Spotsylvania's John J. Wright Center to Host Monday's School Board Meeting
The 1952 building housed the county's first public high school for Black students. Now it houses a museum and five uniquely tailored education programs.
by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
The February 12 regular meeting of the Spotsylvania School Board will be held at the John J. Wright Educational and Cultural Center—a building that housed the county’s first public school for Black students but that now “incorporates support for every citizen in the county,” building principal Teresa Gill said.
“It kind of began as a beacon of hope for those who had been excluded from education from one community and now it’s a beacon of hope for those who need help from everywhere,” Gill said.
The building opened as a public school for Black students in 1952, replacing an older school that had been educating Black students since 1913.
In 1940, that school was named for John J. Wright, an education advocate who led the Spotsylvania Sunday School Union—the coalition of twelve African American churches that first organized in 1905 to advocate for education for the county’s Black children.
After Spotsylvania schools were integrated in 1968, the building became an intermediate school until it was closed in 2006. Two years later, it reopened as the John J. Wright Educational and Cultural Center and it now houses five educational programs—the alternative education program, the Quest program for diploma completion and GED students, the Courthouse and Gateway Academy programs for special education students, and early childhood special education.
“We currently are utilizing the building to provide educational opportunities for students ages 2-22 from every community within Spotsylvania County,” Gill said. “I think that it is a miraculous location because it started with a specific purpose and that specific purpose feels embedded in it, but it has created a web of supports for the entire community.”
“That’s why I think Monday’s opportunity (to host the School Board meeting) is pretty special,” Gill continued.
The building’s history of education is appropriate as the School Board prepares to honor its teachers of the year on Monday, Chair Lorita Daniels said.
“Celebrating these teachers today serves as a reminder of their invaluable contribution to shaping this county’s future,” Daniels said.
The building is also the home to the John J. Wright Museum, which tells the story of the school and displays artifacts from a century of education and everyday life in Spotsylvania.
Museum director Renee Beverly said that having the School Board meet at the John J. Wright Center “sends a very strong message to the community that (the museum is) a rare gem in Spotsylvania County that is full of a wealth of information and historic moments, and it tells a story of a lot of families that struggled for generations for the right to a fair education.”
“Having the meeting there says not only to us, the museum board, but to the community, that we matter,” Beverly said.
The museum, which is currently open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., has both a permanent exhibit and special rotating exhibits. The current special exhibit, “The Divine Nine,” showcases the history of the nine African American fraternities and sororities, with personal items donated by local members.
Later this month, the museum will host its annual Black History Month celebration, which will feature speakers including Gill; Deborah Frazier, the first Black woman elected to the Board of Supervisors; and Mo Petway, president of the Spotsylvania NAACP; and a performance by the Chancellor Middle School choir.
School Board Vice Chair Nicole Cole said she believes this is the first time a School Board meeting has been held at John J. Wright.
She said the John J. Wright Museum is arguably “the most active and culturally significant” of Spotsylvania County’s four museums.
“Having the School Board meeting here exposes staff, students, and community members to more history and educational resources,” Cole said. “I hope they return and continue to support the Museum and this school.”
Daniels said that holding the February meeting at “this historic location” is “a powerful reminder of how far we have come the importance of the work ahead.”
“Part of this work ahead includes coming together to celebrate our differences, which can only make us stronger as we educate the future generations of this county,” Daniels said.
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