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Charles Barrett Celebrates 80 Years of Educating Students

Charles Barrett Celebrates 80 Years of Educating Students

Students and staff at Charles Barrett Elementary School (Charles Barrett) celebrated its 80th anniversary with the planting of a willow oak. The tree was donated by the North Ridge Citizens' Association's Tree Canopy Program, as oak is symbolic of this milestone year. A ceremony was held at the school on Oct. 25, 2023. Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, School Board Member Dr. Ashley Simpson Baird and members of the Charles Barrett PTA, including President Carrie Lewis, joined Charles Barrett Principal Loren Brody, Assistant Principal Marcella Ahern and other staff in the celebration, along with the school’s Fifth Grade Student Ambassadors and Premier Panda and Growing Stronger Award Recipients from all grade levels. A commemorative plaque will be displayed to mark the occasion.

 "Charles Barrett has historic roots across generations of school families, staff and community members,” Principal Loren Brody said. “This 80th anniversary commemoration expresses our gratitude for the dedication of so many people through the years — past and present — who have made Charles Barrett the loving and joyful school community it is today, and our commitment to a bright, flourishing future.”

The elementary school is named after Major General Charles Dodson Barrett of the U.S. Marine Corps, an Alexandrian who was killed in the South Pacific on Oct. 8, 1943. The original Barrett School was built in 1943 by the Federal Works Agency as a temporary prefab, consisting of six classrooms and a kitchen. In 1949, the red brick building was constructed. As student enrollment grew, several renovations were made over the years. In 2000, the Charles Barrett grounds were developed into a series of beautiful gardens designed to be laboratories where the students can learn about plants, animals, birds and the connectedness of living things.

Charles Barrett takes great pride in its partnership with The Kennedy Center's Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) program. This partnership with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts began in 2012 and helps teachers to develop their expertise in integrating the arts with both social-emotional learning and the teaching of other school subjects including history, the language arts and science.

Barrett is currently home to approximately 550 students and more than 90 staff members.

  • 2023-24
  • Charles Barrett Elementary School