Community Relations 



117 



Now that caused a fight. The feehng here on the Station was that King 

 George did not have a good school system, and Dahlgren people weren't about 

 to send their children to such a system. Therefore, the Station was arguing for a 

 high school and elementary school to be operated on Station, and the United 

 States Office of Education was saying, "That's ridiculous," and the County of 

 King George was sitting back saying nothing. The situation wound up in a 

 compromise with continued operation of the elementary school as a federal 

 school and the high school students going to King George with special funding 

 under this bill. That created a problem for awhile, and that is understandable. 

 Our children here on the Station had been led to believe that King George 

 County had a bad school system and that we had a good system on Station. They 

 didn't appreciate having to go out of here. As a result, they went up to King 

 George with the "chip on the shoulder" attitude that they came from a superior 

 school system. I suppose some of that is still carrying over today, but 1 don't 

 think as significantly as it did then. Time changes things. This was the best 

 break that, I think, ever came about in bringing the two communities 

 together — the consolidation of this school system — and it took the kids to do it. 



Did you go to the county schools? 



No, I didn't. When I grew up here on the Station, we had a high school, but it 

 was neither accredited nor certified, and therefore the students were not 



First Dahlgren school building constructed in 1 922. 



