George Mason High School
George Mason High School (GMHS) is a comprehensive public high school serving the independent City of Falls Church. Until January 2014, it was located in Idylwood, an unincorporated area of Falls Church, in Fairfax County, Virginia, adjacent to Falls Church City.[3][4] As part of Fairfax Water's agreement to purchase the Falls Church Water System, the parcel with GMHS was transferred to Falls Church City.[5]
George Mason High School | |
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Address | |
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121 Mustang Alley , 22043 | |
Coordinates | 38.89645°N 77.19140°W |
Information | |
School type | Public high school |
Founded | 1952 |
School district | Falls Church City Public Schools |
Principal | Matt Hills [1] |
Grades | 9-12 |
Enrollment | 845 (2019-20)[2] |
Language | English |
Campus | suburban |
Color(s) | Red, White, and Black |
Mascot | Mustang |
Feeder schools | Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School |
Athletic conferences | Virginia High School League AA Dulles District [lacrosse, swimming] |
Website | gm |
The school serves some 850 students in grades 9-12. The school is the sole high school of the Falls Church City Public Schools system.
In 1981, the school became the first in Virginia to use the International Baccalaureate program.[6][7]
The school ranks gold in US News and World Report's Best High Schools Ranking for 2020; George Mason ranks #16 among all schools in Virginia and #649 in the United States.[8]
A newly renovated George Mason High School design was unveiled in 2017. Construction began on the new building in 2019.
Demographics
George Mason's racial breakdown in the 2008-09 class was 73% White (Not Hispanic), 11.6% Asian or Pacific Islander, 9% Hispanic, 6.2% Black, and 0.1% Other.[9] For comparison, the demographics of the city are: 85% White, 8.4% Hispanics of any race, 6.5% Asian, 3.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races.
History
GMHS was built on the site of a single-room school house which burned down in 1857. After the fire, the land sat empty until Falls Church was founded as an independent city in 1948 when residents sought greater control over their local school system, which, at the time, was segregated by race.[10] GMHS, since its establishment in 1952, has become a hub of activity in the city for its facilities and athletic fields.
Sports and activities
- VHSL Scholastic Bowl Team - Bull Run District champions for 18 of 19 years between 2000 and 2018, receiving many region and conference titles in those years, seven-time Virginia A State Champions, including four straight years (2002, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), and five-time state runner-up (2004, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2015). 2011 NAQT national high school small school division quiz bowl champions after a third-place finish in 2007 and fifth in 2010.[11]
- Baseball - Bull Run District Champions 2010 [12]
- Boys Basketball - Virginia A D2 State runners-up 2012 [13]
- Girls Basketball - Virginia A D2 State Champions (2008–2009, 2009–2010, 2011–2012); Bull Run District runners-up and Region B champions 2007–2008, 2011–12 season.[14]
- Cross Country - Girls State Champions (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), Girls State Runner-Up (2007, 2005), third (2006), Boys District and Region champs and 4th in state in 2010, sixth in State (2007), Boys District and State Champions (2011) [15][16]
- American football - Bull Run District Champions 2006 [17]
- Golf - Bull Run District Regular Season Champions 2006, 2007 [18]
- Field Hockey
- Ice Hockey[19]
- Boys Lacrosse - Dulles District champions, 2008 [20]
- Girls Lacrosse - Dulles District runners-up, 2010 [21] Dulles District Champions 2016, 4A State Runner-ups 2016, 4A State Champions 2017
- Boys Soccer - Group A runners-up 2005, 2011. Group A State Champions 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013. Group 2A State Champions 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018. The 2015 team- Ranked #1 in Region I and #2 in Nation by NSCAA.[22][23] 2016- Ranked #10 in Nation by Max Preps.[24]
- Girls Soccer - Group A Champions 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. Group 2A State Champions 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.[25][26]
- Softball District champions 2012 [27]
- Boys Swimming - Bull Run District and Region B Champions 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012. District and State Champions, 2015.[28]
- Girls Swimming - Bull Run District and Region B Champions 2009, 2012. District Champions, 2014. District, Region and State Champions, 2015 [29]
- Boys Tennis - Fourteen-time Group A State Champions: 1986–1991, 2001, 2004–2007, 2010–2012.[30]
- Girls Tennis - Bull Run District and Region B Champions 2006–2008, 2010.[31]
- Track and Field - Girls team third in State in 2007 and 2010, three school records and counting from the class of 2008 runners, girls team second in state (2008). Six individual state championships since 2005.[32][33]
- Volleyball[34]
- Wrestling[35]
- FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1418, Vae Victis - Frequent attendee of FIRST World Championship. Top FIRST Robotics Competition team in Chesapeake district in 2016.[36]
- Band - Earned "Superior" scores at District X Festival for the past twelve years, the past five of which were earned playing Grade VI music. Also, the music department earned the VBODA "Blue Ribbon Award" for eleven years in a row, 2000–2011.
- Chorus - Consistently earns "Superior" and "Excellent" scores at District X Festival.
- Theater - The George Mason High School Theater annually performs a Fall musical and a Spring play.[37]
Notable alumni
- Grant Sabatier (2003), author of Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All The Money You Will Ever Need (Penguin Random House, 2019) and Creator of Millennial Money[38][39]
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-09-24. Retrieved 2017-09-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/apex/f?p=180:1:4229016881936:SHOW_REPORT:NO:::
- "Idylwood CDP, Virginia." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 24, 2010.
- "Home Archived 2009-01-25 at the Wayback Machine." George Mason High School. Retrieved on March 24, 2010. "7124 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22043."
- Barton, Mary Ann. "It's Official: Fairfax Water Purchases Falls Church Water System for $40 Million" (Archive). Falls Church Patch. Retrieved on May 2, 2015. "This agreement also included a boundary adjustment that transferred 38.4 acres of land into the City of Falls Church. The largest parcel includes the 36 acres on which the City's George Mason High School and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School sit."
- FCCPS Fast Facts Archived 2011-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
- The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program: George Mason High School Archived 2020-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
- https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/rankings
- "State of the School, 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- The Falls Church NAACP Archived February 27, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
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- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Mason Athletics
- Falls Church News Press Archived 2014-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
- Mason Athletics
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- 1418 on The Blue Alliance
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Marte, Jonnelle. "How this millennial saved $1 million by age 30". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- "Mason Alum Turned Millionaire Shares Story with F.C." Falls Church News-Press Online. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2019-12-09.