Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School
Encyclopedia
Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School (MEH) serves grades 5-7 in the Falls Church City Public Schools
system. MEH is located in Idylwood
, unincorporated
Fairfax County
, Virginia, near Falls Church
.
The school is named for Mary Ellen Henderson, an African-American woman who was involved in the Civil Rights Movement
and the NAACP. She helped opened a chapter of the NAACP in Falls Church and desegregate
schools.
In about the 1920s, she agreed to reopen the Falls Church "colored school" which had been closed because there was no teacher. At that school she taught grades four through seven in one room. For 32 years she taught and served as principal at the "colored school." The two room school was overcrowded, had no indoor plumbing, running water, central heat, or janitorial services. After more than 20 years of lobbying
the Falls Church school board for a new building, she completed a groundbreaking study in 1936, which highlighted the disparity between black and white schools.
Falls Church City Public Schools
Falls Church City Public Schools is an independent public school division that serves students who live in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Falls Church, Virginia as well as tuition students who live outside the city limits. The school division's four schools served 1,991 students in the 2009-10...
system. MEH is located in Idylwood
Idylwood, Virginia
Idylwood is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 16,005 at the 2000 census. It originally developed as an exurban community along the route of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, and then as a residential suburb along Virginia State Route 7...
, unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, Virginia, near Falls Church
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
.
The school is named for Mary Ellen Henderson, an African-American woman who was involved in the Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
and the NAACP. She helped opened a chapter of the NAACP in Falls Church and desegregate
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
schools.
In about the 1920s, she agreed to reopen the Falls Church "colored school" which had been closed because there was no teacher. At that school she taught grades four through seven in one room. For 32 years she taught and served as principal at the "colored school." The two room school was overcrowded, had no indoor plumbing, running water, central heat, or janitorial services. After more than 20 years of lobbying
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
the Falls Church school board for a new building, she completed a groundbreaking study in 1936, which highlighted the disparity between black and white schools.