Sudley Elementary School is celebrating a milestone this year, its 50th anniversary.
On Saturday, October 15, 2022, Sudley students and their families will celebrate this anniversary with a fall festival of games, entertainment, and food trucks. In addition, former principals, Sudley retirees, and Prince William County dignitaries will be part of the celebration.
The school officially opened its doors in March 1972, with Principal Michael Salkco at the helm.
At the time, he was principal of nearby Sinclair Elementary School, which was becoming so overcrowded that he remembers classrooms in the teacher’s lounge and hallways.
He then took on a dual role as principal of Sinclair and the newly built Sudley. He chose seven classroom teachers from Sinclair and put them to work at Sudley while sharing specialists with Sinclair. He was instrumental in choosing the school’s colors, maroon and white, and its mascot, the Roadrunner.
Hurricane Agnes occurred that June and affected the areas very close to the school, but fortunately, Sudley was spared damage.
Things at Sudley looked a bit different then. In keeping with the trend in education at the time, the school had an open concept with no walls.
“I really believed in the open concept,” said Mr. Salkco. “The students could do literacy centers and themed activities because they could move easily. It made it easy for teachers to co-teach,” he explained. There were no bus riders. Every student was a walker.
Today, Sudley is a diverse neighborhood school with 639 students, many of whom are bilingual. The school sits at 9744 Copeland Drive, near Manassas.
