Lance Harrell has a big job, overseeing Alexandria City High School, the largest high school in Virginia.
Harrell says he’s working 10- to 16-hour days, with the longest days being Fridays, when there are football games. “I think the biggest change is just the added hours that I’ve been working,” Harrell told ALXnow in an interview on Wednesday.
Alexandria will add three new school zone speed camera locations this fall, bringing the total number of monitored zones to six as the city works toward its Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatal and severe crashes by 2028.
The new cameras were installed at Alexandria City High School’s King Street campus on King Street between Quaker Lane and Scroggins Road, the school’s Minnie Howard campus on Braddock Road between Marlee Way and Marlboro Drive, and William Ramsay Elementary School on North Beauregard Street between North Morgan Street and Roanoke Avenue.
The Alexandria City High School Titans football team has opened the 2025 season with four consecutive victories, sitting atop the Virginia High School League Division 6A District 4.
The Titans have dominated opponents with their most recent victory coming Sept. 19 in a 71-0 rout of Lewis High School. The performance marked the team’s second shutout of the season and came on the same night the school celebrated the 25th anniversary of the film “Remember the Titans.”
The story of how coach Herman Boone transformed a newly integrated team of Black and white high school athletes into champions is legendary in Alexandria.
On Friday, 40 of the remaining real-life heroes that the film Remember The Titans is based on, commemorated the movie’s 25th anniversary. The 2000 film recounts the story of the 13-0, 1971 state champion T.C. Williams High School football team (now Alexandria City High School). The players in the newly integrated school overcame racial adversity to become state champs.
It’s been quite a week, Alexandria. Here’s a look at our top stories.
Our most-read story this week is on Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley sermonizing against President Trump’s decision to fly flags at half-staff across the country for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Speaking at the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church, Wesley condemned the Sept. 10 assassination, but said he should not be expected to honor Kirk, who he called an “unapologetic racist who spent all of his life sowing seeds of division and hate into this land.”
Emil LaSida, 21, a record-holding swimmer at Case Western Reserve University and a former captain of the Alexandria City High School swim and dive team, died Sept. 15.
Case Western Reserve University announced Sept. 17 that LaSida had died, but the cause of his death has not been released. A fourth-year student majoring in engineering, LaSida set the school record last year in the men’s 50 freestyle with a time of 19.98 seconds at the NCAA Division III Championships and earned All-American Second Team honors, according to the university.
The library at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard campus has successfully gotten crowdsource funding for LEGO architecture kits.
The school librarian raised $755 from a dozen givers via Donors Choose for kits that include Malfoy Manor from the Harry Potter book series, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and the Statue of Liberty.
Hundreds of Alexandria City High School students held a walkout on Friday, Sept. 5, demonstrating against gun violence in schools.
The walkout at ACHS’s King Street and Minnie Howard campuses started at 11:30 a.m., and lasted for less than a half hour. The demonstrations are part of a national walkout, were organized by Titans Demand Action and held on school grounds. Media was not permitted to observe, except from the public sidewalk. Students held signs, threw water bottles and chanted, “End the violence!”
Alexandria City High School’s football program continues its 2025 season Thursday when the varsity Titans host Meridian High School at 6:15 p.m. for their home opener, following last week’s season-opening road game at Langley High School.
Head coach Rodney Hughey and his staff are working to improve on last season’s 3-7 overall record and 3-4 Division 6A regional mark. The Titans finished 39th in the state division rankings, providing motivation for the program’s rebound efforts this fall.
Alexandria City Public Schools will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the beloved football film “Remember the Titans” with a special celebration at Alexandria City High School on Sept. 19.
The ticketed evening event promises “special guests, fun surprises, and a whole lot of Titan pride,” according to a school district announcement. Activities will include a student pep rally, Titan tailgate, and a tribute to the 1971 Titans team that inspired the Disney film.
Alexandria is seeking feedback on its 15-year plan to address affordable housing issues. Once approved, the Housing 2040 Master Plan will provide City Council and staff with clear goals, strategies, and direction on the city’s housing plans. The city is hosting an open house this Monday (Sept. 8) to get feedback on Housing 2040 draft recommendations for landlord-tenant rights and resources, and homeownership programs in the city. The event will be held at the Minnie Howard Campus of Alexandria City High School (3775 W. Braddock Road) from 6 to 7 p.m., and registration is encouraged.
The current master plan is set to expire in 2025. The new plan will require a 2024 housing needs assessment from the city, and input from residents to “establish new housing affordability goals and examine housing policies, programs, and tools to support all Alexandria residents and workers,” according to the city.
