| Monacan High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 11501 Smoketree Drive Richmond, Virginia 23236 |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| Founded | 1979 |
| School district | Chesterfield County Public Schools |
| Superintendent | Dr. Marcus J. Newsome |
| Principal | William Broyles, Jr. |
| Assistant Principals | Belinda Merriman Laura Hebert Brian Russell |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,650 (2010-2011) |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Mascot | Chief |
| Atlhetic Conference | Virginia High School League AAA Central Region AAA Dominion District |
| Website | Official Site |
Monacan High School is a public secondary school in unincorporated Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States (near the city of Richmond).
The school is a part of Chesterfield County Public Schools. The school was founded in 1979, and its enrollment is roughly 1650 students.
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Sports include Field Hockey, Tennis, Football, Soccer, Track, Indoor Track, Cross Country, Baseball, Softball, Wrestling, Basketball, Cheering, Volleyball, Forensics, Debate and Golf.
Monacan High School is a member of the Dominion District in all sports. Notable moments in Monacan Sports include:
Monacan offers standard core classes along with honors classes, electives, and Advanced Placement Program classes.
Advanced Placement Program classes at Monacan currently include Biology, Calculus AB, Chemistry, Computer Science, English, Environmental Science, Physics, Spanish, Statistics, U.S. History, and U.S. Government.
Advanced Placement classes such as Art History, European History, French, German, Latin, Vergil, Music Theory, and World History are offered on an enrollment basis, if there are enough interested students to create the class.
Monacan's World Language Department offers Latin, Spanish, and French. In the past, Japanese and Greek have been taught, but in the 2006-2007 school year, these subjects were not offered. German was taken out of the course offerings in the 2009-2010 school year.
In 2008, Monacan's music department earned the Virginia Music Educators Association Blue Ribbon Award. The Performing Arts at Monacan offer classes in choir, band, orchestra, guitar, and theatre.
The Center for the Humanities is a selective specialty center at Monacan High School. Eighth-grade students must apply and be reviewed, which includes an interview. The Center for the Humanities has a rigorous curriculum that requires all of its students to take certain courses and receive an Advanced Studies Diploma. The program enrolled its first students in the fall of 2000 and the first class graduated in 2004. The goal is an enriched, advanced liberal arts education. Requirements include:
One of the foundations of the Humanities Curriculum is the Perspectives on the Human Experience course. The course is unique to the Center for the Humanities, and integrates art, art history, history, and other disciplines.
Another foundation of the Humanities Curriculum is the Socratic Seminar, a student-led group discussion that focuses on one specific topic. Socratic Seminars aim to foster student leadership, communication skills, and discussion techniques.
Students in the Humanities program are required to read an extensive number of books.
Monacan offers a wide variety of after-school activities, both school sponsored and independent. These include:[1]
Curriculum Based French Club, French Honor Society, PEER Facilitators, Technical Student Association, Spanish Honor Society, Spanish Club, Science Club (temporarily disbanded), National Honor Society, Art National Honor Society, Latin Honor Society, Latin Club, International Thespian Society, Forum Committee, Coordinator’s Council, FBLA, Act I/Drama Club, Art Club, Bodhisattra Committee, Graffiti Literary Society, Japanese Club, National Beta Club, Marching Band,
School Sponsored YADAPP, Student Leadership Council, Student Government, Senior Class, Sophomore Class, Red Cross Club, Key Club, Junior Class, IMANI, Freshmen Class, Monacan Greens, Ruriteen,
Student Interest Chess Club, Bible Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Film Club (temporarily disbanded), Monacan Maniacs, Gay Straight Alliance, Philosophy Club (temporarily disbanded), Teenage Republicans, Rock Climbing, Step Team, Young Democrats
Monacan High School became internationally known after art teacher Stephen Murmer was suspended from his post following renewed interest in his out-of-school activities.
Murmer, a Marine Corps veteran and teacher of the year, offers pieces called "Anthropometric Monotypes" at his website selling from $400 to $2,100. A video demonstration of Murmer's unique technique was available on YouTube, apparently originally part of a segment of a TV show was filmed several years prior to 2006. Fans of the canceled cable television show posted it on YouTube.
Although administrative officials of the school system had investigated his activities in 2004, it was not until late 2006 that the issue resurfaced and Murmer faced reprimand. Murmer was told, following his suspension, not to speak to the media. Murmer was subsequently fired from his teaching post.
On Jan. 20, 2007, ACLU board members voted to take Stephen Murmer’s case. The Associated Press reported that the ACLU was seeking volunteer lawyers and considering whether to appeal the school board’s decision to a state circuit court or to file suit in federal district court on constitutional grounds. The ACLU has condemned Chesterfield County's School Board for their actions, stating that Murmer's activities are an expression of his First Amendment Rights. ACLU representatives have said that had Chesterfield County not suspended Murmer, the issue would have blown over within a few days. Judge Robert Payne agreed and objected to a county schools' motion to dismiss the case on February 15, 2008.
On March 7, 2008 Stephen Murmer won a $65,000 settlement from the Chesterfield County School Board. The Chesterfield County School Board issued this statement at the time: “The Chesterfield County School Board stands behind its 2007 decision to dismiss an art teacher at Monacan High School. The School Board strongly believes that its decision was justified based on its core values and the disruption in the classrooms. The School Board does not admit any liability. The decision to settle for $65,000 was a business decision that is in the best interest of Chesterfield County Public Schools, given the costs of continuing with the litigation, the risks, however remote, that the court would reinstate the teacher to the classroom and award him damages and the potential for costly appeals. Settling this case ends this matter and allows our school staff to focus on their primary mission of providing quality education to the children of this county.” [2][3] "I am glad the School Board saw fit to pay Mr. Murmer about two years' salary to compensate him for the harm he suffered," said ACLU of Virginia cooperating attorney Tim Schulte.