Stratford Middle School

Published June 14, 2021 at 2:05PM

Tyrone Nelson poses next to a panel along a new trail at Dorothy Hamm Middle School that commemorates the students who helped integrate Arlington Public Schools (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A new installation outside Dorothy Hamm Middle School tells the story of the four students who integrated the building, formerly Stratford Junior High School, six decades ago.

Four free-standing panels and a wall-mounted panel, connected by a trail, depict Gloria Thompson, Ronald Deskins, Lance Newman and Michael Jones — the four students who desegregated the building on Feb. 2, 1959 — as well as Dorothy Hamm, the new school’s namesake and prominent civil rights activist in Arlington, and Barbara Johns, who at 16 led a student strike for equal education at a high school in Farmville, Virginia.

Around Town

New Pilot Program is Bringing Books to a Barbershop on Lee Highway

By Airey

Published May 28, 2019 at 11:00AM | Updated May 28, 2019 at 11:55AM

James Moore holds up his favorite book next to the picture of his father, James Moore Sr., who first opened the shop

Longtime Lee Highway business Mr. Moore’s Barber Shop is piloting a new program pairing kids coming in for haircuts with free books.

“We specifically chose Moore’s Barbershop because it is an Arlington institution,” said Jennifer Sauter-Price, who founded the nonprofit behind the program, Read Early And Daily. “Everyone knows about it, and he has customers for years and others who drive from far away for his services.”

Events

Arlington Officials Mark 60th Anniversary of Stratford School Integration With Celebration Tonight

By Alex Koma

Published February 4, 2019 at 11:00AM

It’s been sixty years since four black students integrated Stratford Junior High School, marking the beginning of the end of school segregation in Virginia, and Arlington leaders are planning a special event to commemorate the momentous anniversary.

The school system and Arlington County’s Historic Preservation Program scheduled a celebration tonight (Monday) at the H-B Woodlawn auditorium, near the original Stratford building at 4100 Vacation Lane.

Schools

School Board Names New Middle School for Dorothy Hamm, Ditches Any Reference to Stratford School

By Alex Koma

Published December 21, 2018 at 10:45AM | Updated December 21, 2018 at 11:19AM

(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) Arlington’s School Board will name a new Cherrydale middle school after civil rights activist Dorothy Hamm, opting against including any reference to the historic Stratford School on the new building’s site.

Following the Board’s unanimous vote yesterday (Thursday), the school will open next year as “Dorothy Hamm Middle School.” It’s set to be located at 4100 Vacation Lane, the former home of the H-B Woodlawn and Stratford programs, and should hold about 1,000 students.

Schools

Naming Process for New Middle School Sparks Debate Over County’s Civil Rights History

By Alex Koma

Published December 4, 2018 at 4:45PM

Stratford School rendering (courtesy Quinn Evans)

Arlington school officials will soon decide on a name for the new middle school to be built on the site of the Stratford School building in Cherrydale — but the complex history of the building, and its original name, has divided the community over which option is best.

A naming committee settled on three options for the 1,000-seat school in October, ahead of the building’s planned opening next fall. But that collection of parents and community members hasn’t been able to settle on a definitive recommendation as the School Board gears up for a vote on the matter.

Schools

Naming Committee Narrows List to Three Options for New Stratford Middle School

By Alex Koma

Published October 29, 2018 at 1:45PM

A naming committee is narrowing down its options for a moniker for the new middle school taking the place of the Stratford School building in Cherrydale.

The 1,000-seat middle school is set to open next fall, and a committee of parents and community members charged with picking a name for the building has settled on three finalists, according to an anonymous tipster and confirmed by school system spokesman Frank Bellavia. Those include:

Schools

APS Opts to Let Stratford Families Choose Between Reed, Yorktown for Temporary Move

By Alex Koma

Published June 5, 2018 at 1:45PM | Updated June 5, 2018 at 2:17PM

Current Reed School building (photo via APS)

With Arlington Public Schools’ Stratford Program getting ready for a big move, school leaders are giving students (and their parents) a choice about where they’ll spend the next year learning.

The program, which serves secondary-level special education students, is set to relocate into a new building in Rosslyn for the 2019-2020 school year. But its current space on Vacation Lane, which it shares with the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, will soon be renovated to become a new middle school, forcing Stratford students to temporarily find a new home.

Schools

APS: Stratford Program May Temporarily Move to Yorktown HS

By ARLnow.com

Published May 11, 2018 at 1:55PM

Arlington Public Schools is shooting down rumors that the Stratford Program is going to be “dismantled” while also announcing that a new, temporary location is under consideration.

Stratford serves secondary-level special education students and is currently co-located with the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program on Vacation Lane. Both programs are set to move to a new facility in Rosslyn for the 2019-2020 school year, but Stratford will be moving to a temporary home during the next school year to facilitate the renovation of its current building into a neighborhood middle school.

Schools

School Board Reviews Design, Construction Contract for Stratford School Project

By Bridget Reed Morawski

Published March 23, 2018 at 3:55PM | Updated March 23, 2018 at 5:26PM

Stratford renovation's exterior design

The Arlington School Board reviewed the design and proposed construction contract for the Stratford School building renovation at its meeting last night (March 22).

In a presentation, Arlington Public Schools staff said that the guaranteed maximum price of the renovation and three-story addition — which will prepare the building to host a new neighborhood middle school as the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program moves to Rosslyn — “exceeded previous estimates by several million dollars.” A vote to approve the revised price ceiling is slated for next month.

Schools

Stratford School Renovation to Add Classroom, Library Space

By Chris Teale

Published March 20, 2017 at 4:45PM

The Stratford School building in Cherrydale will expand as it transitions to a middle school.

The County Board unanimously approved a plan Saturday to add 40,000 square feet to the school, which currently houses the H-B Woodlawn secondary program. The addition will include a new library, an auxiliary gym, classrooms, science labs and other teaching spaces and a new student common area.

News

Major Stratford Park Upgrades Set for 2017

By ARLnow.com

Published December 9, 2016 at 1:45PM | Updated December 9, 2016 at 3:00PM

Planned changes to Stratford Park (image via Arlington County)

(Updated at 3 p.m.) Arlington County is moving forward with construction plans for Stratford Park.

The 3.8 acre park, at 4321 Old Dominion Drive, is located next to the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program building, which will later become a 1,000 seat middle school when H-B moves to Rosslyn in 2019.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 22, 2016 at 9:15AM | Updated June 22, 2016 at 9:40AM

Stratford School Designated Historic — The Arlington County Board has approved a historic designation for the Stratford School, the current home to the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program and the future home to a new middle school. In 1959, Stratford became the first public school in Virginia to be integrated, with four black seventh graders enrolling, thus marking the beginning of the end of school segregation in the Commonwealth. [Arlington County]

Fox Freed From Fence — A not-so-sly fox had to be freed by an Arlington animal control officer after getting its hind leg stuck in a chain link fence. The fox was uninjured. [Twitter]