History of Fairfax High

A Photo Essay
By: Noah Allumani and Xavier Herring
 Summary

In America, events that occur on a national scale have a

big impact, which affects all the cities within it. Large
events, such as World War II and the Civil Rights
Movement have been reflected through Fairfax High
School and have shaped it to be the school that it is
today.
 Founding

Founded on February 22, 1935,

Fairfax High School was located on
what is now called Fairfax
Boulevard. The school was built
with grant funding from the federal
government’s Public Works
Administration and was located on
the old Fairfax County Fairgrounds.
Primary Source
Documents
WWII Years

During the years the

U.S entered the war,
a Victory Corps
Organization was
developed in the
school which was
made of students,
whose purpose was
to support the war
effort.
 Demographics

Up until the civil rights movement, the demographics of

Fairfax High was predominately white. As shown in the
photo below, all aspects of school life were white based
as the city had not been open to desegregation yet.
 Integration

With the passing of the Civil Rights Act, schools

across the country began desegregating. Due to
the school’s proximity to our nation's capital,
Fairfax High was one of the first schools to
integrate. This caused a slow, but large influx of
African Americans to begin to attend Fairfax,
changing the school’s history forever.
 Mascot Controversy

The initial mascot of Fairfax High School was “Johnny

Reb,” a confederate soldier. This mascot stood as the
representation of Fairfax until 1986, where principal
Harry F. Holsinger said that Johnny Reb would no longer
be the mascot. Many black people complained about the
logo, claiming it was racist. These actions made other
students very upset, causing over 2,000 parents and
students to petition that Johnny Reb return; they claimed
that removing it violated their first amendment rights.
The decision was brought to court, and it stood that the
mascot would have to be changed.
 The Rebel Rouser

The Johnny Reb mascot caused a lot of

controversy because he was a confederate flag
waving soldier. Times were changing; schools were
integrated and people from other backgrounds
were now attending the school. Because so many
found it offensive, Fairfax decided to use an
interim logo of crossing swords for 11 years, and
eventually held a contest to determine what the
new mascot of the school would be. In 1997 the
furry, ball shaped character became the new
mascot of Fairfax High School.
 Rebel Pride

In the 2003-2004 school year, the mascot for Fairfax

High was changed again. The Rebel rousers were no
longer of existence; the student body felt as though this
mascot was not an accurate representation of Fairfax.
The school wanted a mascot that
was able to embody spirit and unity.
The rebel pride is
currently the mascot and better
explains what Fairfax sees as a more
fitting symbol of the school.
 Renovations

With the population of students and faculty constantly

growing, the building needed to see some change.
Beginning in March, 2005, our school underwent an
extensive $54 million, 2 ½ year long renovation - the first
comprehensive improvements to our building since 1972.
Our school was rededicated on November 10, 2007,
debuting 17 new science and social studies classrooms,
a new library, and technology improvements in every
classroom.
Secondary Source
Documents
 Written Response to Change of Name
This source document is a
response and reaction to
the changing of the name “
Rebel Rouser”
“I am flabbergasted at my discovery of the day: My high school's mascot, the Rebel
Rouser, has ceased to exist! I hadn't thought about the Rouser in years until it came up in
conversation with a co-worker today. We were discussing the stupidest mascots, so
naturally I brought up the Rebel Rouser, a giant blue puffball with legs, arms and some
semblance of a face. Stupid, right?
Well, yes. But...let me give you the whole history. Back in the day, Fairfax High's mascot
was Johnny Rebel, a soldier. Then one day, a bunch of people decided it was socially
unacceptable to use the soldier as the mascot due to the Civil War--despite the fact that
practically every street in the area is named after one soldier or another (Lee Highway,
Confederate Drive, etc.). So, a great contest was held, and students submitted mascot
ideas and drawings. Out of this came the Rebel Rouser. No one quite knew what he was,
or what he had to do with Rebels, but nonetheless he became the chosen one.
We all thought he was dumb and made fun. But in my years at FHS, the little guy grew on
me. He was happy and did dances during football games. He even let people beat him up
in his big blue casing. Plus, he wasn't a generic mascot, like the Eagles or the Bulldogs.
He was our own.
However, something must have gone terribly wrong since those days. I went to look the
Rouser up to show my colleague, and instead I find this hideous lion graphic (above)
showcasing "Rebel Pride." I was confused, wondering what this could mean. They
obviously did away with the Rouser, but why? What do lions have to do with Rebels?
What is so socially unacceptable about a blue puffball?”
 Reactions to Mascot Changes
Fairfax County school officials announced yesterday that a new Fairfax High School logo has been chosen to replace Johnny
Reb, and voiced praise for a federal judge's order allowing the school system to collect $1,800 in legal fees in the case

The following article on involving the controversial mascot.

U.S. District Judge Albert V. Bryan Jr. ruled Friday in Alexandria that the six students and three parents who filed a losing $1.1
the Washington Post million lawsuit seeking restoration of the Johnny Reb mascot must reimburse Fairfax County $1,801.25 for its legal costs
within 30 days.
tells the details of a The suit was filed to protest Fairfax High Principal Harry Holsinger's decision to drop Johnny Reb, to change the name of the

civil suit pursued by "Confederates" drill team and to drop the school flag, a blue and gray version of the Confederate battle flag. He acted after
black parents complained that the symbols were racist.

residents of Fairfax Replacing Johnny Reb will be a blue and gray logo consisting of the name "Fairfax Rebels" and a pair of crossed swords
superimposed on an American flag with a circle of 13 stars, Holsinger said yesterday.
County who argued The logo was one of three nominated by a student-parent-teacher committee, and was the popular choice in a student vote

against the changing of this month, Holsinger said. It will take effect at the beginning of the school year.
Bryan dismissed the suit May 30, calling it frivolous. The plaintiffs have appealed his decision to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of
the mascot. Appeals.
"Hopefully this is going to set a new trend so that those kinds of frivolous things won't happen," Superintendent Robert R.
Spillane said. "This is the first time we've done it, and I believe I have the authority from the School Board . . . to keep pursuing
these in the future."
Louis C. Frank, one of the parents who filed the suit, said of the ruling, "It's ridiculous -- as much so as what his initial findings
were."
Quote from Faculty

“‘We all wanted to know - who are

we?’ asked Mr. Sutterfield, a
former FHS english teacher. ‘This
thing looked like a landmine, or
something. It was kind of a joke.’”
(Rummel)
 Quote from former FHS Student
The following is a quote taken on
the topic of leftover prejudice or
racism in FHS from Bill Wilkinson,
a former FHS student and Fairfax
Native.
“Racism was not overt...not much obvious
racism until we found out about our school
mascot {Johnny Rebel], which didn’t seem to be
that way at the time. Half of the school
population came from out of town(military,
government employees, officials). Fairfax natives
however, might’ve grown up under racist parents,
which was more of just ignorance than anything.
I had a jewish friend who got introduced by
another friends father as ‘ My sons jewish friend’.
We had black teammates on the football that
were considered one of the guys, anyone that
was racist was never outspoken…..”
 Reaction of school community
The following is a quote from
Fairfax native and former FHS
student Bill Wilkinson about the
impact of the removal of Johnny
Rebel.
“ The school community was up in arms. They
were very much attached to Johnny Reb, which
didn’t represent the south so much as it
represented Fairfax High School. Kids took pride
in the mascot, so when it was taken away, it felt
arbitrary, as if the kids didn’t have a say. Most of
us didn’t understand the prejudice associated
with Johnny Reb and the confederate flag. It took
10-15 years before people let it go. Now if you
ask anyone, they would be just as well if the
name wasn’t even rebels...maybe royals,lions,
etc...most of society understands the negative
impact Johnny Rebel had on society. “
 Works Cited

Jordan, Mary. “'JOHNNY REB' BAN AT FAIRFAX HIGH UPHELD ON APPEALED.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6
Aug. 1988,

www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1988/08/06/johnny-reb-ban-at-fairfax-high-uphel
d-on-appealed/438ec96a-35d5-4c79-b94b-
8ec0a71a3326/?utm_term=.7195e6fcda55.
Girl, Sleepy. “The Rebel Rouse-Less.” Sleepylauren.blogspot.com, 24 Oct. 2005,
sleepylauren.blogspot.com/2005/10/rebel-rouse-
less.html.
“WE ARE FAIRFAX. WE ARE FAMILY.” Cityoffairfaxschools.org, cityoffairfaxschools.org/our-schools/fairfax-high/.
Cook, John. “REBEL RUN.” Creepycomic, 1984, www.creepycomic.com/REBELRUN.html.
Classmates.com, www.classmates.com/reunions/school/fairfax-high-school/1898.
Issuu.com. 16 Mar. 2010, issuu.com/rebelroar/docs/march10/18.
Athletics, Fairfax. “Fairfax Athletics (@WEAREfairfax).” Twitter, Twitter, 29 May 2018,
twitter.com/wearefairfax.
“School History.” Fairfaxhs.fcps.edu, fairfaxhs.fcps.edu/about/history.