New Devlin Road School Named for Fallen Officer Chris Yung

The new Bristow elementary school will be named for fallen Officer Chris Yung .

The Prince William County School Board unanimously voted to name the new elementary school in Bristow, which is scheduled to open in September 2015, Chris Yung Elementary.

The original proposal for the name of the Devlin Road school was the "Officer Chris Yung Elementary School;" however,  Superintendent of Schools Steven L. Walts said he was uncomfortable with the word "officer" in the name.

Brentsville District School Board member Gil Trenum proposed an amendment to the original motion, removing the word and the motion ultimately passed.

Trenum said two names received the overwhelming support of the local community.

“One was Chris Yung, in support of Officer Yung  who lost his life serving PWC in the Bristow area and the other was in honor of Sen. Chuck Colgan," he said.

However,  Sen. Colgan, the Commonweath’s longest serving senator, asked to be removed from consideration.

“I have to believe that part of Sen. Colgan's reasoning was out of the recognition of the sacrifices that Officer Chris Yung did  for the community," he said.

Yung died on New Year’s Eve Day 2012 while on duty as a motorcycle officer for the Prince William Police Department. Yung’s motorcycle collided with another motor vehicle that was turning into the Sowder Village Square shopping center on Nokesville Road. Yung was 34-years-old.

"At the two info nights, the Yung family was present," Gainesville School Board member Alyson A. Satterwhite said. "We received many emails from the community in support of naming the school after Officer Chris Yung."

Yung's parents received an ovation from the School Board.

The process included two public community meetings. Jan. 12 (Victory Elementary) and Jan. 20 (Gainesville Middle School).

The naming committee consisted of Milton Johns, Chairman At Large; Gil Trenum, Brentsville District; Alyson Satterwhite, Gainesville District; Dave Beavers, Supervisor of Planning & Financial Services, Dave Cline, Office of Facilities Services and Associate Superintendent for Finance and Support Services.