Jenkins Elementary School opens

The newest elementary school in Prince William County is named for its longest-serving supervisor.

The new school at 4060 Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge bears the name John D. Jenkins Elementary. He represented Dale City as the Neabsco District Supervisor between 1982 and his death in February of this year.

The new school was one of 99 Prince William County Public Schools opened on the first day of classes Aug. 26. A ribbon-cutting celebration was held inside the school, where school officials and politicians spoke to a packed house of attendees.

“John Jenkins was always very verbal,” said School Superintendent Dr. Steven Walts. “When I saw him he would say ‘let me know if you need anything, let me know if the kids need anything.”

Naming other county schools in recent years has sparked controversy, like the renaming of Godwin Middle School to George M. Hampton Middle. However, there was no debate over naming the school for Jenkins, added Walts.

Marlene Coleman is the school’s principal. She moved from Dumfries Elementary School, where she also served as the school principal.

Jenkins is survived by his wife, Earnestine, and his children. A reading room was dedicated to Earnestine, and her portrait hung outside the room.

A photo of John Jenkins hangs in the foyer. Family photos and mementos from the Jenkins family were also on display.

The land on which the $33 million school sits was purchased by the county, in a growing trend of the county government purchasing land for new schools. Prior to a 2016 proffer law change, the county relied on developers to donate land to the county as part of housing development.

Jenkins Elementary sits in the Occoquan Magisterial District, on the borderline of the Neabsco District where Jenkins served for 37 years. It is the first new elementary school to open in the district 25 years, after the opening of Old Bridge Elementary School.