By: Forest Langhorne
Leesburg, VA- Tuscarora celebrated its dedication on October 19, with the whole school in attendance.  Also in attendance were several LCPS administration officials and Chief Johnny Rocca, of the Tuscarora Indian Nation. The Tuscarora Band and Chorus performed at the event, and the Loudoun County High School JROTC did the presentation of the colors at the ceremony.  Members of the School and the Board of Supervisors including both Chairman Scott York and School Board Chairman John Stevens also attended the event.
Both the THS choir and band performed during the ceremony. The band started off by playing “America the Beautiful” then performed “America the Beautiful” together with the chorus and finished off the dedication with the “Nathan Hill Trilogy”.
Remarks by the attending guests were enthusiastic about the start of the school year, and stressed that students needed to continue to bring the enthusiasm and school spirit to the classroom that they had in past weeks.  Speakers also stressed that students should appreciate the opportunities presented by the new school. Chairman Stevens, of the school board said, “…all of this is for you [students], everything is for you…”
The principal also emphasized the need to continue showing school spirit and remaining enthusiastic about the school.  “The school spirit you bring to Tuscarora has a strong effect in the classroom…” said Principal Jacobs in her speech to the school at the dedication.
Chief Rocca, representing the Tuscarora Indian Nation at the dedication, was enthusiastic that Tuscarora was named after his native people and expressed that it was important that students attending Tuscarora appreciate the school and take advantage of the opportunities offered to them.  He also iterated that students should make the most out of their high school experience and not let it slip by.  Chief Rocca also presented the school with a hand-made dream catcher to catch the bad dreams of the school and the good dreams slip through.  The dream catcher will be housed somewhere in the main entrance hallway, but where exactly has not yet been decided.
SCA President Connor Skaggs and Janai Mitchell, a Dream Team member, also spoke at the event.  Skaggs mainly emphasized how important it was that anyone, no matter what was different about him/her, could obtain a position such as his and not face any untoward scrutiny.  Mitchell spoke mostly about how she thought the Dream Team had helped get the students more involved in Tuscarora and how it helped make the school more student friendly.  The ribbon cutting was performed by Tyler Dietrich, the junior class president, Molly Fuller, the sophomore class president, and William Prendergast, the freshman class president.
Now that the dedication has taken place, people are already starting to turn and consider Tuscarora’s future.  In a recent interview concerning the dedication, Principal Jacobs was quoted, saying, “That I hope that are kids are prepared for wherever they go after high school,  and that they enjoy the experience at Tuscarora…”   School Board Member Robert Ohneiser also expressed hopes for the school, saying, “I would like to see Tuscarora H.S. establish the onsite academy it was designed to sustain rather than merely become the largest school in Loudoun County…I think THS will become the largest high school in Loudoun County…also be the most utilized of all the schools for regional events.”