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It is the first day of school for students in Prince William County and Manassas.
More than 700 students were welcomed for the frist time to Chris Yung Elementary School in Bristow. The school is named for the only Prince William County motorcycle police officer to die in the line of duty.
“The name of this school will provide an opportunity for Chris Yung’s name to live on,” said Prince William County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven L. Walts. “
Yung was responding to a call for help on his police motorcycle when he was struck and killed by another vehicle in front of Sowder Village shopping center in Bristow.
Children lined up outside the elementary school at 9 a.m. were all smiles and characteristcally chattery. School administartors help get students off school buses and into a line that formed in front of the main entrance.
Parents who brought their children to school were met by faculty who waived them into the parking lot.
Chris Yung Elementary School houses 700 students right now, but it can accommodate 150 more over the next few years before it reaches capacity. Building new schools and finding more seats for students continues to be a challenge for the Prince William County School system. Chris Yung Elementary is the only new school to open in the county this year.
Charles J. Colgan High School near the corner of Dumfries and Hoadly roads will open next fall. It will house 2,000 students.
“We have a 10-year plan, so we have schools that we know that will be opening 10 years from now,” said Walts.
Prince William County Public Schools hired more than 700 new teachers this year. The number is higher than in previous years because many teachers retired from the school division last year. Recruiting and retaining new educators continues to be the division’s focus.
“There is a lot of competition for new teachers in this Northern Virginia, Maryland, D.C. region have a lot of opportunities to choose from,” said Walts.
Walts said the county school board will continue to focus on reducing the number of students per teacher in the classroom to provide an overall better educational experience. Additional monies given to the schools by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors will help accelerate that plan, said Walts.
In Manassas, the city school division is not opening any new schools this year, but will open a new 140,000 square foot Baldwin Intermediate School next fall that will house 1,000 students. The three-story building is being constructed on old sports fields outside Osbourn High School.
The old Baldwin Elementary School on Main Street will be torn down once the new intermediate school opens. New sports fields for Obsourn High School will replace old Baldwin Elementary.
Manassas hired more than 88 teachers this year to educate students in the city.
A new iPhone app will be launched by the school division in the coming weeks. The app will allow users to get quick information about city school news, events, and will feature a school contacts directory. The app will come in handy during mornings when when wintry weather forces school delays or cancellations.
Today’s start date is unusual for school divisions that traditionally went back to school after Labor Day. Virginia officials granted the Prince William and Manassas divisions the waiver requested to open before the end-of-summer holiday.
