South County High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)

Coordinates: 38°43′21.42″N 77°14′25.86″W / 38.7226167°N 77.2405167°W / 38.7226167; -77.2405167

South County High School (SCHS)
“Excellentia in Omni Conatu” (Excellence in All Endeavors)
Address
South County High School (SCHS) Show map of Northern Virginia South County High School (SCHS) Show map of Virginia South County High School (SCHS) Show map of the US
8501 Silvercook Road Lorton, Virginia 22079
Information
School type	Public, High school
Founded	2005
School district	Fairfax County Public Schools
Principal	Mr. Matthew J. Ragone
Staff	Approximately 0
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2,305 (2014-15)
Language	English
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Navy blue, forest green, and silver ███
Mascot	Nobody
Feeder schools	South County Middle School
Rival schools	Hayfield Secondary School West Springfield High School Lake Braddock Secondary School
Website	http://www.fcps.edu/southcountyhs

South County High School is a high school in Lorton,^[1] unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system, opened in September 2005. The school mascot is Stanley the Stallion or more commonly called Stan, and school colors are forest green, navy blue, and silver. Common nicknames include "SoCo", "SCHS", and "South County".

Current status

South County High School is designated to serve grades 9–12. In order to prevent disruption in students' senior years, 2005–06 seniors were allowed to remain at Hayfield, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Lee High School, or any other secondary school they were currently enrolled in to finish their secondary education and maintain continuity during the college application process. South County unofficially has a rivalry with Hayfield, West Springfield, and Lake Braddock, which are other FairFax County public schools. South County's main building has the same layout as Westfield High School (Virginia).

Administration

The current Principal of South County High School is Matt Ragone. He is the Instructional Leadership & Supervisior. He is responsible for County, Region, Pyramid Liaison. He is also responsible in the High School Principal’s Association (HSPA), Community Relations (PTSO), and School Improvement Plan (SIP). The assistant principals are: Michael Pflugrath, Paula DiSalvo, Jeremiah Caven, Kaaren Lowder, Carol Henry, and Leah Conte.

Demographics

In the 2014-15 school year South County High School's student body was: 51.77% Male, 48.23% Female. It was 47.28% White, 18.50% Asian, 16.85% African America, 11.50% Hispanic, and 5.87% other.^[2]

History of South County

In 2005 South County became the first secondary school to open in Fairfax County in 32 years. The school was built over the grounds of what used to be DC Department of Corrections facility at Lorton. The school originally was meant to be a secondary school, but with the construction of the middle school (South County Middle School) next to it, the school no longer served grades 7-12 but only 9-12.

South County Education

South County (as of December 2015) has a School Staffing Full-Time Equivalent Total of 202.8. The school has 2,229 Computers as of December 2015. The accreditation rates in the 2015-2016 (based on 2014-2015 testing) were: 93 for English, 95 for History, 89 for Math, and 89 for Science.^[3]

Grading Scale

South County uses the FCPS grading scale, which has been implemented by the county since 2009.

Academic programs

SCHS has the following FCPS Programs:

Advanced Placement (AP)

SoCo offers Advanced Placement programs for students who are highly motivated in their education. These courses are:

• Career and Transition Services
• English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

South County Athletics

Fall Sports

South County High School has three cheer teams, Freshman Cheer-leading, Junior Varsity Cheer-leading, and Varsity Cheer-leading. SoCo has girls JV Field Hockey, as well as Girls Varsity Field Hockey. SCHS has three football teams like most high-schools: Freshmen Football, Junior Varsity Football, and Varsity Football. Volleyball has its place in South County as well; the school offers Girls Freshmen Volleyball, Girls Junior Varsity Volleyball, and Varsity Volleyball. The school also a Cross-Country team and a golf team. The school also offers Marching Band.

Varsity Football

South County's Varsity Football team is highly-skilled and has gone to the playoffs many times. In their 2015 season, the Stallions made it to state semi-finals. The final game of the "Stallion's" 2016 season ended November 18. The "Stallions" were defeated during the playoff portions of their 2015 and 2016 seasons by the Westfield High School (Virginia) "Bulldogs".

Winter Sports

During the winter the main sport at SoCo is Basketball, having six teams which are: Boys Freshmen Basketball, Boys Junior Varsity Basketball, Boys Varsity Basketball, Girls Freshmen Basketball, Girls Junior Varsity Basketball, and Girls Varsity Basketball. The school also has teams for: Gymnastics, Indoor Track, Swim and Dive, and Wrestling. In the Winter, students may participate in the Indoor Drumline as well as the Indoor Colorguard.

Spring Sports

South County has teams for Baseball, Lacrosse, Crew, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, and Track. The baseball teams are: Junior Varsity and Varsity Baseball. The Lacrosse teams are: Boys Junior Varsity, Boys Varsity, Girls Junior Varsity, and Girls Varsity. Soccer also has 4 teams, which are Boys Junior Varsity, Boys Varsity, Girls Junior Varsity, and Girls Varsity. The Softball teams are Girls Junior Varsity, and Girls Varsity, and the tennis teams are Boys Varsity and Girls Varsity tennis.

Other Sports

SoCo also has courses in Dance and in Sports Medicine.

South County Performing Arts

Band

Kevin Engdahl

Kevin Engdahl is currently the director of the band program at South County High School. He is known at the school as Mr. Engdahl. Mr. Engdahl was a student at South County. Mr. Engdahl also graduated from James Madison University located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Mr. Engdahl directs all band classes, marching band, and jazz band.

Orchestra

Latoya Lamons

Ms. Lamons is currently the director of orchestras at South County High School. Latoya got her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has performed with the University Symphony Orchestra, Mount Vernon Orchestra, and the BESK quartet. Ms. Lamons lives in Springfield.

Guitar

South County After School Programs

South County High School offers many different clubs and after school programs

Clubs

Notable alumni

Jeffrey Philip Caesar Political Scientist, Environmental Justice Activist, and Social Entrepreneur.

Andi Sullivan, U.S. Women's National Soccer Team

References

External links

• Official site
• Stallion Athletics
• SCHS Bands