The Second Street School Living History Program celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024, hosting 33 classes from Loudoun County Public Schools as well as area private schools and homeschool groups. Many thanks to our volunteer docents Emily Baer, Barbara Elbeze, Karen Elliot, Sharyn Franck, Nancy Iarossi and Abigail Pope for together serving 692 students this spring!
Having modified the program curriculum in 2022 to remove role playing in accordance with Loudoun County Public Schools guidelines, students who attend the program today now have greater opportunities to ask questions and compare and contrast the experience of Black students in 1880 with their experiences in modern day schools. In addition, this season we encouraged classes to take a brief bus tour of the village at the start of their field trip, driving past the Waterford Old School (historic school for white students) and the Waterford Elementary School (current school for all public school students) to allow the students attending the program to compare the Second Street School building to those of other Waterford students past and present.
While the one room schoolhouse is now closed for the season, we look forward to opening its doors to 4th grade students again in the spring of 2025. Registration for 2025 field trips will open in August. Please contact us at oldschool@waterfordfoundation.org to be added to our contact list and notified when registration opens.