Charlottesville High School
Encyclopedia
Charlottesville High School (commonly called CHS) is a public high school in the independent city of Charlottesville, Virginia
, serving students from 9th to 12th grade. It is a part of Charlottesville City Schools.
It is the second largest high school in the region with a student population of approximately 1,350. The school grounds include a memorial garden, a running track, ballfields, landscaped courtyards and the Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center (or "MLK PAC"). Across Melbourne Road lies Theodose Stadium, which doubles as the field hockey stadium during the fall, and soccer and lacrosse stadium during the Spring season.
University Gardens, a University of Virginia
family housing unit, is zoned to Charlottesville High School.
building had become too small to accommodate all students within the city limits. Lane High school saw its last graduating class in June, 1974. CHS opened its doors in September, 1974. The new school inherited their school colors (black & orange) as well as their mascot (the Black Knight) from the former high school. Lane High School was never demolished and is now the Albemarle County office building. Charlottesville High School's sports complex was still located on the grounds of the Lane High School building until the 1980s, when it was moved to a site across the street from CHS. During the last 20 years of the 20th century, CHS has had some major additions including a new gym facility and a large auditorium.
Renovations started in 2004, lasting two years, and included a fresh coat of paint, updated class rooms, larger and modern restroom facilities, updated ventilation systems, new lockers, and new, asbestos-free floor tile.
, forensics
, quizbowl
, and science fair
. In 2007, CHS sent two students to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
. One of them won a Mu Alpha Theta
$1,000 award and a $500 4th place award in mathematics
for his project on the Mathematical
Modeling of the Speed of Evolution
in Asexual
Populations. In 2008, the quizbowl
team won their 4th straight VHSL State Championship, defeating Cave Spring High School of Roanoke in the final at the College of William and Mary
.
satellites. BACON placed 8th in the simulation round and semi-finals round. In December, three team leads attended the finals at MIT where their code was tested aboard the International Space Station by Commander Scott Kelly. In 2011, the team competed in the Science Olympiad and Science Bowl Competitions, as well as the NASA BHALF Competition. The team won BHALF 2011 Top Team. BACON also regularly takes science-related trips, including a trip to view the launch of STS-133
and two trips to CERN
.
, Russian Ballet
, and the Charlottesville performance of A Prairie Home Companion
. In the fall of 2005, Charlottesville City Council decided to rechristen the Performing Arts Center of Charlottesville as "The Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center of Charlottesville" (MLK PAC), in order to honor the civil rights activist. Sixty dates during the school year are reserved for school-sponsored events such as assemblies and the school's performing arts program.
The performing arts program includes chorus, orchestra, band, and theatre.
The performing arts of Charlottesville High School are internationally acclaimed, having both the band and orchestra competing in competitions all over the world. The band program has won the Virginia Honor Band award 27 times, all of them under the direction of band director Vince Tornello who has been a Virginia Honor Band Director more times than any other band director in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The CHS Orchestra went with its director to London, England in April 2007 and won Grand Champion in the Heritage Festival of Music there. In the Fall of 2007, CHS's rendition of the play "How To Eat Like A Child," performed by an all-student cast and director, won second place in the state for best one-act.
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, serving students from 9th to 12th grade. It is a part of Charlottesville City Schools.
It is the second largest high school in the region with a student population of approximately 1,350. The school grounds include a memorial garden, a running track, ballfields, landscaped courtyards and the Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center (or "MLK PAC"). Across Melbourne Road lies Theodose Stadium, which doubles as the field hockey stadium during the fall, and soccer and lacrosse stadium during the Spring season.
University Gardens, a University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
family housing unit, is zoned to Charlottesville High School.
History
Charlottesville High School was built in 1974 because the Lane High SchoolLane High School
Lane High School, in Charlottesville, Virginia, was a public secondary school serving residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle County from 1940 until 1974. It was an all-white school until its court-ordered integration in 1959; black students attended Jackson P. Burley High School. It became too...
building had become too small to accommodate all students within the city limits. Lane High school saw its last graduating class in June, 1974. CHS opened its doors in September, 1974. The new school inherited their school colors (black & orange) as well as their mascot (the Black Knight) from the former high school. Lane High School was never demolished and is now the Albemarle County office building. Charlottesville High School's sports complex was still located on the grounds of the Lane High School building until the 1980s, when it was moved to a site across the street from CHS. During the last 20 years of the 20th century, CHS has had some major additions including a new gym facility and a large auditorium.
Renovations started in 2004, lasting two years, and included a fresh coat of paint, updated class rooms, larger and modern restroom facilities, updated ventilation systems, new lockers, and new, asbestos-free floor tile.
School song
"Charlottesville Onward" is played to an original tune. The lyrics are as follows:Charlottesville High School,
Onward to fame.
Push on ever forward,
Keep your good name.
Forever we'll sing out,
Shout out the cry!
Forever loyal to our school,
Charlottesville High.
Academic programs
The school sponsors a variety of different academic programs, including debateDebate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
, forensics
Public speaking
Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners...
, quizbowl
Quizbowl
Quiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
, and science fair
Science fair
A science fair is generally a competition where contestants present their science project results in the form of a report, display board, and models that they have created. Science fairs allow students in grade schools and high schools to compete in science and/or technology activities...
. In 2007, CHS sent two students to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is the largest pre-college scientific research event in the world, and is owned and administered by the Society for Science & the Public a 501 non-profit organization based in Washington, DC...
. One of them won a Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta is a United States mathematics honor society for high schools and two-year colleges. It has over 89,000 student members in more than 1,800 schools worldwide. Its main goals are to inspire keen interest in mathematics, develop strong scholarship in the subject, and promote the...
$1,000 award and a $500 4th place award in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
for his project on the Mathematical
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
Modeling of the Speed of Evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
in Asexual
Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only, it is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which is reproduction without...
Populations. In 2008, the quizbowl
Quizbowl
Quiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
team won their 4th straight VHSL State Championship, defeating Cave Spring High School of Roanoke in the final at the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
.
BACON
CHS's science club formed officially during the 2009-2010 school year by sponsor and physics teacher, Dr. Matthew Shields. In 2010, the club adopted the name BACON (Best All-Around Club Of Nerds). In September 2010, the club applied for MIT/NASA's Zero Robotics competition, which involved programming SPHERESSPHERES
The Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient Experimental Satellites experiment is a testbed consisting of three miniaturized satellites that can operate in a variety of environments, including inside the International Space Station...
satellites. BACON placed 8th in the simulation round and semi-finals round. In December, three team leads attended the finals at MIT where their code was tested aboard the International Space Station by Commander Scott Kelly. In 2011, the team competed in the Science Olympiad and Science Bowl Competitions, as well as the NASA BHALF Competition. The team won BHALF 2011 Top Team. BACON also regularly takes science-related trips, including a trip to view the launch of STS-133
STS-133
STS-133 was the 133rd mission in NASA's Space Shuttle program; during the mission, Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station. It was Discoverys 39th and final mission. The mission launched on 24 February 2011, and landed on 9 March 2011...
and two trips to CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
.
Sports
CHS has many athletic programs, ranging from football to tennis, track and field to field hockey. Recent highlights include soccer (boys') winning a state championship in 2004 and the quizbowl team winning four straight state titles (2004–2008).The Knight Time Review
The Knight Time Review (KTR) is the school newspaper for Charlottesville High School. It is published monthly by a completely student-run staff and runs stories and opinion pieces discussing both school issues and national/worldwide issues.CHS News
CHS News is a news program that broadcasts morning announcements throughout the school. Directed and produced by students, CHS News provides sports updates, reminders, club activities, and general school information. Previous to the school year of 2010/2011 CHS News was live. However, due to unauthorized material reaching the broadcast, the news is now recorded a day in advance.School social events
The school's Student Council Association (SCA) is in charge of organizing the homecoming dance in the fall. The 11th grade SCA is in charge of organizing a prom for the 11th and 12th grades in the spring. Each year the dances are given names playing on knight/night homonyms. Past year themes have included "A Knight in the Clouds" and "Boogie Knight" and "In The City".Performing arts
In 1984, the 1,276-seat Performing Arts Center of Charlottesville (PAC) was built to address both the shortage of auditorium space for the high school as well as the area's need for a large venue to accommodate professional touring performances, such as the Richmond Symphony OrchestraRichmond Symphony Orchestra
The Richmond Symphony is based in Richmond, Virginia. One of the nation's leading regional orchestras, it employs 72-85 musicians who give over 100 performances each season to over 125,000 audience members. Its music director is Steven Smith; its associate conductor is Dr. Erin Freeman...
, Russian Ballet
Russian ballet
Russian ballet is a form of ballet characteristic of or originating from Russia. In the early 19th century, the theaters were opened up to anyone who could afford a ticket. There was a seating section called a rayok, or 'paradise gallery', that consisted of simple wooden benches...
, and the Charlottesville performance of A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
. In the fall of 2005, Charlottesville City Council decided to rechristen the Performing Arts Center of Charlottesville as "The Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center of Charlottesville" (MLK PAC), in order to honor the civil rights activist. Sixty dates during the school year are reserved for school-sponsored events such as assemblies and the school's performing arts program.
The performing arts program includes chorus, orchestra, band, and theatre.
The performing arts of Charlottesville High School are internationally acclaimed, having both the band and orchestra competing in competitions all over the world. The band program has won the Virginia Honor Band award 27 times, all of them under the direction of band director Vince Tornello who has been a Virginia Honor Band Director more times than any other band director in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The CHS Orchestra went with its director to London, England in April 2007 and won Grand Champion in the Heritage Festival of Music there. In the Fall of 2007, CHS's rendition of the play "How To Eat Like A Child," performed by an all-student cast and director, won second place in the state for best one-act.
Notable alumni
- Lloyd BurrussLloyd BurrussLloyd Earl Burruss Jr. is a former American football safety who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1981-1991 in the National Football League. He is the only Chief to ever be the Mack Lee Hill Award winner, the team’s MVP and a member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame.-External links:**...
, former NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player for the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... - Eric WilsonEric Wilson (American football)Eric Wendell Wilson is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins...
, former NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player for the Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Mike CubbageMike CubbageMichael Lee Cubbage in Charlottesville, VA was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball from 1974 until the close of the 1981 season...
, former MLBMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
baseball player - Eugene PuryearEugene PuryearEugene Puryear is an American politician and the vice presidential candidate for the Party for Socialism and Liberation in the 2008 United States presidential election....
, vice presidential candidate of the Party for Socialism and Liberation in the 2008 United States presidential election - Boyd TinsleyBoyd TinsleyBoyd Calvin Tinsley is an American violinist and mandolinist who performs as a member of the Dave Matthews Band. Within the band, Tinsley has collaborated in writing songs, harmonizing, and singing backing vocals.-Early life:Tinsley was raised in a musical family...
, violinist, mandolinist, and singer in the Dave Matthews BandDave Matthews BandDave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...