One Last Chance to Roam the Halls

students are finishing classes a day early this holiday season, on Dec. 22. And when they return from winter vacation, it won’t be to the building off of Randolph Road.

Instead, the students will settle into classes at the Fairland Center in Silver Spring, a holding site, while county construction crews modernize Glenallan.

Glenallan is one of six Montgomery County elementary schools moving during winter break. Three, including Glenallan, are moving out of their buildings and into holding sites, and another three are vacating those same holding sites and moving back into the renovated schools.

This last week of school in December has been dubbed “Goodbye Glenallan Week,” and the PTA on Wednesday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. to say goodbye to the old building, which dates back to 1966.

Jennifer DePasquale, the PTA secretary who helped organize the event, calls it “a celebration of the past and future.” DePasquale said a Glenallan student will read a poem she wrote in English and Spanish about the school, and the Junior ROTC from nearby  will conduct a Color Guard ceremony.

A school motto is “one community, one school,” and DePasquale said the farewell tea will highlight the community’s connections to the school.

The PTA is also launching the Brick program, where community members can buy bricks for the new school, which is slated to be completed by August 2013. The bricks will be part of the sidewalk at the entranceway to the new school, and all the proceeds from the sales will go to the purchase of a new sign outside the school.