School site cemetery remains reinterred; memorial ceremony Sept. 6

Remains and artifacts found in the previously undiscovered cemetery at the site of the County’s 12th high school were respectfully reinterred on the property last week, according to a news release from Prince William County Schools community relations office.

School division spokesman Irene Cromer said, the remains were reinterred “in accordance with plans approved by the Commonwealth and shaped by community input.”

The reburial involved the use of heavy equipment to place concrete vaults in an area that is part of an active construction site, Cromer said.

Safety considerations precluded public participation in the actual reinterment, Cromer added.

A Sept. 6 memorial ceremony will allow community members to pay their respects. The school division will provide transportation to and from the ceremony which will be held on the site Saturday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m.

Safety and limited parking concerns require that all attendees meet by 9:45 a.m. at the Edward Kelly Leadership Center, 14715 Bristow Road in Manassas. Bus transportation will be provided from there to the ceremony site. Participants are cautioned not to drive to the high school site or enter the Independence Drive community to attend the ceremony.

“Prince William County Public Schools looks forward to this opportunity to recognize those who lived and were buried on the site. We will honor their memory with a permanent resting place that will endure as new generations learn of and build on community history at the school being built nearby,” a news release stated.

For planning purposes, individuals intending to attend the ceremony are asked to notify PWCS on or before Aug. 25, by calling 703-791-7308.