80 years of Living Langley: 1942-2022

1967

After conducting careful studies to determine the impact of expanding the school, the decision was made to add fourth, fifth, and sixth grades over a three-year period from 1965 to 1967.

1972

During the early 1970s, there were long waiting lists for almost every grade which led to talk of further expansion. In 1971, Langley added its first seventh-grade class, followed by a new eighth-grade class in 1972.

1970

In the 1970-1971 school year, Langley purchased the nearby Hall property which consisted of a small farmhouse and some land. This acquisition significantly enlarged Langley’s total land area to include the administration building, the property manager’s office, the bus loading area, and the parking lot. Affectionately named “The Roost,” the Hall farmhouse became home to Langley’s administrative offices and it still serves that purpose today.

1981

Betty Brown was appointed director after serving as a teacher and administrator at the school since 1967. Langley received its first accreditation and became a member of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.

1983

By 1983, Langley completed its gradual double-sectioning plan, ensuring each grade from nursery through eighth had two classes. Enrollment grew to 447 by 1984.

1976

The school’s new field house was completed which led to the idea of instituting competitive sports at Langley.

2006

The school rolled out a new mission statement and the tagline “every child, every day.”

2001

The Langley leopard was chosen as the school mascot.

2003

Langley developed a Community Contract which reinforced the school’s core values of respect, kindness, honesty, trustworthiness, and citizenship, and helped create a safe learning environment.

2009

Langley installed a new turf athletic field named in honor of long-time Athletic Director Jim Gleason.

2010

2008

Langley opened the Jeffrey J. Sherman Arts Center, featuring an auditorium with retractable seating, music rooms, and a spacious, light-filled lobby area for students in grades 3-8 to enjoy lunch daily.

Langley expanded the junior kindergarten program in 2010, nearly doubling the instructional time students received, and lengthened the preschool day in 2013. The school also rolled out an extended day program for our youngest students to offer a full-day option.

2011

To provide eighth-graders with leadership opportunities and a more global perspective of the world, Langley began taking the class on an annual, week-long capstone trip. In addition, the Music Department introduced strings as a music option for Middle Schoolers, and this enormously popular program has since expanded to include the Lower School.

1986

Between 19861988, an advisor/ advisee system was set up to support and facilitate the social development of students in the upper grades and advisory groups began the longtime tradition of serving breakfast to the homeless at S.O.M.E.

1997

Langley opened the Betty Brown Lower School building. This 26,700-square-foot facility featured numerous classrooms, a multipurpose assembly room, and a science lab.

1992

1999

Although parental involvement had been a central part of the school’s philosophy since its founding, an official parent association –PALS – was not founded until 1999 when two Langley moms decided to create a more structured, inclusive organization that would coordinate all of Langley’s volunteer opportunities.

In conjunction with the school’s 50th anniversary, Langley opened a new $1.2 million learning center and library which boasted 2.5 times the capacity of the former library. The building was named in honor of Pat Bush, the school’s long-time librarian.

2001

2000

Doris Cottam assumed the role of head of school in 2000 following Betty Brown’s retirement in 1999.

2013

Dr. Elinor Scully became head of school following Doris Cottam’s retirement after 13 years in the role.

2014

Langley opened the Doris Earl Cottam Middle School building, a state-of-the-art facility for grades 6-8 that includes a rooftop classroom and innovative science labs.

2015

The school launched a new strategic plan focusing on three key pillars: ensuring academic excellence, articulating social-emotional expertise, and investing in sustainability.

2020

Langley successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in spring 2020 by pivoting to a distance learning model that maintained community connections and high-quality learning. Thanks to our layered mitigation strategies and the cooperation of the entire school community, Langley was able to keep our campus open for in-person learning throughout the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years.

2021

The school built the Solomon Athletic Center, a 23,350-square-foot facility featuring two gyms, a weight room, a cardiovascular room, locker rooms, and meeting rooms.

With the departure of Head of School Elinor Scully after an eight-year tenure, Langley welcomed Michele Claeys as the new head of school.

2022

Langley celebrated the school’s 80th birthday and opened the Crossroads Building which houses Primary School and fifth-grade classrooms, the library, and a multipurpose space.