A Brief History of Battlefield Park Elementary School
Battlefield Park School is housed in a four-part building. The large, two-story center building was built in 1935. At that time it housed both the elementary and high school with a total enrollment of 275. In 1959, the Lee Davis High School (Mechanicsville High School) opened and drew students in grades eight through twelve from Battlefield Park School and Washington Henry School. Three classrooms were added to the eastern portion of Battlefield Park in 1958. A two-story west wing consisting of fourteen classrooms was built in 1969. In 1982, six more classrooms and a media center were added onto the east wing. New art, music, and multi-purpose rooms were completed in 1988. In the fall of 1998, eight more classrooms were added to Battlefield Park, the media center was expanded, and the office was remodeled.
In 1969 when Hanover county schools were integrated, the primary grades of Battlefield Park’s attendance zone were combined with those of East End Elementary School’s attendance zone. From the fall of 1969 until the fall of 1982, Battlefield Park housed grades 3–7, and East End Elementary housed grades k–2. With the opening of Cold Harbor Elementary in the fall of 1983, and the subsequent closing of Battlefield Park Annex (East End Elementary), new attendance boundaries were drawn and some of the students from Battlefield Park and Battlefield Park Annex then went to Cold Harbor Elementary. Battlefield Park Elementary School housed grades k–7 until 1990 when the sixth and seventh grades became part of Stonewall Jackson Middle School (Bell Creek Middle School). During the last ten years new development has brought many changes to the 360 corridor where Battlefield Park is located. The rapid expansion of new homes, new businesses, and industries has changed eastern Hanover from a rural truck farming community to a part of the Richmond metropolitan area. Battlefield Park Elementary School, however, has continued to retain the qualities characteristic of a community school.
Relevance and Innovation
At Battlefield Park Elementary School we believe that all students should be provided a relevant, rigorous, and innovative education. Our goal is to provide those experiences to our students daily. We have collaborated with Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering to create an Innovation Day for students and staff pre-k through 5th grade. For the past two years, over 40 students and 10 faculty members from VCU School of Engineering planned and implemented innovative, hands-on, engaging activities for all students pre-k to 5th grade. The innovative lessons included measurement activities for our preschool students, constructing towers for our kindergarten students, making music with water for our 1st graders, creating art out of magnets for our 2nd graders, building rocket ships with our 3rd graders, building prosthetic hands with our 4th graders, and computer coding with our 5th graders. In addition, our students learned about the many different types of engineers in the world and the many paths one can take to pursue a career in engineering. We are hopeful that we will be able to partner with Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering in 2022.
Community and PTA
Battlefield Park Elementary School (BPES) is part of an amazing community. Last year, Battlefield Park Elementary School was named a National PTA School of Excellence. BPES is one of only 143 schools and PTAs from 29 states across the country to achieve this prestigious status this year. The National PTA School of Excellence designation recognizes the commitment of schools and PTAs in building an inclusive and welcoming school-community where all families contribute to enriching the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.