History of Godwin Middle School

History of Mills E. Godwin Middle School
Interesting facts about our school and the Commonwealth of Virginia

Date Opened: 1970 Principal: Veronica Abrams Assistant Principals: Renee Chinn and Linda Higgins Number of students: 984 Number of teachers: 62 School Colors: Royal Blue/Gold School Mascot: Governors
ABOUT GODWIN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Godwin Middle School was named for Governor Mills Godwin, “Father of Virginia’s Community College System.” Godwin opened in 1970 as the first Middle School built in Dale City. Community Served: Godwin students reside in Dale City
Godwin is the home of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program. This program offers a challenging comprehensive academic middle school program for students. The program connects the subject areas of language arts, social studies, mathematics, science, foreign language, technology, fine arts and physical education through five Areas of Integration. For students who wish to continue the program in ninth and tenth grade, a Middle Years Programme Certificate may be obtained at Gar-Field High School at the end of the tenth grade.

MILLS E. GODWIN, JR. (1914-1999)
Served 1966-1970, Democrat; 1974-1978, Republican

The only Governor elected twice by popular vote, Governor Godwin served in both houses of the General Assembly and as Lieutenant Governor. An attorney from Nansemond County
(now the City of Suffolk), Godwin instituted the first sales tax in Virginia during his first administration to invest in a newly-created Community College System. During his second term, Governor Godwin guided the revision of the State Constitution, reinstated the death penalty and reorganized the penal system.

The Governors of Virginia
Governors of Virginia serve a single four-year term as allowed by the Constitution of Virginia.
A governor can be re-elected by popular vote again only after a break in service. Mills Godwin, Jr.
achieved that feat most recently by serving from 1966-70 and again from 1974-78.
To learn more about the distinguished men who have served in this office, click on the links below.

This is the Governor's Mansion where our Governors
and their families live in Richmond, Virginia.

Our Governor of Virginia is Democrat, Tim Kaine

Birth Date: February 26, 1958
Birth Place: St. Paul, Minnesota
Undergraduate Degree: University of Missouri, 1979
Law School Degree: Harvard, 1983
Family: Married to Anne Holton;
Three children - Nat, Woody, and Annella

Tim Kaine Website

List of all Virginia Governors

Virginia State Flag
The State Flag of Virginia bears the Great Seal of the Commonwealth on a field of blue. The seal depicts the goddess "Virtus."
She is dressed as an Amazon, armed with a spear and sword,
and stands over a defeated despot. The seal displays the
State Motto,"Sic Semper Tyrannis," which is Latin for,
"Thus Always to Tyrants."

Virginia is located on the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. It is the fourth largest of the
South Atlantic States and thirty-sixth in size among the 50 states.
The total area of Virginia is 40,767 square miles (105,586 square kms).
It extends 440 miles east to west. (470 miles point to point) and 200 miles north to south.

VIRGINIA EMBLEMS AND SYMBOLS
	State Bird: In 1950, the General Assembly chose the northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) as the state bird because of its bright plumage and cheerful song. In eighteenth-century England, the cardinal was called "the Virginia nightingale." The cardinal is part of the finch family
	State Tree and Flower: In 1956, the state adopted the American dogwood as the official tree. The dogwood is well distributed throughout the Commonwealth, and its beauty is symbolic of the many attractive features of Virginia.
	State Insect: In 1991, the tiger swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus linne) was adopted as the state insect. It is easily identified by its yellow and black, tiger-striped wings and dark tail. It is one of the most common and conspicuous butterflies of the eastern United States.
	State Fish: In 1993, the official fish became the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). The brook trout is of the salmon family. It survives only in clear, cold water and populates the mountain rivers and streams of Virginia.
	THE GREAT SEAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH - The great seal of the Commonwealth was adopted by the Virginia's Constitutional Convention on July 5, 1776. Its design was the work of a committee composed of George Mason, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, and Robert Carter Nicholas. George Wythe was probably the principal designer taking its theme from ancient Roman mythology.
**CLICK HERE FOR MORE EMBLEMS AND SYMBOLS**