History of the Center

In the summer of 1975, two members of the State Department of Education met with the school superintendents of Richmond and Westmoreland counties to discuss a joint program in Vocational Education.

In August of the following year, a Joint Committee composed of a member selected from each system's school board met to discuss this project. It was known as the Joint Committee for Control of the Northern Neck Regional Vocational Center.

In the following months, the Joint Committee worked on securing the federal funding, purchasing the land, hiring an architect, conducting a needs assessment survey, securing a grant for equipment, accepting the plan for the building, and letting the bid. By the latter part of August 1979, the Northern Neck Regional Vocational Center was complete and opened its doors to the first students.

The center, a 72,000 square foot circular building constructed of brick and block on a 4-acre plot, is located on Route 3 in Richmond County, just outside the town limits of Warsaw. It features administrative offices, a conference room, a multi-purpose room, teacher planning room, conventional classrooms, and 10 technical laboratories and shops. Each of the technical laboratories was designed to be self contained, consisting of a teacher's office, restroom, locker room, and storage areas.

The grounds are well maintained and landscaped with shrubbery, trees, and flowers. The parking lot, as well as the entire area around the building, is paved and well lighted.

The center provides educational opportunities in the health occupations and in trade and industrial education. Each program uses competency based instruction and curriculum. The student lab contract implements the competency- based programs. It contains job hierarchies, descriptions, instructional units composed of related competencies and performance objectives.

At the present time, there are 239 students enrolled. Although the course offerings are primarily designed for the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students, eighth, ninth, and post-graduates are admitted. Of these, 11 percent are eighth graders, 13 percent are ninth graders, 16 percent are tenth graders, 33 percent are eleventh graders, 25 percent are twelfth graders, and 2 percent are post graduates.

Because the center serves six area high schools throughout the Northern Neck, the student population strongly resembles the socioeconomic and racial make-up of the five counties and the town of Colonial Beach. The ethnic composition of the student body is 58 percent African American, 40 percent Caucasian, and 2 percent Hispanic. The students come from every level of the socioeconomic ladder. Considering this high degree of diversity, the administration and faculty plan and implement modified programs for those few students who can not complete all the competencies of the regular program. This is done in recognition of the goal that the teaching-learning experience can be beneficial to everyone.