Mount Airy Elementary School History

1912-2007

Education in the Mount Airy community began prior to 1912, although records at the county clerk’s office in Chatham, Virginia indicate the year 1929 as the beginning of a school in the community. According to elderly citizens of the Mount Airy community, there was once a one-room log cabin that stood approximately one-fourth of a mile east of the present Mount Airy School building. These citizens recall having attended the school during the year 1912. They stated at that time grades one through seven were taught by one teacher.

Recorded history of Mount Airy Elementary School dated to October 28, 1929 when a one-room structure was built on a two-acre site purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Miller. The land was located just north of State Road 40 in the northern part of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. At that time the schools in Pittsylvania County were segregated.

With increased enrollment, the one room structure was replaced by a two room structure which was built for grades one through seven on the same site about one fourth mile from the present school. Later, another room was added making it a three-room structure.

With a growing community, and an increased enrollment, there was a need for additional space. To meet this need a fourth room was added, which provided for an enrollment of approximately 150 students.

In 1964 the present building was completed and opened on a site consisting of twelve acres purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Henry Callands in 1962. Mr. Paul Hughs served as principal at that time. This building consisted of fourteen classrooms, a library, office, supply room, teacher lounge, combination auditorium and gymnasium, and kitchen with modern equipment.

In 1969, Mount Airy School, under the administration of Mr. Lewis A. Evans, became an integrated school with grades one through three. At that time Mount Airy Elementary was paired with Renan Elementary School, which offered grades four through seven.

In 1968-69 the school was accredited by the State Board of Education and in 1971-72 was affiliated with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Under the guidance of Mr. James A. Pearson, from 1971-75, the instructional program was improved. A kindergarten program was added during the 1973-74 school year.

Mr. Jeremiah Hemingway became the principal of Mount Airy Elementary School on August 1, 1975. The school continued to improve under his guidance. His leadership ended in 1988 when Raymond Ramsey became the principal. That same year Renan closed and students in grades six and seven attended Gretna Middle School and grades four and five were sent to Mount Airy Elementary. Also, some mobile units were added to accommodate the growing population of the region and to house the Pre-K students.

Mr. Ramsey remained the principal until the fall of 1997 when Mr. Aubrey Yeatts became the principal. When the students arrived that fall, they found a refurbished school. The library had been expanded and air-conditioned and a conference room was added. A classroom was modified to accommodate a 24-station computer lab with the latest equipment. A year later, a new gymnasium was built. Before the gym was built, physical education classes had to be scheduled around lunchtime. Mr. Yeatts remained the principal until his death in 1999. At that time, Mrs. Vickie Murphy became Mount Airy’s new principal.

During the summer of 2000, two new air-conditioned classes were built to accommodate students. Walkways were built to keep students dry as they traveled to the gym and mobile units. Also, in 2000 the school adopted a school-wide Title 1 Program. This greatly enhanced the instruction at the school. The Title 1 teachers go into the classrooms and assist the classroom teacher. This helped to lower the teacher-pupil ratio for math and language arts.

Mrs. Maxine Diggs became Mount Airy’s principal in 2001.  Also that fall, Mt Airy became the first school in Pittsylvania County to be fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education.  Mt Airy was also recognized as a Blue Ribbon School in 2003.  In the fall of 2008, Mrs. Joyce Wright became the current principal to take us into the future.