George Mason High School

George Mason High School (GMHS) is a comprehensive public high school serving the independent City of Falls Church. Until January 2014, it was located in Idylwood, an unincorporated area of Falls Church, in Fairfax County, Virginia, adjacent to Falls Church City.[3][4] As part of Fairfax Water's agreement to purchase the Falls Church Water System, the parcel with GMHS was transferred to Falls Church City.[5]

George Mason High School
Address
7124 Leesburg Pike

Falls Church
,
Virginia
22043
Coordinates38.89645°N 77.19140°W / 38.89645; -77.19140
Information
School typePublic high school
Founded1952
School districtFalls Church City Public Schools
PrincipalMatt Hills [1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment845 (2019-20)[2]
LanguageEnglish
Campussuburban
Color(s)               Red, White, and Black
MascotMustang
Feeder schoolsMary Ellen Henderson Middle School
Athletic conferencesVirginia High School League
AA Dulles District [lacrosse, swimming]
Websitegm.fccps.org

The school serves some 750 students in grades 9-12. The school is the sole high school of the Falls Church City Public Schools system.

The school was the first in Virginia to use the International Baccalaureate program.[6]

The school ranks gold in US News and World Report's Best High Schools Ranking for 2020; George Mason ranks #16 among all schools in Virginia and #649 in the United States.[7]

A newly renovated George Mason High School design was unveiled in 2017. Construction began on the new building in 2019.

Demographics

George Mason's racial breakdown in the 2008-09 class was 73% White (Not Hispanic), 11.6% Asian or Pacific Islander, 9% Hispanic, 6.2% Black, and 0.1% Other.[8] For comparison, the demographics of the City are: 85% White, 8.4% Hispanics of any race, 6.5% Asian, 3.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races.

History

GMHS was built on the site of a single-room school house which burned down in 1857. After the fire, the land sat empty until Falls Church was founded as an independent city in 1948 when residents sought greater control over their local school system, which, at the time, was segregated by race.[9] GMHS, since its establishment in 1952, has become a hub of activity in the city for its facilities and athletic fields.

Sports and activities
  • VHSL Scholastic Bowl Team - Bull Run District champions for 18 of 19 years between 2000 and 2018, receiving many region and conference titles in those years, seven-time Virginia A State Champions, including four straight years (2002, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), and five-time state runner-up (2004, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2015). 2011 NAQT national high school small school division quiz bowl champions after a third place finish in 2007 and fifth in 2010.[10]
  • Baseball - Bull Run District Champions 2010 [11]
  • Boys Basketball - Virginia A D2 State runners-up 2012 [12]
  • Girls Basketball - Virginia A D2 State Champions (2008–2009, 2009–2010, 2011–2012); Bull Run District runners-up and Region B champions 2007-2008, 2011-12 season.[13]
  • Cross Country - Girls State Champions (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), Girls State Runner-Up (2007, 2005), third (2006), Boys District and Region champs and 4th in state in 2010, sixth in State (2007), Boys District and State Champions (2011) [14][15]
  • American football - Bull Run District Champions 2006 [16]
  • Golf - Bull Run District Regular Season Champions 2006, 2007 [17]
  • Field Hockey
  • Ice Hockey[18]
  • Boys Lacrosse - Dulles District champions, 2008 [19]
  • Girls Lacrosse - Dulles District runners-up, 2010 [20] Dulles District Champions 2016, 4A State Runner-ups 2016, 4A State Champions 2017
  • Boys Soccer - Group A runners-up 2005, 2011. Group A State Champions 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013. Group 2A State Champions 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018. The 2015 team- Ranked #1 in Region I and #2 in Nation by NSCAA.[21][22] 2016- Ranked #10 in Nation by Max Preps.[23]
  • Girls Soccer - Group A Champions 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. Group 2A State Champions 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.[24][25]
  • Softball District champions 2012 [26]
  • Boys Swimming - Bull Run District and Region B Champions 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012. District and State Champions, 2015.[27]
  • Girls Swimming - Bull Run District and Region B Champions 2009, 2012. District Champions, 2014. District, Region and State Champions, 2015 [28]
  • Boys Tennis - Fourteen-time Group A State Champions: 1986-1991, 2001, 2004–2007, 2010-2012.[29]
  • Girls Tennis - Bull Run District and Region B Champions 2006-2008, 2010.[30]
  • Track and Field - Girls team third in State in 2007 and 2010, three school records and counting from the class of 2008 runners, girls team second in state (2008). Six individual state championships since 2005.[31][32]
  • Volleyball[33]
  • Wrestling[34]
  • FIRST Robotics Team 1418, Vae Victis - winner of 2004 VCU regional Rookie all-star, 2007 Chesapeake regional "Delphi's Driving Tomorrow's Technology" award, 8th seed overall in Chesapeake 2007, 2008 Chesapeake FIRST regional competition, 2010 Virginia Regional, 2016 Greater DC Event, Northern Virginia Event, and Chesapeake District Championship (top FIRST Robotics Competition team in Chesapeake district in 2016).
  • Band - Earned "Superior" scores at District X Festival for the past twelve years, the past five of which were earned playing Grade VI music. Also, the music department earned the VBODA "Blue Ribbon Award" for eleven years in a row, 2000-2011.
  • Chorus - Consistently earns "Superior" and "Excellent" scores at District X Festival.
  • Theater - The George Mason High School Theater annually performs a Fall musical and a Spring play.[35]

Notable alumni
  • Alan Vanneman (1963), author of Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra and Sherlock Holmes and the Hapsburg Tiara
  • Grant Sabatier (2003), author of Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All The Money You Will Ever Need (Penguin Random House, 2019) and Creator of Millennial Money[36][37]

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-09-24. Retrieved 2017-09-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/apex/f?p=180:1:4229016881936:SHOW_REPORT:NO:::
  3. "Idylwood CDP, Virginia." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 24, 2010.
  4. "Home Archived 2009-01-25 at the Wayback Machine." George Mason High School. Retrieved on March 24, 2010. "7124 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22043."
  5. Barton, Mary Ann. "It's Official: Fairfax Water Purchases Falls Church Water System for $40 Million" (Archive). Falls Church Patch. Retrieved on May 2, 2015. "This agreement also included a boundary adjustment that transferred 38.4 acres of land into the City of Falls Church. The largest parcel includes the 36 acres on which the City's George Mason High School and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School sit."
  6. FCCPS Fast Facts Archived 2011-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
  7. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/rankings
  8. "State of the School, 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  9. The Falls Church NAACP Archived February 27, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Mason Athletics
  11. Mason Athletics
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  21. Mason Athletics
  22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. Mason Athletics
  25. Falls Church News Press Archived 2014-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
  26. Mason Athletics
  27. Mason Athletics
  28. Mason Athletics
  29. Mason Athletics
  30. Mason Athletics
  31. Mason Athletics
  32. Mason Athletics
  33. Mason Athletics
  34. Mason Athletics
  35. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  36. financeEmailEmailBioBioFollowFollow, Jonnelle Marte closeJonnelle MarteReporter covering personal. "How this millennial saved $1 million by age 30". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  37. "Mason Alum Turned Millionaire Shares Story with F.C." Falls Church News-Press Online. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
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