Meridian High School (Virginia)

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Meridian High School
George mason hs.png
Address
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
121 Mustang Alley

Falls Church
,
Virginia
22043
Coordinates38°53′47″N 77°11′29″W / 38.89639°N 77.19139°W / 38.89639; -77.19139Coordinates: 38°53′47″N 77°11′29″W / 38.89639°N 77.19139°W / 38.89639; -77.19139
Information
School typePublic high school
Founded1952
School districtFalls Church City Public Schools
PrincipalValerie Hardy, Head of Secondary Schools;[1] Dave Serensits, Associate Principal [2]
Grades9-12
Enrollment845 (2019-20)[3]
LanguageEnglish
CampusSuburban
Color(s)      Red, White, and Black
MascotMustang
Feeder schoolsMary Ellen Henderson Middle School
Athletic conferencesVirginia High School League
AA Dulles District [lacrosse, swimming]
Websitemhs.fccps.org

Meridian High School (MHS) (formerly George Mason High School) 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.[4][5] As part of Fairfax Water's agreement to purchase the Falls Church Water System, the parcel with MHS was transferred to Falls Church City.[6]

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.[7][8]

The school ranks gold in US News and World Report's Best High Schools Ranking for 2020; Meridian High School (formerly George Mason) ranks #16 among all schools in Virginia and #649 in the United States.[9]

A newly renovated High School design was unveiled in 2017. Construction began on the new building in 2019. The new building opened to students in 2021, and the original was demolished.

In December 2020, the FCCPS School Board voted to rename George Mason High School and its counterpart Thomas Jefferson Elementary School due to their namesakes' association with American slavery.[10] After a period of deliberation and public comment, the school board selected Meridian High School as a replacement name.[11]

Demographics[]

Meridian High School's racial breakdown in the 2020-2021 class was 59% White (Not Hispanic), 6% Asian or Pacific Islander, 12% Hispanic, 4% Black, and 19% two or more races.[12] For comparison, the demographics of the city are: 79.37% White, 3.38% Hispanics of any race, 6.5% Asian, 4.9% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.01% from other races, and 3.68% from two or more races.

History[]

MHS 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.[13] MHS, 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.[14]
  • Baseball - Bull Run District Champions 2010, 2019 [15]
  • Boys Basketball - Virginia A D2 State runners-up 2012 [16]
  • 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.[17]
  • 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) [18][19]
  • American football - Bull Run District Champions 2006 [20]
  • Golf - Bull Run District Regular Season Champions 2006, 2007 [21]
  • Field Hockey
  • Ice Hockey[22]
  • Boys Lacrosse - Dulles District champions, 2008 [23]
  • Girls Lacrosse - Dulles District runners-up, 2010 [24] 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. Group 3 State Champions 2021. The 2015 team- Ranked #1 in Region I and #2 in Nation by NSCAA.[25][26] 2016- Ranked #10 in Nation by Max Preps.[27]
  • Girls Soccer - Group A Champions 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. Group 2A State Champions 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.[28][29]
  • Softball District champions 2012 [30]
  • Boys Swimming - Bull Run District and Region B Champions 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012. District and State Champions, 2015.[31]
  • Girls Swimming - Bull Run District and Region B Champions 2009, 2012. District Champions, 2014. District, Region and State Champions, 2015 [32]
  • Boys Tennis - Fourteen-time Group A State Champions: 1986–1991, 2001, 2004–2007, 2010–2012.[33]
  • Girls Tennis - Bull Run District and Region B Champions 2006–2008, 2010.[34]
  • 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.[35][36]
  • Volleyball[37] - Bull Run District Champions 2015, Conference 35 Champions 2016, Bull Run District Co-Champions and Region 2B Runner-ups 2018, Northwestern District Champions 2019, Northwestern District and Region 3B Champions 2020-2021.
  • Wrestling[38]
  • FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1418, Vae Victis - Frequent attendee of FIRST World Championship. Top FIRST Robotics Competition team in Chesapeake district in 2016.[39]
  • 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.[40]

Source: [41]

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[42][43]

References[]

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  2. ^ "Messages from Mustang Alley (test)". us7.campaign-archive.com.
  3. ^ https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/apex/f?p=180:1:4229016881936:SHOW_REPORT:NO:::
  4. ^ "Idylwood CDP, Virginia[permanent dead link]." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 24, 2010.
  5. ^ "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."
  6. ^ 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."
  7. ^ "FCCPS Fast Facts" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2011.
  8. ^ "The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program: George Mason High School". Archived from the original on September 4, 2020.
  9. ^ https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/rankings
  10. ^ "School Board Votes to Rename Thomas Jefferson, George Mason Schools". www.fccps.org.
  11. ^ "Falls Church School Board Renames Schools from People to Places". www.fccps.org.
  12. ^ "School Profile" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  13. ^ The Falls Church NAACP Archived February 27, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Mason Athletics[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ Mason Athletics
  16. ^ Mason Athletics
  17. ^ Mason Athletics
  18. ^ Mason Athletics
  19. ^ Mason Athletics
  20. ^ Mason Athletics
  21. ^ Mason Athletics
  22. ^ Mason Athletics
  23. ^ Mason Athletics
  24. ^ Mason Athletics
  25. ^ Mason Athletics
  26. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. ^ [1]
  28. ^ Mason Athletics
  29. ^ "Falls Church News Press". Archived from the original on July 24, 2014.
  30. ^ Mason Athletics
  31. ^ Mason Athletics
  32. ^ Mason Athletics
  33. ^ Mason Athletics
  34. ^ Mason Athletics
  35. ^ Mason Athletics
  36. ^ Mason Athletics
  37. ^ Mason Athletics
  38. ^ Mason Athletics
  39. ^ "Vae Victis - Team 1418". The Blue Alliance.
  40. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  41. ^ Official MHS Athletics and Activities Website
  42. ^ Marte, Jonnelle. "How this millennial saved $1 million by age 30". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  43. ^ "Mason Alum Turned Millionaire Shares Story with F.C." Falls Church News-Press Online. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2019-12-09.

External links[]

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