Getting to "Yes" on a new high school has been a priority throughout my City Council terms. Ensuring that the commercial development to pay for the school remains on track will be a priority for the next four years.
We've faced many decision points and snags along the way, and I started to refer to the process as a zipper. Each piece needs to fall into place at the right time, and it takes two sides working in perfect coordination to keep that zipper moving. When there's a hitch in the zipper it requires stopping, and carefully resetting the zipper to continue on. We need both finesse and force to keep moving.
On Saturday, October 2 Falls Church will celebrate the Grand Opening of Meridian High School and that zipper is moving pretty well. Here's a story of one small, but important piece of the project, one of thousands of details that have been attended to as we've forged ahead with this project.
Back in the 1990's the Business in Education (BIE) Partnership, led by Ellen Salsbury, started selling engraved bricks for a BIE brick pathway in front of George Mason High School. We added bricks to the original set for nearly 30 years, a daily reminder of people and events near and dear to Falls Church.
In 2005, when I started working for FCCPS, I took over the brick pathway project. Before the old school was demolished, the bricks were removed and stored, in preparation for their debut in the Meridian High School Legacy Grove.
On Friday, along with the school construction team, I started sorting and organizing the bricks, which will be installed this week.
I was prepared for the mud because the calendar invite said, "Wear boots. It will be muddy." I was prepared for sorting, lifting, and carrying hundreds of bricks. I was prepared for a hot day with sunscreen and water.
I wasn't prepared for the emotion that came along with this mundane task. There are nearly 1500 bricks, and as we separated them into sections, it felt like a visit with old friends. Every message was a heartfelt recognition of a special time and place. It was a journey through milestone moments and beloved people who made Falls Church what is today.
We organized a whole section of bricks for the Class of 1959, who worked diligently to recognize every single class member.
We saw bricks for those who left us too soon - Richard Marsh, Maria Elena Nudell, Nancy and Beth Sprague, and many more.
We unwrapped newly engraved bricks anticipating graduations in 2031, 32, 33 and 34!
We found bricks thanking FCCPS volunteers and advocates like Lou Olom, Jessie Thackrey, Roger Neighborgall.
We saw bricks for honored employees - Jed Jackson, Maryel Barry, Marc Robarge, LaBryan Thomas, Nan Hof, Natalie Espinoza, Ken Siekman.
We cheered for bricks commemorating historic teams - like the 2017 Girls Lacrosse State Championship.
We found family bricks recognizing generations of Acostas, Thackreys, Clintons, and Martins.
This Legacy Grove is a physical monument to Falls Church moments and memories and people. It will be between the schools and the commercial development. The engraved bricks will connect school history and community history in this new location, bringing together all of the pieces that made this possible - kind of like a zipper.
The people recognized on these bricks, from our past, present and future, are the reason why we've gone to all this effort to build a new school. It makes all the challenges worthwhile. We’ve got far to go to get this zipper to its completion, but let’s celebrate how far we’ve come - together.
When you can, take time to walk through the Legacy Grove and visit with friends, old and new. If you can't make it there in person, we will soon have a map and directory on the Legacy Kiosk inside the school and also online at mustangs.touchpros.com. This was funded by the Falls Church Education Foundation so that our memories are collected and shared.