Briar Woods High School

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Briar Woods High School is a public secondary school located in Ashburn, Virginia, and is part of Loudoun County Public Schools. The school is located in the Brambleton community and also serves students who live in Broadlands and Arcola.

Contents 1 History 2 Demographics 3 Test Scores 4 Athletics 5 Extracurricular Activities 5.1 Music 5.2 Drama 5.3 Student Council 5.4 Clubs

[edit] History

Briar Woods High School opened on August 29th, 2005 with its student body coming from Stone Bridge High School and Eagle Ridge Middle School. The first and current principal is Edward Starzenski who served as principal of Loudoun County High School from 1991 to 2004.

[edit] Demographics

In 2005-2006, Briar Woods High School's student population was 68% White; 5% Black; 2% Hispanic; and 19% Asian.

[edit] Test Scores

Briar Woods is a fully accredited high school by the Virginia Department of Education. No average SAT scores will be available until the first senior class graduates in 2007.

[edit] Athletics

Briar Woods is a member of the AA Dulles District and Region II. As with most schools in their first year, Briar Woods' athletic teams did not fare well. Due to the lack of a senior class and a small junior class, most sports teams were at a disadvantage competing against established schools. Unlike when other area schools Heritage and Stone Bridge opened, the football team played a junior varsity schedule instead of an independent varsity schedule. The junior varsity football team ended their year with a 9-1 record. All other sports fielded varsity-level teams and competed in the AA Dulles District. As with newly opened Freedom, Briar Woods ended their seasons low in the standings.

After completing their first varsity football season, they finished 6-4. They did however, place first in their divison (Dulles Independant).

[edit] Extracurricular Activities

[edit] Music

Briar Woods has four bands: the Symphonic-Winds Band, the Concert Band, the Falcon Regiment Marching Band, and a Jazz Band. The Jazz Band, which is not yet available as a class, meets before school to practice. The Briar Woods Band Program started their first year with only forty members. As of the 2006-2007 school year, the band program has more than doubled in size, with about 90% of band students participating in the Falcon Regiment Marching Band. The 2006-2007 show is a four part show entitled "Reflections of the Imagination: The Music of Sergei Prokofiev". Selections include:

1. Fun & Games  : "Peter and the Wolf Fanfare" - "March, Opus. 99"
2. Romance  : "Romance" (from Lt. Kije)
3. Nightmare  : "Dance of the Spirits of Darkness"
4. Heroic Adventure : "Troika" (from Lt. Kije)

In the school's first year, the Symphonic-Winds Band was selected to go to the New York Wind Band Festival and perform in Carnegie Hall the following spring. All bands are under the direction of Duane Minnick. There is also a chorus program, a string ensemble, and a guitar ensemble.

[edit] Drama

Briar Woods Drama performed two shows during the 2005-2006 school year. Their fall play was Icarus All Over Again while the Spring Musical was The Wizard of Oz, both under the direction of Marina Levi. Marilyn Gilligan was hired in 2006 to take over the drama department. In the 2006-2007 school year, Briar Woods is putting on a production of The Music Man.

[edit] Student Council

The Briar Woods High School SCA (Student Council Association) is a member of the VSCA (Virginia Student Councils Association) and the NASC (National Association of Student Councils).

[edit] Clubs

Briar Woods High School has many active clubs and organizations including commonalities such as the NHS, DECA, and Key Club. The school also has an It's Academic group, cultural societies including Spanish, Dutch, French, and Latin, and special interest activities: Art, Drama, Forensics, Literary Magazine, Book Club, Philosophy, Bible, VFEA (Virginia Future Educators Association), Science and Math, International, PEER, and Step Team.

Loudoun County Public Schools High Schools Briar Woods | Broad Run | Dominion | Freedom | Heritage | Loudoun County | Loudoun Valley | Park View | Potomac Falls | Stone Bridge Intermediate Schools Harmony Middle Schools Belmont Ridge | Blue Ridge | Eagle Ridge | Farmwell Station | Harper Park | Mercer | River Bend | Seneca Ridge | Simpson | Smart's Mill | Sterling Alternative/Magnet Programs Academy of Science C.S. Monroe Technology Center