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[Back to index of January 2008 articles] Bishop Walker School Plans Are 'Moving Right Along' By Lucy Chumbley
Plans for the Bishop John T. Walker School, an elementary school for boys in the District’s Ward 8, continue to move forward apace. On Dec. 20, the diocese, the school’s governing board, and the vestry of the Church of the Holy Communion in Congress Heights were expected to sign a letter of agreement that will enable the church facility to house the school. Holy Communion has the capacity to accommodate the Pre-K through third grade classes, said the Rev. Preston Hannibal, canon for academic ministries, adding that the school intends to add a grade a year, through eighth grade. Previously, on Nov. 13, the Diocesan Council approved the board’s request for a loan of $280,000. This will be used to purchase a 4,500 square foot parcel of land adjacent to the church property. “There’s a house on the land now that to us is not worth anything, frankly,” project director James Woody told council members. “We would look at demolishing it.” The land will be used for additional parking, play space or future school expansion, Woody said, stressing that the school plans to pay back the loan within a year. “This site will serve us for a minimum of five years,” Woody said. Also on Nov. 13, the school launched its first major gifts campaign with a luncheon at the Metropolitan Club designed to introduce business community leaders to the school. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was in town to receive the first Cathedral Prize, spoke at the luncheon, which was hosted by Oliver and Kathleen Carr, the campaign’s co-chairs. Tutu described the need for the school, which he said was a perfect legacy for his good friend, Bishop John T. Walker. Just after Thanksgiving, the governing board received another piece of welcome news. It learned the school had received an unexpected gift for its development: a $500,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation. Construction work is expected to begin in January, Hannibal said, adding that the school is in the process of applying for the necessary zoning permits. “We’re moving right along,” he said. [Back to index of January 2008 articles]
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