Falls Church High School


Falls Church High School is a high school located in West Falls Church, Virginia, in unincorporated Fairfax County. While the school has a Falls Church mailing address, the school does not serve the City of Falls Church, which is served by George Mason High School. The school serves grades 9 through 12. It was relocated from its former site in downtown Falls Church to the current address, 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church, Virginia 22042, in 1967 Falls Church High's school motto is "Building on Our Success." The mascot for the school is a Jaguar. The school colors are dark green and white. The principal is Benjamin Nowak.

Demographics

There were 2,029 students enrolled in Falls Church High School 2018–2019 school year. Of those, 1,038 were Hispanic, 410 were Asian, 369 were white ; 128 were black ; and 84 were from another ethnic group. In terms of gender, 935 students identified as females and 1,094 identified as male. Most of Falls Church High School's students are enrolled in general education. Some students are enrolled in special education, and some receive English Learner services. The graduation rate is 85%.

Location

Prior to 1967, the school was located at Hillwood Avenue and Cherry Street in Falls Church, Virginia. It then moved to its current location at 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church, Virginia 22042. It is located off Arlington Boulevard, near Kingsley Commons, formerly Jefferson Village Apartments, and Graham Road Shopping Center.

Test scores

Falls Church High School is fully accredited based on its Virginia Standards of Learning test performance. The school was listed as the 603rd best high school in America by U.S. News & World Report in 2013.

Recent history

On December 5, 2006, Falls Church High School was named a National Demonstration Site for the elective class Advancement Via Individual Determination,. Falls Church is one of only two schools in Fairfax County that have a full four-year AVID program. Lynne Cheney, author, scholar, former talk-show host, and wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney, was the guest commencement speaker for the class of 2004 at the inaugural graduation ceremony held at the George Mason University Patriot Center. On June 1, 2007, at the Jaguars' graduation at the Patriot Center, on the campus of George Mason University, Ben Affleck made a special appearance as the guest speaker thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. With the start of the 2010–2011 school year, Falls Church gained some of Annandale High School's population as the result of the Annandale Border Control Force and their actions. In the winter of 2010, two students qualified for the state Intel science fair: Junior Amanda Harbison and sophomore Maggie Cullather.

Extracurricular activities

Band

The FCHS Marching Jags were named honor band in 2006. They also won a superior rating in 2008, with their show "Music of the Police" and another superior rating in 2009 concert festival with selections titled "True Blue March," "Chant and Jubilo," and "Dominion in the Sky."

Football

During the 2009 football season, The Jaguars maintained a 5-5 record, led by varsity quarterback Ajay Kashyap, during the regular season. The high note of the season was during week seven, when the Jaguars upset the AAA National District powerhouse Thomas A. Edison High School Eagles 16-14. This was the Jaguars' first win over the Eagles since 1998 and the Eagles' first AAA National District loss since 2005. The Jaguars also won their homecoming against the Mount Vernon High School Majors 42-32 and also the Bell Game against rival J. E. B. Stuart High School 42-20. During the season, senior running back Marcus Hughes rushed for a region high 1,741 yards on 245 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per carry and 19 touchdowns.
During the 2013 season, the Jaguars defeated Annandale at Annandale 43-27; defeated Thomas Jefferson 43-14; defeated McLean in the 1st Annual Mosaic Bowl 28-21 with a trick play in the last 30 seconds ; defeated Wakefield 37-15; defeated Mount Vernon 49-17; and defeated Edison at Edison's Homecoming Game 49-26. The Jaguars played Mount Vernon for their homecoming game and won. The Jaguars received a lot of attention on the television news and also in newspapers. In 2013, the Jags won the Bell Game vs Stuart 35-13. In the playoffs the Jaguars played Albemarle High School from Charlottesville at home. The Jags won 24-23 by a missed field goal from Albemarle within the last few minutes of the game. The Jags then advanced to the second round of playoffs away at Massaponax down in Fredericksburg. Head football coach Said Aziz was voted the Northern Virginia coach of the year in 2013.
In 2014, the Jaguars went 7-3, and lost in the first round of the playoffs. In 2016, the Jaguars went 7-3, again winning the conference, and again losing the Albemarle in the first round of the playoffs.

Cheerleading

During the 2010 cheer season, the Jaguars won district championship and went to regionals. In the 2011 cheer season, the Jaguars were runners up for the district. Both seasons were led by head coach Eliza Kirchner.
In 2013, the Jaguars competed in Conference 13 and received first place in all preliminary rounds. The Jaguars won the Conference 13 championship and went to regionals.
In 2014, the Jags competed in Conference 13 and came in first in the semifinals but fell short to J.E.B. Stuart, who placed second, and Mount Vernon, who placed first. The Jags went on to compete in regionals, where they placed fifth.
In 2015, the Falls Church High School Varsity Cheerleading Team competed in the Conference 13 semifinals, where they came in first, and in finals, where they retained their standing and placed first to move on to regionals. They defeated their long-time rival, the J.E.B. Stuart Cheerleading Team, which placed sixth.

Baseball

In 1984, the school's baseball field was named Al McCullock Field for baseball coach Al McCullock, whose son has the same honor at Herndon High School.

Notable alumni