History
T.C. Williams, a four year high school, initially opened its doors to eighth graders, freshmen, sophomores and juniors in 1965, graduating its first class in June 1967. When it was created, it was Alexandria's third public high school. Minnie Howard Middle School was the "feeder" school to T.C. for seventh and eight graders.
In 1971, T.C. Williams became the city's only public senior high school serving 11th and 12th graders after a Federal city-wide desegregation order. The city's freshmen and sophomores attended Francis C. Hammond and George Washington, the other former four-year schools involved in the three school consolidation. Currently, "T.C." serves 10th through 12th grades while 9th graders go to the T.C. Williams Minnie Howard Campus, located a few blocks away from the main building. Two middle schools, Francis C. Hammond Middle School, and George Washington Middle School, serve 6th through 8th grade students and are housed in the former high schools.
Increasing enrollment prompted plans for a new school. In January 2004, the Alexandria School Board approved a plan to build an entirely new school building at the existing location to provide more space. The new building opened on September 4, 2007. The original T.C. Williams building was demolished in January 2008. The new T.C. Williams campus was certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2009.
The gym of the original T.C. Williams building was named after Gerry Bertier, a member of the Titans' 1971 state championship football team who was paralyzed in a car crash and died 10 years later in a second auto accident near Charlottesville, VA. The newly-constructed basketball court was named in honor of Earl Lloyd on December 1, 2007. Lloyd attended Parker-Gray High School, which was Alexandria's all-black high school at the time. Lloyd was the first African-American to play in the NBA.
The football stadium is named Parker-Gray Stadium in deference to the former pre-segregation high school whose campus was sold for office buildings in the 1980s. The football field was grass until an artificial turf was installed in 2006.
During his run for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama held a rally at T.C. Williams on February 10, 2008.
Read more about this topic: T. C. Williams High School
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