Rustburg High School

Rustburg High School is a public school for grades nine through twelve, located in Rustburg, Virginia. It is one of four high schools that are part of the Campbell County Public Schools, along with Altavista High School, Brookville High School, and William Campbell High School.^[1]

History

Originally Campbell County High School, the school was Campbell County, Virginia's first public high school, opening in the early 1900s. Until the late 1970s, the school was located in the oldest part of the building that is now part of an expanded Rustburg Middle School. Currently, Rustburg High School is located at 1671 Village Highway in Rustburg, where it has been located since the move in the late 1970s. Its original building has been expanded multiple times since its opening, the largest of those expansions being the addition of a new science wing that opened in 1997.

In its current location, the school has had four principals. Hugh T. Pendleton is the longest-serving principal in school history; he was in charge from 1963 until his retirement in 1997. The Hugh T. Pendleton award of excellence continues to be awarded every year at the annual end-of-year awards ceremonies, given by the faculty to the most outstanding senior.

Pendleton was succeeded by then-middle school principal C. Benjamin Arthur, who held the job from 1997 until his own retirement in 2002. E. Denton Sisk replaced Arthur in 2002 after serving as an assistant principal, and the school's current principal, Clayton F. Stanley, took over in 2011. Among his other previous positions, Stanley was a teacher and assistant football coach at RHS during the 1990s

Principals

• Hugh T. Pendleton 1963-1997
• C.Benjamin Arthur,1997-2002
• E. Denton Sisk, 2002-2011
• Clayton F. Stanley, 2011–present

Athletics

Rustburg Athletic Organizations

The school's mascot is the Red Devil and its athletic teams participate in the AA Seminole District in the Virginia High School League. Its colors are red, white, and black. Rustburg High School was previously associated with the owl as a mascot, but the only remaining evidence of that nickname is in the school's annual yearbook, which has been known as The Owl since its first publication in 1941.

Historically, the school's biggest athletic successes have come in football and softball. Rustburg's football team won Class AA state championships in 1990, 1993 and 2000, in addition to losing in the finals in 1987 and 1998. In softball, Rustburg claimed the 1993, 1994 and 1997 Class AA state championships, losing in the finals in 1982 and 1999. The school also has Class AA state championships in girls volleyball (1992) and boys track and field (1978).^[2]

However, Rustburg's baseball team has also had some success lately since being taken over by head coach Barry Godsey. They Red Devils went to the 2009 Virginia High School League State Championship where they would lose to Poquoson High. The next year the Red Devils made it back to the AA Regional III Tournament where they would face a tough lose in the first round. The Red Devils have yet to make it back to the Regional Tournament. ^[3]

Other extracurriculars

Rustburg's marching band is the Marching Red Devils, which competes in various competitions throughout the area, and has received the title Grand Champion in 2004 and 2011. It is also known for its competition cheerleading squad, which placed first in the Seminole District from 2005-2008 and was the Region III champion in 2007.

See also

• List of high schools in Virginia
• AA Seminole District

References

1. ↑ From Campbell County Public Schools, http://campbell.k12.va.us
2. ↑ From the 2006 VHSL Record Book, http://www.vhsl.org
3. ↑ From the 2013 VHSL Record Book, http://www.whsl.org