South County High School Explained

South County High School (SCHS)
Motto:“Excellentia in Omni Conatu” (Excellence in All Endeavors)
Streetaddress:8501 Silverbrook Road
Zipcode:22079
Founded:2005
Principal:Samuel (Sammy) Khoshaba
Staff:Approximately 209
Grades:9–12
Enrollment:2,212
Url:https://southcountyhs.fcps.edu/
Pushpin Map:USA Virginia Northern
Feeder Schools:South County Middle School
Colors:Navy blue, forest green, and silver
Enrollment As Of:December 2018
Free Label 1:Rival schools
Free Label 2:Athletic conferences

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

History

In 2005, South County Secondary School became the first secondary school to open in Fairfax County in 32 years. The school was built on the grounds of the decommissioned District of Columbia Department of Corrections Lorton facility. With the construction of South County Middle School next to it in 2012[2] its designation was changed to that of a high school.

Current status

South County High School serves grades 9–12. SCHS unofficially has a rivalry with Hayfield, West Springfield, and Lake Braddock, which are other schools in FCPS. South County's main building mirrors that of Westfield High School. In 2015, after extensive fundraising efforts led by the former Director of Student Activities, Leah Conte, the natural grass playing fields were replaced with synthetic turf.[3]

The current high school's Student Government President is Zion Nuby, elected in April of 2021.

Administration

The principal of South County High School is Samuel Khoshaba. Khoshaba was formerly the principal of Western Branch Middle School in Chesapeake City Public Schools. He was also named the 2021 Middle School Principal of the Year by the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals.[4]

Demographics

In the 2018-2019 school year SCHS's student body was 40.09% White, 19.95% Black, 1.20% Asian, 15.75% Hispanic or Latino, and 5.66% other.[5]

School safety report card[6]

Offenses 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
Alcohol, Tobacco, And Other Drug Offenses 17 9 14 18 59
Disorderly Or Disruptive Behavior Offenses 25 11 17 10 24
Offenses Against Staff 1 1 0 0 39
Offenses Against Student 9 4 3 0 10
Other Offenses Against Persons 25 17 9 14 23
Property Offenses 3 3 1 0 0
Technology Offenses 0 0 0 0 0
Weapons Offenses 3 0 0 5 4
All Other Offenses 3 2 1 1 6

Academics

South County (as of December 2018) has 206 full time staff, of which 142 are teachers.[7] The school also has 2,142 computers to aid in teaching. SCHS is fully accredited with rates of 92 for English, 90 for History, 87 for Math, and 89 for Science in 2017-2018 (based on 2016-2017 testing).[8]

Grading scale

South County uses the FCPS grading scale.

LetterNumerical RangeQuality Points
A93 - 1004.0
A-90 - 923.7
B+87 - 893.3
B83 - 863.0
B-80 - 822.7
C+77 - 792.3
C73 - 762.0
C-70 - 721.7
D+67 - 691.3
D64 - 661.0
F0 - 630.0

Academic programs

SCHS offers the following programs:

Advanced Placement (AP)

South County offers Advanced Placement programs in the following subject areas:

EnglishMusicVisual ArtsMathScienceSocial StudiesWorld Languages
AP English Language and CompositionAP Music TheoryAP Studio Art: Drawing PortfolioAP StatisticsAP BiologyAP World HistoryAP French
AP English Literature and CompositionAP Studio Art: 2-D Design PortfolioAP Computer Science AAP ChemistryAP US HistoryAP Japanese
AP Studio Art: 3-D Design PortfolioAP Calculus ABAP Environmental ScienceAP GovernmentAP Latin
AP Calculus BCAP Physics 1AP Human GeographyAP Spanish
AP Physics 2AP Macro and MicroeconomicsAP Chinese
AP Physics C - MechanicsAP Psychology

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Athletics

South County athletic teams are as follows:[9]

Fall sports

Varsity football

South County's Varsity Football team is highly skilled and has gone to the playoffs many times including a state championship appearance in 2011 where they lost 20-10. In their 2015 season, the Stallions made it to state semi-finals losing to Westfield 40-8. In 2019, the Stallions defeated Westfield 28-21 in the state semi-finals to advance to their second state title game in school history. They defeated the Oscar Smith Tigers 14-13 to capture their first football state title in school history. In 2021, the Stallions made their third state championship appearance.

Winter sports

Varsity boys basketball

The boys varsity basketball team won the 2018 VHSL 6A State Championship with a 63-47 victory over Western Branch High School. Having another remarkable season, the boys varsity basketball team went 27-3 and made it to the state finals. Due to COVID-19, the game was never played and the team was announced as 2020 VHSL 6A State co-champions with Centreville High School.

Spring sports

After-school programs

SCHS offers many different clubs and after school programs.

Notable alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. "Lorton CDP, Virginia ." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  2. Web site: South County Middle School Opens Doors. 2012-09-04. Lorton, VA Patch. en. 2019-02-07.
  3. Web site: Hellas Construction. www.hellasconstruction.com. 2019-02-07.
  4. Web site: Welcome, Principal Khoshaba! South County High School . 2022-06-15 . southcountyhs.fcps.edu.
  5. Web site: Student Membership Demographics and Supplemental Programs (as of June for each school year) . FCPS . https://archive.today/20161006104348/http://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:13:::::P0_CURRENT_SCHOOL_ID:420 . 6 October 2016 . English . live . 6 October 2016 . dmy-all .
  6. Web site: FCPS - School Profiles - South County HS - Demographics.
  7. Web site: FCPS - School Profiles - South County HS - Staffing. schoolprofiles.fcps.edu. 2019-02-07.
  8. Web site: VDOE Accreditation Summary . FCPS . https://archive.today/20161006102851/http://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:9:0::NO::P0_CURRENT_SCHOOL_ID:420 . 6 October 2016 . English . live . 6 October 2016 . dmy-all .
  9. Web site: Athletics - South County High School. southcountyhs.rschoolteams.com. 2019-02-07.