Robert E. Lee High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)

Infobox Education in the United States
name= Robert E. Lee High School


imagesize= 175px
motto=
streetaddress= 6540 Franconia Road
city= Springfield
state= Virginia
zipcode= 22150
url= http://www.fcps.edu/LeeHS
district= Fairfax County Public Schools
principal= Donald Thurston
assistant_principals=
staff= approximately 210
fundingtype= Public
schooltype= high school
grades= 9–12
language= English
communities=
feeders= Key Middle School
campus= Suburban
mascot= Lancers
colors= Blue and Gold ██
founded= 1958
enrollment= 1,875
enrollment_as_of= 2007
free_label_1= Rival schools
free_1= West Springfield High School
free_label_2= Athletic conferences
free_2= Patriot District Northern Region
bgcolor_section= #BBDDBB
bgcolor_label= #BBDDBB
bgcolor_value= #EEEEEE
bgcolor_address= #EEEEEE
bgcolor_url= #EEEEEE

Robert E. Lee High School (Lee High School) is a high school in the Fairfax County Public Schools system. Its mascot is the Lancer. The school is located in Springfield in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia. It is named after Robert E. Lee, the general of the Confederate troops in the American Civil War. Lee High School was named #516 on Newsweek's 2006 list of the 1,000 top schools. [* [http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380/?sort=Rank&count=1236&Search=&start=500&limit=100&year=2006& Newsweek Top 1000 Schools for 2006] ] In 2005 Lee was #549 and in 2003 Lee was #566, according to Newsweek. Graduates have typically moved on to attend local and state colleges and universities, such as Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, George Mason University, and Northern Virginia Community College.

Demographics

Lee High School's student body is 39% White, 25% Asian, 21% Hispanic, and 15% Black.

ports

Lee High School offers a wide array of sports and sporting clubs, including Football, Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Tennis, Lacrosse, Track and Field, Swimming, Wrestling, Golf, Indoor Track, Cross Country, Marching Band, Field Hockey, Cheerleading, Softball, and Volleyball ( [http://www.lancervball.com Volleyball] ). Sports are offered at Freshmen, Junior Varsity, and Varsity levels. Lee's sports compete in Virginia's AAA Patriot District.

Football

Football is one of the most popular sports teams at the school. Given the team's popularity, the Lancers regularly attract a large amount of fans.

Fight Song
Lee Lancers onward, on to victory
All knights and ladies sing out joyfully
Our hopes are painted in the blue and gold
So let's unfurl the banner and behold
As we fight for Lee High School

Track and field

Robert E. Lee High School has a very successful Track and Field program. It has produced All-District, All-Region, All-State and All-American athletes. In 2007, the Lee track team came 3rd in the AAA Virginia State meet. Track coach Gary Powell was awarded "Coach of the Year" by the Washington Post in 2007. Many Lee track team athletes continue on with their Track and Field careers onto the collegiate level, including alumnus Sean Holston (Class of 2007), national high school champion in the 200m and 400m.

Basketball

The Girls' Varsity Basketball team won the Northern Region title for the 2007-2008 season.

Administration

Lee High School has served the Springfield community since it opened in 1958. Like many schools in Fairfax County, Lee reflects the increasing diversity of its student body. Students come from 42 countries and speak more than 34 languages. Lee holds high academic expectations for all its students, and the goal is to prepare students to successfully meet the challenges of a global society.

The integration of technology into the instructional program continues to be a major initiative. Lee’s library has the latest computer and network technology. The labs are equipped with high-end computers, digital cameras, and scanners for computer graphics and photography classes, and a fully computerized CAD lab is available for technical drawing and engineering classes.

Career Center

Lee High School has a Career Center inside the school. It is designed to provide students with college planning services through the use of computer software, videos, catalogs and visits by college representatives from state and national colleges and universities. Career planning, military options, scholarship and financial aid information are also available. Throughout the year, many special programs are presented for both parents and students. Juniors and seniors use the resources available to them at the Career Center as they decide what path to follow beyond graduation. However, freshmen and sophomores can begin planning for their futures at the Career Center as well.

Student activities

Lee High School offers a wide array of student activities, including Clubs, Honor Societies, Student Government, and writing for High School publications.

Lancer theatre

The theatre department at Lee High School produces two mainstages a year: a fall play, and a spring musical. One of the mainstage shows, usually the fall or spring mainstage, is selected as the Cappies competition piece. Lancer Theatre also usually produces a competition piece in October to perform at the Virginia Theatre Association conference. Lancer Theatre's Thespians, troupe 362 of the International Thespian Society, produce an annual Murder Mystery dinner show in September, Lancer Idol voice competition in December, theatre parties, fundraising, and other community events. To be part of the Thespian Honors Society one must collect 30 points in theatre, which are obtained by being in shows, seeing productions, and so on. Lancer Theatre also has a Drama Club that is open to all and any Lee students. Drama Club includes theatre updates, food, fun, games, and theatre sports. There used to be an Improvisation Team, picked as "Best in the County" for 2005-2006Fact|date=April 2008. Finally, Lee High School offers theatre classes, including Theatre 1-4, IB Theatre 1-2, and Technical Theatre.

tudent government

The Student Government Association consists of elected and selected students who represent the entire student body. The objectives of the SGA are to promote school spirit, initiative and unity among the different classes and students, coordinate school activities and to provide a means of communication among administration, faculty and students. The SGA sponsors Homecoming, Class Night, Family Feud, The Senior vs. Faculty Basketball Game, Mr. and Ms. Irresistible, Lancer Link-a-thon, International Night, three pep rallies, class elections and balloting among many other school activities.

Publications

"The Lance" is Lee High School's monthly newspaper. A student-run newspaper with a staff of approximately 20, "The Lance" covers news and events in the school, community, and nation. "The Lance" won Trophy Class, the highest honor bestowed by the Virginia High School League (VHSL), in 2003-2004 and 2005-2006. In 2007, "The Lance" received a grant for its consistent excellence.

"The Shield", Lee's yearbook, serves as an informational record, memory and historical reference for the students and faculty as well as the Lee High School’s community at-large. The Shield covers academics, sports, student activities and student accomplishments with fairness and accuracy. The content is decided upon by the student staff members enrolled in Photojournalism 1, 2, and 3. Recruiting to become part of the staff typically takes place in early February when course selections are being made for the next year. Students are selected through a process that includes a written application, teacher recommendations and interviews OR through successful completion of Journalism 1. Lee's 2006-2007 edition of the yearbook was named a Pacemaker finalist.

"The Troubador" is a literary magazine by and for the students of Robert E. Lee High School, published to promote an interest in the arts by showcasing student art and literature.

Marching band

The marching band includes members from the top two bands, Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band. Also referred to as the Marching Lancers, they attend all the varsity home football games, and play during the halftime show.

In the 2006 year, The Lee Marching Lancers achieved a superior rating at the VBODA state marching festival, at Winchester, VA, and later received the title of a "Virginia Honor Band."

Honor societies

Students are selected for membership through an application process and sometimes interviews are conducted. Candidates must meet the chapter's requirement for scholarship, service, leadership and character in order to be selected for membership. Continued participation in service projects is required to retain membership. Members must also maintain the chapter's required cumulative GPA and have a good understanding of the language, or specialty.

The IB program

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is open to all highly motivated and successful 11th and 12th grade students at Lee High School and presents a varied and rigorous program of studies. IB is a comprehensive, integrated program that places as much value on the process of knowledge (teaching the student to analyze and apply knowledge) as the product (preparing the student for the content and assessments). This proven program prepares students for success within the university experience. IB courses present options for students to pursue a mixture of major interests (higher level courses) and less major interests (standard level courses).

The Pre-IB classes (grades 9-10) and the IB courses (grades 11-12) provide academic rigor and the intellectual, social, and critical perspectives necessary for the university experience. While there is no formal screening process for enrollment in IB courses, students are encouraged to enroll in Pre-IB classes to prepare them for the challenge of the IB course sequences. IB is recognized for a strong emphasis on critical thinking skills, analytical writing, and a “connection” of skills across the academic disciplines.

References

External links

* [http://www.lancersathletics.org Lee Athletics]
* [http://www.lhsfootball.net Lee Football]
* [http://www.leedrama.org Lee Drama]