Lake Braddock Secondary School

Here follows a history of the school as published on the Fairfax County Public Schools website:

What's in a Name?
Learn about the origin of our school's name in this video produced for Fairfax County Public Schools’ cable television channel Red Apple 21:

Lake Braddock Secondary School opened in September, 1973. The school is named for a man-made lake in Burke which was formed by damming Pohick Creek. The name Braddock, as found in many places in Northern Virginia, comes from Major-General Edward Braddock, a British soldier, born in 1695 in Perthshire, Scotland. His military career began in 1710 when, at the age of 15, Braddock was appointed an ensign in the Coldstream Guards, a regiment of the British Army. In 1754, Braddock, having attained the rank of Major-General, was given command of all British forces in North America during the early stages of the Seven Years’ War, also known as the French and Indian War. Determined to rout enemy French forces from the Colonial American “frontier” in the Ohio Valley, Braddock set his sights on the destruction of Fort Duquesne in what is now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1755, Major-General Braddock departed Alexandria, Virginia, personally leading a force of some 2,000 men against the French fort. On July 9th, Braddock’s army crossed the Monongahela River and were almost within striking distance of Fort Duquesne when they fell victim to a surprise attack by the French forces and their Indian allies. The battle lasted three hours and resulted in a devastating defeat for the British. Braddock was fatally wounded during the battle and died four days later. Before his death, Braddock presented his officer’s sash, pictured here, to one of his aides-de-camp, George Washington. It was Washington who had brought order to the retreating British forces, and later ordered the burial of Braddock’s body to prevent its desecration by their enemies. A monument to Braddock is located two miles north of Fort Necessity National Battlefield Park near Farmington, Pennsylvania. Visitors to the site can see a remnant of the original Braddock Road, constructed by Braddock’s army on its ill-fated expedition to Fort Duquesne.