School History: Drew-Smith Elementary School
Remembering Our Past
Drew-Smith Elementary School opened during the 1952-53 school year, and was closed in June 1965. The majority of Drew-Smith students were integrated into Bucknell, Gunston, Hollin Hall, Hollin Meadows, Hybla Valley, and Mount Vernon Woods elementary schools. Drew-Smith was converted into a special education center and became a pilot site for the “Culturally Disadvantaged Program” (the forerunner of the Head Start program). The building currently houses the Gum Springs Community Center and the Gum Springs Museum.
![Black and white aerial photograph of Drew-Smith Elementary School.](https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/inline/School-Drew-Smith%20Elementary%201958.jpg)
Location
![Map showing the location of Drew-Smith Elementary School.](https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/inline/Locaton-Drew-Smith.jpg)
Land Records
- Research in progress.
Construction Records
- Designed by architect Robert A. Willgoos
- Built by Eugene Simpson & Brother Construction of Alexandria, Virginia
- School Board Meeting Contract Award: February 12, 1952
- Contract Amount: $248,972
Educators
The following persons once taught at Drew-Smith Elementary School.
- Sylvia Jennings Alexander
- Ruth S. Branch
- Mary Mann Brown
- Deloise H. Corbin
- Margaret Beckwith Faucette
- Naomi B. Gray
- Geneva Walker Jones
- Augustus L. Lacey
- Mary Laura McPhail (Librarian)
- Saunders B. Moon (Principal)
- Annabel M. Patterson
- Earl L. Pulley (Principal)
- Barbara A. Ridley (Librarian)
- Mabel M. Roscoe
- Eva P. Scott
- Bernice G. Tate
- Alice A. Williams