Western Albemarle High School

Western Albemarle High School is a public high school located in Crozet, Virginia. Western Albemarle is often simply referred to as Western or WAHS (pronounced "woz") by students and locals. The school opened in September 1977.

Front Entrance

Organization

Western Albemarle enrolls approximately 1,050 students. It is situated at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains on a seventy-five acre site adjacent to Highway 250 and Interstate 64. WAHS is part of the Albemarle County Public School System, serving the western and central areas of Albemarle County.

The main feeder school is J. T. Henley Middle School, located directly across Route 250.

Academics

In January 2008, it was announced that Western was one of two schools (along with Murray Elementary) in the County that received the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence. This was the highest honor in the new incentive program for schools and school divisions created by the Board of Education to advance Governor Tim Kaine’s “competence to excellence” agenda.^[2]

Also in 2008, the school was ranked 1310 of 1358 of the top 5% of U.S. high schools by Newsweek, placing it in the 9th percentile of school quality.^[3] It is also ranked in the top 10 of the state of Virginia.

Athletics

Tennis facilities

Western Albemarle is notable for its successful sports programs, considered as some best in the state. In 2007, Western won the Wachovia Cup, the award given to the best all-around athletic program in the state of Virginia. The school belongs to the Jefferson District of Region II of the Virginia High School League. In football they have been three time Jefferson District champs with a 20-4 record in the past 4 years. In 2011, the Western Albemarle track team sent several relay teams to the national track competition. In 2004-2005, the school won 21 district, regional, and state championships. In 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 the girl's swimming and diving team won the state championships.^[4][5]

Activities

Western Albemarle's quizbowl team placed second at the 2014 PACE NSC.^[6] In 2014 they also won the VHSL Scholastic Bowl 3A title as well as the NAQT Virginia state championship.

WAHS hosts the Destination ImagiNation tournament for the Jefferson District.

Bombing plot

School grounds

In 2006, a 16-year-old Western Albemarle High School student and a 15-year-old Albemarle High School student were arrested after it was discovered that they were plotting to detonate explosives at their schools.^[7] The students were both found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to use explosives to destroy a school house, and have been committed to the juvenile justice system.^[8]

Notable alumni

• Billy Campbell, American film and television actor.
• LeRoi Moore, American saxophonist.^[9]
• Colin Steers, Contestant on Season 2 of Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel.^[10]
• Bill Baber, NFL Tight End.^[11][12][13]

References

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 38°2′48″N 78°42′24″W / 38.04667°N 78.70667°W / 38.04667; -78.70667