The history of Wakefield School is one of bold vision and ambition. It begins in 1972 when William E. Lynn, Jr. and his wife Pamela W. Lynn opened a school in the Wakefield district of Rappahannock County, on a campus about 1.5 miles south of the town of Flint Hill, calling it Wakefield Country Day School. The school opened with students in grades k-4, and the plan was to add a grade each year, with the first senior class being graduated in 1981. Mr. and Mrs. Lynn, eager to complete the process, enrolled five one-year seniors in September 1979 and they became the school’s first graduating class in June, 1980.
Against conventional wisdom and professional advice, they established the school on a classical academy model, more commonly used by day schools in urban and suburban areas, but rarely in rural areas. It was the opinion of some independent school veterans that “Rappahannock folks aren’t going to pay tuition for their kids to wear school uniforms and study Latin every day.” Happily, they were wrong. From the beginning, Wakefield students would study ancient and modern languages, art, music, history, science, mathematics, literature, and composition. Although Mortimer Adler’s Paideia Proposal had yet to be published, when it appeared in 1982, the Lynns pointed to sections from it with enthusiasm as an endorsement of what the school was doing, which they argued was in contrast to the movement of public education in the United States. And from the beginning students would wear much the same uniform they wear today.
Wakefield flourished in the late 1970s and 1980s on the original campus in Huntly. There were several reasons for its success. First, Wakefield provided a welcome alternative for residents of Rappahannock and surrounding counties who wanted a traditional college preparatory option based on the liberal arts model. At the time, Wakefield was the sole, academically-focused, independent, k-12, day school option for the area between Oakton (where the newly-reformed Flint Hill School was growing), Front Royal, Winchester, and Charlottesville. Tuition was kept impractically low in order to attract students and keep the school as financially accessible as possible. Facilities were added as they were needed, with a separate, primary school wing coming in 1980, followed by modular classrooms shortly thereafter, and then a new gymnasium/library/science building in 1985. These additions were financed privately by the Lynn family and with the support of Mr. Lynn’s mother, who also leased the land to the school. That the school itself did not own the land would soon become an issue.
The primary reason the school succeeded was that the faculty did a good job, the students rose to the challenges presented, and they were academically well-prepared for college. The emphasis on writing proved to be a distinctive feature which made graduates’ transition to college unusually easy, and they often reported being asked to provide guidance to their peers.
The school added a five-day boys’ boarding program in 1980, and a girls’ program in 1981. These two new programs were housed at private residences rented by the school, and originally located about two miles south of the campus. At the peak of boarding operations, the two houses provided lodging for 30 students and each had a resident member of the faculty on site for supervision. Through operations at two different locations for each, the “lodges” as they were known, offered five-day boarding for many students, and occasional seven-day boarding for a few international students. However, increasingly expensive county and state health and safety requirements forced the closing of these programs by 1988.
In acknowledgement of the school’s boarding program, and perhaps of Mr. Lynn’s hopes of expanding it, the school’s name was changed from Wakefield Country Day School to Wakefield School during the 1982-83 academic year. The actual date of the legal change is not easy to determine, but the operational, practical change comes first. As early as 1982 the sign on Rt. 522 had been changed to read “Wakefield School” and diplomas were printed with Wakefield School rather than Wakefield Country Day School. As well, by 1983 the original school seal had been changed from the old heraldic design (a shield in four quarters) to the current design, based on an Athenian coin from the 4th century B.C. In October 1990 the IRS acknowledged the name change to Wakefield School and amended the tax-exempt status accordingly, having originally granted tax exempt status to Wakefield Country Day School in 1980. What is not in dispute is that both Mr. and Mrs. Lynn and the school community in general had adopted Wakefield School as the name for all purposes by the spring of 1985.
For all of its academic success, during these years there were sometimes rumors the school would not reopen. Teachers’ salaries and vendor bills were paid late at times. The Lynns, themselves, described the school’s financial and management styles as “mom and pop”. Deficits rose and debt increased due to unfunded and overly ambitious construction projects. All this time the school was run by a Board of Trustees unlike most independent schools, chosen by the Lynns and composed entirely and exclusively of Lynn family and friends, and any gap in finances was often filled by personal loans taken by the Lynns, or loans from the family members themselves. The procedures and policies of the board were not widely known, nor was its membership, nor was the board in any way accountable to the faculty, staff, or parents of the school.
In August, 1988, Bill Lynn died unexpectedly after a short illness. The school year had ended without any hint of a problem, and his passing left the school in a state of serious shock. There was concern that without Mr. Lynn the school would fail, and that someone had to step in and provide financial and management support in addition to his widow, Pam, and his mother, Clydetta.
At the request of Mrs. Pamela Lynn, who had stepped into the role of Interim Headmistress, a Finance Committee was formed which included fifteen past and present parents of the school. For the first time, the extent of operating deficit and debt was explained. The committee took years of handwritten bookkeepers’ ledgers and created computer-generated financial statements and graphics that provided clarity to the school’s precarious condition. For the first time in Wakefield history, a budget was prepared based on enrollment projections and a realistic and honest look at operating income and expenses.
Meanwhile, Pamela and Clydetta Lynn, announced they were creating EDUCO, a trust that would hold the school’s campus and property in perpetuity for the benefit of Wakefield School. Mrs. Pam Lynn declared the creation of EDUCO to the school community and public in many meetings, letters, and press releases which lead to articles in local newspapers. The Lynn family was lauded for their foresight and generosity in providing for the future of Wakefield School.
The demands as Interim Headmistress, teacher, and other roles lead Mrs. Lynn to establish an independent Board of Trustees from trusted friends, parents, and many who had served on the Finance Committee created after her husband’s death. This standard independent school board structure was also an essential part of gaining accreditation for the school under the guidelines of both SACS and VAIS. Prior to accepting the ultimate responsibility for the school, this group received assurances from Mrs. Lynn about her support for the new board and also that the EDUCO Trust was finalized and completed, placing the physical and real property of the school in the possession of the school for the first time. This arrangement was confirmed by the attorneys involved in the creation of EDUCO.
Based on these representations, the Wakefield School Board of Trustees was organized and assumed control of and responsibility for the school on February 28, 1990. The trustees included corporate chief executives, business consultants, investors, lawyers, a medical doctor and an architect. The combined board brought skills and experience to bear that had never existed before amongst trustees at Wakefield. Their efforts required weekly meetings and hundreds of hours of board organization and planning to hit the ground running. Two members of the new board accepted personal responsibility for $300,000 in debt generated from years of operating deficits. Before doing so, they were again assured that EDUCO was real and in force. Mrs. Pamela Lynn eagerly permitted them to assume the responsibility for this debt. This assumption of legal as well as practical responsibility for the long-term operation and success of Wakefield by a truly independent, self-perpetuating board of trustees marked the maturation of the School into a non-profit which was truly conforming to the principles and practices of a non-profit independent school.
One of the trustees’ pressing major responsibilities was to select a permanent head of school to relieve Mrs. Lynn of the role as interim headmistress – a move she fully supported. A search committee was established from board members and parents, also using outside consultants familiar with Virginia independent schools. The committee reviewed the credentials of more than twenty applicants and narrowed the field down to the five most qualified applicants who were requested to provide references, statements of philosophy, and participate in telephone interviews. From these five, three were selected to come to the school for an interview and tour of the campus. There was also an honest and frank discussion of the school’s financial situation. After these interviews, two applicants removed their names from consideration presumably because of their concerns for Wakefield’s financial viability.
The remaining applicant was Alan Saunders, who held a doctorate in education and had a history of more than twenty years as headmaster. He also came with an enthusiastic endorsement from the Virginia independent school leaders as capable, energetic, and a good choice for Wakefield.
A contract was negotiated and Dr. Saunders became President and Head of School for the 1990-91 school year with a multi-year contract. He was introduced to the school in the spring of 1990 and received the whole-hearted endorsement of Mrs. Pamela Lynn in an open meeting with the school’s parents.
As is often the case with schools that have been driven by the personal style and vision of a founder, the next head faces challenges when he or she tries to codify a structure that will outlive any one individual. During this period of transition at Wakefield seeds of future strife were sewn. Issues of school management and leadership which had been disguised or hidden during the Lynn era became matters for discussion with the new openness of the Board of Trustees and Headmaster. Board reports were published regularly with budgets and financial projections. An aging bus fleet that experienced frequent breakdowns and was deemed unsafe was replaced by brand new buses, leased for the same cost as was required to maintain the old fleet. Open meetings were held between the Board and Headmaster, and the faculty, staff, and parents. Mrs. Pamela Lynn was a frequent participant as the Director of Curriculum.
At the same time, Dr. Saunders style and some of his ideas concerned some faculty and parents. While the most significant change he helped champion was a good one (reducing the weight of June exams to something less than 50% of the entire year), his ideas about how to support an enhanced extra-curricular program and what parts of the academic program might be reduced were unsettling. This might not have been an issue at some other time in the school’s life, but in this period in which so much of the leadership of the school had changed or been restructured, his personality was an issue.
Enrollment during the time remained steady at approximately 300 students. Parents sought to support the school and the new board of trustees which was working hard to make Wakefield’s future both consistent with the established vision and financially sustainable.
As the 1990-91 school year progressed, however, discontent developed within a small group of families who for personal reasons did not want to accept the new leadership structure of the school. Letters, some of which were anonymous, were circulated criticizing the board and headmaster. A central curricular issue was whether the faculty and headmaster would be allowed to review and revise the curriculum as is the custom and requirement in accredited independent schools, or whether Mrs. Pamela Lynn would retain sole control through her position as Vice-President of curriculum. A corollary to that discussion, (in the words of the Rappahannock News July 11, 1991): “Determining who should run Wakefield School comes down to the best interests of the students – not of the Lynn family, not of the Board of Directors. On that criterion alone, we find the board clearly the more appropriate body to steward the school.”
During the spring, Mrs. Pam Lynn announced her intention to open a new school, and to resurrect Wakefield School’s original name, Wakefield Country Day School. This was announced and word spread amongst the community. This development only increased the tension in the community because now it was clear that teachers, students, and families would have to make a painful choice. Discussions became increasingly contentious and the animosity drove the school community apart. Despite many open meetings and detailed letters from school leadership, neither the Trustees nor Dr. Saunders were able to resolve the disagreements.
After a spring filled with more letters, combative and inaccurate rumors, and threats from Mrs. Pamela Lynn to “take back the school”, Wakefield School and the Lynn family entered into a series of lawsuits in an attempt to resolve the issues in the courts which had proved unresolvable outside of the courts. During this time, the EDUCO Trust, so proudly announced and validated by both the Lynn family and their attorneys the previous year, and offered to the trustees as certification that they had been given the wherewithal to discharge their fiduciary duties as expected, was found by the court to be so legally defective that it was declared invalid and was dissolved. The most immediate practical effect of voiding the EDUCO trust was that Wakefield School did not have sole use and control of the land and buildings the Board of Trustees and Headmaster thought it had been given by the Lynn family through the trust.
The summer of 1991 was a time fraught with both crushing disappointment and vast potential. All the work of the Lynns and the parents (e.g., the WPA, Finance Committee, and Board of Trustees) who had stepped up to help after Mr. Lynn’s death seemed to have been for naught. Yet with tremendous belief in the original vision, born of what had already been accomplished since 1972, many saw an opportunity for the phoenix to rise again. In July, the Board of Trustees invited as many of the faculty and staff as could be reached to receive a report on the status of the school along with all the parents that wanted to speak. Nearly all forty faculty and staff and many parents met with the Executive Committee of the Board and the results of the court case were discussed for several hours. It was clear there were two obvious propositions:
- that the Board of Trustees and Headmaster would resign, dissolving the governing body and, presumably, returning the school to a proprietary institution; or
- that the board and headmaster would seek to find a new campus for Wakefield where the school could flourish.
School leaders carefully explained that the latter option would require a Herculean effort and carried with it the strong possibility of failure. Overwhelmingly, the faculty and staff voted for the chance to maintain Wakefield as a true independent school governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees free of any special interest groups. Two people voted against that proposition and one person abstained. The Board had its marching orders and was even more committed to saving Wakefield from another calamity and preserving the work of the preceding nineteen years.
Despite their knowledge of the general support of the faculty and staff for the independent board, in August of 1991, Mrs. Pamela Lynn and Mrs. Clydetta Lynn reacted to that vote by executing an eviction order (now possible because EDUCO had been declared invalid by the court) two weeks before school was to open. The sincere concern for the students of the school, so often cited by those who opposed the school’s leadership, apparently did not include their actual education. The county sheriff appeared at 8AM on Friday, August 16, 1991 and Wakefield School was given eight hours to vacate the property. The call went out and a heroic group of parents, students, faculty, staff and others gathered to pack-up almost twenty years of Wakefield School.
The school’s contents, records, student records, books, desks, and everything the corporation owned were loaded into buses, borrowed horse trailers, and vans and taken to a temporary storage in Winchester. Not every item, especially from the science labs and library, could be removed in that eight hours and additional legal action was required for their recovery.
As soon as news of the school’s eviction became public knowledge, a few parents and trustees began a search for a temporary home. An assisted living facility in Marshall had a vacant wing that provided over twenty classrooms and an old house next door supplied the needed office space. With incredible support from the citizenry and the Fauquier County government, Wakefield School’s trustees, faculty, staff, parents, and students performed an extraordinary feat and made the move to their new, temporary home. Wakefield School opened for classes only two weeks later than originally scheduled.
Two-thirds of the faculty and staff, and a plurality of the students who had been enrolled that June found their way to the new campus in Marshall. Several faculty who did not stay with Wakefield School left teaching altogether. While 310 students had been expected for the 1991-92 school year, 148 students actually matriculated at the new Marshall campus. Another 100 withdrew to attend area public or other private schools, citing their concern about the school’s financial situation. Despite the very different conditions in September (vs. May), which included losing half the enrollment and incurring renovation costs for the Marshall facility, the Board of Trustees honored all employee contracts, including raises. This extraordinary financial hurdle was met through the personal commitment, generosity, and ethics of the Board of Trustees.
That fall, rooms originally designed and outfitted for elderly or infirm residents greeted the students and faculty. A nurse’s station became the main reception desk. Students who had mixed in the halls only with other students were often confronted by their new neighbors who had taken a wrong turn on the way to lunch. Still, many returning students and parents commented that when they walked through the door it was to enter the Wakefield School they had left in June. The real spirit of Wakefield had also made the move.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Pamela Lynn did open her new school on our old campus in Huntly, the property from which Wakefield School had been evicted. That school opened with some students who had enrolled at Wakefield School in the spring, and others who transferred in from other public and independent schools. A few teachers from Wakefield School chose to work for the new Wakefield Country Day School.
Other than operating on Wakefield School’s original campus, there is no connection between the current Wakefield Country Day School and Wakefield School. There is a seamless chain of operation and corporate identity for Wakefield School, starting in 1972 as Wakefield Country Day School and continuing later as Wakefield School.
Wakefield School operated in Marshall from September 1991 until August 1996. Alan Saunders left Wakefield after the 1991-92 year. Mr. Tony Wilson served as acting headmaster for two years. Mr. Craig Channel served as headmaster for the 1994-95 year, but resigned after only one year, happily to be followed by Erin Duffy. Ms. Duffy was a long-term faculty member and served as interim head for 1995-96 and then Upper School head for a couple of years after that. Enrollment grew to more than 240 students during the Marshall years and mobile classrooms were brought to house the larger student enrollment. The local community center provided gymnasium space for physical education and athletic competition. The Marshall Annex also served as the location for science laboratories. Those who visited Wakefield School at Marshall were amazed at what they saw and especially by the impressive students who were being developed from humble surroundings.
Immediately after school started in September of 1991, the trustees began the search for a new, permanent home. Obviously, one of the issues in play was the desire for “a home of our own”. Many weekends were spent with faculty, staff, trustees and parent loaded into a Wakefield bus searching the countryside, chasing down leads and prospects. In 1994, after surveying more than forty properties, the decision was made to purchase fifty acres of Archwood Farm in The Plains. This unusual opportunity was made possible by Ms. Andrea Currier and The Plains Redevelopment Corporation. Wakefield trustees and staff started raising money for a new campus, and through the heroic efforts and generosity resulting in a few large gifts plans moved forward. An architect and contractor were hired to build about 35,000 square feet of classroom, office, and gym space during the 1995-96 school year.
In September of 1996, Wakefield School, now twenty-four years old, moved to the first campus it had ever owned. Many said it would never happen; others had proclaimed that Wakefield School was finished at times during the Marshall years. None of these seers were familiar with the people involved, or aware of the spirit of the Wakefield School community. The doubters were proven wrong on September 23, when 245 students lead by the senior class and newly-installed Headmaster Peter Quinn, and Board Chair, Bob Roberts, cut the red ribbon to officially open the campus. In fact, the timing was so close that the first assembly of the year was held in the old Marshal annex while the official occupancy permit was hand-delivered from the county office in Warrenton!
Since 1996, additional buildings have been completed including an Upper School Building, Art and Music Center, a new field house, a Science and Technology Center, and three additional athletic fields. The campus has also expanded to 63 acres thanks to a generous gift of land from The Plains Redevelopment Corporation in 2007.
In 2000, following many years of discussion and preparation, the school successfully completed the process of accreditation by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. Prior to this time, despite specific claims by Mr. Lynn in the 1980s, the school had never been accredited.
Enrollment grew substantially since 1996, and in 2009 the school opened with 464 students. At the same time, faculty and staff now number more than 85. The curriculum has been continually refined and improved while maintaining the classical philosophy. Our success is measured in comments like this one in 2006, from the late Jack Blackburn, Director of Admissions at the University of Virginia: “Wakefield graduates at UVA maintain the second highest aggregate average of students from all secondary schools sending students to Virginia.” Student life options, notoriously restricted in the early years have flourished as well with the determined strategy to fulfill the broad mandates of our mission and philosophy both inside and outside the classroom.
After more than three decades of continuous operation and thirty consecutive graduating classes, Wakefield School counts among its faculty, staff, and trustees supporters who have taken up the cause of this rugged and heroic institution from the 1970s, following in the footsteps of predecessors who in their own time sought the challenge and made all the difference for Wakefield.
As you drive up the tree-lined lane to Wakefield School, you will undoubtedly notice the peace and tranquility of the woodland, pastures, and mountains. It has been called one of the most beautiful sites in all of Fauquier County, and remarkable among independent schools in general. It has been transformed from a residence into an amazing academic campus thanks to the dedication, sacrifice and vision of honorable men and women.