Bill Text: VA HJR623 | 2023 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending John Handley High School.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-02-16 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ623ER) [HJR623 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2023-HJR623-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, John Handley High School, an endowed public high school in Winchester that has educated more than 20,000 students since its founding, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023; and
WHEREAS, the impetus for the establishment of John Handley High School came through a generous bequest in 1895 from the school's namesake, John Handley of Pennsylvania, a judge and philanthropist who was a frequent visitor of Winchester; and
WHEREAS, the John Handley High School building was designed by architect Walter R. McCornack of Cleveland, Ohio, and its grounds by the Olmstead Brothers of Brookline, Massachusetts; construction began in 1921 and the cornerstone was placed on June 13, 1923; and
WHEREAS, four years after John Handley High School opened, the former Douglas School building, a school for the Black children of Winchester, was built with the support of John Handley's endowment; Douglas School was the only school serving Black students in the city until 1966, when it was closed after the integration of Winchester's schools; and
WHEREAS, listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1998, John Handley High School was heralded by Architectural Digest in 2017 as both the most beautiful public high school in the Commonwealth and one of the 20 most beautiful public high schools in the country in appreciation of its neoclassical revival architecture and grounds; and
WHEREAS, John Handley High School today boasts a new library and state-of-the-art physics labs, chemistry labs, and biology labs following a major modernization and expansion effort in recent years that was made possible through the support of the Handley Board of Trustees, as well as parents and alumni of the school and other donors; and
WHEREAS, John Handley High School is able to offer its students a world-class education, including a wide array of Advanced Placement courses, through the tireless efforts and dedication of its exceptional teachers and staff; and
WHEREAS, over the years, John Handley High School has hosted historic concerts, supported new citizens and immigrants, cultivated world-renowned artists, championed public servants, won 49 athletic state championships and 10 state championships in forensics, and served as home to the most honored school band in the area; and
WHEREAS, John Handley High School will recognize the graduating class of 2023 as the school's 100th class, commencing a year of celebratory activities including a rededication of the school's cornerstone, charity 5k race, gala finale, and pictorial history book preserving the school's first 100 years; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend John Handley High School of Winchester on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to John Handley High School as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the school's history of contributions to the Commonwealth.
