Spotsylvania County Public Schools

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Spotsylvania County Public Schools
Location
8020 River Stone Drive
Spotsylvania
Fredericksburg
, Virginia, 22407
United States
District information
TypePublic, school division
MottoPreparing All Students to Excel in a Dynamic Global Society
GradesK–12
SuperintendentDr. Scott Baker
Accreditation28
Students and staff
Students24,000 (Oct. 2009)
Teachers1650
Other information
Websitespotsyschools.us

Spotsylvania County Public Schools is a public school district serving Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It consists of 17 Elementary, 7 Middle, and 5 High Schools and has a total enrollment of over 24,000 students.[1] The Spotsylvania County School division also has a Career and Technical Center and participates with other local school systems to offer the Commonwealth Governor's School. The district partners with area businesses to develop learning opportunities for the students.[2] Spotsylvania County Public Schools works with the area Parks and Recreation Department to help maintain the area around the Schools (athletic facilities, etc.).[citation needed]

District Overview[]

Spotsylvania County Public Schools serve all of Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Spotsylvania County was formed in 1721 and is located along the I-95 corridor, 42 miles (68 km) south of Washington, D.C. and 58 miles (93 km) north of Richmond, Virginia. It is one of fastest-growing counties in the commonwealth of Virginia which is reflected in an enrollment increase of more than 27% from 1999–2005. As of the 2000 Census, approximately 90,395 people lived in Spotsylvania County.

In 2005, the school division had 3,144 full-time employees including 1,788 teachers with a student teacher ratio of 12.8 to 1.[3]

The quality of education in the district has been on the rise,[4] and an annual review is conducted to ensure quality maintenance. Currently 25 of the district's 28 schools are fully accredited by state standards with the other three accredited with a warning.[5] The district also benefits from the dedicated support of a nonprofit, tax-exempt foundation charged with raising money to strengthen the quality of instructional programs in the district.[6]

History[]

In 1870, the public education system in Spotsylvania County was established with segregated one-room schools. These schools were gradually abandoned for larger buildings combining both elementary and high schools. The former Spotsylvania High School was a state-of-the-art building when constructed in 1939 for $158,000. During the twentieth century, the school system moved from scattered one-room schools for elementary education to consolidated schools for grades 1–12, to an integrated system in 1968. Until that time, most African-American children attended one-room schools until the John J. Wright Consolidated School opened in 1952. Since 1968, the school system has evolved to the present system of separate elementary, middle, and high schools.[7]

Robert E. Lee High School became the first accredited high school in the County in 1920. It was built in 1914 at Spotsylvania Courthouse. The building was destroyed by fire in 1941.[8]

In Early 2021 Robert E. Lee Elementary changed its name to Spotsylvania Elementary.[9]

Governance[]

The school board has seven members elected to oversee the school administration. School board members are elected every four years. One school board member is elected from each magisterial district in the county. The elections are staggered and non-partisan.[10]

The following are the current school board members.[11]

Position Name District
Chairwoman Dawn Shelly Chancellor
Vice Chairwoman Dr. Lorita C. Daniels Salem
Member Rabih Abuismail Courtland
Member Baron P. Braswell Battlefield
Member Erin K. Grampp Berkeley
Member Lisa A. Phelps Lee Hill
Member Kirk Twigg Livingston

Elementary schools[]

Middle schools[]

Middle schools in the district are:

  • Chancellor Middle School - northwest Spotsylvania County.
    • Feeds from: Chancellor Elementary School, Battlefield Elementary School, Salem Elementary School, Wilderness Elementary, Smith Station Elementary School and Harrison Road Elementary School
    • Feeds into: Chancellor High School or Riverbend High School.
  • Ni River Middle School - far northwest Spotsylvania County; opened in 1999
  • Freedom Middle School[12][13] - opened 2003, across the street from Smith Station Elementary School.
  • Post Oak Middle School - located Spotsylvania High School. The school was opened in 2006[14] at a cost of $25 million as a replacement for the deteriorating John J. Wright Middle School.[15]
    • Feeds into: Livingston Elementary School, Berkeley Elementary School, Spotsylvania Elementary School, Brock Road Elementary School, and Riverview Elementary School
    • Feeds into Spotsylvania High School, and Riverbend High School

High schools[]

Chancellor High School

Courtland High School

Massaponax High School

Riverbend High School

Spotsylvania High School

Commonwealth Governor's School[]

Main article: Commonwealth Governor's School

The Commonwealth Governor's School (CGS) is one of 18 magnet Governor's Schools in Virginia. The Commonwealth Governor's School is a half-day program for gifted and highly motivated students based on a school-within-a-school model. Admissions are competitive (involving an interview, a review of school history and teacher recommendations) and students are selected from Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and King George counties. Students may attend CGS grades 9 through 12.

John J. Wright Educational & Cultural Center[]

John J. Wright Educational & Cultural Center is built on the site of the first high school for black students in Spotsylvania County. The original building, known as the Snell Training School, was built in 1913 by the Spotsylvania Sunday School Union under the leadership of John J. Wright, a prominent county educator.

The original building was destroyed by fire in 1941. The Spotsylvania County School Board agreed to erect a new school on 20 acres (81,000 m2) of land donated by the Sunday School Union and to pay the teachers' salaries. Completed in 1952, the John J. Wright Consolidated School was opened to all county black youth in grades 1–12. When the school system integrated in 1968, the school became John J. Wright School, housing the county's entire sixth and seventh grade enrollment.

In 1978, with the closing of Spotsylvania Junior High School and the opening of Battlefield Intermediate School, the eighth grade was moved to the intermediate level.

During 1981–82, while the John J. Wright building underwent extensive renovation, the school occupied the current Marshall Building across from the present day Spotsylvania Middle School. In the fall of 1982, John J. Wright School reopened with many added improvements, including central air conditioning, wall-to-wall carpet and a new kitchen and cafeteria.

With the opening of Spotsylvania Intermediate School in the fall of 1982, John J. Wright Intermediate School began serving the predominantly southern portion of Spotsylvania County, with an approximate enrollment of 700 students in grades six, seven, and eight.

On July 1, 1990, the name John J. Wright Intermediate School was officially changed to John J. Wright Middle School in keeping with the Commonwealth's restructuring plan for middle school education.

In 1991–92, John J. Wright Middle School was recognized by the Virginia Department of Education for its outstanding middle school practices, including reading and public speaking, community involvement, rewards and recognition, and technology education.

During the summer of 1997, two areas of John J. Wright Middle School were dedicated to two long-term employees. The library was dedicated in honor of Dr. Sadie Coates Combs Johnson, a former teacher and librarian for thirty-one years. The athletic fields were dedicated in honor of William H. Poindexter, custodian of John J. Wright Middle School. In April of the following spring, a ceremony was held to dedicate a sign, commissioned and funded by a joint Parent Teacher Organization and community endeavor, identifying the fields behind the school as the William H. Poindexter Athletic Fields.

In 2001, the school board commissioned an architectural firm to propose a plan to renovate and expand JJW's facilities. Due to the cost of the needed improvements and the inability to purchase additional land to expand the athletic fields, the school board decided to build a replacement building for JJW to open in 2006, adjacent to Spotsylvania High School.

In 2008, after extensive renovations and modernization the doors reopened as the John J. Wright Educational and Cultural Center. Today, John J. Wright offers educational services to Spotsylvania County students from Pre-K through 12th Grade.[16]

Other Schools[]

  • Spotsylvania Career and Technical Center

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ "VDOE :: Fall Membership". Doe.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  2. ^ Annette Jones (2005-09-13). "Incentives for Education Businesses Encourage Learning". The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  3. ^ Gibson Consulting Group (2005-04-28). "Spotsylvania County Public Schools Efficiency Review" (PDF). Virginia Department of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  4. ^ Bill Freehling (2005-04-13). "Schools Please Residents". The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  5. ^ Karen Bolipata (2007-10-16). "Spotsy Schools to do Review". The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  6. ^ Melissa Nix (2006-06-06). "County Starts New Education Fund". The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  7. ^ Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
  8. ^ Historical Marker Database
  9. ^ Uphaus-Conner, Adele (January 12, 2021). "Spotsylvania School Board changes name of Robert E. Lee Elementary". Culpeper Star-Exponent. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Spotsylvania County Code". Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  11. ^ https://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/domain/286
  12. ^ "Virginia Music Educators Association". Vmea.com. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  13. ^ "Freedom gets first 'Blue Ribbon'". Fredericksburg.com. 2007-05-15. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  14. ^ Nix, Melissa (2006-08-24). "School begins in Spotsylvania; Post Oak Middle School opens". The Free Lance-Star.
  15. ^ Hannon, Kelly (2005-11-16). "Area schools will be bursting at the seams". The Free Lance-Star.
  16. ^ John J. Wright Alumni Association http://jjwalumni.org/
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