Robert E. Lee High School (Staunton, Virginia)

Robert E. Lee High School
Robert E. Lee High School
Address
Robert E. Lee High School
1200 North Coalter St.
Staunton, Virginia 24401
 United States
Coordinates Coordinates: 38°9′53.6″N 79°3′11.5″W / 38.164889°N 79.053194°W / 38.164889; -79.053194
Information
Funding type Public school
School board Staunton City Public Schools
Principal Nate Collins[1]
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 775[2] (2014-15)
Language English
Color(s) Blue and silver          
Athletics conference AA Valley District
Mascot The Fighting Leemen
Rivals Waynesboro High School, Fort Defiance High School
Newspaper The Traveler
Website

Robert E. Lee High School

Robert E. Lee High School
Original Complex
Location 274 Churchville Ave., Staunton, Virginia
Coordinates 38°9′53.6″N 79°3′11.5″W / 38.164889°N 79.053194°W / 38.164889; -79.053194
Area 5.3 acres (2.1 ha)
Built 1926 (1926)
Architect T.J. Collins & Son
Architectural style Colonial Revival
NRHP reference # 09000122[3]
VLR # 132-0037
Significant dates
Added to NRHP March 10, 2009
Designated VLR December 18, 2008[4]

Robert E. Lee High School is a public high school in Staunton, Virginia, United States. It is named after Robert E. Lee. It is a part of Staunton City Schools.

History

Robert E. Lee High School was originally opened in the early 1900's. The original building, at 274 Churchville Avenue, is in Colonial Revival style. The two-story brick central block is topped by a slate hipped roof with a cupola in the center and strongly detailed pediments facing the street. Flanking wings were added in 1954. The school is named after Robert Edward Lee, who commanded the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War. Lee utilized tactics, while defending Virginia from invading Federal forces, that are still studied at the United States Military Academy.

In 1983, the school moved to what had been John Lewis Junior High School, on North Coalter Street. The original building subsequently housed a summer ESL school and a parochial school operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond, and was later renovated into senior apartments.[5] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.[3]

In July 2014 The News Leader received a letter to the editor suggesting renaming Lee High School;[6] the majority of the editorial board and key employees agreed and suggested possibilities for renaming.[7] In August 2017, in the wake of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the editorial board stated that it may be "tougher" to keep the school named after Lee.[8] In October 2018, after months of debate, the Staunton School Board voted 4-2 to rename Robert E. Lee High School.[9]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ https://www.staunton.k12.va.us/domain/219
  2. ↑ "Robert E. Lee High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  3. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  4. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  5. ↑ Mark McConnel (August 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Robert E. Lee High School" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying four photos
  6. ↑ Driver, David (Staunton, Virginia) (2014-07-29). "Let's rename Lee High" (letter to the editor). The News Leader.
  7. ↑ "Time for a renamed high school?". The News Leader. 2014-07-29. Retrieved 2017-08-21. - Statement by the majority opinion of the newspaper editorial board as well as three key employees: the publisher and president, the executive editor, and the editor of community conversations; the latter three were, respectively, Roger Watson, David Fritz, and Deona Landes Huff.
  8. ↑ Editorial Board (2017-08-19). "Keeping R.E. Lee school name gets tougher with each racist clash". The News Leader. Retrieved 2017-08-21. - Statement by the majority opinion of the newspaper editorial board as well as three key employees: the president, the executive editor, and the news director; the latter three were, respectively, Roger Watson, David Fritz, and William Ramsey.
  9. ↑ Fultz, Matthew. "In 4-2 vote, Staunton School Board votes to rename R. E. Lee High". Retrieved 2018-10-09.
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