Douglas S. Freeman High School

Douglas S. Freeman High School is an American educational institution located in the western part of Virginia's Henrico County.[2]

Douglas S. Freeman High School
Douglas S. Freeman High School in Henrico County, Virginia
Address
8701 Three Chopt Road

Henrico
,
Virginia
23229
Coordinates37°36′5.7″N 77°33′29.7″W
Information
School typePublic high school
Founded1954
School districtHenrico County Public Schools
PrincipalJohn Marshall
Staff96.04 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,805 (2017-18)[1]
Student to teacher ratio18.79[1]
LanguageEnglish
CampusSuburban
Color(s)    Blue and gray
NicknameMavericks;formerly "Rebels"
NewspaperThe Commentator
YearbookThe Historian
Literary magazineThe Educator
Rival schoolsMills E. Godwin High School
Deep Run High School
Athletic conferenceVirginia High School League
5A South Region
Conference 11
WebsiteOfficial site

History

Part of Henrico County Public Schools system,[3] the institution is named for Pulitzer Prize-winning Virginia author, newspaper editor, historian and pioneering radio broadcaster Douglas Southall Freeman (1886–1953).[4] It opened in 1954,[4] slightly more than one year after Freeman's death.

Academics

The principal of the school is John Marshall.[5]

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.[6] Douglas Freeman High School's center is the Center for Leadership, Government and Global Economics, led by Robert Peck.[7]

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 "Mavericks".[8] 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[9]
  • Girls' cross country: 1999[9]
  • Football: 1967 (shared title with Annandale and Princess Anne)[9]
  • Golf: 1963[9]
  • Softball: 1980[9]
  • Boys' tennis: 1982, 1985, 1989, 2001[9]
  • Girls' tennis: 1983[9]
  • Boys' outdoor track: 1970[9]
  • Girls' volleyball: 2005[9]

The boys' volleyball team were VHSL AAA State semi-finalists in 2011 and 2012. The girls' soccer team was in the state tournament in 2013. The baseball team won the last Central Region championship in 2013, and as a result advanced to the state tournament.

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.[10]

Notable alumni

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
  1. "Freeman High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  2. Douglas S. Freeman High School Homepage Archived December 4, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Henrico County High School Information Archived 2010-09-18 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. Douglas S. Freeman High School Information Archived 2011-03-18 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. Brunswick County Taps Pruden as Superintendent
  6. Henrico County School System Organization Archived 2008-05-06 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. Henrico County Specialty Center Information Archived 2014-02-25 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Virginia High School League School Bios Archived 2010-07-06 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. "Virginia High School League Record Book" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
  10. "In Richmond, students seek to revive 'Rebel' mascot". Washington Post. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  11. Class of 1999 VSHF Inductee Page-Barty Smith Archived 2010-11-30 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. Entertainment Weekly Q&A with Elliot Yamin.
  13. Richmondmagazine.com Elliot Yamin Article.
  14. Kahlenberg, Richard. "The Nixon-Obama Compromise".
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