Fort Hunt High School
Fort Hunt High School was a public secondary school near Alexandria, Virginia from 1963 until 1985, when it was converted to a middle school.
| Fort Hunt High School | |
|---|---|
 Cannon in front of Fort Hunt High School | |
| Address | |
| |
8428 Fort Hunt Road , 22308 | |
| Coordinates | 38°43′41.6″N 77°3′27.8″W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Status | now Carl Sandburg Middle School |
| Closed | 1985 |
| School district | Fairfax County Public Schools |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Green and gold originally green and white |
| Mascot | Federals |
| Feeder schools | Stephen Foster Intermediate School |
| Rival Schools | Groveton High School Mount Vernon High School |
Constructed at a cost of $2.5 million, Fort Hunt High opened its doors at 8428 Fort Hunt Road in 1963, toward the end of the post–World War II baby boom, as part of the Fairfax County Public Schools.[1]
The school suffered $4.5 million in fire damage as the result of arson on December 30, 1978 when two seniors at the school and a 1978 graduate[2] threw Molotov cocktails into the building.[3][4] The fire resulted in the forced relocation of 1,700 students[5] who were sent on a split shift to nearby Groveton and Mount Vernon High schools through the remainder of the 1978-79 school year.
In 1985, due to declining enrollment, and after contentious political and legal battles to keep the school open,[6][7] Fort Hunt was combined with Groveton High School to form West Potomac High School, located on Groveton's campus. The Fort Hunt campus was converted into Carl Sandburg Middle School, which replaced the older Stephen Foster and Bryant Intermediate Schools.
A large community of Fort Hunt High School alumni remains active online,[8] organizing regular all-school and all-year reunion gatherings,[9] and granting annual scholarships to graduating seniors of West Potomac High School.[10]
School institutions
The yearbook was called The Fortress. The school paper was called The Frontline. The athletic teams were called the Federals.
Notable alumni
- Robert C. Michelson, '69 — American engineer and academic.[11][12] Recipient of the Pirelli Award for the diffusion of scientific culture,[13] and the first €25,000 Top Pirelli Prize.[14]
- Rick Atkinson, '70 -- Pulitzer Prize winning author[15]
- Carl C. Perkins, '72 — Member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky's 7th congressional district, 1983–1993.[16]
- Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., "Sandy", '74 — Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Aug. 4, 2011 – July 31, 2015.[17][18]
- Phoef Sutton, '76 — Emmy Award winning TV writer/producer of Cheers.[17]
- Wendy B. Lawrence, '77 — NASA astronaut.[19]
- Rocky Belk, '79 — NFL player[20]
- Carolyn Cole, '79 - Pulitzer Prize winning photographer[21][22]
- Jacqueline Novogratz '79 - Founder Acumen[17]
- Robert Novogratz, '81 - Real estate investor & designer, HGTV & Bravo television host[23]
- Hoda Kotb, '82 — co-host of the NBC's Today.[17][24]
- Michael Novogratz, '84 - Fortress Investment Group, Forbes 400 (2007, 2008)[17]
References
- Munsey, Everard (24 January 1963). "Fairfax Gets Title to Site Of School". The Washington Post. ProQuest 141920467.
- White, Ronald (4 August 1979). "3rd Fort Hunt Defendant Given One-Year Sentence". Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- Mansfield, Stephanie (31 December 1978). "$4.5 Million School Fire 'A Clear Case of Arson'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- "Youth pleads guilty in school arson". The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. AP. May 30, 1979. p. 21. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- Harden, Blaine (9 January 1979). "Parents Warned To Control Three Arson Suspects". Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- Carton, Barbara (1985-03-16). "Fort Hunt Grieves As Groveton Rejoices Over School Closing". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
- Cohn, D'Vera; Carton, Barbara; Writers, Washington Post Staff (1985-06-07). "An End, Beginning For 2 Va. Schools". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
- "After Closing, Fort Hunt High School Memories Live Online". Greater Alexandria, VA Patch. 2011-06-26. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
- "Remembering Fort Hunt High School". www.connectionnewspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
- "Awards Program". www.fhhs-alum.org. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
- Fort Hunt High School 1965-1970 Alumni site
- Fort Hunt High School 1969 Yearbook - "The Fortress" vol. VI. Fairfax County, Virginia. 1969. p. 376. pg. 97, Graduating Senior class picture.
- "2002 GTRI Annual Report, page 3 ref. to Michelson winning Pirelli Award" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-12-27.
- "Education Section and Pirelli Top Prize". 2002-05-10. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
- "2003 Pulitzer Prize Winner in History". Pulitzer Prize.
- Biographical Directory of the US Congress
- "Alum Profiles". Fort Hunt High School Alumni Association.
- "The Vice Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff". Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- NASA biographical information
- "Anthony Lovett 'Rocky' Belk". oldestlivingprofootball.com. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- Cole, Carolyn. "Carolyn Cole Photographic Archive, 1975-2016". legacy.lib.utexas.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
- "2004 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Feature Photography". Pulitzer Prize.
- "Husband and Wife Team Cortney and Robert Novogratz are THE NOVOGRATZ". www.thenovogratz.com. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
- Barton, Mary Ann (October 8, 2011). "NBC's Hoda Kotb Returns to Northern Virginia, Talks Success, Survival". GreaterAlexandriaPatch.
Award-winning broadcast journalist returns to her roots (she's an '82 grad of Fort Hunt High School) to wow crowd Friday night at Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce dinner.