Armstrong High School (Virginia)

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Coordinates: 37°33′08″N 77°24′11″W / 37.55222°N 77.40306°W / 37.55222; -77.40306
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Armstrong High School
Address
Map
2300 Cool Lane

Richmond
,
Virginia
23223

United States
Coordinates37°33′08″N 77°24′11″W / 37.55222°N 77.40306°W / 37.55222; -77.40306
Information
School typePublic high school
Founded1867
School districtRichmond Public Schools
SuperintendentJason Kamras
PrincipalWillie J. Bell, Jr.
Grades9-12
Enrollment747 (2022-2023)[1]
LanguageEnglish
CampusUrban
Color(s)    Blue and Orange
Athletics conferenceVirginia High School League
AAA Central Region
AAA Capital District
MascotWildcats
Websitehttps://ahs.rvaschools.net

Armstrong High School, part of the Richmond Public Schools, is a high school located in Richmond, Virginia, United States, with grades 9–12. The school was founded in 1867 as the Richmond Normal and High School by the Freedmen's Bureau and was eventually incorporated into the Richmond school system in 1876. The school's namesake is former Union General Samuel Chapman Armstrong, a white commander of a U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) regiment during the American Civil War. General Armstrong later founded Hampton Institute, a historically black college now known as Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. Armstrong was a mentor of Booker T. Washington.

History[edit]

The Richmond Normal and High School[2] was conceived by Ralza M. Manly and opened in October 1867.[3] It initially drew funding from a variety of sources, including the Freedmen's Bureau, American Freedmen's Union Commission, and local African-Americans. The Richmond Educational Association took over the school's operation when the Freedmen's Bureau ceased operations in the state in 1870. By the following year it had been renamed Richmond Colored Normal School and moved buildings.[2] The city of Richmond took over the school in 1876. Around the 1880s the school was renamed the Richmond Colored High and Normal School and in 1909 it adopted its current name of Armstrong High School.[3]

The location of Armstrong High school has changed three times since 1909. Once in 1923, then in 1951, and then again in 2004. It is now in its fourth location.

In 1909, the school was established at Leigh Streets at first and named in honor of Union General Samuel Chapman Armstrong, founder of Hampton University. The school then moved to a larger facility in 1923 at the corner of Prentis and Leigh Streets (now the Adult Career Development Center), and then to a new location, 1611 North 31st Street, in 1951.

In 2004, Armstrong High School merged with the nearby John F. Kennedy High School, continuing to use the Armstrong name, colors and mascot, except that it was now much newer and revamped with its air conditioned Kennedy building.

At the current location, Armstrong High School is one of only two of Richmond's public schools which are physically located slightly outside the corporate limits of the independent city in the East End. The Kennedy High School complex and Fairfield Court Elementary School were built in the 1960s on land in a small portion of Henrico County adjacent to Interstate 64 which was cut off from the rest of the county when the Interstate highway was built.

The school's public address announcer and former faculty member, Rodney Robinson, was named the 2019 National Teacher of the Year.[4][5]

Neighborhoods served[edit]

The community served five public housing facilities in proximity to one another; one, Fairfield Court, is on the other side of the street from the high school.[6]

Operations[edit]

Circa 2015 the school used metal detectors and had six security guards. April Hawkins, the principal, stated her belief that the school should have more guards.[7]

Demographics[edit]

Circa 2015 there were 974 students and approximately 97% were African American.

Student performance[edit]

Circa 2015, of the entire student body, the number with plans to attend a four-year college or university was fewer than thirty.[7]

Alumni[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Armstrong High". 10 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Manly, Ralza M. (1822–1897) – Encyclopedia Virginia". Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  3. ^ a b Gasman, Marybeth; Geiger, Roger L. (2012-08-14). Higher Education for African Americans before the Civil Rights Era, 1900-1964. Transaction Publishers. pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-1-4128-4724-7.
  4. ^ Truong, Debbie; Stein, Perry (2019-04-24). "Virginia detention center educator Rodney Robinson named National Teacher of the Year". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  5. ^ Eshleman, Tina (2019-01-23). "Giving Voice". richmondmagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  6. ^ Gabay, Barry (2015-10-16). "SOCIOECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND THE GREATER RICHMOND SCHOOL DISTRICT: THE FEASIBILITY OFINTERDISTRICT CONSOLIDATION" (PDF). University of Richmond Law Review. 51: 397–438. - page cited: 398.
  7. ^ a b Gabay, Barry (2015-10-16). "SOCIOECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND THE GREATER RICHMOND SCHOOL DISTRICT: THE FEASIBILITY OFINTERDISTRICT CONSOLIDATION" (PDF). University of Richmond Law Review. 51: 397–438. - page cited: 399.
  8. ^ "My Aunt Dr Jean Harris was a trailblazing female physician" https://www.uticaphoenix.net/2021/03/14/my-aunt-dr-jean-harris-was-a-trailblazing-female-physician/ Archived 2021-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "DOUGLAS WILDER (1931– )". Library of Virginia. Retrieved 2 June 2018.

External links[edit]

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