Potomac Falls High School

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Potomac Falls High School is a public secondary school in Sterling, Virginia unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia. The school is part of the Loudoun County Public Schools system and is located on 46400 Algonkian Parkway. Rated in America's Top Public High Schools in 2008 (173^rd),^[1] Potomac Falls' student body is drawn from the Cascades, Countryside, Broad Run Farms, and Dulles Town Center communities.

History

Front of Potomac Falls High School

Potomac Falls High School opened in 1997,^[2] drawing its student body from Park View High School and Broad Run High School. It was the first high school built in 21 years, following Park View's opening in 1976. There were about 900 students in grades 9–11 when Potomac Falls opened. There was no senior class since seniors attending Park View and Broad Run who lived in Potomac Falls' attendance area remained at those schools through graduation.

In 2003, students from Potomac Falls and Park View High School were fed into Dominion High School after the schools became overcrowded while students from Broad Run High School and Park View were sent to Potomac Falls. However, growth has stabilized in Sterling since then, and there are no new high schools being planned in the area for the foreseeable future.

The basic high school design for Potomac Falls has been used for every new high school built in Loudoun County since then. Stone Bridge opened in 2000 with Potomac Falls' basic design, but with a larger auditorium and some additional classrooms. Heritage, Dominion, Briar Woods, and Freedom also use the same basic template.

In 2005, Potomac Falls High School dropped resource, instead replacing sixth period with a new system called FLEX. In FLEX, the students first go to either period 7, 2, 3, 4 (respectively) from 10:38–11:19 and then they go to either period 1, 8, 5, advisory (respectively) from 11:25 to 12:07. The periods to which the students go depend on what FLEX day it is (the periods will always be the same; if they FLEX to seventh, they will flex to first, and if they FLEX to second, they will FLEX to eighth, etc.). This time is occasionally used for assemblies, club meetings, filling out forms, or last minute school work.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, Potomac Falls High School decided to make an advisory period. This period began as an add-on of 20 minutes to the last FLEX of the week, but in the 2006-2007 school year, it was changed to a full 45 minute FLEX period occurring at the last FLEX of every other week.

Demographics

In 2006-2007, Potomac Falls' student body was 70% White; 9% Black; 11% Hispanic; 8% Asian; 2% Indian

Accreditation and test scores

Accreditation

Potomac Falls is a fully accredited high school based on its overall performance on the Standards of Learning tests in Virginia.

SAT scores

The average SAT score in 2006 for Potomac Falls was a 1,555 (532 in Math; 517 in Critical Reading; 506 in Writing).

Enrollment history

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The Potomac Falls' mascot is the Panther. Sports teams play in the AA Dulles District and Region II. At its opening, the Panthers played in the AAA Concorde District and the Northern Region, but the Panthers were at a severe disadvantage as their enrollment was considerably below the AA/AAA cutoff, and most of its member schools included some of the largest schools in the state, including Herndon and Chantilly High Schools. Both schools had enrollments of nearly 2,500 students at the time while Potomac Falls' enrollment in the 1998-1999 school year was at around 1,200. Potomac Falls played in the Concorde District nevertheless partly because Park View and Broad Run were also in the Northern Region but played in the Liberty District, and it was assumed that most AA sized high schools in Northern Virginia, like George C. Marshall High School, would play up in AAA.

Since Potomac Falls' move to AA in 1999, the athletic teams have enjoyed much success, particularly in their soccer programs. Potomac Falls has won five AA state titles, two girls soccer titles in 2000 and 2004, one in boys soccer in 2006, one in boys golf in 2001, and one in boys tennis in 2002.^{[citation needed]} The cheerleaders of Potomac Falls received the regional and district title in 2006, and placed 3rd in the state.^{[citation needed]} In 2008, the cheerleaders also took the district title. The Panther Dancers (Potomac Falls Dance Team) won a state title in their jazz routine in November 2006.^{[citation needed]}

Of particular note is the Potomac Falls Boys Cross Country team, which has consecutively won the Dulles District AA title since the 2001-2002 Season to the present. It is now been extended to 8 titles in a row.

Band

The Potomac Falls band has earned the title of Virginia Honor Band by the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA) seven consecutive times since its opening in 1997 (1998 – 2005),^[3] attaining overall "superior" ratings at both the State Marching Band Festival and the State Concert Band Festival each of those years. The first six of the seven honors were awarded under the direction of Darron Young (currently the director of bands at nearby Loudoun County High School). Timothy Niebergall is PFHS's current director of bands.

Guitar

Potomac Falls's current guitar classes are directed by William Hart Wells, who came from Park View High School as a part time teacher, and who is currently the full time director of the Beginners, Intermediates and Advance guitar students, who add up to be more than a 120. In 2006 and 2007 the Advance Ensemble had trips to New York City to receive master classes from prominent members of the music community. A trip to Chicago is planned for 2009. The three ensembles have performances during winter, spring, and a recently created "Solos Night", to showcase solos, duets and quartet performances. The Potomac Falls High School guitar quartet, whose members are chosen from among the students who audition for it, performs for the community.

Debate

Potomac Falls debate is coached by Alice Foltz and Lynn Damaty. The three divisions (Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and Student Congress) compete in tournaments across the state.^[4]

Notes