Poquoson High School

Poquoson High School is a public secondary school, located in Poquoson, Virginia and serves as the sole public secondary school for students in the City. The school was opened in 1910 and currently has approximately 700 students.[1] The school competes in athletics and activities in the Virginia High School League's AA Bay Rivers District. Poquoson High has historically been known for its wrestling program, which has won numerous state championships and has occasionally been ranked nationally.

Poquoson High School
Address
51 Odd Road

Poquoson
,
Virginia
23662

United States
Coordinates37°7′43.4″N 76°22′46.9″W
Information
School typePublic high school
Founded1910
School districtPoquoson City Schools
SuperintendentDr. Jennifer Parish
PrincipalDr. Shelly Cihak
Grades9–12
Enrollment708 (2019-20)
LanguageEnglish
Color(s)    Maroon and Gold
Athletics conferenceVirginia High School League
Bay Rivers District
Region I
MascotBull Islanders
RivalsTabb High School
Grafton High School
Communities servedServes Poquoson
WebsiteOfficial PHS Site

History

Poquoson High was founded in 1910 as the high school for York County. It was housed in a wooden building that resembles a large house. In 1932, the High School was moved into 965 Poquoson Avenue, which was next door to the first building. The High School continued to grow along with the rest of the area, even after the Town of Poquoson was incorporated in 1952. As Langley Air Force Base and the NASA Langley Research Center grew into prominence, the High School's enrollment grew. Poquoson became an independent city in 1975 primarily to gain more local control of its schools, including Poquoson High. Poquoson High moved from the single-A to double-A level in high school athletics in the late 1970s and gained a reputation for quality academics.

Feeder patterns

The following elementary schools feed into PHS:[2]

  • Poquoson Primary School (Grades K-2)
  • Poquoson Elementary School (Grades 3-5)
  • Poquoson Middle School (Grades 6-8)

All residents are zoned to these schools as there are no other public schools in the City.

Accreditation and rankings
  • Poquoson High was ranked 781st in the most recent U.S. News & World Report ranking of America's Top 1000 High Schools in 2013.[4] The school was ranked 712th in 2007, 798th in 2006, and 635th in 2005.[4]
  • Poquoson was also ranked amongst the top 100 communities for music education by the American Music Conference in 2006.[5]

Enrollment history
School YearNumber of Students
2009–2010870
2010–2011834
2011–2012816
2012–2013802
2013–2014780
2014–2015767
2015–2016760
2016–2017698
2017–2018698
2018–2019714
2019–2020708

[3][6]

Athletics and interscholastic competition

Poquoson High School competes in the Virginia High School's AA Division, Region I, Bay Rivers District. The school competes in the following sports:[7]

  • Baseball

Won the State AA baseball championship in 2001, 2009, and 2010[8]

  • Basketball (Boys and Girls)
  • Competitive Cheer
  • Cross Country (Boys and Girls)
  • Field Hockey
  • Football

Won the State AA football championship in 2010.

  • Golf
  • Indoor Track (Boys and Girls)
  • Sailing
  • Sideline Cheer
  • Soccer (Boys and Girls)
  • Softball
  • Swimming (Boys and Girls)
  • Tennis (Boys and Girls)
  • Track (Boys and Girls)
  • Volleyball
  • Wrestling

Poquoson High School also fields competitive teams in these areas:

Scholastic Bowl - Poquoson High won the AA state championship in 2001.[9]

Debate

Forensics

One-Act Theatre

Sailing

Poquoson High is one of 54 schools in the Mid-Atlantic states and one of three public schools in Hampton Roads to sponsor a varsity level sailing team.[10]

Wrestling

Poquoson High School has a distinguished history in wrestling, winning state titles in 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1999, 2018, and 2020.[11] Additionally, the school placed second in the state tournament many times in the 1980s and 1990s to Grundy Senior High School which produced an intense rivalry between the schools which are eight hours or about 425 miles driving distance apart. The program has produced over 70 individual state titles and one wrestler for the U.S national wrestling team. Three former wrestlers have won four state titles during their times with the team - Charles "Butch" Backus, Mike Akers and Patrick McCormick.

Odyssey of the Mind

Poquoson High, like its feeder schools, has had a positive history with its Odyssey of the Mind. Teams from the school have won numerous district and state titles. This decade, Poquoson teams have also won in the World Tournament (2000 and 2001)[12] and placed in 2002 (3rd place - It's a Snap Division III), 2004 (13th place - Balancing Act Division III), and 2005 (6th place - Problem 4 Crazy Columns Division III).[13]

Marching Band

Poquoson High School's marching band program is a 9-time honor band, as accredited by the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association.[14]

Facilities

Poquoson High School now occupies its third building in its history. Poquoson High's second building, which housed the school from the 1930s to 1976 , now houses Poquoson Middle School. The school moved into its current facility in 1977, and the building has undergone two additions and renovations, one in 1977 and one in 1998.[15] The football stadium, where football and soccer games are played, is located off campus at Poquoson Middle School. Facilities for the wrestling team are located adjacent to the football stadium.

Partner schools

Poquoson has two current partner schools.

Alumni

References
  1. "School Overview". Poquoson High School. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  2. "Poquoson City Schools". Poquoson City Public Schools. Archived from the original on 2007-02-04. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  3. "School Overview". Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Archived from the original on 2006-12-29. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  4. "America's Top 1000 High Schools". U.S. News and World Report. Archived from the original on 2007-08-24. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
  5. "Top 100 Music Communities". American Music Conference. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  6. "Department of Education Report Card" (PDF). Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  7. "PHS - Athletics". Poquoson High School. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
  8. "Kyle Crockett and Chad Pinder led Poquoson to a second consecutive baseball state title - Daily Press". Articles.dailypress.com. June 19, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  9. "Quizbowl Results". World of High School Quizbowl. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  10. "HIGH SCHOOL SAILING - A GROWING SPORT". Virginia Interscholastic Sailing Association. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  11. "State Champions". Poquoson Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
  12. "Senate Joint Resolution 39 (2001)". Virginia Senate. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
  13. "Virginia OM Results at the World Championships". Virginia Odyssey of the Mind. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
  14. "PHS Islander Bands". PHS Islander Bands. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  15. "About Poquoson City Schools". Poquoson City Public Schools. Archived from the original on 2006-09-24. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
  16. "AAIE Spring Newsletter 2007" (PDF). Association for the Advancement of International Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-09. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
  17. "Uruguayan American School". City of Poquoson School Board. Archived from the original on 2007-08-02. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
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