Matoaca High School
Matoaca High School | |
---|---|
Address | |
17700 Longhouse Lane Chesterfield, Virginia 23838 | |
Information | |
School type | Public, high school |
Founded | 1963 |
School district | Chesterfield County Public Schools |
Superintendent | Dr. James F. Lane |
Principal | Mrs. Belinda Merriman |
Grades | 9-12 |
Enrollment | 1,824 (2009-2010) |
Campus | Suburban |
Color(s) | Red, White, Black, and Gold |
Mascot | Warriors |
Rival Schools |
Thomas Dale High School Petersburg High School Colonial Heights High School |
Specialty Program | Information Technology |
Athletic Conference |
Virginia High School League Central Region Central District |
Website | Official Site |
Matoaca High School is an American secondary school in the Matoaca community of unincorporated Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States This is the newer campus of the school; the old school campus was converted into a middle school, known currently as Matoaca Middle School. The school's mascot is the Warrior. Matoaca is well known for its sports and its technology specialty center.
This school has a technology specialty program for students to learn about the computer industry, through teaching classes such as Oracle I and II, Cisco, and IT1 and 2 (Prep classes for Network+ and A+ certifications). Matoaca was formally the only school in Chesterfield County that distributed laptop computers for their students' use, but due to "students [failing] to show any academic gains compared with those in schools without laptops" the school discontinued their use for those not in the Specialty Center program.[1]
History and tradition
Alma Mater
Hail to thee our Alma Mater,
dear old red and white.
Honoring you with our spirit,
standing in your might.
Through the years we'll cherish you
as we have in the past.
ALMA MATER praise be nigh,
our dear Matoaca High.
Specialty Center
Matoaca High School specializes in technology. At the school, students enrolled in the Technology Center will be able to have Dell laptops and use them in their classes. However, current students will not receive laptops unless they are in the specialty center.
Laptop Program
Matoaca's program for providing students with laptops ended after the class of 2006 left the school. Students enrolled in the school during the 2006 school year were able to continue using their laptops until the end of their senior years. Teachers and Specialty Center students are still issued laptops.
The program was ended after the significant growth in the school's general student population exceeded the campus's official capacity, in addition to prohibitive costs. The money was instead used for transportation in Chesterfield County, which was seen as a higher priority at the time of the program's termination. Following the graduation of the 2006 class, the school held an end-of-term sale in June, which allowed any student to purchase a retired Dell laptop for approximately $600. Remaining laptops were distributed to other parts of Chesterfield County. Following these events, only specialty center students are granted laptops.
Clubs and Organizations
Matoaca offers numerous clubs and organizations for students to join and explore their interests. These clubs and organizations are categorized in the following five ways: Curriculum-Based Clubs, Honor Clubs, School-Sponsored Clubs, Student-Interest Clubs, and World Language Clubs.
The curriculum-based clubs are:
- Art Club
- Behind the Wheel
- DECA
- Drama Club
- Environmental Club
- FBLA-PBL
- Friends of Jack Coryell
- Journalism Club
- Poetry Club
- Psychology Club
- Science Club
- TSA
- Yearbook
The honor clubs consist of:
- International Thespian Society
- National Art Honor Society
- National French Honor Society
- National German Honor Society
- National Honor Society
- National Latin Honor Society
- National Spanish Honor Society
- National Technical Honor Society
The school-sponsored clubs are:
- SCA
- Senior Class Council
- Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Class Officers
- Key Club
- Model United Nations
- Peer Ambassadors
- SADD
- Student Mentors
- Virginia Math League
- YADAPP/YOVASO
The Student-Interest Clubs consist of:
- Academic Team (Academic Challenge)
- American Red Cross Club
- Fandom Club
- Best Buds
- Beta Beta Kappa (Book Club)
- Chess Club
- F.O.R (Friends of Rachel)
- Faculty Fitness Club
- FCA
- Film Club
- Improv Club
- Military Careers Club
- Multi-Cultural Club
- Musicians Club
- Outdoors Club
- Ping Pong Club
- Young Writers' Club
Finally, the world language clubs are listed as:
- Cercle de Francais
- German Club
- Latin Club
- Spanish Club
Other extracurricular groups at Matoaca High School include marching band, color guard, dance team, and cheerleading.[2]
Notable alumni
- Terrell Brown - CBS News Correspondent[3]
- James Farrior - Former Pittsburgh Steelers Middle Linebacker[4]
- Bryon Thweatt - Second NFL player from Matoaca, Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and player for the Tennessee Titans, currently coaches linebackers at the collegiate level.
References
- ↑ Hu, Winnie (4 May 2007). "Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- ↑ http://www.matoacahs.mychesterfieldschools.com/pages/Matoaca_HS/School_Activities/Page_Menu/Clubs
- ↑ Buettner, Michael (June 6, 2012). "Schools' outstanding alumni honored by foundation". Chesterfield Observer. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ↑ White, Jeff. "Farrior and Miller Carry UVa Banner in Super Bowl XLV". University of Virginia Athletics. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- "Matoaca grad new envoy to Cape Verde" By Julian Walker. Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 28, 2005.
- "The Great Divide: Area schools cope with low budgets and high expectations" By Malcolm J. Venable. Richmond.com. May 9, 2000
- "Former Chesterfield County Student - Athletes in 2005 NFL Pro Bowl". Department of Public Affairs for Chesterfield County. February 24, 2005
- An optimistic article on Matoaca's surveillance cameras Tomahawk Times. January 17, 2006