A Call to Change the LCHS Mascot

Today, Deirdre Dillon (LCHS Class of 2009) and I (LCHS Class of 2010) have begun a petition to change Loudoun County High School’s mascot. Here is what the petition says:

 

We, the undersigned, call for the Loudoun County High School mascot to be changed.

In 1954, the segregated white Loudoun County High School student body chose Mosby’s Raiders as the school’s mascot. Mosby’s Raiders were the 43^rd Battalion of the Virginia Calvary for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Like confederate monuments, choosing the Raiders as the mascot was a result of the Lost Cause Movement to commemorate the South and rewrite history.

A mascot gives a community an identity, and glorifies its chosen entity. As long as Loudoun County High School’s mascot is known as “Mosby’s Raiders” or simply “The Raiders,” no matter what positive traits come with the association, the school will be promoting slavery, the Confederacy, racism, and white supremacy. These are values we believe future generations of students should not uphold.

We, the undersigned alumni, students, teachers, parents, and concerned citizens, believe that Loudoun County High School can do better. We challenge the current student body and staff to reevaluate the mascot, and change it to better reflect the 21^st century in which we live.

 

Let’s talk about being a Raider.

The Raiders mascot is everywhere in the school. From morning announcements “Good morning, Raiders and Raiderettes!” to murals on the walls. From the names of the athletic teams, to the student spirit section Raider Riot. Raider Rally, Raider Rhapsody, the Marching Raiders, it’s even the name of the student newspaper, The Loudoun Raider. This mascot has joined thousands of students together across decades. There is pride in meeting a stranger and finding out they are a fellow Raider.

As the decades have passed since 1954, Loudoun County has changed. Our schools and movie theaters are integrated. Major suburban growth has brought new people from all different backgrounds to Loudoun County. Yet the oldest high school in operation still proudly cheers on the Confederacy, whether intentional or not.

Today, I take a stand and say no longer. I do not want to celebrate and glorify the Raiders anymore. It is time for a new Loudoun County High School mascot. I call for this in honor of Gene Ashton and Blue Oliver.

This resolution was not an easy one for me to reach. I have identified as a Raider for over a decade now. I’m proud to be a student of Loudoun County High School. I’m passionate about it. I wrote a history of the school for its 60^th anniversary. I somehow inspired the restoration of an original school architectural feature that mysteriously disappeared in the 1970’s. One day, I’m even going to nominate the school to be on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history and layers of tradition mean a lot to me. So for a long time, I hemmed and hawed about the elephant in the room – the mascot, the Raiders. I knew as a student what it was and what it stood for.

But as time has passed, it has become clear to me that my personal feelings are not what matters. In my sentimentality, I have been complicit in letting this mascot define me and future students. No matter how simplified the name is, the original intent was Mosby’s Raiders. It will always be a symbol of slavery, of white supremacy, of racism.

I have been proud to be a Raider. I would be even more proud if we could retire the Raider, and become something with less-racist baggage.

So, I personally challenge the student body of Loudoun County High School: You are the current owners of our spirit and school. You have a deciding voice in this matter. What does it mean to be a Raider? And what does it mean to be a student of Loudoun County High School? Are these two things the same? Or is it time to find a new mascot that better reflects us?

I want to leave you with a quote by my fellow LCHS classmate Christian Williams. She wrote this while attending Harvard Law in 2015 in reference to changing their school’s shield. I feel these views can also apply to the Raider:

“Advocating to change a symbol does not indicate a lack of love for our school. Quite the opposite; we push for change precisely because we do care - because we are invested in the school and desire its best.
It may seem trivial to push for a symbol to be changed. It may even seem overwhelming because so many symbols in our nation glorify terrible things. But to me, there is a simple rationale: “when we know better, we do better”. While the ubiquity of slavery symbols in America is deeply disturbing, it should not be surprising. The repercussions of slavery marred every aspect of American life. Moving to change these symbols now does not deny affection to our school. Rather, it affirms it. In doing so, we refuse to pass on symbols of oppression to our children. We take the time we have been given, and we use it to make things right.”

  

 Disclaimers: 
    - I am a white cis-gendered male. I recognize there are far too many white cis-gendered male voices involved in issues of race. My hope and intent is that by adding my voice to the mix, I help to create a positive change in race equality.
    -This act should not be seen as a be-all, end-all for racial justice reform. Rather, it is but one visible spoke in a wheel. The more spokes we take out, the closer we are to a more just and equal community.

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2020 Update

Sterling Annex - 2020

[Update August 2023: This school has now been demolished. Check out Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 1]

In the year 2020, I stepped out into the pandemic wasteland to bring you photos of what the outside world looks like! The outside around the Sterling Annex building, that is. As expected, little things have changed, but nothing major. 

The grass has not been mown in a while. It is quite high.

Front door

The front door is boarded up differently again. One of the old plywood pieces lays on the ground in front of the door.

A back corner of Sterling Annex

The other back corner of Sterling Annex

Random trucks, wood, and metal is being stored behind the school. A couch has also been discarded here. 

Former playground location

When I went by the playground, I heard some rustling and briefly saw a fox running away. Sorry, fox!

My favorite door

Stagnant water is lower than I've seen it!

One of the plywood panels had been pulled off an auditorium window. I peeked in the opening to see what it looked like inside the building:

Sterling Annex Auditorium Stage

Back of Auditorium. See hole in floor between the doors.

It looks like the building continues to be broken into. It is becoming a canvas for graffiti artists. There is a hole in the floor of the auditorium, don't know if that was intentionally created or due to a leak from a hole in the roof.

Bye Bye, Sterling Annex! See you next year!

Read all Sterling Annex Posts:
Sterling Community Center Annex (2012)
News on the Sterling Annex Building (2013)
Sterling Community Center Annex - 2016 Update
Sterling Community Center Annex - 2017 Update
Sterling Community Center Annex - 2018 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2019 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2021 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2022 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2023 Update

Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 1

Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 2

Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 3

After Sterling Annex - 2024

Arcola School - 2019 Update

The 1939 Arcola School - 2019.

Along with visiting the Sterling Annex School recently, I checked up on the 1939 Arcola School. There hasn't been any news articles about since the last time I checked on it. Everything seems to remain in fairly good condition.

The grass is still mown regularly. Most of the eaves look to be in very good condition. There are some sections that have wood rot (caused from a now-removed gutter downspout) and flaking paint. Just a couple of signs of decay. The roof looks fine. All the windows are covered and the school is locked up tight from intruders or Mother Nature.

Front of Arcola School

Looking to the right of the entrance. 

There is only one area that visually reflects its abandonment -- the northern side. A fenced-off area is full of overgrown plants. Ivy climbs along the building's eave. Other than the fence being there, I don't understand why this area has been allowed to grow like this. [This area was also present when I visited in 2017].

Arcola School along its northern side.

Behind the school, the grounds' conditions range from excellent to needs some work.

Grass is starting to grow in the cracks in the pavement at the tennis court. Still usable though.

Arcola Tennis Court

The basketball court has a pile of mulch sitting on one half of the asphalt. It would be fun to shoot baskets from the top of it.

Arcola Basketball Court

 The playground is starting to get grassy. Still could play on it.

Arcola Playground

The baseball field - excellent condition. It looks regularly taken care of and used. Batter up!

Arcola Baseball Field

There was also a wooden pavilion and soccer field. The pavilion looked surrounded by high grass-- might rethink planning a picnic there. Soccer field looked alright, nothing too memorable to photograph though.

Read other Arcola School Posts:
The Three Schools of Arcola (2011)
Arcola School - 2017 Update

Arcola School - 2022 Update

Arcola School - 2024 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2019 Update

Sterling Annex - 2019

[Update August 2023: This school has now been demolished. Check out Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 1]

Back in Sterling for a fun-filled trip to the slowly decaying Sterling Community Center Annex! Not much has changed this year. The boards covering the windows have aged and faded. The grass still has evidence of being mown periodically.

Sterling Annex Front Door

The front column that fell off last year is gone. Hopefully, it's inside the building, rather than stolen. Both boards covering the front doors are new, but one is painted white for some reason.

Flooded stairs to the basement

The stairs to the basement continue to be flooded.

One side of the backside

The other side of the backside

My favorite door

My favorite door still looks the same.

Opening to the roof above a side door. Look at that wood!

Over at the identical door on the other side, there is an opening to the roof.

Baseball field shot

Time out, I haven't written about the baseball field ever! It has been overtaken by grass. There are no bases to be found anywhere. Beyond center field, the far corner was converted to a gravel parking lot area sometime between 2016-17.

All in all, it's a very similar experience with last year's report. Belfort opened their new showroom last November, with no announcements on future use of the Sterling property.

I did discover a group called Save Old Sterling that is involved in the preservation of the original Sterling area. While its focus might be on older structures, if you are interested in preserving the Sterling area in general, this would be a great place to start.

That's all I got this year folks.

Front of Sterling Annex

Sources:
Belfort Furniture to unveil new 85,000-square-foot showroom with celebrity guests


Read all Sterling Annex Posts:
Sterling Community Center Annex (2012)
News on the Sterling Annex Building (2013)
Sterling Community Center Annex - 2016 Update
Sterling Community Center Annex - 2017 Update
Sterling Community Center Annex - 2018 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2020 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2021 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2022 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2023 Update

Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 1

Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 2

Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 3

After Sterling Annex - 2024

Creating a Climate for Success: A Look Back on Loudoun County Public Schools

(At the end of my second summer interning at Loudoun County Public Schools (2012), I completed a paper overview on the school system's history. This was to help my colleagues continue work on our LCPS History film project. Recently, I was looking through some old files on my computer, and rediscovered the paper. I don't remember exactly why I never posted it here. Either I wanted this to be the final post for the blog, or I wanted to post in conjunction with the film project premiere. I present it to you now.)

Second Street School in Waterford, VA

Creating a Climate for Success:

A Look Back on Loudoun County Public Schools

By A.J. Jelonek, August 24, 2012

   Loudoun County was a quiet county at the top of Virginia in the late 19th Century. Mostly agriculturally based, the county’s population remained stable around 21,000 people. Many little towns and villages dotted the landscape.

   In 1869, Virginia’s General Assembly mandated that public education be provided for the children of the state. In the fall of 1870, the Loudoun County Public School District held its first year of classes. 55 school buildings were already in the county at the time. Three years later, another 55 schools had been built, an early example of Loudouners strong desire for education. Many of the schools were one room schoolhouses. Schools were community-based, and the school year worked around the farming schedule. As Virginia was in the South, schools were segregated between whites and blacks. The county itself was divided into six school districts: Leesburg, Mount Gilead, Mercer, Jefferson, Lovettsville, and Broad Run. Each one had its own school board and paid different tax rates for public education. The Jefferson District, for example, was so well off, it could afford to offer its students transportation via horse drawn busses in 1911.

   In the 1890’s, high school level classes were offered to white students (blacks would have to wait another 20 years). In 1909, the schools at Leesburg, Lincoln, and Waterford received the first state accreditations for four-year high schools in the county. High schools at the time started at 8th grade, so high school only went up to 11th grade. 12th grade would be added in 1945 for whites, 1949 for blacks.

   Consolidation became the name of the game. In 1916, there were 12 small regional high schools and over 60 grade schools, most still one room schoolhouses. In 1917, Oscar L. Emerick became Loudoun County’s 5th superintendent. He led a push for better education but a smaller building count. By 1922, Loudoun had one consolidated school board. Many people felt very attached to their one room schoolhouses and regional high schools and protested when the decision came to close their particular school. But change came. Closing the schools happened either politically (ordering a closure of a school due to lack of attendance to cut costs) or in a few cases naturally (fire).

   In the 30’s, while white students attended schools such as the brick Leesburg High School, African Americans had the Loudoun Training School down the road on Union Street, a wooden two story frame building built about 1884. Hazardous conditions and a lack of the school’s ability to support a curriculum equal to the white school’s prompted a push from the African American community for a new high school. The movement led to the creation of a Loudoun Branch of the N.A.A.C.P. and a County-Wide League. These groups called upon Charles H. Houston, a well-known civil rights attorney, to help them. By the end of 1940, the African-American community raised $4000 (equal to $58,600 today) and bought a land deed for a new black high school in Leesburg and presented it to the School Board. In 1941, Douglass High School opened its doors. It became the first accredited public black high school in the state of Virginia. Along with a new school, bus transportation also became available to blacks.

   In 1953, the last white one room schoolhouse, Mountain Gap by Oatlands Plantation, closed. In 1957, Second Street School in Waterford, the last black one room schoolhouse, closed its doors. At the high school level, 12 white high schools were whittled down to four regional high schools located in Aldie, Leesburg, Lincoln, and Lovettsville. The students of these schools became one with the opening of Loudoun County High School in 1954. The new consolidated high school was the first building in Loudoun County to cost over a million dollars.

   Superintendent Emerick retired in 1957, effectively marking the end of consolidation. He was superintendent for 40 years, the longest term in the county to date. Ten years later, he was honored by the school system with the opening of his namesake school in Purcellville. The next superintendent was Clarence M. Bussinger, who would lead the schools through the era of desegregation.

   Like consolidation, integration in Loudoun schools came slowly. The Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision declared segregation in schools was unconstitutional. Loudoun County took a wait-and-see approach. The decision did not present any immediate action, so segregation continued. The Board of Supervisors did vote that if forced to integrate, it would close the schools (a decision they rescinded in 1962). To avoid integration for as long as possible, the school board introduced token desegregation in 1959. Black or white students could choose to go to any school of their choice. Starting 1962, a few black students started to transfer to white schools. Not one white student ever transferred over to a black school. In 1967, Loudoun County was still operating a dual school system, with hundreds of black students remaining at the four black schools, George W. Carver, Banneker, Douglass Elementary, and Douglass High. A federal judge ordered Loudoun County to integrate its schools by the 1968-69 school year. The last graduation at Douglass High School was in May 1968. Complete integration finally came the following school year, 14 years after the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court case.

   For many decades, Loudoun’s population had remained consistent, but big changes were on the way. 1962 marked both the opening of Dulles International Airport and the creation of Sterling Park, the first planned living community in Loudoun County. These led to Loudoun’s first major population boom. No longer was consolidation possible; many new schools were needed. Loudoun County High School had already begun to feel overcrowded, so Loudoun Valley High School opened in 1962, which served the entire western half of the county’s high school population until 2010. With much of the growth happening in the east, Broad Run and Park View High Schools opened by the end of the 70’s. A few different new school design concepts were tested, including the round school design at Hillsboro and Catoctin Elementary Schools.

   Superintendent Bussinger shortly left after the integration of schools. His successor, Robert E. Butt, experienced a much more peaceful tenure than his predecessors. Loudoun’s population continued to grow into the 70’s. In 1971, LCPS inaugurated its middle school level, grades 6 through 8, with the opening of Blue Ridge and Sterling Middle Schools. The 70’s also ushered in the opening of the Charles S. Monroe Technology Center, the school system’s consolidated vocational school.

   While new schools were being built, LCPS retired some of its older fleet of schools. Some, like Bluemont and Purcellville Schools, were acquired by the newly formed County Parks and Recreation department and converted into community centers. Other schools, such as the former Leesburg High School and Douglass Elementary, were reused as administrative support facilities for the school system.

   A short recession in the 80’s put housing construction on hold. The population fell during this time, so no new schools were needed or built. Superintendent Butt retired in 1988, and was replaced by David N Thomas. Thomas held one of the shortest times in office at less than three years. Edgar B. Hatrick III, a Loudoun County High School graduate and already a 24 year LCPS employee, became the current superintendent in 1991.

   With the help of low interest rates and the new Dulles Toll Road, the housing market blossomed again in the 90’s, drawing hordes of people to Loudoun. The county was faced with unprecedented growth. Whereas in the 80’s school enrollment stayed between 12,000 and 13,000 students, by 1998 school enrollment had doubled to 26,000. By 2007, school enrollment had doubled from that to 54,000 students. New elementary schools swelled from 70,000 to 100,000 square feet during this time. Middle schools and High Schools took in similar growths. There were many years in a row in which 3-5 new schools opened each year. From 1995 to 2012, 51 schools were built and opened.

   With new schools came the reorganization of administrative space. Administrative departments were scattered around the county in cramped former schools. Since the late 80’s, the school system had tried to get a new consolidated admin building in the budget so everything would be located under one roof. They finally succeeded in 2005 with the opening of the new five-story Administration Building in Ashburn.

   New schools also gave the school district an opportunity to become more energy efficient. 1992 marked the beginning of the school system’s formal energy conservation program. They became Energy Star Partners in 1998 and have since been named Energy Star Partner of the Year for several years. Many schools, new and old, have been praised for their energy excellence. Over 50 million dollars (and counting!) have been saved.

   Today, Loudoun County continues to be one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. Over 68,000 students come to school every day, with an average of 2,800 new students enrolling each year. New elementary schools and middle schools are now two stories with a larger capacity and less strain on their school sites. As of the 2012 school year, LCPS operates and maintains 82 school facilities and 8 support facilities.

   From the school system’s humble beginnings, to the superpower industry leader that it has become today, Loudoun County Public Schools has taken a very dynamic journey. Its schools, ranging in age from the newly-opened to over 100 years at Middleburg Elementary, will continue to meet the demands of its growing population. It will continue to change, continue to evolve, and continue to inspire. But above all else, today’s schools will continue to educate tomorrow’s leaders upon the foundations that were first laid out in 1870.

Frederick Douglass Elementary School in Leesburg, VA

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2018 Update

Sterling Annex, 2018

[Update August 2023: This school has now been demolished. Check out Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 1]

It's 2018, time for my annual check-in to the Sterling Community Center Annex! There are signs the building still receives maintenance. There are also signs the building continues to be vandalized and decay. We are going to look at all of it. Let's go!

In the past year, all of the windows have been boarded up. The building looks a lot more secure than it did a year ago. The windows aren't entirely covered, however, the boards don't reach the windows' full height. The goal of boarding the building up seems to be to keep people out. This current setup allows for weather and small wall-crawling animals to still get into the building, so the building is still not entirely damage-proof.

One of the boards covering one of the front doors is not nailed on one side, so you can reach through the door's broken windows if you so chose to. I wouldn't, there's broken glass around the edges.

The biggest news is one of the columns is no longer attached to the building and is laying on the front steps. Did it fall naturally, or was it vandalism? Luckily, it is still in one piece, so it could be put back up or stored inside for safe keeping.

The front door of Sterling Annex, with the fallen column

The backside of the column and a water downspout. Based on
the supports in the column, the downspout was not hiding
inside the column.

Some cursive inside the column, most likely from the builder.

Inside the column capital, still on the facade.

On the back of the school, the sides of the auditorium vary in plant overgrowth.

South-west side of the back of the building

South-east side of the back of the building

The basement stairs are still flooded. We have had a lot of rain recently, but this looks like the water level is in the same spot it was last year. Gross.

My favorite door, finally all boarded up, also has more of the gutter coming down:

Roof tiles are scattered everywhere.

Some miscellaneous/noteworthy vandalism around the outside:

Dents in the brick

Deep thoughts on the auditorium back door

Something I have mostly overlooked writing about thus far is the playground. There had been a playground on the site from the building's community center daus. Last year, I snapped a picture of it, still there. It's grounds had been completely taken over by grass.

Sterling Annex Playground, 2017

This past year, it was finally taken away.

Site of Sterling Annex Playground, 2018

Its removal was probably for the best. With broken glass and who knows what else, it's not a safe area for children to visit. Playgrounds can also be used as meeting places for older groups. Getting rid of it took away that space.

Plenty of planes pass overhead, Dulles Airport is nearby

There has been no recent news about any plans for the Annex building. I have reached out to Belfort Furniture on two separate occasions this past year to try to learn what they plan to do with the building. At the time of this posting, there has been no response to either.

Sterling Community Center Annex continues to be in a state of limbo. Nothing is happening with it, yet it is still here. Every year I am more sad to walk by, but I cannot look away.

Sterling Annex, 2018

Read all Sterling Annex Posts:
Sterling Community Center Annex (2012)
News on the Sterling Annex Building (2013)
Sterling Community Center Annex - 2016 Update
Sterling Community Center Annex - 2017 Update
Sterling Community Center Annex - 2019 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2020 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2021 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2022 Update

Sterling Community Center Annex - 2023 Update

Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 1

Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 2

Sterling Annex DEMO DAY 3

After Sterling Annex - 2024