With a groundbreaking on Tuesday, March 29, Alexandria City Public Schools officially started construction on the new Minnie Howard connected high school campus.
The original school building was completed in 1954. It originally was a building for students in grades 1 through 7, but closed in the early 1980s as enrollment in Alexandria dropped. It reopened years later, after an extensive renovation, as the 9th grade campus for what is now Alexandria City High School. The building was named for Minnie Howard, an Alexandria mother of seven children who was appointed Alexandria's first probation officer, started the precursor to the city's Recreation Department and started the school lunch program.
Like many other city schools, the building is aging and the needs of its students are changing rapidly. The new Minnie Howard campus will provide more space and be able to host a variety of new experiences for students — and it will no longer be only for 9th grade students. A new aquatics center is included in the design.
Occupancy is slated for September 2024 in the new building.
See photos and watch the Facebook live recording below:
