Annandale Terrace celebrates 60th anniversary

By Shane Gomez

The past, present, and future came together on a sunny Thursday evening in Annandale, as Annandale Terrace Elementary School celebrated its 60th anniversary.

The May 5 event included remarks by Principal Ingrid Badía and several teachers, a xylophone performance by students, creation of a time capsule, a guided tour, and an exhibit of the school’s history.

“We’re celebrating how this community has always come together,” said Badía, who has been at the school for eight years. “It’s a very international community. Because of the way the school sits in the neighborhood, I always felt it brought everyone together in one place.”

The celebration was also a reunion, as former and current staff, alumni, and students shared memories and experiences. Guests pored over yearbooks and took group photos with the school mascot, a cougar.

Jennifer Orr, who taught at Annandale for 16 years, found it heartening “to come back today and see parents of children I taught 15 years ago, almost 20 years ago, and see they’re still so tied to this community.”

Orr started her career at Annandale Terrace, and her children attended, too. “This was my village of people who made me the teacher I am, but also helped me raise my children,” she said.

“It’s such a rock in the midst of a community of families – families who live right here and come to the school, but also the families who are involved through working here,” Orr said.

When Annandale Terrace opened in 1964, it had 20 classrooms. There was no gymnasium. The library was on the second floor above the main office. Band and orchestra classes were held in the cafeteria.

In 1977, following a stream of refugees from Vietnam to the area, Annandale Terrace had its first English as a second language teacher. A gymnasium and a music classroom were added to the school in 1987.

As enrollment increased, the school was expanded in 1990, with 10 classrooms and a new library. In 1999, Annandale Terrace became one of the first schools in Fairfax County to offer full-day kindergarten. By 2010, the school had trailers and modular buildings.

In 2018, the school underwent a two-year $20.9 million renovation, which replaced the trailers and modulars with more classrooms and updated the entire building and its systems.

“I always had a positive experience; I loved all the teachers I had and made good friends. I remember my elementary school years fondly,” said Nisha Vasudevan, who came back for the anniversary celebration. Nisha attended Annandale Terrace from 2011 to 2017 and is now a biology major at Virginia Tech.

It’s the community – “one big family” – that gives Annandale Terrace its identity, said Laura Hibdon, a multilingual learners teacher, who has been at the school for 26 years.

It’s the people, it’s the children, the families, and the international community that make Annandale Terrace such a great place, said Hibdon. “Everybody is here for the children, especially the staff and principal. So, I think that’s why everybody keeps coming back, because they feel so welcomed.”

Shane Gomez is Annandale Today’s intern. Shane attended Annandale Terrace Elementary and Annandale High School and is now a student at The New School in New York City.