Abour Emerick Elementary School
About Emerick Elementary School
Emerick Elementary School in Purcellville opened in the fall of 1967. The new school replaced the Purcellville Grade School which is currently the Loudoun Valley Community Center. The teachers and students carried their books, desks and chairs across the street to their new school.
The idea given for opening in May instead of in the fall was to "let the children get used to the new school before the next school year". I suspect the real reasons were to utilize the free labor of the older boys for the move and to figure out the problems with the new school so they could be fixed over the summer.
The reason I can tell you this with confidence is because I attended the old Purcellville Elementary School (now the community center) and was in the 3rd grade when the move to Emerick occurred. I remember carrying my books over to the new school. My third grade teacher (Miss Patterson -- who is still alive) had her own piano in the classroom and used to play it for us every day. Getting the piano moved over to Emerick was a BIG deal; I remember a bunch of boys and the janitor trying to get it out of the classroom and Miss Patterson being flustered over her piano possibly getting damaged.