James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School is a six-year public school in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Known as Robinson Secondary School, it is located in Fairfax, a suburb southwest of Washington, D.C.
Opened 46 years ago in 1971, Robinson is located south of Braddock Road near George Mason University, and is administered by the Fairfax County Public Schools. It offers the International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement programs, and has approximately 4,000 students in grades 7â€"12, currently the biggest school in Virginia. Robinson's school colors are royal blue and gold and the school mascot is a ram.
History
Robinson was named after Medal of Honor recipient James W. Robinson, Jr., the first resident of Virginia to be awarded the medal during the Vietnam War. Sergeant Robinson, age 25, was fatally wounded under heroic circumstances in South Vietnam fifty-one years ago in April 1966, while serving in the infantry in the U.S. Army.
The school opened its doors in September 1971, taking its students from Fairfax, W.T. Woodson, Oakton, and West Springfield high schools. It was the second of Fairfax County's "Secondary Schools," or "superschools," which housed grades 7â€"12. Robinson's chief rival to the east, Lake Braddock, which opened two years later in 1973, was the third of these schools from this era. The first was Hayfield, near Mount Vernon, which opened in 1968, and the most recent is South County in Lorton, which opened in 2005, taking its students from former Hayfield territory. South County has since reverted to high school status with the opening of South County Middle School near the school's athletic complex.
Demographics
For the 2011â€"2012 school year, Robinson's grade 9â€"12 student body was 59.11% White, 17.88% Asian, 13.31% Hispanic, 5.28% Black and 4.42% Other. The grade 7â€"8 student body was 60.18% White, 14.30% Asian, 12.54% Hispanic, 7.54% Black and 5.44% Other.
Athletics
LSD scandal
In 1991, Robinson was the center of an LSD trafficking scandal in which a drug ring sold more than 100,000 doses of LSD in the course of two years. The ring was exposed when a 16-year-old Robinson student shot and wounded a Fairfax police officer. In the course of the investigation it was revealed that six Robinson and Lake Braddock graduates were receiving large quantities of the drug through the mail. One of the men who was facing the harshest penalties faked a suicide and fled the area, only to be caught two years later in St. Louis and sentenced to 24 years in prison with no possibility of parole.
Notable alumni
- Dan Adams (Class of 2003) â€" linebacker, Holy Cross and US National Team; Current NCAA record holder
- Samir Badr (Class of 2010) â€" professional soccer player.
- Bonnie X Clyde members, Daniel Litman and Paige Lopynski (Class of 2011) â€" EDM musicians
- Dave Brockie â€" founder, guitarist, and vocalist of GWAR
- Shawn Camp (Class of 1994) â€" Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher
- Steve Dunn (Class of 1988) â€" Retired Minnesota Twins first baseman
- Jill Ellis (Class of 1984) â€" head coach, United States women's national soccer team
- Scott Ellis (Class of 1975) â€" a Broadway director who has been nominated for a Tony Award five times, an Emmy nomination, and received the Drama Desk Award
- Mike Imoh (Class of 2002) â€" running back, Virginia Tech and Montreal Alouettes of CFL
- Javier Lopez (Class of 1995) â€" former San Francisco Giants relief pitcher
- Kjell N. Lindgren (Class of 1991) â€" NASA astronaut who spent five months on the International Space Station as part of Expedition 44 in 2015
- Joel Patten (Class of 1976) â€" tight end and tackle at Duke, NFL tackle with Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, & L.A. Raiders
- Alex Riley (Class of 1999) â€" Pro-wrestler
- Byron Saxton â€" Pro-wrestling personality
- Mike Schleibaum (Class of 1996) â€" guitarist of Darkest Hour
- Scott Urick (Class of 1995) â€" 2006 U.S. Men's National Team in World Lacrosse Championship, former Georgetown Hoyas assistant coach, and current head lacrosse coach for the University of the District Columbia
- Chip Vaughn â€" safety for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL and New Orleans Saints
- Brandon Wardell (Class of 2011) â€" Stand-up comedian
- Chris Warren (Class of 1985) â€" NFL running back with Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles
- Kevin Whitaker (Class of 1975) â€" US Ambassador to Colombia (2014â€"present)
References
External links
- Official website
- MaxPreps.com â€" Robinson Rams
- VHSL-Reference
- Virginia Preps Rivals.com VHSL Coaching records (inactive coaches)