(3/24) On April 4, Walkersville will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the opening of the oldest building in FCPS. The Walkersville School, which has taken on many names and uses over its lifetime, has remained a pillar of the FCPS community and its values since its construction in the early 1920s. In more recent years, the building is familiar to most as the FCPS Staff Development Center and the Learning & Leadership Center.
"The idea for a ‘Walkersville School’ arose from the 1918 influenza pandemic," said Margaret Lee, FCPS Director of Organizational Development. "Parents in the community were concerned about the close quarters of some of the very small community schools."
Records from the Town Office and the Walkersville Historical Society reveal that the majority of planning and construction for the building occurred between 1920 and 1923, with the school opening during the 1922-23 school year. Providing education for first through eleventh, and eventually, twelfth grades, the school’s first graduation ceremony was held in the summer of 1929. Thirteen students received diplomas.
After nearly 40 years spent educating the best and brightest of Walkersville’s youth, including Walkersville Burgess Chad Weddle and Commissioner Tom Gilbert, the Walkersville School began to serve new purposes in 1960. Since that time, the building has housed Walkersville Middle, Linganore High, and Urbana High students during school renovations, as well as participants in the FCPS SUCCESS program, which serves as a transitional program for students ages 18-21 with disabilities. In 2019, it became a "full-time home" for the Department of Organizational Development, according to Lee.
The building has also undergone many physical changes, including the construction of an auditorium and cafeteria five years after the school opened and, eventually, a transition from coal furnace heating to a modern HVAC system. In 1980, the structure underwent a complete remodeling after it was affected by extensive water damage, committing the building to many more years of safe service.
Now, both FCPS faculty and students utilize the building for meetings and events which promote leadership and collaboration. Linganore graduate Elizabeth Anderson recalls a countywide initiative prior to the 2020 pandemic shutdown which strove to connect students from different schools as potential redistricting was considered. Gatherings of selected students were held at the then-Staff Development Center and included numerous team-building exercises and discussions.
As the newly redesignated Learning & Leadership Center, the Walkersville School building provides a space for the continued support of the entire FCPS student body, regardless of academic standing, ability, interest, or talent. According to FCPS All-Stars, meeting rooms within the building have also been redesignated with the names of county high schools, and "every room will soon hold a canvas with artwork representing that school’s community, created by the students from that particular school."
Following its own model of community involvement exemplified by the many uses of the Walkersville School building, FCPS welcomes Walkersville residents to the 100th Birthday Open House at the Walkersville School on Monday, April 3. The event, co-sponsored by the Walkersville Historical Society, will take place between 4 and 5:30pm and include refreshments and tours given by current building employees. Says Lee, "People are welcome to share their photos, stories, and artifacts to display in person or virtually."
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