Big dreams require us to be brave enough to pursue them.
Last night, we officially cut the ribbon on the new Occoquan Elementary School, and that was the theme I kept coming back to in my remarks: big and brave.
Occoquan Elementary has roots stretching back to the 1800s, and the building it replaced had stood on this site since 1927. It would have been easy to think small about what came next.
Instead, people like Lillie and Richard Jessie dreamed about how we could reimagine one of Prince William’s oldest schools while still holding onto the history and community that made it special.
Then Dr. Babur Lateef, Dr. LaTanya McDade, the School Board, County government, educators, families, and so many others helped turn that dream into an idea for what a truly state-of-the-art school could be.
And then we built it.
Occoquan is now PWCS’s first net-zero energy school, incorporating solar arrays, geothermal wells, natural daylight, outdoor learning areas, and systems designed to make the building itself part of the educational experience.
That part is especially meaningful to me.
As the author of the County’s climate and clean-energy goals, I am incredibly proud that Prince William’s first net-zero school is right here in the Occoquan District. Those goals include 100% renewable electricity for County government operations by 2030, countywide renewable electricity by 2035, and carbon neutrality for County government operations by 2050.
But this building represents more than sustainability.
Occoquan Elementary is a Title I school serving a community that reflects the extraordinary racial, cultural, linguistic, and economic diversity of Prince William County.
And that matters.
For too long, communities have sometimes treated the challenges associated with a Title I designation, or the diversity of the students inside those schools, as something to overcome, hide, or stigmatize.
I believe the opposite.
Diversity is a strength. It should raise our ambitions for our schools, not lower them.
Every child deserves a learning environment that tells them their future is worth investing in, regardless of ZIP code, household income, language spoken at home, or where their family came from.
There is another piece of this that struck me last night.
Occoquan Elementary sits near one of the main gateways into Prince William County.
Thousands of people pass through this part of our community every day.
For generations to come, I hope this building serves as a beacon and monument to knowledge, signaling what kind of community people are entering: one that values education, sustainability, history, diversity, and the potential of every child.
We honored the roots of an historic school while building boldly for its future.
We dreamed big.
And we were brave enough to make that dream real.
Congratulations to Principal Buddy Lint, the Occoquan Elementary family, PWCS, and everyone who helped make this extraordinary school possible.
