Poe Middle School is having a 50th anniversary celebration Oct. 16
Did you or your kids go to Poe Middle School? Poe is celebrating its 50th anniversary Oct. 16, 12-3 p.m., with a community party with carnival games, moon bounces, and other family activities. The event takes place at Poe, 7000 Cindy Lane, Annandale.
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| Swansbrough |
Admission is $10, which includes a T-shirt and access to all games and rides (Jurassic Adventure, Pirates of the Caribbean, Rat Race Obstacle Course, Sea of Spheres, and more). Prices are reduced for families. A variety of food will be available for purchase.
Profits from the event will be used to purchase technology equipment for students and teachers. “Principal Sonya Swansbrough is determined to make sure every student has Internet access at school – in part to enhance the student science program,” says PTA parent Lisa Fasold.
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| Lawrence Sawyer, Poe’s first principal |
“Under Principal Swansbrough, student computer access has increased 73 percent in the last three years, while student enrollment has increased 7 percent,” she says. “About half of Poe’s students are on the free/reduced-price lunch program, so for some of the kids, the only time they can access a computer is at school.” And Poe is tied for fourth place among Fairfax County’s 26 middle schools in terms of the best computer-to-student ratio, Fasold adds.
Internet access wasn’t even on the radar when Poe opened in 1960. At the time, the beltway was still under construction, and Fairfax County’s population was about 245,900. Today the county’s population is well over a million, and the beltway is undergoing a major expansion.
Poe is collecting photos and memorabilia from the school’s early days. If you have something to share, you can bring it to the school or e-mail your memories and pictures to Ellie Beckworth.