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Schools

Saving a School

As Clifton Elementary students prepare to disperse to three surrounding schools, the goal of saving a much older one room school house is about to be realized.

As Clifton Elementary students prepare to disperse to three surrounding schools, the goal of saving a much older one room school house is about to be realized.

If not for the historical marker at the corner of Union Mill and Compton Roads, locals might pass Crouch School without taking notice.  Controversy over closure of Clifton Elementary has brought more attention to this former one room school house, what many locals consider the original Clifton Elementary.  A core group of volunteers has worked for nearly six years to ensure one of Fairfax County's oldest public schools is preserved.  It hasn't been easy.

In 1874, landowner William Crouch donated a part of his land holding to serve as a school for local children.  When the school was closed circa 1930, the county returned the land to the Crouch family. Upon selling the larger land holding in 2005, direct descendant and WWII veteran Harry Crouch was concerned that the school house on the edge of the property might deteriorate or be razed.  Fellow veteran and local resident Jim Franca promised Crouch "he would try to save the school house if he could," according to Clifton town historian Margo Khosravi.

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"In the beginning, we thought it would be a piece of cake,"  Khosravi said.  The group faced many obstacles though;  including fundraising and threat of county blight abatement.

Enlisting the help of several residents, Franca and others set out to raise funds to move the structure.  Among this group were Clifton residents Pat Layden, Peter Noonan, Jan Schneiderman and Claudette Crouch Ward of Fairfax.  In 2007, Noonan, an assistant superintendent for Fairfax County Public Schools helped negotiate a new site for the structure on the grounds of nearby Liberty Middle School.  Other groups who contributed to the fundraising effort include the Clifton Women's Club, Historic Centreville Society, the Clifton Betterment Association and the Providence Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution.

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Just three years after its purchase by potential developers, the land was sold at auction to Tom and Janey Nodeen for a third of its previous $1.5 million price tag.  In addition to providing a sizable contribution to fund moving the building, the Nodeens worked with Fairfax county blight abatement staff, making repairs necessary to prevent the building from being declared a blight.  "Because of the Nodeen's donation, we can now get it moved to its new home at Liberty," according to Khosravi.

As the property is currently on the market again and could be sold at any time, the group hopes the transfer will occur over the summer after the land at Liberty is prepared.  Once moved, members plan to solicit private and public funding to restore the building.  Eventually they hope Crouch School will serve as a model classroom, imparting a sense of history to county students and the general public alike.

Khosravi concedes she will be relieved when the school house arrives at its new home.  "I hate to lose a piece of our past.  We've torn down so many."  Reviewing county school records and newspapers that date to the 1930's has conveyed a deeper realization of the way Fairfax county has grown and the trend toward larger schools.  "It's a reminder of an earlier time that we can't get back...when there might have been only 30 families attending a local school and the effort people went to in order to educate their children.  Neighbors donated land to build schools.  It was a community effort.  It meant that much to educate their children."

More information on donating to the "Save Crouch School" effort is available at http://savecrouchschool.org/how_you_can_help.htm

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