Justice High School

Justice High School (formerly known as J.E.B. Stuart High School) is a high school in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia. The school is part of the Fairfax County Public Schools district. The school has a Falls Church address but is not located within the limits of the City of Falls Church. Per a vote of the county school board, the school was renamed Justice High School effective July 1, 2018.[3][4]

Justice High School
Address
3301 Peace Valley Lane

Falls Church
,
Virginia
22044
Coordinates38°51′25″N 77°9′0″W
Information
School typePublic, high school
Founded1959
School districtFairfax County Public Schools
PrincipalMaria Eck
Staff170[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment2,191[2] (May 2019)
LanguageEnglish
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Red, white, and blue
MascotWolves
Feeder schoolsGlasgow Middle School
Poe Middle School
Rival schoolsFalls Church High School
Athletic conferencesNational District
Northern Region
Websitehttps://justicehs.fcps.edu/

History

In 1968, the first eight of the JEB Stuart Crew Club travelled to the United Kingdom to participate in the Henley Royal Regatta where they won the Princess Elisabeth Challenge Cup. Instituted in 1946 for public schools in the UK, the PE Challenge Cup was opened to overseas entries in 1964 and JEB Stuart became the third US crew to win the event.

In 1997 the school had one computer for every eight students, which changed to one computer for every 1.8 students in 2003.[5]:129 The school has been featured in National Geographic magazine.[6]

In 2006, then-principal Mel Riddile, former director of Straight, Inc., drug rehabilitation program for teens,[7] was chosen as the principal of the year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.[8] Riddile moved to T. C. Williams High School in neighboring Alexandria City at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Assistant Principal Pamela Jones took his place and retired in 2012.

After 40 years at Stuart, veteran math department chair Stu Singer retired in protest when Stuart administrators dismantled a remedial math program that had given Stuart the highest pass rate in the county.[9] Singer later published a book on the program.[10] Singer labeled the dismantling of this program "education malpractice that can only be described as unconscionable." Math scores plummeted after the reorganization.[11] Other successful programs were also dismantled. Faculty morale fell to the lowest in the county, and many teachers retired or transferred out in protest.[12] In 2014, the district sent a support team to Stuart to help the beleaguered administration.[13]

On April 22, 2015, Fairfax County Superintendent of Schools Karen Garza named Penny Gros as principal of Stuart High School. Penny Gros had previously been the principal of Glasgow Middle School, the middle school for the Stuart High School Pyramid.

Maria Eck was named the new principal of Justice High School, effective July 23, 2018. Eck was serving as principal of Poe Middle School, where she has been a leader since 2014. Penny Gros moved on to a position in FCPS Region 2.[14]

Name and controversy

In 1959 when the school opened,[15] the Fairfax County school board opposed racial integration of its schools, and the name, J. E. B. Stuart High School, reflected the school board's sentiments.[16] In June 2015, actress Julianne Moore and Hollywood producer Bruce Cohen began a petition asking that the name of the school be changed, alleging that it was named after confederate general J. E. B. Stuart amid massive resistance to the desegregation of public schools after Brown v. Board of Education.[17]

On September 16, 2017, residents of the school area participated in a non-binding vote on new name options, and were able to rank their top three choices. Top choices received five points, second place choices three, and third place choices one. Stuart High School received the most votes. This was heavily concentrated in first-place and seemed to be a polarizing choice. Under District rules, each household was allowed to cast one vote, regardless of the number of members.[18] But regardless of the vote, the board decided to change the name to Justice. Later, some board members expressed concern with the Thurgood Marshall name as a possibility as there was already a Marshall High School in the District, named after George C. Marshall and simply was settled without vote but of one member of the board to Justice High School. It was proposed and finalized.[19]

On October 26, 2017, the school board approved the name Justice High School with a 7-4 vote; one board member described this as a compromise name that collectively honored Thurgood Marshall, Barbara Rose Johns, and Louis Gonzaga Mendez, Jr., among others who worked towards justice.[20] The name change was implemented Summer 2018.

Demographics

In 2001 the school had "one of the most ethnically diverse student populations in the country."[21] In September 2015 the student body was 50.3% Hispanic/Latino (any race), 23.4% White, 13.6% Asian, 10.1% Black/African American, 2.4% two or more races, and 0.2% American Indian/Alaska Native.[22]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "FCPS - School Profiles - Justice HS - Staffing". schoolprofiles.fcps.edu.
  2. "FCPS - School Profiles - Justice HS - Membership Statistics". schoolprofiles.fcps.edu.
  3. A Confederate general makes last stand with high school teams USA Today
  4. "'Justice' replaces J.E.B. Stuart on Fairfax County high school building". WJLA. July 1, 2018.
  5. Duke, D. L. (2012). Education Empire: The Evolution of an Excellent Suburban School System. SUNY Press.
  6. "Changing America @ nationalgeographic.com". ngm.nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  7. Mathews, Jay (November 17, 2005), "Readers Raise Concerns About Past Work of Top Principal", The Washington Post
  8. "2006 National High School Principal of the Year". Archived from the original on 2007-12-26.
  9. Mathews, Jay (May 25, 2014), "How administrators killed Fairfax school's math success", The Washington Post
  10. Singer, Stuart Alan, The Algebra Miracle: The True Story of a High-Poverty School's Triumph in the Age of Accountability, lulu.com (2012). ISBN 978-1105416323
  11. Matthews, Jay, How administrators killed Fairfax school's math success, The Washington Post, 25 May 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  12. Shapiro, T. Rees. "Fairfax County's Stuart High struggles on teacher survey". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  13. Shapiro, T. Rees In Fairfax, Garza announces new support team at Stuart High amid low staff morale The Washington Post, 23 June 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  14. "Welcome to Our Newest Principal 7-10-18 | Fairfax County Public Schools". www.fcps.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  15. Shapiro, T. R. (2015, August 23). Oscar winners Julianne Moore, Bruce Cohen work to strip school’s Confederate name. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/oscar-winners-julianne-moore-bruce-cohen-work-to-strip-schools-confederate-name/2015/08/23/7f3e20c4-4833-11e5-8ab4-c73967a143d3_story.html
  16. Gjelten, Tom. A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story. Simon and Schuster, September 15, 2015. ISBN 1476743851, 9781476743851. p. 56. "In Fairfax County, the authorities did not merely refuse to comply with the Supreme Court's order; they defiantly named their next two high schools after Confederate army generals—J.E.B. Stuart and Robert E. Lee."
  17. "Students Urge J.E.B. Stuart H.S. Name Change". Falls Church News-Press Online. 2015-07-08. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  18. "Community Suggested Names and Vote | Fairfax County Public Schools". www.fcps.edu.
  19. Justice High considered as alternative to J.E.B. Stuart High WTOP.com October 25, 2017
  20. "Fairfax Co. school board votes on new name for JEB Stuart High". WTOP. Oct 27, 2017. Retrieved Dec 21, 2020.
  21. Seymour, L., & Seymour, L. (2001, May 3). Diverse High School A Window on World. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/05/03/diverse-high-school-a-window-on-world/1a0f02bc-9895-4ed2-839d-166ed574c66e/ "J.E.B. Stuart High School ... has one of the most ethnically diverse student populations in the country."
  22. "Fairfax County Public Schools, High School Membership by Ethnicity, Race and Gender, September 2015" (PDF). Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  23. Edwards, D. (2009, October 21). Stuart Honors Alum, NFL Star Garner, Retires Jersey in Halftime Ceremony. Falls Church News-Press. Retrieved from https://fcnp.com/2009/10/21/stuart-honors-alum-nfl-star-garner-retires-jersey-in-halftime-ceremony/
  24. Turque, B. (2007, May 4). Va. Rep. Thomas Davis Skewered on “Colbert Report.” The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/04/AR2007050401633.html
  25. J.E.B. Stuart’s Ron Wilson is Stepping Down. (2010, April 21). Falls Church News-Press. Retrieved from https://fcnp.com/2010/04/21/jeb-stuarts-ron-wilson-is-stepping-down/
  26. "Jim O'Brien NBA stats". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  27. Gardner, A., & Kumar, A. (2007, September 29). Va. Muslim Activist Denies Urging Violence. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/28/AR2007092800789.html
  28. "Stuart High School | Home of the Raiders | Stuart High School". Fcps.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  29. Tom Shadyac comes back to J.E.B. Stuart High with a message: Don’t be like me. (2011, March 24). Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/tom-shadyac-comes-back-to-jeb-stuart-high-with-a-message-dont-be-like-me/2011/03/24/ABrRjYRB_blog.html
  30. Brannigan, P. (2011). This Is a Call: The Life and Times of Dave Grohl. Da Capo Press.
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