North Stafford High School

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North Stafford High School
Address
839 Garrisonville Rd Stafford, Virginia, 22554 USA
Information
School district	Stafford County Public Schools
Superintendent	Dr. David E. Sawyer
Principal	Mr. Thomas Nichols
Vice principal	Mr. Mark Strickler Mr. Anthony E. Copeland Ms. Ann Bueche Ms. Margaret Lowry
Enrollment	1,608 (Fall 2006)
Type	Public High School
Grades	9-12
Language	English
Athletics conference	Virginia High School League AAA Northwest Region AAA Commonwealth District
Rival	Stafford Senior High School Colonial Forge High School
Mascot	Wolverines
School Colour(s)	Navy Blue, Columbia Blue and Orange
Established	1981
Homepage	http://www.nshs.net

North Stafford High School is a public high school in northern Stafford County, Virginia. It is one of five public high schools in the Stafford County Public School District and instructs students in grades 9 through 12.

Contents 1 History 2 Location and Demographics 3 Academics and Extracurricular Activities 4 Athletics 4.1 Football 4.2 Basketball 4.3 Soccer 4.4 Track 4.5 Records 5 Notable Alumni 6 References

[edit] History

Completed in 1981, North Stafford High School was the second high school to be built in Stafford County. Robert White served as the school's principal from 1981 until 1997 before becoming assistant superintendent. Numerous changes occurred in the school during the next five years under the guidance of principals Henry Johnson and James Stemple including changing the school's colors to the current colors of navy blue, Columbia blue, and orange.^[1]

The school underwent major renovations in 2003 including the construction of an additional wing on the school for foreign language and to account for overcrowding. The renovation also included adding a new art studio and weight room. In the 2004-2005 school year, James Stemple left to be principal at the newly constructed Mountain View High School and was replaced by current principal Thomas Nichols.

[edit] Location and Demographics

North Stafford is located on State Route 610, or Garrisonville Road, approximately 3 miles from I-95 and U.S. Route 1. The school's attendance zone covers mostly the housing developments along Route 610 between Shelton Shop Road and I-95. Due to the influx of population in Stafford County in recent years, the school's attendance zones and enrollment have fluctuated greatly. Currently, North Stafford's student population is 69% White, 22% Black, 5% Hispanic, and 3% Asian/Pacific Islander.^[2]

[edit] Academics and Extracurricular Activities

North Stafford prides itself in achieving academic excellence every year. The school has received Full Accreditation since 2002 and has met AYP in all but one of those years.^[3][4][5] Students at North Stafford are offered a variety of choices of study, including the option of Advanced Placement (AP) or Dual Enrollment (DE) courses, business and management classes, and an extensive career and technical education department.

The North Stafford Marching Band is a 18 time Virginia honor band, the only band in Stafford County to receive that accomplishment and one of only six schools in the state have the same or higher accomplishments. Under the direction of Mr. Joe Tornello and Mr. John Easley, the North Stafford Marching Band has received Superior ratings at every performance for the past four years since 2003. In the 2006 season the Big Blue Marching Band was undefeated in its AA class and won overall Grand Champion at the Millbrook High School Invitational competition. The Jazz band has been revived under the fourth year director Mr. Joe Tornello whose strict discipline and classy attitude has taken the band program back to its flawless status.

[edit] Athletics

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North Stafford currently competes varsity teams in 16 different sports as a member of the AAA Commonwealth District and Northwest Region of the Virginia High School League. The school also fields an Ice Hockey team as a club sport, and the national award-winning Wolverine Thunder Step Team.

The Wolverine Thunder Step Team was selected as one of the four finalists in the "National Step Battle" sponsored by Sony Pictures and Stomp the Yard. Receiving over 50% of the vote, North Stafford's Wolverine Thunder won the competition, along with a trip for the team to New York City.^[6]

In their inaugural seasons, the Field Hockey team finished as district champions with a record of 9-3 and the Varsity Football team finished with a record of 6-4.^[1] North Stafford has achieved 8 VHSL state championships.^[7] The girls gymnastics team won four straight state titles from 1987-1991 and the field hockey team won a state title in 1988. Since the VHSL state cheerleading competition began in 1997, North Stafford has won 3 state titles (1999, 2001, 2004), placed second twice, third once, and fifth in 2006.^[7] The school's hockey team, which plays in the NVSHL, has also won 2 championships in its 4 years of existence.

[edit] Football

North Stafford's football program began to receive recognition as a program competitive outside of the Commonwealth District starting with the fall 1999 season. Under the leadership of senior quarterback Chris Ashinhurst, the team advanced to the regional championship game for the first time in school history while rewriting much of the state football record book. Before the start of the 2004 season, 3 players had already committed to Division I-A colleges. The 2004 team finished the regular season undefeated and captured the Commonwealth District and Northwest Region championships. The team's success brought about unprecedented community support as the team continued into the state playoffs. On December 11, 2004, North Stafford played Meadowbrook High School at the University of Richmond stadium for the AAA Division 5 Championship. Despite leading 14-0 in the first half, North Stafford lost 27-35 and took home the runner-up title. The football program is currently under a new coaching staff change.

[edit] Basketball

The school's basketball teams have also had great success in recent years. In the 2003-2004 season, senior Tierra Bumbrey set a new school scoring record with a total of 1,260 points and the team advanced to the Northwest Region championship. However, that record was broken again the very next year by senior Chris Darnell. During the second half of the 2004-2005 season, the boy's basketball team tied the school record for consecutive wins and advanced to the Northwest Region playoffs. In his career at North Stafford, Darnell set the school record of 1,464 points, 243 blocks, and 776 rebounds.>Darnell Sets Record. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2006-11-05.</ref>

[edit] Soccer

The North Stafford Boy's Soccer team reached the state semi-finals in 2006. "Sixty more seconds. That's all North Stafford needed to hold Thomas Dale's potent offense scoreless. Sixty more ticks off the clock. That's all that stood between North Stafford and the Group AAA boy soccer championship game. Sixty seconds--that's the time it took for the Wolverines to swing from elation to devastation." The 2007 team was coached by Iric "Boomer" Bressler, former North Stafford standout defender Andrew Mitchell, and former Brooke Point standout stiker/midfielder Tim Tryon. North Stafford won the Commonwealth District championship over rival Stafford High School while going undefeated in the district. The team finished their 2007 season ranked fifth in the Metro Area by The Washington Post.^[8]

[edit] Track

The Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Spring Track teams have demonstrated varying degrees of success. The Men's team overall is more competitive within the VHSL than is the Women's team in all three sports. In the 2005 Cross Country season, the Men's team won the Commonwealth District Championship^[9] and Northwest Regional Meet^[10] over county rival Colonial Forge. They went on to place a disappointing 6th in the AAA division of the VHSL Cross Country Championships, showing little improvement during the season as a team.^[11]

[edit] Records

Virginia AAA State Championships [7]
Year	Sport
1988	Field Hockey
1988	Girls Gymnastics
1989	Girls Gymnastics
1990	Girls Gymnastics
1991	Girls Gymnastics
1999	Cheerleading
2001	Cheerleading
2004	Cheerleading

Virginia AAA State Runner-up [7]
Year	Sport
1989	Field Hockey
1999	Wrestling
2002	Cheerleading
2003	Cheerleading
2004	Football

North Stafford State Football Records [7]
Name	Category	Stat	Year	Rank
Chris Ashinhurst	Completions (SS)	259	1999	1
Chris Ashinhurst	Passing Yds (SS)	3,306	1999	1*
Chris Ashinhurst	Completions (C)	404	1999	5*
Nate Ilaoa	Yds Receiving (SS)	1,299	1999	2*
Nate Ilaoa	Receptions (SS)	82	1999	3*
Jared Fowler	Completions (SS)	185	2001	5*
Josh Baldwin	Receptions (SS)	83	2001	3(tie)*
C=Career	SS=Single Season	* - since broken

[edit] Notable Alumni

• John Maine, Class of 1999 - New York Mets pitcher, pitched in the 2006 NLCS
• Nate Ilaoa, Class of 2001 - Philadelphia Eagles running back; 236th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft; 2007 NFL Combine Invite; Starting running back at the University of Hawaii; 2000 Washington Post Offensive Player of the Year, 2-time All-Met selection.He now plays in the AFL and was signed on November 1st.

[edit] References

Stafford County Public Schools
High Schools
Stafford • North Stafford • Brooke Point • Colonial Forge • Mountain View

Middle Schools
Edward E. Drew • T. Benton Gayle • Stafford • Andrew G. Wright • H.H. Poole • Rodney Thompson • Dixon-Smith

Elementary Schools
Anne E. Moncure • Stafford • Grafton Village • Falmouth • Hartwood • Garrisonville • Widewater • Rockhill • Park Ridge • Ferry Farm • Hampton Oaks • Winding Creek • Rocky Run • Kate Waller Barrett • Conway • Margaret Brent • Anthony Burns