Jamestown High School (Virginia)
Encyclopedia
Jamestown High School is a public secondary school located in James City County, Virginia
James City County, Virginia
James City County is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Its population was 67,009 , and it is often associated with Williamsburg, an independent city, and Jamestown which is within the...

, just outside Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...

. The school was opened in 1997, becoming the second of three high schools in the county. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
The Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools is a combined public school division which serves the independent city of Williamsburg and James City County in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia.The system consists approximately 10,000 students in 14...

 and is located on 3751 John Tyler Highway. As of 2006, there are 1,524 students enrolled at Jamestown.

History

Jamestown opened in 1997, with its entire student body coming from Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Lafayette High School is a public secondary school in James City County, Virginia, just outside the city limits of Williamsburg, Virginia. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and is located at 4460 Longhill Road.-History:...

 and the local middle schools. Though the high school is located in a Williamsburg mailing address, it is named after the Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...

, located only a few miles away. In 2007, students from Jamestown, as well as Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Lafayette High School is a public secondary school in James City County, Virginia, just outside the city limits of Williamsburg, Virginia. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and is located at 4460 Longhill Road.-History:...

, were moved to the newly constructed Warhill High School
Warhill High School
Warhill High School is a public high school operated by the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools . Serving the joint school division of the independent city of Williamsburg and James City County, Virginia, the school is located at 4615 Opportunity Way, in the Lightfoot area of the...

 in the western part of the county, in order to alleviate the over-crowding in the district.

Curriculum

The Jamestown curriculum is set by the James City County
James City County, Virginia
James City County is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Its population was 67,009 , and it is often associated with Williamsburg, an independent city, and Jamestown which is within the...

 and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 Board of Education standards. It has an AVID
Advancement Via Individual Determination
Advancement Via Individual Determination is an American college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges, focusing on students in the academic middle. The formula is to raise expectations of students...

 program to encourage students to become college bound.

Graduation Requirements

In order to receive a standard diploma, students are generally expected to complete three credits of 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...

 and science
Science studies
Science studies is an interdisciplinary research area that seeks to situate scientific expertise in a broad social, historical, and philosophical context. It is concerned with the history of academic disciplines, the interrelationships between science and society, and the alleged covert purposes...

 and four credits of English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...

 and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

. They must also complete one credit of a foreign language (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 or American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...

). Finally, the students must complete at least one credit of a technology course and a fine arts course. This standard is uniform for all three WJCC high schools.

Diplomas

Instead of the basic, minimum requirement diploma, students may also receive an advanced diploma in which the student has to complete extra courses. Among these is having either three credits of one foreign language, or two credits each, from two different classes.

Courses

Jamestown has several unique courses to choose from. They vary from English 9 to AP English 12. This same basis is used in almost every other core subject. There are also many other courses including art, photography, foreign languages (Spanish, French, Latin, German), etc.

Culture

In Jamestown's early history in 1999, the school received various bomb threats in response to the Columbine High School events. This has not occurred in recent years. In 2007, a student was apprehended with a small hand-gun, apparently in an attempt to scare another student into returning a PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

 that was stolen from him.

There have been some incidents related to drug and alcohol usage resulting in disciplinary action, often occurring during the prom and homecoming weeks. However, a program called "Every 30 Minutes", which simulates a car accident that occurs after drinking alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

, has attempted to deter students from drinking.

In 2007, Jamestown High School hosted its first Spring Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...

 which was paid for by funds from the Student Council Association and was held during the third and fourth blocks of the school day. There were displays by various military branches including a Black Hawk and Huey helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

 which landed in the school bus parking area. Inflatable attractions such as an obstacle course, bouncy castle, and giant slide, Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...

, job fair, water balloon fight etc. were also included. Although most of the entertainment was free, students could purchase tickets (25¢ each) for drinks, (free food was provided) and some attractions such as Dunk-a-Teacher.

Campus

The first floor contains classrooms for teaching fine arts, technology (split into engineering, graphics and Cooperative Business Education), math and science. The special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...

 classrooms are also on this level. The second floor the library (or media center as it is usually referred to as) and classrooms for teaching math, social studies, English and foreign languages (along with English as a Second Language (ESL)).

To the west of the main building, there were five trailers which acted as 10 classrooms and could hold around a total of 250 students and were brought in to solve the overcrowding problem. In spite of the reduction in enrollment due to the construction of Warhill High School
Warhill High School
Warhill High School is a public high school operated by the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools . Serving the joint school division of the independent city of Williamsburg and James City County, Virginia, the school is located at 4615 Opportunity Way, in the Lightfoot area of the...

, two of the trailers have become a permanent part of the campus, as opposed to being removed. However, this leaves a large space of dead grass where the trailers once were. The school is surrounded by wooded and swamp areas.

Enrollment

  • 1997-1998- 820
  • 1998-1999- 1101
  • 1999-2000- 1169
  • 2000-2001- 1162
  • 2001-2002- 1256
  • 2002-2003- 1256
  • 2003-2004- 1331
  • 2004-2005- 1451
  • 2005-2006- 1524
  • 2006-2007- N/A *A new high school was built that year. Enrollment was scattered.
  • 2007-2008- 1261
  • 2008-2009- 1232
  • 2009-2010- 1217
  • 2010-2011-

Demographics

Jamestown High School's student body is 70% (1067) White
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...

; 23% (344) Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...

; 4% (54) Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

; 3% (38) Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...

; and 1% (8) Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

.

Athletics

The school's mascot is an eagle and its sports teams currently play in the AA Bay Rivers District
AA Bay Rivers District
The AA Bay Rivers District is one of the four districts of AA Region I of the Virginia High School League which typically holds schools in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area...

 in Region I
AA Region I
Region I is one of the four AA regions of the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AA Battlefield District, the AA Bay Rivers District, the A/AA Eastern Shore District, and the AA Southside District...

. Jamestown has won 20 state titles, which include six AA girls tennis Dynasty state titles from 2000–2002, 2004–2006; four boy's swimming state titles in 2001 and 2006–2008; three AA girls swimming titles from 2000 to 2002; two AA boys soccer titles in 2001 & 2008; one AA girls soccer title in 1999; one AA golf title in 1999; one girls field hockey title in 2001; one AA boys cross country title in 2001; and one AA girls basketball title in 2006.

Theatre

The Jamestown High School Theatre Department (sometimes known as the Jamestown Theatre) formed in September 1997 under the directorship of William Snyder. More than 20 full stage productions have been produced, usually consisting of a fall play and a spring musical.

Current productions

In 2009, the JHS theatre department opted to choose a short one-act show, Degas C'est Moi, to serve as both the fall show and the VHSL competition entry. JHS performed with sister schools Warhill and Lafayette at The Night of One-Acts. Jamestown also received first place at the VHSL District and Regional Theatre competition for Degas C'est Moi. Jamestown was awarded first place at the VHSL State competition with sister school Lafayette High School (Williamsburg) coming in second place.
Jamestown will now begin work on its 2011 spring musical: Lucky Stiff
Lucky Stiff
Lucky Stiff is a musical farce. It was the first collaboration for the team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty . The show is based on the 1983 novel The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo by Michael Butterworth...

.

Past productions

  • Our Town – November 25, 26, 1997
  • Brigadoon – March 25, 26, 27, 1998
  • Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation – Nov. 20, 21, 1998
  • 42nd Street – March 25, 26, 27, 1999
  • Night of January 16th – November 19, 20, 1999
  • South Pacific – March 23, 24, 25, 2000
  • Fools – November 17, 18, 2000
  • Grease – March 29, 30, 31, 2001
  • A Night for One Acts – November 16, 17, 2001
  • Crazy for You – March 21, 22, & 23, 2002
  • Rumors – November 21, 22, & 23, 2002
  • The Fantastics – March 20, 21, 22, 2003
  • Lilies of the Field – November 20, 21, 22, 2003
  • The Music Man – March 25, 26, 27, 2004
  • Arsenic and Old Lace – Nov. 18, 19, 20, 2004
  • The Sound of Music – March 17, 18, 19, 2005
  • The Mousetrap – November 17, 18, 19, 2005
  • Guys and Dolls – March 23, 24, 25, 2006
  • Museum – November 9, 10, 11, 2006
  • A Chorus Line – March 22, 23, 24, 2007
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – April 16, 17,19 2008
  • Found a Peanut – October 2008
  • The Boy Friend – March 26, 27, 28
  • Degas C'est Moi – October 24, 25


Jamestown performs two major productions every school year; a fall play and a spring musical. The first fall play ever performed was Our Town
Our Town
Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...

performed on November 25 and 26 of 1997. Jamestown's first musical was Brigadoon on March 25, 26, and 27, 1998. Jamestown's latest productions include November 2006's fall play Museum, March 2007's A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....

and November 2007's The Good Doctor. April 2008's spring production was William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

, which moved away from the tradition of having a musical during the spring.

Directors

William Snyder (1997–2006)

William Snyder directed 18 productions at Jamestown (not including competition plays), and spent nearly a decade before at Lafayette High School. "At the age of 72, I feel like it's my time," Snyder told The Eagle Eye student newspaper. Snyder confirmed his retirement in early 2006, Guys and Dolls being his final production.

Beth Wigley (2006–2008)
Beth Wigley was confirmed to succeed Snyder in Spring 2006 as Jamestown's near Director of Theatre. Wigley, before transferring to Jamestown, worked 13 years as Director of the York County School of the Arts at Bruton High School. Wigley's first production at Jamestown was 2006's fall production of Museum. Wigley is known to differ from Snyder in some aspects, by choosing fall production with larger casts to encourage students to audition, and by choosing to direct productions that do not contain the typical glitz and glamour.

Marcia DiMattia (2008–Present)

Mrs. DiMattia brings a background of dance and choreography as well as an enthusiasm for the theatre and students to Jamestown High School. Her first production at Jamestown was Found a Peanut. Previously, she was the Theatre Director at Berkeley Middle School where she directed You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Into the Woods, Jr., and Godspell, Jr. She also directs for 'StageLights, Inc., Williamsburg's Theatre for Children.' In the fall of 2009 Marcia DiMattia directed Degas, Cest Moi which went on to win the VHSL Theatre State Championship. The 2010 Spring Musical was the The Pajama Game. Their fall show for the 2010-2011 school year was "Almost, Maine", and they are currently working on their spring musical "The Lucky Stiff".

Music

Jamestown has several musical groups, including a symphonic band and wind ensemble, a marching band and mixed, jazz and chamber choirs.

Every once in a while, the different departments cross over in order to make a group effort. The most classic example is the yearly musical. The drama department would host the event, but it would include kids from choir who would sing, students from art making various props or backdrops and the band and orchestra, who would provide the music for the singers and dancers. However, 2008 will not be the same as any of the previous years, due to Mrs. Wigley's odd choice of musicals, A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

.

The choir, orchestra and band recently had a joint concert with other high schools performing Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana , Latin for "Songs from Beuern" , is the name given to a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces were written principally in Medieval Latin; a few in Middle High German, and some with traces...

.

Band

The band director is Steve Turner. The band has won a superior rating every year after its founding year and has traveled to numerous destinations across the US for competition.

There have been several different assistant band directors over the years.
Jamestown High School is a public secondary school located in James City County, Virginia
James City County, Virginia
James City County is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Its population was 67,009 , and it is often associated with Williamsburg, an independent city, and Jamestown which is within the...

, just outside Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...

. The school was opened in 1997, becoming the second of three high schools in the county. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
The Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools is a combined public school division which serves the independent city of Williamsburg and James City County in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia.The system consists approximately 10,000 students in 14...

 and is located on 3751 John Tyler Highway. As of 2006, there are 1,524 students enrolled at Jamestown.

History

Jamestown opened in 1997, with its entire student body coming from Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Lafayette High School is a public secondary school in James City County, Virginia, just outside the city limits of Williamsburg, Virginia. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and is located at 4460 Longhill Road.-History:...

 and the local middle schools. Though the high school is located in a Williamsburg mailing address, it is named after the Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...

, located only a few miles away. In 2007, students from Jamestown, as well as Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Lafayette High School is a public secondary school in James City County, Virginia, just outside the city limits of Williamsburg, Virginia. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and is located at 4460 Longhill Road.-History:...

, were moved to the newly constructed Warhill High School
Warhill High School
Warhill High School is a public high school operated by the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools . Serving the joint school division of the independent city of Williamsburg and James City County, Virginia, the school is located at 4615 Opportunity Way, in the Lightfoot area of the...

 in the western part of the county, in order to alleviate the over-crowding in the district.

Curriculum

The Jamestown curriculum is set by the James City County
James City County, Virginia
James City County is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Its population was 67,009 , and it is often associated with Williamsburg, an independent city, and Jamestown which is within the...

 and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 Board of Education standards. It has an AVID
Advancement Via Individual Determination
Advancement Via Individual Determination is an American college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges, focusing on students in the academic middle. The formula is to raise expectations of students...

 program to encourage students to become college bound.

Graduation Requirements

In order to receive a standard diploma, students are generally expected to complete three credits of 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...

 and science
Science studies
Science studies is an interdisciplinary research area that seeks to situate scientific expertise in a broad social, historical, and philosophical context. It is concerned with the history of academic disciplines, the interrelationships between science and society, and the alleged covert purposes...

 and four credits of English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...

 and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

. They must also complete one credit of a foreign language (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 or American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...

). Finally, the students must complete at least one credit of a technology course and a fine arts course. This standard is uniform for all three WJCC high schools.

Diplomas

Instead of the basic, minimum requirement diploma, students may also receive an advanced diploma in which the student has to complete extra courses. Among these is having either three credits of one foreign language, or two credits each, from two different classes.

Courses

Jamestown has several unique courses to choose from. They vary from English 9 to AP English 12. This same basis is used in almost every other core subject. There are also many other courses including art, photography, foreign languages (Spanish, French, Latin, German), etc.

Culture

In Jamestown's early history in 1999, the school received various bomb threats in response to the Columbine High School events. This has not occurred in recent years. In 2007, a student was apprehended with a small hand-gun, apparently in an attempt to scare another student into returning a PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

 that was stolen from him.

There have been some incidents related to drug and alcohol usage resulting in disciplinary action, often occurring during the prom and homecoming weeks. However, a program called "Every 30 Minutes", which simulates a car accident that occurs after drinking alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

, has attempted to deter students from drinking.

In 2007, Jamestown High School hosted its first Spring Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...

 which was paid for by funds from the Student Council Association and was held during the third and fourth blocks of the school day. There were displays by various military branches including a Black Hawk and Huey helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

 which landed in the school bus parking area. Inflatable attractions such as an obstacle course, bouncy castle, and giant slide, Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...

, job fair, water balloon fight etc. were also included. Although most of the entertainment was free, students could purchase tickets (25¢ each) for drinks, (free food was provided) and some attractions such as Dunk-a-Teacher.

Campus

The first floor contains classrooms for teaching fine arts, technology (split into engineering, graphics and Cooperative Business Education), math and science. The special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...

 classrooms are also on this level. The second floor the library (or media center as it is usually referred to as) and classrooms for teaching math, social studies, English and foreign languages (along with English as a Second Language (ESL)).

To the west of the main building, there were five trailers which acted as 10 classrooms and could hold around a total of 250 students and were brought in to solve the overcrowding problem. In spite of the reduction in enrollment due to the construction of Warhill High School
Warhill High School
Warhill High School is a public high school operated by the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools . Serving the joint school division of the independent city of Williamsburg and James City County, Virginia, the school is located at 4615 Opportunity Way, in the Lightfoot area of the...

, two of the trailers have become a permanent part of the campus, as opposed to being removed. However, this leaves a large space of dead grass where the trailers once were. The school is surrounded by wooded and swamp areas.

Enrollment

  • 1997-1998- 820
  • 1998-1999- 1101
  • 1999-2000- 1169
  • 2000-2001- 1162
  • 2001-2002- 1256
  • 2002-2003- 1256
  • 2003-2004- 1331
  • 2004-2005- 1451
  • 2005-2006- 1524
  • 2006-2007- N/A *A new high school was built that year. Enrollment was scattered.
  • 2007-2008- 1261
  • 2008-2009- 1232
  • 2009-2010- 1217
  • 2010-2011-

Demographics

Jamestown High School's student body is 70% (1067) White
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...

; 23% (344) Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...

; 4% (54) Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

; 3% (38) Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...

; and 1% (8) Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

.

Athletics



The school's mascot is an eagle and its sports teams currently play in the AA Bay Rivers District
AA Bay Rivers District
The AA Bay Rivers District is one of the four districts of AA Region I of the Virginia High School League which typically holds schools in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area...

 in Region I
AA Region I
Region I is one of the four AA regions of the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AA Battlefield District, the AA Bay Rivers District, the A/AA Eastern Shore District, and the AA Southside District...

. Jamestown has won 20 state titles, which include six AA girls tennis Dynasty state titles from 2000–2002, 2004–2006; four boy's swimming state titles in 2001 and 2006–2008; three AA girls swimming titles from 2000 to 2002; two AA boys soccer titles in 2001 & 2008; one AA girls soccer title in 1999; one AA golf title in 1999; one girls field hockey title in 2001; one AA boys cross country title in 2001; and one AA girls basketball title in 2006.

Theatre

The Jamestown High School Theatre Department (sometimes known as the Jamestown Theatre) formed in September 1997 under the directorship of William Snyder. More than 20 full stage productions have been produced, usually consisting of a fall play and a spring musical.

Current productions

In 2009, the JHS theatre department opted to choose a short one-act show, Degas C'est Moi, to serve as both the fall show and the VHSL competition entry. JHS performed with sister schools Warhill and Lafayette at The Night of One-Acts. Jamestown also received first place at the VHSL District and Regional Theatre competition for Degas C'est Moi. Jamestown was awarded first place at the VHSL State competition with sister school Lafayette High School (Williamsburg) coming in second place.
Jamestown will now begin work on its 2011 spring musical: Lucky Stiff
Lucky Stiff
Lucky Stiff is a musical farce. It was the first collaboration for the team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty . The show is based on the 1983 novel The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo by Michael Butterworth...

.

Past productions

  • Our Town – November 25, 26, 1997
  • Brigadoon – March 25, 26, 27, 1998
  • Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation – Nov. 20, 21, 1998
  • 42nd Street – March 25, 26, 27, 1999
  • Night of January 16th – November 19, 20, 1999
  • South Pacific – March 23, 24, 25, 2000
  • Fools – November 17, 18, 2000
  • Grease – March 29, 30, 31, 2001
  • A Night for One Acts – November 16, 17, 2001
  • Crazy for You – March 21, 22, & 23, 2002
  • Rumors – November 21, 22, & 23, 2002
  • The Fantastics – March 20, 21, 22, 2003
  • Lilies of the Field – November 20, 21, 22, 2003
  • The Music Man – March 25, 26, 27, 2004
  • Arsenic and Old Lace – Nov. 18, 19, 20, 2004
  • The Sound of Music – March 17, 18, 19, 2005
  • The Mousetrap – November 17, 18, 19, 2005
  • Guys and Dolls – March 23, 24, 25, 2006
  • Museum – November 9, 10, 11, 2006
  • A Chorus Line – March 22, 23, 24, 2007
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – April 16, 17,19 2008
  • Found a Peanut – October 2008
  • The Boy Friend – March 26, 27, 28
  • Degas C'est Moi – October 24, 25


Jamestown performs two major productions every school year; a fall play and a spring musical. The first fall play ever performed was Our Town
Our Town
Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...

performed on November 25 and 26 of 1997. Jamestown's first musical was Brigadoon on March 25, 26, and 27, 1998. Jamestown's latest productions include November 2006's fall play Museum, March 2007's A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....

and November 2007's The Good Doctor. April 2008's spring production was William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

, which moved away from the tradition of having a musical during the spring.

Directors

William Snyder (1997–2006)

William Snyder directed 18 productions at Jamestown (not including competition plays), and spent nearly a decade before at Lafayette High School. "At the age of 72, I feel like it's my time," Snyder told The Eagle Eye student newspaper. Snyder confirmed his retirement in early 2006, Guys and Dolls being his final production.

Beth Wigley (2006–2008)
Beth Wigley was confirmed to succeed Snyder in Spring 2006 as Jamestown's near Director of Theatre. Wigley, before transferring to Jamestown, worked 13 years as Director of the York County School of the Arts at Bruton High School. Wigley's first production at Jamestown was 2006's fall production of Museum. Wigley is known to differ from Snyder in some aspects, by choosing fall production with larger casts to encourage students to audition, and by choosing to direct productions that do not contain the typical glitz and glamour.

Marcia DiMattia (2008–Present)

Mrs. DiMattia brings a background of dance and choreography as well as an enthusiasm for the theatre and students to Jamestown High School. Her first production at Jamestown was Found a Peanut. Previously, she was the Theatre Director at Berkeley Middle School where she directed You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Into the Woods, Jr., and Godspell, Jr. She also directs for 'StageLights, Inc., Williamsburg's Theatre for Children.' In the fall of 2009 Marcia DiMattia directed Degas, Cest Moi which went on to win the VHSL Theatre State Championship. The 2010 Spring Musical was the The Pajama Game. Their fall show for the 2010-2011 school year was "Almost, Maine", and they are currently working on their spring musical "The Lucky Stiff".

Music

Jamestown has several musical groups, including a symphonic band and wind ensemble, a marching band and mixed, jazz and chamber choirs.

Every once in a while, the different departments cross over in order to make a group effort. The most classic example is the yearly musical. The drama department would host the event, but it would include kids from choir who would sing, students from art making various props or backdrops and the band and orchestra, who would provide the music for the singers and dancers. However, 2008 will not be the same as any of the previous years, due to Mrs. Wigley's odd choice of musicals, A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

.

The choir, orchestra and band recently had a joint concert with other high schools performing Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana , Latin for "Songs from Beuern" , is the name given to a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces were written principally in Medieval Latin; a few in Middle High German, and some with traces...

.

Band

The band director is Steve Turner. The band has won a superior rating every year after its founding year and has traveled to numerous destinations across the US for competition.

There have been several different assistant band directors over the years.
Jamestown High School is a public secondary school located in James City County, Virginia
James City County, Virginia
James City County is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Its population was 67,009 , and it is often associated with Williamsburg, an independent city, and Jamestown which is within the...

, just outside Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...

. The school was opened in 1997, becoming the second of three high schools in the county. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
The Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools is a combined public school division which serves the independent city of Williamsburg and James City County in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia.The system consists approximately 10,000 students in 14...

 and is located on 3751 John Tyler Highway. As of 2006, there are 1,524 students enrolled at Jamestown.

History

Jamestown opened in 1997, with its entire student body coming from Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Lafayette High School is a public secondary school in James City County, Virginia, just outside the city limits of Williamsburg, Virginia. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and is located at 4460 Longhill Road.-History:...

 and the local middle schools. Though the high school is located in a Williamsburg mailing address, it is named after the Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...

, located only a few miles away. In 2007, students from Jamestown, as well as Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Lafayette High School is a public secondary school in James City County, Virginia, just outside the city limits of Williamsburg, Virginia. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and is located at 4460 Longhill Road.-History:...

, were moved to the newly constructed Warhill High School
Warhill High School
Warhill High School is a public high school operated by the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools . Serving the joint school division of the independent city of Williamsburg and James City County, Virginia, the school is located at 4615 Opportunity Way, in the Lightfoot area of the...

 in the western part of the county, in order to alleviate the over-crowding in the district.

Curriculum

The Jamestown curriculum is set by the James City County
James City County, Virginia
James City County is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Its population was 67,009 , and it is often associated with Williamsburg, an independent city, and Jamestown which is within the...

 and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 Board of Education standards. It has an AVID
Advancement Via Individual Determination
Advancement Via Individual Determination is an American college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges, focusing on students in the academic middle. The formula is to raise expectations of students...

 program to encourage students to become college bound.

Graduation Requirements

In order to receive a standard diploma, students are generally expected to complete three credits of 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...

 and science
Science studies
Science studies is an interdisciplinary research area that seeks to situate scientific expertise in a broad social, historical, and philosophical context. It is concerned with the history of academic disciplines, the interrelationships between science and society, and the alleged covert purposes...

 and four credits of English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...

 and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

. They must also complete one credit of a foreign language (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 or American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...

). Finally, the students must complete at least one credit of a technology course and a fine arts course. This standard is uniform for all three WJCC high schools.

Diplomas

Instead of the basic, minimum requirement diploma, students may also receive an advanced diploma in which the student has to complete extra courses. Among these is having either three credits of one foreign language, or two credits each, from two different classes.

Courses

Jamestown has several unique courses to choose from. They vary from English 9 to AP English 12. This same basis is used in almost every other core subject. There are also many other courses including art, photography, foreign languages (Spanish, French, Latin, German), etc.

Culture

In Jamestown's early history in 1999, the school received various bomb threats in response to the Columbine High School events. This has not occurred in recent years. In 2007, a student was apprehended with a small hand-gun, apparently in an attempt to scare another student into returning a PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

 that was stolen from him.

There have been some incidents related to drug and alcohol usage resulting in disciplinary action, often occurring during the prom and homecoming weeks. However, a program called "Every 30 Minutes", which simulates a car accident that occurs after drinking alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

, has attempted to deter students from drinking.

In 2007, Jamestown High School hosted its first Spring Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...

 which was paid for by funds from the Student Council Association and was held during the third and fourth blocks of the school day. There were displays by various military branches including a Black Hawk and Huey helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

 which landed in the school bus parking area. Inflatable attractions such as an obstacle course, bouncy castle, and giant slide, Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...

, job fair, water balloon fight etc. were also included. Although most of the entertainment was free, students could purchase tickets (25¢ each) for drinks, (free food was provided) and some attractions such as Dunk-a-Teacher.

Campus

The first floor contains classrooms for teaching fine arts, technology (split into engineering, graphics and Cooperative Business Education), math and science. The special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...

 classrooms are also on this level. The second floor the library (or media center as it is usually referred to as) and classrooms for teaching math, social studies, English and foreign languages (along with English as a Second Language (ESL)).

To the west of the main building, there were five trailers which acted as 10 classrooms and could hold around a total of 250 students and were brought in to solve the overcrowding problem. In spite of the reduction in enrollment due to the construction of Warhill High School
Warhill High School
Warhill High School is a public high school operated by the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools . Serving the joint school division of the independent city of Williamsburg and James City County, Virginia, the school is located at 4615 Opportunity Way, in the Lightfoot area of the...

, two of the trailers have become a permanent part of the campus, as opposed to being removed. However, this leaves a large space of dead grass where the trailers once were. The school is surrounded by wooded and swamp areas.

Enrollment

  • 1997-1998- 820
  • 1998-1999- 1101
  • 1999-2000- 1169
  • 2000-2001- 1162
  • 2001-2002- 1256
  • 2002-2003- 1256
  • 2003-2004- 1331
  • 2004-2005- 1451
  • 2005-2006- 1524
  • 2006-2007- N/A *A new high school was built that year. Enrollment was scattered.
  • 2007-2008- 1261
  • 2008-2009- 1232
  • 2009-2010- 1217
  • 2010-2011-

Demographics

Jamestown High School's student body is 70% (1067) White
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...

; 23% (344) Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...

; 4% (54) Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

; 3% (38) Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...

; and 1% (8) Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

.

Athletics



The school's mascot is an eagle and its sports teams currently play in the AA Bay Rivers District
AA Bay Rivers District
The AA Bay Rivers District is one of the four districts of AA Region I of the Virginia High School League which typically holds schools in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area...

 in Region I
AA Region I
Region I is one of the four AA regions of the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AA Battlefield District, the AA Bay Rivers District, the A/AA Eastern Shore District, and the AA Southside District...

. Jamestown has won 20 state titles, which include six AA girls tennis Dynasty state titles from 2000–2002, 2004–2006; four boy's swimming state titles in 2001 and 2006–2008; three AA girls swimming titles from 2000 to 2002; two AA boys soccer titles in 2001 & 2008; one AA girls soccer title in 1999; one AA golf title in 1999; one girls field hockey title in 2001; one AA boys cross country title in 2001; and one AA girls basketball title in 2006.

Theatre

The Jamestown High School Theatre Department (sometimes known as the Jamestown Theatre) formed in September 1997 under the directorship of William Snyder. More than 20 full stage productions have been produced, usually consisting of a fall play and a spring musical.

Current productions

In 2009, the JHS theatre department opted to choose a short one-act show, Degas C'est Moi, to serve as both the fall show and the VHSL competition entry. JHS performed with sister schools Warhill and Lafayette at The Night of One-Acts. Jamestown also received first place at the VHSL District and Regional Theatre competition for Degas C'est Moi. Jamestown was awarded first place at the VHSL State competition with sister school Lafayette High School (Williamsburg) coming in second place.
Jamestown will now begin work on its 2011 spring musical: Lucky Stiff
Lucky Stiff
Lucky Stiff is a musical farce. It was the first collaboration for the team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty . The show is based on the 1983 novel The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo by Michael Butterworth...

.

Past productions

  • Our Town – November 25, 26, 1997
  • Brigadoon – March 25, 26, 27, 1998
  • Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation – Nov. 20, 21, 1998
  • 42nd Street – March 25, 26, 27, 1999
  • Night of January 16th – November 19, 20, 1999
  • South Pacific – March 23, 24, 25, 2000
  • Fools – November 17, 18, 2000
  • Grease – March 29, 30, 31, 2001
  • A Night for One Acts – November 16, 17, 2001
  • Crazy for You – March 21, 22, & 23, 2002
  • Rumors – November 21, 22, & 23, 2002
  • The Fantastics – March 20, 21, 22, 2003
  • Lilies of the Field – November 20, 21, 22, 2003
  • The Music Man – March 25, 26, 27, 2004
  • Arsenic and Old Lace – Nov. 18, 19, 20, 2004
  • The Sound of Music – March 17, 18, 19, 2005
  • The Mousetrap – November 17, 18, 19, 2005
  • Guys and Dolls – March 23, 24, 25, 2006
  • Museum – November 9, 10, 11, 2006
  • A Chorus Line – March 22, 23, 24, 2007
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – April 16, 17,19 2008
  • Found a Peanut – October 2008
  • The Boy Friend – March 26, 27, 28
  • Degas C'est Moi – October 24, 25


Jamestown performs two major productions every school year; a fall play and a spring musical. The first fall play ever performed was Our Town
Our Town
Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...

performed on November 25 and 26 of 1997. Jamestown's first musical was Brigadoon on March 25, 26, and 27, 1998. Jamestown's latest productions include November 2006's fall play Museum, March 2007's A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....

and November 2007's The Good Doctor. April 2008's spring production was William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

, which moved away from the tradition of having a musical during the spring.

Directors

William Snyder (1997–2006)

William Snyder directed 18 productions at Jamestown (not including competition plays), and spent nearly a decade before at Lafayette High School. "At the age of 72, I feel like it's my time," Snyder told The Eagle Eye student newspaper. Snyder confirmed his retirement in early 2006, Guys and Dolls being his final production.

Beth Wigley (2006–2008)
Beth Wigley was confirmed to succeed Snyder in Spring 2006 as Jamestown's near Director of Theatre. Wigley, before transferring to Jamestown, worked 13 years as Director of the York County School of the Arts at Bruton High School. Wigley's first production at Jamestown was 2006's fall production of Museum. Wigley is known to differ from Snyder in some aspects, by choosing fall production with larger casts to encourage students to audition, and by choosing to direct productions that do not contain the typical glitz and glamour.

Marcia DiMattia (2008–Present)

Mrs. DiMattia brings a background of dance and choreography as well as an enthusiasm for the theatre and students to Jamestown High School. Her first production at Jamestown was Found a Peanut. Previously, she was the Theatre Director at Berkeley Middle School where she directed You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Into the Woods, Jr., and Godspell, Jr. She also directs for 'StageLights, Inc., Williamsburg's Theatre for Children.' In the fall of 2009 Marcia DiMattia directed Degas, Cest Moi which went on to win the VHSL Theatre State Championship. The 2010 Spring Musical was the The Pajama Game. Their fall show for the 2010-2011 school year was "Almost, Maine", and they are currently working on their spring musical "The Lucky Stiff".

Music

Jamestown has several musical groups, including a symphonic band and wind ensemble, a marching band and mixed, jazz and chamber choirs.

Every once in a while, the different departments cross over in order to make a group effort. The most classic example is the yearly musical. The drama department would host the event, but it would include kids from choir who would sing, students from art making various props or backdrops and the band and orchestra, who would provide the music for the singers and dancers. However, 2008 will not be the same as any of the previous years, due to Mrs. Wigley's odd choice of musicals, A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

.

The choir, orchestra and band recently had a joint concert with other high schools performing Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana , Latin for "Songs from Beuern" , is the name given to a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces were written principally in Medieval Latin; a few in Middle High German, and some with traces...

.

Band

The band director is Steve Turner. The band has won a superior rating every year after its founding year and has traveled to numerous destinations across the US for competition.

There have been several different assistant band directors over the years.. Chris Smith was an assistant for the 2006-2007 year, but he also left the following year to teach at Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Lafayette High School is a public secondary school in James City County, Virginia, just outside the city limits of Williamsburg, Virginia. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and is located at 4460 Longhill Road.-History:...

.

Marching Band

The marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...

 is by far the largest musical group at Jamestown. The instrumentation consists of woodwinds, brass, a drum line and a pit (usually keyboard instruments and axillary instruments). There is also a color guard
Color guard
In the military of the United States and other militaries, the color guard carries the National Color and other flags appropriate to its position in the chain of command. Typically these include a unit flag and a departmental flag...

 that twirls colorful flags, dance, and use other visuals as the school board does not allow the use of rifles or sabers in performances. The band uses a technique very similar to modern style drum and bugle corps
Drum and bugle corps (modern)
A drum and bugle corps, also known as a drum corps, is a musical marching unit consisting of brass instruments, percussion instruments, and color guard. Typically operating as independent non-profit organizations, drum corps perform in competitions, parades, festivals, and other civic functions...

.
The marching band just recently received new uniforms in 2007.

Shows:

1997: "Vocal Jazz" - "Baroque Samba", "Dream of the Return" and "Birdland"

1998: "Jekyll & Hyde
Jekyll & Hyde (musical)
Jekyll & Hyde is a musical based on the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The original stage conception was by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn. The music is by Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Leslie Bricusse.The musical ran on Broadway for 1,543...

"

1999: "Tower of Power
Tower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...

"

2000: "The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...

"

2001: "Hot Jazz" - "Now or Never
Now or Never (Billie Holiday song)
"Now or Never" is a jazz song written by singer Billie Holiday, and composer Curtis Reginald Lewis.-Recording Session:Studio Session #63, New York, September 30, 1949, Sy Oliver and His Orchestra , with Bernie Privin , Sid Cooper, Johnny Mince , Artie Drellinger, Pat Nizza , Billy Kyle , Everett...

", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (song)
"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a romantic British popular song written in 1939 with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin.-Setting:...

", "Birdland"

2002: "West Side Story"

2003: "Tommy"

2004: "Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a series of films, a theme park ride, and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. The franchise originates with the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened at Disneyland in...

"

2005: "The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...

"

2006: "Songs for Planet Earth"

2007: "Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...

"

2008: "Music of the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps
Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps
The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps is a World Class drum and bugle corps based in Concord, California and founded in 1957 as a Drum and Bell corps, and is a member corps of Drum Corps International...

"

2009: "James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...

"

Clubs and Extracurricular Activities

Jamestown has several different clubs and groups. In order for the group to be part of the school, it must first have at least one sponsor and it must have approval by the principal.

Here is a list of all of the clubs and organizations, as listed on the school's website:
  • Academic Team
  • AFS Intercultural Programs
    AFS Intercultural Programs
    AFS Intercultural Programs was established in 1915 by A. Piatt Andrew, a onetime economics professor at Harvard University and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury...

  • Asian Awareness
  • Art Club
  • Black Awareness
  • Color Guard (part of the marching band
    Marching band
    Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...

    )
  • Dance Team
  • DECA
    DECA (organization)
    DECA, also known as Collegiate DECA on the college level) is an international association of students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service . DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing,...

  • Eagle Eye Newspaper
  • Ecology Club
  • Envirothon
    Envirothon
    Envirothon is an annual environmentally themed academic competition held by the United States and Canada on a regional, state, and national level. It is sponsored by Canon, conservation districts, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Association of Conservation Districts...

     Club
  • French Club
  • Freshman Class
    Ninth grade
    Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school education in some school systems. The students are 13 to 15 years of age, depending on when their birthday occurs. Depending on the school district, ninth grade is usually the first year of high school....

  • Future Business Leaders of America
    FBLA-PBL
    The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, or FBLA-PBL, is an American career and technical student organization that has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia...

     (FBLA)
  • Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA)
  • German Club
  • It's Academic
  • Jamestown Robotics Club
  • Key Club
    Key Club
    Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...

  • Lacrosse
    Lacrosse
    Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...

    • At JHS, Lacrosse is considered a club, not a sport
  • Latin Club
  • Leo Club
  • Ascent
    Literary magazine
    A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...

  • Math League
  • Mock Trial
    Mock trial
    A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...

  • Model United Nations
    Model United Nations
    Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....

     (Model U.N.)
  • National Honor Society
    National Honor Society
    The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...

     (NHS)
  • Parent Teacher Student Association
    Parent-Teacher Association
    In the U.S. a parent-teacher association or Parent-Teacher-Student Association is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a public or private school. Most public and private K-8 schools in the U.S. have a PTA, a...

     (PTSA)
  • Peer Mediation
  • Peer Partners
  • Science Club
  • Senior Class
    Twelfth grade
    Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...

  • Junior Class
    Eleventh grade
    Eleventh Grade is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16 or 17 years of age, depending on the country and the students' birthdays.-Brazil:...

  • Sophomore Class
    Tenth grade
    In majority of the world,Tenth grade is the tenth year of school post-kindergarten. The variants of "10th grade" in various nations is described below.-Australia:...

  • Spanish Club
  • Spanish National Honor Society
    Spanish National Honor Society
    Spanish National Honor Society is an academic honor society focused on Spanish language excellence in secondary education and promotes a continuity of interest in Spanish studies. The group, which was established in 1953 in the United States is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of...

  • Students Academic Recognition (STAR)
  • Student Cooperative Association (SCA)
  • Theatre Programs
  • Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA)
  • Yearbook
    Yearbook
    A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...

  • Feefee Club

Ascent

Ascent is the Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

 and Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....

 Magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

at Jamestown. When Jamestown first opened, the group was run by Mrs. Throckmorton and Mrs. Hite, who published the first edition of Labyrinth, the original name of the magazine. Then, in 2004-2005, Mrs. Glennon sponsored the group. Under Mrs. Glennon, the magazine staff focused on creative writing. In 2006-2007, Mrs. Throckmorton once again sponsored the staff. In 2007, Mrs. Reiley and Mrs. Hobbs took over as sponsors for the magazine. The new staff decided to change the name to Ascent.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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