Vienna Elementary, Longest Continuous School At FCPS, Marks 150th Anniversary

VIENNA, VA — Vienna Elementary School, which is considered the oldest continuously operating school at Fairfax County Public Schools, will celebrate its 150th anniversary with a community event Friday.

The school was not always located at its current 128 Center Street South location, but it has a history dating back to the 19th century when Virginia schools were segregated by race. When Fairfax County Public Schools was founded in 1870, the first school in Vienna for African American children was hosted in a church on Lawyers Road, while white children went to school on Park Street between Church Street and Maple Avenue.

When the Town of Vienna was founded in 1890, white children were taught in the building now known as the Bowman House. African American children got a schoolhouse in 1896, but that school was replaced in 1939 by the Vienna Colored School on Nutley Street, a school later renamed in honor of educator Louise Archer.

The school at Vienna Elementary's current location was built in 1915, but an explosion with no injuries destroyed the building in the winter of 1919 to 1920. The new school that is now Vienna Elementary was completed 100 years ago in 1923.

Today, Vienna Elementary School is expanded but still contains that old section built in 1923. The building is one of the oldest FCPS continues to operate.

The other major milestone for the school came in the 1965-1966 school year when segregation of schools ended after 76 years. Now Vienna Elementary is more diverse with over 20 languages spoke by English language learner students. White students make up about 64 percent of the student body, followed by 16 percent Asian students, 9.2 percent multiracial students, 8.1 percent Hispanic students and 1.3 percent Black students.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary, Vienna Elementary School invites the community to a celebration on Friday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 128 Center St., South, Vienna, VA. The celebration plans to focus on the school's history and the advancements since its founding.

There will be games from the Vienna Community Center, food from the Vienna Inn, cake, tours, and DJing by the school's own teacher Shaun Rodgers. Attendees will include FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid, Providence District School Board representative Karl Frisch, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, and Vienna Elementary students and staff of past and present.

Those who plan to attend can RSVP on Facebook.