Twenty years ago, a 230 acre dairy farm sat just north of the town of Purcellville. Three overcrowded schools and several lawsuits later, that farm was transformed into the campus of Woodgrove High School.
Loudoun Valley High School, established in 1962, was the only public high school in Purcellville until Woodgrove was opened. Though charming Purcellville’s historic character has remained constant since 1962, its population has not. Loudoun Valley buckled under the pressure of having to teach an unhealthy number of students, as did Blue Ridge Middle School (6th and 7th grade) and Harmony Intermediate School (8th and 9th). Despite the parents’ and students’ and teachers’ pleas for more space, any proposal made to build a new high school was seen by many as a threat to Purcellville.
From 2006 to 2008, a legal civil war took place over the issue between Loudoun County and the town of Purcellville. An agreement was made only after both parties had filed lawsuits against the other. The school would be built in Purcellville, but the county would pay the town $5.87 million dollars to fix any transportation issues that would arise with the addition of the school. It was due to be open in 2010. Students at Valley and teachers from all over the county packed up their desks and backpacks, eagerly awaiting the opening of Woodgrove High School.
Woodgrove had only freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in its first year. Many classrooms served as storage rooms, waiting for the years to come. Students used to the tight fits at Harmony or Valley now roamed empty halls. Opening staff and students in the 2010-2011 school year saw the new school as an opportunity for both academic excellence and memorable experiences. Although many hoped those memories would come in the form of established traditions, like the beloved Walter the Wolverine car, most were unexpected and highly comical.
Clearly missing the memo that our mascot is a wolverine, a family of cats decided to make their home in Woodgrove. “You’d come in in the morning and you could tell because a ceiling tile or two had been moved, or you would see cat poop on the floor,” Student Engagement and Activities Coordinator Mr. Jeff Schutte reminisced. “We had to get the animal control out multiple times.” On the way to the cat-infested school one rainy day, a student sped straight into the brick “Woodgrove High School” sign on and knocked the W off. “The thing for the next few years was to steal the W,” Schutte explained. “Depending on how the sun hits it, you can tell it’s different.”
A much more pleasant surprise happened in the Loudoun Valley gymnasium. After a hard loss in the first Valley-Woodgrove football game, 55 to 0, the Wolverines felt the need to prove themselves athletically. Fortunately, the boys basketball team was a talented group. “It came down to the very end,” said Ms. Tammy Pyle, who started Woodgrove’s journalism program and now teaches English. “After we won, we rushed the floor.”
Woodgrove saw great success early on in a variety of ways. “We had some really good female athletes during the early years for a new school,” shared Mr. Kevin Copley, a CTE teacher who coached girls basketball for eight years. “The softball team was as successful then as they are now.” Even outside of athletics, the school has been strong since the beginning. “Our students’ grades, the number of AP classes they take, accomplishments that the band has won and the fine arts program have won…” Schutte listed. “It takes some time to build programs, but it didn’t take us very long.” Even so, great success does not equate to great school spirit and connection. “The challenging part was having students come from another school and having to build that team atmosphere,” Copley explained.
“Trying to make a unique culture here was one of the biggest challenges of the school overall,” said social science teacher Ms. Diana Shea. Shea, along with many other staff members, came from Valley to help open the school. “There was intense animosity between us and Valley,” shared Pyle, who witnessed many friendships end with the school’s split. “A lot of the people who remained at Valley, students and teachers, kind of felt like we left them.” The bitter division slowly turned into an amiable rivalry, yet that did not bring Woodgrove’s identity crisis to an end. “At least in the beginning, it was always seen as Loudoun Valley’s little brother or sister,” said Mr. Kent Stanart, another Woodgrove original. “There needed to be something to establish Woodgrove as its own thing.”
When the first principal left during the school’s second year open, there was a leadership void. In 2012, Dr. William Shipp, Mr. Shipp at the time, stepped up to fill it. “Dr. Shipp took the school from not in a good place to a more positive one,” said Ms. Lisa Barcenas, who is one of the special education teachers. Many original staff members agreed that Shipp’s enthusiasm, respect, and open door policy transformed the school environment. “He not only stresses the academics, but the sports and fine arts, and he is supportive, I think, of everything,” Shea said.
“Dr. Shipp has done an amazing job in his 13 years here of building a staff and hiring the people who want to be here, who are also committed kids,” said math teacher Mr. Matthew Glover. Students are given an opportunity to receive the best possible education in a positive environment. Stanart shared, “Woodgrove even has kind of a hometown feel…that most schools in this county don’t.” Through the hard work of administrators, staff, and students, Woodgrove has become a successful and respected school. “There was a challenge to try and establish our own identity and not just be a part of Loudoun Valley,” Glover expressed. “It’s been challenging, but I think we’ve done a good job of that. I think we have a pretty special place here.”