A little piece of heaven...

Charles Barrett Elementary School

The staff of Charles Barrett is committed to providing a program of academic excellence and equity. We are dedicated to a learning partnership with our students and their families.

The following beliefs define our vision as well as our daily practices:

• We believe each student can achieve academic success
• We believe meaningful learning takes place in a positive, orderly, nurturing and child-centered environment
• We believe our diversity enriches our learning environment and we value the challenges that it brings
• We believe teamwork among teachers, staff members, and parents are vital to achieving success in our educational program
• The arts serve as our foundation for teaching and learning. We, at Charles Barrett, integrate the arts into every aspect of our learning community to create lifelong students.

The original Barrett School was built in 1943, when Shirley Highway (now 395) was bulldozed through forest land to link the brand new Pentagon building with Fort Belvoir. The building, a "temporary" prefab constructed by the Federal Works Agency, consisted of six classrooms and a kitchen. It was designed to serve children living in Parkfairfax, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's new townhouse development built to relieve the wartime housing shortage in Washington.

School opened on October 25, 1943, with desks and chairs borrowed from other schools. There were forty children and four teachers on staff. The principal was Miss Mary Boylan who continued in that role for the next twenty-five years. Volunteer mothers prepared and served lunch in the Barrett "soup kitchen."

Three weeks after classes began the Alexandria School Board voted unanimously to name the school after Major General Charles Dodson Barrett of the United States Marine Corps, an Alexandrian who was killed in the South Pacific on October 8, 1943.

The original red brick building was constructed in 1949, at a cost of approximately $400,000. It consisted of 12 classrooms, a library, a cafeteria, an auditorium, a shop, a home economics department, a music room, an office and a teacher's lounge. Occupancy was taken on February 1, 1950. In March, 1950, General Barrett's son, Marine Major Charles D. Barrett, presented his father's personal flag to the school at the official dedication ceremony. The flag, two large stars centered in a field of red, holds a place of honor in the school.

In the summer of 1968, the classrooms in the red brick building were renovated to make the rooms more comfortable, usable, and attractive. The library was enlarged by removing a wall between the library and a classroom. It was redecorated and new furniture replaced the old. Seventh graders were moved to the middle schools and the shop and home economics area were remodeled for classroom use. Barrett parents planned and painted graphic designs in the halls, lobby, and cafeteria.

A new kindergarten wing was added to the main building in the summer of 1971. This eliminated the need for the original schoolhouse which was demolished on November 5, 1971. The new wing, a pod design, was awarded the Metropolitan Washington Board of Trade Award for Excellence in Architecture. When the new addition was dedicated on October 27, 1971, Mr. Randall R. Vosbeck, its architect, presented the key to the building to Mrs. Virginia T. Funkhouser, Barrett's then principal.

A new parking lot and multi-purpose room consisting of a gymnasium, two game rooms with a kitchenette, and restrooms were completed during the 1976-77 school year. Physical education classes could now be conducted in the gym for Barrett students during the day. An afternoon/evening program sponsored by the Recreation Department for the Barrett community was also initiated. Following the completion of the multi-purpose room, the school yard was landscaped.

Through the combined efforts of the Barrett PTA and the Alexandria School System, the playground was updated with new equipment in the fall of 1994. Major renovations conducted in the summer of 1995 included the installation of new windows, auditorium seating and carpeting; office and classroom remodeling; and interior painting. In the summer of 1996, the building was wired to 5 support state of the art technology. All classrooms were connected to a school wide network, and all classrooms had access to the Internet. In addition, classrooms were equipped with dual platform computers, printers, laptop computers, televisions, and telephones.

In 1997, the school was enhanced by the addition of a new library media center. In addition to an extensive collection of quality children’s fiction and non-fiction books, a video production room, a teacher resource room, a primary storytelling area, and a multi-purpose reference room. The automated card catalogue enables students and teachers to access research information from their classrooms.

In 2000, the grounds of Barrett were developed into a series of beautiful gardens. These gardens were designed to be laboratories where the students can learn about plants, animals, birds, and the connectedness of living things. Barrett continues to house gardens (designed by a kindergarten teacher and maintained with student help), a butterfly garden and a hummingbird garden. During the summer of 2002, the PTA Beautification Committee, with the assistance of ACPS Facilities Department, took the garden up a notch by building two raised beds. Charles Barrett is currently listed as a Schoolyard Habitat, certified in the National Wildlife Federation’s worldwide network of habitat-based learning sites. Please take the time to stroll through these lovely living laboratories.

In Spring 2008, Charles Barrett was awarded the Green Flag Award for its initiatives in recycling and composting. Through these combined efforts of our PTA and facilities department our teachers lounge received a make-over during the summer of 2008. In 2012 the school was awarded the Energy Star Award by the Department of Energy.

In Summer 2011, a new kindergarten classroom and four new first grade classrooms were added onto the facility, in addition to a new kindergarten walkway. Renovations to the cafeteria, kitchen and nurses office were also completed that year.

The PTA continues to provide materials and equipment through fundraising efforts and donations, including the 2013 completion of a school wide SmartBoard initiative. SmartBoards can now be found in every homeroom in our building.

In Summer 2015, an additional four classrooms were added onto the school for our third grade students. Staff bathrooms and additional office space were also included in this renovation, which also addressed fire alarm system upgrades and air quality concerns.

Today, Charles Barrett School is home to approximately 500 children and 78 staff members. We are proud of our school's history and the reputation for excellence that it has established in the city of Alexandria. We look forward to continuing these traditions as we prepare our students for the challenges of the future.

Information obtained from https://www.acps.k12.va.us/Page/1609

George Washington Middle School

The George Washington School site has a long history, having served many educational roles in the City of Alexandria. It opened in 1935 as George Washington High School. Although T.C Williams opened in 1965, GW remained a four-year high school until 1971. At that time both GW and Hammond were designated to serve ninth and tenth graders, with eleventh and twelfth grades at T.C. Williams High School. In 1979, the secondary schools were again reorganized, and GW became a junior high serving seventh, eighth, and ninth graders. George Washington became a middle school in 1993.

Our school was founded in 1935 when the Alexandria High School and the George Mason High School merged. At first, everyone thought this beautiful new school was so immense that there would never be a student body large enough to use the entire facility. By George, they were wrong! Four separate additions to the building/grounds have been added to accommodate the increasing student enrollment.

A walk around the grounds will introduce you to the annex which was built in the early 1940s. Currently it houses our Art Department, Technology Department, Business Department and several foreign language classrooms. A program for preschool students also uses several of the rooms. In 1952, the Tulloch Memorial Gym was built. As many as ten classes at a time are now held each period in the gym or the classrooms connected to it. During inclement weather, soccer classes have been held in the lobby! The Stephen F. Osisek Stadium was dedicated in 1988 to honor Mr. Osisek, principal of this school from 1971 to 1987. It is located behind the main building. Tennis courts and a baseball/softball field are behind the annex and gym.

Over the years our school changed from a high school to a ninth and tenth grade facility. After another reorganization, George Washington became a junior high school, and then in September 1993, opened as a middle school housing 1,100 students in grades six, seven and eight.

Please come visit and take a tour of this wonderful edifice that has been providing a home for knowledge to the students of Alexandria, Virginia for seven decades. Much of the original Art Deco architecture and trim are still in place. You can enjoy beautiful stone eagles, graceful arched hallways, and a recently refurbished auditorium.

Information obtained from https://www.acps.k12.va.us/domain/911

T.C. Williams High School

T.C. Williams, named after a former superintendent of schools who served from the mid-1930s until the mid-1960s, opened in 1965. In 2007, a new state-of the-art, environmentally green school opened its doors at the present site. T.C. is a well-respected, comprehensive high school with a current enrollment of approximately 3,600 students in grades 9–12 in the 2016-17 school year.

Two campuses comprise T.C. Williams. The Minnie Howard Campus is home to ninth grade students, who participate in daily classes, sports, and extracurricular activities on the King Street Campus. The King Street Campus is home to students in grades 10 through 12.

The school draws from a population that is economically, racially, and ethnically diverse. As a cross-representation of American society, our diversity blends into a rich, heterogeneous student body. Students come from 80 countries and speak more than 60 languages. T.C. Williams boasts among the lowest counselor-to-student ratios nationally, to guide student-led development of individualized career and academic plans as well as a comprehensive school counseling program addressing the social/emotional needs of all students.

A Satellite Campus was launched in September 2012 as the first comprehensive, non-traditional satellite high school campus in Northern Virginia to deliver a 21st-Century curriculum through a hybrid online/onsite model offering flexible scheduling, internship opportunities, one-on-one student-centered support, and a new pathway to graduation to meet the varied needs of a diverse group of students.

An International Academy was created in 2011 to support and empower approximately 600 English Language Learners with content mastery and language proficiency through rigorous, experiential, and project-based curricula for college and workforce readiness and to prepare them to become contributing members of our community and conscientious global citizens of the future. The Internship Program teaches International Academy eleventh grade students college and career readiness skills. In addition to formally starting the process to apply to college, students interview and secure a 15-week internship with local, partnering businesses. Students have the opportunity to serve the community while exploring career interests and developing career skills.

Information obtained from https://www.acps.k12.va.us/domain/1150

Notable Community Amenities Include:

• Roads Repaved in 2017
• 3 Outdoor Pools
• Tot Lots/Playground
• Basketball Courts
• Community Gym
• Community House Available for Party Rental
• Access to Maintenance Yard with Car Wash Area.
• Bike & Kayak Storage Available.
• Extra Storage Units Available.
• Community Gatherings Throughout the Year such as Summer Concerts, Wine & Cheese Event, Chili Cook-Off, Christmas Tree Lighting, Dog Swim & More
• Dog Friendly Park Like Setting
• Trash Pick Up 5 Days a Week