Dorothy Hamm Middle School - District (2016)

Address: 4100 Vacation Lane, Arlington, VA 22207

Phone: 703-228-2910

Principal: Ellen Smith, ellen.smith@apsva.us

School hours:

7:50 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. (Early Release – 12:05 p.m.)

Office hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This school is fully accredited by the Commonwealth of Virginia.Nestled in the Cherrydale community, Dorothy Hamm Middle School is Arlington Public Schools’ first neighborhood middle school to open since 1994. While the original building was completed in 1951, providing Dorothy Hamm with wide hallways, bright classrooms, and beautiful terrazzo floors, its interior has recently been updated to include new lockers, colorful wall accents, and innovative classroom spaces for Art, Business Education, Technology Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences.

The completed addition on the West side of the building includes an auxiliary gym, a health/fitness space, locker rooms, a gorgeous library, a student commons area with a media wall, and 15 additional classrooms, including 3 state-of-the-art science classrooms. Landscaping around the addition includes a walkway that celebrates and educates students and community members about the four students who integrated the original building, Stratford Jr. High, in 1959.

Named after Dorothy M. Bigelow Hamm, a Halls Hill resident, mother, and Arlington Civil Rights Activist, the staff of this middle school seeks to continue her work of ensuring equity and access to an excellent education for all students by engaging students in rigorous, relevant, and language-rich learning experiences. Using student-centered teaching practices focused on integrating choice into the classroom, valuing student voice, creating authentic learning experiences through stations and workshops, teachers differentiate the APS curriculum to meet the individual learning needs of students.

Arlington Public School’s Strategic Plan, along with research on adolescents, states that a positive relationship with an adult at school can be the key to success. At Dorothy Hamm, the TA (teacher advisory) teacher is the child’s first advocate. They welcome students, help students develop a sense of belonging, facilitate student organization, and monitor and support students’ academic performance. Parent partnership with this teacher is vital to the school’s mission of making the middle school years “The Best Years” for every student.