| Briar Woods High School | |
| Address | |
|---|---|
| 22525 Belmont Ridge Road Ashburn, Virginia 20148 |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| Founded | 2005 |
| School district | Loudoun County Public Schools |
| Principal | Edward Starzenski |
| Assistant principals | Dr. Drew Pendleton, Dr. Tammy Brock, Mr. Michael Byers |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,400 (2009) |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Navy Blue and Orange |
| Mascot | Falcon |
| Communities served | Brambleton Broadlands Arcola |
| Rival School | Freedom High School Broad Run High School |
| Athletic Conference | Dulles District Region II |
| Website | http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/bwhs |
Briar Woods High School is a public secondary school located in Ashburn, an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, and is part of Loudoun County Public Schools. The school is located in the Brambleton community and also serves students who live in Broadlands and Arcola.
Contents |
History
Briar Woods High School opened on August 29, 2005. Both Stone Hill Middle School and Eagle Ridge Middle School are feeder middle schools. The first and current principal is Edward Starzenski, who served as principal of Loudoun County High School from 1989 to 2004. The school was officially dedicated on October 14, 2005 at a ceremony presided over by school district superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III.[1] In 2006, Briar Woods celebrated its first Homecoming, despite the lack of a returning class.
Demographics
In 2006-2007 Briar Woods High School's student population was 67% White; 16% Asian; 10% Black; and 7% Hispanic.
Curriculum
- See Main Discussion: Loudoun County Public Schools – Curriculum
Test scores
Briar Woods is a fully accredited high school by the Virginia Department of Education. Briar Woods High School recorded SAT results for the first time this year. Briar Woods’ scores included 506 in critical reading, 491 in math and 485 in writing[citation needed].
Yearly Traditions
Still being a new high school, Briar Woods has had to, and continues to, make new traditions. Some of these include Multicultural Night, the Kiss the Lobster contest, Fractured Fairytales, and painting the class rocks.
Extracurricular activities
Anime Club
The Anime Club started in 2008, and meets every Thursday in Room 312 until 5:00 every week. In the coming 2009 school year, they will start watching the anime called Full Metal Alchemist.
Art
The Briar Woods Art Department, in cooperation with the Art Club, has created numerous murals inside the school building. In 2008, the art classes had their first trip to New York.
Athletics
Briar Woods is a member of the AA Dulles District and Region II.
Golf
The golf team won the Dulles District tournament in the fall of 2006 before eventually losing to Western Albemarle at the Region II Championship. In 2007, the same team won the AA Dulles District and the Region II tournament, earning them the school's first state bid. At states, they finished seventh.
The team repeated their AA Dulles District regular season by finishing first for the second year in a row. They came in second at the Dulles District tournament, losing to Loudoun County High School. The team placed third in the Region II tournament, shooting 294, including a 68 from Michael Birmingham, who qualified as an individual to the state championship.
Tennis
In the 2006-2007 season, the boy's tennis team upset Loudoun County High School in the Dulles District Championship to advance to regionals. Their incredible season ended with a 5-2 loss in the Region II Championship to State Champions Western Albemarle. Returning all of their starters in the 2007-2008 season, the boy's tennis team were undefeated in district play and won the Dulles District Championship. In Regionals, Briar Woods defeated Monticello before again losing to State Champions Western Albemarle 5-2 in the Region II Championship.
Football
In 2007, the varsity football team broke a county record for "Best Record After Three Years", finishing 7-3. This was the first time the Falcons advanced to the Region II playoffs. They were eliminated in the first round by Millbrook.
In 2008, the varsity football team finished the regular season 8-2, losing only to the undefeated Broad Run Spartans and the one-loss Potomac Falls Panthers. They advanced to the Region II playoffs for the second year in a row, only to fall to the defending state champions Monticello Mustangs in the first round with a score of 30-13.
Drama
Briar Woods High School’s theatre production company is Black Forest Productions. Productions have included The Music Man. The Wizard of Oz, Dracula, "Fractured Fairy Tales", Crazy For You, and the International Thespian Society production of Jekyll and Hyde.[citation needed]
Music
Marching Band
The Briar Woods Falcon Regiment is three-years old and contains over 120 members. The Falconaires colorguard and Briar Woods Drumline are regular features within the school. The Falcon Regiment received an excellent rating at the State Marching Festival in the 2008 year and has consecutively had excellent ratings. During the season, the marching band competes in many rigorous competitions such as Bands of America and the State Marching Festival. The 2007 show was titled "Zorro". The 2008 show was titled "Fright Night". The 2009 show is called "The Music of Scheherazade", featuring the music of Nikolas Rimsky-Korsakov.
Concert Band
Briar Woods has two concert ensembles; the Symphonic Winds and the Symphonic Band. The Symphonic Winds group has performed at legendary Carnegie Hall and was given a gold superior rating.
Student Council
The Briar Woods High School SCA (Student Council Association) is a member of the VSCA (Virginia Student Councils Association) and the NASC (National Association of Student Councils).
Key Club
The Briar Woods Key Club is BWHS's largest club with over 225 members. The membership has raised over $3000 selling M&Ms to fellow students. Beginning Tuesday, October 14 members will begin collecting coins for the world's children as they "Trick of Treat" for UNICEF. Throughout the year members volunteer at local elementarys and help at various community activities. Many members are looking forward to attending the Annual District Convention beginning April 23 in Richmond, VA.
Clubs
Briar Woods High School has many active clubs and organizations including commonalities such as the NHS, DECA, FBLA, and Key Club. The school also has an It's Academic group, cultural societies including Spanish, German, French, and Latin, and special interest activities: Art, Drama, International Thespian Society, Forensics, Literary Magazine, International Thespian Society, Drama Club, Book Club, Philosophy, Bible, VFEA (Virginia Future Educators Association), Math and Science Club (formerly known as "The MASC"), International, PEER, Dance Team (B-Woods Dance Company), Anime Club, and Library Teen Assistants' Organization.
Philosophy Club
The purpose of the Philosophy Club is to explore Eastern and Western philosophies and to gain a broad appreciation for the subject. At each meeting, members select topics for debate. They can range from discussions about religion, science, political science, and social theories to contemplating the mysteries of the living world.
Zeke Mihelcic was the president of the 2007-2008 school year's Philosophy Club.
Library Teen Assistants' Organization
More commonly known as the Library Club, this group was founded in the 2007-2008 school year to provide willing students with an organized way of assisting in the Library. Some of the tasks members perform include reshelving books, organizing shelves, decorating for the seasons, and unpacking new books. It is quite easy to see that someone in the library has taken the liberty to edit this site, deleting information about each activity and adding more info about activities that meet in the library.
Math and Science Club
The Math and Science Club in the 2008-09 school year created a nature path through the small forest by Briar Woods. In the 2009-10 school year, it is working on creating an outdoor classroom in one of the courtyards of the school's interior.
Debate
The Briar Woods debate team is a great/successful one which went to Nationals in 2008-2009 with Zeke Mihelcic and Erin Pelletier. It is judged by Ms. Acker and has a great full team this year.
References
Citations
- ^ "Briar Woods Dedicates Itself to the Future, Opportunities". Loudoun County Public Schools. 2005-10-26. http://cmsweb1.loudoun.k12.va.us/509759161361/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=326091&C=63629. Retrieved 2007-01-24.
Sources
- "NCLB - School Report Card". Virginia Department of Education. 2006/2007. http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/src/index.shtml. Retrieved 2007-01-24.
External links
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