‘Grace Hopper Center’ to be Career Center’s new name as project breaks ground

By Daniel Egitto
Published May 17, 2024 at 10:45AM


Arlington Public Schools officials break ground for the forthcoming Grace Hopper Center (staff photo by Dan Egitto)
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The new facility set to replace the Arlington Career Center will be named after a noted Navy admiral and computer scientist who lived in Arlington. ... Grace Hopper Center will be the campus’s new name following a 4-0 Arlington School Board vote last night.

“Grace Hopper… was a pioneer in computer programming, software development, a Naval officer, math teacher, Ph.D., master’s degree — all types of facets and areas of study that embody what this building will contain,” said Vice Chair David Priddy.

“Grace Hopper Campus” was a naming committee’s second choice, after “The Pike Campus.” Priddy acknowledged that students currently call the facility at 816 S. Walter Reed Drive “the Pike,” but said, “from my specific point of view, we needed something more formal for the name.”

The School Board also felt that the word “center” more accurately reflected the building’s character. ... Officials broke ground on the project in a ceremony Thursday afternoon. The new building is slated to open in the fall of 2026.

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