Arts & Cultural Development Task Force and the Education Task Force will have the opportunity to meet and tour the new Old Donation School (4633 Honeygrove Road, off Independence Blvd. just prior to Haygood Shopping Center), home of the Edward E. Brickell Academy for Advanced Academics and Arts, a 2-8 Gifted School that opened in April 2017.

Principal Kelly Hedrick will host our group with a brief on the advanced academic and art studies available to 1,200 of Virginia Beach’s gifted students.  Following the brief, we will have a guided tour of the 225,000 square foot facility that features outdoor classroom areas, differentiated learning spaces in the hallways and classrooms, an 800-seat community theater and a black box theater.  Designed as a LEED facility, we will also see the facilities sustainability features that include windows that light 75% of the interior spaces with sunlight, rainwater captured for reuse for irrigation and flushing of toilets, and features that allow the school to serve as a Category II hurricane shelter.

We have scheduled our meeting for the late afternoon rather than our usual morning meeting time for two primary reasons: 1) students will have finished classes for the day making parking available on the bus loop, and; 2) at 6:30 that evening the school will open its performance of the Lion King and those wishing to stay can attend the performance without cost.

This meeting is open first to our task force members so please RSVP to 757-499-7003 or sally@virginiabeachvision.com.  Should space still be available, we will open the meeting to other Vision Board members on Wednesday, May 5, 2017.