BLUE RIDGE, Va. – It’s the end of an era for Botetourt County students.
Colonial Elementary School in Blue Ridge rang the final bell at its old building Friday afternoon. Students will move further down Route 460 to a brand-new building when they return from remote learning in two weeks.
Principal Tammy Riggs says she has pushed for a new school complex for a decade because the old Colonial building is too small for the growing student population. The elementary school has been in the same building since 1939, and Riggs said it is emotional to leave it behind.
“I’ve been here for 20 years,” Riggs said. “It has been a great community school and there is a lot of support here. There are fifth-generation students here who went to the same schoolhouse their parents and grandparents went to. It’s sad in a way.”