[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 6, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF LOUISE ARCHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 6, 2014

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 75th anniversary 
of the Louise Archer Elementary School in Vienna, Virginia. The history 
of this school from its first days as a one-room schoolhouse for 
African American children to the present time with a diverse student 
body and advanced academic programs in many ways mirrors the history of 
the entire Northern Virginia region.
  The school is named after Louise A. Reeves Archer who was born on 
October 23, 1883. She grew up in North Carolina, attended Livingstone 
College, taught school in Southampton County, and moved to Washington, 
D.C. in 1922. Her life's work was the education of African American 
children.
  In 1922, Mrs. Archer became teacher and principal for a one-room, 
segregated school in Vienna known as the Vienna Colored School. Devoted 
to her students, she often transported children to school herself. She 
organized a Parent-Teacher Association to raise funds for supplies and 
a new building, which opened on its current site in 1939 with three 
rooms. In 1941 students, parents, and faculty raised $300 to pay for a 
music teacher, bus expenses, kitchen supplies, and electric lights.
  In addition to the academic curriculum, Mrs. Archer taught sewing, 
cooking, music, gardening and poetry to her students in fifth through 
seventh grade, which was then the highest level of public education 
available to African Americans in the county at that time. She was a 
highly respected educator who taught the value of discipline, respect, 
and other important life skills that would serve her students 
throughout their lives.
  Mrs. Archer was also active in the community at large. She served on 
the board of the Washington Conservancy of Music, participated in the 
American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, and established one of Fairfax 
County's earliest 4-H Clubs for African Americans, among other 
activities.
  After Mrs. Archer's death on April 1, 1948, the community felt the 
importance of having a memorial in her honor. In response to a 
petition, the school board changed the school's name to Louise Archer 
Elementary in 1950.
  Today, inspired by the school's namesake, the faculty and staff of 
Louise Archer Elementary School create an educationally stimulating, 
and supportive learning environment so students can grow academically, 
socially, and emotionally in preparation for becoming motivated, 
confident, and respectful members of the community. As part of the 75th 
anniversary events, the school will become home to a temporary 
historical museum containing artifacts from the school's founding as 
well as contemporary displays made by current students.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
commemoration of this significant anniversary and the contributions of 
Mrs. Louise Archer to the educational development of African American 
children in Fairfax County.

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