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

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Robert E. Lee High School (Lee High School) is a high school in the Fairfax County Public Schools system. Their mascot is the Lancer. The school is located in Springfield in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia. They are named after Robert E. Lee, the general of the Confederate troops in the American Civil War. Lee High School was named #507 on Newsweek's 2006 list of the 1,000 top schools.

Contents 1 Demographics 1.1 Sports 1.2 Football 1.2.1 2006 Varsity Season 1.3 Marching Band 2 Administration 2.1 Career Center 3 Student Activities 3.1 Lancer Theatre 3.2 Student Government 3.3 Publications 4 The IB Program

[edit] Demographics

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

[edit] Sports

Lee High School offers a wide array of sports and sporting clubs. Football, Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Tennis, Lacrosse, Track and Field, Swimming, Wrestling, Golf, Indoor Track, Cross Country, Marching Band, Field Hockey, Cheerleading, Softball, and one of its most successful sports, Volleyball. Some sports are offered with different levels, including Freshmen, Junior Varsity, and Varsity.

[edit] Football

The Lee Lancer Football Team is one of the many popular sports teams at the school. Football is considered to be the most anticipated sport and is well liked by the student body. Given the team's popularity and success, and sizable student body, the Lancers regularly attract as many as 3000 fans a game. This number greatly increases for the Homecoming Game. Lee won the Liberty District Championship in 2004.

• Two former Lancer football players now play at Virginia Tech, while many others are in lower divsional school.
• One former Lancer football player is playing in the NFL.

[edit] 2006 Varsity Season

The Lee Lancers are starting out slow with a 1-2 record going into its bye week. After the bye week the teams begins to play against teams in their district, the Patriot District. After the bye week the team has gone undefeated in the district and, with South County, defeating Annandale, the team is now in 1st place in the district. They face West Potomac for their Homecoming Game. The team lost their Homecoming Game and with that was in a three way tie for first in the district. Although the team tried hard to pull a win, lost the District Championship to Annandale High School and their final game, finishing 5-5.

[edit] Marching Band

The marching band includes members from the top two bands, Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band. Also called the Marching Lancers, they attend all the varsity home football games, and play during the halftime show. A list of performances follows:

2004 - Excerpts from Pirates of the Carribean
2005 - Excerpts from The Incredibles
2006 - Excerpts from The Nightmare before Christmas

They play background music during the homcoming ceremony, in which, the halftime show is played before the game. They play during the rain, hot sun, and cold air. They start the required band camp almost 3 weeks before school officially starts, in which we play at the first homegame, which is typically immediately before school starts.

In the 2006 year, The Lee Marching Lancers achieved a supirior rating at the VBODA state marching festival, at Winchester, VA, and is one step away from receiving the title of "Virginia Honor Band."

[edit] 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.

[edit] Career Center

Lee High School has a Career Center inside the school. It is designed to provide students with college planning sevices through the use of computer software, videos, catalogues 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.

[edit] Student Activities

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

[edit] Lancer Theatre

The Lancer Theatre department at Lee High School produces three mainstages a year. Fall play, winter one-acts or student produced full length, and a Spring musical. One of the mainstages, usually the fall or spring mainstage, is selected as the Cappies competition piece. Lee HS has won cappies and also received many nominations (more info at [www.cappies.com]). Lancer Theatre also produces a VTA Competition piece in October. Lancer Theatre's Thespians, troupe 362 part of the International Thespian Honors Society, produce the annual Murder Mystery dinner show in September, Lancer Idol voice competition in December, theatre parties, fundrasing, and also other community events. To be part of the Thespian Honors Society you 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 theatresports. Last, the Improvisation Team is part of Lancer Theatre. Lee's Improv team was claimed "Best in the County" for 2005-2006 and currently competes and brings home great results. Last, Lee High School offers theatre classes ranging from Theatre 1-4, IB Theatre 1-2, and Technical Theatre, taught by current theatre teacher and Lancer Theatre director, Allen Brooks. For more info on upcoming events and to check out some of the amazing art produced by this theatre, visit [www.leedrama.org].

[edit] Student Government

The Student Government Association (SGA) is comprised 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 Mrs. Irresistible, Lancer Link-a-thon, International Night, three pep rallies, class elections and balloting among many other school activities.

[edit] 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 has won Trophy Class, the highest honor bestowed by the VHSL, in 2003-2004 and 2005-2006.

The Shield 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.

The Troubador is a 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.

[edit] 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.

As of Sept 24 2006