Yorktown High School (Virginia)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    http://shiftingbaselines.org/blog/darth-vader.jpe

Yorktown High School is one of three high schools located in Arlington, Virginia. There are 140 teachers and 1619 students as of 2006, 981 of which are enrolled in AP courses. It is a fully accredited high school based on Virginia's SOL examinations, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Yorktown has a strong taste for students to participate in artistic activities. Instrumental, choral, theatrical, and visual arts are prominent in the school's atmosphere.

Yorktown's athletes participate in the city wide rainbow parade and are so named the Patriots. The teams wear the colors Columbia blue and white.

[edit] History

The school opened for the first time for the 1952-1953 school year. The building was originally an elementary school, which was converted to a middle school and then a high school as Arlington grew in population.

[edit] Alumni Hall of Fame

Most of these distinguished alumni (and others) are honored in the school's "Hall of Fame and Inspiration," located in the auditorium lobby. The plaques honoring the former students were made possible through the generosity of Hubert N. "Jay" Hoffman III, YHS Class of 1962.

[edit] Building Structure and Location

The school building began as a studio for a public broadcasting channel, as well as an elementary school (known as "Yorktown Elementary"). Additions have been continually added over the years, making the school much larger, but leaving many of the older sections still incorporated within the walls, often still being used as classrooms. The older section of the building is easily identified by bathrooms with doors that are about four feet tall, designed for six year olds, of course. Yorktown is placed on a small parcel of land and does not own its athletic grounds but it belongs to Arlington County, and is known as Greenbrier Park. Construction is currently being done on Greenbrier Park. Individual softball and baseball fields are being put in along with a new turf field to be used for field hockey, football, soccer, and lacrosse. A rubber track is also being added. Greenbrier Park abuts a small playground frequented by small children and their parents.

The school was built as a two-floored square building, similar to that of Wakefield High School. The lower level is devoted to administrative offices, music department, theater, and cafeteria. The upper level is devoted the media center and computer labs. There is an external wing devoted to extra classrooms and gymnasium.

[edit] Renovation

In 2003 -- thanks to the 2000 Bond Package received by Arlington -- Yorktown High School added an external wing to the school which houses the English and Mathematic departments. Access to the building can be from either the outside or through the main gymnasium between the main building and the new wing.

On May 8, 2006, the Arlington County School Board approved a preliminary design to rebuild the building. Voters approved about $25,000,000 for the project in the 2006 elections and $75,000,000 is on the ballot for next year. On February 1, 2007, the School Board unanimously approved the schematic design[3] for the new Yorktown High School. Progress on the renovation process can be tracked here [4].In addition, a new building opened in September 2004 for the school and the athletic fields are currently being renovated [5]. The fields are slated to open in March/April 2007.

[edit] Demographics

Like many high schools in the United States, Yorktown is predominantly White.
Its demographic breakdown of the 2006-2007 school year is as follows:^[1]

• 67.8% White
• 15.6% Hispanic
• 08.7% Asian/Pacific Islander
• 07.4% Black
• 00.1% American Indian/Alaskan Native

As of 2006-2007, 88 students receive ESL support. As of 2006-2007, 981 students attend AP courses.

[edit] Academics

[edit] Focus

The students at Yorktown High School reflect Arlington's rich diversity. Yorktown's primary goal is to provide all students a first-rate academic education, while fostering the development of the social and emotional skills for success in life. The faculty and community commitments to this primary goal make Yorktown a challenging and unique secondary school. Over ninety percent of Yorktown graduates pursue post-secondary education; others go on to the military or join the work force after graduation. A recent Washington Post ranking of high schools placed Yorktown in the top ten most academically challenging high schools in the Washington metropolitan area. Newsweek included Yorktown in its listing of the top 25 high schools in the nation. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education designated Yorktown a Blue Ribbon "National School of Excellence." With an emphasis on high expectations for every student, Yorktown addresses the needs of its students through a broad curriculum, a large number of special programs, and the support of a wide range of professionals and community members. Several computer labs and mini-labs throughout the building, a Yorktown television studio, and teacher technology productivity centers allow students and faculty opportunities to utilize technology for learning and instruction. Students also enrich their education with electives in foreign languages and fine arts. The high level of student involvement in these programs, and the recognition students regularly receive for their accomplishments in these areas, is a tribute to the student talent and dedication that are hallmarks of Yorktown.[6]

[edit] Other School Programs and Events

[edit] ROCSfest

ROCSfest is a thrice-yearly set of programs designed by Yorktown High School to help each student learn to Respect Others, the Community, and Self. The program was implemented at Yorktown in the 2003-2004 school year by a Social Studies teacher, Mike Palermo. Consisting of a series of teamwork and trust-building games, most of the student population does not take the day seriously and the number of cases of truancy on ROCs days are so high that the administration cannot call and notify all the parents of offenders. For the 2005-2006 school year, the program was split into three half-day session instead of the one full-day program of previous years to cut down on truancy by having classes on the same days as ROCSfest. Unfortunately problems persisted and in the 2006-2007 school year the program was discontinued for reevaluation purposes. For the 2004-2005 program, sportswriter and TV show co-host, Michael Wilbon, attended the event as a motivational speaker for the student body. ROCSfest is facilitated by students from the Leadership & Diversity Training class, which is based on the Help Increase the Peace Program (HIPP), created by a Quaker group known as the American Friends Service Committee. ROCSfest was seen as a total failure in the eyes of the students and there for was cut back on and eventually forgotten.

Yorktown High School (photo by Daniel Ryan)

[edit] All Night Grad Party

After graduation, graduates and guests are to participate in the Boat Party and Breakfast. Students are bussed to the Potomac Wharf and board the Spirit of the Potomac and partake in a three-hour boat ride. Usually, the main floor is for dancing and dining, the second floor is designed as a mock casino, and the upper deck is for outdoor lounging. At the end of the trip, the students are bussed back to Yorktown and are provided breakfast by mothers of other students and participate in other activities.

[edit] The Rock

One unique feature at Yorktown is the beloved Rock. The Rock has been at the corner of the school near the athletic fields since at least the mid 80's. It has been tagged by classes, sports teams, clubs, and people trying to raise awareness about certain issues every year. An inspection of a piece of fallen-off paint revealed the cumulative layers of paint on the rock is nearly one inch thick. The Rock has even been known to receive several new layers of spray paint in a night, by different groups of students. Many times other rival schools such as Wakefield and Washington-Lee attempted to destroy, remove, or bury the rock, all fruitless efforts.

[edit] Clubs and Activities

Yorktown is characterized by a large student body with most students participating heavily in several clubs and activities. Several classes also call for extensive after-school time, leaving the halls of Yorktown filled with students even after the final bell. Yorktown offers a debate team, a student newspaper (The Yorktown Sentry), an award-winning music program, and extensive theatrical activities in addition to numerous student-led clubs and sports teams. Those that cannot find a club or activity they enjoy at Yorktown can usually find an activity at the Arlington Career Center by using two class periods to take a course there. If all else fails, students can work together and start their own club. This has led to the formation of clubs such as the Rock, Paper, Scissors club and the Anime Club.

[edit] Senior Experience

To the likeness of neighboring high school, Washington-Lee, Seniors are privileged to use the final four weeks of their fourth year to involve themselves in various job experiences of interest. The student must use the hours of the school day to participate in his/her work of choice. At the end of the final week, the students gather for small group discussions to talk about the difference of school and work. All selected students for the program must complete the program in order to graduate from Yorktown High School.

[edit] Performing Arts

• The Marching Patriots compete 3-4 times a season and consistently receive grade I and II honors, including with VBODA. During their season, they also partake in several parades including Arlington's Neighborhood Day Parade.

• All the instrumental and choral groups -- including the String Orchestra, Band, and Choir -- compete twice annually amongst other schools both at the District 12 level in the fall and on an out-of-state trip in the spring. The groups usually come home with grade I or II honors.

• Yorktown's Theatre Department performs in three different performances per year, including a fall drama production, a competitive One-Act production in the winter, and its more popular spring musical, all of which spawn award-winning performances. The spring musical competes annually amongst DC Metropolitan high schools in a formal ceremony for Cappies, awards similar to the Tonys. They also have a partnership with Arlington's Signature Theater.

[edit] Athletics

Yorktown's athletic department competes through the Virginia High School League and are so named the Patriots. It is headed by Mr. Mike Krulfeld. The teams wear the colors Columbia blue and white.

[edit] List of Teams

[edit] Pool and Stadiums

Yorktown has a public partnership with Arlington County to use the athletic facilities of Greenbrier Park for softball, baseball, and track & field events. The public is free to use the Yorktown stadium for football, soccer, and other field games.

Yorktown High School owns and manages its own swimming pool. During the week, it is used for physical education for the students of Yorktown and for students of neighboring middle and elementary schools. Other times, it is used publicly for the community at large. The community does not have a team to represent the public pool, but is represented by the Patriots' swim and dive teams.

Starting in 2002, Arlington County was to spend well over $700,000 on the implant and maintenance of new Astroturf in various athletic fields and stadiums. In 2006, Yorktown's outdoor stadium was the first of the three Arlington high schools with this change. Washington-Lee High School and Wakefield High School had their fields implanted in 2005 and 2004, respectively.^[2]

[edit] References

1. ^ Find all information about Yorktown High School on the Local School Profile [1]
2. ^ Arlington and Synthetic Turf Fields [2]

[edit] External links

• Arlington County Public Schools
• Arlington Career Center
• Yorktown High School
• Yorktown High School Athletics
• Yorktown High School Alumnae
• Yorktown High School Band