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Latest from Vale Club's President:

'WELCOME TO THE 89TH YEAR OF VALE CLUB!'


Welcome to the 89th year of Vale Club! Our first general meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 9:15 a.m. at the schoolhouse. It will start with a potluck brunch and some much-needed social time so that we can mingle with friends and welcome our new members. Please remember to bring a breakfast item to share.
 

Highlights from this summer include:
• Vale Club was recognized by Shelter House with a plaque that acknowledges Vale Club’s many years of support of Family Pass which is now part of Shelter House.
• Vale Club & FVS participated in the third Annual Oakton Day organized by the Greater Oakton Community Association (GOCA) on Aug. 27. Thanks to Mary Valder, Julie McGraw, Gail Magnani and Kathy Sullivan for representing us.
 

Vale Club offers many activities during the year including three book clubs and two winetasting clubs;
Social activities such as mahjongg, hiking, bridge, pickleball and monthly outings; Culinary escapes (lunches), and travel dialogue; Drop-ins at Bobby’s bagels for coffee and conversation and Happy Hour at Mulligans; Arts and Crafts Wednesday afternoons at the schoolhouse.
 

Coming back is a revised dining club (more information is in the newsletter) and the movie group. If you would like to start a new activity, please contact me.
 

If you are looking for activity information, Leslie Culman-Dupree and Nancy Harrington work hard to maintain our Sign up Genius (SUG) site (you can access it below). Evelyn Heitman maintains the webpage, http://www.valeschoolhouse.org/ and it includes most Vale Club and FVS activities. In addition, the Vale Club Outreach Committee will continue to provide opportunities for members interested in supporting this year’s chosen 501(c)(3) local charities, Shelter House and Helping Hungry Kids.
 

I want to thank everyone who has taken a board position or has joined a committee to help plan events. Without you, Vale Club would not be possible.

 
Betsy Rock
Vale Club President


FVS History Highlights: “a place to tie to” 

 ‘

‘A Look Back at Vale Club’s Beginnings’
 

Welcome to another busy year at the Vale Schoolhouse, and to the first edition of History Highlights for this year. Each month a short story related to the history of Vale Club, the schoolhouse or the Oakton/Vale neighborhood appears in the newsletter. When appropriate, something is put on display at the schoolhouse for the monthly meeting that related to the information in this column. As we begin the year welcoming so many new members it seems appropriate to recap the history of our building and our club.

I

The Vale School served as the neighborhood school, first as a one-room schoolhouse then as a 2-room school when the second room (now our kitchen) was added in 1910. In January, 1929 the Superintendent of Schools asked the School Board to take action concerning schools not meeting the required quota of students. Vale School was among them. The county required an average attendance of 36 students, Vale averaged 28 students. In spite of the efforts of local citizens to keep the school open, the Circuit Court of Fairfax County in September, 1934, authorized the school board to sell the property at public auction.

In June, 1935, a delegation from the Vale community presented a petition asking the Board not to sell the property, but to retain the title and allow the Vale Home Demonstration Club to develop the property as a “community center.” In July, 1935, it was “moved and seconded” that the Vale Home Demonstration Club be given exclusive use of the Vale school property until further notice. AND, that the club should have prior consideration in case the property should be offered for sale.

For two years the women of the community held bake sales and community suppers and fairs to raise funds and in August, 1937, at the School Board meeting, it was noted that “THIS CLUB HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ORGANIZED AND HAS GONE FORWARD WITH A SPLENDID PIECE OF WORK IN THIS COMMUNITY AND HAS ALREADY IMPROVED THE OLD SCHOOL BUILDING TO A CONSIDERABLE EXTENT.”

It was moved that the Board accept the offer from the Vale Home Demonstration Club to pay $270 for the building and two acres. The motion was seconded and carried. Thus, the women of Vale secured our building as the center of the Vale Community then.....and now.

From the beginning the Vale Community House (as it was then termed) became the meeting place for community activities. The Grange, the 4-H Club, and a small library were started in the building. There were also church suppers, ice cream socials, oyster roasts, fish fries, game nights, annual Fourth of July picnics, and events where speakers from both political parties were invited to speak. The children painted the interior walls, and raked and mowed the yard. It is to this period in our history that we preserve our building.

History Highlights will provide information about the decades of our building, club and community. If you have questions, thoughts, suggestions and if you want to participate in preserving our history please reach out.


Darlene Williamson
Historic Preservation officer


 

Vale Club

Vale Club is dedicated to enriching the lives of women in the Vale community. Our goal is to provide our members with a variety of social, educational, and volunteer opportunities throughout the year. The majority of our members live within the Oakton community. We have multiple member activities each month, primarily scheduled from September through May, with a few Special Interest Groups meeting during the summer months ...s
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Vale Schoolhouse

A brief history of The Vale Schoolhouse as recorded by the Fairfax County Public Schools of Yesteryear and Today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUOCcwvqBB0

Vale Schoolhouse, at the corner of Vale and Fox Mill Roads in Oakton, VA, was built c.1884 as a one-room public school. A second room was added in 1912. The school closed in 1931 when many Fairfax County schools were consolidated ...read more
Friends of Vale Schoolhouse, Inc. is Vale Clubs 501(C)3 charity for the maintenance and preservation of the historic Schoolhouse property which was placed on the VA Landmarks Register and the National Register ... read more

 

Contact Us

  • The Vale Schoolhouse is located at the corner of Vale Rd and Fox Mill Rd in Oakton, VA
  • P.O. Box 6, Oakton,VA 22124
  • For other information contact our President at leehellis2@gmail.com 
     
Directions to Schoolhouse