Centreville High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)

History

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. 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.

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.

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. This change required the addition of 10 acres to the 25-acre school site to comply with state high school property requirements.

$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.

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. 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.

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.

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".{{cite news|last=Bohn|first=John|title=School Name Stirs Furor by Parents

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. Over the next few years, the seventh and eighth grades were phased out and Centreville finally had a complement of ninth through twelfth grades.

Administration

The principal of Centreville High School is Dr. Erik J. Healey. Prior to being appointed in November 2024, Healey was the Director of Student Services at Hayfield Secondary School.

Centreville High School has students assigned alphabetically to one of five sub-schools for administration and school counseling purposes. Assistant principals Angela Florio (Blue Ridge), Montell Brown (Shenandoah), Tracy Bromberg (Chesapeake), Alexis Wenzel (Commonwealth), and Sarah Lutes (Dominion) each administer one of the sub-schools and oversee a portion of the student body. In addition, the assistant principals act as administrators of the various academic departments in Centreville High School.

Principals of Centreville High School:

• William E. Trussel, Jr. (1987-1993)
• Pamela Latt (1993-2004) (died 2022)
• Peter Noonan (2004-2006)
• Michael Campbell (2006-2012)
• Martin E. Grimm (2012-2014)
• David E. Jagels (2015-2018)
• Chad R. Lehman (2019–2024)
• Erik J. Healey (2024–present)

Demographics

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

In the 2023–24 school year, Centreville High School's student body was 31.26% White, 31.39% Asian, 23.45% Hispanic, 8.10% Black and 5.80% Other.

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.

Theatre Centreville

Centreville's theatre program, currently directed by Patrick McGee, has won awards, including Cappies in several categories under the direction of prior director Mike Hudson.{{ cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107120144/http://www.theatrecentreville.com/2005/a_cappies_thruyears_060406.shtml |archive-date=2008-01-07 |url-status=dead

Notable alumni

• Corbyn Besson, member of boy band Why Don't We
• Jayson Blair, former New York Times journalist found to have plagiarized his articles.
• Luke Bowanko, center for NFL's Washington Redskins.
• Ludacris (Christopher Brian Bridges), rapper, entrepreneur, and actor.
• Lindsay Czarniak, attended James Madison University, sports reporter for ESPN.
• Tony Dews, assistant coach for the Tennessee Titans.
• Marcus Hamilton, selected by Tampa Bay Buccaneers in seventh round (245th overall) of 2007 NFL draft.
• Daniel Kuzemka, soccer player for Charleston Battery
• Michael League, Grammy-winning musician
• Bjorn Merten, All-American football player for UCLA.
• Will Montgomery, selected by Carolina Panthers in seventh round (234th overall) of 2006 NFL draft; played for Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos.
• Justin J. Pearson, politician and activist
• Jenna Richmond, former professional soccer player
• Justin Skule, selected by San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round (183rd overall) of the 2019 NFL draft.
• James Stevens, former professional soccer player
• Kobie Turner, defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams, drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round with the 89th pick of the 2023 NFL draft
• Nicole de Weever, professional dancer

References

References

1. "Centreville High". National Center for Education Statistics.
2. (July 2024)
3. "Archived copy".
4. "[http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/americas-best-high-schools.html]." ' '[http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/americas-best-high-schools.html]' '. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
5. Moore, Molly. (8 October 1981). "School Bond Pan in Fairfax County Pits Old Vs. New". The Washington Post.
6. Hodge, Paul. (12 November 1981). "Fairfax County: High Rates Slow Sales". The Washington Post.
7. Zibart, Eve. (14 January 1983). "Fairfax Board Agrees to 1986 School Opening". The Washington Post.
8. Zibart, Eve. (16 March 1983). "Fairfax Board Votes $3 Million For Renovation of Marshall High". The Washington Post.
9. Latimer, Leah Y.. (13 April 1984). "Burkholder Urges Building New High School in Fairfax". The Washington Post.
10. (12 July 1984). "School Board Agenda: Fairfax County". The Washington Post.
11. Hockstader, Lee. (7 November 1984). "School Bond Issue Passes in Fairfax". The Washington Post.
12. Cohn, D'Vera. (24 September 1987). "Asbestos at Fairfax Building Sites Discussed". The Washington Post.
13. Richardson, Lynda. (9 October 1987). "New Fairfax Asbestos Discovery Involves 10-Square-Mile Area". The Washington Post.
14. Bohn, John. (11 March 1988). "Boundaries Set for New High School in Centreville". The Washington Post.
15. (19 May 1988). "School Board Actions". The Washington Post.
16. Baker, Peter. (22 May 1989). "Building School Spirit From Scratch". The Washington Post.
17. "FCPS – School Profiles – Centreville HS – Demographics".
18. "As Sept. 11 anniversary nears, learning lesson on tolerance at Centreville High". The Washington Post.
19. "About Us".
20. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080107120144/http://www.theatrecentreville.com/2005/a_cappies_thruyears_060406.shtml Jayson Blair case study]
21. "Ludacris tells Lindsay Czarniak that he attended Centreville High School for a year". Washington Post.
22. Farhi, Paul. (23 June 2011). "Lindsay Czarniak, sports anchor, to leave NBC4 for ESPN". The Washington Post.
23. "The Official Site of the Tennessee Titans".
24. (2 April 2014). "Broncos agree to terms with Montgomery".