Douglas S. Freeman High School
Douglas S. Freeman High School in Henrico County, Virginia
Address
8701 Three Chopt Road

,
23229
Coordinates37°36′5.7″N 77°33′29.7″W / 37.601583°N 77.558250°W / 37.601583; -77.558250
Information
School typePublic high school
Founded1954
School districtHenrico County Public Schools
PrincipalJohn Marshall
Staff100.82 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,846 (2021-22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio18.31[1]
LanguageEnglish
CampusSuburban
Color(s)    Blue and gray
NicknameMavericks; formerly "Rebels"
NewspaperThe Commentator
YearbookThe Historian
Literary magazineThe Educator
Rival SchoolsMills E. Godwin High School
Deep Run High School
Athletic conferenceVirginia High School League
5A South Region
Conference 11
WebsiteOfficial Site

Douglas S. Freeman High School is a public high school located in the West End of Henrico County, Virginia. It is operated by Henrico County Public Schools.

History

Part of Henrico County Public Schools,[2] the high school is named after Pulitzer Prize-winning Virginia author, historian and pioneering radio broadcaster, Douglas Southall Freeman. It opened in 1954, slightly more than one year after Freeman's death.

Academics

Henrico County runs a system in which each high school contains a specialty center, a separate but integrated entity within the school that functions as a magnet program. The centers offer advanced courses to students who have clear interests and specific educational and/or career goals.[3] Douglas Freeman High School's center is the Center for Leadership, Government and Global Economics. The Students learn the complexities of political, social and economic life. The also learn to analyze through modern lens and ambiguates of modern life.[4]

Athletics

Freeman is a member of the Virginia High School League. It competes in the 5A Central Region and 5A Colonial District. The school colors are blue and gray and the teams are nicknamed the "Mavericks".[5] The colors and mascot were devised as a tribute to Douglas Freeman's extensive study of the Civil War. The school's nickname was the "Rebels" until being changed in 2020.[6]

Virginia High School League AAA State Championship teams

  • Boys' cross country: 1969, 2014[7]
  • Girls' cross country: 1999[7]
  • Football: 1967 (shared title with Annandale and Princess Anne)[7]
  • Golf: 1963[7]
  • Softball: 1980[7]
  • Boys' tennis: 1982, 1985, 1989, 2001[7]
  • Girls' tennis: 1983[7]
  • Boys' outdoor track: 1970[7]
  • Girls' volleyball: 2005[7]
  • Boys’ baseball: 2022

The boys' volleyball team were VHSL AAA State semi-finalists in 2011 and 2012. The girls' soccer team was in the state tournament in 2013. The baseball team won the last Central Region championship in 2013, and as a result advanced to the state tournament.

Media

The school publishes a newspaper (The Commentator), a literary magazine (The Educator), and a yearbook (The Historian).

Douglas Freeman High School was mentioned in a Washington Post article referring to the school's revival of the historic "Rebel Man" mascot.[8]

Notable alumni

James E. Ryan's book Five Miles Away, A World Apart: One City, Two Schools, and the Story of Educational Opportunity in Modern America explores the issue of economic school segregation by comparing Freeman to nearby Thomas Jefferson High School, located in the city of Richmond. Arguing for more freedom in school choice, Ryan cites findings that "high-poverty" schools (like Thomas Jefferson) consistently under-perform "low-poverty" schools (like Freeman) academically, regardless of the financial resources allocated to them. He concludes: "The truth is that separating the poor and politically powerless in their own schools and districts is antithetical to the idea of equal educational opportunity."[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Freeman High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  2. Henrico County High School Information Retrieved August 10, 2023
  3. Henrico County Specialty Center Information
  4. Center for Leadership, Government and Global Economics Website Retrieved August 10, 2023
  5. Virginia High School League School Bios Archived 2010-07-06 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. "Douglas Freeman High School announces new nickname and logo". WRIC. 12 May 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Virginia High School League Record Book" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
  8. "In Richmond, students seek to revive 'Rebel' mascot". Washington Post. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  9. Lohmann, Bill (July 19, 2022). "Lohmann: Henrico native's animated 'Marcel' movie debuts at The Byrd". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  10. Class of 1999 VSHF Inductee Page-Barty Smith Archived 2010-11-30 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. Entertainment Weekly Q&A with Elliot Yamin.
  12. Richmondmagazine.com Elliot Yamin Article.
  13. Kahlenberg, Richard. "The Nixon-Obama Compromise".
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