Armstrong Elementary Renovation A Family Affair For Former Student

RESTON, VA — For most parents, improving their neighborhood school means joining the PTA, contributing to the latest fundraiser or maybe advocating for a school bond. For Jordan Short, improving the neighborhood school is a little more hands-on.

A senior manager with Fairfax County Public Schools, Short is overseeing renovation at Armstrong Elementary School in Reston, which his two sons, Charlie and Parker, attend, and where a third son will start kindergarten in a few years.

Born in Texas, Jordan Short and his family relocated to Reston in the early 1990s. He entered kindergarten at Armstrong Elementary in 1990 and went on to attend Herndon Middle and Herndon High schools.

“It’s just a good feeling to be able to return back to the school that shaped me, in a sense, laid the foundation for learning,” Jordan Short said. “Just being able to go back to the school where my kids are attending and actually be working on the project and being able to see the changes that are being made, it's refreshing. It's pride, really. It's all of the good things.”

Even though Jordan Short is not onsite everyday of the renovation, he does cross paths occasionally with Charlie and Parker.

“They've been great,” he said. “They're fantastic. I've been in this construction industry my whole life, so it's like getting to enjoy it with them.”

The Armstrong Elementary School Renovation Project was first added to the county’s renovation queue in 2009. Planning and design funding for the project was as part of the 2021 school bond referendum, according to FCPS. Fairfax voters also approved construction funding for the project, which was included in the 2023 school bond referendum.

Related: View Pre-Construction Community Meeting Presentation

“They are doing a total remodel of our school,” said Principal James Quinn. “They're redoing all of the existing structure, and they're also adding on additions in the front and a new library in the back.”

In total, the project will add about 27,000 square feet to the building, including new administrative offices and exterior improvements, such as updating the bus loop, extending the Kiss and Ride and adding a new outdoor play area. Work began last spring and is expected to be completed in summer 2027.

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Quinn admitted that he was a little nervous going into the summer about how the school would continue to function during the renovation.

“But coming out of the summer, and at the end, you could see a clear vision for how the year was going to go, how things were going to get started,” he said. “With a lot of communication from Jordan and their team, and then us passing it along to the community, it's pretty much effortless to get through our school day.”

So far, Quinn hasn’t heard too many concerns from the community about school operations during the renovation.

“I think everybody's excited,” he said “Once we got through the first week of school, people were able to come in for open house and back-to-school night and get a lay of the land themselves. They got to see where their kids were coming and going each day. It reassured them.”

Those positive feelings extended to Armstrong's student population as well.

“Kids are resilient, so they're excited by the changes,” Quinn said. “They enjoy being able to see the construction when they're outside playing. It's been good”