US Schools

School that I’ve spent my exchange year is Jefferson Forest high school , Forest, Virginia. They have about 2000 students in the school. There are many clubs, sports, and activities to do in this school. I was a part of choir group.

Jefferson Forest High School is one of the three high schools in Bedford County, Virginia. Jefferson Forest HS opened in 1972 with a population of 970 students.

Characteristics

Being so close to Thomas Jefferson’s plantation Poplar Forest, the school’s name pays tribute both to the third president of the United States and to the community in which it is located, Forest. During the last 35 years, the school’s student body and the community have undergone vast changes. The surrounding area has evolved from a rural community to one reflecting both residential and commercial growth, partly as a suburban area adjacent to the neighboring city of Lynchburg. In the past fourteen years, new businesses have been established within a four-mile radius of the school, and a new shopping center has been built across from the school. Many new houses, condominiums, apartments, and subdivisions have been built, and many are currently under construction close to the school. The continuous growth in the population of the attendance zone is directly proportional to the improved socioeconomic and educational level of the community and thus requires a flexible educational system. JFHS is working to meet the challenges presented by these changes.

Location

JFHS is located between the cities of Bedford and Lynchburg. In the immediate area, there are numerous educational, cultural, and recreational facilities. Within a twenty-mile radius, there are several diverse colleges, several theaters, a fine arts center, four golf courses, a drag strip, two airports, and several shopping centers. A national monument was dedicated to the veterans of D-Day on June 6, 2001 in Bedford. It draws many visitors to the area. Forest is the site of Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson’s summer home.

History

JFHS is designed with four levels and houses over sixty-six classrooms. The school was renovated in a process taking approximately 2 years, doing away with all mobiles and putting brand-new facilities in. In addition to regular classrooms, there is a library, weight room, gymnasium, auditorium, home economics room, industrial arts facility, band room, chorus room, and an art room. The grade configuration at Jefferson Forest High School is currently ninth through twelfth with a total enrollment for 2006–2008 of 1,250 students and 1,375 for 2008–2009. There are 180 days in the school year. Each day starts with an optional zero period at 7:30 a.m. and continues with six additional periods and Channel One during the last 15 minutes of second period.

Student body

Over eighty-eight percent of the student body is white, eight percent is black, and the remainder is Asian Pacific, Hispanic, and other. The male-female ratio is one-to-one.

JFHS also has a diverse population of those with special needs. Currently there are 135 students receiving special education services for a variety of disabilities.

As of the current year of 2009, there are roughly 1,320 students attending JFHS.

While originally serving the largely rural eastern third of Bedford County, in recent years the school has taken on a more suburban character with Forest becoming a popular upscale suburb of Lynchburg. Consequently, much of the student body comes from affluent families.

Teachers

The JFHS faculty in 2008-09 consists of eighty-seven teachers (full-time and part-time), two librarians, and four guidance counselors with an average of fourteen years experience that brought diverse backgrounds to the campus. Thirty-nine teachers had 0–10 years, seventeen had 11–20 years, and twenty-one had 21–35 years of experience. Thirty-nine percent of teachers hold advanced degrees. Sixty-one percent hold four-year degrees including seven teachers holding provisional licenses. All administrators now hold advanced degrees. Sixty-one females and twenty-six males comprise an all-white teaching staff.

Staff

There are four administrators: Support staff includes four guidance counselors, two librarians, and one full-time and one part-time school nurse, one visiting teacher, five secretaries, and one bookkeeper. In addition, there is one English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher who spends a portion of her day at JFHS. Five aides serve as personnel resources for the library, special education classrooms, and guidance office. One full-time resource officer provided by the county sheriff’s department assists with legal and safety issues. The custodial staff includes nine employees, and the cafeteria staff includes nine part-time and two full-time employees.

Athletics

Jefferson Forest is known across the state of Virginia and nationally as being home to a very successful cross country program. JF has won every Seminole District race since 1994 and been very successful at the regional championships each year. JF won the state cross country race in 2000 and 2001. JF XC holds the annual Runnin’ with the Wolves Rocktoberfest Invitational every October at their home course, Wolf Branch Farm. Runnin’ with the Wolves is a unique race in which music is “around every turn” and they rightly claim the “most unique start of a race”. The Wolf Branch Farm cross country course is considered to be one of the most difficult in the state of Virginia.

Football – State Runners-up 1979 & 1991; State Champs Division 3 1992 and 1993
Girls Volleyball – State Champs 1997,State Runners-Up in 1984,1996 and 2003
Outdoor Track – State Champs 1999, 2000, and 2001, triple crown champs.
Baseball – State Champs 1988; State runners-up 1989
Band – 9th place at Nationals and a Virginia State Honor Band
Swimming- The Jefferson Forest Swim Team was undefeated in 2009 and placed third in the state of Virginia.
Drama – State Runners-up 2012, 2014
Competition Cheerleading- State Champs 2003

Jefferson Forest is also widely known for men’s soccer. Winning the Seminole District every year since 1993, coach Jedd Zaring has recently notched his 300th win. JF has produced very successful college soccer players each and every year. On June 11, 2011, Jefferson Forest notched its first AA state title in Boys Soccer, knocking off three-time defending champions Blacksburg High School 2-1 at Radford University. The Jefferson Forest Men’s Soccer Team is now ranked number one in the country by an ESPN coaches poll.

Notable alumni

Jake Grove (1980-), All-American Offensive Lineman at Virginia Tech and former Center for the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins
Anthony Poindexter (1976-), Former Special Teams member for the Baltimore Ravens. Poindexter was an All-American DB in college but tore 4 ligaments in his leg in his last college season and that ruined his NFL career. He played 10 games with the Ravens on Special Teams and later joined the Cleveland Browns without seeing action. Poindexter is now a coach at the University of Virginia.