Pattie School celebrates 37 years

Leading up to the 40th anniversary celebration, Principal Kirsten Fisher recently held a birthday party at Pattie Elementary School to teach students about the school’s history.

School Board member Betty D. Covington and Board of County Supervisor Vice Chairman Maureen S. Caddigan, both representatives of the Potomac Magisterial District, joined students and staff to celebrate.

“We plan to make the 40th anniversary a huge event,” Fisher said. “There is no time better than now to start planning and to get the word out. We hope to see our former students, teachers, and principals come for that event three years from now.”

This year, enrollment is about 700. Pattie Elementary has earned the School Division’s highest distinction as a School of Excellence eight times.

The Pattie Elementary School building opened in 1978 to replace Washington-Reid Elementary school located across the road. Pattie Elementary was named in honor of John F. Pattie, Sr., a former school board member and community leader in Dumfries.

One year after Pattie opened, the surrounding area had expanded so quickly that Washington-Reid Elementary was reopened to accommodate the kindergarten and first grade students.

Washington-Reid was renamed as an annex to Pattie Elementary. Since 1979, students in second-through-fifth-grades have continued to attend school in the main Pattie building.

Washington-Reid Elementary was built in 1950. The school was named for Marian Washington, an advocate for school-age children, and Marjorie Reid, who donated the land. Until 1978, Washington-Reid Elementary housed students in kindergarten through fifth grade.