ALDIE, Va. — Living in one of the region’s fastest-growing, affluent communities comes with benefits and the potential challenge of helping students feel connected if they have to change schools.
“Loudoun County opens about a new school each year,” says Ashley Ellis, deputy superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, standing outside Hovatter Elementary School, in Aldie, Virginia, on the brand new school’s first day. “People move to the area knowing that a boundary change is likely in their future, sometime during elementary or middle school,” Ellis said. “We do our best to keep students close to their home, and build a strong community with each new school that we open.”
Jeff Morse, a school board member for the Dulles District, said the new school — built on former farmland owned by the Hovatter family — is in a quickly changing area. “This is the epicenter of the growth in Loudoun — it continues through the Blue Ridge District,” Morse said. “As the families continue to come in, we need more and more seats — this was essential to get Hovatter open this year.” Principal Lori Mercer said the students in her new school come from two recently opened, nearby schools.
About this school:
Hovatter Elementary School (ES-29) is located on 41135 Collaboration Drive in Aldie, Virginia. It received funding in the fiscal year 2020 and opened at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year. The approximate 110,400 square foot building serves 960 students from kindergarten through grade five. The elementary school includes classrooms, a media center, a cafeteria, a multipurpose room, and two unlighted outdoor physical education fields. The contractor is Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc. and the architect is Grimm + Parker.
Source: Neal Augenstein/WTOP. Read the original story here.