By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 8/26/04)

Summer will last one week longer for some students in Herndon.

Although most students attending Catholic schools in the diocese will return to classes on Aug. 30, the first classes to attend St. Veronica School students will have to wait a week, until Sept. 7, to celebrate the first day of school.

St. Veronica Parish is the only new diocesan parish building a school along with a church. In fact, the school will be finished about two months before the narthex of the church. The narthex will serve as the main worship space until the larger cruciform church is constructed after the mortgage on the school is paid off.

The parish was established in June 1999, ground was broken for the school and narthex in June 2003, and construction began that September.

Originally, only the parish center and a few classrooms were going to be built in the first phase of construction, but after reviewing parish needs, Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde granted permission to build the entire school and the narthex in this phase.

While the school is being built to accommodate grades K through eight, it will open this year with 60 students in five classes — two kindergarten classes; one class of first grade; and combined classes of second- and third-grade students, and fourth- and fifth-grade students.

Glenda Myers, principal, said they chose to combine the classes of the higher grades so that, even though enrollment in higher grades is typically low in a new school, the school would still be able to offer grades two through five and not have to separate sibling groups with students in the lower grades.

Myers was hired as principal in March, but continued working at St. Leo the Great school in Fairfax as assistant principal through the end of the school year. During the summer she has worked from the rectory and her home to help prepare St. Veronica School and its staff for its first year. Myers has worked in the education field for 30 years with Fairfax County and the diocese.

"It’s been very exciting, but a tremendous challenge for me and the staff," Myers said. "Everyone has been very devoted to this mission, and it really has been a team effort."

Myers said the staff hopes to be able to move in to the school Aug. 21. That will give them two weeks to move in desks and prepare the classrooms for the students.

After the narthex is completed in late fall or early winter, the school and church will be officially dedicated.