Fort Hunt High School

Fort Hunt High School
Cannon in front of Fort Hunt High School
Address
Map
8428 Fort Hunt Road

Alexandria
,
Virginia
22308
Coordinates38°43′41.6″N 77°3′27.8″W / 38.728222°N 77.057722°W / 38.728222; -77.057722
Information
School typePublic high school
Founded1963
Statusnow Carl Sandburg Middle School
Closed1985
School districtFairfax County Public Schools
Grades9–12
LanguageEnglish
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Green and gold     originally green and white
MascotFederals
Feeder schoolsStephen Foster Intermediate School
Rival SchoolsGroveton High School
Mount Vernon High School

Fort Hunt High School was a public secondary school in Fairfax, Virginia from 1963 until 1985, when it was converted to a middle school.

Constructed at a cost of $2.5 million, Fort Hunt High opened its doors at 8428 Fort Hunt Road in 1963, toward the end of the post–World War II baby boom, as part of the Fairfax County Public Schools.[1]

The school suffered $4.5 million in fire damage as the result of arson on December 30, 1978, when two seniors at the school and a 1978 graduate[2] threw Molotov cocktails into the building.[3][4] The fire resulted in the forced relocation of 1,700 students[5] who were sent on a split shift to nearby Groveton and Mount Vernon High schools through the remainder of the 1978–79 school year.

In 1985, due to declining enrollment, and after contentious political and legal battles to keep the school open,[6][7] Fort Hunt was combined with Groveton High School to form West Potomac High School, located on Groveton's campus. The Fort Hunt campus was converted into Carl Sandburg Middle School, which replaced the older Stephen Foster and Bryant Intermediate Schools.

A large community of Fort Hunt High School alumni remains active online,[8] organizing regular all-school and all-year reunion gatherings,[9] and granting annual scholarships to graduating seniors of West Potomac High School.[10]

  1. ^ Munsey, Everard (24 January 1963). "Fairfax Gets Title to Site Of School". The Washington Post. ProQuest 141920467.
  2. ^ White, Ronald (4 August 1979). "3rd Fort Hunt Defendant Given One-Year Sentence". Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  3. ^ Mansfield, Stephanie (31 December 1978). "$4.5 Million School Fire 'A Clear Case of Arson'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  4. ^ "Youth pleads guilty in school arson". The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. AP. May 30, 1979. p. 21. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  5. ^ Harden, Blaine (9 January 1979). "Parents Warned To Control Three Arson Suspects". Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  6. ^ Carton, Barbara (1985-03-16). "Fort Hunt Grieves As Groveton Rejoices Over School Closing". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  7. ^ Cohn, D'Vera; Carton, Barbara; Writers, Washington Post Staff (1985-06-07). "An End, Beginning For 2 Va. Schools". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  8. ^ "After Closing, Fort Hunt High School Memories Live Online". Greater Alexandria, VA Patch. 2011-06-26. Archived from the original on 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  9. ^ "Remembering Fort Hunt High School". www.connectionnewspapers.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  10. ^ "Awards Program". www.fhhs-alum.org. Archived from the original on 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2020-07-04.