Manassas Park to host first schools superintendent brunch

MANASSAS — Dr. Bruce McDade will host business leaders and residents at a first-of-its-kind back-to-school brunch.

Entering his 10th year as Manassas Park Schools Superintendent, McDade says he wants to use the event tell the story of Manassas Park City Public Schools, which have been a bright spot in recent years as the city works to get out from under crushing debt it occurred with the financing of new public buildings like the city’s community center and police station.

The small school division, separate the adjacent Manassas City and Prince William County school divisions, has kept pace with pace with its neighbors showing in increased on-time graduation rate, and improved math scores.

Forty-five percent of diplomas awarded to Manassas Park students are advanced diplomas, compared to its neighbor Manassas which awards advanced diplomas to 32 percent of students.

Manassas Park is the smallest of the school divisions with 3,700 students, compared to Manassas school’s 7,700, and Prince William County’s 92,000 students.

“For a long time we’ve been overshadowed by the Goliaths like Prince William and Fairfax, and we have a great story to tell, as the little school system that could,” said McDade.

The school division recently reached a milestone with the ability to provide a new Chromebook laptop for all students in kindergarten through 12th grade. That, said McDade, has helped students better connect to classroom material and has helped improve student scores overall.

The school division’s philanthropic arm, BELL Foundation, will host “BELL’s Brunch with Bruce” will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, September 12 at the Manassas Park Community Center at 99 Adams Street in Manassas Park. The BELL Foundation plans to make the brunch an annual event, similar to morning breakfast events hosted by school superintendents in Prince William County and Manassas.

Tickets to the event can be purchased online. More than half have already been sold.

Like its counterparts SPARK and the Manassas City Schools Foundation in Prince William County and Manassas, respectively, BELL is charged with working with area corporations to raise grant funds for the Manassas Park school division.

Dr. Bruce McDade presents the 2015 VSBA Business Honor Roll Award to Mrs. Zuzana Steen for Micron Technology. [Photo: Manassas Park City Public Schools]