Oakton High School
Encyclopedia
Oakton High School is a public high school
in unincorporated Fairfax County
, Virginia
, in proximity to the town of Vienna
, in the United States
. It is part of Fairfax County Public Schools
.
Like most Fairfax County schools, the building is of considerable size, consisting of two stories to accommodate its over 2,350 students. The school is divided into separate hallways for individual subjects; English and History predominantly on the second floor, Math and Science residing on the first.
Oakton operates on a block schedule
five days a week. It is headed by its principal, John Banbury, and several assistant principals.
. The original Oakton High School was located in the facility which is now used by Oakton Elementary School. When it opened, Oakton was the host facility for an IBM 1401
which was Fairfax County's first computer. A computer curriculum, one of the first offered at the high school level, was available to full-time Oakton students and to students from several other county high schools on a part-time basis. This system was retired in the early seventies when Fairfax County installed an IBM 360 mainframe at the Annandale
campus of Northern Virginia Community College
.
The school achieved international notoriety in 2009 when it suspended, and threatened to expel, a student for taking a birth-control pill while on school premises. The incident was referenced during the August 3, 2009 episode of The Colbert Report, with the show satirically portraying the student as a "druggie".
tests in Virginia. The average SAT score in 2006 for Oakton High School was 1,703 (568 in Critical Reading, 578 in Math, and 557 in Writing).
are all in the Oakton School Pyramid. Jackson Middle School
, Kilmer Middle School
, and Franklin Middle School
are also feeder middle schools for Oakton, though they are not in the school pyramid.
The school offers a wide variety of elective courses and allows students to participate in academy courses (courses hosted by other schools at other school sites). Elective courses include philosophy
, various engineering
courses, journalism
, video production
, accounting, multivariable calculus
with linear algebra
and six foreign language
s. In 2008, Newsweek
ranked Oakton High School as the 103rd best high school in the country, based on a ratio of students taking AP (or IB) classes to the number of graduating seniors. In addition, Oakton was ranked 88th on the US News & World Report magazine's list based on an assessment of college readiness in 2007.
Department, which includes band
, choral
, orchestra
l, and theatre
arts departments, regularly earns distinction as one of the premier performing arts programs in the area.
In 2008, the performing arts department won the extremely prestigious Blue Ribbon Award, a result of Superior ratings for all Band, Choral, and Orchestra groups in state festivals.
The Oakton Band program is in its 30th year under the direction of Dr. Cheryl Newton, and its first year with associate director Michael Bellinger. The program consists of a marching band, three concert bands, two jazz bands, a winter color guard, drumline program, and several guitar classes and ensembles.
Oakton has been recognized as a Virginia Honor Band (the highest award for high school band programs) fifteen times, including eleven consecutive years from 1995 to 2005. This award is given to bands that receive superior marks for marching
and concert
performances of the top band. The marching band has won countless other awards at competitions throughout the country, and in addition, has been featured in parades and professional football games. The concert bands have made many appearances at Fiesta-val competitions, including locales such as Orlando
, Toronto
, Myrtle Beach
, and Chicago.
The Oakton Band program is deep-seated in tradition. Every August, the marching band will spend a week in Orkney Springs, Virginia
to focus on the drill and music for the year's program and enjoy the scenery of the Shenandoah Valley
. Furthermore, Oakton hosts the Oakton Classic
, a marching band competition. The Classic has been held annually (usually in October) every year since 1984.
Dr. Cheryl Newton also teaches two AP music theory classes, available to all Oakton students. Piano Lab is another class offered by the music program.
, The Wizard of Oz
, and other plays and musicals. The 2007-2008 season included The Importance of Being Earnest
, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
and Into the Woods
. The 2008-2009 season included The Foreigner
and The Odd Couple (female version)
. The spring 2009 musical was Little Women
. Performances usually take place in the Robert "Skip" Bromley Auditorium, dedicated 2008. Oakton Drama is to, for the 2009-2010 season, produce A Tisket, A Tasket, Four Dames and a Casket (a play written by Haley Herrinton, a student attending Oakton), and Rehearsal for Murder
.
Due to a complication in the grading of certain pieces the Chamber Orchestra was preparing in 2007, both orchestras went to district festival for Comments Only. In 2008, however, both the Chamber and the combined Symphonic and Concert Orchestras received a rating of Superior.
In 2008, the combined Symphonic and Concert Orchestras performed at the Washington D.C. Heritage Festival, where they received a gold rating. In addition, they were invited to perform in 2009's Boston Festival of Gold, which they did not accept.
The Chamber Orchestra participated in the Orchestra America
National Festival in Indianapolis
, part of the Music for All National Festival, in 2008. The orchestra applied and was accepted in 2007, and prepared an approximately 45-minute concert consisting of three pieces. On March 1, 2008, the Chamber Orchestra performed its selections at the Hilbert Circle Theatre, home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
. Later that year, the Chamber Orchestra was accepted to perform at the American String Teachers Association
National Conference, which took place in March 2009 in Atlanta
. The group placed 4th, which was the highest ranking of a non-magnet, non-music school.
, The Outlook, a yearbook
called Paragon, and a literary magazine
, Opus. In October 2006, both The Outlook and Paragon received Trophy-Class honors at the Virginia High School League, with a rating of Superior. In April 2008, Paragon received a Pacemaker award, one of the highest honors in high school journalism, as well as 8th in best of show. Outlook placed 6th in best of show. The school also has a radio
club, Fat Cat Radio, and a daily television show, Cougar News.
and the Northern Region
of the Virginia High School League
. Its cross country
, football
, baseball
, lacrosse
, and men's swimming
teams have all claimed recent Virginia state titles.
ended its three-year streak as state champions.
, who would end up being the state runner-up. The men's swim and dive team finished second at each districts, regionals, and states. The girls basketball team was the district champion and region runner-up, identical results to last year. The boys track and field team won districts, as well as the girls lacrosse team, who went on to win regionals and states as well.
. The girls lacrosse team won the region and state championship.
The boys basketball team, under first year head coach David Brooks, defeated Chantilly on a game-winning 17 footer by Senior Andrew Daniels to win its first District title since 1972.
The boys swim and dive team won the state, regional, and district championship titles. Senior Bradley Phillips won the 400 meter freestyle, setting a national record, and the 200 meter freestyle. Senior KJ Park won the 200 meter IM and the 100 meter breaststroke. The men's 400 freestyle relay also won and set a national record. The girls swim and dive team placed fourth at states. Junior Kaitlin Pawlowicz won the 100 meter butterfly and the 200 meter IM, and set a national record in the 200 meter IM.
Amanda Steinhagen became the first girl to win the Virginia High School League (VHSL) girls high school golf championship twice. She also won it in her Sophomore year at Oakton. Amanda set a state record of 138 for the tournament.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in unincorporated Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, in proximity to the town of Vienna
Vienna, Virginia
Vienna is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 15,687. Significantly more people live in zip codes with the Vienna postal addresses bordered approximately by Interstate 66 on the south, Interstate 495 on the east, Route 7 to...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of Fairfax County Public Schools
Fairfax County Public Schools
The Fairfax County Public Schools system is a branch of the Fairfax County government which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax...
.
Like most Fairfax County schools, the building is of considerable size, consisting of two stories to accommodate its over 2,350 students. The school is divided into separate hallways for individual subjects; English and History predominantly on the second floor, Math and Science residing on the first.
Oakton operates on a block schedule
Block scheduling
Block scheduling is a type of academic scheduling in which each student has fewer classes per day but each class is scheduled for a longer period of time . A student might be taking 7 different classes, but only 4 per day, and the specific daily classes would rotate through a changing daily cycle...
five days a week. It is headed by its principal, John Banbury, and several assistant principals.
History
Oakton High School was founded in 1967 in Vienna, VirginiaVienna, Virginia
Vienna is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 15,687. Significantly more people live in zip codes with the Vienna postal addresses bordered approximately by Interstate 66 on the south, Interstate 495 on the east, Route 7 to...
. The original Oakton High School was located in the facility which is now used by Oakton Elementary School. When it opened, Oakton was the host facility for an IBM 1401
IBM 1401
The IBM 1401 was a variable wordlength decimal computer that was announced by IBM on October 5, 1959. The first member of the highly successful IBM 1400 series, it was aimed at replacing electromechanical unit record equipment for processing data stored on punched cards...
which was Fairfax County's first computer. A computer curriculum, one of the first offered at the high school level, was available to full-time Oakton students and to students from several other county high schools on a part-time basis. This system was retired in the early seventies when Fairfax County installed an IBM 360 mainframe at the Annandale
Annandale, Virginia
Annandale is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 41,008 at the 2010 census, down from 54,994 in 2000 due to the splitting off of the western part of it to form Wakefield and Woodburn CDP's.-Geography:...
campus of Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College, often abbreviated NVCC and colloquially as NOVA, comprises several locations in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and is both the second largest multi-campus community college in the United States and the largest educational institution in the...
.
The school achieved international notoriety in 2009 when it suspended, and threatened to expel, a student for taking a birth-control pill while on school premises. The incident was referenced during the August 3, 2009 episode of The Colbert Report, with the show satirically portraying the student as a "druggie".
Demographics
In the 2008-2009 school year, Oakton High School's student body was 63.10% White, 20.62% Asian, 6.97% Hispanic, 4.72% Black, and 4.59% other.Test scores
Oakton High School is a fully accredited high school based on the Standards of LearningStandards of Learning
Standards of Learning ' is a public school standardized testing program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It sets forth learning and achievement expectations for core subjects for grades K-12 in Virginia's Public Schools...
tests in Virginia. The average SAT score in 2006 for Oakton High School was 1,703 (568 in Critical Reading, 578 in Math, and 557 in Writing).
Feeder schools
Crossfield Elementary School, Fox Mill Elementary School, Mosby Woods Elementary School, Navy Elementary School, Oakton Elementary School, Waples Mill Elementary School, Stone Middle School, and Rachel Carson Middle SchoolRachel Carson Middle School
Rachel Carson Middle School is a middle school in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, southwest of Herndon. The school is part of Fairfax County Public Schools. Its principal is August Frattali...
are all in the Oakton School Pyramid. Jackson Middle School
Luther Jackson Middle School
Luther Jackson Middle School, located in Falls Church, Virginia, is a part of the Fairfax County Public School system and is one of 26 public middle schools in the county. It opened in 1954 as Luther Jackson High School, the first all-black high school in Fairfax County...
, Kilmer Middle School
Joyce Kilmer Middle School
Joyce Kilmer Middle School is a school in the Fairfax County Public Schools System in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, east of the city of Vienna. Kilmer serves grades 7-8. It was named after the journalist and poet Joyce Kilmer...
, and Franklin Middle School
Franklin Middle School (Chantilly, Virginia)
Franklin Middle School is a public middle school in Fairfax County, Virginia. Although Fairfax schools generally are named after American authors, this school was named after Benjamin Franklin. The school was originally dedicated as Benjamin Franklin Intermediate School in 1984, and renamed to...
are also feeder middle schools for Oakton, though they are not in the school pyramid.
Academics
Oakton uses the Advanced Placement program. AP classes are available to all students, though some AP classes are only available after pre-requisite courses have been taken. It is rare for any freshman to take an AP course. Post AP courses are available to sufficiently advanced students through academy courses.The school offers a wide variety of elective courses and allows students to participate in academy courses (courses hosted by other schools at other school sites). Elective courses include philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, various engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
courses, journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, video production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
, accounting, multivariable calculus
Multivariable calculus
Multivariable calculus is the extension of calculus in one variable to calculus in more than one variable: the differentiated and integrated functions involve multiple variables, rather than just one....
with linear algebra
Linear algebra
Linear algebra is a branch of mathematics that studies vector spaces, also called linear spaces, along with linear functions that input one vector and output another. Such functions are called linear maps and can be represented by matrices if a basis is given. Thus matrix theory is often...
and six foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
s. In 2008, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
ranked Oakton High School as the 103rd best high school in the country, based on a ratio of students taking AP (or IB) classes to the number of graduating seniors. In addition, Oakton was ranked 88th on the US News & World Report magazine's list based on an assessment of college readiness in 2007.
Performing arts
Oakton's Performing ArtsPerforming arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
Department, which includes band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, choral
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l, and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
arts departments, regularly earns distinction as one of the premier performing arts programs in the area.
In 2008, the performing arts department won the extremely prestigious Blue Ribbon Award, a result of Superior ratings for all Band, Choral, and Orchestra groups in state festivals.
Band program
Oakton has been recognized as a Virginia Honor Band (the highest award for high school band programs) fifteen times, including eleven consecutive years from 1995 to 2005. This award is given to bands that receive superior marks for marching
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
and concert
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
performances of the top band. The marching band has won countless other awards at competitions throughout the country, and in addition, has been featured in parades and professional football games. The concert bands have made many appearances at Fiesta-val competitions, including locales such as Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...
, and Chicago.
The Oakton Band program is deep-seated in tradition. Every August, the marching band will spend a week in Orkney Springs, Virginia
Orkney Springs, Virginia
Orkney Springs is an unincorporated community in western Shenandoah County, Virginia. The use of the name 'Orkney' is unknown, but believed to be tied to either the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland or the Earl of Orkney. The 'Springs' comes from the numerous underground mineral springs in...
to focus on the drill and music for the year's program and enjoy the scenery of the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
. Furthermore, Oakton hosts the Oakton Classic
Oakton Classic
The Oakton Classic is an annual invitational marching band competition held at Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia. The 24th Annual Oakton Classic was held on October 11, 2008, with Westfield High School receiving its second consecutive grand champion award. Traditionally, a college marching...
, a marching band competition. The Classic has been held annually (usually in October) every year since 1984.
Dr. Cheryl Newton also teaches two AP music theory classes, available to all Oakton students. Piano Lab is another class offered by the music program.
Choral program
Oakton High School has four regular in-school choruses; Madrigals, Chamber Choir, Select Women's Ensemble, and Concert Choir. The department also includes two eighth period (after school, for credit) specialty groups: Jazz choir and Show choir. The department is under the direction of Tiffany Powell, and has competed in such locations as Atlanta, New York, and Orlando. In the spring of 2010, the department traveled to New York and competed in Festivals of Music: New York. At the event, Madrigals and the combined women's choir, comprising members of both Chamber and Select Women's, were awarded the best mixed and women's choirs awards. Madrigals has also had the opportunity to sing at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC along with the Washington Chorus.Drama program
Oakton High School's drama program typically puts on a few plays in the fall or winter, and a spring musical. The department is under the direction of Vanessa Gelinas, Robert "Skip" Bromley having retired in 2008. In recent years, the drama program has put on Arsenic and Old LaceArsenic and Old Lace (play)
Arsenic and Old Lace is a play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust, and opened on January 10, 1941. On September 25, 1943, the...
, The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, and other plays and musicals. The 2007-2008 season included The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts...
and Into the Woods
Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
. The 2008-2009 season included The Foreigner
The Foreigner (play)
The Foreigner is a play by Larry Shue.Set in a resort-style fishing lodge in rural Georgia, the comedy revolves around two of its guests, Englishman Charlie Baker and Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur. Charlie is so pathologically shy that he is unable to speak...
and The Odd Couple (female version)
The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple is a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mismatched roommates, one neat and uptight, the other more easygoing and...
. The spring 2009 musical was Little Women
Little Women (musical)
Little Women is a musical with a book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and music by Jason Howland.Based on Louisa May Alcott's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel, it focuses on the four March sisters - brassy, tomboy-like, aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy, and...
. Performances usually take place in the Robert "Skip" Bromley Auditorium, dedicated 2008. Oakton Drama is to, for the 2009-2010 season, produce A Tisket, A Tasket, Four Dames and a Casket (a play written by Haley Herrinton, a student attending Oakton), and Rehearsal for Murder
Rehearsal for Murder
Rehearsal for Murder is a 1982 television movie of the thriller genre directed by David Greene from a script written by Richard Levinson and William Link, who won a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for their work.-Plot:...
.
Orchestra program
The Oakton High School strings program consists of three orchestras: the Chamber Orchestra, the Symphonic Orchestra, and the Concert Orchestra. All three orchestras are under the direction of Dr. Debra K. Myers, who has taught for many years in other Fairfax County public schools. The orchestras typically give around four concerts a year, consisting of performances by the Chamber Orchestra and the combined Symphonic and Concert Orchestras. The program has participated in many festivals around the world, in locations such as Hawaii, Italy, Orlando, and Chicago. In 2007, the newest orchestra, Concert, was introduced. This class meets every day during 7th period, and allows students to learn how to play a stringed instrument in a more learner-friendly environment. The other two orchestras meet on alternating days due to Oakton's block scheduling.Due to a complication in the grading of certain pieces the Chamber Orchestra was preparing in 2007, both orchestras went to district festival for Comments Only. In 2008, however, both the Chamber and the combined Symphonic and Concert Orchestras received a rating of Superior.
In 2008, the combined Symphonic and Concert Orchestras performed at the Washington D.C. Heritage Festival, where they received a gold rating. In addition, they were invited to perform in 2009's Boston Festival of Gold, which they did not accept.
The Chamber Orchestra participated in the Orchestra America
Orchestra America
Orchestra America is a nonprofit organization that promotes orchestral high school music education through positively life-changing events and workshops...
National Festival in Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, part of the Music for All National Festival, in 2008. The orchestra applied and was accepted in 2007, and prepared an approximately 45-minute concert consisting of three pieces. On March 1, 2008, the Chamber Orchestra performed its selections at the Hilbert Circle Theatre, home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana.Annually, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs 200 concerts for over 350,000 people. It is the largest performing arts organization in Indiana. The ISO is currently one of only 18 American...
. Later that year, the Chamber Orchestra was accepted to perform at the American String Teachers Association
American String Teachers Association
The American String Teacher's Association is a professional organization based in the United States for music teachers. It is the largest such national organization in the US for string teachers. It promotes learning to play string instruments in the next generation of American students, and...
National Conference, which took place in March 2009 in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. The group placed 4th, which was the highest ranking of a non-magnet, non-music school.
Publications
Oakton's award-winning publications provide many opportunities for students to express themselves. Its Publications Department produces a newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, The Outlook, a yearbook
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
called Paragon, and a literary magazine
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
, Opus. In October 2006, both The Outlook and Paragon received Trophy-Class honors at the Virginia High School League, with a rating of Superior. In April 2008, Paragon received a Pacemaker award, one of the highest honors in high school journalism, as well as 8th in best of show. Outlook placed 6th in best of show. The school also has a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
club, Fat Cat Radio, and a daily television show, Cougar News.
Athletics
Oakton is a member of the AAA Concorde DistrictAAA Concorde District
The AAA Concorde District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes public schools exclusively from Fairfax County. AAA is the largest enrollment class and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports....
and the Northern Region
AAA Northern Region
The AAA Northern Region is one of the four AAA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AAA Concorde District, the AAA Liberty District, the AAA National District, and the AAA Patriot District...
of the Virginia High School League
Virginia High School League
The Virginia High School League is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations,...
. Its cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, and men's swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
teams have all claimed recent Virginia state titles.
2005-2006
During the 2005-2006 school year, Oakton Baseball were runners-up. Oakton claimed three state titles: boys cross country, football, and girls lacrosse. The boys lacrosse team, with its loss to Robinson Secondary SchoolRobinson Secondary School
James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School, known as Robinson Secondary School, opened in 1971, is a public school in the Commonwealth of Virginia....
ended its three-year streak as state champions.
2006-2007
The baseball team won regionals. Oakton's golf team placed 3rd in the district, and 1st in the region. The boys cross country team placed 1st in the district and region, and 2nd in the state. The field hockey team placed 1st in the district. The football team made the playoffs, but lost in the first round to Chantilly High SchoolChantilly High School
Chantilly High School is a high school located in the Chantilly CDP in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It is part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system.-Overview:...
, who would end up being the state runner-up. The men's swim and dive team finished second at each districts, regionals, and states. The girls basketball team was the district champion and region runner-up, identical results to last year. The boys track and field team won districts, as well as the girls lacrosse team, who went on to win regionals and states as well.
2007-2008
Danny Kim won the boy's state golf tournament as an individual, and Amanda Steinhagen won the girl's state championship, with Lauren Greenlief coming in second. This was the first time in Oakton's history that they captured both the girl's and boy's individual state golf titles in the same year. The boys cross country team captured the district title and were second in the region. The girls cross country team also secured the district title, were 4th in the region, and came back to take 2nd in the state meet. The men's swim team placed 2nd in districts, regionals, and finals to Robinson Secondary SchoolRobinson Secondary School
James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School, known as Robinson Secondary School, opened in 1971, is a public school in the Commonwealth of Virginia....
. The girls lacrosse team won the region and state championship.
2008-2009
The boys cross country team won district, region, and state titles. The girls cross country team finished third in the district and were runner-ups in the region. The football team, with a perfect 10 – 0 season, went on to win the district and regional titles, finishing with a 13-1 record. The boys swim and dive team placed third in the district and won the regional title, and the girls swim and dive team placed second in the district. The girls basketball team finished with a perfect season, and went on to win the district and regional titles, and were runner-ups in the state. The girls indoor track and field team won the district title. The boys outdoor track and field team won the district title.2009-2010
The boys cross country team won the district title for the fifth straight year, they also won the region title for the fourth time in five years, and were runner-ups in the state. The girls cross country team finished second in the district and sixth in the region. The girls indoor track and field team won the district title for the second straight year.The boys basketball team, under first year head coach David Brooks, defeated Chantilly on a game-winning 17 footer by Senior Andrew Daniels to win its first District title since 1972.
The boys swim and dive team won the state, regional, and district championship titles. Senior Bradley Phillips won the 400 meter freestyle, setting a national record, and the 200 meter freestyle. Senior KJ Park won the 200 meter IM and the 100 meter breaststroke. The men's 400 freestyle relay also won and set a national record. The girls swim and dive team placed fourth at states. Junior Kaitlin Pawlowicz won the 100 meter butterfly and the 200 meter IM, and set a national record in the 200 meter IM.
Amanda Steinhagen became the first girl to win the Virginia High School League (VHSL) girls high school golf championship twice. She also won it in her Sophomore year at Oakton. Amanda set a state record of 138 for the tournament.
State champions and recognitions
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Notable alumni
- Zachary Adam ChesserZachary Adam ChesserZachary Adam Chesser is an American man who pled guilty to aiding a terrorist organization. In April 2010, under the online username Abu Talhah al-Amrikee, he posted a "warning" to the creators of South Park suggesting that they would be killed for depicting Muhammad in their 200th episode...
, plead guilty to aiding a terrorist organization - Nyambi NyambiNyambi NyambiNyambi Nyambi is an American character actor. His most prominent role is Samuel in the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly.- Early life and education :...
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. - Eugene ChungEugene ChungEugene Yon Chung was a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League from 1992 to 1997...
, former professional football player, Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
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and New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. - Serena DeebSerena DeebSerena Deeb is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment, appearing on the SmackDown brand and also known for her time with the developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling. under the ring name Serena...
, professional wrestler. - Cody GrimmCody GrimmCody James Grimm is an American football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
, NFL Safety for the Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
. - Sean ParkerSean ParkerSean Parker is an American technology businessman and entrepreneur. He co-founded Napster, Plaxo, Causes, and Airtime, and was Facebook's founding president. His net worth is estimated at $2.1 billion.-Early life:...
, attended for two years before transferring to Chantilly, co-founder of NapsterNapsterNapster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
, founder of PlaxoPlaxoPlaxo is an online address book and social networking service originally founded by Sean Parker, Minh Nguyen and two Stanford engineering students, Todd Masonis and Cameron Ring...
, and former president of FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. - Michaele (Holt) Salahi, noted party crasher at White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
dinner hosted by President Obama. Graduated 1984. - Michael WardianMichael WardianMichael Wardian is an American marathoner and ultra-marathoner. He won the 2008, 2009 and 2010 US 50 km championships. In 2008, he won the U.S. National 100 km championship. Wardian also is the 2007 JFK 50 Mile winner, and won the National Marathon in Washington D.C...
, marathoner and ultramarathoner. - J.D. GibbsJ.D. GibbsJ. D. Gibbs is a former American race car driver, and is currently the president of Joe Gibbs Racing. After being born near Los Angeles, California, his family moved several times. After attending high school, he started to play football at The College of William & Mary. He is currently married...
, President of Joe Gibbs RacingJoe Gibbs RacingJoe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
, NASCAR with drivers Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano
External links
- Oakton High School profile at Fairfax County Public Schools
- Oakton HS Sports
- Oakton HS Newspaper
- VHSL-Reference
- http://www.oaktonchorus.org
- http://www.oaktondrama.org
- http://www.oaktonbands.com