{"id":15499,"date":"2026-11-03T10:52:35","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T15:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=15499"},"modified":"2026-11-03T10:52:35","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T15:52:35","slug":"tri-campus-expansion-is-officially-underway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/tri-campus-expansion-is-officially-underway\/","title":{"rendered":"Tri-Campus expansion is officially underway"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Tri-Campus expansion is officially underway. From left, Dr. Donald Robertson Jr., Mayor Bobby Dyer, School Board Chair Kathleen Brown, School Board member Dr. Alveta Green, former School Board member Shannon Kendrick and Margie Wilson Coefield, member of the committee to preserve Bettie F. Williams’ legacy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By <\/em>Cindy Butler Focke<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

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VBCPS Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer Nicole Livas held the microphone for Diamond Springs Elementary first graders as they read poems celebrating the Tri-Campus expansion. They wrote the poems with assistance from the school’s librarian Danielle Licari, left.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

City officials, School Board members, students, staff and guests gathered outside Newton Elementary on Oct. 28 for the Bayside Tri-Campus expansion groundbreaking ceremony.<\/p>\n

Several students led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance and read poetry.<\/p>\n

Diamond Springs Elementary first grader Tiffany Obesa read part of a poem titled \u201cIf I Built a School,\u201d written by students and Diamond Springs librarian Danielle Licari.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I built a school, oh the things we would do! We\u2019d dream big dreams and make them come true. From Diamond Springs to Newtown, hooray! A new addition is coming our way!\u201d<\/p>\n

The event celebrated the construction to add space to Newtown and Diamond Springs elementary schools, both built in 2008.<\/p>\n

In the school year 2028-29, Diamond Springs will welcome pre-kindergarten through first grade students, and second through fifth graders will attend Newtown Elementary.<\/p>\n

VBCPS Facilities Services Project Manager Judith Christman said Diamond Springs will gain an additional 7,400 square feet and 22,300 will be added to Newtown.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe design for the addition at each school has been crafted to blend seamlessly into the existing buildings, so that the additions appear to have been there from the beginning,\u201d Christman said.<\/p>\n

Newtown will also gain an interior extended learning area and an exterior covered outdoor learning patio to provide opportunities for learning outside the classroom.<\/p>\n

Newtown, Diamond Springs and Bettie F. Williams elementary schools are currently part of the Bayside Tri-Campus established in 2007.<\/p>\n

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Superintendent Dr. Donald Robertson Jr. spoke during the ceremony celebrating the Tri-Campus expansion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Superintendent Dr. Donald Robertson Jr. \u00a0spoke about the benefits of creating new modernized learning environments within the two schools. He also emphasized the importance of keeping the legacy of Bettie F. Williams alive, even though the current building will not be utilized for students when the expansion is complete.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the heart of the story is Bettie F. (Forbes) Williams,\u201d he said. \u201cWilliams\u2019 name and legacy will remain an important part of the story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams was born in 1900 in Princess Anne County, now part of Virginia Beach. Her parents were farmers. After college, she taught in the county for 24 years, including Seatack Elementary, Union Kempsville High School on the grounds of Union Baptist Church and the Princess Anne County Training School when it opened in 1938. She took on a supervisory role before retiring in 1961, the same year a new school was built and named in her honor.<\/p>\n

Bettie F. Williams Elementary became part of the Bayside Tri-Campus in 2007.<\/p>\n

Williams\u2019 cousin Isaac Forbes grew up in Virginia Beach and is retired from the U.S. Air Force. He serves on the committee designed to ensure Williams\u2019 impact on the community will continue to be recognized within the new chapter of the Tri-Campus.<\/p>\n

Forbes said he is honored to be involved in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cBettie F. Williams is part of the African American heritage in Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Bettie F. Williams Elementary fifth graders, led by music teacher Alyssa Hutchens, sang “Three Little Birds” during the Tri-Campus expansion groundbreaking ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fifth graders from Bettie F. Williams swayed in unison as their music teacher Alyssa Hutchens directed them in the song, \u201cThree Little Birds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The uplifting moment celebrating the shared future of the three school communities garnered applause from the audience.<\/p>\n

Wearing hard hats, representatives ceremoniously dug with shovels in the dirt to officially proclaim the Tri-Campus expansion underway.<\/p>\n

Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer applauded VBCPS for always striving for excellence. \u201cOur schools are the envy of the entire nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Want another look? Watch video of the groundbreaking<\/a>. The VBCPS Facilities Services projects webpage<\/a> has more information about this and other projects.<\/em><\/p>\n

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City officials, schoolboard members, students, staff and guests celebrated the expansion of the Bayside Tri-Campus Oct. 28 with a groundbreaking ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Renderings of Diamond Springs and Newtown elementary schools after the expansion completion were on display during the Tri-Campus groundbreaking ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Renderings of Diamond Springs and Newtown elementary schools after the expansion completion were on display during the Tri-Campus groundbreaking ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The official groundbreaking ceremony for the Bayside Tri-Campus expansion was held Oct. 28 at Newtown Elementary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cindy Butler Focke City officials, School Board members, students, staff and guests gathered outside Newton Elementary on Oct. 28 for the Bayside Tri-Campus expansion groundbreaking ceremony. Several students led […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":15508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-connections","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15499"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15514,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15499\/revisions\/15514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}