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Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Middleburg Elementary School celebrates centennial anniversary
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Loudoun County Schools
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Date: October 05, 2011 12:49PM
Middleburg Elementary School celebrates centennial anniversary
Friday, Sep. 30 by Billie Van Pay, Special to the Times-Mirror
http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/middleburg_elementary_school_celebrates_centennial_anniversary123/
With perfect weather and friends gathering for a walk down memory lane, what could be better? That was the scene at Middleburg Elementary School’s Centennial Celebration Sept. 24. The town of Middleburg and the surrounding communities all joined in the effort to make this one of the most important events this year. The old frame building built in 1885 had been replaced with a new brick building in 1911, and the celebration was about the history connected with the building, the school and a community, a history that spanned 100 years.
The school now serves PK-5, and through the years, its educational program has been one of the community’s best assets. The school has always had a strong academic reputation and has provided cultural opportunities that the entire area has enjoyed and appreciated. Although the celebration was a reunion, the day was also a day of appreciation for those who have made the school such a legacy, appreciation for the neighborhood business leaders who have supported the school through the years and especially for the faculty members who have contributed to the success.
Teri Domanski, chairperson for the Centennial Committee, organized a group of alumni and community leaders to form a committee who worked for a year and who arranged a first-class program for the day. She and the committee did a fantastic job of coordinating the many different resources, sponsors, accommodations and celebration. Karen Roche, the school’s principal, welcomed those attending. Several of the school’s students presented the colors and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Loudoun County Schools Superintendent Dr. Edgar Hatrick spoke to those attending about the value of having a school last for this period of time and to still be such a vital part of the community. The celebration began with the dedication of the 1911 Cornerstone, placed at the entrance of the building.
The parking lot in front of the school, the gathering place, was full of those who had come to participate. Former classmates, families of alumni, students, parents and friends greeted each other, shared memories, shared news and enjoyed seeing each other again, some after many years. There was cake too, one that looked like a school and fed a multitude.
The musical “This is Your Life MES” brought the group together with a trip into the past, and as everyone entered the building, they enjoyed a museum-quality display. The Centennial Committee worked for a year to collect appropriate memorabilia for this display, and the upper hallway in the building was lined with the things that were significant to the school’s history, things that former students had kept for years and things that were brought to share in the celebration. Friends visiting with friends continued through lunch, a fried chicken lunch similar to the ones the students have enjoyed during their school years. The children who attended had their faces painted and played games. It was a casual, happy picnic in the sun.
The afternoon activities began with “MES – 100 Years of Memories,” a documentary giving the school’s history which included alumni and former faculty sharing their thoughts and testimonials.
Again, everyone obviously began to relate to the events and people who were featured, another walk down memory lane.
The afternoon continued with a pie-eating contest, a fashion show, an alumni reception and a ceremony to place a time capsule. The afternoon ended with a barbecue dinner under a very large tent.
Slowly everyone left, most with friendships renewed and with an experience that will, in turn, become a valuable memory after their walk down memory lane, a day spent remembering a community.
CUT: Left to right: Karen Roche, principal of Middleburg Elementary, Priscilla Godfrey from the Loudoun County School Board (Blue Ridge), Dr. Edgar Hatrick the superintendent of Loudoun County Schools and Middleburg Mayor Betsy Davis celebrated the school’s 100 year anniversary. Photo Courtesy/Billie Van Pay
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Friday, Sep. 30 by Billie Van Pay, Special to the Times-Mirror
http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/middleburg_elementary_school_celebrates_centennial_anniversary123/
With perfect weather and friends gathering for a walk down memory lane, what could be better? That was the scene at Middleburg Elementary School’s Centennial Celebration Sept. 24. The town of Middleburg and the surrounding communities all joined in the effort to make this one of the most important events this year. The old frame building built in 1885 had been replaced with a new brick building in 1911, and the celebration was about the history connected with the building, the school and a community, a history that spanned 100 years.
The school now serves PK-5, and through the years, its educational program has been one of the community’s best assets. The school has always had a strong academic reputation and has provided cultural opportunities that the entire area has enjoyed and appreciated. Although the celebration was a reunion, the day was also a day of appreciation for those who have made the school such a legacy, appreciation for the neighborhood business leaders who have supported the school through the years and especially for the faculty members who have contributed to the success.
Teri Domanski, chairperson for the Centennial Committee, organized a group of alumni and community leaders to form a committee who worked for a year and who arranged a first-class program for the day. She and the committee did a fantastic job of coordinating the many different resources, sponsors, accommodations and celebration. Karen Roche, the school’s principal, welcomed those attending. Several of the school’s students presented the colors and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Loudoun County Schools Superintendent Dr. Edgar Hatrick spoke to those attending about the value of having a school last for this period of time and to still be such a vital part of the community. The celebration began with the dedication of the 1911 Cornerstone, placed at the entrance of the building.
The parking lot in front of the school, the gathering place, was full of those who had come to participate. Former classmates, families of alumni, students, parents and friends greeted each other, shared memories, shared news and enjoyed seeing each other again, some after many years. There was cake too, one that looked like a school and fed a multitude.
The musical “This is Your Life MES” brought the group together with a trip into the past, and as everyone entered the building, they enjoyed a museum-quality display. The Centennial Committee worked for a year to collect appropriate memorabilia for this display, and the upper hallway in the building was lined with the things that were significant to the school’s history, things that former students had kept for years and things that were brought to share in the celebration. Friends visiting with friends continued through lunch, a fried chicken lunch similar to the ones the students have enjoyed during their school years. The children who attended had their faces painted and played games. It was a casual, happy picnic in the sun.
The afternoon activities began with “MES – 100 Years of Memories,” a documentary giving the school’s history which included alumni and former faculty sharing their thoughts and testimonials.
Again, everyone obviously began to relate to the events and people who were featured, another walk down memory lane.
The afternoon continued with a pie-eating contest, a fashion show, an alumni reception and a ceremony to place a time capsule. The afternoon ended with a barbecue dinner under a very large tent.
Slowly everyone left, most with friendships renewed and with an experience that will, in turn, become a valuable memory after their walk down memory lane, a day spent remembering a community.
CUT: Left to right: Karen Roche, principal of Middleburg Elementary, Priscilla Godfrey from the Loudoun County School Board (Blue Ridge), Dr. Edgar Hatrick the superintendent of Loudoun County Schools and Middleburg Mayor Betsy Davis celebrated the school’s 100 year anniversary. Photo Courtesy/Billie Van Pay
Attachments: