Fuqua School
Encyclopedia
Fuqua School is a private
primary and secondary school
located in Farmville, Virginia
. It is named after J.B. Fuqua, who made a large contribution to the school in 1992 to save it from financial insolvency
. The school is fully accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children
.
. The school was established as a segregation academy
after the United States Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education
as a way for white students who were affected by the school closings to receive an education during the period of massive resistance
to desgregration. As a result of the public school closing, many young African Americans were denied an education by the county. While some blacks moved in with relatives elsewhere to attend school, the majority of the population remained in Prince Edward and did not return to school when it reopened. The public school system in Prince Edward County
remained closed from 1959-1964. The United States Supreme Court decision Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward with a vote of 9-0 outlawed the allocation of public funds through tuition grants to fund race-discriminating institutions. When public schools were reopened in 1964 and integrated
, Prince Edward Academy stood as an option for families who did not want to participate in integration, thus continuing racial tension among citizens. Because Prince Edward Academy did not accept non-white students, it lost its tax-exempt status in 1978 and began to suffer financially. It was not until 1986 that it ended its policy of discrimination
and admitted students of other races. While there was little public outcry, private opinion was very mixed. Its association with "old money
" and discrimination in the past still causes some tension in the Farmville community, especially amongst non-whites and students of the local public schools.
By the early 1990s, with aging technology, a very small alumni contribution base, and an increasing debt, Prince Edward Academy was nearing financial collapse. In 1992, former local
resident and businessman J.B. Fuqua donated about 10 million dollars to pay off debts and install necessary improvements to the school, such as air conditioning
and computers. The school was transformed at that point with new administration, new mascot and school colors, in addition to the school name change. Until his passing in 2006, Mr. Fuqua donated thousands of dollars to the school each year and regularly visited the school and its students.
Mr. Fuqua's final gift to Fuqua School was a charitable bequest in the amount of $5 million, which will be invested as a permanent endowment for the school.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
primary and secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
located in Farmville, Virginia
Farmville, Virginia
Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 6,845 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County....
. It is named after J.B. Fuqua, who made a large contribution to the school in 1992 to save it from financial insolvency
Insolvency
Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
. The school is fully accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children
National Association for the Education of Young Children
The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest nonprofit association in the United States representing early childhood education teachers, paraeducators, center directors, trainers, college educators, families of young children, policy makers, and advocates...
.
History
Fuqua School was founded in 1959 as Prince Edward Academy by land donated from the town of FarmvilleFarmville, Virginia
Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 6,845 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County....
. The school was established as a segregation academy
Segregation academies
Segregation academies are private schools started in the United States during the 1950s, '60s, and 70s as a way for white parents to avoid the desegregation of public schools as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v...
after the United States Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
as a way for white students who were affected by the school closings to receive an education during the period of massive resistance
Massive resistance
Massive resistance was a policy declared by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, Sr. on February 24, 1956, to unite other white politicians and leaders in Virginia in a campaign of new state laws and policies to prevent public school desegregation after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision...
to desgregration. As a result of the public school closing, many young African Americans were denied an education by the county. While some blacks moved in with relatives elsewhere to attend school, the majority of the population remained in Prince Edward and did not return to school when it reopened. The public school system in Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County, Virginia
Prince Edward County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 23,368. Its county seat is Farmville.-Formation and County Seats:...
remained closed from 1959-1964. The United States Supreme Court decision Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward with a vote of 9-0 outlawed the allocation of public funds through tuition grants to fund race-discriminating institutions. When public schools were reopened in 1964 and integrated
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
, Prince Edward Academy stood as an option for families who did not want to participate in integration, thus continuing racial tension among citizens. Because Prince Edward Academy did not accept non-white students, it lost its tax-exempt status in 1978 and began to suffer financially. It was not until 1986 that it ended its policy of discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
and admitted students of other races. While there was little public outcry, private opinion was very mixed. Its association with "old money
Old Money
Old money is "the inherited wealth of established upper-class families " or "a person, family, or lineage possessing inherited wealth." The term typically describes a class of the super-rich, who have been able to maintain their wealth across multiple generations.- United States :American locations...
" and discrimination in the past still causes some tension in the Farmville community, especially amongst non-whites and students of the local public schools.
By the early 1990s, with aging technology, a very small alumni contribution base, and an increasing debt, Prince Edward Academy was nearing financial collapse. In 1992, former local
Prince Edward County, Virginia
Prince Edward County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 23,368. Its county seat is Farmville.-Formation and County Seats:...
resident and businessman J.B. Fuqua donated about 10 million dollars to pay off debts and install necessary improvements to the school, such as air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
and computers. The school was transformed at that point with new administration, new mascot and school colors, in addition to the school name change. Until his passing in 2006, Mr. Fuqua donated thousands of dollars to the school each year and regularly visited the school and its students.
Mr. Fuqua's final gift to Fuqua School was a charitable bequest in the amount of $5 million, which will be invested as a permanent endowment for the school.