Salem High School (Salem, Virginia)
Encyclopedia
Salem High School is a public high school
in Salem, Virginia
. It is the sole high school for the City of Salem public school system.
in Salem and Glenvar High School
in western Roanoke County
were consolidated into Salem High School. Some members of the community petitioned without success to have the new school retain the Andrew Lewis
name in honor of the colonial era general. The predecessor to Andrew Lewis High School was also called Salem High School, so the name was not without precedent. The incoming students from Andrew Lewis and Glenvar voted to adopt maroon and silver as the new school's colors and Spartans as the nickname.
In 1983, the city of Salem decided to establish an independent school district. Beginning with the 1983-1984 school year, enrollment in Salem High School was limited to the city of Salem. Glenvar High School was reopened to serve western Roanoke County.
scores are 500 in verbal and 513 in math. Pass rates for Virginia's Standards of Learning
tests average a little over 95%, which makes the school fully accredited.
and competes in the AA River Ridge District
, a district currently in Region IV
of Group AA. Salem competed in the now defunct Group AAA Roanoke Valley District when it was opened but dropped down to the Group AA Blue Ridge District
in 1988, a few years after Glenvar's student population left. When the Blue Ridge split in 2003, Salem was assigned to the new River Ridge District. Salem was a member of Region III from 1988 to 2007. Salem has enjoyed championship level success in athletics since the early 1990s. Best known is the football team, which plays in the Salem Football Stadium
, and has captured six Group AA, Division 4 championships, in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, and 2005. Salem has also won Group AA state titles in boys basketball (1994, 1999), boys tennis (1993, 1994, 2011), girls volleyball (1998), girls soccer (2003), and softball (1991). The school's only Group AAA team state championship was won by the boys golf team, in the spring of 1983 (the last year in which the VHSL staged golf as a spring sport).
The Quiz bowl team (2003), coached by Mr. Fred Campbell, and Forensics team (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), coached by Mr. Mark Ingerson, have also won Group AA VHSL state championships. The Forensics Team has won eighteen individual state championships in nine or ten VHSL categories since 2004. John Kayrouz has been the school's most dominant forensics competitor, winning three straight individual championships (Storytelling 2005 and Humorous 2006 and 2007). Mo Amin also distinguished himself by winning an individual state championship (Foreign Extemporaneous 2005) and becoming the first person in school history to place in state finals all four years of high school (2004-2007). Kane Kennedy (Prose), Jonathan Walker (Poetry), and Amy Sailer (Oratory) all have won back-to-back state titles in their respective categories. The Forensics team has won four straight region titles and five straight River Ridge District championships. The school's Pride of Salem marching band
has also won several competitions. Salem High School supports three publications: the Laconian yearbook
, the Oracle newspaper
, and the Delphi literary magazine
. The Laconian, directed by Mrs. Katie Reid, was awarded a Gold Crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) in 2007. Of 1800 yearbooks presented to the CSPA, less than 2% win gold. Only eleven high school yearbooks won gold in 2007, with Salem winning its first Gold Crown. The school offers a total of 31 clubs.
Salem won the VHSL's Wachovia
Cup in Group AA for academic competitions in the 2009-2010 school year.
Salem also includes multiple current Division One athletes:Reggie and Stephen Barnette (Richmond University); Ellen Weaver (University of Kentucky); Scott Campbell, Aaron Eckstein, Ryan Rotanz, Daniel Dyer and George George (Virginia Tech); John Ribble (William and Mary); Carter Williamson (UNC-Central); Matt Robertson (Colgate University); Dante Harvey (Liberty University), Mark Hanabury (Davidson College).
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 Salem, Virginia
Salem, Virginia
Salem is an independent city in Virginia, USA, bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census...
. It is the sole high school for the City of Salem public school system.
History
Salem High School was opened for the 1977-1978 school year by Roanoke County public schools. The student bodies of Andrew Lewis High SchoolAndrew Lewis High School
Andrew Lewis High School is a former high school in Salem, Virginia, US which was named after Andrew Lewis, an American pioneer, surveyor, and soldier from Virginia. He served as a colonel of militia during the French and Indian War, and as a brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War. who...
in Salem and Glenvar High School
Glenvar High School
Glenvar High School is a public high school in Roanoke County, Virginia. It is one of the five high schools for the . Glenvar High School serves the western end of Roanoke County and is located in the community of Glenvar, which is immediately west of Salem, Virginia.-History:Glenvar High School...
in western Roanoke County
Roanoke County, Virginia
Roanoke County is a county located in the U.S. state of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area and located within the Roanoke Region of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 85,778. As of 2010, the population was 92,376...
were consolidated into Salem High School. Some members of the community petitioned without success to have the new school retain the Andrew Lewis
Andrew Lewis (soldier)
Andrew Lewis was an American pioneer, surveyor, and soldier from Virginia. He served as a colonel of militia during the French and Indian War, and as a brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War...
name in honor of the colonial era general. The predecessor to Andrew Lewis High School was also called Salem High School, so the name was not without precedent. The incoming students from Andrew Lewis and Glenvar voted to adopt maroon and silver as the new school's colors and Spartans as the nickname.
In 1983, the city of Salem decided to establish an independent school district. Beginning with the 1983-1984 school year, enrollment in Salem High School was limited to the city of Salem. Glenvar High School was reopened to serve western Roanoke County.
Academics
Salem High School is a comprehensive high school which includes the grades 9-12 with a student enrollment of 1,322. The school offers over 150 courses that include academic, vocational, and Advanced Placement courses. Salem has offered the International Baccalaureate degree program since 1990 has . Approximately 50% of graduates attend a four year college and while another 40% attend a two year college. Mean SATSAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
scores are 500 in verbal and 513 in math. Pass rates for Virginia's Standards of Learning
Standards 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 average a little over 95%, which makes the school fully accredited.
Athletics and Extracurriculars
Salem High School is a member of the Virginia High School LeagueVirginia 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,...
and competes in the AA River Ridge District
AA River Ridge District
The AA River Ridge District is a district in Region IV of the Virginia High School League which was formed for the 2003-2004 school year out of the AA Blue Ridge District in Region III. In the 2002-2003 school year, the student body of Group AAA Cave Spring High School in Roanoke County was split...
, a district currently in Region IV
AA Region IV
AA Region IV is one of the four AA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of three districts: the AA Piedmont District, the AA River Ridge District, and the AA Southwest District....
of Group AA. Salem competed in the now defunct Group AAA Roanoke Valley District when it was opened but dropped down to the Group AA Blue Ridge District
AA Blue Ridge District
The AA Blue Ridge District is a district in the Region III of the Virginia High School League. The district is named for the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are nearby all of the schools. From the late 1980s through the early 2000s, the district steadily grew as four schools dropped in classification...
in 1988, a few years after Glenvar's student population left. When the Blue Ridge split in 2003, Salem was assigned to the new River Ridge District. Salem was a member of Region III from 1988 to 2007. Salem has enjoyed championship level success in athletics since the early 1990s. Best known is the football team, which plays in the Salem Football Stadium
Salem Football Stadium
Salem Stadium is a stadium in Salem, Virginia, USA. It is primarily used for American football and hosts the home football games of the Salem High School Spartans. It was built in 1985 and seats 7,157 people. The stadium is part of the James E...
, and has captured six Group AA, Division 4 championships, in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, and 2005. Salem has also won Group AA state titles in boys basketball (1994, 1999), boys tennis (1993, 1994, 2011), girls volleyball (1998), girls soccer (2003), and softball (1991). The school's only Group AAA team state championship was won by the boys golf team, in the spring of 1983 (the last year in which the VHSL staged golf as a spring sport).
The Quiz bowl team (2003), coached by Mr. Fred Campbell, and Forensics team (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), coached by Mr. Mark Ingerson, have also won Group AA VHSL state championships. The Forensics Team has won eighteen individual state championships in nine or ten VHSL categories since 2004. John Kayrouz has been the school's most dominant forensics competitor, winning three straight individual championships (Storytelling 2005 and Humorous 2006 and 2007). Mo Amin also distinguished himself by winning an individual state championship (Foreign Extemporaneous 2005) and becoming the first person in school history to place in state finals all four years of high school (2004-2007). Kane Kennedy (Prose), Jonathan Walker (Poetry), and Amy Sailer (Oratory) all have won back-to-back state titles in their respective categories. The Forensics team has won four straight region titles and five straight River Ridge District championships. The school's Pride of Salem marching band
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...
has also won several competitions. Salem High School supports three publications: the Laconian 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...
, the Oracle newspaper
Newspaper
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...
, and the Delphi 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...
. The Laconian, directed by Mrs. Katie Reid, was awarded a Gold Crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) in 2007. Of 1800 yearbooks presented to the CSPA, less than 2% win gold. Only eleven high school yearbooks won gold in 2007, with Salem winning its first Gold Crown. The school offers a total of 31 clubs.
Salem won the VHSL's Wachovia
Wachovia
Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on total assets...
Cup in Group AA for academic competitions in the 2009-2010 school year.
Salem also includes multiple current Division One athletes:Reggie and Stephen Barnette (Richmond University); Ellen Weaver (University of Kentucky); Scott Campbell, Aaron Eckstein, Ryan Rotanz, Daniel Dyer and George George (Virginia Tech); John Ribble (William and Mary); Carter Williamson (UNC-Central); Matt Robertson (Colgate University); Dante Harvey (Liberty University), Mark Hanabury (Davidson College).
Trivia
- Salem High School student Gaurav Raja held the North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n record for memorizing digits of piPi' is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter. is approximately equal to 3.14. Many formulae in mathematics, science, and engineering involve , which makes it one of the most important mathematical constants...
. Raja broke a 27 year old record when he recited 10,980 digits in June 2006; he lost the record in December 2006 when another person recited 12,887 digits.