Feb. 21st

Born in 1732 into a Virginia planter family, the first President of the United States, George Washington, learned the morals, manners, and body of knowledge requisite for an 18th century Virginia gentleman. He pursued two intertwined interests: military arts and western expansion. At 16 he helped survey Shenandoah lands for Thomas, Lord Fairfax. Commissioned a lieutenant colonel in 1754, he fought the first skirmishes of what grew into the French and Indian War. The next year, as an aide to Gen. Edward Braddock, he escaped injury although four bullets ripped his coat and two horses were shot from under him. From 1759 to the outbreak of the American Revolution, Washington managed his lands around Mount Vernon and served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. Married to a widow, Martha Dandridge Custis, he devoted himself to a busy and happy life. But like his fellow planters, Washington was unhappy with British restrictions. When the Second Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia in May 1775, Washington, who served as one of the Virginia delegates, was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. On July 3, 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, he took command of his ill-trained troops and embarked upon a war that was to last six grueling years, in 1781 with the aid of French allies–he forced the surrender of British General Cornwallis at Yorktown, ending the conflict. Washington longed to retire to his fields at Mount Vernon. But he soon realized that the Nation under its Articles of Confederation was not functioning well, so he helped bring about the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. When the new Constitution was ratified, the Electoral College unanimously elected Washington President. Washington was cautious in foreign policy, not wanting to entangle the new nation with the affairs of other countries; he kept the United States from being pulled into the French Revolution. Washington was also cautious about the rise of political factions and cautioned against both factions and foreign entanglements in his Farewell Address. After two terms in office, Washington retired to his beloved Mount Vernon. Less than 3 years into his retirement, Washington fell ill and died on December 14, 1799. The nation mourned his loss for many months. Since 1885 Washington’s birthday has been observed as a federal holiday. In 1971 the observance was moved to the third Monday of the month, and is often referred to today as “President’s Day”.

Red Cross Club is collecting laundry detergent and large-print puzzle books to donate to Veteran’s homes in the area. Please drop off donations in the box in Mrs. Cole’s room by the end of February!

2020 ASVAB On Tuesday, March 10 the ASVAB Career Exploration test will be administered at OHS. This is an assessment that will help with post-secondary options including, but not limited to, military options. The ASVAB is free to interested juniors and seniors. Students need to sign up on Naviance under the college visit tab to participate. The test will be begin at 7:30 AM in Room B200. The standard test time is approximately 3 hours. To sign up for a College Visit, a student must: 1. Log into Naviance Student 2. Navigate to Colleges>Research Colleges>College Visits 3. Click Sign Up to sign up 4. Click the Sign Me Up button