Colonial Forge High School is a public high school in Stafford, Virginia

Stafford, Virginia

Stafford is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Stafford County in the northern part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. The population as of the 2010 Census was 4,320. It lies north of Fredericksburg, approximately south of metropolitan Washington, D.C., and about north of...

 serving students in grades nine through twelve in the central portion of Stafford County

Stafford County, Virginia

Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state, and just across the Rappahannock River from the City of Fredericksburg. As of the 2000 census, the population was 92,446, increasing to 128,961 in 2010.. Its county seat is Stafford. In 2006, and again in 2009,...

, Virginia.

Colonial Forge is among the top 1,000 schools in the nation, ranked 972 in the 2007 edition of the Newsweek list of the 1200 best high schools in America.

Location and demographics

Colonial Forge is located on Courthouse Road, State Route 630, slightly over two miles from Interstate 95

Interstate 95 in Virginia

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Interstate 95 runs through the state. It runs concurrently for with Interstate 64 in Richmond, and meets the northern terminus of Interstate 85 in Petersburg. Though Interstate 95 was originally planned to go straight through Washington, D.C., it was instead...

 and U.S. Route 1

U.S. Route 1

U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...

. Colonial Forge's student enrollment is now 69% Caucasian, 21% Black, 5% Hispanic, 5% Italian and 4% Asian/Pacific Islander.

History

Colonial Forge was completed in 1999 as the fourth high school to open in Stafford County. The school's colors are navy blue, forest green, and silver and the mascot is Apollo

Academics and extracurricular activities

With a student population of over 2000, over 300 Colonial Forge students are enrolled in one or more music classes. Colonial Forge bands consistently receive superior ratings in grade V and VI literature at district festivals and are nine-year recipients of the Virginia Honor Band award. They will attempt their tenth at the district band festival in March. The Sound & Guard was previously under the direction of Mr. Andrew Loft since the band's beginning, but in 2010 Mr. Duane Coston took over. The Colonial Forge Madrigals have received top ratings at festivals and have placed at numerous choral events and competitions. The Colonial Forge Show Choir and Ladies Select have also received top ratings at numerous show choir competitions. The choral students consistently rank in the top percentiles a numerous county, district, and state level choirs. For the ninth straight year, Colonial Forge has been designated a Blue Ribbon School by the Virginia Music Educators Association. This distinction is awarded to schools in which all top performing ensembles receive a superior rating at district festival. At Colonial Forge, the band, choir, and orchestra have achieved superior ratings each year since 2002.

The school's Academic team is ranked third in the state, with the team having also won the year's district tournament in a sudden death overtime against Albemarle High School

Western Albemarle High School

Western Albemarle High School is a public high school located in Crozet, Virginia and is part of the Albemarle County Public School System, serving the western and central areas of Albemarle County. Its approximate enrollment is over 1000 students...

. In the 2005-06 season the Academic team won the district and regional titles and ranked fifth in the state of Maryland.

Molten Art, Colonial Forge's literary magazine, has won several Crown Awards in Columbia University's CSPA Crown competition, including a Silver Crown in 2004, and Gold Crowns in 2006 and 2008. Molten Art consistently earns high national praise, often competing against private schools that specialize in the arts.

Athletics

Colonial Forge's athletic teams have established themselves in the AAA Northwest Region and the state:

Wrestling

The Colonial Forge wrestling team, coached by Bill Swink, has established itself as a dominant force in the Commonwealth District, winning the district tournament from 2001-2009* - the 2010 district tournament was not held due to snow, but CFHS won all of their regular season dual meets (CFHS did not win in their inaugural season, but have not lost the title since). In addition to the district titles, Colonial Forge also has won the regional title in the AAA Northwest Region from 2002-2010. Their success is not limited to the district and regional levels; Colonial Forge has also claimed three AAA VA State Championships in wrestling back-to-back-to-back in 2007-08-09.

Volleyball

Colonial Forge's volleyball team has carved out a niche as an area and regional powerhouse winning district and regional titles on their way to berths in the state tournament.

Track and Field and Cross Country

Since the school's inception Colonial Forge's cross country and track teams have proven themselves as some of the best in the state winning multiple team district and regional titles and finishing in the top five in the state as a team five times, getting as high as second in 2003. The running program has produced multiple state champions and All-Americans along with flocks of all-district, all-region, and all-state athletes. In the summer of 2008, Colonial Forge Graduate Jerome Miller made the finals of the US Olympic Trials in the high jump. At the 2010 AAA cross country state championships the boys placed 2nd and the girls 3rd. This is the highest placing for both teams at the state level. Alums Michael Porter and Sean Leyh are the current head cross country coaches. The boys 2010 outdoor track team won the Northwest Region title over Riverbend HS.
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