Pope John Paul the Great Catholic High School is a private

Private school

Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

, coeducation

Coeducation

Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...

al Catholic

Catholic school

Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...

 high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 in Dumfries, Virginia

Dumfries, Virginia

Dumfries is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,937 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dumfries is located at ....

 operated by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

The Congregation of St. Cecilia, commonly known as the Nashville Dominicans, is a religious order within the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a member of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, one of the two organizations which represent women...

. As a diocesan school of the Diocese of Arlington

Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States. The Diocese of Arlington comprises 68 located in the 21 northern-most counties within the Commonwealth of Virginia, including the Northern Virginia counties of Arlington, Clarke,...

, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...

.

Background

Named after the late Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

, the newly constructed school opened to incoming 9th and 10th graders in August 2008. The school's first graduating class graduated in 2011.

Sports

John Paul the Great currently offers 17 sports, all of which will have a Varsity team this coming school year. These sports include Fall Cheerleading, Cross-Country, Girls Field Hockey, Football, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Winter Cheerleading, Swimming, Wrestling, Baseball, Boys Lacrosse, Girls Lacrosse Softball, and Track and Field.
Their varsity football team completed their second season with a record of 9-1 and was the first team to represent the school in a state playoff tournament. The senior football players graduate with an overall record of 21-7. JV Boys basketball posted the first winning record for a basketball team with nine wins and only three losses. In the 2010-2011 school year both JV soccer and JV basketball went undefeated with soccer having an 11-0 season and basketball 14-0 led by Christian Metzler.

The athletic facilities are some of the finest in the area. The school has two gyms, training room, film area, and fully equipped and staffed weight room. The athletic fields include; the game field, a 8 lane 400m track, high jump, long jump, shot/discus pad, and practice fields.