Centreville High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)

In the early 1980s construction of an intermediate school serving grades 7 and 8 was proposed for Braddock Park to deal with the westward population shift in the county.[5] Funds for the construction of the proposed Braddock Park Intermediate School were included as part of the $57.2 million school bond issue approved by a voter referendum on November 3, 1981, with the intent of the school opening in 1984.[6]

However, fluctuating enrollment figures led the Fairfax County School Board to consider delaying construction of Braddock Park Intermediate school for a 1988 opening before finally voting on January 13, 1983 on a compromise that would see the school open in 1986.[7][8]

By April 1984, Superintendent William J. Burkholder was recommending that a high school should be constructed instead of an intermediate school. Burkholder's plan was that the school would open as an intermediate school in 1988, and gradually transition to becoming a high school.[9] This change required the addition of 10 acres to the 25-acre school site to comply with state high school property requirements.[10]

$43.2 million of the $74.87 million school bond issue approved by a voter referendum on November 6, 1984 was earmarked for construction of what was then called Braddock Park High School, as well as several elementary schools.[11]

In 1986, the $22.6 million contract for construction of the school was awarded to A.S. McGaughan Company. Construction of the school was temporarily shut down in August 1987 following the discovery of cancer-causing mineral asbestos in the soil.[12] Despite early reports that the asbestos was not dangerous, it was later discovered that a large amount of the soil in Western Fairfax County is contaminated with fibrous asbestos.[13]

In March 1988, the Fairfax County School Board set the enrollment area for the new school, based on the plan of Springfield district board member Anthony Cardinale following controversy over the plan submitted by Superintendent Robert R. Spillane.[14]

The school board voted to name the new high school Centreville High School at its May 12, 1988 meeting, rejecting the Braddock Park name as a source of potential confusion with Lake Braddock Secondary School, although the chosen name was also the source of controversy due to Centreville being the poorer of the two communities (the other being wealthy Clifton) served by the new high school, with a reputation of being "a redneck burg".[15][16]

Despite the controversy, it was as Centreville High School that the new school opened in the Fall of 1988 with a class of slightly over 1000 seventh through tenth graders.[17] Over the next few years, the seventh and eighth grades were phased out and Centreville finally had a complement of ninth through twelfth grades.

The CVHS population includes students who were born in 84 different countries.

In the 2015-16 school year, Centreville High School's student body was 37.56% White, 32.36% Asian, 17.36% Hispanic, 8.82% Black and 3.90% Other.[18]

In her column from September 10, 2010—the day before the 9th anniversary of 9/11—Washington Post columnist Petula Dvorak highlighted Centreville's diversity, referring to it as an example of how racial and ethnic tolerance should be celebrated.[19]

Centreville High School is a fully accredited high school based on the Standards of Learning tests in Virginia. The average SAT score in 2010 for Centreville was 1,596 (525 in Critical Reading, 550 in Math, and 521 in Writing). The average ACT score in 2010 was 22.9. Both SAT and ACT scores exceeded state and national average test scores.

• 2031 Advanced Placement (AP) tests were administered in the 2009-2010 school year.
• 932 students were enrolled in AP classes.
• CVHS students exceeded collective National Average Passing rates in 2009 (most recent data) by 8% overall; the school exceeded collective Virginia State Passing rates by 5%.
• Specific disciplines exceeded by CVHS's population with respect to the National Passing rates include Calculus AB, exceeded by 24%; Statistics, exceeded by 27%; U.S. Government, exceeded by 24%; World History, exceeded by 34%; Physics, exceeded by 8%; Studio 3D Art, exceeded by 38%; and French, exceeded by 45%.

Centreville's theatre program, currently directed by Mike Hudson, has won awards, including Cappies in several categories.[20] The Cappie awards held by Centreville Theatre:

• Anthony Ingargiola, Supporting Actor in a Musical, "Working", 2011
• Best Song, Confrontation, Jekyll and Hyde, 2007
• Nate Betancourt, Lead Actor in a Musical, Jekyll and Hyde, 2007
• Sarah Villyard, Lead Actress in a Musical, Fame, 2004
• Eric St. Peter, Lead Actor In a Play, "Rumors", 2003
• Best Play, Rumors, 2003
• Tony Moreno, Cameo Actor in a Musical, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", 2001
• Ali Miramany, Best Male Vocalist, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", 2001
• Best Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, 2001
• Nicole McCarthy, Best Sound, "Macbeth", 2000

Centreville's theatre (the Roy A. "Skip" Maiden Theater, named for the first theatre teacher) has a seating capacity of 601 people. Centreville's program began in 1988 under the direction of Roy A. "Skip" Maiden. This program won the first State Championship for the school in Theater and went on to represent the State of Virginia at the Southeastern Theater Conference and placed there as well. Two years later, the Centreville Theater again won the top prize in the State of Virginia for an original work entitled, "Alpha and Omega" written and produced by Centreville Theater students Darren Biggs and Jon Janis the prior year in 1994, and remounted with new direction by Roy A. "Skip" Maiden. The play then went on to win the Southeastern Theater Conference of 1995.

The Centreville Choral Department, directed by Lynne L. Babcock, consists of students in six different choral ensembles, spanning from grade 9 to 12: Men's Ensemble (Beginning Men's Chorus), Women's Ensemble (Beginning Women's Chorus), Concert Choir (Intermediate Mixed Chorus), Bella Voce (Intermediate/Advanced Women's Ensemble), Symphonic Choir (Advanced Mixed Chorus), and the Madrigal Ensemble (Advanced, extracurricular, mixed ensemble).

In November 2008, Centreville's Symphonic Choir performed at the Virginia Music Educators (VMEA) State Conference in Hot Springs, Virginia. Symphonic Choir was chosen based on a competitive audition process, sending in three selections. This is the first time in Centreville's history that the department and school were honored at the annual VMEA conference.

Centreville High School is categorized as an AAA-class high school, as defined by the Virginia High School League. It belongs to the Concorde District of the Northern Region.

Centreville has athletic teams in 28 different sports. Men's Sports include: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Ice Hockey (club), Indoor Track/Field, Lacrosse, Outdoor Track/Field, Soccer, Swim/Dive, Tennis and Wrestling. Women's Sports include: Basketball, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Dance Team, Field Hockey, Golf, Gymnastics, Indoor Track/Field, Lacrosse, Outdoor Track/Field, Soccer, Softball, Swim/Dive, Tennis, and Volleyball.

The school's athletic program is one of the most storied and successful in the Washington D.C. metro area, with both individuals and teams earning titles and championship berths across its sports program since 1991.

Notable Accomplishments:

In 2000, Centreville won the Virginia AAA Division 6 State Football Championship under Fairfax Hall of Fame football coach Mike Skinner. Two players from the 2000 Wildcat football team enjoyed careers in the NFL: Marcus Hamilton (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears) and Will Montgomery (Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears).

In 2011, Centreville finished runner-up for the Virginia AAA Division 6 Football State Championship. They were defeated by Oscar Smith 47-21. During the season the Wildcats won their 4th Virginia AAA Northern Region Division 6 Championship by defeating Westfield 27-24 and set a then-school record for wins in a season (13). Head Coach Chris Haddock was named the Washington Redskins High School Football Coach of the Year after the season.

Also during the 2011 season, defensive lineman Ken Ekanem was named Virginia's Co-Defensive Player of the Year and was named as a Washington Post All-Met for the second consecutive season. On February 1, 2012 he committed to play football at Virginia Tech.

In 1995, Centreville won the Virginia AAA State Softball Championship. They defeated Mills Godwin High School 6-1.

More State Champions:

• Boys Long Jump, Indoor Track/Field, 2018-Caden Billak
• Boys 3200m Run, Indoor Track/Field, 2010—Yazid Zouaimia
• Girls Cross Country Team, 1995 and 1996
• Girls Indoor Track/Field, 1994 and 1995
• Girls Lacrosse, 2000 and 2001
• Girls Outdoor Track/Field, 1993 and 1996

The Baseball team won the regular season district championship in 2010, their first in school history.

Ryan Ashooh and Cameron Walter were named to the First Team All-Met Team in 2010. Ryan Ashooh was also awarded back-to-back Concorde District Pitcher of the Year (2008-2010.)

In 2000 and 2001, Centreville won the unofficial Lacrosse State Championship.

In 2001, Centreville won the AAA Concorde District Basketball Championship. The team posted a school record 17-game winning streak during the regular season.

Josh Mosier and other football players commiserate after a 1998 defeat. This photo by Robert Benson, titled Numb After Loss, won second place in the Sports category in the Military Photographer of the Year competition.

Centreville's Men's Track team began taking notice with sprinter/hurdler Rickey Harris (1997-2000.) Harris recorded the nations top times in the 400 meters, 400m hurdles and 110m hurdles, earning All-America honors in each event as a senior at Centreville. He set the Virginia state record in the 60m hurdles as a senior, and set state records in the 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles and 55m hurdles as a sophomore and a junior. He also owns the #2 all-time mark in the 400m hurdles and #1 mark in the 60m hurdles as a high schooler. Harris was named 2000 Prep Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News.

In 2001-2002 Centreville's Men's Track team won the Indoor Concorde District, Northern Region, and were runner up in the AAA Virginia State meet. The men's 4x200 and 4X400 relays set schools records and were one of top relay teams in the East Coast.

Centreville's Men's Track team swept the Concorde District winning the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field AAA Concorde District titles in 2005. The indoor team also won the AAA Concorde District and AAA Northern Region titles in the winter of 2006. In 2007, the Men's team won its third consecutive AAA Concorde District title.

The Women's Soccer team made it to the semi-finals of the VHSL state tournament after beating Lake Braddock Secondary School for the Northern Region title.

Centreville has one of the largest high school football stadiums in the county. Centreville's stadium, named after William E. Trussell, Jr., the school's first principal, has capacity seating of about 7,000.

During the 2008-2009 season, Centreville Men's Basketball advanced to the Northern Region Tournament for the 1st time since the 2000-2001 season with a 1st round Concorde District Tournament victory over Robinson Secondary School.

During the 2011-2012 Men's Basketball season, the team won its first Northern Region Tournament game since 2001 by defeating Washington-Lee in the first round. They finished the season as one of the top eight teams in the region.

Warren Denny was named the Concorde District Boys Basketball Co-Player of the Year in 2009-2010. Warren was also named to the First Team All Northern Region Team.

Colin Miller (Class of 2006) won the Virginia State Heavyweight wrestling title. He signed a letter of intent to play football at Central Michigan University.

The Women's Field Hockey team captured the Concorde District Championship for six straight seasons (1998–2003) and won the Northern Region Championship in 2000 and 2001.

The Centreville Women's Soccer team captured the Concorde District Championship for four straight seasons (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007). The team won the Northern Region Championship in 2006 and 2007 and advanced to the VHSL State Semi-finals both of those years.

The Wildcat Varsity Football Team defeated rival Westfield High School 27-24 to win the Northern Region Championship in 2011. This was the first victory over Westfield since 2001. The team went on to the play in the Virginia Division 6 AAA state championship game where they lost to Oscar Smith 47-21. The team finished the season with a record of 13-2.

Centreville's Varsity Football team finished with a 15-0 season, avenging their defeat in 2011 against Oscar Smith in the Virginia 6 AAA state championship game with a score of 35-6 on December 14, 2013. The team also included two Washington Post All-Mets, Chad Wiggins and AJ Turner, as well as many D1 players that included Turner who was committed to the University of South Carolina, running back Taylor Boose who is committed to the University of Cincinnati, and offensive tackle Justin Skule who is committed to the University of Vanderbilt. Wide receiver/defensive back Charles Tutt signed to play for James Madison University. The team finished ranked #14 in the nation.

Tyler Love (Class of 2015) won the Virginia State wrestling title for the 195-pound weight class. He signed a letter of intent to wrestle at the University of Virginia.

They entered the 2014 football season ranked #7 in the country; however, #22 Gonzaga came into Centreville week one and defeated them 31-14 in a nationally televised game on ESPNU. The season ended with a 12-3 record as they made it to the Virginia 6A state championship game before losing to Ocean Lakes 30-24 in overtime.

During the 2016-2017 the Men's Basketball Team won their first conference championship since 2001 by defeating the Chantilly Chargers in the tournament final, held at Chantilly. The team finished with a record of 17-7. Sophomore Bryce Douglas was named Conference player of the year, becoming the first sophomore to win the award since Herndon's Scottie Reynolds. Head Coach Kevin Harris took home the honor of Conference coach of the year in only his second season with the program. They fell to the Patriot Pioneers in the first round of the regional tournament.

In the 2018-2019 season, the Men's Basketball team won their second district championship in the past three seasons and third in school history with a 79-55 victory over Oakton in a game played at Chantilly HS on February 15, 2019. The team finished with a record of 18-6 (7-1 in district play). They had a 10 game winning streak from December 14, 2018 – January 22, 2019. They also won the Joe Cascio Holiday Tournament held at Falls Church HS. Award winners announced during the postseason included first team all-district honors to senior Bryce Douglas and sophomore Chris Kuzemka, second team honors to juniors Lance Douglas and Connor Shanton. Lance Douglas was also named Defensive Player of the year for the district. Head Coach Kevin Harris was named Concorde District and Northern Region Coach of the Year. Regional awards went to Bryce Douglas (1st Team) and Chris Kuzemka (honorable mention). The season ended on February 22, 2019 with a second round regional tournament loss to the Osbourn Eagles.

In the 2019-2020 season, the Men's Basketball team won their second consecutive district championship, third in the past four seasons, and fourth in school history with a 50-44 victory over Madison, in a game played at Centreville HS on February 21, 2020. A week later on February 28 at Centreville HS, the Wildcats defeated Washington-Liberty 51-43 to capture their first Northern Region championship in school history. This was also the school's first appearance in the regional championship game. Playing in their first state tournament in school history, Centreville defeated Lake Braddock 82-79 in the quarterfinals before taking down Western Branch 62-55 in the semifinals to advance to the VHSL Class 6 State Championship Game. Both of those victories were played at Westfield HS. The State Championship game was later cancelled due to the Coronavirus with the VHSL naming both Centreville and South County as Class 6 Co-State Champions. The Wildcats finished the season with a record of 22-6 (6-2 in district play). Centreville compiled several postseason awards; first team all-district junior Avery Ford, senior Mekhai Washington and senior John Hunter, honorable mention all-district senior Spencer Williams, first team all-district defense junior Avery Ford. First Team all-Northern Region honors were earned by junior Avery Ford and senior Mekhai Washington, senior John Hunter earned second team all-Northern Region honors. VHSL Class 6 first team all-state awards went to junior Avery Ford and senior Mekhai Washington. The Washington Post named Avery Ford as a first team All-Met while Mekhai Washington received honorable mention All-Met.

• Jayson Blair, former New York Times journalist found to have plagiarized his articles.[21]
• Luke Bowanko, center for NFL's Washington Redskins.
• Ludacris (Christopher Brian Bridges), rapper, entrepreneur, and actor.[22]
• Lindsay Czarniak, attended James Madison University, sports reporter for ESPN.[23]
• Will Montgomery, selected by Carolina Panthers in seventh round (234th overall) of 2006 NFL Draft; played for Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos.[24]
• Marcus Hamilton, selected by Tampa Bay Buccaneers in seventh round (245th overall) of 2007 NFL Draft.
• Justin Skule, selected by San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round (183rd overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.
• Rickey Harris, track and field athlete who attended University of Florida, 2002 NCAA men's 400 m hurdles champion.
• Bjorn Merten, All-American football player for UCLA.
• Tony Dews, assistant coach for the Tennessee Titans.[25]
• Corbyn Besson, member of Why Don’t We

• Centreville High School
• VHSL-Reference
• FCPS School Profile