History of Douglass High School
Douglass High School was built during segregation and was Loudoun County's first and only Black high school from 1941 until 1968, when segregated education ended in the county.
For years, delegations of Black Loudoun parents and patrons met with the Loudoun County School Board to request adequate facilities and additional teachers for their children. They were repeatedly told there were no funds to purchase land, while funds were found to purchase additional land for White schools. Undeterred, the parents worked together and, with the help of Jeanes Supervisor, Gertrude Alexander, formed the County-Wide League in 1938 to consolidate and strengthen their efforts. The community raised $4,000 through donations, bake sales, and the assistance of William “Willie” Hall, who obtained a loan so that a school site could be secured. With money in hand, the League was able to negotiate and purchase the land on which the school now sits from William S. Gibbons, to build an accredited high school. The League hired well-known civil rights attorney Charles Hamilton Houston to help persuade Loudoun County officials to allocate funds for the new school. The School Board agreed to fund the high school if the League sold the land to the School Board for $1.
The original building, constructed in 1941, consisted of four classrooms. There have been two subsequent additions. In 1950, a science laboratory, home economics suite, and five classrooms were added. In 1960, a gymnasium, shop, cafeteria, and additional classrooms were built.
PRINCIPALS | DATES |
|---|---|
Mr. George Liverpool | 1941 - 1948 |
Mr. Ulysses Oliver | 1949 - 1951 |
Mr. Stephen Sydnor | 1952 - 1963 |
Mr. James Woodson | 1964 - 1968 |
Mr. James McBride | 1968 - 1969 |
Mr. Weldon Reeves | 1971 - 1975 |
Mr. Frederick Hutchison | 1976 - 1977 |
Mr. Joel Galperin | 1977 - 1978 |
Mr. Wayne Griffith | 1978 - 1979 |
Mr. Terrence Hill | 1979 - 1985 |
Mrs. Laurraine Landolt | 1985 - 2000 |
Dr. John Robinson | 2000 - 2016 |
Mrs. Marianne Turner | 2016 - 2019 |
Mrs. Stacie Mininberg | 2019 - 2021 |
The building has provided service to many different populations over the years.
Timeline | School Name | History |
|---|---|---|
1941-1968 | Douglass High School | The school was built during segregation and was Loudoun County's first and only high school for black students. Loudoun County did not fully integrate public schools until the 1968-1969 school year.
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1968-1969 | Broad Run Annex | The school served 8th and 9th grade students who would be attending Broad Run High School for the 1969-1970 school year.
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1969-1971 | School Board Annex | The school was used as administrative offices.
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1971-1976 | Leesburg Middle School | The school served 6th and 7th grader students from Leesburg, Middleburg, and Lucketts.
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1976 | Douglass Community School | After middle school students moved to other schools, Douglass became a school with multiple programs: an alternative high school, a special education center, and the Douglass Community Center.
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1991 | Douglass School | Housed at Douglass during this time were Douglass Alternative School with middle and high school programs, English as a Second Language (ESL), Early Childhood Special Education, Substance Abuse Education, Insight, and the Douglass Community Center.
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1993 | Douglass School | Starting Toward Excellence in Preschool (STEP) classes joined the above programs.
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1994 | Douglass School | Head Start preschool classes joined the above programs.
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1996 | Douglass School | Head Start classes were relocated from Douglass.
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2000 | Douglass School | The Middle School Transitions Program and the General Educational Development (GED) Program were added.
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2001 | Douglass School | The ESL, STEP, and Early Childhood Special Education classes are relocated and Douglass becomes the center for Secondary Alternative Programs for LCPS.
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2004-2014 | Douglass School | The Saving 9 program is added to support 9th grade students in jeopardy of failing and potentially becoming dropouts.
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2016 | Douglass School | Second Chance program is added to support students who have struggles with regular high school programs. |
2021 | Douglass School | At the end of the 2020-2021 school year, the building closed for renovation. The renovated Douglass School is scheduled to reopen in 2023. |