The Liberty District is a high school district in the state of Virginia that includes schools from Northern Virginia .
64-560: The Liberty District was founded in 1993 as part of an attempted realignment of the AAA Northern Region. The charter members were all Fairfax County schools, including: Fairfax , Falls Church , George C. Marshall , James Madison , Langley , McLean and Robert E. Lee . The Liberty District has experienced the most change of the four Northern Region districts. In 1996, the Liberty District moved Falls Church to
128-609: A Confederate soldier known as " Johnny Reb ". Because of complaints from students and parents throughout the history of the new campus, and at the suggestion of the school's Minority Achievement Task Force, principal Harry Holsinger removed the Johnny Reb symbol in 1985. Student protests, rallies, and a lawsuit followed, which challenged the principal's actions as violating the First Amendment guarantees of free speech . In Crosby v. Holsinger , 852 F.2d 801 (4th Cir. 1988),
192-798: A costumed character , and often appear at team matches and other related events. Since the mid-20th century, costumed characters have provided teams with an opportunity to choose a fantasy creature as their mascot, as is the case with the Philadelphia Phillies ' mascot: Phillie Phanatic , the Philadelphia Flyers ' mascot: Gritty , the Seattle Kraken mascot: Buoy , and the Washington Commanders ' mascot: Major Tuddy . Costumed mascots are commonplace, and are regularly used as goodwill ambassadors in
256-454: A $ 54 million renovation designed by architectural firm BerryRio. Renovations began in October 2005 and added 86,500 sq ft (8,040 m ). of classroom space. Student numbers have increased at such a high rate that four trailers have been installed. The previous school building and campus, which existed from 1935 to 1973, on Fairfax Boulevard was part of George Mason University for
320-554: A band mascot is Eddie of the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden . Eddie is a zombie -like creature which is personified in different forms on all of the band's albums, most of its singles and some of its promotional merchandise. Eddie is also known to make live appearances, especially during the song "Iron Maiden". Another notable example of a mascot in music is Skeleton Sam of The Grateful Dead . South Korean hip hop band B.A.P uses rabbits named Matoki as their mascot, each bunny
384-422: A different color representing each member. Although rabbits have an innocent image, BAP gives off a tough image. Hip hop artist Kanye West used to use a teddy bear named Dropout Bear as his mascot; Dropout Bear has appeared on the cover of West's first three studio albums, and served as the main character of West's music video, " Good Morning ". The question of whether a "hype-man" can legitimately be considered
448-640: A group of select women in grades 10-12 and Voce, a selective mixed ensemble for students in 10-12th grades. The choral department also has four extracurricular groups the Show Choir, Fairfax Fame, Malebox, and Rebel Treble, an auditioned student-led mixed a Cappella ensemble. Approximately 110 students participate in the Fairfax choirs. Fairfax choral students also participate in District Chorus, Virginia Honors Choir and All-State Chorus, as well as
512-399: A group with a common public identity, such as a school , sports team , society , military unit , or brand name . Mascots are also used as fictional, representative spokespeople for consumer products. In sports, mascots are also used for merchandising. Team mascots are often related to their respective team nicknames . This is especially true when the team's nickname is something that is
576-530: A hip-hop organization's mascot is currently an active subject of debate within academic Hip-Hop circles. However, local polling in relevant regions suggests acceptance of the "hype-man" as a legitimate organizational mascot. Some television series have mascots, like the Cleatus the Robot animated cartoon figure on the U.S. sports television show Fox NFL Sunday . Another example of a cartoon mascot on television
640-522: A living animal and/or can be made to have humanlike characteristics . For more abstract nicknames, the team may opt to have an unrelated character serve as the mascot. For example, the athletic teams of the University of Alabama are nicknamed the Crimson Tide , while their mascot is an elephant named Big Al . Team mascots may take the form of a logo , person, live animal, inanimate object, or
704-419: A lock of hair or a figurehead on a sailing ship. From then to the twentieth century, the term has been used in reference to any good luck animals, objects etc., and more recently including human caricatures and fictional creatures created as logos for sports teams . Often, the choice of the mascot reflects the desired quality; a typical example of this is the "fighting spirit," in which a competitive nature
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#1732798793303768-638: A musical in an actual orchestra pit (Hayfield Secondary School also has a working orchestra pit). The pit sinks six feet below the stage. The FX Players won the State Title at the VHSL One-Act Competition in 2008. They placed second at Districts in 2009. The " It's Academic " team participates in quiz bowl tournaments throughout Virginia, Maryland , and Washington, D.C. , including NBC 4 's It's Academic game show formerly hosted by Mac McGarry . In 1968, Fairfax High School became
832-520: A necessity amongst not only the sporting industry but for other organisations. The word 'mascot' originates from the French term 'mascotte' which means lucky charm . This was used to describe anything that brought luck to a household. The word was first recorded in 1867 and popularised by a French composer Edmond Audran who wrote the opera La mascotte , performed in December 1880. The word entered
896-457: A pair of ferrets . The Norwegian Royal Guard adopted a king penguin named Nils Olav as its mascot on the occasion of a visit to Edinburgh by its regimental band. The (very large) penguin remains resident at Edinburgh Zoo and has been formally promoted by one rank on the occasion of each subsequent visit to Britain by the band or other detachments of the Guard. Regimental Sergeant Major Olav
960-417: A regional competition trip in the spring. Choral groups perform music of many periods and styles and develop musicianship through vocal technique, sight-reading, and music theory. The choir program holds several concerts over the course of the year, the largest, Spring Show is held in early May and a Cabaret is held in the early winter. In addition to the choral concerts held at FHS, students have performed in
1024-784: A time and then Paul VI Catholic High School from 1983 to 2020. It is now a retail space. 67% of students participate in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, with 56% of students passing at least one AP Exam. The graduation rate is 96%. Fairfax High School is a fully accredited high school based on the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests in Virginia. FHS is performing above the state median on all SOL assessments including 91% in Reading, 88% in writing, 79% in math, and 79% in science. Fairfax The average SAT score in 2009–2010 for FHS
1088-487: A version that was a person wearing a costume. In the United Kingdom , some teams have young fans become "mascots". These representatives sometimes have medical issues, and the appearance is a wish grant, the winner of a contest, or under other circumstances. Mascots also include older people such as Mr England , who are invited by national sports associations to be mascots for the representative teams. One of
1152-546: Is personified by warriors or predatory animals. Mascots may also symbolize a local or regional trait, such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers ' mascot, Herbie Husker : a stylized version of a farmer, owing to the agricultural traditions of the area in which the university is located. Similarly, Pittsburg State University uses Gus the Gorilla as its mascot, "gorilla" being an old colloquial term for coal miners in
1216-585: Is Tommy Trojan who rides on his horse (and the official mascot of the school) Traveler. Many sports teams in the United States have official mascots, sometimes enacted by costumed humans or even live animals. One of the earliest was a taxidermy mount for the Chicago Cubs , in 1908, and later a live animal used in 1916 by the same team. They abandoned the concept shortly thereafter and remained without an official "cub" until 2014, when they introduced
1280-674: Is a public high school in the Eastern United States , located in Fairfax, Virginia , a suburb west of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia . The school is owned by the City of Fairfax, but is operated by Fairfax County Public Schools under a contractual agreement between it and Fairfax County . The school building, which opened in 1973, is located on Blenheim Boulevard in eastern Fairfax. In 2007, FHS underwent
1344-625: Is also used to refer to mascots created by businesses to promote their products. Camilla Corona SDO is the mission mascot for NASA 's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and assists the mission with Education and Public Outreach (EPO). Mascots are also popular in military units. For example, the United States Marine Corps uses the English Bulldog as its mascot, while the United States Army uses
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#17327987933031408-786: Is not allowed. For example, many corporate mascots can attend non-profit events, or sports and promote their brand while entertaining the crowd. Some mascots are simply cartoons or virtual mascots, others are characters in commercials, and others are actually created as costumes and will appear in person in front of the public at tradeshows or events. American high schools, colleges, and even middle and elementary schools typically have mascots. Many college and university mascots started out as live animals, such as bulldogs and bears that attended sporting events. Today, mascots are usually represented by animated characters, campus sculptures, and costumed students who attend sporting events, alumni gatherings, and other campus events. The mascots that are used for
1472-525: Is the Lions, and the athletic teams currently compete in the AAA Patriot District and Northern Region . The closest high schools to Fairfax are Oakton High School (1.9 miles (3 km) north) and W.T. Woodson High School (2.4 miles (4 km) south). Fairfax's main rival is nearby W.T. Woodson The school has brought home the state championship for cheerleading twice in 2009 and 2013 and
1536-472: The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the federal district court decision in favor of the principal. After Johnny Reb was removed, the mascot was a set of crossed swords, and an unusual mascot, that resembled a ball of lint, called the Rebel Rouser. In 2003, the school voted on a new physical mascot while keeping the same nickname, a lion (Rebel-lion). In June 2020, "Rebel" was dropped entirely, and
1600-868: The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders have a Shetland pony as their mascot, a ram for The Mercian Regiment; an Irish Wolfhound for the Irish Guards and the Royal Irish Regiment ; a drum horse for the Queen's Royal Hussars and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards; an antelope for the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers ; and a goat for the Royal Welsh . Other British military mascots include a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and
1664-678: The James Madison University parade of Champions, and straight 1s from all of the judges at the VBODA state marching festival. The symphonic band received straight firsts the following spring to complete the Virginia Honor Band title. The new band director was welcomed to Fairfax Band in the year of 2011-2012. The Fairfax Marching Rebels won first place in all competitions, including the Esprit de Corps award issued by
1728-602: The United States Navy , awarded to the band with the most professionalism and patriotism. In the 2012 season, the band went to numerous competitions and won 1st place in almost all they performed in. The show, "Metamorphosis", was performed at James Madison University Parade of Champions and won them 1st place with a score of over 90 points. Also, the Fairfax Marching Band went to two Bands of America competitions and respectively won 4th and 6th place in
1792-520: The Virginia Department of Education curriculum. The school also hosts Fairfax Academy: School for the Arts, which includes classes such as graphic design and photography. The Academy also features Korean and Chinese language education. The school has a strong AVID Program, a Reward and Remediation Program, and Honors programs in all areas. The Fairfax High School mascot was a caricature of
1856-651: The community for their team, company , or organization . It was sports organizations that initially first thought of using animals as a form of mascot to bring entertainment and excitement for their spectators. Before mascots were fictional icons or people in suits, animals were mostly used in order to bring a somewhat different feel to the game and to strike fear upon the rivalry teams. As time went on, mascots evolved from predatory animals, to two-dimensional fantasy mascots, to finally what we know today, three-dimensional mascots. Stylistic changes in American puppetry in
1920-666: The mule , the United States Navy uses the goat , and the United States Air Force uses the Gyrfalcon . The goat in the Royal Welsh is officially not a mascot but a ranking soldier. Lance Corporal William Windsor retired on 20 May 2009, and his replacement "William Windsor II" was captured and formally recruited on June 15 that same year. Several regiments of the British Army have a live animal mascot which appear on parades . The Parachute Regiment and
1984-849: The 2009 performance of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum , and was invited to perform the opening number at the Cappies Gala at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. In 2014, Fairfax theatre received 13 nominations, including Best Musical, for its production of " 9 to 5: the Musical ". Fairfax continued its success in 2015 with nine nominations, including Best Musical, for its production of " Big:
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2048-736: The Band program are the Fall Guard (competes with the marching band) and the Winterguard (competes separately). The Fairfax High School Band was under the direction of Ms. Meghan Benson, and won second place at a band competition at the Smoky Mountain Music Festival, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the spring of 2008. The Marching Band won third place in the local Fourth of July Parade independence Day celebration, and
2112-695: The Chorus and Band Department earned the Blue Ribbon Award, which is awarded to a school in which the highest section of each music department receives Superiors at District Festival. The FX Players is the Drama Club at Fairfax High School. They are dedicated toward the promotion of theatre in every aspect. The current director is Chris Whitney. Fairfax Theatre was honored by the Cappies organization with seven nominations, including Best Musical, for
2176-485: The English language in 1881 with the meaning of a specific living entity associated with a human organization as a symbol or live logo. However, before this, the terms were familiar to the people of France as a slang word used by gamblers. The term is a derivative of the word 'masco' meaning sorceress or witch. Before the 19th century, the word 'mascot' was associated with inanimate objects that would be commonly seen such as
2240-635: The Fairfax High School Orchestra went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the annual Spring Trip. The Orchestra is also known for their pit appearances in school plays such as Beauty & the Beast and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. In the 2017-18 school year, the Fairfax High School Orchestra had the distinct honor of performing in New York's Carnegie Hall . In 2008-2009, The Fairfax High School Orchestra, along with
2304-605: The Fairfax musicals, at the Fairfax Festival of Lights, George Mason basketball games, corporate parties, Fairfax Corner, the New York City Festivals of Music, Heritage Festival in Atlanta, Georgia , the Smoky Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Festival Disney. Fairfax High School has a strong band program, including a marching band which has won numerous championships. Included in
2368-713: The James Madison University Parade of Champions. The Rebels placed first in Class 3A in the Herndon Showcase of Bands without proper uniforms which were destroyed in a flood due to a heating malfunction, also received first at the Oakton Classic. At the final major competition, the band placed 1st in Class 3A with a score of 84.75. At the VBODA state marching festival the rebels received a superior rating and got straight 1s from all of
2432-544: The National District to reunite it with its primary rival J.E.B. Stuart, but added Broad Run and Park View High Schools of Loudoun County who played in the Northwestern District . When a new Loudoun County high school opened in 1997, both Broad Run and Park View were AA size again and moved down to AA in 1999, but Woodson was added to reunite it against its rival Fairfax. In 2003, South Lakes joined
2496-541: The Olympic and Paralympic games to each have their own mascots, which are presented together. For example, the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is represented by Miraitowa , while the 2020 Summer Paralympics are represented by Someity , and the two often appear together in promotional materials. In Japan , many municipalities have mascots, which are known as Yuru-chara ( Japanese : ゆるキャラ Hepburn : yuru kyara). Yuru-chara
2560-748: The Rebel Band is the Fairfax High School Drumline, which placed third in the Atlantic Indoor Association (AIA) championships in North Carolina in 2006, third in 2010, and second in 2011. In 2009, they performed in Dayton, Ohio for Winter Guard International and received 4th place in their preliminary group and 18th in semifinals. Overall, they placed 18th out of 60 groups. Other teams that accompany
2624-742: The Rebel band placed second in its class by a margin of less than one point and received the Silver Award Overall in Festival Disney. In its 2009 season, the Marching Lions won all of the competitions they competed in and got awards for quality music and general effect. They performed the show called Heroes, Gods and Mythical Creatures and performed at the Herndon USSBA Regionals, the Oakton Classic, and
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2688-404: The Southeast Kansas area in which the university was established. In the United States, controversy surrounds some mascot choices, especially those using human likenesses. Mascots based on Native American tribes are particularly contentious , as many argue that they constitute offensive exploitations of an oppressed culture. However, several Indian tribes have come out in support of keeping
2752-482: The Summer and Winter Olympic games are fictional characters, typically a human figure or an animal native to the country to which is holding that year's Olympic Games. The mascots are used to entice an audience and bring joy and excitement to the Olympics festivities. Likewise, many World expositions since 1984 have had mascots representing their host city in some way, starting with the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition 's mascot Seymore D. Fair . Since 1968, nearly all of
2816-525: The cities that have hosted the Summer or Winter Olympic Games have designed and promoted a mascot that relates to the culture of the host country the overall "brand" of that year's Games. Recent Winter/Summer Olympic games mascots include Miga, Quatchi, Mukmuk ( Vancouver, 2010 ), Wenlock and Mandeville ( London, 2012 ), Bely Mishka, Snow Leopard, Zaika ( Sochi, 2014 ) and Vinicius and Tom ( Rio, 2016 ) have all gone on to become iconic symbols in their respective countries. Since 2010, it has been common for
2880-442: The corporate world. Recognizable mascots include Chester Cheetah , Keebler Elf, the Fruit of the Loom Guys, Mickey Mouse, Pizza Pizza Guy for Little Caesars, Rocky the Elf, Pepsiman and the NBC Peacock . These characters are typically known without even having to refer to the company or brand. This is an example of corporate branding , and soft selling a company. Mascots are able to act as brand ambassadors where advertising
2944-404: The district, bringing the Liberty back to eight teams. In 2005, the Liberty went through a significant change by removing charter members Fairfax and Lee to the Concorde and Patriot Districts respectively. Its geography expanded considerably eastward and westward by adding Jefferson of Alexandria from the Concorde and Stone Bridge of Ashburn from the AA Dulles District. In 2009, Fairfax returned to
3008-476: The district, but W.T. Woodson moved to the Patriot District. In 2015, Stone Bridge left the district and moved into the new Potomac District and Thomas Jefferson along with Marshall went to the National District. But added Arlington schools Washington-Liberty, and Yorktown. This article relating to education in the United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Fairfax High School (Fairfax, Virginia) Fairfax High School ( FHS )
3072-419: The earliest was Ken Baily , whose John Bull -inspired appearance was a regular at England matches from 1963 to 1990. On October 28, 1989, University of Miami mascot Sebastian the Ibis was tackled by a group of police officers for attempting to put out Chief Osceola's flaming spear prior to Miami 's game against long-standing rival Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee . Sebastian
3136-428: The finals round of the competitions. Furthermore, they have won the VBODA state marching festival with a superior rating and straight 1s from all the judges. The Fairfax High School Orchestra Department is currently directed by Gerald Fowkes. The Orchestra consists of four different levels; Beginning, Intermediate, Philharmonic, and Chamber. The Beginning Orchestra focuses on basic elements of music education and teaches
3200-511: The first Virginia high school to win the Washington metropolitan area championship. In January 2009, the school placed second in the Concorde District at the VHSL AAA District Tournament. Daniels Run Elementary School, Green Briar East Elementary School, Willow Springs Elementary School, Eagle View Elementary School, Providence Elementary School, and Mosaic Elementary School all feed into Lanier Middle School and Rocky Run Middle School, which feed into Fairfax High School. Fairfax's nickname
3264-422: The judges. The symphonic band received straight 1s the following spring to complete the Virginia Honor Band title. The 2010 season was also a great success with the show "Nautilus", with the Marching Rebels winning 2nd place in class 3A at the Herndon USSBA regionals, falling short of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology by a fraction of a point, first place at the Oakton Classic, first place at
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#17327987933033328-445: The mid-20th century, including the work of Jim Henson and Sid and Marty Krofft , soon were adapted to sports mascots. It allowed people to not only have visual enjoyment but also interact physically with the mascots. Marketers quickly realized the great potential in three-dimensional mascots and took on board the costumed puppet idea. This change encouraged other companies to start creating their own mascots, resulting in mascots being
3392-410: The musical ". Fairfax has an orchestra pit that can be covered and uncovered, but it is normally kept in the house floor position due to safety concerns. For the run of The King and I in 2007, however, the pit was opened. It was then closed again, and the orchestra has played at house level since. The members of the pit orchestra are some of the only musicians in Fairfax County to have ever played
3456-504: The names. For example, the Utah Utes and the Central Michigan Chippewas are sanctioned by local tribes, and the Florida State Seminoles are supported by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in their use of Osceola and Renegade as symbols. FSU chooses not to refer to them as mascots because of the offensive connotation. This has not, however, prevented fans from engaging in " Redface "—dressing up in stereotypical, Plains Indian outfits during games, or creating offensive banners saying "Scalp 'em" as
3520-402: The orchestra plays a series of pieces and is graded on them. Often it is believed that the experience is a competition between schools, but it is highly encouraged that the competition be amongst and within the students. The Orchestra also attends a Spring trip annually to various places in America. Some examples include Atlanta, Orlando, New York, and Gatlinburg. The past school year of 2009-2010,
3584-452: The school placed second in 2000, 2008, 2011 and 2012. The schools other state championships are for boys gymnastics in 2000, and girls gymnastics in 2022, for swim and dive in 2006, and for Field Hockey in 2022 Fairfax athletes who have been first team All-Met selections by The Washington Post , since the 1990–91 school year: Mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck , or anything used to represent
3648-491: The student fundamentals to prepare them and educate them on music. Intermediate and Concert are 2 different orchestras designed to test and challenge the musicians at a higher level (VBODA pieces grade 4 and 5). And the Advanced Orchestra (playing grade 6 pieces) is the highest level in the Orchestra Department. There are approximately 100 students in the Orchestra program for the enrollment of the 2009-2010 school year. The Orchestra annually participates in District Festival in which
3712-428: The team name became the Fairfax "Lions". The Fairfax High School Choral Department includes five ensembles divided by skill level and requires an audition. A beginning group, Women's Concert Choir, is available for freshman women only. Intermediate groups, Men's Ensemble and Select Women's Choir which are made available to men in grades 9-12 and women in grades 10-12. The two auditioned advanced choral groups, Bel Canto,
3776-425: The work of the Marching Band and Symphonic Band along with the work of the orchestral and choral departments, Fairfax was able to earn the title of Blue Ribbon School for the performing arts, which is achieved by Superior ratings at VBODA state marching festival, and a Superior rating for each of the top performing groups at District Festival. At the competition on their spring trip in the year 2009 to Orlando, Florida,
3840-434: Was 1657 on a 2400 scale. The average SAT score in 2018 was 1192 on the 1600 scale. In 2010–2011, Fairfax High School was ranked the nation's 201st best high school. In 2019, FHS was ranked as Virginia's 33rd best high school. As of the 2021-2022 school year, Fairfax High School's student body was 34% White, 23% Asian, 24% Hispanic, 9% Black, 0.2% Native American, and 5% Other. Fairfax High School currently follows
3904-434: Was awarded $ 2000 in 2008. At the end of the 2008 Marching Rebel season, the band received a 1- Superior rating at the VBODA Championships. The Fairfax High School Band Program received a superior rating at both Marching and Symphonic Band festivals making it eligible to receive the award of Virginia State Honor Band for the first time in the school's 75-year history. The band has repeated the feat every year since. Because of
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#17327987933033968-500: Was awarded the Norwegian Army's Long Service and Good Conduct medal at a ceremony in 2005. The U.S. Forest Service uses mascot Smokey Bear to raise awareness and educate the public about the dangers of unplanned human-caused wildfires . Some bands, particularly in the heavy metal genre, use band mascots to promote their music. The mascots are usually found on album covers or merchandise such as band T-shirts, but can also make appearances in live shows or music videos. One example of
4032-400: Was seen at the 2014 Rose Bowl. Some sports teams have "unofficial" mascots: individual supporters or fans that have become identified with the team. The New York Yankees have such an individual in fan Freddy Sez . Former Toronto Blue Jays mascot BJ Birdie was a costumed character created by a Blue Jays fan, ultimately hired by the team to perform at their home games. USC Trojans mascot
4096-484: Was wearing a fireman’s helmet and yellow raincoat and holding a fire extinguisher. When a police officer attempted to grab the fire extinguisher, the officer was sprayed in the chest. Sebastian was handcuffed by four officers but ultimately released. University of Miami quarterback Gino Torretta told ESPN , "Even if we weren't bad boys, it added to the mystique that, 'Man, look, even their mascot's getting arrested.'" Mascots or advertising characters are very common in
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