FHS is well-known as a public school in Warrenton, however it has had a long journey to get to where it is now. Founded in 1963, FHS has had 59 years to develop and grow, and it has definitely changed both in mentality and in the school’s physical structure.

One year before FHS was founded, there were four high schools already in the county: Marshall High School, Warrenton High School, Cedar Lee High School, and Taylor High School. Taylor High School was specifically for students of color, and the other three schools were specifically for Caucasian students. However, in the 1960s, the school board decided that there should be a high school in the county for students of all ethnicities to attend, which led to FHS being built.

The school dress code in 1963 differed a lot from the current dress code. In 1960, students were required to wear formal clothes to class. Girls were required to wear dresses, and boys were required to wear long pants and button-up shirts. Nobody was allowed to wear shorts to school, and jeans were prohibited. Though those rules were dropped in the early 1970s, students didn’t entirely stop dressing in formal wear for a few years.

Most core classes taught at FHS in its early years have similarities to how they are now. In subjects like history and science, there were a variety of different classes. When FHS originally opened in the 1960s, there were history classes that taught modern history and oriental history. There were science classes that taught physics, chemistry, earth science and biology. However, there were also many differences in the classes offered, such as the only foreign languages originally taught were French, Spanish and Latin. They also had classes that were specifically for men or women. For example, the woodshop class was only for men, and home economics was only for women.

The amount of students in attendance at FHS has fluctuated significantly over the years, but is rising again. When the school was first opened, classes were fairly average sized with roughly 972 students in attendance. In the following years, the student count went up by more than 1,000 students. In 2022, there is a total of 1,244 students in attendance, which is only 306 students less than there were in 2005.

The colors of FHS are red, gray and white. These colors were voted on back in 1960 by prospective students from Marshall High School, Warrenton High School and Cedar Lee High School. FHS’s mascot, the Falcon, was also decided by those students.

Many fascinating events have caused changes that led to FHS becoming the school it is today. From dress codes to gender-separated classes, this school has truly evolved over the years. Despite fluctuating in size and noteworthy events over the years, FHS has continued to stand strong.

This article has been edited for clarity and content.