Prince William County Schools broke ground on its newest elementary school on Haymarket Drive in the Brentsville District Tuesday, May 14.
“The Haymarket Drive School,” which has not received its official name, will relieve Buckland Mills Elementary, which is currently above capacity.
“The attendance boundaries have not yet been drawn,” said Superintendent Steven Walts, “but at this point, it appears that the Elementary School at Haymarket Drive will primarily assist with student housing in the Buckland Mills Elementary School attendance area.”
School Board member Gil Trenum said the school would likely pull students from both the Brentsville and Gainesville districts.
In his opening remarks, Superintendent Walts said, “This ceremony is an important one, especially for those who have kept up with the School Division’s Capital Improvements Program.” He said the school division was fortunate to have been able to fund the construction of two schools set to open in 2014, the second school being Nokesville K-8, which is already under construction.
Walts commented on the changing nature of the community, saying, “As I was driving here this morning, I could not help but reflect on the dramatic changes in Prince William County in the eight years that I have been here. We have practically reached the limits of the county with the construction of this school.”
He reminded folks in attendance that “we are still the second-largest school division in Virginia,” and that they expect another 2,000 additional students to enroll in 2014.
[/caption] “Balancing the need for student housing with available resources will always be a challenge for those in education and those who recognize the important role of education in our society,” he said.
Walts thanked all the community leaders who worked together to make the day possible. He then introduced School Board Chairman At-Large, Milt Johns.
Johns thanked “all those who had a hand in designing the school” and offered his appreciation to the Prince William County Public Schools construction staff for keeping everything on schedule and moving forward.
Johns said that while it is the school board and division that commissions schools to be built, it is the parents, teachers, students and community members who will really build the school community.
Brentsville District Supervisor Wally Covington talked about the role the county plays in the building of new schools.
“For me personally,” he said, “each time we complete a groundbreaking in the Brentsville District, a vision planted some years ago comes to fruition.” He noted that the land on Haymarket Drive was negotiated during the land use application for the University of Virginia some years ago.
Covington spoke about how the Board of County Supervisors recently increased the financial support for county schools with 57.23 percent of county funds now going toward education. He further said the ability to build schools results from the county’s commitment to preserving its triple A bond rating.
Brentsville District School Board Member Gil Trenum said that in order to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, the new school will be equipped with the newest science labs and interactive white boards.
“As you can see from the printed program, this school will have all the critical technology infrastructure that will help students gain the skills needed to succeed as they move up the levels."
The elementary school is designed by Moseley Architects and is being built by Scheibel Construction. The building of the school costs $18.788 million per the contract bid award cost to the contractor. It will be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified building (LEED) with integrated technology infrastructure and will feature security intrusion detection and monitoring systems.
Technology infrastructure includes building-wide data network, wiring for interactive classroom instruction, building-wide phone/public address communications systems, building-wide audio/visual and cable distribution systems and a wireless computer network.
The building will include a “cafetorium” and stage; a media center with audio and visual production space; an administration area to include reception, administrative offices and a faculty lounge. In addition, the building will have separate wings for primary and intermediate classrooms, kindergarten and special education classrooms and elective rooms for art, music, strings, science and reading.
Supervisor of the Communications Relations Office for Prince William County Schools Irene Cromer said students are usually invited to groundbreaking ceremonies; however, they were unable to attend this one since it coincided with their state wide SOL exams.
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