Mr. Kenny Leatherwood, Interim Principal, brings decades of wide-ranging leadership experience at Charlottesville City Schools. He began his service in our schools as a CHS teacher and basketball coach in 1981. He later assumed administrative responsibilities in the school, including six years as CHS principal. Later in his career, he worked in the division’s central offices in human resources and as coordinator of our alternative learning programs. Even after retiring in 2012, he has continued to serve as interim principal in a number of our schools. Since his first days in our schools, Mr. Leatherwood has been a respected educator and leader.
Jason Bennett, Assistant Principal
Teresa Bryant., Assistant Principal
Yumeca Webb-Jordan, Assistant Principal
Andy Jones, Director of Student Activities
Built in 1974, Charlottesville High School replaced the historic Lane High School, which now serves as the Albemarle County Office Building. Lane High was built in 1939 but shut its doors in 1958 as part of the state’s massive resistance to racial integration. Lane High, along with Venable Elementary, were the first Charlottesville schools to be integrated when the “Charlottesville Twelve” entered the schools on September 8, 1959. In recent years, many Charlottesville City Schools have often hosted members of the “Venable Twelve” to speak to students about their experiences integrating the schools.
Charlottesville High School is home of the Black Knights, serving approximately 1,200 students in grades 9-12. CHS excels in academics, the arts, athletics, and more. Students regularly earn an array of honors and qualify for national and international competitions in academics, fine arts, and STEM programming.
Through its extensive AP, dual enrollment, and dual-degree programs with Piedmont Virginia Community College, CHS prepares students to go to elite universities. Graduates of the Class of 2023 are attending the University of Chicago, VCU, JMU, VSU, UVA, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Brown, the School of Arts Institute of Chicago, Old Dominion, Mary Washington, Virginia Tech, William & Mary, Mary Baldwin, Clark Atlanta, Princeton, Hampshire, Harvard, Hollins, Duke, Penn State, Tulane, Johnson & Wales, Sarah Lawrence, and many more.
We also prepare first-generation college students to blaze a trail for their families with continuing education through our AVID program (Advancement Via Individual Determination). Read more about this successful in-school college preparatory program here.
A few CHS highlights:
Follow CHS on Twitter or Facebook at @CHSBlackKnights!
What else is there to love about CHS? Ask a Black Knight! The video below, "CHS: I love it! I love it! I love it! Portrait Project," is a celebration of why students and staff love being a Black Knight. This photography/interview project is a partnership between Rachel Wilson's Capstone & Photo 4 photography class and the Knight Time Review.