For the fifth time in eight years, Chantilly High has won the coveted Wachovia Cup for academic excellence. Scoring an impressive 179 points, it came in 41.5 points ahead of second-place George Washington High and was just one point shy of the Group AAA record.
The Wachovia Cup is the Virginia High School League's (VHSL) premiere award for year-long success in state-level academic and athletic competition. Three cups are presented in each category in three enrollment classifications; athletic winners will be announced in June.
Chantilly tied for the Group AAA award in 1995, winning it outright in 1996, 1998, 1999 and again this year. Principal Tammy Turner got the good news on Saturday, shortly before the school's prom, and she and the rest of the staff were ecstatic.
"I'm honored that we've been recognized with this prestigious award," she said. "We have the best of both worlds — extremely talented students who are guided by an extremely talented faculty — and I'm very proud of all of them."
Wachovia Cup winners are determined by a point system based on performance in VHSL state competitions. Team activities such as theater garner 50 points for first place and, in 2002, Chantilly won the state championship in theater. A Trophy Class ranking yields the highest number of points for publications, and Chantilly produced two Trophy Class winners — its magazine and yearbook.
The school's point totals were: Theater, 50; magazine, 35 points; yearbook, 35; creative writing, 27.5; news magazine, 20; and forensics, 11.5. And in only its second year of existence, Westfield High also made a strong showing, coming in 14th overall and racking up points for its newspaper, yearbook and forensics and debate teams.
Suzanne Abdelrazaq, the advisor for Chantilly's literary magazine, Andromeda, called the school's performance excellent and was glad that her students were a part of it. "They're incredibly creative, gifted and dedicated," she said. "They do all the work outside of school, and it's amazing the amount of time they put in."
Abdelrazaq said she wasn't surprised that the school did so well: "I was happy, but I think we earned it." Wendy Hahn, who oversees the students' VHSL creative-writing submissions, was also delighted with the acclaim Chantilly is receiving. "The students are strong writers," she said. "It's very important to them."
Chantilly's state theater championship was for the play, "Going to School," written by drama director Ed Monk. It was about the embarrassment and hilarity that ensued when well-meaning parents took their son to college.
"The kids did a beautiful job, and I'm very proud of them all," he said. "It's a thrill [to win the Wachovia Cup] and a big honor for the school. The nice thing about the cup is that it means we have a well-rounded school — you have to be strong overall."
Newspaper advisor Naomi Dixon was also overjoyed with Chantilly's victory. "I love the fact that we got it and that the kids were recognized," she said. "I love working with them on the newspaper, and I love Chantilly. The kids put in endless hours and try to be as professional as they can. I feel privileged to work with them."
Yearbook advisor Mary Kay Downes said her students were excited to "once again be able to contribute to the success of the school as a whole" in winning this award. And she said this has been a banner year for the yearbook staff.
"They've won the top national awards from two press associations, as well as the VHSL League, and they're kind of rolling high," she explained. "This kind of success breeds in them the desire to surpass what their peers have done and to make each book even better — for themselves, for the community and for their peers."
Turner said it feels wonderful to have the cup back again at Chantilly. The formal presentation will be at back-to-school night in the fall. The cup will then be displayed awhile in the main office before being placed in the school's trophy case.