Poplar Tree Elementary School
Encyclopedia
Poplar Tree Elementary School (PTES) is an elementary school
in the Chantilly
section of unincorporated Fairfax County
, Virginia
, United States
. , the school had 830 students.
70 feet away. The boulders damaged part of the building's air conditioning
system and a wall of the school's boiler room. The cost of the damage was $200,000.
When it was first built, the school did not have a playground
. The school's Parent-Teacher Association
set up a playground fund and fund-raising events included a fashion show. They eventually raised $40,000, and the playground was built in 1993. However, it was destroyed in a fire on the morning of 27 February 1996.
In 1993, the school was also the location of a controversy when a prayer
box was placed in its teachers' lounge by members of a group affiliated to Moms in Touch International. Teachers were invited to place anonymous prayer requests into the box. According to Sandra Culmer, the school's principal at the time, no teachers or parents objected to the box, but several "concerned citizens" questioned its presence. The prayer group did not wish anyone to be offended by the box and they removed it upon these complaints.
Mass murderer Seung-Hui Cho
, who executed the Virginia Tech massacre
, studied in the school from 1995 to 1997. He was one of only three Korean students enrolled at the time, and was good in English
and mathematics
.
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
in the Chantilly
Chantilly, Virginia
Chantilly is an unincorporated community located in western Fairfax County and southeastern Loudoun County of Northern Virginia. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census designated place , the community population was 23,039 as of the 2010 census -- down from 41,041 in 2000, due to the...
section of unincorporated 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
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. , the school had 830 students.
History
The school was opened in 1990. During its construction, parts of the school building were struck by boulders ejected from blasting worksDynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
70 feet away. The boulders damaged part of the building's 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...
system and a wall of the school's boiler room. The cost of the damage was $200,000.
When it was first built, the school did not have a playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
. The school's Parent-Teacher Association
Parent-Teacher Association
In the U.S. a parent-teacher association or Parent-Teacher-Student Association is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a public or private school. Most public and private K-8 schools in the U.S. have a PTA, a...
set up a playground fund and fund-raising events included a fashion show. They eventually raised $40,000, and the playground was built in 1993. However, it was destroyed in a fire on the morning of 27 February 1996.
In 1993, the school was also the location of a controversy when a prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
box was placed in its teachers' lounge by members of a group affiliated to Moms in Touch International. Teachers were invited to place anonymous prayer requests into the box. According to Sandra Culmer, the school's principal at the time, no teachers or parents objected to the box, but several "concerned citizens" questioned its presence. The prayer group did not wish anyone to be offended by the box and they removed it upon these complaints.
Mass murderer Seung-Hui Cho
Seung-Hui Cho
Seung-Hui Cho was a senior-level undergraduate student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University who killed 32 people and wounded 17 others on April 16, 2007, in the shooting rampage which came to be known as the "Virginia Tech massacre." Cho later committed suicide after law...
, who executed the Virginia Tech massacre
Virginia Tech massacre
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...
, studied in the school from 1995 to 1997. He was one of only three Korean students enrolled at the time, and was good in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
.