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Hyattsville Elementary School, just off Route 1 in Maryland, is over 100 years old.
Finally, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to build its replacement.
“If one could hear and see the history within these walls, we would hear about first friendships,” Principal Richard McKee said.
“We would hear teachers talk about that light that they saw in a child’s eye when they got that concept.”
As old as the school is, getting to this point was a struggle.
In 2023, the public-private financing agreement between the county, its construction partners and the state nearly got derailed amid fighting on the school board over requirements to use union labor.
Last year, the Prince George’s County Council struggled to get the votes to pass the plan amid concerns by some legislators that only one of the eight new schools being built in this next phase was going to be south of Route 50.
The new schools are far more energy efficient, with high tech thermal systems, and include features like rooftop gardens and windows much bigger than most schools, in order to maximize natural light. And the hope is that the new school, set to open in about three years, will last just as long as the one its replacing.
“We really had to come together to help educate the entire council as to why the P-3 construction was needed and as to why certain schools were picked,” said Council member Wanika Fisher, whose district includes Hyattsville. “And that wasn’t easy.”
Minutes later, Maryland State Sen. Alonzo Washington also criticized the difficulty of getting here, saying “that should never have happened” last year.
“Our children’s futures are far too important to be bargaining chips,” he added.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held for the new school being built in the southern end of the county, the site of the new Brandywine Area PK-8, on Friday.
“With today’s groundbreaking, we aren’t just turning soil, we’re laying the foundation for the next century of learning, of leadership and of love in this community,” McKee said. “We are honoring our past while we are boldly stepping into that future.”
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