wilson's The Music Man. Rehearsals began in October and will continue until opening night in January.

The Drama 2, 3, and 4 class will soon begin to rehearse for a Story Book Theatre Blackbox production.

The Spring play will be Fools by Neil Simon.

[edit] Student Council

The Briar Woods High School SCA (Student Council Association) is a member of the VSCA (Virginia Student Councils Association) and the NASC (National Association of Student Councils).

[edit] Clubs

Briar Woods High School has many active clubs and organizations including commonalities such as the NHS, DECA, and Key Club. The school also has an It's Academic group, cultural societies including Spanish, German, French, and Latin, and special interest activities: Art, Drama, Forensics, Literary Magazine, Book Club, Philosophy, Bible, VFEA (Virginia Future Educators Association), Science and Math, International, PEER, and Dance Team.

[edit] References

[edit] Citations

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

• Official Website
• Loudoun County Public Schools website