Francis C. Hammond Middle School

Francis C. Hammond Middle School in Alexandria, Virginia, is located at 4646 Seminary Road in the west end of the city. Opened as a four-year high school in 1956, it was named after Alexandria native Francis Hammond (1931–1953), a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Korean War.[1][2]

Francis C. Hammond Middle School in 2017

Francis C. Hammond Middle School applied to be part of the International Baccalaureate program in 2010. It has since ended its involvement.

History

In 1971, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) changed to a 6-2-2-2 system, and reassigned its three high schools from four-year to two-year campuses. The newest and most geographically central, T.C. Williams, took all of the city's juniors and seniors, while Hammond and George Washington split the freshmen and sophomores.[3] Prior to the consolidation, the city was approximately one-fifth black, but Hammond High School's student body in the spring of 1971 was nearly all white.[3] Both Hammond and George Washington became junior high schools in 1979, with grades 7-9, and middle schools in 1993, with grades 6-8.

In 2009, Morton Sherman, superintendent for ACPS, introduced a new plan for the school system's two middle schools, to have numerous schools inside one building. This was designed to allow students to have a more personalized education in smaller schools. Hammond had 3 schools (e.g., FCH 1, FCH2, FCH3), while George Washington Middle School had two schools (e.g. GW1, GW2). Starting in the 2014–15 school year the schools were unified again, with students either attending Francis C. Hammond or George Washington.

Demographics

As of September 2014, the 1436 students at Francis C. Hammond are 35% African American, 40% Hispanic, 14% White, 8% Asian, 1.2% Multi-racial, 1% Native American, and 0.4% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

Notable alumni

References
  1. Cressey, Pamela (May 1997). "Alexandrians remember Hammond". City of Alexandria. Historic Alexandria. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  2. "Hero's son gets his medal". Spartanburg (SC) Herald-Journal. AP photo. January 1, 1954. p. 9.
  3. "Alexandria school plan to be offered". Free-Lance Star. Fredericksburg, VA. Associated Press. May 1, 1971. p. 10.
  4. L’Hommedieu, Andrea (November 3, 2009). "Interview with Angus King by Andrea L'Hommedieu". Bowdoin College. Digital Commons. Retrieved November 1, 2018.

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