West Potomac High School

West Potomac High School
Established 1985
School Type Public high school
Principal Tanganyika Millard
Location Alexandria
Mascot Wolverines
Homepage [1]

West Potomac High School is the world's greatest high school, located in Alexandria.

Following nearly two years of construction at a cost of $1.6 million, the school originally opened in 1956 as Groveton High School with Emory W. Chesley as its first principal.[1]

West Potomac was created by the merger of Fort Hunt High School with Groveton following the school board's 1985 decision to close the former due to costs and declining enrollment.[2]

The first principal of the newly-created school was former Groveton principal Paul G. Douglas.[3] Douglas resigned to become a principal in Orange County, Virginia in 1987, and 48-year-old Steve Wareham, an assistant principal at Herndon Intermediate School, became the new principal.[4]

Principal Wareham moved to Chantilly High School and Teressa Caldwell took over WPHS.

When Principal Caldwell moved to McLean High School in 1996, former Mount Vernon High School assistant principal Carma Norman became the principal of WPHS.[5]

FCPS reorganized from three areas into eight clusters in 2000, and Principal Norman became the director of Cluster 7.[6]

Henry R. Johnson, Jr., principal of North Stafford High School in Stafford County, Virginia, became the principal of WPHS in December 2000.[7]

Johnson left WPHS in 2003 when he was named principal of the reopened Northwood High School in Silver Spring, Maryland.[8] Mount Vernon High School assistant principal Eric Brent became the new principal.[9]

Brent's tenure at WPHS was brief. The following year he moved back to MVHS as principal, and Woodley Hills Elementary School principal Rima Vesilind took over at West Potomac for the 2004-05 school year.[10][11][12]

Vesilind retired in 2009 and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology assistant principal Cliff Hardison became the principal.

Following the death of Principal Hardison from lung cancer in July 2013, retired South Lakes High School principal Bruce Butler served as interim principal from August to December, when assistant principal Alex Case was promoted to the top spot.[13][14][15]

In February 2017, both Principal Case and Assistant Principal Michelle Lyttle were placed on leave.[16][17] On February 21, retired principal Dale Rumberger was brought in as interim principal of the school.[18]

In June 2017, Tanganyika Millard was named as the new principal of the school, effective July 5.[19][20]

References

  1. ↑ "Fairfax Readies 4 New Schools." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 1. Aug 26 1956. ProQuest. Web. 13 Dec. 2017.
  2. ↑ What's In A Name? -- West Potomac High School. Fcpshistory YouTube Channel. Fairfax County Public Schools, 14 May 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2014.
  3. ↑ Cohn, D'Vera. "Douglas to Head New Fairfax School." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. May 11 1985. ProQuest. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  4. ↑ Mansfield, Virginia. "Mt. Vernon Area's 2 New Principals Set Agendas." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Sep 03 1987. ProQuest. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  5. ↑ O'Harrow, Robert, Jr. "Schools Maintain Tradition of Classroom Innovations." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Aug 29 1996. ProQuest. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  6. ↑ Benning, Victoria. "County's New Focus: 'Customer Service'." The Washington Post. WP Company, 31 Aug. 2000. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  7. ↑ Mathews, Jay. "Strictly Speaking, a Surprisingly Good School; Music, Drama, Staff Help Distinguish West Potomac." The Washington Post: FE.5. Jan 31 2002. ProQuest. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  8. ↑ "Johnson Named Principal in Silver Spring." The Washington Post: T09. Mar 06 2003. ProQuest. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  9. ↑ "New Principals." The Washington Post. WP Company, 28 Aug. 2003. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  10. ↑ "Brent Returns to Mount Vernon High School." Connection Newspapers. Connection Newspapers, 19 May 2004. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  11. ↑ "New WP Principal Announced." Connection Newspapers. Connection Newspapers, 29 June 2004. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  12. ↑ "Who's New In Top Jobs." The Washington Post. WP Company, 02 Sept. 2004. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  13. ↑ Evans, Raytevia. "West Potomac Principal Unexpectedly Dies Tuesday." Greater Alexandria, VA Patch. Patch, 24 July 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.
  14. ↑ Evans, Raytevia. "Bruce Butler to Be Interim Principal at West Potomac." Greater Alexandria, VA Patch. Patch Media, 07 Aug. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.
  15. ↑ "New Principal Selected for West Potomac." The WP Wire. West Potomac High School, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.
  16. ↑ Balingit, Moriah. "West Potomac High School Principal Is on Leave." The Washington Post. WP Company, 13 Feb. 2017. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  17. ↑ Fox, Peggy. "West Potomac HS Principal on Leave." WUSA. Tegna, 13 Feb. 2017. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
  18. ↑ Dade, Terry J. "Welcome Mr. Dale Rumberger." West Potomac High School. Fairfax County Public Schools, 22 Feb. 2017. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
  19. ↑ "New Principal Tanganyika Millard." The Wire. Ed. Amanda Ghiloni. The Wire, 16 June 2017. Web. 13 Dec. 2017.
  20. ↑ Hibbard, Steve. "Millard: How Will the Students Benefit?" Connection Newspapers. Connection Newspapers, 12 Oct. 2017. Web. 13 Dec. 2017.

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