By Sharon Schoeller

Sharon Schoeller is a long-time advocate for the Falls Church City Schools.  She is currently a member of the Women’s History Group and Secretary of the Board of the Falls Church Ed Foundation.

When we read or hear that March is Women’s History Month, it is easy to think that history means celebrating people from the past who have made major contributions to the City of Falls Church. Of course that’s true, but focusing on the past alone prevents us from seeing that we are making history in the City of Falls Church right now!  History is a living thing!  Women are and have been a major part of all recent history in the City.

Falls Church became an independent City 75 years ago, in 1948, and that took courage. To both succeed and then thrive has required dedication and determination from generations of our civic leaders.

Driving down Broad Street you can’t help but see the transformation that has taken place in recent years. The City Council laid the groundwork for all this growth with the passage of the Special Exception Ordinance in 2001. The  Little City is bustling with new residences, and new businesses and restaurants, many of which are owned by women. The mixed-use development on the old school property has helped to make our new state-of-the-art Meridian High School a reality. When the community voted “Yes” on the 2017 referendum to build the high school, promoted and supported by a woman-led PAC, we were making history. When students walked into that high school in February 2021, they were making history!  In recent history, Falls Church gained its own theater: Creative Cauldron; art gallery and arts organization: Falls Church Arts – both through the initiatives of women.

Not only has the Little City had historic growth in its physical infrastructure, but our recent history includes initiatives to make Falls Church a more diverse, caring, and welcoming place. With an emphasis on increasing the number of affordable housing units, and services and help for financially insecure local families and refugees, Falls Church is making history by building its social infrastructure as well. Initiatives, such as Welcoming Falls Church, Better Together Falls Church, and the Family Assistance Fund of the Falls Church Education Foundation, are some examples of organizations led by women.

For the first time in the City’s history, six of the seven members of our City Council are women: Mayor Letty Hardi, Vice-Mayor Debbie Schantz-Hiscott, Marybeth Connelly, Erin Flynn, Caroline Lian, and Justine Underhill.

Last week as part of a new Falls Church City Public Schools Inclusive Local History Curriculum, the Women’s History Group presented panel discussions for middle and high school students entitled: Falls Church, Past, Present and Your Future.

Students had the opportunity to learn about women in Falls Church history through the eyes and experiences of some amazing women. Speakers included Mayor Letty Hardi; Nikki Graves Henderson, Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation; Marty Meserve, Creative Cauldron and former Council member; restaurateurs Carey Tang, Ellie Bird, and Tuyet-Nhi Le, Nue, Chasin’ Tails and Roll Play.  The speakers made connections between the remarkable women in our community’s history and the City we have today. They told stories about getting involved, launching businesses, and making change. They encouraged students to get involved. Students participated with enthusiasm when they recognized places and people in our community. Keep an eye out for a video of the presentation that will be released later this month. You are guaranteed to learn something new!

The Falls Church Women’s History Group invites everyone to help us continue to celebrate women past and present who have made the City of Falls Church a better place to live.

Please come join us  on Saturday, May 11 at Cherry Hill Park for the 2024 Falls Church Women’s History Walk. The self-guided Walk will be accessible from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The Walk pays homage to the panoply of women who have shaped our community since its beginnings. This year we add seven honorees to this long line: Grand Marshals Betty Allan, Maureen Budetti, Cynthia Garner, Mary Gavin, and Marian Costner Selby, and Honorees Merelyn Kaye and Nancy Stock. Seventy Herstory stations, spread throughout the Park, will highlight the work of these honorees from the 1600s to the present. We are confident their stories will inspire you to make a difference.

A great thing about being part of a growing, thriving City is that Cherry Hill Park on a Saturday morning is the place to be. Please stop by after the Farmer’s Market or before your library visit.  Come enjoy the history, the company, the books, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, new plants, and the fresh air with Falls Church neighbors. Be inspired to get involved and keep making Falls Church a great place to live, work, go to school, play . . . and make history!

Written and Submitted by Sharon Schoeller of the Falls Church Women’s History Group